@Kathyrn_51 - Where are you? Did you like the sauna scene. Are you going to get some zzzzz today?😍😍😍😍😍😜😜😜
lol, but I posted early this morning about the show - I guess it was under a spoiler tag since it was so early, but this is what I had to say about TM/TH :
"Kang Tae Min (Ko Joo Won) in a sauna is a sight to be relished. Too bad that towel didn’t drop any lower. TH is beginning to learn what it takes to run a big conglomerate – many all-nighters, dealing with the media etc."
Nice eye candy in that scene, but I was too busy laughing at Tae Ho's embarrassment being nekkid in a Korean sauna. 😂
Its near one of the ski resorts. Its near Gangneung
Well, my main thought was that if they were filming in Gangwon Province, they were filming the "accident at Daegwallyeong Pass scenes". 😊
Many ski resorts are near (6 miles) from Daegwallyeong Pass. At this point, they all have heavy snow on the ground, so filming was presumably done in the lower elevations in Gangwon province.
In an earlier episode, the Chairman (TM's father") took the Directors for a ski vacation and they supposedly stayed at the Kang family vacation home - and as we know, TM's "Aunt/Uncle" were travelling through the Pass in order to get there. -
The following is a cut/paste from the original KBS preview/teaser plus my editorial add-ons. If you are a big…
Together, Taemin and Taeho prepare to fend off the TV Live attack all night long, and the two seem to grow closer. [Kang Tae Min (Ko Joo Won) in a sauna is a site to be relished. Too bad that towel didn’t drop any lower. TH is beginning to learn what it takes to run a big conglomerate – many all-nighters, dealing with the media etc.]
Hyo-sim goes to the neighborhood where she went to look for her father, scattering flyers and doing her best to find him.[Later, she gets a phone call from the neighborhood, stating that the man in the poster visits a piano academy – cut to viewer finally seeing her father at the piano playing. . . . chopsticks!]
Tae-hee, who was divorced by Hyo-do, returns to her home and Yeom-moo’s attitude toward [her] is significant. [Yeom protects Tae Hee from her mother’s physical abuse. Toward the end of the show, Tae Hee asks Yeom if he is her father]
After learning all about Tae-ho and Tae Min-s story, Hyo-shim comforts Tae-ho. [after drinking alone in a bar, Tae-min finally returns home (he’s been wearing the same clothes now for several days, lol )and has it out with his mother for embezzling money. He tells her that Tae Ho would do a better job of running the company. He finally demands to know the real reason for imprisoning Grandmother and Mom replies it was because Dad killed the Aunt and Uncle.]
The following is a cut/paste from the original KBS preview/teaser plus my editorial add-ons. If you are a big Tae Ho fan (I am not), you should read Bloomingtide's post which is mildly spoilerish.
This was really interesting until the last few episodes. I must admit, I kept nodding off and felt no compulsion…
Lol, but I was just reviewing my MDL "currently watching" list and noticed this drama was still on that list. . I also fell asleep watching around Episode 10ish and never returned - altho at one point, I was confident that I would. It's going on the "dropped" list at this point and I doubt if I will ever return. too many new and intriguing dramas are either airing right now or about to release. 😊
I feel vindicated in my hatred for the grandmother. I've been a hater since they revealed the toxic family dynamics…
I never hated her, but always assumed that she had as many dark secrets as her daughter-in-law. And she was soooooo condescending and dismissive of TV Life Chairman. Oh my gosh - he stole some trade secrets. Meanwhile, I ripped a baby from the arms of his mother.
Oh well, it makes for great Korean makjang soap opera and it was actually good news for this Tae Min fan - he is the eldest grandson and he is the One True Taesan Heir. (How many arguments did I have with others whether TM or TH was the heir? I lost count.)
It's now official we get a bonus episode, aka episode 51 🥳🥳🥳🥳https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/477/0000473691
Yeah🎉🍿🎉 - glad it's confirmed. Good news for viewers - bad news for me because I'll be lucky if I get to watch the early unsub version before another commitment. 😥
1. A VERY interesting Instagram post today by Lew Kwang Ki (he is SUCH a great actor). Photos from outdoor location “Shooting late night in Gangwondo. What is the secret of the CEO?”. https://www.instagram.com/p/C3TN1p5hTMO/?img_index=1
Gangwon-do = Gangwon Province. Any guesses on why Gangwon-do? Any?
Answer: Daegwallyeong Pass!😎
So, maybe. . . maybe they are filming (cue dramatic music). . . . . “The Accident at Daegwallyeong PASS!” Maybe. Or, maybe not. But whatever – apparently Yeom was there, wherever it is.
It’s on my bucket list for my trip to South Korea and after checking out Google Earth, I am determined to get there!
2. How many MDL’ers know that both Nam Bo-ra and Uee have YouTube “vlogs”. Some of them have been subbed for English if you check “settings”.
Bo-ra has been You-tubing for quite awhile and if you watch to the end of this one, there are some fun scenes of the “poster” shoot with the Hyo Jun actor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEZR2PupvXU
3. Father Lee actor (https://mydramalist.com/people/4669-nam-kyung-eup) is one very, very busy actor. In 2023, he appeared in Joseon Attorney: A Morality; Black Knight; Numbers; Elegant Empire; My Demon; and death’s Game Parts 1 and 2. He finally showed up in Ep. 41 in his badly disguised Age 40ish persona . I really don't care and I do NOT want him to walk Hyo Shim down the aisle (that honor belongs to Hyo Seong) nor do I (or Hyo Jun) want him to attend his wedding.
4. finally, preview for Episode 42:
"Together, Taemin and Taeho prepare to fend off the TV Live attack all night long, and the two seem to grow closer. Hyo-sim goes to the neighborhood where she went to look for her father, scattering flyers and doing her best to find him. Tae-hee, who was divorced by Hyo-do, returns to her home and Yeom-moo's attitude toward him is significant. After learning all about Tae-ho and Tae-min's story, Hyo-shim comforts Tae-ho."
Agree with you 100% on TH comment...Gonna be interesting if they do end up as sis in laws cause the cow should…
As I have posted occasionally (and you and others disagree which is A-OK), the only person that Tae Min truly hurt was Su-Kyung. She did like/love Tae Min, the man. Not the Vice Chairman, not the chaebol heir, but HIM.
He convinced himself that their marriage was a business deal. From the beginning of this drama, his infatuation with Hyo Shim has been a big negative for me so I really hoped the writer would develop a meaningful story arc for them (TM/SK) that would result in a happy ending.
I kinda think that Tae Ho might be the catalyst for bringing them together - if that's what the writer has planned. My rating right now is 2⭐. If TM/Su-kyung get happy ending (as in a REAL happy ending - not a hint), it will soar to 8⭐. If not, the lowest possible: 0.5⭐
I never hated TM but most of his actions I didn't like especially how he was very aggressive and pushy towards…
I'm not overly optimistic about Tae Min/Su-Kyung EXCEPT that on a recent Instagram post, after Im Ju Euin commented, Ko Joo Won commented "Please Come Back" and she replied "Oh my. Can't help it if you talk like that.. ( .. 😏).
So, maybe. Otherwise her character was a complete waste. 😥
@Kathryn_51 I would agree that Tae Min has to viewed through a different lens given the discovery of his real…
KevinToronto.:"I appreciate that everyone sees stories through their own personal perspective, and yours and mine are clearly different." Yes - different perspectives make this a very interesting world. And, you are correct - we have a different definition of "abuse".
After all, it was Tae Ho who demanded that Hyo Shim bring him food when he was in the hospital. It was Tae Ho who demanded that Hyo Shim take him home from the doctor when he had access to a chauffeured car. He didn't ask - the ordered her to do those things and he continually ignored her pleas to stop hitting on her as she tried to maintain a professional, arm's length relationship. It doesn't matter that she was starting to like him - when a woman says no, it means no.
Do I call that abuse? Nope - which is why I don't call TM's actions abusive either.
The car? Tae Ho beat him up for it so consider it even. If you think that TH - after beating up his cousin - is still entitled to "curse and resent" his cousin because of his childhood, then . . .you are correct that we have our different perspectives (I call (them "filters", lol).
BTW, I have not missed the fact that Tae Ho was sent to the USA as a child (firth grade). I haven't missed the fact that he spent Christmases with the USA Director. Or that he enjoyed surfing on a warm beach after serving in the Marines while Tae Min was sent to Saudi Arabia where he ate dust immediately after serving in the Marines. I also haven't missed the fact that. . . . . . okay, you get the picture. Both men had lousy childhoods. Their adult lives have been 180 degrees different except for one glaring item - they are both very lonely (but TH has Hyo Shim now).
Neither man is perfect and neither requires a redemption arc.
I like that they're being frank about their feelings but damn I had to check MDL to see if this was a 8/12 episode…
haha, I just came from another forum where some viewers were saying the drama was bland and boring. I think it's a nice mixture of relationship building (my favorite is ALWAYS enemies to Frenimies to Friends to romance) and mystery (ahhhh, Macao - so James Bondish) and meaningful dialogue on depression and PTSD.
What did we learn about Vice Chairman Kang Tae Min this past weekend????
It was KANG TAE MIN who bought the art gallery when Seo Min Jeong [Jung] died. [Why didn't Tae Ho. . . . oh never mind] And when Tae Ho discovered that fact (apparently months ago), he “resented and cursed” Tae Min for doing so. “Hasn’t he had enough?” Pa-thet-ic.
And it comes as no surprise that when TaeSan was under attack, it was KANG TAE MIN who knew how to best address each different issue in a manner that protected Taesan. In short, Kang Tae Min was never “too stupid” to be Chairman. Meanwhile, Tae Ho just sat there in shocked silence – and finally seemed to realize that he had no idea what it would take to be Chairman, nor did he appreciate how easily a company can be destroyed by public accusations, whether true or not.
I stand by my comment weeks ago – Kang Tae Min doesn’t require a redemption arc. He was brought up by the Axis of Power (grandparents, mother and “uncle”) to protect Taesan Group and that’s what he did and according to my notes, he never lied, blackmailed, stole from or abused (physically or verbally) anyone. The only person he truly hurt was Choi Su Kyung – and in the end, she stayed loyal to him, rather than her father.
Episode 40, we discovered TM went to jail for his MOTHER’s (not Dad’s) bribery!
Also, in Episode 40 – a major, perhaps THE major point of those flashback scenes was to explain (to the viewer) that Tae Min realized that his “mother” not only never loved him but had been using and manipulating him for her own personal greed and power.
By the way, during those flashbacks, Tae Min also finally realized that it was his mother that manipulated him into the marriage, not Choi Su Kyung/TV Live.
Greetings fellow MDL'ers. Super Bowl is over and KC Chiefs won. 😊
This is for viewers who are watching “Dr. Slump” and “Live Your Own Life”. I drafted it yesterday (saturday) but didn't get around to posting.
In Dr. Slump Ep. 5, the Main Couple supposedly had a charming fun day in ‘Hwabon” but in fact. . . Drum Roll. . . .those scenes (with the wind turbines and sheep) were filmed in Daegwallyeong Pass!!
How do I know?? Because I’m planning a trip to South Korea in the next year or so and because of LYOL, Daegwallyeong Pass in on my “hope to see” list. When first mentioned on LYOL, I looked it up and when watching Dr. Slump, I immediately recognized it!
I really hope Director (?) Yeom gets his punishment. Maybe he’s the one who killed TH & now TM’s parents?
i honestly have no idea. She could be connected to a variety of characters or simply no one other than her sister. When I posted a couple of days ago I said it was "gossip/rumor". But the gossip has a real actress name attached: Kim Kyung Sook.
We now realize just how much Dragon Mom treats both of her "children" as mere pawns or tools in her pathological drive for money and power. She often mentions how she "raised" them but as far as I recall, she has never said anything like "I gave birth to you". I give the writer great credit for carefully avoiding any mis-leading statements like that.
Regardless, I agree with others that Yeom is Tae Hui's dad, he followed orders - including orders from 👿Evil Granny👿 and therefor he will have a decent ending.
Ko Joo Won lost over 20 pounds (10 kg) for the role - which is why he is smexy as hell in in those suits! It was…
haha, but although I'm not too old to enjoy a well-built man, I really don't focus on physical attributes - if I did, I would also be commenting on Ha Jun. My favorite LYOL character is Kang Tae Min but since I'm in a definite minority on MDL, I take the liberty of promoting Ko Joo Won's other attributes. 😊It's the least I can do .
Agree with you 100% on TH comment...Gonna be interesting if they do end up as sis in laws cause the cow should…
Many viewers have seen Su-kyung differently, but I'm not going to get into a big argument about it. She loved Tae Min and gambled that they could have a decent marriage.
In TM's flashbacks (Ep. 40), he realized that his "mother" had manipulated him all of his life - including manipulating him into a marriage with a woman that he believed only cared about money and status.
From time to time, Ko Joo Won and Im Ju Eun have a fun exchange on instagram. She's returning at some point. 😎
Her husband, the grandpa, didn't know. He kept belittling his own son for now being able to give him a grandson…
Not to Japan - Saudi Arabia. I posted this yesterday from the Kocowa subs (Episode 40). I am NOT going to try and do the Viki subs - they were slightly different, but the main points are essentially the same.
"At the time, your grandfather had been working at a construction site in Saudi Arabia for a year. He was conducting his business by having his sons come overseas one at a time. So I lied that his eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant. And as soon as your [TM] uncle had his son, I planned to give him to his eldest son Jin Bum. . . . It was an act of desperation. I couldn’t stand by and watch our eldest son get beaten and get mis-treated, even though he was of age and married. Also , our bloodline was in shambles . On top of that, we were becoming a dysfunctional family with Jun Bum outshining Jin Bum. I had to take measures into my own hands. "
2 
1 
"Kang Tae Min (Ko Joo Won) in a sauna is a sight to be relished. Too bad that towel didn’t drop any lower. TH is beginning to learn what it takes to run a big conglomerate – many all-nighters, dealing with the media etc."
Nice eye candy in that scene, but I was too busy laughing at Tae Ho's embarrassment being nekkid in a Korean sauna. 😂
Many ski resorts are near (6 miles) from Daegwallyeong Pass. At this point, they all have heavy snow on the ground, so filming was presumably done in the lower elevations in Gangwon province.
In an earlier episode, the Chairman (TM's father") took the Directors for a ski vacation and they supposedly stayed at the Kang family vacation home - and as we know, TM's "Aunt/Uncle" were travelling through the Pass in order to get there. -
Hyo-sim goes to the neighborhood where she went to look for her father, scattering flyers and doing her best to find him.[Later, she gets a phone call from the neighborhood, stating that the man in the poster visits a piano academy – cut to viewer finally seeing her father at the piano playing. . . . chopsticks!]
Tae-hee, who was divorced by Hyo-do, returns to her home and Yeom-moo’s attitude toward [her] is significant. [Yeom protects Tae Hee from her mother’s physical abuse. Toward the end of the show, Tae Hee asks Yeom if he is her father]
After learning all about Tae-ho and Tae Min-s story, Hyo-shim comforts Tae-ho.
[after drinking alone in a bar, Tae-min finally returns home (he’s been wearing the same clothes now for several days, lol )and has it out with his mother for embezzling money. He tells her that Tae Ho would do a better job of running the company. He finally demands to know the real reason for imprisoning Grandmother and Mom replies it was because Dad killed the Aunt and Uncle.]
Oh well, it makes for great Korean makjang soap opera and it was actually good news for this Tae Min fan - he is the eldest grandson and he is the One True Taesan Heir. (How many arguments did I have with others whether TM or TH was the heir? I lost count.)
1. A VERY interesting Instagram post today by Lew Kwang Ki (he is SUCH a great actor). Photos from outdoor location “Shooting late night in Gangwondo. What is the secret of the CEO?”. https://www.instagram.com/p/C3TN1p5hTMO/?img_index=1
Gangwon-do = Gangwon Province. Any guesses on why Gangwon-do? Any?
Answer: Daegwallyeong Pass!😎
So, maybe. . . maybe they are filming (cue dramatic music). . . . . “The Accident at Daegwallyeong PASS!” Maybe. Or, maybe not. But whatever – apparently Yeom was there, wherever it is.
It’s on my bucket list for my trip to South Korea and after checking out Google Earth, I am determined to get there!
https://earth.google.com/web/search/%EB%8C%80%EA%B4%80%EB%A0%B9/@37.68787061,128.76141855,816.83647703a,911.31938025d,35y,98.923133h,0t,0r/data=CigiJgokCeVuffoOVjVAEYSOxGEPVjXAGS4eJrsXBkNAIZSFy0MsVFDAOgMKATA?authuser=0
2. How many MDL’ers know that both Nam Bo-ra and Uee have YouTube “vlogs”. Some of them have been subbed for English if you check “settings”.
Bo-ra has been You-tubing for quite awhile and if you watch to the end of this one, there are some fun scenes of the “poster” shoot with the Hyo Jun actor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEZR2PupvXU
Uee's vlog: https://www.youtube.com/@Likeu20409
3. Father Lee actor (https://mydramalist.com/people/4669-nam-kyung-eup) is one very, very busy actor. In 2023, he appeared in Joseon Attorney: A Morality; Black Knight; Numbers; Elegant Empire; My Demon; and death’s Game Parts 1 and 2. He finally showed up in Ep. 41 in his badly disguised Age 40ish persona . I really don't care and I do NOT want him to walk Hyo Shim down the aisle (that honor belongs to Hyo Seong) nor do I (or Hyo Jun) want him to attend his wedding.
4. finally, preview for Episode 42:
"Together, Taemin and Taeho prepare to fend off the TV Live attack all night long, and the two seem to grow closer. Hyo-sim goes to the neighborhood where she went to look for her father, scattering flyers and doing her best to find him. Tae-hee, who was divorced by Hyo-do, returns to her home and Yeom-moo's attitude toward him is significant. After learning all about Tae-ho and Tae-min's story, Hyo-shim comforts Tae-ho."
He convinced himself that their marriage was a business deal. From the beginning of this drama, his infatuation with Hyo Shim has been a big negative for me so I really hoped the writer would develop a meaningful story arc for them (TM/SK) that would result in a happy ending.
I kinda think that Tae Ho might be the catalyst for bringing them together - if that's what the writer has planned. My rating right now is 2⭐. If TM/Su-kyung get happy ending (as in a REAL happy ending - not a hint), it will soar to 8⭐. If not, the lowest possible: 0.5⭐
😊
So, maybe. Otherwise her character was a complete waste. 😥
After all, it was Tae Ho who demanded that Hyo Shim bring him food when he was in the hospital. It was Tae Ho who demanded that Hyo Shim take him home from the doctor when he had access to a chauffeured car. He didn't ask - the ordered her to do those things and he continually ignored her pleas to stop hitting on her as she tried to maintain a professional, arm's length relationship. It doesn't matter that she was starting to like him - when a woman says no, it means no.
Do I call that abuse? Nope - which is why I don't call TM's actions abusive either.
The car? Tae Ho beat him up for it so consider it even. If you think that TH - after beating up his cousin - is still entitled to "curse and resent" his cousin because of his childhood, then . . .you are correct that we have our different perspectives (I call (them "filters", lol).
BTW, I have not missed the fact that Tae Ho was sent to the USA as a child (firth grade). I haven't missed the fact that he spent Christmases with the USA Director. Or that he enjoyed surfing on a warm beach after serving in the Marines while Tae Min was sent to Saudi Arabia where he ate dust immediately after serving in the Marines. I also haven't missed the fact that. . . . . . okay, you get the picture. Both men had lousy childhoods. Their adult lives have been 180 degrees different except for one glaring item - they are both very lonely (but TH has Hyo Shim now).
Neither man is perfect and neither requires a redemption arc.
It was KANG TAE MIN who bought the art gallery when Seo Min Jeong [Jung] died. [Why didn't Tae Ho. . . . oh never mind] And when Tae Ho discovered that fact (apparently months ago), he “resented and cursed” Tae Min for doing so. “Hasn’t he had enough?” Pa-thet-ic.
And it comes as no surprise that when TaeSan was under attack, it was KANG TAE MIN who knew how to best address each different issue in a manner that protected Taesan. In short, Kang Tae Min was never “too stupid” to be Chairman. Meanwhile, Tae Ho just sat there in shocked silence – and finally seemed to realize that he had no idea what it would take to be Chairman, nor did he appreciate how easily a company can be destroyed by public accusations, whether true or not.
I stand by my comment weeks ago – Kang Tae Min doesn’t require a redemption arc. He was brought up by the Axis of Power (grandparents, mother and “uncle”) to protect Taesan Group and that’s what he did and according to my notes, he never lied, blackmailed, stole from or abused (physically or verbally) anyone. The only person he truly hurt was Choi Su Kyung – and in the end, she stayed loyal to him, rather than her father.
Episode 40, we discovered TM went to jail for his MOTHER’s (not Dad’s) bribery!
Also, in Episode 40 – a major, perhaps THE major point of those flashback scenes was to explain (to the viewer) that Tae Min realized that his “mother” not only never loved him but had been using and manipulating him for her own personal greed and power.
By the way, during those flashbacks, Tae Min also finally realized that it was his mother that manipulated him into the marriage, not Choi Su Kyung/TV Live.
THE END. 😊😊😊
This is for viewers who are watching “Dr. Slump” and “Live Your Own Life”. I drafted it yesterday (saturday) but didn't get around to posting.
In Dr. Slump Ep. 5, the Main Couple supposedly had a charming fun day in ‘Hwabon” but in fact. . . Drum Roll. . . .those scenes (with the wind turbines and sheep) were filmed in Daegwallyeong Pass!!
How do I know?? Because I’m planning a trip to South Korea in the next year or so and because of LYOL, Daegwallyeong Pass in on my “hope to see” list. When first mentioned on LYOL, I looked it up and when watching Dr. Slump, I immediately recognized it!
Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daegwallyeong#Season
Tourism: https://www.koreatodo.com/daegwallyeong-sky-ranch
coming tomorrow - "Kang Tae Min, the True Hero of LYOL"😎😊
It might be this woman (the age fits).
Kim Kyung Sook: https://mydramalist.com/people/8885-kim-kyung-sook
“Broadcaster” Kim Kyung Sook: https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20230907/121066921/1
We now realize just how much Dragon Mom treats both of her "children" as mere pawns or tools in her pathological drive for money and power. She often mentions how she "raised" them but as far as I recall, she has never said anything like "I gave birth to you". I give the writer great credit for carefully avoiding any mis-leading statements like that.
Regardless, I agree with others that Yeom is Tae Hui's dad, he followed orders - including orders from 👿Evil Granny👿 and therefor he will have a decent ending.
Reminder: Kang Tae Min sleeps nekkid. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
In TM's flashbacks (Ep. 40), he realized that his "mother" had manipulated him all of his life - including manipulating him into a marriage with a woman that he believed only cared about money and status.
From time to time, Ko Joo Won and Im Ju Eun have a fun exchange on instagram. She's returning at some point. 😎
"At the time, your grandfather had been working at a construction site in Saudi Arabia for a year. He was conducting his business by having his sons come overseas one at a time. So I lied that his eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant. And as soon as your [TM] uncle had his son, I planned to give him to his eldest son Jin Bum. . . . It was an act of desperation. I couldn’t stand by and watch our eldest son get beaten and get mis-treated, even though he was of age and married. Also , our bloodline was in shambles . On top of that, we were becoming a dysfunctional family with Jun Bum outshining Jin Bum. I had to take measures into my own hands. "
That's what she said.