UncreativeName

I'm most sympathetic towards ML and FL, but they are not blameless. However, I definitely hate 2FL and 2ML more. For 2ML, I agree with you, and I don't understand his complex: by all accounts, he's "won" - he has the pretty girl who dotes on him and financially supports him yet he still self-sabotages at every turn because he feels like "he's not enough"/"not worthy" of FL. And it wasn't like she chased him, he chased her which makes it even more ridiculous IMO. Put another way, he's being stupid and its his own fault. For 2FL, I think she's kind of the embodiment of a spoiled rich brat. I don't think the ML was correct for accepting her feelings, but she still is way too inflexible and too forceful in trying to build the narrative into the story that she wants, the latest episode being the best example where she purposefully force all 4 of them into an awkward situation.

For the game of lies, I think FL was just trying to be indirect. Her flaw is this need to be prim and proper in face of adversity: all her problems stem from the fact that she tries to rise above the mistreatment she gets. So, I think she understands that it's not right to cheat, and gave herself an out to tell ML the truth while also not directly confessing to him that she feels the same way.

I like the show a lot, but the character dynamics make me rage/sad. I'm hoping for some kind of happy ending because the show runners seem to be leaning really hard on the fact that ML and FL really like each other.

Yeah...that's how the book ends. I've seen a couple of Korean blogs/forum posts confirming the same thing. That said, I'm fairly sure that they'll deviate in the drama: if anything, people love their favorite actors/actresses too much and some people can't understand that actors and the characters they play are different lol. I unironically think that Moon Ka Young's image would be negatively affectedly if they went ahead with the same storyline. Furthermore, in the context of the Kdrama, I don't see a compelling/realistic reason that Soo Young would actually have a one night stand with Kyeong Pil - I think at worst, she would pretend that she did to piss off Jong Hyeong. One of the other things different between the Kdrama and the novel is that in the novel, the omnipotent author explains all their feelings, but in the Kdrama, it's left ambiguous and I think Soo Young is more....pure-looking in the Kdrama if that makes sense. Like, she's made as someone fiercely loyal.

That said, I still don't have any good feeling how they're going to end the Kdrama: if they want it to follow the novel where all parties break up, they'll have to find something clever to instigate that drama, if it's not Soo Young's one night stand with Kyeong Pil.

Furthermore, they're trying hard to make us root for the ML and FL. My prediction is that we're headed for an ending where ML and FL break up with 2FL and 2ML "cleanly" somehow. It's also been commented that they don't have enough novel material to drag out the story until episode 16: apparently the only missing novel threads we have are the one-night stand, the final confrontation of everybody at the bank, and the time skip which is like...1 episode. But still, I'm not that confident: maybe 50% confident lol

She did say that she had more passionate relationships, but she also literally says there was someone she liked more. I'm not fluent in Korean, but I think she said 사실 더 좋아하는 상대도 있었고 which is pretty much a direct translation of what I saw in the subs that she liked someone more.

Either way, still depressingly "real" to me: it happens all the time in real life - people actually settle for people they feel less for due to various circumstance. Personally, I watch Kdramas as a wishfulment so it's just...terribly sad to hear fictional characters talk about real circumstances, lol.

Adding onto this, I was reading a review of the novel and they were discussing how this realism is the author's style: one example is that the characters are named really common names and seem to represent "everyday" people - I know for a fact that the FL's name is really common (I was raised in the US, but I think I met 3 Soo Youngs during my schooling) but apparently so are the others

I can't handle how much this show depresses me but also makes me addicted to it. In episode 5 when ML's mom is explaining to him how she realized that there's more to life than passionate relationships and that there was someone she liked more than his dad... it's just too "real"

I hate it. But I can't stop watching it

They're flawed and realistic which is what drives me crazy. ML is too passive which is why things didn't work out with FL and why he let 2FL pursue him. FL has family and class issues which is what made her misjudge ML so harshly but also what makes her so sympathetic towards 2ML. None of the characters are saints but also none of the characters are cartoony villains. However, it's clear that both ML and FL are settling for 2FL and 2ML: ML is clearly stuck on FL yet still accepted 2FL's feelings. FL has a complex for her dead brother which she seems to be projecting onto 2ML despite the fact that she clearly has the hots for ML but refuses to take action for some reason

I want ML and FL to end up together as wish fulfillment only as in a typical Kdrama. But if this stays true to realism, all things will go to shit: all of their relationships are a ticking time bomb. They're all kind of a victim of unfortunate circumstance

This Kdrama is kind of the epitome of "timing is everything"

I wasn't paying full attention to this while watching so I started back at episode 1 and I figured out why I'm so frustrated with this show: it could just be a simple love story between two people who are clearly into each other.

Except it's not. And I fear for a messy ending where it all goes to crap

The way ML acts hits too damn close to home to me too: he seems like one of those stereotypical "nice guys": too shy to make a move (took him 3 years to ask her out), gets offended/clingy when she changes her mind but also doesn't pursue her harder, but also "lets things happen to him" including settling into a relationship with another girl. I wish he had tried just a litttttttle bit harder.

As I'm writing this, I'm watching them basically have eye sex with each other. Come onnnnnnnnnn

I'm super late in watching this but this Kdrama is amazing: I'm at the part where they're competing in dumpling making and it's amazing

I only know the ending from Korean websites. I've heard that it doesn't follow the book exactly, but I don't know how much/how little. Here's the book ending:

-ML and FL cheat on their partners with each other
-2ML cheats on FL with his study partner
-2FL's ex-boyfriend is their bank coworker
-FL sleeps with the SAME bank coworker to get back at 2ML. 2ML ends up publicly confronting FL, and this ends up with ML hitting the bank coworker.
-ML and 2FL breakup, continue to work at same bank, but act like strangers. FL gets her accounting license and works somewhere else. 2ML ends up passing his exam
-3 years later, ML and FL meet by chance and let go of their feelings. Open ending, neither happy nor sad.

I...can't really decide how I feel about this Kdrama. I like melodramas and I mostly watch Kdramas for romantic wish fulfillment. This kdrama is too real - like in real life, people are petty, fickle, do shady stuff, have both reasonable/unreasonable demands, etc. Like...sometimes people do cheat for shitty reasons (but maybe they also cheat for "good" reasons). It's all too....real for me.

The main plot point that I can't stomach/that I think is unrealistic is how FL decided to not give ML a chance because she saw him hesitate...like are there grown women in real life that are like that? 'cause that would be insane to me - it'd be the kind of thing I'd expect from an immature young girl but not an adult woman

Kdramas don't always follow the source material, but according to a random internet post, this book's ending is definitely a sad ending...I would say terrible

I think I'm definitely in the minority here, but I feel like Season 2's writing and story was way worse than Season 1 - I got the sense that it was a rush job compared to Season 1. I really enjoyed Go Yoon Jung as Naksu though and thought that the cast killed it just like they did in Season 1

Only watched 1 episode so far and this didn't draw me in, so looking for others opinions...

If you loved it, why would you recommend it?

If you hated it, how far did you get and why wouldn't you recommend it?

"cheeful dumbass tone" 😂

Thanks for the laughs - I couldn't have put it better

So I'm sure I'm not the only person with this idea: what are the chances BOTH Go Yoon Jung and Jang So Min are in season 2? The storyline they seem to be setting up is that Mu Deok is the lost daughter of Jin. They burned Naksu's body though....but I suppose it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for the ice stone or something else to regenerate it if it can even bring people back to life.

Ok, my issue with Vagabond is that it doesn't end: the last scene is the same as the opening scene. Like another commenter said, it would have been fine if there was a season 2. For me, I just found it lazy writing for an action adventure genre of show

I won't spoil it for you so I'll just say that Vagabond's ending was not good. I'll add spoilers if you don't mind it and really want to know.

I just learned that this is written by Vagabond's writer and mentally thought to myself "oh no"

I don't think it's wrong. The production just shifted gears in an awkward way. A strange bait and switch of sorts

I tried giving this a watch and the actress changes were way too much for me: Eun Jae seemed like a completely different person personality wise and it's a shame they had to cut Yi Na due to the real life bullying scandal of Ryu Hwa Young. Such a shame IMO.

Feeling pessimistic regarding the outlook of her career: she wasn't all that popular to begin with and seems like she's disappeared off the face of the earth: no instagram updates since the scandal blew up, no vlives, and no news about that indie movie she was apparently in. Kinda sad.