MadelineMaureen

At what point in history does this story end? Aka does it end before the events of 1786?

Subtle is the best way to put it like Cocktail said. Like this isn't romance novel level stuff that some other shows have. This is more of a Jane Austen style "sweet" romance with misunderstandings and bad timing that spans years instead of a week. (looking a you Stephanie Meyer...looking at you)

They do end up together after another three year time jump in the last episode. It's a slow burn sweet love. Right person wrong time kind of thing with them. This is more about righting the wrongs against them and the kids caught in the crossfire.

very much less of a soap opera vibe that penthouse gives. Also much more rooted in reality. If that helps.

For me this should still be in the romance genre category. It's a much more realistic portrayal of love and how it matures over time. Right person wrong time is really a thing and they played it beautifully. Baek Seung Yoo and Ji Yoon Soo just needed to find their right time. (Which as just a side note just so happens to be after BSY would be a fully cooked human....brain developmental stage wise and all that good stuff. Also time jumping to the actors real age made me smile.)

With his crush on her being the fuel needed to burn her credibility, thus kicking off the main plot, there is no way it would make sense for them to get together before everything is resolved and even more time has passed. They wouldn't have been in healthy space yet. BSY really matures over the course of the show. From his teenage crush, to young infatuation bordering on obsession, and finally to love and understanding of JYS. Cause for a minute in the middle it was a very selfish form of love without taking into consideration the other person and their feelings. Once he realized that he just wanted her to be happy he was able to get unstuck from this toxic mindset(imo) that he had at the beginning of the time jump. Once he realized they didn't need to be together to have a happy ending they were both able to get to a place where they COULD be together.

I also loved loved loved to see that the other characters got to be more than just 2D bad guys. Accepting yourself was a major theme in this show. Finding redemption in acceptance. Yeah it was just a very sweet drama imo.

I don't know if single women can adopt in Korea but I really would love to see Si An happily living with Yoon Soo as her actual legal guardian.

That extra scene was to show the night before he woke up and found her outside by the fire pit. It's to show that she DOES like/care for him, but that she's going to do everything in her power to make sure that the outcome is what's best for HIM. Even if that means putting distance between them. It was her last private moment to be close to him before leaving him.
If you noticed in the last episode he was reading the room better. There was at first a desperation to find her and then an understanding of her. Also he's a very patient man. Math proofs can take years...he looks like he might be willing to wait for them to have "their right time" no matter how long that might take.

"The call is coming from inside the house." is such a perfect depiction of what is happening with not only Noh Jung Ah, but the other families as well. The parents messing up the kids to the point of "breaking" them. That brokenness is blowing back right in their faces.
I feel like Ye Rin will have some redemption through helping her brother do the right thing now that he is where she was 4 years ago.
I like that the show actually made me interested in the outcome of everyone. Including the ex. Cause that man has gone through it and he is done. Burning all the bridges; cutting all the strings. I love to see it.

Time lapse where Si An is winning a math award and they both attend. Coin toss of if they are "together" or seeing each other for the first time in a while.

It's one of those times where the romance is secondary to the overall plot, but it is one of the main driving forces that is always there. If that makes any sense. There is definitely feelings on both sides, but it's whether or not they are willing to actually act on them that that will most likely be dragged out till the very last episode. They each care deeply for the Si An as protectors. Although they like each other he has started to "read the room" a little better lately with regards to her feelings and where she's at mentally. It's not a Romeo & Juliette romance where they don't care about anyone or anything but themselves. This is more of a learning from each other greater good type thing. Very much starting to get the "Here's looking at you. Kid" vibes.

The way they teased it made it look like the ex had something to do with it. Cause the shot prior to that was from the ex's perspective in his car as he watched SY on his bike.

Plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon. They wanted to reference and call back to classic works, but they forgot to READ the classic work they were referencing.

In the past 5 months since this comment I've gone on to watch only 2 more episodes....dear lord.

More plot holes than Swiss cheese. The writers must have been writing it as it was airing.

The writers kept changing their mind mid way through so the show doesn't actually make any sense at the end. Like everything they set up doesn't pay off later. It was one of the biggest let downs of the 2020 line-up.

So like super big spoilers ahead for the last episode.
In the last episode FL tries to give the the throne to her younger brother. Her older cousin with the help of her Grandfather storm the palace killing the younger brother in the process. ML's father dies protecting the King & her people. The older cousin is mortally wounded but holding on(later to die off screen). FL calls an end to the the fighting and agrees to step down from the throne. One last meeting with Gramps. She pours him a cup of tea while one of his men bring in "medicine" for FL to take her own life. FL has cup of tea so does Gramps...surprise b*tch, tea was poisoned with the same thing Gramps used to kill her father. FL somehow survives(ML got to her right as the poison was taking effect) the poisoning and is brought before the new king, her younger cousin Hyun, who along with the court's blessing, release her and let her take back her original identity.
FL & ML are living outside of the capital happily married. Lady Kim, Eunuch Hong, and Kim Ga On(bodyguard) stay on to serve the new king. A hinted at romance between ML's "little sister" and Ga On who is still staying with the ML's "brother & sister" at the clinic in the capital. The former queen is now a commoner, but at peace with everything that happened. The other SFL we don't really see what happened with her in the very end.

Oh i dont think I elaborated on why 22 is still a questionable age for me. At 22 no matter how much experience youve had your brain isnt fully developed yet(Im sure that most know this but incase someone doesnt, the more ya know). You're personality isnt even fully form. It's not so much experience but time & hormonal shifts. That kind of thing. For healthy relationships with age gaps the elder needs to be aware of those changes at that age & let them happen. I know I'm watching a drama in make believe land, but I know some younger audience members might not recognize the difference between what works in fiction & what would happen in reality.
So while I have totally been on board for fictional romances involving questionable levels of red flags I like to have deeper discussions in the comments. Also separating the difference between good writing vs good chemistry. Cause, have you noticed in some shows the writing is horrible but the actors have such good chemistry that you pretty much say ef it? But when the writing is amazing & the chemistry is bad it's harder to forgive?
(Also shot out to everyone writing think pieces in the comments cause that is truly the life's blood of visual media & art. The discussions & sharing of opinions & personal perspectives helps develop critical thinking. & honestly it's just fun to deep dive into what you've been consuming.)

So for me we still don't know her feelings about him yet. The only time we've gotten a flashback from HER perspective is when she saw the principal and those memories are of her being cursed at and abused. So, and truly this could just be my asexuality talking, I haven't picked up on her wanting his attention, missing him, or even thinking about him in a positive/romantic way. The only thing that I think she's been missing is her love of/connection to math that she lost after what happened 4 years prior.
Until we get more insights into her own thinking it's still very vague imo. But again I'm ACE so I see myself in her a little(or am projecting that onto her character because of how vague everything is). Like not really noticing when someone likes them. Not really thinking about romantic feelings when friendship or academics are the main tether. The more I process this show after reading multiple takes on it the more I'm realizing how starved I am for ACE/Grey ACE perspective dramas.

I can't fully agree but I can't fully disagree with your take after thinking about it.
So on Yoon Soo's side of things she just wants to nurture a talented student and truly doesn't understand why that would be weird. She probably doesn't even think much about his feelings for her until she is given the photo as a gift, and only then do I think it actually dawned on her that their relationship as teacher-student was getting a bit dodgy. Why I have an issue with her naivety on how their relationship is being perceived; is because her own teacher was fired and investigated after being "close" to students. So why she wouldn't be more cautious is just weird to me.
If there were feelings on her side at that time, one could argue that she met him on a train not knowing his age. She could tell they had similar interests based off his photographs & his hat.
With Seung Yoo I don't think he really sees her so much as a teacher but as a peer that he can learn from. So add on to the fact that she gets him interested in Math again, and helps him with his past trauma....there is just a lot going on that should have been unpacked by a therapist. Why he wasn't seeing one after his roommate and only friend killed themselves is beyond me.
I don't really think that it's their fault she got fired. But the didn't do anything to HELP themselves either. A lot of students have crushes on their teacher and go on to live normal healthy lives without even a whiff of scandal. I personally don't think 22 is mature enough to be dating someone that much older. Mainly because not fully cooked yet. & given the fact that he is ALSO getting extremely close with his own student just goes to show that lessons haven't been learned.
For all we know, as of episode 10, she still doesn't see him in a romantic way.
When I'm just watching the show I'm not noticing the age difference much because the actor reads his age to me which is 26. But any time it's brought to my attention that he's only 22ish i'm like hmm....

Dude! I couldnt even finish that one cause I was rolling eyes so hard at the families over reaction.
God, praying that this one doesnt go down that rabbit hole. If it does i will come back to this thread to give u a heads up.