Answer Me 1994: Episode 21 (Final)
by girlfriday
We finally conclude the mystery and the journey, as the beginning of adulthood ushers in the end of an era. Everybody gets a name and Na-jung gets her husband, which means she gets to kick that headless groom she’s been marrying for ten weeks to the curb and replace him with the real deal. Bye, Headless Guy.
The series went out on a high of 11.9% ratings. It’s a bit of a rushed production that could’ve used a few hours of editing finesse had they had the time, but overall it goes out in true Answer Me style, as a love letter to the nineties and bygone youth.
SONG OF THE DAY
Lee Seung-hwan – “기다린 날도 지워질 날도 (Days That I Waited, Days That Would Be Erased)” [ Download ]
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EPISODE 21: “To the nineties”
Both the wedding and the housewarming party draw to a close, and everyone gets up to leave except for Oppa and Chilbongie who linger behind. One of them comes up to put an arm around Na-jung as they say goodbye to their guests, and they note that sometimes first loves do make it.
We go back to 2000, when Na-jung gets that message from Oppa on her way to Chilbongie, asking if she’ll come by because he’s sick. She bursts into tears right there in the cab, and sobs the whole way.
The doorbell rings and Chilbongie opens his door… to Binggeure, who’s here to chase him down after he fled the hospital sooner than he was supposed to.
And at the same time, Na-jung braces herself before ringing the doorbell… and Oppa answers. She cries, half-angry that he called and that she came despite it all, and brushes past him to go inside.
He tries to hold onto her but she shakes him off, and he finally just throws his arms around her and hugs her close. She cries into his shoulder and her legs turn to jelly, sending them both crumbling to the ground in tears.
Oppa just cups her face in his hands and looks at her for a long moment, and finally whispers as a tear rolls down his cheek: “I love you. I love you.” Once he says the words, she’s the one to reach out and wipe the tears from his face, and she leans in for a kiss.
Oppa comes to work the next day all better from his cold and floating on cloud nine. He hears the other residents oohing over Chilbongie being at the hospital, trying to figure out how to get an autograph.
Na-jung gets calls from Yoon-jin, then Samcheonpo, then Haitai, all telling her to hurry home because Mom’s cooking something special. That’s so cute. She asks Haitai if he called Binggeure and Chilbongie too, and that’s when he tells her that Chilbongie is at the hospital and checked himself out before he was supposed to.
She calls Chilbongie to ask where he is, and finds him at the baseball field. He waves at her from the mound and she waves back from the stands before coming out to the field. He makes her stop when she’s a few feet away though, not letting her come any closer.
He puts on a smile and says he has a wish, and points to a glove hanging on a bat at the edge of the field. He asks if she’ll grant his wish if he hits it, and though he struggles with his injured arm, he hits his target like he always did.
He turns to her, “Na-jung-ah…” but before he can even say it, she rushes him with a hug, throwing her arms around his waist and leaving him speechless. Aw. He smiles, “How’d you know?”
He continues, “I don’t think I’ll be able to call. I think it’ll take some time. Sorry.” He holds on for one more moment before pushing her away. Na-jung looks up at him: “Joon-ah, of all the people I know, you’re the handsomest.”
She names all his good traits and says that he’s the most impressive person she’s ever met: “Do you know how thankful I am that someone like you liked me?” She says it was because of him that she found out that she wasn’t half bad herself.
She says that someday if she ever has a child, she’s going to brag about how that famous person on TV liked her. “Joon-ah, thank you for liking me. Because of you, my age twenty will be a beautiful memory.”
They smile at each other and he swallows back tears: “Me too.” He hugs her one last time and says goodbye. And then long after she’s gone, he sits alone looking out at the field, and lets himself cry. I’m not crying. I’m not. *sniff*
Later as he packs, Haitai calls to say he should come by the house to have drinks with everyone on his last day. He can’t, of course, because of Na-jung, but he has a final doctor’s appointment anyway to check on his injuries before he flies out.
At the hospital, the doctor tells him his shoulder and back aren’t in good shape, and at some point he’s going to need surgery. It’s his back that’s worse off, and the doc has called in a specialist to do a consult.
In walks Garbage, who’s now the head brain/spine doctor, which is a really hard thing to wrap my head around because I’ve seen him wipe his face with a floor mat. The air is awkward, naturally, and Chilbongie sits quietly through the session as Garbage the Neurosurgeon explains that he can treat it without surgery, but that means he’s always one injury away from permanent damage. He says the same thing—at some point, he’ll need surgery, and perhaps sooner is better so that he’ll have a chance to recover.
The residents line up to get autographs afterward, and Garbage waits till they’re the only two left in the room. There’s no more avoiding it now, so they sit down for a chat. Garbage tells him about his back in simpler layman terms, and gives him advice about what to do.
He knows Chilbongie is headed to the airport to fly out tonight, and stops to put a hand on his arm as he says goodbye and tells him sincerely to take care of himself. Chilbongie replies, “You too, sunbaenim.”
Garbage turns to go and then whirls back around, “Hey, you used to call me hyung. Are you not calling me hyung anymore? What’s with the sunbaenim? All the other guys call me hyung. You’re the only one. What’s that about?” Chilbongie smiles and asks if he’d be able to do that if the roles were reversed, and promises, “Next time. Next time, sunbaenim.” Garbage looks at him thoughtfully… and then scrunches his face to whine that he really dislikes him. It’s cute that he’s trying for the laugh.
As Haitai and Samcheonpo watch Chilbongie board his flight on the news, Haitai decides that he’ll name his child after Chilbongie so that he makes a boatload of money. Samcheonpo says he’ll do really badly in school then, so Haitai revises his plan and says he’ll name his child after Garbage. Samcheonpo: “Do you plan to raise him as half-human, half-beast?” Lol.
At the hospital the next day, Oppa tells Na-jung he’s five seconds away from his office, where she’s waiting with every snack imaginable on his break. His pager rings and he gets lost in thought for a moment, and Na-jung has to call him over and over: “Oppa. Oppa! Jae-joon oppa!”
He finally turns around. And just to put a stamp on it, a close-up of his nametag reads: Kim Jae-joon.
We go back to the wedding footage, and this time we finally get to see the head attached to the groom, and it is indeed Oppa, looking sheepish when Dad scolds him for choosing such a terrible day to have a wedding, having to pry Na-jung away from Dad at the altar, and smiling back at her as they walk back down the aisle as husband and wife.
And at the housewarming party, this time it’s Oppa who takes the phone from Sook-sookie to tell Mom that he’s usually a good kid (while kicking him silently), and he’s the one that Shi-won recognizes as looking strangely familiar, though neither of them can remember why. Heh.
And as the friends get ready to leave, Chilbongie stands up after tying his shoe, standing in the doorway with the rest of the gang after all. Turns out this house was his to begin with, which explains why he’s so comfortable here (enough to take a nap and order takeout). He even took a hit when he let Na-jung take over the contract at a lower price, and they joke that it was the First Love Discount.
She warns him that he can’t take it back, and he says his wife complained, but she counters that she has three kids which pretty much makes her constantly broke. Chilbongie calls out to Garbage because he left his phone behind, and calls him hyung.
Haitai looks at Garbage and Na-jung together and says that sometimes first loves do make it, and they each go down the row saying “Like us,” and even Chilbongie joins in, which makes everyone laugh. The non-blurry wedding photo shows the whole gang there at the wedding, including Chilbongie.
After the housewarming party, Na-jung cleans up, and Oppa goes to check on the kids. The youngest is stirring, so he puts him to sleep, and they nod off with their legs crossed exactly the same way. That’s so cute.
As they get ready for bed, Oppa calls Chilbongie impressive for finishing out his pro career (he’s playing for the Twins after all, fulfilling Dad’s wish), instead of coaching in the States with so many offers coming in.
Na-jung runs down a to-do list with Oppa, calling him oppa, yeobo, and Sannie’s dad in three consecutive sentences. He laughs and tells her to stick to calling him one thing. She says it’s all the same, but he says each makes him feel differently.
He says when she calls him oppa he wants to be really good to her and take her out to movies, and when she calls him Sannie’s dad he gets strength like he’s suddenly a bear. “And yeobo?” He shudders and pretends to be annoyed at the sound of the word, so she yells at him to get away, now calling him Kim Jae-joon-sshi. He just gives her hugs and kisses, laughing.
He asks why Haitai married so late, and she says they had a long-distance relationship too, and broke up another time before getting back together. Oppa asks where she went, expecting the name of another country, but Na-jung says Suwon, which is like twenty minutes away, ha.
Back in 2002, Haitai is still living at the boardinghouse, and Dad asks if he’s going to live here forever. Haitai says he’s saving money, and Mom insists she loves having Haitai around.
Samcheonpo and Yoon-jin are newlyweds, and Haitai says they just had a huge fight the other night because Seo Taiji came back with a new album, and Yoon-jin ran out and bought a hundred copies to pass out to everyone she knows and even strangers in the street. Dad holds up his copy.
They light up when Chilbongie shows up on the news in a report about his surprise return to Korea, and we finally get his name: Kim Sun-joon. Dad worries about him, knowing he’s back for surgery and that he’ll be all alone. Mom and Dad ask Haitai if they’ve talked to him at all, assuming that naturally they’ve lost touch.
Chilbongie returns to an empty apartment, and ponders Binggeure’s worries about him undergoing surgery alone. I’m gonna cry. WHY IS HE ALONE? He winces in pain at his shoulder and opens up his sad empty fridge, and then the doorbell rings. Please be the gang. Please be the gang.
Yay, it’s the gang! He’s shocked as they just barge in unannounced and make themselves at home, talking as if no time has passed. Na-jung is on the phone with Mom who wants to make him food and the rest of the guys are already getting out bottles and bottles of soju.
Binggeure tells him he was going to come alone but they already knew and came along. Two seconds later the doorbell rings again with the chicken they already called to have delivered. The shock finally wears off and Chilbongie laughs.
The group gets into a debate about whether or not Chilbongie should have surgery now, with Haitai and Yoon-jin arguing that he should finish out the season first and go out on a high, and Na-jung and Samcheonpo arguing that he needs to hurry up and get surgery so that he can recover sooner and have a better outlook for his long-term career.
It’s hilariously heated on both sides, and even funnier for the fact that they’re not listening to Chilbongie or even asking what he thinks, determined to come to a decision as a group, because that’s how they do things. This makes me so happy.
They make Chilbongie make the ramyun while they continue to argue over his future, and Binggeure says they might end up crashing here if they keep drinking. But Chilbongie says that Haitai gets up early to go hiking in the morning, and Yoon-jin and Samcheonpo are taking English class in the mornings, and Na-jung visits Garbage on the weekends.
Binggeure wonders how Chilbongie knows more about their daily routines than he does. A flashback montage shows Chilbongie alone in the States, lighting up every time he received a new email from one of them. They wrote back and forth the whole time, and never lost touch. Awwww.
Oppa is working in Gangneung now, which means Na-jung only sees him on weekends, though she tells Mom and Dad that she’s happier than she’s ever been. She happily lays out her outfit to wear tomorrow to go see Oppa, and heads to bed.
But just as she lies down, she hears someone come through the front gate. She sits up as Oppa sneaks into her room, having driven all the way here just to see her a little earlier.
He snuggles up in bed with her, and Na-jung says matter-of-factly, “If we get caught like this, we’ll both die by Dad’s hand.” He says it’s okay, “I have to get my head cracked open once before we get married anyway, so it’s all the same.” Haha.
She asks how he knew, and says with a huge smile that Dad has plans to kill and pickle him. I love that she says this stuff in the tone of an endearment. She asks when they’ll tell Dad, and he says they’ll tell them soon and she can just hide behind him.
She whispers, “Jae-joon oppa, I love you. Really.” He says he knows and gives her kisses. And then we see their two sets of red family mittens sitting side by side on her desk.
On the day that they do tell Dad about their plans to get married, he comes at them with the giraffe paddle again, screaming his head off. They protest that he’s known they’ve been dating for two years so marriage was inevitable, though of course Dad argues that it’s really been seven years since they started this crazy mess, and refuses to be party to it all over again.
Dad’s temper always precedes his softer side, so he declares that they can do whatever the hell they want, but he’s not going to that wedding. Mom takes their side and says she’ll go, but Dad brings them both to tears when he screams that they hammered a nail into his best friend’s heart and his own once before, asking how they can bring up marriage again so flippantly.
Oof. It’s really Oppa’s relationship to the parents that gets me in the heart—I think Dad was more heartbroken over the first engagement than the kids were. Oppa fights back tears and gets down on his knees, and pulls Na-jung down too. He promises, “Father, we’ll live well.”
Na-jung brings Mom coffee outside, and asks if Mom likes Oppa that much—she always took his side, even the first time when Dad was so against them dating. Mom: “He’s my son. Jae-joonie is my son.”
Mom says she might not know, but that first time when Dad was so upset, Mom was just grateful and cried by herself in the bathroom. She thinks back to that day, when Oppa had first told Mom and Dad about them.
After Dad walks out in silent protest, Mom tells Garbage it’s okay and cheers him on: “Mom is on your side.” She changes the subject asks if he’s picked a specialty yet, and he says he chose neurosurgery.
Mom instantly starts to cry. “It’s because of Hoon, isn’t it?” Awww, Oppa. She says he stayed by Hoon’s side the whole time he had surgery for his brain tumor, and doesn’t even need to tell her—she knows he chose that field because of Hoon.
He lies and says it isn’t, and she tells him to choose something else to make life easier for himself, and that he needn’t do this for her. Oppa just takes her hands and swears it’s the field he wants to go into, and hugs her while she cries. Dammit, you can always count on Oppa for a sneak-cry, just when you thought you were all clear.
Back in the present, Oppa is now on pins and needles around Dad, who gives him the silent treatment and only makes Oppa more nervous and fidgety, if that’s even possible. Meals are tense, and he gets slammed in the face with a ham when he accidentally flicks a radish in Dad’s face.
By February, Oppa brings Chilbongie hospital food. Aw, you fixed up Chilbongie. And in March, he’s still following Dad on eggshells, trying to be on his best behavior and killing Dad’s favorite plant in the process.
Chilbongie is still recovering in the hospital in April, and the gang comes in for regular visits to play games and shoot the breeze. In May Oppa is still on Dad’s bad side, and by June, it’s sort of turned into this immature game, where Oppa follows Dad around like his shadow, and Dad runs away like a little kid.
Oppa follows him to the neighborhood store and perks up whenever he has the chance to do something right like remembering what Mom asked him to buy or paying or doing the heavy lifting.
Dad scowls gruffly the whole time, but then as soon as Garbage steps out with groceries in hand, he’s bragging to the shopkeeper about his doctor son-in-law. Omg. So cute. And SO like Dad.
Four days before the wedding, Korea plays against Italy in the 2002 World Cup, and everyone gathers at the house decked out in their red shirts. Everyone bets on Korea while Dad is the loner who bets on Italy, and then Chilbongie arrives with chicken and joins Team Italy.
Korea ties the game which sends them into overtime, and Garbage, who’s playing bookie for the day, decides that it’s the last chance for anyone to switch their bets if they pay a little more cash. Dad stays firmly on the wrong side, but Chilbongie decides to change over at the last minute.
Garbage takes it back and says he missed his window, and Chilbongie whines, “Hyuuuung!” Cuuuute. Garbage caves to being called hyung, though he tells him he can pay double because he’s a major leaguer. Ha.
Korea wins and makes it to the quarterfinals, and the house erupts in cheers and kisses for all. Dad makes sure to take back his money during the commotion, lol.
Mom announces the big news that Haitai is finally leaving the nest for an apartment of his own, and Dad tells them they’ll be selling the house because nobody stays at these old-fashioned boardinghouses anymore. Aw, sad. End of an era.
Mom tells all the kids to sleep over tonight, and offers to make whatever they want for breakfast. She fills the table with mountains of all their favorite foods, and then everyone comes down for their last meal together at the house, trying their best not to cry.
Haitai can’t even take a bite because he’ll probably sob into his rice (he really did love Mom best, I think) and heads upstairs to finish packing.
Samcheonpo comes up and helps him pack the giant puffy blanket they shared for years, and wonders why he’s taking such a heavy thing. Haitai says he can’t sleep without it.
Then Samcheonpo remembers that it was his, and then they go back and forth trying to remember whose mom sent it. Samcheonpo says he can hardly remember, “What’s mine became yours and what was yours became mine, and now I can’t tell what’s yours-mine or mine-yours anymore.”
He goes back and forth so many times that Haitai loses track: “So whose is it?! Mine or yours?” Samcheonpo says it doesn’t matter: “You have it.” Awwww.
The kids gather downstairs to say goodbye, and Haitai busts out his newfangled digital camera to take a picture. They gather outside the house for a group shot.
Afterwards Dad writes up a handwritten note to put over their boardinghouse sign that says they don’t take boarders anymore, and Na-jung watches with a long face.
Samcheonpo: On June 19, 2002, Shinchon Boardinghouse closed its doors. Thus we became Shinchon Boardinghouse’s first and last boarders. At my age twenty that wasn’t anything special, in a Seoul [called formally Seoul Special City] of ten million, the special connections that were like a miracle. That place, that made the youths of a couple of country bumpkins bustling, noisy, and eventually special. We spent a very special time together at Shinchon Boardinghouse. We cried, laughed, met, parted, and ached. We had different memories, different connections, different loves, but we were in the same time and the same place together, like a miracle.
A trip down memory lane brings us back to the night of the World Cup, when Chilbongie runs down the street holding six chickens in his hands. He suddenly drops out of frame and the fried chicken goes flying, and we see that he’s collided with someone and broken her fall. Eep! The boy just had back surgery!
He helps her up and she lifts the headband out of her face, and omo! Jung Yumi! She says she’s okay but as he cleans up the chicken, she hobbles around clearly missing a slipper.
He asks if she lost something, and she cries after her ddal-ddalie, which is exactly the word that Na-jung uses for slippers, and one of the first conversations they had at the house about Oppa’s ddal-ddalie being his favorite and Chilbongie finding her strange words for things cute.
Jung Yumi suddenly slips into her country accent as she hops around looking for her shoe, and Chilbongie just smiles after her and laughs to himself. Thank goodness they got an actress I love—I think I might’ve died a little inside if they had paired him with someone less than stellar.
Back in 2013, Haitai takes a call from his boss late at night, and Na-jung shuts the TV off, telling her three young sons that chasing stars will make them stupid (ha, it’s A-Pink, for one last Jung Eun-ji cameo). And Samcheonpo tells his cabbie the best route to take home like an expert.
And at the house, Dad takes down the last sign for new boarders.
Samcheonpo: Right now we might be pitiful salarymen who are mindful of the world, but we were once Korea’s first new generation: Generation X. We might now be ajummas who pour on the nagging like waterfalls, but once we were hot-blooded youth who hanged our lives on our oppas. And we were the first generation who was blessed to experience both an analog and digital world.
I repent for the days I used to belittle seventies music and eighties movies. That those movies, that music weren’t just movies and music, but your youth and your era—is something that I now realize when I am no longer young. December 28, 2013. In a few days, we become forty. To all the forty-year-old youths of Korea, and to everyone who lived through the nineties and endured till now, I dedicate these words to you:
Do you remember that we lived through a beautiful age, that our brilliant youth shone brightly, that our relentless loves ran hot, that we were great in years gone by. Though the next era may be a difficult one, let us live it passionately enough to be old-fashioned. That era that was so hot and innocent that I long for it with a chill. Do you hear me? If you do, answer me, my nineties.
COMMENTS
The finale delivered a faithful ending given the final trajectory of the show, so there weren’t any missing pieces or huge twists, and I think in general it puts in every bit of effort to give everyone a believable happy ending with no resolution left unturned. Because I was annoyed enough that we were dragging the mystery all the way to the finale, I was glad when Na-jung made her choice in the first five minutes, which in the very least gives us the rest of the episode for some closure and a chance to wrap up everyone’s stories. I still think the hour and a half left something to be desired for the secondary characters, but I much prefer an ending that focuses on the family as a whole and what that house did to bring these people together, so points for that.
As for Na-jung’s choice, I fully expected her to pick Oppa, and I fully expected to have my heart break for Chilbongie, so I was neither disappointed nor surprised about it. I don’t even feel weird about my feelings being split (in that I’m happy for Oppa and Na-jung and crying for Chilbongie), because the show was written to make me feel bipolar about the romance. I do think in that sense neither guy gets the classic win because both got shafted throughout the journey for the sake of keeping them in the race till the last possible second, but as far as resolutions go, I was satisfied for both of them and found the final hour more pleasant than most of the second half of the series, which so often put mystery before character development.
I’ve said as much already in my year-end review so there’s no need to rehash everything, but it goes without saying that Answer Me 1994 got stuck in its own tunnel of mystery, and sacrificed far too much of what was good about the show in service of fueling this strange fixation with the bait-and-switch. I mean this on a structural storytelling level, and not the fact of the overarching who’s-the-husband mystery, because that’s just a gimmick and is as annoying or not depending on how they want to play it. The writer was just obsessed with the bait-and-switch in this drama, wherein we’re purposely led to believe one truth (they’re siblings/not), or more frequently led down a path of murkiness where nobody outright says a thing (What does Binggeure feel for Oppa? What does Oppa feel? What is Na-jung’s reaction to anything?) just so that the story can be clever and jump out at us with a surprise twist.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it’s confusing, but by and large what happens if you do it for long enough is that we stop trusting your truth as truth and keep ducking for that sudden left hook. I felt totally shafted on Binggeure’s character development and found his sudden resolution to be a twist for twist’s sake—had he been confused about his sexuality, been exploring what his conflicting feelings meant, had we been in on his journey from the start or been allowed to know what he was going through, I’d have found his resolution to be fulfilling and a nice statement about the fluidity of sexuality and the importance of choice. Mostly though, I feel cheated out of what could have been that story because the show was more concerned with teasing the idea that he’d be gay so that they could swing around and do the big tadaaaaa moment. What is the point of that? I don’t disagree with the outcome, but I’m disappointed in how we got there.
The biggest misstep was with Oppa and Chilbongie, which of course ignited some crazy fan wars, the depths of which I don’t care to relive. The story chose a frustrating withholding strategy to prolong the central love triangle by taking turns putting Oppa in the corner and then Chilbongie in the corner, then back and forth and back again, until at some point we stopped caring whose turn it was and wanted it to stop. For as much thought as this writer puts into creating nuanced characters, she let The Hand of Mystery motivate their actions, which I found to be endlessly frustrating. I kept wanting deep, complex reasons, and kept getting non-answers and purposeful omissions for the sake of keeping things opaque.
Now that we’re able to look back on the series as a whole, the latter half really sags with the weight of a single mystery stretched far too thin—now it shows just how little conflict was being prolonged for that much story time, and makes me wish they had just answered the question early if only to force them to come up with more story afterwards. If they had told this story in twelve episodes, it might’ve been brilliant. Told in twenty-one, it loses all that pizazz. It’s doubly encumbered by the episode length, which grew preposterously long and drew complaints, eventually leading to the production releasing apologies, but sticking to its hour-and-a-half episodes anyway. What kills me is that I know this director has a strong sense of comic timing because Answer Me 1997 was spot-on and felt whip-smart because of its pace (until it also started to lag via bloated air time). This time scenes went on endlessly, jokes got lost because there were no editing choices made, and I could actually feel them padding out episodes and refusing to kill their babies, which dulled the zing factor—and one of my favorite things about this franchise is its zing! It felt like a raw production that should’ve gone through one more hardcore editing pass, perhaps from someone who wasn’t so attached to the cast.
Even still, this show was fantastic when it was firing on all cylinders—when friends became family, when people showed up for each other, and when they finally learned how to ask for someone to stay by their side. Go Ara finally got to shed her acting criticism and her just-a-pretty-face image, and did an fantastic job of being believable in every moment, no matter what tiny thing she was doing. It was lovely to watch. Jung Woo is just amazing, and gave Oppa a vulnerability and a depth beyond what was written. His character is literally one that can’t exist without that actor, which you can’t say about most roles. Yoo Yeon-seok got the full Nineties Lee Jung-jae workup, so in a meta sense he gets cosmically rewarded for walking away without the girl; you get to take all of the other women in the world with you, which you can’t exactly call a raw deal. I’m pretty sure I haven’t watched a drama that so romanticized an unrequited love and gave it the hero treatment since the nineties, so I have to assume his entire character is a love letter to that era. Which I guess just makes me a goner from the start.
In execution, this drama was proof that you do lose something when you try to have your cake and eat it too. But what this franchise always manages to do right is make us smile and look back on our own youths with the same sense of longing and nostalgia, and the hindsight that comes from maturing. I wish it had been a smoother ride because I love all the characters dearly, but I’m glad we at least go out on a good note. Thanks for the memories, Shincheon Boardinghouse—the good, the confusing, the funny, the frustrating, the heartrending, and the sweet ones all.
RELATED POSTS
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 20
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 19
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 18
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 17
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 16
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 15
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 14
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 13
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 12
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 11
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 10
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 9
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 8
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 7
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 6
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 5
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 4
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 3
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 2
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 1
Tags: Answer Me 1994, featured, Go Ara, Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon-seok
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
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151 Richie Kim
December 30, 2013 at 4:46 AM
We definitely need a season 3 that doesn't need lots of dragging and not too much lovey-dovey scenes thoug I love whatvever Chilbongie does in this season. Gonna miss him a lot right now. TT_TT
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152 Aisha Klcc
December 30, 2013 at 4:52 AM
I can feel my tears foming again reading the recap. I guess I was too immersed in the drama. It's probably going to take a while for this drama's fever go down. =')
@Saima thanks for your youtube video, helps a bit seeing at least YYS is happy outside the drama. HAHA.
Yes, I was still hoping CB-NJ pair up till the end, but I understand NJ's choice. I just feel so sad for CB. His character really captured (almost) everyone's hearts. This drama has pulled many emotional strings. Unlike dramas that i despise for making me cry, I loved this one from the core.
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153 fanwho
December 30, 2013 at 4:53 AM
Thanks for great recap! Has been great ride!
I guessed it was Trash from the beginning (unless writer changes her mind) because Dad scolded the groom (on terrible timing of wedding day). I thought if it was CB, there was no way Dad would yell.
Wish this ep was the ep20 and spent more time on CB's new love story in this ep.
BTW as for the splendid food spread, I read foods have been prepared on the spot (in area behind the kitchen in the boardinghouse) by this show's art director. Envy~
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154 Aisha
December 30, 2013 at 4:57 AM
I can feel my tears foming again reading the recap. I guess I was too immersed in the drama. It's probably going to take a while for this drama's fever go down. =')
@Saima thanks for your youtube video, helps a bit seeing at least YYS is happy outside the drama. HAHA.
Yes, I was still hoping CB-NJ pair up till the end, but I understand NJ's choice. I just feel so sad for CB. His character really captured (almost) everyone's hearts. This drama has pulled many emotional strings. Unlike dramas that i despise for making me cry, I loved this one from the core.
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155 One
December 30, 2013 at 7:59 AM
Once i know who is the husband i refused to watch the final eps. But later i gather thousand reason for me to watch it. Then, while watching the final i do feel that the end of the story is healing my heart very much.
In my view, if the 97 series focus on story about a childhood-first love which end up happily, contrary with the 94 series their main focus is on the friendship among the boarder of that boarding house who they found as their own family as they are depart from their own home.
I think the loveline is just a extra remedy to show how strong their friendship is. though being rejected by the one who he loves they still end up being a VERY good friend. how they are really concern about each other life and how they end up being friend while the times pass. they are just complementing each other.
I end up my conclusion of the 94 series like this. this series not merely just a simple love stories but a story about friendship and they found more LOVE within that friendship. I love the ending very much. So, I far from being depressed as watching that KIM SEONG JOON did not end up with Najung. He lost his first love but He gain something that more precious than that. FRIENDS.
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156 CBFAN
December 30, 2013 at 8:51 AM
So first time I am a big shipper of any Fictional Character and I finally got the courage to watch the Final Episode since I swear I was going to boycott, but then saw that Chilbongie's wife was that actress from I need Romance 2 and I really like her!
So, to get me through this injustice to CB, I read the last episode to be this:
Chilbongie got over his heartbreak and went on to be so Successful in his professional life and Homelife. His wife is one lucky woman since Chilbongie will give his all, his money, his love, his attention, his never ending ways to please his woman (Fried Chicken Girl), we never got a name so I nicknamed her.
And the Kicker? It was payback time all CB shippers! The FAMOUS Mr. Dr. Trash Neurosurgeon can't even make enough to buy his house that he has to rent it from Chilbongie a past love rival no less, and his wife Ms. Na Jung had to beg successful Chilbongie to not raise the rent/lease deposit. Seriously Mr. Dr. Trash you had to send your wife to beg the former love rival to keep the rent low, how much more Pathetic of a man can you be!
He he he! That is how I got over how the writers and director did to Chilbongies character. I wanted to see how Chilbongie treat his wife, I want to see trade barbs with Na Jung and I want to see how lovey dovey Chilbongie is with his new wife and the wonderful cute kids he has with the lucky wife!
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anon
December 30, 2013 at 7:42 PM
HAHAHHAHAHA omg the bitterness is overwhelming. So what if he doesn't end up with Na Jung? No offense but you have got to stop being petty. Like you said its implied that he ends up with someone who loves him and makes him happy. No need to bash on the other couple just because your preferences are different.
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Jen
December 30, 2013 at 7:45 PM
I find this comment offensive because for someone to claim as CB fans, you don't seem to understand the character CB very well in that he is respectfully and have class even if he did not get the girl, he wasn't nasty about it and was still respectful and sweet, but I can't say the same here given your comment just proves immaturity at its best.
Saying NJ begging like they're beggar, calling Trash pathetic ... I think before one can say such, one should understand the living economy there in term of profession and the expense of family (look at SCP/YJ, Haitai .. like Haitai working for gov't, one would think he make a lot but he makes less than SCP)
Seriously, all these jabs at characters, writers and producers gives others truly new perspective and insight on CB fans and fans of YYS because you're not doing him any good with all these rude barbs but rather make him look bad especally when YYS work hard on his character and is grateful to the staff and writer to believing in him and giving him a great character to portray. Without them, do you think his popularity would be an all time high like now? Or him getting this much love from so many fans.
Without the writer and producer who create such a character, how would you come to love CB this much? Please be courtesy, grateful, and respect their hard work and dedication in brings these characters that are well love by many many.
We know you have feelings and are hurt but your words can hurt others as well. This drama is not a "the CB show" but Answer Me that viewers who loves other actors / actress like Ara, who loves the drama, who loves the writers to read such comment ... how do you think they would feel?
It is the same as someone were to bash YYS or CB character calling him a "trashy trashy character" .. how does that make you feel when someone bash your favorite character.
Not happy right? The same feeling that others feel when you bash or talk bad about their character ... so please, be respectful.
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Ivory
December 30, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Well it's good to see you got a laugh out of something from this drama. :) I just hope you come back and read this at a later time and realize how childish you look to the rest of us.
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157 apollo11
December 30, 2013 at 9:35 AM
this is my favourite show this year, and i thoroughly enjoyed it despite all the heart attacks it gave me (yeah that preview for this episode which showed nj hugging cb cut short my lifespan), because it reminds me now, more than ever, to appreciate the joy of growing up and the people who are part of the process. i had loved reply me 1997 and it makes me immensely happy that reply me 1994 has surpassed it with characters that were fleshed out through all these subtle but outstanding moments that were lovingly written.
i had cried in the oppa and nj cafe scene in ep 20 which had touched me deeply because the portrayal of their relationship is so real. and again the reunion scene because i've felt that pent up anguish and hurt and it was depicted so wonderfully.
in ep 2 at the hospital when they revealed that oppa wasnt the real oppa, it was this precise moment that captured my heart and i tuned in weekly to see how their relationship would progressed, and i cheered every part of the way. i loved sung il dong and jung woo interactions, and i loved lee il hwa and go ara. it feels like a real, dysfunctional family.
i wished the last episode had shown more scenes of oppa with the rest of the gang though... because i've always enjoyed seeing him taking on the role of the group's hyung
grateful to the drama for all the joy it has given me in these 2 months, and thank you jb and gf as always for the recaps and the avenue for discussion
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158 Chele
December 30, 2013 at 10:04 AM
I actually prefer to interpret Chil Bong's smile at Jung Yumi as a fond smile of nostalgia rather than interest. I find that more realistic as while not everyone ends up with their first loves, don't we all tend to remember them fondly? Methinks it ties in better with the joking about CB and NJ in 2013...
But since they don't actually show who his wife is, I guess its all up to our imaginations ;)
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159 aly
December 30, 2013 at 10:30 AM
that writer should have a good talking to for what a troll they were. honestly, freaking ridiculous. it had to be oppa, we all know that. but it's so cruel to us chilbongie shippers how they led us on for so long. i think i just cried throughout this ep. that's all i did. lol . when she said all those compliments to chilbongie, i just wanted to tell her to shut up because it just felt like she was stabbing him repeatedly in the heart. throughout i was really hoping they would go into his romance once he mentioned he was married, but of course in true shitty fashion we get a simple glimpse of the girl and no details. like seriously? you couldn't even go into more detail for us fans, as if you didn't have enough time! anyway, it' deffo bitter-sweet but i'll try to not let it be too bitter. i have loved this series far too much to let a silly writer ruin it for me.
thank you to the cast for making me laugh, cry and swoon and filling me with memories. i won't forget you, ever.
i'll be seeing you soon chilbongie. :)
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160 blueskymaiden
December 30, 2013 at 11:04 AM
This drama finished off very flat for me, especially the last episode.....it had so much potential but fell short. I found that we saw the characters but didn't really get to know them. The love triangle could have been played better for sure.....would I watch it again.....no, whereas, I have watched 1997 a number of times.
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161 redmoon103
December 30, 2013 at 1:43 PM
Not going to watch this series again or recommend it. Unnecessarily long and poor characterization.
I wish someone would just make a montage of all the funny moments so I can rewatch those!
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162 esther
December 30, 2013 at 2:27 PM
After watching 12 eps of the drama then reading the recaps I'm really curious why the Koreans love dramas about childhood/first loves. Is it a cultural thing? Do they really believe in it so much? Do most of them marry their first love? Is it a message that the media want to spread? I mean... it's ok to watch a drama where the main characters are childhood friends who become lovers or another one with a sister/brother-who -is-not-blood-related... but when it repeats itself in several dramas for me it just seems weird... So I'm just hoping for something new... I would be grateful for any kind of explanation. Thanks!
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163 listlesswonderer
December 30, 2013 at 2:29 PM
I don't really care for the fanwars (I like my peace thankyouverymuch) but it really hurt my heart to see that Chilbong wasn't the husband. I wanted to love the series so much and I did, it's just that the mystery was prolonged to a point that it figuratively had me tearing my hair out and yelling at my screen for the real husband to come out already. I disagree with people who say that Chilbong deserves someone better because I believe that him loving Na Jeong served to help him realize that it is possible to care for something more than baseball, which eventually led him to become close to the rest of the gang and the family as well. I watched his goodbye scene twice and it still got me tearing up as I read the recap. I think the ending may have been unpalatable for some but it made sense to me (they developed Oppa's storyline for more than half the series, ofc he's the end game) but it consoled me at least that the other characters developed as the story went on. It wasn't a smooth, albeit fun, ride but if given the opportunity to rewatch this great series, I would've preferred a little more editing on some parts. Overall, this is still a series I would recommend to my friends. :)
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164 sibel
December 30, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Hey guys does anyone know the name and singer of the song at the end when Haitai gets up from the table and they pack up with Samcheonpo?
It goes "Someday we will meet again even though no one knows where we are headed ... "
It's a really famous song
Thanks!
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madman999
December 31, 2013 at 10:42 AM
this song in many variations seems to be a staple in many kdramas. seems to capture the angst of Kdrama unrequited romances well.
it was played prominently in Goddess of Marriage.
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165 jozie
December 30, 2013 at 3:51 PM
Just had an interesting thought. You know CB should have totally shipped Oppa (not romantically, but the bromance ship). I mean, think about it. In the beginning CB was longing for a family, and Oppa had proven as a child that he was willing to step up and heal families torn apart. Oppa probably would've totally become a brother to CB in the beginning just like he had for Najung. It's his personality. But hormones had to get in the way.
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166 glad
December 30, 2013 at 3:54 PM
glad she didn't end up w/ chilbong. i don't like how violent she is. he deserves someone gentler.
:D
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Pieraccu
December 30, 2013 at 4:07 PM
Where was Chilbongie violent? It was Dr. Trash and was trading hair pulls and punches with Najeong. Inever saw Chilbongie do one violent thing.
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Pieraccu
December 30, 2013 at 4:08 PM
Sorry, I misread your statement. I agree with you.
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167 Pieraccu
December 30, 2013 at 4:05 PM
OK. I'm not saying I'm sad that Dr. Trash got the girl. But am I the only one that was horrified when Najeong was giving Chilbongie the "see ya" speech? It would had been less painful had she kicked him in the balls. Come on--"you're good looking, you're famous, you made me the person who can feel good enough about myself to love another fella - me, me, me, me." How about telling him that he's a caring guy who showed you some love and respect and that at least you're a bit (just a bit) sad that you couldn't reciprocate. It was not about Chilbongie making you feel good about yourself Najeong! It was about lessening the blow for him. You failed miserably! It was such a dark spot on your personality. The only reason Chilbongie smiled at being treated like dirt is because the writers gave script directions to smile. I wonder if any of the writers were ever jilted? If so, I doublt it was like this. Just awful!!
However, I'm ecstatic that Yoo Yeong Seok is going to get plenty of wonderful first lead roles and a full blown fan following. He played Chilbongie brilliantly.
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aly
December 30, 2013 at 6:07 PM
omg i mentioned that too. i can't explain how hard it was to witness that scene. i felt like he was being stabbed repeatedly in the heart. i honestly don't know what the hell she thought she was doing. some kind of favour? i feel so let down by the writer. did the writer even understand chilbongie? it really doesn't feel like it.
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Pieraccu
January 1, 2014 at 2:52 PM
Aly, so happy you agree. He didn't even get the "its not you, its me" speech, which sucks in and of itself, but is at least better than the blow off he got. Can you imagine being turned down by being told you're cute, famous, rich, and that I'm going to brag to my kids that you liked me!!!!!!!!! Not one iota about his feelings at all. I was so incensed that the writers made him smile in response. As much as I liked the show, I cannot bear to watch that scene. He should have just kicked dirt as she left. AND THEN, I CAN'T BELIEVE he rents her his apartment at a reduced rate and already painted and cleaned. Chilbongie - where did you go wrong?
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eetsuko
January 2, 2014 at 6:13 AM
If anything that goodbye line by NJ reduced the hurt of the blow of Na Jeong not choosing him in the end. Because after that line, I could really see that they were incompatible as romantic partners. Chilbong deserves to be with someone who understands him and sees his real heart and is sensitive to his feelings.
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168 Chilbong Fan
December 30, 2013 at 5:28 PM
I don't have anything useful to add to this endless debate, but all I can say is that since I myself as a viewer fell for Chilbong, I found it hard to believe that Na Jung didn't at all (purely my biased feelings). As another commenter stated, this Chilbong love after falling for this character, lead to being more and more pissed off with Trash whenever he appeared onscreen, along with diminishing love for Na Jung because nothing she did made any sense after a while (her undying love for Trash).
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If one doesn't like someone/something, no matter what that person does doesn't cut it. This is true for both CB/Trash camps.
In the end, these are fictional characters, but they are characters that we have grown to love (or maybe love-hate) over the last 11 weeks.... it's been a really emotional ride and my hats off to the writers for igniting such strong feelings in the viewers, whether they were positive or negative or mixed.
Chilbong will always have a special place in my heart. In an alternate universe, I still imagine that Na Jung fell for Chilbong, and Oppa-ya found happiness with someone else and is still a great oppa to NJ. (Yeah, I'm delusional, sometimes being delusional about dramas is a-o-kay - it keeps one out of mental institutions!)
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aly
December 30, 2013 at 6:04 PM
agreed. i can so relate because i just couldn't stand oppa during some parts in the last episode. and when he tried to talk to chilbongie , i just wanted him to stay far far away!!! until he was able to break the ice by being a bit funny. but until then i really struggled to deal with him. not totally proud of it, but couldn't control how i felt.
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169 Gina
December 30, 2013 at 6:50 PM
I'm watching the show trying to be neutral and putting myself in a woman's shoes when choosing between these two great men - CB/Trash. I'm 32 years old and have a fair share of love in my 20s and now happily married to a wonderful man. Although I felt attractions to Trash character at the beginning, but as soon as Chilbong appeared, he forever stole my heart. After ep 4-7, I said to myself, deep breath and try to be level-headed, look deeper into personalities of these two guys and choose wisely. Appearance wise, Chilbong is more attractive. They are both nice guys, but to me, Personalities/ hygiene/ attractiveness/ manliness/ tactfulness/ Attentive/ EQ wise, Chilbong surpasses Trash in so many levels. A successful man that set eyes to only one girl. For myself, I will choose to be with Chilbong because I love his tactfulness, persistence, and faithfulness. I think whoever to be his wife is the luckiest girl in the world. That's just my opinion, and I am a little surprised there is one woman named NJ that does not fall for him in a bit.
At first, the ending makes me extremely disappointed and painful seeing my favorite character so lonely and heartbroken. After a few days nursing my wound, I come to appreciate the show as a story about family, friendship, love and lost. Perhaps that's good for Chilbong not to be a husband, because I feel like NJ is not good enough for him - ideally, he should end up with somebody who appreciate and love him wholeheartedly, and put him in the center of her universe. Because I'm so in love with his character, I don't think I will be satisfied to have him end up with NJ while for the first 10-17 episodes she head over heel in love with Trash. This cannot convince me and make me happier than this ending. Plus, it's really true that sometimes even though how hard you try, you will never win, esp. In love. I had that experience in the past because I was sort of as stubborn as Chilbong. So cheer up Chilbongers. You never know, they come up with this ending so they can pair up Yung Yoo-mi and YYS in a different romantic drama??? It's my wish and i will do that if I'm a business executive of TVN or whatever broadcasting company.
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170 glorygirl
December 30, 2013 at 7:19 PM
I won't talk about the ending. I am not even going there, period. But still I have to thank this drama for giving me one of the most beautiful and memorable scenes in K-drama:
The baseball stadium scene with CB and NJ,
sunrise scene with SCP and YJ,
snowy goodbye scene with CB and NJ,
just to name a few. We each have our own favorite moments in this series.
That is what I am taking away from this drama. Just the good memories.
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171 Ha Pham
December 30, 2013 at 11:38 PM
Love ur review, totally what I thought about this show. I just wish they weren't so greedy and just kept the drama short, like Reply 1997. And even for Reply 1997, it would have been great if they kept the last 2 eps in 30-40mins like original. Every time I watched, I always felt they were so short and I always yearned for more, but actually those were the best moments, with everything carefully selected and edited.
And I would love to see a series about my teenage-20s times, like Reply 2013, 10 years from now, so I can reflect and reminisce abt those days.
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172 lovin
December 31, 2013 at 3:20 AM
ohh. I love you drama. Thanks for the good and the bad. You tried, didn't quite get it right. BUT you tried. and i love you for that. Thanks for your slice of life. Thanks for oppa and chilbongie, and najung I will forever remember the fanwars on dramabeans that festered due to both of them.
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173 carla
December 31, 2013 at 8:25 AM
Finally Oppa stopped saying " I am sorry" and said " I love you". That is when he became Jae Joon. I really really loved this drama. I love that they all became a family in the end and technically all got what they wanted ....even CB. ♡
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174 madman999
December 31, 2013 at 10:35 AM
i would have liked this series more with less love triangle and more character development and zany characters. compared to AM1997, 1994 fell flat. I agree with what others have said, the last 10 episodes were a little bit dragging on and a rehash of what had already been seen before.
even the comedy parts(denoted by the laugh track with the sheep sound) weren;t as whip smart as in AM1997. but maybe i didn;t get it relying on subtitles and not knowing the context and refrences from the 90;s
other than that, I can;t help but get a little sentimental watching these types of dramas where one missed opportunity or moment in the past changes everything in the future and one character is left with a mountain of regret. well in this case, it seems that it didn;t matter in the end as everyone had safe ending.
Did this drama have an overabundance of "first snowfall romance scenes"?
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175 koryo
December 31, 2013 at 10:49 AM
I haven't found one reviewer partial to Chilbongie who doesn't criticize the drama.
The comments here also show how people can be biased in their opinions towards this drama because the guy they're rooting for lost (as if it's a real competition)
Let's face it. A lot of us are CB's supporters and a lot of us started to hate this drama when it became clear that CB was not the husband. Guys, suck it up!
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176 Z
December 31, 2013 at 3:48 PM
I was busy all weekend and had to marathon the last two episodes last night. I must say I enjoyed them. I'm one of the few that wasn't too annoyed at the mystery aspect, mainly because I realized early that none of the hints were real and I stopped caring. And also because, as much as I loved the Big Three characters, I loved everyone else so much more and I really cared what happened to all the side characters. It probably helps that I never picked a team.
That being said, I was just as heartbroken for Chilbong as I was happy for Oppa and Najung. I wish they had wrapped up the mystery much earlier just so that we could have time to see Bongie move on and we could celebrate with the happy couple without the emotional asterisk attached. It's especially true now that we know just how lonely Chilbong was this whole time. The fact that he spent so much time in exile without his friends just for the sake of a Big Reveal (which wasn't allt hat big, to be honest) at the very end is a crime. I would have loved to see him being part of the family for three or four episodes instead of the three or four minutes that he got.
I do love the way that he got to keep in touch with his friends and that it didn't take him 10 years and a pilgrimage to Tibet to move on and get to the point where he could be friendly with Najung again. That's just so much more realistic than the Epic Loves That Never End that are a dime a dozen in Dramaland. Because, once some time passes, it's not hard to look at things from a fresh perspective and be glad that, even if your crush didn't work out, you got an awesome friend out of the bargain.
I loved that last night and morning everyone spent together at the boarding house. Made me wish that we hadn't traded in some of those awesome family times for The Love Triangle to End All Love Triangles. These characters were so awesome as a unit.
I still think I like the actual story here a little bit better than '97, even though '97 pulled it off better. Or maybe it's the characters I'm more in love with. I think that's what gets me the most hooked on a drama. It's the characters. I liked the 97 gang but, I just watched to see what happened to them without caring one way or the other. These guys, I HAD to know that everything was all right with everyone in the end. AM94 may have even edged out IHYV as my fave of 2013, it's a close one.
Also, I'm all for another installment! Third time could totally be a charm, and maybe they will find the right balance between Obvious Non-Mystery and Rage Inducing Uber-Mystery.
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177 meow
December 31, 2013 at 5:54 PM
hii.. can somebody tell me or orient me who is this Jung Yumi? :) like what drama she appeared before, etc..... thanks
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meow
December 31, 2013 at 5:59 PM
pleeeaase. i'm dying to know. because ive tried to google it and it shows jung yumi the one who appeared in rooftop prince and WGM. but..... she looked different. i dont know anymore,, haha thanks
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meow
December 31, 2013 at 6:00 PM
javabeans? girlfriday? help lol
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Jen
December 31, 2013 at 8:38 PM
She appear in I Need Romance 2 as well as the movie Crucible with Gong Yoo
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meow
January 1, 2014 at 6:47 PM
great! thanks :)
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CT
January 1, 2014 at 2:51 PM
Que Sera Sera
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178 mungunb
December 31, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Can anyone please tell me what the song is when Na Jung hugs Chilbongie? It's such a sweet song but can't seem to find it anywhere.
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179 nickynisa
January 1, 2014 at 5:23 PM
one of the best dramas in 2013 for sure... in my top 5 favourite damas in 2013.... i'm so gonna miss najung, trash, chilbong, and everyone.... heartwarming... lots of things worth to be remembered.... what a good drama to end 2013....
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180 Mai
January 1, 2014 at 9:52 PM
I was way behind and finally did a marathon of the last few episodes today since I was off for the New Year's holiday.
The last episode, once they got the (obvious) mystery out of the way, was quite enjoyable. It was nice to have more of that family/friendship theme.
I think girlfriday summed up my feelings on the drama. I think as far as K-dramas go, this is better than most of them, but compared to its predecessor, it falls short of expectations.
My problem with the love triangle that it was completely obvious that Trash was the end game despite the poor attempts by the writer to make it a two-man game. Think about it: How realistic was it for Chilbong to suddenly sweep Na Jung off her feet in just three weeks after the later got out of a 2+ year relationship that was proceeded by 20+ years of a close relationship?
But the problem is that because, as javabeans and girlfriday pointed out, it was hard for me to root for the Trash/Na Jung relationship because we didn't get to see their relationship arc fully develop either. I think the writer tried to do so with these flashbacks, but even with those a lot of developing story was missing. Which, as pointed out, is inexcusable given the riddiculously long episodes! And it didn't help at all there was a bait-and-switch with the whole brother/sister not really brother/sister thing in the beginning of the series. For me...it was hard to root for Oppa to win romantically because I really actually like the brother/sister relationship they had at the beginning of the series.
Here's the other thing, YES Chilbong long to be with Na Jung for six years, but he also maintained a close friendship with the others. When he's eating with Bingurere during his medical visit to Korea, he references the fact that Haitai called him all the time in Japan. Why didn't we see any of that? Many argued that Chilbong did okay because he got what he truly wanted a family that made him feel less lonely in life. Except for like a good chunk of the series we didn't see those friendships building. The email scene at the end was ultra cute and awesome, but I felt was too little too late.
I would have loved to see more of the Haitai/Ae Jung storyline as well as a fully-developed Bingrrae arc. It did seem sort of strange that he went from maybe gay in love with Trash to suddenly having a committed relationship with a woman.
All that said, I can't say this drama was a dud. I did stick (for the most part) until the very end and outside of the dumb/obvious love triangle there was a lot to appreciate about the series: The Yoojin/Samchampo relationship, the interactions between the parents and the homestay residents (and just, again, the whole family vibe of the homestay), the numerous pop culture/news references and the whole arc of country bumpkins trying to make it in the city.
I think it's a B+ for me, in the 90-92 range for me. I think with some distance and time, I probably can watch this again and enjoy it more fully since I don't have to worry too much about the love triangle stuff.
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181 Fangy
January 1, 2014 at 10:52 PM
Thanks JB and GF for the recaps!
To be honest, I have not and am not ready to watch the last episode yet. Partly because the sub came late from the site that I used to watch and I couldn't resist and read the recap. And because I've read the recap, I couldn't bear to watch the sealed deal. I thought I am prepared but apparently I'm not ready to accept the drama truth (not ready to watch his heart broke).
Like Girlfriday said, it will be a bipolar experience watching the ending (well, it is already bipolar for me without actual watching so I cannot imagine myself watching). While I'm happy for Najung and Oppa that they finally cross their hurdle, I'm heartbroken for Chilbongie. Then again, I'm happy for see their friendship is still going strong after 20 years.
Episode 20 finally answered why I couldn't get a grip of Oppa-Najung relationship earlier. Oppa was still behaving more like a brother to Najung than a boyfriend the first time. So when Oppa finally showed his vulnerabilty to Najung and that he needs her, I could then believe that they could be together as husband and wife.
When Chilbong decided to let go, I thought I should too. (But hey, he had 2 years to finally let it go, I only had a day!) I felt his pain and his loneliness. Growing up with both parents more focused in their own career and life, he filled his life with baseball only. Then he fell in love with a girl. So, it is understandable why he took a much longer time to let Najung go, and why he was clunging to Najung for his last chance willing himself to ignore Najung's heartache. But he is a good boy after all; and in his own term, decided to let her go because that was the best for Najung and him. I don't think he didn't gain anything from it. Because of his crush, he gets to know 5 new friends who become his surrogate family. And with them, he wasn't lonely any more. And his surrogate family had helped him move on with his life after his crush. I believe. This, to me, is his character development.
All in all, Answer Me 1994 is a story about 7 friends. No one is a main lead, no one is secondary or tertiary.
It's aint over until it's over; but when one decides to let it go, let it go gentlemanly.
Happy New Year!
PS: Maybe I'll watch the final episode this weekend afterall.
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182 kim123
January 2, 2014 at 3:36 AM
To those fans of Yoo Yeon Seok please like this page :
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/yeoniverse411
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183 Crystal
January 2, 2014 at 8:43 PM
I'm not surprised about the ending at all. I really expected Garbage to be Na-Jung's husband. Not because Garbage is a better man than Chibongie or Chibongie is not good enough(actually he is perfect), just because of the way how this story was set up: the one Na-Jung loves is always Oppa. And I guess that's why it's so heartbreaking to watch Chibonie doing all these things for her.
It's boring to ask "What about xxx""Why didn't Garbage do such and such" and try to analysis everything. This is a drama and it can't be perfect to meet all your expectations. I just enjoyed the whole story and feel happy that finally Na-Jung and Garbage got together. It matters that these lovely characters learn how to love, how to treat their own feelings, how they become a family and how heartfelt this story is.
But I just wish Chibongie could get a girl right for him next time!
Thanks for the recap :)
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184 Briana
January 3, 2014 at 1:00 AM
I completely agree with your review. Even though the drama tries it's best to confuse you there was never really a time when Na Jung showed interest in Chil Bong so we come upon episode 19 towards the end of the series and it seemed too late to try to develop a believable relationship between the two so the mystery wasn't as appealing as Answer Me 1997's where Shi Won had showed interest in both love interests. The show should have stopped at 16 episodes instead of dragging me along for the inevitable. And after the big reveal the rest of the episode dragged for me. The crossover episodes made me long for Shi Won and Yoon Jae again and made me realize the far two many similarities in the series. Yoon Jin was Shi Won with the cursing and fangirling, another sibling had to die, the couple who got together grew up together as well and Bingrae was almost gay but it seemed they tried to abruptly backtrack when they realized he was too similar to Hoya's character on 97. Then in the last 5 minutes they give Chil Bong a consolation prize gf so our hearts don't ache too much for him because everyone gets someone. I did like the show but I also felt cheated. Instead of building a relationship that could lead to something between NaJung and ChilBong as well as Trash they focused on Najung and Trash the whole series just about and tried to confuse me with trickery instead of genuine moments. Not knowing any of the guys real names until the very end was just silly. In 97 both love interests happened to have the same last name. The name game was played terribly here. It was similar to 97 but not as good even though there were parts I loved about it.
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185 rochinipark
January 5, 2014 at 6:20 AM
Finally, finished this drama just now. Loved the ending and its a nice touch that they got Kim Sung Kyun to do the final narration.
Can't say i love the episodes were too long unlike last year's Answer Me 1997.But i can certainly see they filled the timeslot nicely with 90's nostalgia and the songs selections were the best. Although i too did my growing up in the 90's and 2000's people my age are considered Gen-Y.
In the end the husband mystery did dragged on but with the song selections you just know is Trash Oppa.
Love this drama.Definitely my best drama of 2013.
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186 callonesoon
January 6, 2014 at 5:13 PM
I agree with your opinion about the length of the show. It was too damn long that its quality suffered during the last few episodes. For instance, I felt that those lengthy scenes about Haitai's military training could have been shortened since it was clear from early on that the Haitai character shone during the smaller scenes. Like you, though, I believe that "this show was fantastic when it was firing on all cylinders." I especially like that scene at the restaurant when Haitai and Samcheonpo gave a spirited defense of the folks from the province against the attacks coming from the Seoul folks -- a brilliantly-written scene where every one involved (including Bingguere's brother) got to contribute. That and the other small scenes that were set up well are the ones I will remember.
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187 hanyuja
January 11, 2014 at 12:37 PM
miss this show and its loveable characters!
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188 crystalysia
February 6, 2014 at 9:56 AM
This is the first tine I truly ship the girl with the second lead.. But I've seen how NJ isn't that happy when she is with CB compared to Oppa so I'm still happy for her being ended up with Oppa.. And I have to say this about Go Ara as an actress..
She really is an underrated actress before Reply 1994!!
I've seen many comments that say that Ara's acting isn't that great..
But really, try to rewatch Heading To The Ground, her acting was good too back then..
Unfortunately, the drama wasn't popular, that's why she didn't get recognized..
But her acting is just fine as now.. (Maybe EVEN better now)
Go Ara fighting! ^^
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189 venap
February 19, 2014 at 11:08 PM
late in watching the drama but I am a Chil Bong fan. I cried when it ended and CB was not the husband. I had been wishing he is. and was totally disappointed. I was waiting for a big reversal for him. Like in AM97.. where the girl punished himself for not knowing who she really love. I was desperate for CB... would have slept happier.
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190 venap
February 19, 2014 at 11:11 PM
*herself I mean. This drama almost made it on my favorite list but fell 3 nos. behind. It would still Answer Me 1997 for me...
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191 MWHK
March 2, 2014 at 2:54 PM
So many feels. Trying to get my mom to watch this too!
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192 shichi
April 17, 2014 at 12:42 PM
Just like the first Answer Me 1997, this one is so deabak! Yeah I agree to one of the comments that this is a very great drama because one can think and appreciate how lovely life is when you are young and free. Most specially how lovely and thrilling is our first loves... :-) Super I like this drama.. I'm going to watch this.. very nice story.. All the best in life comes from our family and friends.. :-)
Cheers to the writers, director, actresses and actores.. and to the recappers as well.. girlfriday.. why isn't girlsaturday or girlsunday? why is it have to be girlfriday? :-)
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193 terry
July 27, 2014 at 8:03 AM
Wow such a great drama.i liked the chemistry.thanks alot for the recap.
Any good dramas any one can recomend
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Alyce Grey
December 21, 2014 at 1:12 PM
ummm...Thes are a few I have watched n hv read the recaps.
really liked...from best
*you came from the stars.Jeon Ji hyun and Kim Soohyun.
Secret garden- Ha ji won and Kim Won Bin -watched thrice
i hear your voice- lee jong suk- i really liked it
can you hear my heart- adorable
emergency couple -H-Ilarious
answer me 1997
witches romance weird and funny
Dream high- great cast, interesting storyline and songs
youre beautiful- hilarious. nun turned rock star
to the beautifiul you- funny
heartstrings- Jung yonghwa n Park shinhye- love this
school 2013 bromance- lee jong suk n Kim woo bin
heirs-cute cast..cute cast i must say cute cast.lee min ho
Historical
moon embraces the sun- kinda sad
Queen In hyuns man- aaaiiii lub this dwama.time travel
enjoy:)
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194 Alyce Grey
December 21, 2014 at 12:54 PM
wow. that has been a very amazing 1 day journey into the lives of yet a second group of hot blooded youth in the nineties. i really enjoyed the first answer me 1997 but although I was a bit unsold out completely about a repeat in the storyline, I can not believe I was totally thrown into into and took it as its own story. this is one of the best series-stories I have ever read and I am thankful to have read it here.
which brings me to ..A-Mazing recaps. laughed my whole way through all the recaps.I also love the humor in the story going opp. from what we expect..so obvious...they made sung kyun older..did not see that coming.
also on the recap writers part..frustrations with the wedding, garbage's confession..slow as molasses..what hahahahahaha..hitting chest.cough.,oppas abs...ill re-watch it if I HAVE to..n these are just the highlights..thank you, thank you...Merry Christmas and Im praying for a better 2015 with the recaps n safety for you.
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195 InSuMi
August 1, 2015 at 5:36 AM
I loved Answer Me 1997! I liked 1994, too. But the ending was a real let-down. First love's are cute (I've wanted to marry my oppa before,too) but it's already lame. I don't dislike Oppa but Joon deserved better. My second-male-lead-syndrome here was so strong I just couldn't take it. The storyline was too mainstream. They could have considered a more complex progress which wouldn't make you get tired of watching along the way. This was way too predictable for me. But still, I liked it just maybe not as much as 1997. :)
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196 nandini thakur
August 14, 2015 at 4:45 PM
Oppa! yeaaaaaa!!!!!!!
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197 Faith23
August 26, 2015 at 1:31 AM
I'm on episode 9 and i guess I will not continue watching this. I love Am1997, short but great story line. This one is sure so slow. i got tired of watching.
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198 dramabird
October 16, 2015 at 4:21 PM
I'm going voting crazy!
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199 deathbychocolate
April 4, 2017 at 12:26 AM
Commenting just to remind myself that I've finished this ride 4 years later than its run time. I've just rekindled my love for kdramas and as they say above, first love do make it - coz here I am again, feeling the same things I did back to Boys Over Flowers days. I'm also reminded how grateful I am for having Dramabeans for all of these. It's really a wonderful place with lots of wonderful people. So even though I am watching this drama late than anyone else, it still feels like I am watching it with someone else, who by the way, loves it as much as I do because of the recaps and comments here on DB. It feels like I'm still in the moment, gushing, squealing and crying my heart out with friends who wrote all these stuff 4 years ago. And for that, I am thankful.
I was in a kdrama slump ( and think I'm still am) with just Bong Soon on my watch list and decided to pick up AM1997 - I stopped watching it after ep 5 before because I can't seem to get on board with it, total mistake on my part. I ended up marathoning the whole AM97 series in a day. I was hooked, lined and sinkered. And then followed it up with this show. And while Oppa is great, I am Team Chilbongie all the way. For all of those Team Chilbongie, I feel your suffering. I'm going to go ahead and nurse my broken heart in a corner, 4 years after you had yours. See you at AM1988 after I mend my heart, beanies! ???
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