Coffee House: Page 8
by javabeans
A picture says a thousand words, doesn’t it?
I could tell from the way the Episode 7 recap went that the fan fervor would increase for this episode, which surely delivered. Aside from the laughs and the chemistry between the actors, one thing I’m really loving about this drama is the loaded conversations — there are a few really interesting passages of dialogue that play a lot with text/subtext and nuance, which I always enjoy.
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PAGE 8 RECAP
Later that morning, Eun-young wakes up and thinks back to the dawn hours, when she had woken up to see Jin-soo deep in thought by the window. All he had said was for her to go back to sleep, but she had sensed the change in his attitude — serious, pensive — and comes out of the room wondering how Jin-soo will act now, in the light of day.
But he acts totally normal, chatting easily like nothing happened, and Eun-young looks disappointed. Like she’s bummed out at herself for expecting anything more.
When she heads to the bathroom, Jin-soo makes it a point to wait until she’s out of earshot to turn on some music. Whether he’s setting the mood or not, it’s a conscious move that tells us he’s aware of the change that Eun-young sensed, and that he’s purposely putting on his nonchalant front. As for Eun-young, she sighs to herself for bothering to come here to check on him.
Over breakfast, Jin-soo chuckles at his memory of last night’s movie outing and prods Eun-young to guess who Dong-wook likes. She guesses everyone else first (the cafe employees, her employee Hyun-joo) before landing on Seung-yeon, and marvels at the unexpected pairing. He jokes that if he’d interfered the date a little more, he probably would have been killed.
Having revised her opinion of the secretary, Eun-young gives her due credit — although she doesn’t seem to be especially sharp, she’s determined. With more development, Seung-yeon could become quite useful the more he continues to use her. But Jin-soo says that he can’t do that, because “I’m going to leave.”
This brings a serious note to the conversation as he says that he’s worked hard and written diligently for the past two years, so he wants to disappear for the next two. He feels he’s been here too long and wants to get away; they can always re-sign their contract at a later date. Eun-young’s sharp, and asks if that’s why he has thrown himself into his writing now — to finish quickly and get out of here. Jin-soo teases that yup, he wants to go far away to escape her nagging, but she doesn’t find it funny; he assures her it was a joke, but she corrects him — it’s the truth disguised as a joke.
Jin-soo promises he’ll stick around until the manuscript is done, and even agrees to do the TV interview, just this once. However, Eun-young sees that he’s keeping his gaze away from her, and she prods him to look at her.
Eun-young asks, “Did I dream last night? You’re the same person, but how can the look in your eyes be so different?” He knows exactly what she means but he throws humor up as a shield and makes exaggerated faces to keep the tone light.
Sigh! There he goes, pulling a Troy from Reality Bites. I hear Eun-young’s frustration with this, having known a few of those boys in my day. He’s using flippant jokes as a defense mechanism, and it’s clear that he’s desperately trying to avoid any sort of genuine emotion to protect himself, and Eun-young is the only one who sees that and can call him on it. But even though she understands, she’s disappointed at his response. Like he thinks it’s just not worth the trouble to be honest.
That feeling grows during their drive in to work, and she gets sick of his glib veneer. She calls him hopeless, but not in an endearing way — it’s in an “I’m so upset that you’re actually beyond hope” sort of way. Pulling over to the side of the road, she tells him to get out of the car, frustrated with herself as much as with him for thinking that things might be different this time.
Jin-soo starts the long walk to the office, where Seung-yeon waits at the door. He gives her a key with the excuse that it’s inconvenient for him to always open the door for her, but she appreciates the gesture.
Jin-soo asks Seung-yeon how “ice cream” went last night, said in a knowing tone since he’s really asking about her date. She doesn’t get it, of course, and says he should have come along, to which he laughs, “I can’t risk my life over ice cream.” He muses to himself about her curious appeal — he could kind of let Do-sang slide, but now Dong-wook as well? She looks at him questioningly, not quite able to hear and not understanding what he means anyway.
While checking some camera footage, Jin-soo finds something odd and instructs Seung-yeon to take a look, then leans over her shoulder to peer at the screen. The sudden proximity sends her nerves all a-jitter and she hunches away from him nervously. When he again leans close while she’s making his coffee, she lurches and exclaims wildly that he should stay at a distance, and complains how he’s always hovering.
This is all to cover up her uncomfortable budding attraction, but Jin-soo misinterprets her snappishness for rebellion. Offended that his employee is now putting on airs and daring to talk back to him, he gets mad right back and scolds her for taking advantage of his lax attitude. Lol.
In the safety of the bathroom, Seung-yeon scolds herself for suddenly losing control of her hormones, reminding herself that this is her workplace.
Ji-won drops by the cafe hoping that Disapproving Grandpa has gone by now. However, the employee informs him that Grandpa is sitting right outside, then calls out to get the old man’s attention. Ji-won reacts hilariously, saying furtively, “Don’t call him!” and ducking out of sight. But the employee then moves aside and points down at him, telling Grandpa, “Ji-won hyung is here.” Hehe. Ji-won forces a nervous laugh, bows respectfully, then turns to leave. (And almost runs into Jin-soo on his Segway. He’d like to give him a piece of his mind, but he’s too eager to get away from the dreaded Gramps.)
Grandpa recognizes Jin-soo and requests a chat with him. He dislikes Ji-won’s constant lurking around his granddaughter and asks Jin-soo to do something about it to get him away from her. It’ll be a temporary fix, because Grandpa figures that the ultimate solution is to marry her off — perhaps he should start sending Eun-young on blind dates. Mention of this dims Jin-soo’s smile a bit.
Eun-young joins them in the cafe, where Grandpa asks if she met that guy she was supposed to be set up with. She sends a quick look Jin-soo’s way before smiling it off.
When Jin-soo comes back to the office, Seung-yeon hands him the phone, awkwardly holding the receiver as far from her body as possible to keep Jin-soo at a distance. The call is from Eun-young, and he asks if she’s going on blind dates now, telling her that they don’t suit her. She jokes that he probably thinks she’s more suited to being a forever-single cat lady.
Eun-young is calling to give him her answer to his breakfast proposal regarding his future plans. She recognizes that he’ll leave no matter what she says, and from a business standpoint he’s too valuable for her to just cut ties. She adopts a philosophical tone — it’s not ideal for him to go off for months or years, but he’s bound to pop back up bearing a new book. As far as hypothetical situations go, it’s neither the best- nor worst-case scenario.
This is her way of saying she’ll accept his decision as his publisher. Jin-soo asks for her opinion from a different perspective — meaning, not as his publisher but as a person. She says matter-of-factly, “I told you earlier, the person Lee Jin-soo is a lost cause.” And hangs up.
Spurred by Grandpa’s request (and maybe some of his own personal motivations), Jin-soo gives Seung-yeon an assignment — to write her very first synopsis for a story. Her task is to work out possible ways to get rid of Ji-won from Eun-young’s life for good.
Seung-yeon is taken by surprise, since writing scenarios is hardly something she’s good at, but Jin-soo insists that he’s giving her the opportunity to develop her skills. Even Seung-yeon is smart enough to know that that’s a crock of bull, and retorts that the only reason he’s telling her to do it is because he doesn’t know the answer himself.
He gives her an hour, after which she comes up with the idea to set Ji-won up with a new love interest. But she hasn’t thought out the particulars, and Jin-soo ruthlessly pokes holes into her idea — who? Where would they find her? What would she be like? How would they find someone even more impressive than Eun-young herself?
As he points out each flaw, Seung-yeon’s half of the split screen starts slowly shrinking, to match her falling spirits. Jin-soo sends her back for another pass, and this time she takes more care, interviewing Hyun-joo to ask about Ji-won’s past relationships. Eventually she ditches that idea and tries out a couple new theories.
The first involves a fortune-teller she knows, who can be persuaded to read Eun-young and Ji-won’s couple fortunes and declare them a disastrous match. This is such an obvious line of thinking that Jin-soo declares it completely lame. As he again criticizes her lack of imagination, her split-screen box starts shrinking again. Aw.
She retorts that HE ought to give it a try, to which he replies that this is HER homework — he’s purposely not giving her the answer just so she can practice. Seung-yeon calls him out for the lame excuse, pointing out that he’s foisting this off on her because he doesn’t have a better solution, and this time his box starts to shrink. Haha! (I love the shrinking screen motif, because it’s so simple and yet says so much.)
Her last idea is to get someone to act as Eun-young’s new boyfriend. Jin-soo starts to ask about the particulars, ready to shoot them down: What would it entail? Who would be the boyfriend? By now she’s lost confidence in all her ideas and blurts that he should be the one to play the boyfriend.
She points out that it would be believable, and if Ji-won saw it with his own eyes, he’d have to accept it. Jin-soo asks what would serve as “proof” of the romance, and she mumbles, “Stuff that dating people do.” He asks if this would require “a bed scene,” to which she nervously says no.
Jin-soo sends her back for more thinking, and Seung-yeon brainstorms various scenarios, like getting them drunk and “proving the romance” with a grand public display of affection.
Eun-young sees her name scribbled all over Seung-yeon’s notebook and peers over curiously. Seung-yeon tries to cover it up and explain that this is just an exercise — absolutely imaginary, with no intention of real-life implementation! — while Eun-young ponders why Jin-soo would make her the subject of study.
Reading over the list, Eun-young muses that No. 1 (setting Ji-won up with a new woman) is something she’d have done ages ago if it were possible. On to No. 2 — but that won’t be convincing because their parents already had them go to a fortune-teller when they were engaged, and the forecast was positive.
Now for No. 3 — having Jin-soo pose as her boyfriend. Seung-yeon hurriedly explains that it was just a stupid idea, but Eun-young looks at her with interested eyes: “Now this, I like,” she declares. It has a high possibility of working — how can they work with this?
Eun-young dives into the scenario, thinking of a way to engineer a scenario that is so natural that Ji-won would fall for it. Uneasily, Seung-yeon is forced to sit with her as Eun-young lays out the details: Ji-won has a habit of looking in on her office from his window, so they’ll set this scene in her office. She also figures that a kiss scene is necessary — using a kiss that is convincing even from a distance.
Even more unsettling to Seung-yeon is Eun-young’s decision to keep it secret from Jin-soo, because he wouldn’t cooperate if he knew. Eun-young makes her pinky-swear to it, then praises her for her idea. Afterward, Seung-yeon looks at her promise-pinky in dismay, as though thinking, “Oh, what have I gotten myself into?”
That evening, Seung-yeon waits nervously for the hour of doom, aka 8pm, when Eun-young will put her plan into motion. Jin-soo gets the call requesting his presence in her office, and Seung-yeon bites her tongue anxiously, wanting to warn him but afraid to ruin the plan. (I can see her hesitation, because this is another exercise in loyalty. In an earlier episode, she had decided to stick with Jin-soo no matter what, but the last time they did that we sorta came to the conclusion that Jin-soo’s escape from the interview was childish and caused more damage than it solved.)
Good thing for her she realizes that this time she doesn’t have to go either to Eun-young or Jin-soo, because there’s a Door No. 3. She races next door to Ji-won’s office, intending to stop him from seeing anything.
Eun-young greets Jin-soo with a suspiciously bright smile and a glass of wine. He immediately knows that something is up, although he can’t pinpoint what she’s planning. At first she enjoys leaving him in the dark while she toys with his hair and touches his face, before she tells him through clenched teeth that Ji-won’s watching.
She also calls him out for dismissing Seung-yeon’s idea, because she thinks it’s a great plan — it’s the most realistic and has the highest probability for success. He was just letting his personal distaste for playing the boyfriend color his opinion of the idea itself.
Seung-yeon races into Ji-won’s office, ready to distract him from the scene at the window, but as it happens she’s too late. He is already looking over in shock while Eun-young moves even closer and starts to slowly unbutton Jin-soo’s shirt.
While keeping up the appearance of being locked in a romantic moment, Eun-young tells Jin-soo that she worked out this scenario with Seung-yeon, and they planned out the script for the evening. He asks nervously how far she’s going to go — “You want to keep going? How far?”
All this time, Jin-soo has been a little nervous and uncertain, but at her confirmation that there will be a kiss scene involved, his mouth quirks up in a self-assured smile and he challenges her to show him what she’s got. Eun-young moves in, pushes him back onto her desk, and leans over him.
I love the spectators’ response to this — they both recoil in shock, and Ji-won finally notices that Seung-yeon is in his office. He asks what she’s doing here, but she’s so stunned that she just presses her face to the window dumbly. Ji-won does the same. (Seung-yeon knows that Eun-young is faking this, but she assumes that Jin-soo is unaware of her motives and is reacting accordingly.)
There’s a hilarious pause while Eun-young is leaning over Jin-soo’s torso, practically on top of him, and he tells her to go on. She mutters, “You want me to do it? I pushed you, so you should do it [kiss].” Jin-soo: “What are you talking about?”
This pause has the effect of killing the mood — not that the mood was romantic, per se, but it has been charged with tension as they both waited to see what the other would do. Eun-young’s expression had gone from teasing to questioning, and at his terse response she now becomes serious.
With some anger creeping in, Eun-young tells Jin-soo not to mess around with her life: “You do all these things that I don’t ask for, and then you don’t do what I do ask for. I’m not thankful at all. If you have even a little thought for me, you’d do what I wanted you to. Don’t keep doing things I don’t ask you to do. When did I ever ask you to help me?”
Ooh, banjun. I love when scenes suddenly turn on their heads, and that’s what happens here. The comic uncertainty and jokey tension dissipates entirely, and Jin-soo asks, “So what is it you want from me? A convincing, magnificent kiss?” Their exchange is loaded with meaning — not about the words at all but in the way they say them.
Eun-young (Duh, exactly): “Yeah.”
Jin-soo (challenging): “Yeah?”
Eun-young (matter-of-fact): “Yeah.”
Jin-soo (very interested) “Yeah…”
However, Eun-young’s confidence seems to falter, and her gaze wavers uncertainly, like she’s about to back down and give up on her crazy scheme. Which is when Jin-soo decides, “Then let’s do it my way. I don’t like this way.”
Ji-won and Seung-yeon watch in horror and disbelief as Jin-soo leaps up and clears off all the papers from her desk. Moving with decisive assertiveness, Jin-soo flips around their stances, lowering Eun-young onto the tabletop and leaning down over her, one of her legs bent and raised up by his waist.
Then, Jin-soo gets up to face the window, where he looks tauntingly at Ji-won. He reaches toward his waistline… and pulls out his belt… and pulls the blinds shut. HAHAHAHA.
As soon as he pulls the blinds closed, he’s back to his old self. Putting his belt back on, he points out that it’s more powerful to leave them to their imaginations. Eun-young, however, is just as shocked by his sudden romantic fake-out and takes some moments to recover from its effects.
Ji-won and Seung-yeon are both so stricken by the events that they stagger from the window in a daze.
Jin-soo suggests heading out for something to eat. Eun-young, now recovering her composure, tells him that he’s right and wise — he’s more logical than her. “I understand,” she tells him. She’s referring to his tactic, but it also mirrors her perception of their emotional paths as well — he puts on a good show and comes out of it totally unmoved, while she can’t be that detached.
Jin-soo points out that no matter how worked up she gets over something, she’s always able to return to her original state. Eun-young forces a smile and agrees — that’s her, all right. Coolly, she turns down his dinner invitation, and he heads back to his office.
Once he’s gone, though, Eun-young lies back down on her desk, still feeling all that pent-up anticipation.
When Jin-soo gets back to the office, he tsks-tsks over the silly plan Seung-yeon had worked out with Eun-young. Seung-yeon realizes that this means he was aware that the whole thing was faked, which means that his part was also just as faked. (Her shock came from thinking that Eun-young had made an advance as an act, which he reciprocated in reality.) This is a thought that vastly relieves her — until she recalls with frustration that she shouldn’t feel relieved about that, as he is her boss and et cetera.
A few nights later, Seung-yeon is working at her family’s coffee shop when Dong-wook comes by. He’s happy to see her through the window, but his path is blocked by her curious family, and he has to endure a brief interrogation before he can head inside, answering questions about his family situation. Grandma likes him, although Dad has a few reservations. (Grandma points out that his reservations are unfounded, since Dong-wook is no worse off than Dad himself.)
I wonder if it’s worth noting that Dong-wook appears to be getting sloppier (outside of work) while Eun-young continues to get sharper — her hair is smooth and straight, and her dressing style is becoming more put-together.
Seung-yeon hasn’t been to the office in three days, because Jin-soo had been busy writing and told her not to come until he called. Dong-wook perks up, as this means she has lots of free time, and just as he starts to ask her to a movie, she gets a phone call that cuts him off.
Seung-yeon answers eagerly, hoping it’s Jin-soo calling her back to work, but it turns out to be Hyun-joo. The publishing office is cluttered with birthday presents, and they were hoping she would take them up to Jin-soo’s place. Seung-yeon had been under the mistaken belief that Jin-soo’s “real” birthday was months later and that this was only his “profile birthday.” Of course, it turns out that Jin-soo had lied — she’d been going on and on about throwing him a party, so he picked a different date to shut her up.
Dong-wook tries to ask Eun-young out again, but now she’s distracted by this news, and barely hears him. She decides that the day isn’t over yet, so there’s still time to plan some birthday events. I love that her reasoning isn’t (only) to celebrate his birthday, but to get back at him for lying to her in the first place. Hee. She’s learning!
At the store, she picks up an array of party supplies, choosing items that will most annoy Jin-soo, and heads over with her items of torture. However, Jin-soo looks out the window to see her walking up bearing her festive atrocities, and decides to sneak out before she gets there. He drops by a local convenience store to pick up some snacks, then makes a phone call.
Seung-yeon now has an apartment key so she lets herself in and starts to decorate. When she answers the phone, it’s Jin-soo demanding that she remove every little balloon and party favor immediately. If there’s anything left when he gets back, he’ll fire her. She protests (and despite her desire for a little “revenge,” she really does mean the best), but she senses he means it and glumly starts to collect the decorations.
Jin-soo steps out of the phone booth just as a sudden downpour starts. Without an umbrella and with no particular place to be, he retreats back into the glass booth and pops a beer. Happy birthday to me.
A knock on the glass draws his attention — it’s Eun-young, standing just outside.
She is on her way in, having had a few drinks herself, in celebration of signing a new contract. She tells him to come with her, since she’s got an umbrella, so Jin-soo grabs his plastic bag and starts to leave, but the contents spill out and beer cans fall to the ground.
He kneels to pick them up, while she comments on the oddity of him drinking alone in a phone booth on his birthday, especially considering that he’s a star author with crowds of fans. He thought she’d forgotten his birthday, to which she responds that since he’d prefer that she forget, she has to act the part to oblige him.
Jin-soo likes that about her, in contrast to his dense secretary who insisted on going out to prepare him a birthday party. Eun-young points out that Seung-yeon’s the normal one — it’s Jin-soo who’s abnormal. Eun-young adds that in going out of her way to suit him, that has turned her into another abnormal one: “I can’t buy a present for a friend on his birthday, or tell him congratulations.”
Jin-soo replies that he doesn’t need words of congratulations, “But a present is good. Just give me a present.” He’s happy with that, just as long as it doesn’t come with a birthday card.
At that, Eun-young’s gaze changes — she stares at him more intently as he continues to chat. Then, without warning, she drops her umbrella, steps inside the phone booth, and moves in for a kiss.
COMMENTS
I have gotten questions about a Coffee House novel, which appears to be a different case from Coffee Prince or Personal Taste, where the drama was adapted from a previously published book. It looks like the Coffee House novel — or I’d call it novelization — was published after the drama began to air, and one of the writers is the same writer of the drama. Based on a few reader reviews, the characters are the same but the storyline is a little different. So I wouldn’t go around worrying about what happens in the book version.
However, if you are curious, here are the chapter titles. (Highlight to read; I’m keeping them hidden for those who wish to avoid the spoilers.)
CHAPTERS
1. Meeting at Palace Coffee
2. My enemy, my treasure
3. Love’s emergency landing
4. I’ll become a pro secretary!
5. The Jang Dong-gun and Go So-young of the publishing world
6. Dreams can’t come true
7. 척하면 착!
(This is the thing that Jin-soo tells Seung-yeon, and I don’t have a good direct translation for it. It basically means that if he gives the signal, she should know what to do immediately.)
8. This is Jeju Island
9. Things that change, things that don’t change
10. Ten-year friendship
11. Goodbye, Palace Coffee
Epilogue
END CHAPTERS
It’s funny how I’ve never warmed to Park Shi-yeon before, and suddenly love her. Even after she improved mightily in La Dolce Vita and Story of a Man (as well as several movie projects), she was no longer bad but I still didn’t connect with her. But I find her absolutely endearing, adorable, and winning in Coffee House, and I love her chemistry with Kang Ji-hwan. She banters, teases, taunts, holds herself confidently, and even manages to show glimpses of uncertainty and vulnerability, all with a natural charm.
It’s partly that she’s improved, but also that this role really shows her off to her best advantage. I wonder if she’s one of those actresses whose perceived image and persona are quite different from her real personality, and therefore when she acts in roles that require her to be haughty or glamorous (which is how most people see her), it doesn’t work as well because there’s a disconnect in the acting. But I love her as this character.
As for the chemistry? Off the charts. How hot was that last kiss, huh? But not only that, I particularly dug the fake-out scene, because there were a lot of different layers operating there. There’s the outward “show” to convince Ji-won that they’re romantically involved, and their facade with each other that this is all just a ploy, and that they’re cool and unperturbed by the act. Then there’s a tinge of hope (for instance, in the way Eun-young looks to him when she wants him to kiss her), and then the flash of contained disappointment (when he doesn’t kiss her). I didn’t think this pair would be so well-matched at the beginning of the drama, but I’m a big fan now. And if THIS episode didn’t convince you… well, then, I guess nothing ever will?
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Tags: Coffee House, Ham Eun-jung, Jung Woong-in, Kang Ji-hwan, Park Shi-yeon
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251 Fan
June 18, 2010 at 8:36 AM
@ Pipit
Can I be one of the ditsy EY/JS shippers who worships what you write? :)
Fully confess to being giggly... and lovin' it! Rediscovering my inner fangirl here-
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252 m a r a
June 18, 2010 at 5:21 PM
wow, i leave the reservations for awhile, and some interesting posts pop up!
@ miaki-chan and kay,
first off, i'm glad you've both come to agree to disagree respectfully :) i don't mean this in a bad way, but your exchange had amused me a bit because as i was reading your posts, i realized that you were parroting. you guys are essentially saying the same things to defend your stance. i think it helped you guys resolve your light feud.
anyway, all's good again :)
@ pipit,
your post is very ... thought-provoking and well thought-out.
i still don't know for whom to ship (well, maybe except DW/SY or DW/JS), but your comment is a winning one---it's very convincing :)
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253 Miaka-chan
June 18, 2010 at 5:53 PM
@ kay
[quote]Huh???
What was that again???
Man!!! I am going crazy
Cant they read English or We dont know how to type?
Now I understand why ...
lol[/quote]
Sorry but right now i don't like what you post to us at all in soompi and in viikii ...
Sorry again my english isn't a really good but we are FANS in the world so accept that.
What you write right now attact everyone who don't write well english like me or other french people, chinese, asian or other nationality
That a real offence and that i can't excuse that.
Sorry
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254 Miaka-chan
June 18, 2010 at 5:56 PM
@ m a r a
Hehe yes i should stop to said nothing now ^^ so i would write more for episode 9 ...it's more intelligent to write later when i got more proofs and also ^^ thank for my comment amusing you.
Again...come in my site ...i will send you a lot lot serie drama or anime
click on my name and ^^
But seriously what Kay write in Soompi right now is offence ....
come to read ....
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255 Mumudav
June 18, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Actually, we EunSoo lovers gang are very peaceful ^^
We are just oh-so-much hillariously creative in our biased love that we can't hold it in and post and post and posr a lot ^^
BUT we never, never (!) told JS/SY shippers off! Soompi thread welcomes every single person to creat a great, interesting, full of thoughts and discussions thread!
We told off to one persone only and it was not because of her JS/SY obsession BUT because of her unmasked rudeness that was thrown to our faces.
Rudeness and disrespect is never welcomed, don't you agree ;)
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256 Kay
June 18, 2010 at 7:31 PM
@Miaka:
Dont misunderstand , please!
Please read my explaination in Soompi when you have time
It was is a comparation saying so it doesn't literaturely mean that
English is also my second language. So why would I do that?
Hope you are understand
I got frustrated and said in in a playfun way to cheer up the mood but ...
and you should know me by now, that I respect and always welcome your oppinions as well as other SY shippers
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257 von^^
June 18, 2010 at 8:39 PM
@ Miaka :
gals, you're just like our mighty captain in our mighty ship. lol. I've read soompi, you analysis, opinions, possibilities (that keep us stay) and you know what? I see you're one of peoples keep this ship not shaken too much. thanks miaka (#hugforyou).
Just don't stop posting in Soompi, they (EY/JS) need different point of view of CH. Our analyses sharpened by others i.e if someone thought your analyses not make sense on them, then you give underlying reason. Sometime we can be stronger because obstacle in front of us that kept us to. So EY/JS shipper stronger because all of SY/JS shipper that makes great analyses. To make their ship not shaken, they turn back the analyses & strengthened. So pls, let they read your analyses. For me, I read the make sense opinion regarding EY/ JS and if they start to make issues & unneccesaries thing...then I just leave and read SY/JS postings before just to make me laugh, smile or just think again about SY/JS and till now, I'm still on this ship. I think I will, until we go to SY/ JS harbour....
anyway Miaka, in my view, youre not the one that take it personally..what's wrong with analyses? like i said above, if you think its not make sense on you then give us yours. that's the rules...so Miaka, dont's stop analyses, let them read...Different aspect of CH.
If sometone talk EY/JS & SY/JS shipper spoke in different language...yeah its true in case when we talk about our analyses who will end with who. But let's talk CH, so are we speak in different language?
Miaka & SY/JS shippers, you're rock^^
& all CH's fans, let's enjoy the show....
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258 m a r a
June 18, 2010 at 9:31 PM
@ miaka-chan,
that sounds like too much drama for a tv program. i think i'll take a pass at soompi.
can't we all just enjoy the show and try to blur the divisive lines of the shippings?
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259 Lahlita
June 19, 2010 at 9:16 AM
I've been re-watching all of the Coffee House episodes, and I think I've finally pinpointed what bothers me about EunSoo (I hate portmanteaux, but I'll go with it because it's easier than typing Eun-young/Jin-soo all the time). It's not the characterization, it's the fact that Eun-young's entire storyline is JS-centric, at least for now (Ji-won doesn't really figure in it because he's a pathetic, meddlesome creature). Much as I love and identify with Eun-young, this limited scope is keeping me from really "feeling" her, if you get what I mean. Here's how I judge character arcs in a romance drama -- if the pairing doesn't work out, what else has the character accomplished during the course of the drama? How has he/she changed?
Eun-young is Jin-soo's savior and caretaker and ... what else? She is smart, beautiful and accomplished, and I wish I could see more of her world away from Jin-soo. More of her family, her wheeling and dealing as a successful publisher and manager of book cafes, and her English- and Japanese-language conversations with colleagues. Eventually she's going to have another "love-interest" for an episode or two, but even that will just be in service to the EunSoo arc. Coffee House has made me greedy. They've given me Eun-young who is such a treasure, and now I want to know more of her -- away from Jin-soo. Perhaps her storyline is becoming stronger and more open emotionally, but I'm greedy for more. What else does she want to do? Even though she's successful, she's driven, so I'm sure she wants to accomplish even more. What are her dreams? What are her hobbies? Where will she be at the end of episode 16? I really, Really want more of Eun-young because she is FABULOUS! To borrow a Girlfriday-ism, what is her non-Jinsoo arc, Show?
Seung-yeon has been presented quite differently. Even though I'm nothing like Seung-yeon, I still feel her because I know more about her and I know where she's going. She has an entire life outside of Jin-soo or men. Her arc is ultimately about becoming a pro -- perhaps not at Eun-young's level, but still somewhat accomplished. Even though Jin-soo has much to do with that, her wanting to be a pro does not necessarily have much to do with him, if that makes sense. We've met her hilarious (but exhausting) family on many occasions. She can be a bit spacey, but she's by far the most grounded person in her family -- the anchor, if you will -- and that does much to humanize her. Her hobbies are reading manhwas and daydreaming. She doesn't waste her time or her life on people who don't add anything to it, and sometimes has to dump a boyfriends via text (hah!). Still, we know she cares deeply about other people; she is open-hearted and kind. She wants to learn and to be a successful woman in her own right. I feel that! I am totally feeling it!
That's not to say that I prefer Jin-soo/Seung-yeon (JinSeung?)! I don't. I feel the need to state this clearly to keep myself firmly out of the shipper brouhaha. On re-watch, I've come to the conclusion that JinSeung is hilariously awesome together and at times really sweet, but I really don't want his brand of crazy anywhere near my girl. He is bent, you guys. It's understandable, what with the dead parents, the dead ex-wife, the sister who lives far away, and the OCD personality, but he's still not right. He needs to change/mature/fix himself in a hurry before he inflicts himself on either lady.
And that's not to say I don't like Jin-soo. I do! I like him very much. But I tend to be more pragmatic when it comes to love. I want to see the start of something between two whole people. Jin-soo as he is isn't quite a whole person for me yet. He masquerades as a fiercely independent eccentric, but he's really a little-boy-lost who has trouble admitting that he needs, and wants, others to care about him. For years he has relied on Eun-young to keep him sane and keep him writing -- to keep him living, basically. Now he relies on Seung-yeon for something else that's slightly more intangible. A moral compass? Humanity? Maybe something as simple as companionship? I'm not sure.
@ 44 pipit -- That was a supremely epic and beautifully written post. You make your case very well. I really enjoyed reading it even though when it comes to love, I'm more of a cynical sort myself. Other than the love a parent has for their child, I don't believe in eternal love. Love to me is work. It's hard work and it must be nurtured daily or fades away and eventually dies. Still, I can't deny that you've encapsulated the myriad reasons why one would be drawn to Eun-young and Jin-soo (Eun-young especially, she's amazing). Beautifully done, pipit. Beautifully done.
And why am I analyzing a Kdramedy on a beautiful Saturday morning? This is ridiculous. Coffee House is a drug, and I'm saying NO to addiction (for now; I'm sure I'll be back later ;-) ). Peace out, y'all!
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260 Kay
June 19, 2010 at 2:19 PM
@ Lahlita : I total understand where you are coming from. Given then fact that EY had very little screen time in the first 5 ( or 4 first episodes) , then the ep 6-8 mostly focused on Eunsoo relationship process and her work. It's hard for us to learn more about her. But I am sure she has her own life- away from JS, which the camera hasn't got the chance to capture it clearly. However, it still gave some traces here and there- like she has her doctor best friend (We dont know how they became friends. It wasn't in the college days since EY friend doent know JS that well), and another one was she went to a party to celebrate with her friends before coming to the phonebooth as well. There could be more but I can't recall right now...
No one really cant blame you for feeling more for SJ, given the fact that she has the most screen- time between the 4 leads. We even knew some pieces about her ex and her senior story as well as her new blossom love interest with DW. The story around SY is more grounded, which ones can't help but define her as a center of the drama . And this in not new to us since from the first episode, we have been said that show's setup has introduced SY as the leading lady in CH . We can hear her thoughts, see her family, and some piece of her past ( mother'd death and ex) and of couse her present ( JS, work, senior and DW). I hope I dont confuse everyone here ^^
However, Lahlita 's point causes me wonder ...
Beside SY completed life shown,not only EY but also what 's else do we know about JS and JW, with their relationship around each other.? Let's me guess! before SY stepped in to the Coffee shop, JS life is basicly all about writting and EY. Yes , we know his parent passed away, his sister live in the US. What 's else do we know about him? What is his interest , hobby and other aspects of his life? Coffee? torturing people? Domino? Drug? What's else?
And dont even start with JW, what do we really know about him besides the his relationhip with EY and everything around it? Yes, he 's rich, successful and had famous, beautiful , victoious exes. And? Is boxing still considered one of his hobbies? Anyone know?
Perharp , this is the PD's intention to lead us into his story but beside SY, we barely know,or better ,see other aspeccts of the rest of the leads, unlike other dramas. For example. In Coffee Prnice, the 2 leads were introduced with their family and their everyday interaction. We learnt about GMN and HTK childhood and their family situation but not the other SW and Jeremy in Yb. Shining Inheritance also focused on the 2 leads family and other aspect of their lives such as friends, works, interests and more ... I think that is how you usually can kind of determine ( without knowing ahead, of course) who is the main charaters of the show when every as aspects of their lives were brought up, followed and developed. However, in CH, put on aside your initial knowledge of the drama, who can you determine is the main lead based on how the story enclosed? We all know the answer. Did the PD intentional try to mislead, confuse us in the set-up? Or Is he gonna to reveal piece by piece later to make the story unpredictable? I dont know
Anyways, let's get back to our fabulous and lovely EY- who I believe -was presented a bit more complete((??) than the other 2 male- leads with some hints here and there. She is smart , beautiful and accomplished. What else can I say about her? She is also strong and confident, yet vulnerable; assertive, yet controlled; rational, yet she has a witty side. She can be manipulative but within reason because she has a conscience. Even though she hasn't been in focus of the camera, but we saw her parent photo( Does she live with them?), her work enviroment, her respectful grandfather and hopefully soon her new love interest. Until now her hobbies was never mentioned but as how career-driven she is, perhaps her goal is the coffee shop franchising and becoming more sucessful as a publisher. May I say at this point, her life is pretty much accomplished except her her love-life, which we know who is main interest and the reasons behind it. Could it be how Coffee House story begin with? And I dont know about you, but as that much as I know about EY, I could "feel" her, her disappoinment, her frustration ,her reasoning, her helplessness and confussion, her happiness whenever her grand-fa come around etc... Just as you mentioned, she 's such a treasure in K-dramaland so you can't help but want to know more about her, rather just her world around JS. And CH is drug and I am obsessed with it!!! As you can see I cant stop coming back, looking into more, analyzing what had happened and why, what is going to happen next. and everything else's around it . I am getting greedy too!!! Why dont we have CH this week? I really hope that the PD wont fail to show us EY's other sides, past and her developments , which goes the same for JS and SY as the plot thickens ( I know, since we dont have that much time left, let's just for get JW ^^ !!!!)
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261 sherrvonn
June 20, 2010 at 11:48 AM
maybe javabeans should have a poll.
team SY or team EY.
i'm team SY here.
if they dont end up together, i'm not going to continue. D<
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262 houstontwin
June 21, 2010 at 5:29 PM
@chacha I really liked your hypothetical ending...especially the double date! You also make a good point that it is rare to see mature (ie adult) characters in a romance.
It really says a lot about Coffee House that even when there are no new episodes we are still mulling over the significance of every little word and gesture! I am amazed at some of the very detailed and analytical entries,
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263 SparrowBell
June 21, 2010 at 8:43 PM
I'm definitely a EY team I didn't follow much at this drama initially as the plot didn't attract me that much. SY is one typically good-hearted,innocent, silly girl ... but a lack of character ... The drama started to catch my eyes around ep 7 (I skipped most parts in previous 6 episodes, don't feel I missed much either. )If the story is JS/SY ... it will be more of a typical dreamy drama, I hope the director would strike a different tone here ... no offense to SY team. Sometimes, I just think, we woman, should strive to be smart, independent and attractive .... LOL
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264 chacha
June 22, 2010 at 2:44 AM
@houstonwin
Thank you so much houstonwin! Glad to know that you liked my comment, sometimes I'm afraid that my imagination makes no sense :D
Yes, I'm happy to see that Coffee House has finally brought us something different, and it's like we found something rare. Lately I've been thinking about the lead female, whether it's PSY or HEJ. I can make arguments for both, First, HEJ got more screen time with KJH, while PSY just got more in the latter episodes although not as much as HEJ. HEJ's Kang Seung-yeon also seems to have a growing relationship with JS. That one is or HEJ.
And for PSY, if anyone here has watched the interview of the cast, you can assume that PSY is the lead female. Because the interview consists of KJH, PSY, HEJ, and JWI as four main casts. Now we know that JWI plays Han Ji-won, the man who chases after PSY's Seo Eun-young. In conclusion, in k-drama standard, it's always the lead female who has someone chasing after her. And the chaser also has enough screen-time for us to know that he IS the one who's trying to steal the girl. And that is for PSY.
Once again, this is just my thought, because sometimes there are people who got confused about the lead female, and I guess I'm one of them hahaha.
Well, whatever happens and whoever the lead is, I'm still madly in love with the show and its funny-but-heartwarming moments! :D
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265 Hannelora
June 22, 2010 at 1:20 PM
It is really nice drama.
I am really interested in the eps. 7-8, especially the hot kiss between JS and EY.
I hope that JS and EY can end up together. Why?
1. They are really soulmate, and care each other.
2. They like each other for a long time, not now.
3. They cannot confess their love probably due to some certain reasons in the past. Both of them suffer much pain, and cannot overcome it.
But in love, if they can try to forget the past and go ahead with future, take it easy, I think they can happy together.
In case they cannot end up together, I feel pity for EJ. But I also feel please. Because when JS gradually falls in love with SJ, he is happy with the new coming...I think EJ will be happy when he is happy. When he leaves EJ, it means that his love with EJ is not really large enough to overcome the surrounding influence due to unhappy past. Therefore he is not deserved to EJ's love. In this case, why EJ love and think if him, when his heart does not belong to her. I just wish that JS and EJ could as strong as the main leads in the drama ''Prosecutor princess'', who can leave the past and think good for the future.
To be honest, I feel pain and hurt for EJ, also feel good for her if JS leaves her. Because she now can breath, she can live herself happily without caring him, she can try to forget him, she can make the new life for her.
But it is really pain!
In Kdrama, it seems that the main actor usually first hate silly woman as SJ, then gradually like her, because she is cute, simple thought, and so on..., then end up with her, because his emotion grows days by days....And she is more mature with time,....To be honest, I feel bored with such the kind of this happing, look similar to ''Oh! May Lady'', and a lot of Kdrama.
I am not against with SJ. But I have just commented about which of characteric is attractive during the time filming. It seems that EJ and JS have a lot of secrets in the past as well as their bonding together. Moreover EJ is really strong to survise him such a long time, and accepts such a crazy man during her work..., and so on. When both of them stay together, they have a lot of chemistry, and their body language can tell a lot of their caring. Such a kind of deep love, I do not understand why he could easily forget her to begin with the new love, leaves her alone with deep pain in her heart...Ej is so strong, but she also a woman. She has also pain and weak with love although she is very strong in career. The people always say that the more sucessful women, the more heartbroken women with love, because they are easily to hurt, and more suffer than the others.
Í should admit that probably EJ and JS cannot end up togther, because
1. The two songs in the film seems signal the ending of this drama
2. The main poster is the photograph of JS and SJ
3. The time filming between JS and SJ is longer than EJ and JS.
4. The rumor of the book, which end up JS and SJ.
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266 Hannelora
June 22, 2010 at 1:50 PM
I just remember some small things at the beginning of this drama. The scene EJ sitted and JS next to her to tell her to see the interesting scence happens with JW after her birthday. He said that this is the first thing he made for her. He told her to wait for him the second thing which is the unexpected book he wrote. I guess that probably he will have the surprised thing for her....
But it is confused me too whether he has more feeling with SJ, because the book he wrote is mentioned the girl like SJ. Because some scenes in this book taken from the work with SJ and JS....
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267 yuvee
June 23, 2010 at 3:01 PM
Can I just say that I'm suffering from the lack of CH, are they going to be back next week?
I love World Cup as much as the next person (and if you live in England, the person next to you is most probably a football fanatic), but I need my CH fix badly!!!
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268 Kay
June 23, 2010 at 7:41 PM
@67: You are not alone
I 'm ... like dying for my CH
The previews just made it worse ^^;;
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269 lettuce
June 24, 2010 at 12:18 AM
I noticed how Eun-young drew back from the kiss in one quick, decisive move, a split second looking startled at herself and her impulsive action, before gazing at Jin-soo in a completely new way. Such in contrast to Jin-soo, as someone beautifully mentioned before, whose eyes remained close for a time as though to savour the kiss longer.
Enough! Like yuvee and kay and everyone else I can't stand my CH withdrawal and I hope these people release every single NGs they have on both the kiss scene and the fake-out scene, or anything at all. If yes at least I'll have something to repeat over and over again since I want to move on from repeating that kiss scene like a perve. In the mean time I will scour the net for every single Kang Ji Hwan fix I can get. This is my first time watching him and I keep kicking myself mentally why why why I didn't start earlier.
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270 pipit
June 25, 2010 at 2:34 AM
CH deprivation has led me into writing my own scenario. And this is the last conversation in the final episode between EUNSOO. (If CH doesn’t deliver, I’m writing my own version).
Eun Young: What are you doing here? I thought you’re leaving this afternoon.
Jin Soo: Yeah, I already boarded the plane. It’s only a minute from take off before I decided to set something straight.
Eun Young: With whom? Me?
Jin Soo: Are you SY?
Eun Young: Just afraid that you’ve come looking for the wrong person.
Jin Soo: No, that’s what one of the things that I want to clear out.
Eun Young: Couldn’t you do it in your next book like you did with the previous one. I’m in desperate need of cash right now.
Jin Soo: Please. You said I always do things that you don’t want me to do, and never do things that you really want me to do. And you’re right.
Eun Young: I know.
Jin Soo: So, do you know why I’m here now?
Eun Young: Probably.
Jin Soo: Do you want me to spell it out?
Eun Young: Do you want to?
Jin Soo: Starting from today I’ll give you what you really want. Even if you don’t say it.
Eun Young: Is that a promise?
Jin Soo: You bet it is.
Eun Young: If you dare to break it I’ll take you to court, bankrupt you and burry you alive. You’ll never get a chance to write another book ever again.
Jin Soo: So, I’ll just make sure that I’ll never break it. Ever.
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271 Choufy
June 25, 2010 at 3:31 AM
!!! HELP WANTED !!!
My apology JB for this announce but I think it would be nice if International CH watchers could leave messages to cheer CH's crew through the official CH's site in SBS.
I tried to sign up myself last week-end but so far : no confirmation e-mail and impossible to log in.
So if a kind soul WHO HAS ALREADY A SBS ACCOUNT would be nice enough to help us to create a thread in CH SBS Forum, please send me a message at
choufy / at / hanmail.net or through pm in Soompi or through my blog.
Thanks by advance... 3 more days to go untill episodes 9 & 10 : Fighting !
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272 CW
June 25, 2010 at 6:50 AM
pipit, your scenario is cute and very EunSoo as you have to read between the lines to get what they are saying... although I'm not even sure I get it all. LOL.
But definitely cute.
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273 Hannelora
June 26, 2010 at 7:01 AM
Pipit,
I guess that with JS's temper, it is not easy for hom to tell that. Instead, he probably says that '' Well, that is not bad present for my birthday''. Then both of them tease together in such a way that there is nothing happens between them.
SJ surely sees the kiss scence nearby, and she is a little shock and fell the umbrella.
Some days after that JW will drink a lot and go to the office of EJ or JS. He will talk about how could it be about fake kiss scence. Then SJ will hear their talk, and so on....
Probably these says, JS will move more to SJ....Poor EJ.
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274 jeanne1123
June 28, 2010 at 2:25 AM
I saw the preview for episode 9. And I think it's going to be heart breaking for EY. EUNSOO FIGHTING!!!
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275 Hannelora
June 28, 2010 at 3:59 AM
Oh, what it looks like in ep. 9. I am very curious now. I hope that all of people will have happy ending, for EJ&JS, SJ/DW.
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276 Hannelora
June 28, 2010 at 8:47 AM
Please any one translate ep. 9, or summary for us!
It seems that EJ and JS have hurt each other again, even in the preview of ep. 10.
I feel heart-broken for them.
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277 KT
June 28, 2010 at 3:16 PM
Today Episode was EPIC!!!! and I dont understand a word ^^;;
*spoiler**
I love it despite the fact the SJ broke EY heart!!!!
EY is such a strong and coolest gal, isn't she? Love how she confessed and ans handle his reaction!!!
And KJH acting is awesome !!! It's his SHOW today!!!
I really cant wait to see what you think about thie Ep, JB!!!!
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278 SparrowBell
June 28, 2010 at 4:35 PM
For ep 9.
SJ told EY that he had never considered her more than a friend, the kiss is only the men's natural reaction. EY went missing for a couple of days. In the preview, EY told SJ their relationship would not be the same as before though SJ asked if they could maintain *status quo*.
Anyway, SJ sounds like a big jerk ... not willing to commit for whatever reasons (god knows what he feels), and yet he would like EY to treat him the same.
Personally, I think it's too much work to love a *broken* guy like him ---- really high maintenance.
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279 Hannelora
June 28, 2010 at 11:23 PM
Thank you very much for your summary, SparrowBell and KT.
I am waiting for the next eps. It seems 7 eps left. I hope that EJ and JS can confess their love together. Otherwise, I feel hurt for EJ....
It is really hard for her to love JS. I am afraid that she will be tired, and left him. Then, probably SJ will fill this place in his heart. Hope that it is not true.
Love is not only happiness, but also forgiveness. Love is not also pink color. Therefore they should overcome their obstacles to go ahead for future.
In the interview, the director said that at the beginning of ep. 12,the change will be so big that you’ll wonder whether you’re still watching the same drama. I wonder whether JS find the new love from SJ. Because now he call her when he is sad,... Anyway, I do not believe one can change his feelings to someone who met him a few months.
Love should be growed days by days, and has a long time relationship....I think that JS does not have someone in his side to hear his confidence except EJ. Now if EJ is not here, then SJ becomes a friend who near him to talk with him. It is simple like this.
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280 algelic
June 29, 2010 at 6:58 PM
Woah another GREAT episode! :D
Can I just say that I almost DIED laughing throughout the "seduction" scene, specially when SJ cleared the desk and went all "lets get down to business". XD Priceless!
And woah I didn't expect that steamy kiss at the end. I wonder if it's good so soon in the drama... because the rest of the episodes will be dedicated to denial. T_T
Btw... the Kang Seung Yeon actress (or character?) went back to being irritating in this episode. Sure, she was good at a couple of scenes (like plotting revenge with the birthday) but then she reprised her awful exaggerations... her mouth hanging open, her idiotic hopelessness and running off to the annoying ex-boyfriend's office (WHYYYY?!). Oh well... perfection is impossible, I guess.
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281 v
July 2, 2010 at 3:47 AM
IDK, but I find the JS-EY pairing not working for me.
Perhaps its my bias but i think Park Shi Yeon has gone through WAYY too much plastic surgery from her My Girl days and this bothers me. I hate seeing how she is such a PS-addict --;
Anyway, definitely I'm on JS-SY shipper camp. Though I think if SY ends up with DW it isn't such a bad idea too. I <3 DW in here! :D
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282 mmeuh
July 2, 2010 at 2:15 PM
@81 It's a pity that people still judge a person based on their physique. tsk To me it's the lowest reason, when a hater can't find anything else to say. oh well that's just my opinion.
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283 CANT-STAND-HATERS
July 4, 2010 at 5:06 AM
@ 81: it's even shallower of you to judge someone you dont personally even know, just based on physical appearance and rumor , but not the talent, great performance and force to grow of an actress!!! And this is why it make haters pathetic as they can never have a beautiful life with their NEGATIVE version of life...
Peole around her loved , love, and will lover her as who she is.
Your hate wont affect her, but just make you a worse person!!!
Congrats!!!
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284 Lilian
August 2, 2010 at 5:55 AM
Totally loved this episode especially the part where they were acting the scene out for the 2 viewers...hehe...
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285 staples
August 28, 2010 at 9:18 PM
does anyone else think that the reason JS is leaving is because he doesn't want to open a can of worms with the whole "we have a past, so we really shouldn't be together" thing.
I'm also sad DW's character is like nothing now. he's become kind of an add-on...bring him back!!!
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286 Ellie
December 28, 2011 at 7:02 PM
When you said, "If this episode didn't convince you nothing ever will." It didn't convince me. I think that they do have chemistry and all that and they obviously like each other but something is holding me back. I think that I perceive them as a pairing whose time has passed. I don't really know how to explain it. It's strange for me because I have no idea who the romantic pairing of the show is going to be. Usually we know in the first episode, it's something they tell you in previews of the show but here I have no idea. I'm really curious to see where this is going.
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