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Cinderella and the Four Knights: Episode 5

To no surprise to anyone, the no-dating rule is proving to be problematic. Romantic feelings are developing, and how can they not be given the situation? Ha-won has intrigued and charmed the four knights ever since she stepped foot in Sky House. It was only a matter of time before some of them began questioning her relation to them. Is she a friend, foe, fake fiancée, and/or a mere part-timer? Lines need to be drawn, because otherwise the answer is complicated.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

Hyun-min angrily grabs a fistful of Ji-woon’s shirt, enraged by Ji-woon’s desire to steal Ha-won from him. Ha-won tells them to stop, and fireworks go off as they glare at each other. Someone calls her name, and she turns around to find Seo-woo holding up a sign, and Bodyguard Lee with a cake in his hands. They wish Ha-won a surprise happy birthday, leading her to believe that Hyun-min and Ji-woon were in on it as well.

Hyun-min plays along, explaining that they were just punking her, and that Ji-woon was overacting. Ji-woon utters that he was being completely genuine, but Hyun-min interjects that it was all part of the surprise. Seo-woo guides Ha-won to the birthday spread, and Hyun-min and Ji-woon reluctantly join her. Ha-won admires the food and decorations prepared by Bodyguard Lee and Seo-woo, respectively.

Ha-won’s surprised to learn that the skincare products on her desk were from Hyun-min; he had purchased full-sized products of the samples she painstakingly collected from the stream. Ji-woon’s silent when Hyun-min asks if he got her anything, but Ha-won exclaims that he can treat her now.

She whips out her phone and selfie stick and takes a quick selfie, capturing everyone sitting around the food table. Mission #1 accomplished. Ha-won reveals a surprise of her own; it’s not actually her birthday.

Confused, Seo-woo indicates where she marked her birthday in her planner, but Ha-won points out that the month is off since the page is torn. She decides to accept today as her birthday, however, because it feels like one with everyone gathered. Ji-woon leaves, but not before cryptically expressing that things are about to get interesting.

Hye-ji pricks herself while sewing and is reminded of Ji-woon’s promise to protect her from getting hurt by Hyun-min going forward; he said he had an idea. At Sky House, Ji-woon’s actions from earlier preoccupy Ha-won’s mind. He catches her curiously peering at him, so she scurries away from the window.

Meanwhile, Seo-woo flips through the pages of Ha-won’s planner and pieces together the puzzle; the torn scrap was ripped from the month of May. He’s excited to have deduced her real birthday, but is puzzled by his eagerness. Cutie.

The next morning, Hyun-min warns Ha-won not to feel flustered by Ji-woon’s words; she’ll end up getting hurt because the only person in Ji-woon’s heart is Hye-ji. Ha-won says she’s well aware.

Grandpa Kang is pleased by Ha-won’s blurry selfie, the cousins’ first family photo. He rewards her with one year’s tuition and a cash bonus. She’s shocked by his generosity, but he insists he’s not paying her nearly enough; there are also more missions to come.

Ha-won knows Bodyguard Lee informed Grandpa Kang about her mom’s situation at the columbarium; her bonus is the exact amount she paid to keep her mother there. He quickly apologizes, but she thanks him wholeheartedly.

He offers to take her to the columbarium, but she insists on taking the bus and teases him for sounding like her parents when he cautions her against getting home too late. Alone in his office, Grandpa Kang unearths a photo of his three sons and muses that their boys finally ate together.

Stepmother learns that Grandpa Kang’s new wife Hwa-ja is a customer and volunteers to handle her facial so she can obtain some intel regarding Ha-won’s living situation. Based on Hwa-ja’s reaction, Stepmother informs Yoo-na that Ha-won is definitely living at Sky House, much to Yoo-na’s misery.

At the columbarium, Ha-won smiles as she arranges her mother’s urn in the designated spot. She gives her mom a life update and promises to earn enough to go to college. Before leaving, Ha-won pulls a single rose from her mother’s bouquet and places it the cubby above her mother’s, unaware that it belongs to Ji-woon’s deceased mother, who died on the same date as her mother.

Back at Sky House, she finds the housekeeper, Ms. Beolgyo, and others preparing a huge feast in preparation for the anniversary of the death of Grandpa Kang’s sons, aka the cousins’ fathers. Ms. Beolgyo explains that the anniversary of their deaths is observed on the same day, and every year the boys have never showed up. She knows they never liked their fathers, but finds their apathy too cruel.

Bodyguard Lee advises the boys to observe this year now that Ji-woon has joined the family. But Hyun-min and Seo-woo barely take their eyes off their devices, and Ji-woon remarks that he’s only known his father for a year, ergo his participation is futile.

Over cups of tea, Ha-won expresses to Bodyguard Lee that the boys’ refusal is too harsh. Bodyguard Lee surprises her by replying that he understands where the boys are coming from. He says there are many things at Sky House that are complicated, but Ha-won proposes that she give this conundrum a try.

She meets with Grandpa Kang the next day to inform him of this and guarantees that she’ll succeed. He reminds her that this is a more difficult endeavor than the first mission, but she believes it’s also that much more important. Grandpa Kang informs Bodyguard Lee that he’s decided to trust her with this; it’s already been ten years since he’s been observing on his own.

It’s another day at the pool for Ji-woon, which means abs for us. He dives in and Ha-won submerges her face in for a quick check to see that he’s decent. He is, but when Ji-woon pops up, she inquires if he’s swimming in the nude again.

He affirms that he is and threatens to step out, but she’s not fooled this time. She reminds him that he said he liked her, so she figured she’d swim with him today. Ji-woon thinks she’s nuts, but she presses on, demanding to know if he’d be able to admit he liked her in front of Hye-ji.

Ji-woon pauses, and Ha-won states that he’s in a complicated love triangle with Hyun-min and Hye-ji. She asks: “Why are you trying to force me into the mix?” Ji-woon answers that complicated relationships are his hobby. Hah, okay.

Ha-won grabs her shirt and declares that she’s taking it off to see how comfortable it is to swim naked. She invites him to strip too, but he promptly walks out. She smirks at his innocence, takes off her shirt, and jumps in with her swimsuit on.

Afterwards, she heads to the shower room and is startled when Ji-woon enters. He says there’s only one in the pool complex and approaches her until she’s backed up against the wall. With one palm on the wall behind her, he urges her to say what she wanted.

Cue the ever-familiar sparkly music and slo-mo as Ha-won falters. No! The shower’s running and water gets in her eye, which Ji-woon gently wipes before cradling her face and reminding her that he meant it when he said he’d steal her away. Gaze unwavering, he tells her to look forward to it before leaving.

Ha-won snaps out of her stupor and curses “that good-for-nothing handsome jerk” for making her heart flutter. She tells herself to get it together and realizes that she couldn’t even broach the mourning rite matter.

Despite Ha-won’s persistence, Seo-woo has no intention of observing. He says Grandpa acknowledged his father only after he died because his grandma was the “concubine,” which meant his father had to live in hiding from the other wives.

Hyun-min’s on the phone with his mother, and he reaffirms his decision not to observe. He warns her not to come to Korea as an excuse to see him. Just then, Ha-won knocks on his window. He’s thrilled she entered his room of her own accord and assumes she wants to discuss her romantic feelings for him.

He places her hand against her heart and asks if the heartbeat feels faster. She replies that it doesn’t, so he brings her hand to his heart, but she says his heartbeat seems arrhythmic, heh. She brings up the mourning rite, but Hyun-min doesn’t intend on observing because someone he dislikes will be there.

Ha-won is determined not to give up. But when Ji-woon comes along and asks her why she’s outside his room, she stutters something about the mourning rite, and his response is a blunt “I have no father.”

She goes back to Seo-woo’s room, but he’s not in. She picks up a notebook filled with scrawled lyrics, and a photo of Seo-woo as a child with his father falls out. She realizes the lyrics are about Seo-woo’s father. Seo-woo emerges from the back and is visibly annoyed by her touching his stuff, but she encourages him to sing his song for his father at the mourning rite.

A primly dressed woman in the living room notices Ha-won and beckons her over. She correctly recognizes her as Hyun-min’s date from Grandpa’s wedding. Ha-won greets her upon learning that she’s Hyun-min’s mother and offers to go get him, but his mom asks if Ha-won can help her instead.

Help her with her shopping spree, that is. Hyun-min’s mother purchases every purse and pair of heels she points to, and Ha-won does all the carrying. Pretty soon, Ha-won’s sweating from toting all the shopping bags around, and Hyun-min’s mother determines she has enough to last her a week. Ha-won suggests she buy toiletries, but Hyun-min’s mother laughs at her naïveté; hotels already provide that.

Ha-won then suggests that Hyun-min’s mother purchase some books to read in her downtime and offers to recommend some titles. Back at Sky House, Bodyguard Lee runs into Hwa-ja and greets her. She’s about to say something to him, but he walks around her and goes about his business. Did… they just have a moment?

Grandpa Kang and Hwa-ja are conversing when Bodyguard Lee enters with Ha-won’s selfie, blown up and custom framed, ha! Grandpa proudly describes it as his first family photo, but Hwa-ja disagrees; it’d only be a family portrait if she and Grandpa were also in it.

Hyun-min’s mother treats Ha-won to dinner after dropping off her shopping bags at the hotel. Meanwhile, back at Sky House, Hyun-min’s puzzled when Ms. Beolgyo asks if he met his mother.

Hyun-min’s mother watches Ha-won enjoy her meal with amusement, and pays her a stack of 50,000 won for helping her out today. Ha-won’s surprised by the payment and tells Hyun-min’s mother that she doesn’t need to be compensated because she simply did what she should have.

Hyun-min’s mother wonders why that is, since they don’t have a special relationship. She firmly draws the line and warns Ha-won that not just anyone can join the family, let alone marry into Haneul Group. Hyun-min’s mother gets up to leave when her son arrives, and Hyun-min doesn’t bother to acknowledge his mother as he exits with Ha-won. Once outside, Hyun-min angrily wonders what Ha-won was thinking, following around a random person and acting as their slave.

Ha-won argues that his mother isn’t some random person, and that she helped her because that’s his mom.

Ha-won: “I thought I was more than just a fake fiancée or a part-timer to you. I thought that maybe we could be friends! That’s why I helped my friend’s mom for a second–”

“What friend?!” Hyun-min shouts. He yells at her for overstepping her boundaries. Flabbergasted by his reaction, Ha-won apologizes for overestimating her significance in his life and walks away.

Ji-woon thinks back to Hye-ji’s discomfort at seeing Ha-won and Hyun-min together and his earlier attempts to “steal” Ha-won. He proceeds to call Hye-ji, but to no avail. Hye-ji’s at her workspace, clutching the blue dress she wore at Grandpa Kang’s wedding. She chucks it into the waste basket, frustrated. Ji-woon witnesses her despair and enters, but his presence doesn’t lift her spirits.

Grandpa Kang is dining with Hwa-ja, but he’s not particularly hungry because the anniversary of his sons’ deaths is imminent. Hwa-ja understands and encourages him to rely on her, even though she may not fully comprehend his pain. She adds that his grandsons are not what he needs right now, but rather a son he can depend on. Oy.

Ji-woon comes home and finds Ha-won thumping her chest, hopping up and down, and making exasperated noises. He asks why she’s doing aerobics late at night, but she says she’s not feeling well, and the medicine she took isn’t working. Ha-won tells him not to worry, but he orders her to follow him.

Ha-won and Ji-woon are perched on a bench. He rubs her arm and wraps a thread around her thumb, preparing to cure her indigestion by pricking her thumb with a needle. She squirms and squeals because it’s been awhile since someone administered this remedy. He quickly pricks her finger and dabs at the blood with a cloth.

Cue the music of a thousand angels as Ha-won watches Ji-woon tending to her finger. She commends his skills, and he discloses that he’d done this for his mother ever since he was eight years old. She thanks him for making her feel better and admits that no one’s ever done this for her since her mother’s death.

Ji-woon mentions her dad as an alternative, but Ha-won answers that he wouldn’t do it for her since she’s not his biological daughter. He points out that there are people like him who’ve never known their dads, and Ha-won agrees. She’d like to see her her real dad at least once, she says.

Their heart-to-heart is disrupted when a burp emerges from Ha-won’s mouth, signaling the end of her indigestion. Ji-woon’s grossed out, but Ha-won gives him the thumbs-up for his magic touch. Just then, her stomach growls, and he pokes fun at her many talents, heh.

Hyun-min feels guilty about his outburst from earlier and calls Ha-won, but she doesn’t answer and isn’t in her room either. That’s because she’s at a convenience store with Ji-woon, preparing instant noodles. Ji-woon brings her two packets of cheese, and she happily adds them in. As they’re waiting in front of the microwave for their noodles, they steal adorable glances at each other.

Her appetite brings a smile to his face and he digs in. Ha-won gingerly brings up the topic of his father and guesses that Ji-woon secretly still wants to see him; he was the man his mother loved after all. Ji-woon tells Ha-won to stop messing around, but she insists he pay his father a visit.

Seo-woo’s bubbly mom arrives at Sky House and showers her son with hugs and kisses. She only gets to see Seo-woo once a year for her husband’s mourning rite, so she plans to stick to him like gum. Seo-woo wants to catch up with his mom, but he has to practice for tomorrow’s recording session, which means he’ll be skipping his father’s mourning rite yet again. He assures his mom that his dad is forever in his heart even if he doesn’t go.

He takes his mom around the house, and they run into Hyun-min. He’s civil when he greets her, but bristles when she asks how his mother is doing. Hyun-min ignores his mother’s call so she sends him a text, ordering him to show up tomorrow.

Ji-woon drives back to Sky House as Ha-won dozes off next to him. He pulls over and adjusts her head so she’s not bobbing side to side. While asleep, Ha-won sadly murmurs that she misses her dad. Ji-woon’s gaze turns sympathetic as he reaches out to touch her face, but Ha-won moves to the side before he’s able to.

They get home, and Ha-won begs him to tell her what she said in her sleep. Ji-woon notices her holding onto his arm, which reminds him of when he held onto her hand to prick her finger, and when he reached out to caress her face in the car. Hyun-min watches them interact from his room, suspicious of their sudden closeness.

Ha-won grabs a water bottle from the fridge, and Hyun-min tries to get her attention by rapping against the wall, heh. She’s not amused after how he treated her earlier, and tells him to mind his own business when he remarks that she and Ji-woon appeared giddy together. He reminds her of the no-dating rule and is incredulous that his fiancée would flirt with his cousin. Ha-won points out that Hyun-min himself said they were nothing to each other and that they certainly weren’t friends; she asks him to draw a clear line so she knows where she stands.

She correctly surmises that his mother is the person he doesn’t want to see. Ha-won won’t force him to make amends with his mother or even observe the anniversary of his father’s death, but she states that his father must be lonely, and leaves it at that.

Ji-woon enters his rec room and thinks back to Ha-won’s words about him secretly wishing to see the man his mother loved. He takes out the charred photographs of his mother, and we flashback to him as a young boy, bawling at his mother’s funeral without his father by his side.

The next day, Seo-woo stands before the mic at the recording studio. Hyun-min’s at home, and Ji-woon’s in his car, and they both appear conflicted.

Ha-won waits in front of the temple, appropriately dressed for the mourning rite. She waits at the base of the temple, anxiously hoping the boys will show up. Grandpa Kang, Hwa-ja, and Bodyguard Lee are the first to arrive and make their way up the steps.

Moments later, Ha-won bows deeply before Grandpa Kang and apologizes for failing this mission.

 
COMMENTS

I think it’s safe to say that we were all aboard the Hyun-min ship, as well as the Bodyguard Lee and Seo-woo tugboats, and suffering from a serious case of second (or third or fourth) lead syndrome, but I have to admit, Ji-woon had some pretty redeeming moments in this episode. Or do I mean pretty and redeeming moments? I didn’t think I’d say this so soon, but alas, the angsty brooder has more to offer, and it helps when every other line of his isn’t “get lost” for once. The finger-pricking and convenience store dinner scenes were adorable, and I think even the viewers who couldn’t stand Ji-woon’s attitude early on may have felt the ends of their lips curl upward ever so slightly.

Obviously, Ji-woon’s original intention was to steal Ha-won away from Hyun-min for Hye-ji’s sake, and the easiest way for him to do that was to use his face and forced proximity. But yawning angels/sparkly chime music aside, I do think Ji-woon’s falling for Ha-won. Her words linger in his mind long after they’ve been said, and he feels compelled to touch and care for her. Ha-won opened up to him about her parents, and so did he (albeit not as much). It seems he’s forgotten the whole point of growing closer to Ha-won (or he’s just freakishly good at faking it) which I’m relieved about, because his brilliant plan to get Hye-ji what she wants is brilliantly ludicrous. He probably thinks he’s being a good friend by going through with this, but I’m surprised he doesn’t see himself as Hye-ji’s tool yet.

It’s abundantly clear that Ha-won is developing feelings for Ji-woon. She pretty much confirmed them when she blamed Ji-woon’s handsome face for her distracted state in the shower room. I groaned when she succumbed so early because I love that fiery spunk of hers, and would hate for it to fizzle out already. But I guess I can’t blame her too much since she’s surrounded by attractive men, and she’s not a robot. As long as she continues to stand up for herself, stay true to who she is, and speak her mind, I’ll still be rooting for her. I just don’t want her to turn into a puddle of spineless mush all because of a crush. Ha-won’s stronger than that. Right?

Hyun-min surprised me with that angry outburst, especially when he shouted that he didn’t even consider Ha-won his friend. What did he see her as then? Fake fiancée or real fiancée, the person you’re about to (fake) marry should first and foremost be your friend. He should know that! I agree she probably shouldn’t have acted as his mother’s servant, but there’s no way she would’ve known his mother would tactlessly pay her off like that.

Speaking of mothers, it seems Seo-woo is the only one who has an amicable relationship with his mother. From what I’ve seen of her so far, she doesn’t seem too obsessed with wealth, although she may be a tad obsessed with her son, which I guess is preferable since Hyun-min’s mother is the complete opposite. It’s interesting how Ji-woon’s mother and Ha-won’s mother passed away on the same date, and I wonder if that’s merely a coincidence, or if their deaths were somehow related.

In terms of missions, Ha-won successfully completed her very first one. Sort of. I guess the selfie proved that all three cousins were sitting around the table, but I don’t recall any of them eating for her birthday celebration. In fact, Ji-woon left almost as soon as he begrudgingly sat down. Technically speaking, the mission wasn’t entirely complete since they all didn’t eat in front of each other, but I guess that’s neither here nor there. Grandpa Kang rewarded her for her success, and now it’s time for mission number two.

This mission is definitely tougher, and it was brought about by Ha-won herself. Instead of begging with aegyo and trying to lure the cousins in, I think Ha-won correctly tried to convince them by first learning about their reasons for not observing and then reminding them that although their feelings are valid, the anniversary of their fathers’ deaths is a family issue, and not just a personal one. She was sensitive to their complicated feelings and aimed for their hearts by speaking from hers, without using machinations or clever ploys. The boys may not have showed up at the end of this episode, and Ha-won may have already conceded defeat, but she did move them to rethink their choice and possibly even consider attending… late.

We saw more of Hwa-ja in this episode since she’s back from the honeymoon, and I am praying that she and Bodyguard Lee harbor zero romantic feelings, because their brief and awkward encounter really puzzled me. Is she scheming to get Bodyguard Lee to fall for her as part of her plan to grab the Haneul Group fortune? Do they have a history? (Say it ain’t so!) Who likes who? Bodyguard Lee is too good for gold digging Hwa-ja. By the way, stone-faced Bodyguard Lee with a rainbow cone hat atop his head and birthday cake sunglasses in his jacket pocket is the greatest image ever.

Ha-won will most likely leave Sky House for “failing” this mission, but Grandpa Kang needs her and the cousins are falling for her, which means she’ll definitely be back.

 
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Somehow this show has improved week on week and I'm really glad to see how the writers and producers give a fresher take on drama tropes we've learned to love and hate.

Here's a rundown of my thoughts for episode 5:

1. Ji-woon: okay, I admit, dead hair walking didn't suck this week. Can't believe he smiled twice! Even though he was a total mood killer for Ha-won's fake birthday, he got his moment and spent time to bond with our girl. I'm still unsure what his intentions are to pursue Ha-won; a part of me wants to believe he actually likes her for who she is, but hamster cheeks, Hye-ji remains a strong force to be reckoned with. If he shakes Ha-won for the benefit of granting that psycho's wish, I swear this first lead will end up in kdrama history as the worst first lead ever!! Truck of doom I summon you!! (insert almighty thunder sound effect)

2. Hyun-min: my boy is taking baby steps! Good for you but....don't take forever! Clearly Ha-won's feelings is steering closer to Ji-woon (*sighs*), so my boy better grow a pair and start doing the right thing(s). I absolutely loved the way he taunted Ji-woon during Ha-won's fake birthday (surprise!!) and mocking him for having no gift (heh), that was fun to watch. And boy was he jealous when he saw those two together! I wasn't surprised to see him lose his cool with Ha-won knowing that whatever his mom did in the past clearly affects the way he sees her now. It might have something to do with his fallout with psycho years ago but the way things are progressing, he's trying to break his fourth wall and that will be something to look forward to. Ya, Kang Hyun-min, fighting!!

3. Ha-won: you cute little bunny, I was impressed by the way she tried to get through the 3 Kang boys and make them realize the importance of paying proper respects to their departed fathers. She didn't force her way like she did on the first mission. She did it with enough sympathy that made her attempts to be really sincere. Well played, Ha-won. I also liked the way she stood up to Hyun-min; she's not the stereotypical candy-girl; she spoke her mind, held her ground and set expectations/boundaries (that invincible line).

4. Seo-woo: the most eligible boyfriend material of the 3 cousins. He's sweet and thoughtful, kind and warm hearted. But..he's still a boy! (*sighs*) Seo-woo if only you were the eldest! I'm smittened by his charm and sincerity, he's the forever middle child that has his own world. I really loved the way he planned out the fake birthday dinner, poor kid will get his heart broken soon.

5. Secretary Lee: he's mine. Heh. He's so adorable that even if he was standing stoically holding a birthday cake complete with a birthday hat and a frozen expression, he still is handsome as hell. Dayum. Is it just me or is he showing some likeness to our girl, Ha-won?? But..wait..what's up with him and the chairman's wife? Hmmmm.

6. Seo-woo's mom: probably the most adorable tv mom. I...

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To add..

7. That shower scene: fine, it was sexy-cute. I'm still not shipping Ji-woon. They just wasted that drama trope.

8. Same death date: so Ha-won and Ji-woon's mom died on the same day. Coincedence?

9. Hye-ji aka hamster cheeks, psycho: I hope she continues to prick herself and live her life as a walking voodoo doll.

10. Ha-won has a pair of jeans! Ha-won has something more to wear other than her tracksuit! Ha-won has not worn her red tracksuit for the past 2 episodes!

11. Hyun-min's gift: that was really sweet.

12. Is it even possible to have 2 main male leads? Why do I feel that JIL really isn't the main lead for this show? There were scenes reminiscent to how a typical second lead would do that he did on this episode. It's usually the first lead that gets all jealous and flustered, but.... It's AJH that's doing that. Ugh, maybe I'm just shipping him too hard.

I hate the idea that this was pre-produced because there's no changing the ending. Gah.

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Ditto. While I have seen people move on from Hyun min ship to Ji woo ship after the shower scene, I still was not moved by it. It was so sudden that I totally din't buy their chemistry.
Moreover she smacked Hyun min whenever he got within an inch of her but with Ji woo she lets down her guard???

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Exactly, why doesn't she ever smack JW?

He always seems to be getting in her face/space. And the shower scene too - i was waiting for her to knock him into the shower wall ! ...

And its not because she has "Feelings" for him because their interaction has been limited to mostly him insulting her

As much as i liked the show for inverting the candy trope, I think when it comes to JW, they turn her back into a damsel in distress .... And that irritates me.

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The way I see it, Ha-won tends to be more sympathetic when it comes to Ji-woon. It irritates me that she acts that way. Or maybe I'm just biased.

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IKR? Ha Won getting flustered whenever JW's in her face annoys the heck out of me. I wish she'd retain her spunk and smack him as she would if HM were getting handsy with her. It felt out of char for her. It was her spunkiness that drew me to her char in the first place. With JW, HW is just another Cinderella like other Cinderellas we've seen before. Boring.

I suppose, HW being flustered in her close interactions with JW is a big flashing neon sign that JW is end-game,. Hrmmph!

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me too, I wish she wouldn't fall for ji-won so soon. hopefully she shows some serious backbone in episode 7 again.

hmm, giving it another thought - is it because he doesn't have a parent? or maybe she remembers him from that purse saving fight? also, was HW aware that it was in fact JW's mother's urn placed above her own mother's urn? or was it just HW's kind heart that prompted her to give her a rose?

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99.99999% the girl will end up with the guy she was in the shower with at least in K-land! I am biased towards Ahn Jae Hyun and hence I am doomed! My ship has sunk already :(

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Most of the time she ends up with the first guy she see... so clearly, Ji-Woon has the drama's strings in his hands except if Ha-Won saw Seo-woo on TV first haha

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It was an added pleasure to read them after watching the episode.

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Btw, my former post was meant for Yoyo!

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I also thought Hyun Min's gift was a pretty smart way of introducing the PPL of that beauty product. The fact that they linked it in with the previous episode instead of just shoving subway in our face haha

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A WILD speculation ( based on my years of not understanding the plots of most Kdrama)- Body Guard Lee is Chairman's new wife son. She wants her son to get a piece of the family fortune,too.

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Yep, definitely got that vibe too. I don't know how she managed to get close to the Chairman though but it's clear Body Guard Lee feels uncomfortable with it and she feels self conscious being affectionate with the Chairman when he's around.

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Had to watch episodes 5 & 6 again.

Okay, people will hate me but I think both Hwa-ja and Bodyguard Lee shared a (romantic) past.

Because if she was the mom, I'm sure the chairman would have known since I think she previously worked for him.

So that means to say, Hwa-ja might be conspiring with the long lost 4th Kang sibling who might just be Ha-won's dad.

The book had 2 volumes, because there's no english version of it, my google skills were put to a test. Based on what I read, seems like they're not exactly following the books storyline. Sucks to know who she ends up with in the book though.

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this is EXACTLY what i thought as well!! hence why she specifically mentioned the chairman "needing a son." i didn't sense romantic tension at all, it was more like the other boys on bad terms with their moms lol.

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That's what I thought too.

Even more after new wife's remarks on what the chairman need is a reliable son, not grandsons.

Oh I so hope this is it. Can't stand a love affair plot between that cutie pie and soon-to-be-eviiiill lady!

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Maybe Ji-woon's hair made friends with the chlorine this week, leading to a bit of improved temperament.

I don't mind Ha-won with Ji-woon so long as he treats her right, but he's still got a long way to go at this point.

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Ji-woon finally used conditioner this week.

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Recommended by Ha-won? With a hint of lavender fragrance?

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Definitely in the minority here, I think that overall Ji-woon has treated Ha-Won better than Hyun Min. Sure, he told her to "go away" plenty of times, but at least he was honest about it. Hyun Min has used her - and dropped her, and ignored her, and hit on her, and draped himself all over her - all as his mood dictated. Even after he finally does think about her needs and buys her the cosmetics, he is still back to denying even a friendship when it suits him. Plus, he lies on a dime.
I know people are bent that Ji-woon is trying to separate Ha-Won from Hyun Min for Hye-Ji's sake, but I think it is complicated by his own growing feelings for Ha-Won as he gets to know her better. He completely misunderstood her at first - guilt by association, he just assumed she was as venal and self-serving as Hyun Min.

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Hey @skelly, you're no minority! All's fair in shipperland!

The only issue I have about Ji-woon's character besides his hair is his intention.

Here's why I'm half baked with this guy:

- he threw money at ha-won's face during the chairmans wedding.
- he kept insisting she was in it for the money.
- he walked out on her fake birthday celebration, which should have earned her a star for completing her first mission. She did complete it on a technicality though.
- he planned to win over Ha-won to a.) spite Hyun-min b.) make Hye-ji's wish come true --THIS really irked me.

Nothing is impossible in kdrama land so if Ji-woon changes his perception overnight, I wouldn't be surprised.

My liking for Hyun-min is despite his cockiness, he always kept Ha-won's words to mind. Sure he's done everything according to the chaebol handbook, but Hyun-min is one smart cookie. He doesn't use his fists but will outsmart anyone just to protect Ha-won; case in point, he gives away the keys to his Lexus like its a gaddamn matchbox. So I definitely admire his creativity and applaud his consistency.

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Not sure if he comes across better than Hyun Min, but they sure do seem as bad as each other when you put it like that heh, which funnily enough, puts them on equal footing in my opinion. I guess I'm also in the minority, in that I've not been irked by Ji-woon's prickly attitude thus far - his "get lost" never seemed to hold much bite, and if anything, he seems totally smitten by Ha-won, albeit grudgingly. Still, those two measly smiles were very telling, especially when they're coming from Jung-Il Woo - smooth b******.

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If we are going to talk about who has the best attitude I think that Hyun-min and Ji-woon can go home.

Ha-won should look only at the cute puppy Seo-wwo or the oh-so-cool Secretary Lee. If you think about it and if k-drama heroine was rationnal being, Ha-won would go for Secretary Lee (handsome and nice, smart and gentleman, knows how to cook, can fight, has a stable job... is he not the groom of the year ?)

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ju, totally agree! If it were me, I would dump both of those guys and go with Sec. Lee: smart, loyal, great manners, kind, can fight, cook, organize, keep a cranky old man happy...his fine qualities go on and on.

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I have always liked them together. She hates his bad attitude as much as we do! She is really attracted to him, but it isn't like she lets him get away with anything (attitude /opinion wise) just most of the time she doesn't stop the handsy stuff (nothing wrong with the girl enjoying herself a bit!).

Plus, I can't ship her with the other two boys cuz I'm still wondering if it possible SHE is the grandchild, making the other two boys her cousins.

Although I COULD easily ship her with the secretary. I'd want him XD

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Regarding Hwa-ja, could she be Secretary Lee's mom? Errrr..."a son that can help you..?!!!" I am praying to all the Dramagods not to let that hidden identity trope happen here! Pleeease!

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yep, it also crossed my mind that the secretary could be hwa-ja's son. however he doesn't look too pleased when he's around her. could it be that he's the ace she's hiding as a part of her plan? I wonder who was on the other side of that phone conversation in an earlier episode?

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I hope so but the vibes were strange somehow... Not so much of mother and son

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I think Secretary Lee is Hwa-ja's son.

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90% sure he is.

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I retract my previous statement.

Now I'm 90% sure he isn't. (Insert gallon of tears)

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mho: secretary lee is hwa-ja's son. Ha won is half-sister of Ji Woon, which also makes her an heir, so she gets the company. But because she is now related to the guys, she gets none of them but marries secretary lee.
Oh, and, of course the chairman does have to have a terminal disease.
and ji Woon's hair is shaggy because it is like his personality, all unkempt. It should smooth out as he grows and learns.

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I really liked Ji Woon in this episode finally, which continued onto the next one, so +10 for him. I thought he wasn't quite fun and had some adorable scenes. But unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting off the Hyun Min ship for a while, because I just enjoy their dynamic so much more.

This was the first episode that Hyun Min couldn't play a part in front of Ha Won, and I felt like their interactions were extremely intense. I thought there was a wonderful contrast between the beginning and the ending tags of the episode, which showcased the development in their relationship. In the beginning when Ha Won knocks on his window, Hyun Min, after talking to his mother, visibly controls his emotions before turning around and putting on his usual player game-face on and settling into his familiar dynamic with Ha Won. I love that moment because you can actually see the moment the mask goes on, and how good he is at it. And what was even better was how he just couldn't do it by the end, and ended up shouting, something which he clearly didn't mean to do.

This is the first time that we've actually seen Hyun Min emotionally affected by Ha Won, instead of merely challenged. That entire exchange was about how they aren't friends, and yet it somehow also seemed that this is where their friendship begins, because he actually let her in, however accidentally, something he's been avoiding since they met. And I also loved how shaken the encounter left him, and how immediately apologetic he was, and tried calling her, and couldn't stop thinking about if he'd been too much. The scene at the refrigerator was such a great stand-off too, I loved Ha Won's point blank "can you draw a line for me so I know where I stand?" and the fact that she too was emotionally affected by the realization that they might not, in fact, be friends, and might be nothing at all. This is actually the most affected we've seen her by an encounter, because usually she gets annoyed and let's it go. But this time she needed to get out and get her mind off it.

Their scenes continue to be quiet and thoughtful. Even Hyun Min's questioning of Ha Won and her relationship with Ji Woon seemed to come from a place of insecurity, rather than entitlement, it was interesting to watch. He was so awkward and watchful, and trying to sound her out, such a marked contrast to his usual streamrolling and flirtation/deflection. I love their interactions so much, they're honestly doing a great job of their roles. I'm always impressed by how low-key and nuanced they are in scenes that can so easily be predictable or cheesy.

I pretty much only watch this show because it's super cute and because I like the Hyun Min/Ha Won ship, and it always delivers on those angles, so I absolutely love it!

(The music direction needs to go, though, just, no.)

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Zoe, I've always loved the way you analysed Hyun Min as a character. Like you, I'm still on the Hyun Min ship despite Ji Woon becoming more likeable in the recent episodes.

As much as Ji Woon was becoming more likeable, I can't help feeling as though it was forced. It was as if the writers are forcing us to like him, and also forcing Ha Won to ONLY fall for his charms seeing how easily attracted she is to him just from their mere close proximity. When he suddenly becomes nice to Ha Won after their previous antagonistic encounters, it just doesn't sit right with me because Ji Woon was either trying to take Ha Won away from Hyun Min or it was just the writer trying to force us to get on the Ji Woon ship.

It makes me so frustrated, because no matter how much Hyun Min tries to get under her skin, she dismisses him immediately. You can tell that her heart never flutters. With Ji Woon, who had been nothing but an asshole to her, she feels instant attraction. But I guess some of it is just my bitterness speaking due to my sinking ship. I'm just a sucker for playboys in pain with traumatic pasts and Hyun Min is everything like that I guess.

(btw I thought Hyun Min's birthday present to Ha Won was really sweet even though it is just blatant PPL)

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Though i'll disagree with one thing - i don't think HW really 'cares' about HM or what he thinks of her place in his life. I just saw her as angry at being unreasonably yelled at. And I don't think she spends one minute being upset about it or thinking why he acted the way he did. As for that 'friends' part, i think she is the type to call anyone she spends 10 minutes with, a friend.

Though this ship is pretty much sunk.... I just want to get inside HM's head and peel all the layers. Everyone else is starting to annoy me.

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Sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to @zoe's original post.

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That's true! I don't think she particularly cares about Hyun Min's POV on her, but I think it was because we've already had scenes of her being treated unreasonable (by her family, by Ji Woon), and her reaction to that, that I felt there was a definite shift here, because for once she didn't confront, she walked away. She felt wronged, but she has shown a habit of "well, that's how they are" before, so she never feels particularly aggrieved by people treating her badly, though she'd stand up for herself and not just take their shit (like in the confrontational scene with Ji Woon after he throws money on her.) Besides this is the first time we've seen her actively try and "work off" her anger- like she told Ji Woon when he finds her outside, that she needed to get away because she was so frustrated. Although clearly she got over it way faster than Hyun Min did, who was still brooding by the time she came back happily with Ji Woon.

But I thought the refrigerator scene was interesting because again, this is the first time we've seen her carry forward her anger. Usually, no matter what anyone says, she squares up, and next encounter she's almost completely normal (it's an interesting trait and has been mentioned a lot in the previous comments too I think), she lets things go easily. But this time she was clearly giving him the silent treatment and even when she spoke to him, she was cold and threw back his words about not being friends at him, and basically implied she's giving up on him, which is also not a personality trait she's yet shown. All which led me to conclude that she was genuinely hurt by their conversation, because as yet, she really IS the closest to Hyun Min, she really DID think of him as a friend, and it hurt her that he didn't even consider the possibility. I don't think there was anything romantic in that on her side at all, but her reaction to him and his outburst was very different to any she's yet shown in the show, even having gone through far worse and being far more misunderstood. Of course, it doesn't matter because- as you aptly pointed out- this ship really is sunk, but I would like for this dynamic of theirs to continue, I really enjoy it!

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@Zoe: thank you for your inputs again this week! I enjoyed it much. Your reading on Hw's reactions to HM's outburst was refreshing. I have to admit that I'm more invested in HM character independently than a shipper of him and Hw, though of course his relationship and interactions with Hw make up a big part of his characterization. I just feel HM alone is already a very intriguing character even without a loveline with the female lead considering other aspects of him we have come to know so far, for ex how he's visibly upset with his mom caring too much about the inheritance but he himself also does, he being antagonistic with jw but indifferent with sw, his past and his cruelty towards hj... I'm surprised how layered this character is and eager to learn more about him. His mask cracked a bit in front of Hw in this episode and bravo to the girl who managed to bring out this version of him. Like you said in the review last week, this is the first time we see him showing any kind of emotional vulnerability in front of anyone except HJ and JW. There's no doubt that this is significant concerning the development of their relationship as HW was for the first time able to connect to him at a deeper level.
I'm actually perplexed by his facial expression when he watched HW and JW through the windows. The scene was shot very interestingly: we saw loong moments of him watching them from his behind so I was expecting an upset or angry/jealous face typical of all third parties as they see their crushes being lovey dovey with a potential rival. But HM's expression is more of curiosity, amusement, 'huh what are those two doing there?' kind of face to me. But when he asks HW about it, he was awkward and not happy about it. I'm curious how you and others read this scene.

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@Ct

I totally agree re: your observations, I too find Hyun Min equally interesting and layered even independently apart from the ship, I'm very excited to see how the show proceeds with him.

I’m curious how you and others read this scene.

Oh, I LOVED that expression. I also immediately took note of it, because- as you pointed out- it was very different from how you'd expect the typical reaction to be. Ahn Jae Hyun actually seems to have a very good range of expressions (which I honestly wouldn't have thought at all before this drama), and he manages to be semi-neutral with them, rather than over-the-top, to emphasize the tonality of the scene. The way I saw it was that that initial smile was more an annoyed sound of disbelief- more of an are you kidding me? sort of expression at the fact that Hae Won was so open with Ji Woon and she seemed to be enjoying his company (she seemed "giddy" as he said later). And after it was an expression of frustration at himself and the situation, I thought. Because she was mad at him and so he wasn't in the position to be in that place of openness with her or even friends (like her telling Ji Woon that she'd wait for him the next day), and he doesn't know what to do about it. It's that kind of contrast where he's alone is his room with the lights off, still brooding and apologetic and miserable because of their fight, but she's already over it and not in the least affected the same way and happy enough with Ji Woon, and I imagine that's got to sting a little.

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Although Ji Woon has threatened to steal Ha Won's affections, I don't think he has it in him to mount a full campaign of fake affections. Despite the huge "abandoned by father" chip on his shoulder, he only operates from true emotions. This comes out as a lot of grumpy bad boy behavior, but it's genuine. He was really hurt when his auto shop co workers abandoned him. He thought they were true friends.
Hyun Min,on the other hand, has had years of practice play acting shallow romantic relationships. He has no interest in seeing them as individuals because they are just interchangeable parts to him. It seems to be a defense mechanism. If you don't let people close to you, they can't hurt you. He has treated Ha Won like he has treated other women and has been surprised that she doesn't respond like they did. He has started to see Ha Won as a unique individual and wants to be closer to her, but will soon realize that real relationship, be it friendship, romantic or familial, all require give with the take.

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Haha, I am ridiculously invested in his character and this drama isn't helping me get over it the least bit, with all the lovely scenes they keep putting out episode after episode.

Also, I get what you mean. I am resident Second Lead Syndrome girl precisely for this reason, I always feel that lead dynamics in most dramas are so constructed that I can never feel any organic growth. Half the time you have no reason for why one person falls for the other. While this may be true of real life i.e. that people fall for other people for no particular reason and love isn't easy to quantify, but in dramas there needs to be some logical progression, not a jump from not-interested to dialled-up-to-a-hundred. Right now, my reading is that Ha Won is attracted to Ji Woon because she likes his tsundere characteristics, like him getting her mother's bouquet for her and being rude about it, or because she thinks he's not that bad a guy as he pretends to be, which, fair enough. But I'm not seeing any deeper dynamic there yet, or at least not one that is different in any way to tons of romantic dramas with the same lead archetypes already out there. They have good chemistry, but I can't seem to get very invested in them. And of course, in true kdrama style, the female lead is exclusively interested in the male lead and can't even look at other potentials romantically, because it would ruin the True Love narrative that most dramas work so hard on, were there to be two equally viable alternates in the drama.

(True, that was cute! Mostly because, for once, he wasn't showing off his money, but actually got her something that he figured she needed because of what he'd witnessed.)

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I don't think Ha Won has fallen for Ji Woon yet. She has had some private moments with him that were comfortable and casual, their two convenient store meals and the home remedy for indigestion. She knows there are two sides to him, the cold bluster hiding the nicer core, and she accepts them both. She hasn't had as many private moments with Hyun Min as he prefers staged showy scenes. I'll dress you up as a bride doll, I'll rescue you from the media, I'll buy you a wardrobe and take you to a fancy restaurant or I'll set you up in an apartment. Those gestures mean nothing to Ha Won as they aren't part of her world.
Ji Woon has been more physically provocative than Hyun Min. What girl wouldn't feel a flutter when a half naked guy leaned in a touched her face!
I like your comment about Ha Won's ability to let things go. Despite her difficult family relationships she seems to be more emotionally healthier than the guys because of it. I think this could be her greatest impact on them if they are able to see the benefit of forgiveness and moving forward.

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I was rather annoyed about the cosmetics "birthday present" - actually, he had had no idea that it was her birthday, he had just bought the cosmetics for her anyway. Instead of honestly (and really much more sweetly) admitting the cosmetics were 'just because', he lies and says it's a birthday present. Really, he lies too easily.

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Lol, I was so confused when he declared that her birthday present, not because I didn't expect it of him (he does lie easily), but because I felt like those were given to her many days back, unless I was totally off on my timeline and everything was happening on the same day.

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Interesting how the act of him giving her cosmetics is viewed so differently by different shippers. HM was looking for cosmetics after seeing HW picked up the drowned samples in the lake the other day (he was wearing the same black coat). He came to her room and put them on her table the same day (night?)they bickered about the uniform (HM was in the white sweater) (I think that was even before he sent her sms asking her to come to his room as HW went back to her room and they were already there). In the birthday scene, he didn't say that it was his birthday present. He just said "did you see my present? ". Me thinking he just wanted some acknowledgement from her like Seo woo or Yoon sung. I actually find it very sweet of him as this is really a present given out of his care/concern.

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Hmm. Maybe it was more to save face on Hyun Min's part. After all, the cosmetics went unacknowledged the first time Ha Won saw it. Maybe Hyun Min wanted Ha Won to acknowledge his gift, which was different from the clothes and stuff that he brought her for her transformation as his fiancee and was the first he bought with her actually in mind, and at the same time convince Ha Won that the gift had a purpose other than him thinking of her.

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I think Hyun Min saying it was Ha Won's birthday present was more to save face. After all, the gift did go unacknowledged. Also, the cosmetics were not like the clothes and stuff that Hyun Min bought for Ha Won for her to transition as his fiancee; they were more personal as they were bought with Ha Won in mind. He said it was her birthday gift so that (1) he could establish his role as the one closest to Ha Won over the others, like he was saying, "Well, I knew all along that it was her birthday", and at the same time (2) he wanted Ha Won to acknowledge the gift without letting her know he was actually being considerate of her. Pack and parcel of the entire playboy routine.

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@Erratic:
I like your interpretation. It's kinda sad how it totally went unacknowledged. I never paid attention to that scene until the birthday episode. I also thought it was from Yoon-sung, and later knowing that it's from HM I guess it was just another random gift to woo her in his playboy style.

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I have been following dramabeans recap only recently, mainly for C4K and this is my first comment :)
I absolutely love your character breakdown of Hyun min <3
I hope you continue this till the final episode even though the endgame is Jiwoon and Hawon because I'm on Team hyun min ?

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Haha, thank you, I hadn't even planned on watching Cinderella and only started following it while waiting for other dramas to start airing, but now I am ridiculously invested in it currently, and I'm sure a lot of it is because of Hyun Min! I had never imagined that I would develop this level of investment in an Ahn Jae Hyun character, will wonders never cease ^^ I hope the show continues giving us equal screen-time for all of them, because my interest is going to significantly flag once the drama OTP gets going, lol.

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Lol. True. Who would have thought anybody would be waxing poetic over Ahn Jae Hyun's portrayal after his previous projects as an automaton? XD

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Yes. Hyun Min should be endgame.

Lol. Now that's done and over with, thank you Zoe. I've been waiting to see what you thought of the episode. Yeah, Ji Woon did show some redeeming qualities in this episode (and the next), but I can't help but feel like that the producers are forcing the romance between Ji Woon and Ha Won. Like, they suddenly remembered that Jung Il Woo was supposed to be endgame, after all. For some reason, this shipping war reminds me of that in Reply 1997. O.o

I love how younsee Hyun Min as a layered person. His flippant attitude toward women evidently stems from his resentment of his mother, and he's treating Ha Won like the only woman who wasn't tainted with that brush. So yeah, as Dido said, I will go down with this ship.

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Hahaha, I'm starting to regret this about pre-produced dramas, that they have absolutely no way of taking audience reactions into account. Initially they seemed like a good idea because factoring audience reactions in was ruining many dramas, but some dramas need the feedback, honestly.

omg, I didn't know there were shipping wars in Reply 1997?? I thought everyone knew that Shi Won and Yoon Jae was definitely endgame, although the wars in 1994 and 1988 were definitely on the level of an international crises, lol.

I do think Hyun Min is layered. I usually don't like characters who treat that one woman better than they do women in general and I'm very against the trope of the One Special Girl who is the only one worthy of being treated well by the male lead, but here it seemed to me like Hyun Min's dates all went into the relationship knowing what they would and would not get out of it (like the first girl left easily with the car), which is more even. He obviously loved (loves?) Hye Ji too, so I think that had a lot to do with his flippance in later relationships as well, because he just wasn't interested in romance. And of course his mother, because of whom he always seems to keep an escape route and scorns all sincerity of emotion as boring. He could so easily be an archetype, and he is in some ways, but Hyun Min is well written and acted beautifully, which makes him v. interesting to me.

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Actually, I didn't know Yoo Yoon Jae was the definite endgame, so I was blissfully (not) unaware of who the baby daddy was until nearly the end. Lol.

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@zoe, I should just type 'ditto' to your posts after every episode because you say everything i want to but so much better.

I freaking loved that scenes when HM explodes. Its such a contrast to his usual i-dont-give-a-damn-about-the-world attitude. And in that 30 seconds you see a person who is so deeply hurt and seems to have no outlet for all that pent up anger and pain. So he pretends to be nothing more than a butterfly. He is anything but shallow - Still waters run deep .......

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I'm pretty sure I never even realize that I have any deeper thoughts than AJKSDJSFJJFWEAJ till the dramabeans recap comes about ^^ But yes! Hyun Min's inability to control his emotions in the moment (this is the guy who casually kissed the girl he loved/is in love with and was completely unaffected apparently) was the most sincerity we've seen from him yet. I really enjoyed the scene because it didn't begin that way, in the room with his mother, he just smiled at Hawon and took her out, and only got really riled when she kept saying that she'd helped his mother because she was his mother and Hawon was his friend. And I like that we got to see him play to his stereotype and then be unable to play up to it.

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@zoe - I have the same take as you about what is going on with HM and HW. Love your comments , keep them coming!

In press conference for show, AJH mentioned how the show was like Boys Over Flowers because the girl character was surrounded by all these guys who liked her. But in BOF, they didn't all like her -- just the two male leads did Also AJH mentioned getting advice from his wife about how he should handle his role given that there was another character that was always quietly there helping the girl - saving her from situations. And it's true in BOF that violin playing F4 who she fell for at start was always chivalrous and saved her often,

All of this to say that I don't think it is an accident that many of us feel like HM will get HW in the end because that really is the narrative that they are pursuing. Whether they are doing this deliberately or not. Boy meets girl and falls hard but doesn't understand it. Even when he starts to try to move towards her he does all these things wrong. At same time girl starts to crush out a bit on other guy but in truth the difficult guy is the one she cares the most about,

The wrench in all of this though is that JIW was clearly signed as the lead when the show was first created. it must have been a quandary for director because I think pretty clearly the chemistry between PSD and AJH is outstanding

The one thing that gives me hope is that the producers have admitted that as of May 10 - over three months after they started filming - 6 episodes still hadn't been written or filmed so they certainly could have changed their minds on narrative path if they wanted

Couple of other small asides - from Behind the Scenes clips - I may be reaching here - but PSD seems to be closer to AJH

Also if Hyun Min ends up with the girl like Lee Min Ho did in BOF, there would be a sort of metaphysical symmetry to it since GHS - AJH's wife - was the girl in BOF

Also this series was shot over the course of this spring when AJH and GHS's romance was discovered and then two months later the two got married (just a week or so before shooting completed on this show

Whatever happens in this story. I hope this acts as a springboard for AJH career. He has been eye opening and downright thrilling at times - the star of this show so far.

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Ah, I read that, I looked up things about it only later because I hadn't even planned on watching the show and then got so invested. I found it interesting that he compared it to BOF, it's kind of similar (ooh, does that mean this is the new F4? Not bad, not bad, heh), but it reminds me much more of the Japanese drama Atashinchi no Danshi (which hilariously apparently is romanized as More Than Family But Less Than Lovers and has a similar premise. But if Hyun Min was suppose to be the Ji Hoo of the situation I would already be a goner, because Ji Hoo was my most intense kdrama heartbreak as BOF was only the second drama I ever watched and I loved Jandi and Jihoo to distraction. I'm not sure whether that would still hold true, so I like that Hyun Min is so much more nuanced and plays no violins lol.

But I agree with you re: narrative. I once wrote a very, very lengthy kdrama post about narratives and how we as kdrama viewers tend to go by tropes rather than narrative in that you usually always know who shall be endgame before the drama's even begun so obviously the narrative is just the journey and a predictable one at that. Here, Hawon and Hyun Min could easily be endgame but they're most likely not going to be because of various factors that always count in dramas more than narrative; Jung Il Woo is first billed and the bigger star, the female lead hasn't yet looked at anyone but Ji Woon, etc. But yes, their chemistry is truly undeniable- I enjoy her with all the actors honestly, but somehow the show is elevated for me when Sodam and Jaehyun and are on-screen together; they really play off each other fantastically.

I didn't know any of that about production or the BTS, that's all very cute. I wonder if they really did get into a dilemma about the drama after the initial shootings. But I've never seen it happen before (not when the male leads have such a division in star power) so I'm not yet sure, but I'm glad they got along well, it felt like they did, their chemistry is intense (which is funny, because Ahn Jae Hyun used to be super awkward in conversations from what I've seen, but he's been doing really well lately with his variety and this drama, so more power to him.) AJH and GHS are such an odd, lovely couple, I like that metaphysical bit you mentioned haha.

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I was writing quickly and I think was unclear about BOF comparison :). I actually think Hyun Min is like Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho)!character - self absorbed, haughty, egotistical, undeveloped social instincts but ultimately the one who falls the hardest for the female lead and the one who gets (should get) the girl in the end. Hehe.

I also loved Ji Hoo / Jandi connection in BOF. I totally loved that second romance ... But narratively I got why Jun Pyo had to win out in the end

And that's why this Cinderella drama is so puzzling because narratively it feels like HM should get the girl in the end but we know he can't because he is the second lead. I am finding that the suspense over this is turning out to be as fun in its way as the actual story. :-). And love that others are invested in this question and HM as much as me!

I was going over the first episode yesterday and I honestly think the producers are intentionally creating this who will get the girl confusion. JW's first meeting with HaWon for example is pretty low key - but OMG for Hyun Min's first sight of HaWon at that night club where she is delivering pizza - there is glittery music, actually sort of multicolored lights - the tada moment. So I am convinced the Show means to break all of our hearts on purpose :-)

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Oops, I meant Ji Woon WAS quite fun, not that he wasn't, hehe.

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you always give the best observation regarding hyun min and thank you so much,

Ha-hyun, won-min really give the best charm for me

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Erm, so they didn't actually eat together at her birthday, right? Didn't Ji Woon just walk off after that selfie? So, how is it mission accomplished when the mission was to have meal together (and not a selfie of them at a table with food on it)?!

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Oh dear! I missed Chickachunga's para on this in the comments section. Sowie!

Still looking for answers though :P

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Technically Mission isn't accomplished and writer didn't want to waste more time on this 1st mission. So half cooked food served to the audience.

Metaphorically Mission is successfully accomplished. 3 cousins just know each others name and some other superficial details. They never came or sat together except for anything related to grandfather. Yet they hesitantly and with ulterior motives did sit around Eun Ha Won and were ready to share some cake.

So as a viewer there is no need to mind it much and consider it another illogical happening. All in all Mission accomplished in the eyes of Grandpa and Eun Ha Won and Mr. Lee.

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Hey Catocat! Good to see you here after our Ms Temper conversations.
Yeah, it was no big deal. Just bad editing methinks... because everyone continues to proclaim that they ate together when they clearly didn't.
It's forgotten! I am easy :)

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I am v. confused about these "missions" honestly because this drama itself has showcased that they're just being completed in letter not spirit (if that even, since they didn't actually eat together), so I don't understand what the show is trying to say through them.

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Thanks for the recap <3
About Hwa-ja and Bodyguard Lee, i wonder if he's not her estranged son especially since she said to Grandpa K that he needed a son rather than his grandsons (if i remember corretly). What if she's planning to take control of Grandpa K's fortune through a scheme involving her son/Bodyguard Lee - if he really is her son, that is:).

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Don't say that, Chandler! I like Secretary Lee's character too much for him to be involved in such schemes. T_T

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No need for Bodyguard Lee to be involved!
If she is indeed his mother, she may act "for his own good" without him knowing (because, as a proper k-drama mum, she might think she knows what's best for him). And, I, too, can't imagine Bodyguard Lee being involved.

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Remember how the woman was scheming over the phone before the wedding? What if... T_T

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Oh, dear. Well, there has to be at least one secret relationship.

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Why stop at one?

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This I wouldn't mind and I don't think Grandpa would mind either. Lee is the only one who looks like he'd be able to handle the company, and he wouldn't be a jerk even with all the money.

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Yeah, I see this as good news because honestly, all the current cousins don't inspire confidence in their grandpa's-empire-protection abilities.

I can even see Lee pretending to usurp the fortune just to get the cousins to work together and oust him.

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oh, that is a good one. I didn't think of that.

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That was my thought, too - that she is Sec. Lee's mother. It would make his pained discomfort understandable, as his loyalties are divided between his employer and his mother, and it would make her ambitions also a little more understandable, as Sec. Lee is by far the most competent businessman of the four "knights." Also, it would add yet another strained mother/son relationship to the mix.

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The new wife does seem to be too old to be talking about giving birth to a son unless she is planning to rent a womb.

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It never even crossed my mind that Secretary Lee might be romantically involved with Hwa-ja. However, I DO think that he's Hwa-ja's son and that she's got a long con in mind to get him appointed heir. (No idea if he's in on this plan.)

I am shocked at how convincing I find Hyun Min. I guess I'm so used to seeing arrogant dismissive chaebols that I had a firm expectation in mind of how he'd behave, but he's remarkably mild and transparent. The entire characterization is much more finely-tuned than most, he seems less schizophrenic than I'd expect.

I avoided this show for weeks thinking it was going to be annoying, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I think the lack of outright slapstick helps - I really hate romantic comedies that rely on embarrassment and setups, but this one's much more grounded.

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I was very much not aboard the hyun-min ship. he is a child just not as grating as ji-woon was. I think they're on equal level after this episode,. He made some headway! Meaning i want her and our wonderful bodyguard lee to fall in love and run off together *sighs*

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Same here! If it has to be one of the bad boys, I would say that Ji-woon is more trustworthy, strong, and dependable, but both of them are moody and high-maintenance and think of themselves first. Sec. Lee would make her a happy lady for many years; those other two? Lots of tears.

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You thought HwaJa was trying to get Bodyguard to fall in love with her? I thought she was his mother who abandoned him or something!

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I'm thoroughly in love with our Bodyguard Lee! and I'm pretty sure that he is step-grandma's biological son. He can't be her lover, because he just can't. I have more faith in his character than that!

Aside, I totally ship Hawon and Jiwoon together, I think because they have impact on each other. Sure, I like Hyunmin too, but he has no affect on Hawon. I feel like she just sees him as that friend/brother. If her heart hasn't fluttered yet with all the things he's already done for her, it's probably not going to start fluttering now.

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"By the way, stone-faced Bodyguard Lee with a rainbow cone hat atop his head and birthday cake sunglasses in his jacket pocket is the greatest image ever." Heck, yes!! After 6 eps, Bodyguard Lee is my favorite character. I know I'm supposed to be shipping Ha Won and one of the other princes, but she's too good for all of them! Just run off with Bodyguard Lee - he'll cook you fried chicken and drive you around forever! :)

Thank you for the recap!!

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I wasn't sure which ship to sail but I can now state that after this episode I'm on the Ji-woon/Ha-won boat. I know that she has chemistry with Hyun-min as well but I don't really get it when people say she doesn't have any with Ji-won. Have you seen this episode? D: I kind of hate him at the moment because he's using her but at the same time he's totally falling for her and she's falling too and they are too adorable! I know when she'll find out the reason he approached in the first place her she'll be furious and I can't wait! I want to see her get super mad at him and I want to see him trying to win her back.
Hye-jin is getting even more on my nerves and I don't think she deserves Hyun-min at the moment.
Can the step-mother and step-sister get more annoying? I really hate them.

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I'm so in love with Hyun Min!
He clearly doesn't want people to get too close to him, but Ha Won did and he realizes it only now. Tha's why he got pissed. I also think it's because she classified him as JUST a friend... he'd like to be more than that!
In my opinion he always though of her as a close person, not just some random girl who lives with him and to enjoy himself with.

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Hm. I'd believe it more if he hadn't been using her to make everyone else mad or uncomfortable from day 1.

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At first he couldn't care less about her, but them he started falling in love with her, or, at least, to care for her!

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but that's is an open secret, everyone knows what they were doing and ha won x ji won isn't exactly a thing before it,

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cute drama I like her visual such non plastic beauty she already fallen for ji woon she say he makes her heart flutter but they have to upgrade there interaction moments to make their pairing believable.

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I think it's important to Ji-woon's character to remember that he's uncomfortable in Sky House and with his family. He has a sort of mentality that everything in the house is cruel and heartless. While he's always been prickly, there were some cute moments, gruff politeness, and friendliness between him and Ha-won before she was associated with Hyun-min/came to Sky House.

So with more familiarity and realization that she's not a gold digger, as well as some non-high-class activities (finger-pricking and ramen) that take them both back to their roots, he loses some of his mistrust of her, lets down some walls, and is able to relate to her like he isn't right now with his wealthy cousins and grandpa.

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I've stopped watching after this episode because l can't stand being spoon fed a couple l can't stand behind. Hyun-min should be lead, and we just know he's going to end up with his stalker in the end. It's not fair. Hye-Jin is a creeper, and she needs to take a class in Rejection 101.

P.S l will continue reading the recaps because that's the only way the show is tolerable. The music is so bad, and it feels so old. Not sure why...

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Same. I watched the latest episode but I skipped everything that isn't HW-HM. I will probably just read recaps and spoilers. Can't stand that forced loveline either.

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I really enjoyed this episode. It feels like the show is finding its footing.

Just a few minor things:
It actually seemed weird to me that Ha-won took virtually all the credit for the guys coming together to have a "meal." The one most responsible for that was Seo-woo, unless I missed something?

Hyun-min's gift was so suprising thoughtful. I was sad she totally blew it off.

Ji-won is pretty, so pretty

I'm enjoying watching Ha-won actually listen to the guys' reasonings and not steamrolling them with "do this because your family!" mode of thinking she's used up until now.

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I think it was too soon for them to have this 'attend dad's prayer ceremony' mission. Relationship issues b/w parents and children are extremely personal and I don't think that she knew them enough to interfere. Especially since she volunteered for this mission!

Because it honestly feels like HW steamrolls over their objections.

Sure she hears their reasons. But i don't think she really understands. She listens to them and then sort of goes "but this is more important/right" and says her piece and moves on to the next knight .

For some reason I really disliked her in this episode.

And when she said to the housekeeper - "they don't realise how lucky they are that someone cooks the prayer meal for them", I wanted to smack her. Just because someone is rich doesn't mean that they cannot be in pain. And this is AFTER she knew all their stories.

Plus when she apologised to grandfather for "failing" the "mission", it was like this was just another job to her. Does she even see them as persons ?

I find her veering into the annoying self righteous territory.

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I started the show for Proactive Eun Ha Won but Kang Hyun Min became my favourite character.

As you said Eun Ha Won is annoying at times. Rest of the damage is done by the writer.

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Everyone knew that The show was cheesy and not really the best out there.... what worked was that it was a lot of fun ... But now that we starting to go into the more serious territory, the cracks in writing are starting to become more glaring

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All good points that I agree with about HW. I guess I'm just hoping her beginning to listen in this episode was a step in the right direction- that will continue indefinitely.

So admittingly, she has a looooonnnnnnngggggggg way to go.

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...and all that listening will hopefully lead to understanding.

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Agree!! I find Ha-won's approach in this mission not very different from the first one. She still not really trying to see and think things in the boys' perspectives and just dismiss them. As you put it, 'self-righteous'.

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That was a very helpful recap, I was a little iffy on why Ji-woon suddenly was going after her and now I'm reminded he's trying to break up his cousin so he's available for his friend. That makes it clear.

What is also clear is that Secretary Lee needs to fall in the pool and then take off his wet suit. RIGHT?

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Yes, you are correct.

Hawon can blow-dry his suit while I dress him in new clothes as he is cooking dinner for me.

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How far off is this shows storyline from the book?

I've read some blogs and some say in the book, Ji-woon happened to be the youngest of the 3 cousins.

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"Hye-ji pricks herself while sewing..."

Are Koreans genetically hard-wired to prick themselves and bleed every time they pick up a needle? And make the "ah!" sound. Has there ever been a kdrama where the girl attempts to sew doesn't prick herself?

Ha-won's next task: make the Needle of Cliche repent and become the Needle of Nice. Or at least prick the writer as punishment for lazy writing.

And aren't there enough pricks in kdrama-land already?

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"And aren’t there enough pricks in kdrama-land already?"

lol. ... Not as many as chaebols though

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This!

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Sleeping Beauty started it first. But who else is disappointed Hye-ji didn't fall into a hundred-year slumber?

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Instead of shower-brooding we get shower-flirting. But Ji-woon has to try harder than that to make me believe he's endgame.

Why does Smexy-tary Lee with a party hat on make me so happy???

And since I call dibs on the 4th knight, that leaves Hyun-min and Seo-woo as frontrunners. But Ha-won seems to be responding more to bad boys, so Hyun-min wins.

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Smexytary??? AHAHAHAHAA that is epic!

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I'd like to ask for your permission to address Secretary Lee from this point on as Smexy-tary. Thanks for coining the word. lol.

Also, how cute is he and his discomfiture at Ha Won's praise? XD

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Okay yes, as one of the Ji-Woon non-fans I did smile at a couple of scenes with him and Ha-Won for this episode and the next. I have to say I was so ready to just give up the series before watching the episodes from this weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm refraining from adding more since I think I'm going to spoil episode 6 if I do but I really appreciated the knocking on the kitchen doorframe scene. I was startled into laughing when Hyun-min started banging on that frame when Ha-won ignored his first knocks.

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I have to disagree. I actually hate Ji woon even more now than before.

Correct me if I'm wrong but he liked hyeji not too long ago and for him to just so easily fall for hawon like this makes me think that he could just as easily fall in love with some other girl too.

I thought a part of this episode that was much more interesting (hyunmin's deper layers to his character) should of been given much more attention than the new "romance" between hawon and jiwoon. I honestly dont know how she's able to still like him after how much of a jerk he's been pretty much the entire series up until this episode.

Does helping you relieve your pain by sticking a needle in your finger really make you crush onhim? I mean sure it was a nice thing to do. But the way he talked to her before that as well as how he's pretty much treated her the entire series doesn't redeem him in the least. he's going to need a lot of character development asap before I even consider being on team hawon-jiwoon.

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Although I will be okay when (not if) Ha won ends up with Ji woon because that is just the way it goes, I don't think I with end up truly liking the guy - that train already left.
Honestly, that's the biggest issue I had with how they set up his character - he was already in love with another girl. That might not inevitably lead my dislike of him but he is written as such a serious and loyal person that I already knew that he would annoy me to death when the time comes that he just inexplicably has a change of mind or rather a change of emotion. His whole character just screams hypocrisy to me, the way he handles the money situation as well as the romance in the story. In theory he is a very firm standing, upright person however his actions are flippant and seem to be taken not with actual consideration of Hye ji's feelings but rather just cause - he is the main lead after all - but it does not feel coherent.

I thought about it - what exactly would be needed for me to start liking the character and I think the answer to that for me personally is - a new beginning. Something that resets what they have already done. With that I mean something like the obvious betrayal from Hye ji and his conscious decision to not be used like this anymore. This way ,although he already broke his loyalty to her by immediately showing actual affection towards Ha won, it would be easier to forgive this discrepancy in his character. Rather than taking away any value from his words of protection&caring towards Hye ji , you take away the value that the relationship held. Instead of hurting the woman he wanted to save he will be hurt by the woman he wanted to save.
I mean, they already build up Hye ji's character in a way where this seems like a very plausible following step - discredit her instead of him, should be easy enough.

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That makes me worry though about Hyun min's fate because he still is the second male lead and the second male lead get's together usually with the second female lead....
I just don't think that they will succeed in making me take sympathy on her later on, at least not so much that I will be happy to see her and Hyun min in a relationship together.
I actually think it would be rather futile for her character to get exactly what she wanted in the end. It would make more sense plot wise if they would bring in another guy, like they did with Seo Woo in doctors (was that her name?) <- her redemption story was one done right I would say, she actually became likable in the end (at least for me) but that was not all accomplished by the writers, it had also a lot to do in how the actress played her character. If you compare them, they have quite a few similarities: both obsessed with one guy, both rather angelic/innocent but at the same time petty, jelous and unforgiving. However, in doctors I believed her twisted innocence - she was evil not because she wanted to but because that's all she knew. Here though Hye ji doesn't have that same innocent side or the actress just cannot make me believe it at least. Also, Seo woo knew that she wasn't a good person per se,so even if she said that everything is another persons fault, you could already kinda guess that someday she would admit that it isn't. Hye ji on the other hand seems to have the victim mentality without any of the self awareness - making her a hard character to swallow.

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I totally agree with you, @bella!
Moreover Ha Won never notices Hyun Min's pain and she give less attention to it. Ji Woon shows his pain more blatantly, rebelling to his "new life", so she tries to help him. He also lost both parents, and she pity him because she can relate because of her mother's death. Still, It's better not having a mother and cherish a good memory about her, than having a mother who acts cold towards you. It's annoying how a smart and compassionate girl like Ha Won doesn't notice it. Just because Hyun Min is rich, it doesn't mean he's happier than Ji Woon. Ji Woon experienced having a family and being loved by almost everyone who was around him, Hyun Min never experienced love!

Anyway I think Ji Woon won't forget HyeJi very fast. We still don't know the real reason why he cares for her so much. It can't be just because he saw her cover him while sleeping outside. I just hope it won't be Hyun Min related.

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I don't know a lot of things in this show and we're already 6 episodes in. There hasn't been much to learn about hwaja, only brief scenes scattered through each episode thus far. she's our actual villain and I find that quite strange the little attention she's gotten. Ji woon is still unpredictable with his being on his period every waking hour, and with really no other explanation except that his mother died and he hates the world. Hye ji still hasn't explained her purpose in this whole story other than that her and hyunmin and her brother were close as children and she has this unhealthy love for hyunmin to where she will try to eliminate anybody romantically involved with him. Ha won instead of progressing as a character seems to have regressed a bit. Seeing as how her characterization in episode 1 is not entirely mirrored in episode 6. Hyunmin seems to be the only one taking strides to becoming a better person/character.

I've decided that after episode 6 I'll just be reading the recaps because

a.) between this and moon light drawn by clouds, I only have time for one and the second is much better than the for mentioned.
b.) I don't think I can watch the hawon-jiwoon ship unfold. It'll frustrate me too much and I don't need the extra stress while being in school.

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"Cue the music of a thousand angels..." -- hahaha, good line, Chickachunga. The music is way over the top. Whether it's meant to be parody or stems from incompetence is anyone's guess.

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I don't really have a problem with Ji Woon, he's a pretty standard kdrama male lead, so I was expecting both the jerk-ness and the kind of scenes we got today. I think it's pretty interesting that this drama basically has two first male leads and a third who ends up as the classic second lead in terms of personality (although platonic relationship seems to be all there is here). However for some reason I like Hyun Min so much better than JW and I think that maybe, due to the two male leads, there's a chance Ha Won may end up with him. At least I hope she will.

If HW turns out to be related to either JW or HM I'll completely quit this drama. Lots of people have speculated about this, but it would completely creep me out. They have been flirting so much with her it would make the show unwatcheable for me. Fortunately I don't think that's where it's heading, but you never know, it's dramaland after all...

Overall I didn't much care for ep 5, but liked ep 6 much better. The way they keep switching between JW and HM, when it comes to things the classic first and second male leads would be doing, is probably the only thing keeping me interested right now, alongside PSD and her chemistry with AJH. The plot is pretty thin and rather nonsensical. But again, I can't recall ever having watched a drama where you weren't quite sure who was supposed to end up with who (at least not after you've watched 3 or 4 and the pattern has become clear). So thumbs up to TvN for once again doing something unusual :D

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Absolutely agree with you on the secret relation part - that's would just be so uncomfortable. I might still continue watching but the goosebumps I would get thinking back on the imagined kiss and all the other flirting ...ugh. Also, just think about what the public would think (you already watched 6th so you know what I mean..) No thank you, pls almighty secret family relations' trope pls just go on to other characters in this show >.<

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THis drama desperately needs Oh Hae Young's husband!

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I'm sure my agenda for this series isn't the same as the producers. I don't want Ha Won involved with any of these three boys except as friends. She's just graduating high school. She needs to focus on helping these guys, particularly Hyun-min, grow up into responsible human beings, get her tuition covered for four years plus and then go out and conquer the world. I know she deserves a family but the snakes in this one seem viperous.

I do think Grandpa's assessment of the boys some time back was unfair. Seo-woo seems certainly to be working with dedication at his chosen career, even if Grandpa doesn't think much of it. Ji-woon was working before Grandpa scooped him up. What does Hyun-min spend his time doing besides dating women? It seems Grandpa wants an heir to take over his companies but he could always hire professional non-family management to run them.

Anyway, Hyun-min has a long way to go before he shakes my rich kid playboy opinion of him. Unfortunately I always have a soft spot for the tortured bad boys so I'm rooting most for Ji-woon.

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I'm rooting for Hyun Min/AJH, because I have a bias against Jung Il Woo. I'm sure he's a nice person and all, but ever since his Cha Chi Soo stole Eun Bi from Pillar in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, I cannot get behind any of the role he plays. They're all so trite and cliche - including this one.

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Oh, his Cha Chi Soo is actually one of
my favorites. Hehe. I don't know if he deserved the girl at end of that one but I definitely thought he was appealing in that role.

One of the things I think is challenging for JIW in this role is that wild child, angry, troubled rebel do not come naturally to him. And that is sort of what his character calls for in Cinderella. In this drama I like JIW best in the lighthearted moments like his ramen scenes with PSD. Those scenes remind me how charming he can be - that bashful? playful smile.

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Question to the sharp eyes of the people here; They have been focusing several times on that HW and JW mom died on the same day, it makes me wonder whether HW is actually the grand daughter and there was a mix up of some sort? I can't remember whether the pic that HW's "fake" father carried around was a pic of one of the sons of the chairman?!? Wouldn't that make it impossible for any other ship but the HW/JW ship?

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Omg, is HW still wearing that tracksuit? It needs go ASAP!

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Hyun-min is currently my favorite knight in this series, probably because his character reminds me so much of Lee Min Ho's Goo Jun Pyo what with their narcissistic attitudes and inflated sense of self importance!

As for his outburst in this episode I do feel that Hyun-min, like all chebols in K-drama land, was taught from an early age to never truth anyone. And hence has never had any true friends. So, even though subconsciously he might consider Ha-won to be a friend, he hasn't had enough of them to know what being friends with someone really entails. And is still very much guarded in his interactions with her. In that sense, his outburst can be seen as the first genuine glimpse of his true nature, rather than the flippant playboy image he always presents the world with.

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If you don't like the show, stop watching because no matter how much you complain and discuss. the characters are already been picked , the show is a great show and also with great actor /actress if you are like the second lead (HM) to end up with the male actress (HJ), than that's your opinion. But would this shipping go on till the finale Thanks. (am not good with English).

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"...and I am praying that she and Bodyguard Lee harbor zero romantic feelings, because their brief and awkward encounter really puzzled me..."
you know what, I think..maybe SHE is his mother. It's not impossible isn't it?

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So regarding this episode i have some questions
1. Am i the only who don't like Ji Woon one bit even after this episode ? He didn't really changed my mind or impressed me in anyway . Because we know his motivation behind his action he might have felt genuine at the car scene or the super market scenes but we know that he does all of this because his obsession for the girl who is obssesed with his cousin which so unhealthy the love triangle (?) between these three is just annoying and unhealthy in so many ways i don't know where to begin . So even if he falls for Ha won i will always remembe the creppy motivation he had at first.
2. Both male and female leads are some what inconsistent if you ask me. Actually i dare to say Ji woon is a hypocrite . He and the show suggests that he is firm standing idealist guy who was poor up until love he loved his job etc but after the first his cards cancelled instead of looking a new job he goes back to 'home' now i know grandpa would most likely prevent him from finding a job but i would like to see him try anyway to see him being stubborn despite of knowing its most likely gone be prevented. And again i can understand the fact that he doesn't have a choice but to live there to learn the secrets of his birh etc etc. still he drives a fancy car and that means he actually accepts and use the money of the family that he hates so much is just out of character for me. And for Ha won i completly understand she gets frustrated when Hyun Min tries to get physcial or ruins the moment by becoming to flirty and she hits him but she never responds or becomes violent when it comes to Ji woon whose actions are far worse then Hyun Min like the shower seen was actually disturbing rather than romantic the only think that redeems that moment is the fact that he is hot which is a very shallow reason for Ha won not for the audience though :D So do you think their actions are consistent ?
3. The reason why Ha won does not get frustrated towards Ji woon pushing the physcial boundries is that she kind of likes him even before this episode if you pay attention to the sparkly music from the second episode from when ever he becomes to close to her the sparkly music starts. I understand that he is hot but he has been nothing more than thatto her before the super market scene but her heart was beating fast for him before that and he starts to care for her in just one episode . Why now ? He already knew she lost her mother which brings them closer he already knew that she didn't even had money for her mother's remains. Still he didn't care any of them he actually judged her despite knowing these facts i know that he thinks she is hyun min's fiance and believes that she is with him just for the money despite having no proof and by the way his relationship with his family is not that different. My main point is that their relationship is more like a one sided shallow crush for Ha won and sympathy/friendship for Jİ woon so...

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Really going with this couple or is this just the side relationship not the main ? because it kinda reminds me of BOF Geum Jan- di and Ji-Hoo which was more like a one sided crush/sympathy/friendship but with Jun-pyo she didn't like him at first didn't like when he was flirting with her etc etc but in the end she falled for him Jun-pyo Jan-di relationship is kinda like Hyun min and Ha won in that matter . And if Ha won and Jİ woon is the main couple in the story like we all expect it makes the show very boring and credibility of the romance .
3. What will be the obstacle of the Ji Woon and Ha won's romance because all k-dramas actually all shows and movies needs an obstacle other wise it will get boring . Is it gonna be grandpa ? who is very much found of Ha won and probably married to a woman who probably doesn't have a title or money herself and which makes him another inconsistent character. or the hamster cheeks though with she will probably get angry when she understands that Ji woon is not in love with her anymore but than what will happen to Hyun Min and Hamster cheek storyline ? My money is on Hyun Min though for how long they will drag that ?

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I share the same sentiment with ji won, I just don't get it,
I knew ha won probably likes ji won way before she moves to the sky house, or intrigued by ji won but ji won who has lot of occasions to ha won's daily life a d struggle doesn't do much beside seducing her for idk . . . . . something old grudge to hyun min and hye ji affection??

it's inconsisten but hyun min and ha won relation come off as more genuine, on whatever ground it is

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i think what makes him unlikable is that he is boring and inconsistent and pretentious he can act cool, cold and hot as hell but in the end he acts more like an emo teenage boy than a guy who lost his mother the only family he has never got to meet his dad and has to live with this rich pretentious people both the actor and the storyline of Ji woon is the reason behind it.

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ooh emo teenage boy . . .. nailed it,
I've seen comment about him being party pooper too,
also give me the impression of "my 1st worlds problem" kind of comment,

there so much good thing in life and an opportunity he can seize if he accepted the grandfather,
just like how Hyun-min used his card, seo woo used all for his musicality and ha won for his college, not all things that come from grandfather money is a poison

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I'm only following via recaps, but didn't Grandpa order Ji-woon to "throw away" his old (poor) friends? Maybe part of his angst is stemming from that.

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Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who found the shower scene creepy. No matter how 'hot' a person is that was just plain weird and disturbing.

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Is it wrong that I don't want Ji-Woon to win Ha-Wons feelings? I mean you already know he's a nice guy, well a nice guy with protective spikes, but I kind of want Ha-Won to tear apart Hyun-Mins mask and show him how to be human(?) again. We get to see glimpses of his true self but only when something hits too close to home. I'd like to see the playboy become a devoted one woman man. No tricks, no gimmicks. Just love. ??

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I second your idea to tear hyun min apart, no tricks, no gimmick, just do it!!

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No you are not wrong at all that is exactly what i want to if the show won't make it happen i am hoping that people write fan fictions :(

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I would LOVE to find some fanfiction on dramas. There's a lot for Kpop idols but practically none for kdramas. If there's one drama i'd like to see a fanfic for it would be from Reply 94. Chilbong man, still can't get over Chilbong. It still haunts me to this day.

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Promise you guys if they don't end up together i will write fanfiction myself :D

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you are not alone, I already prepare my gear for my own heart
T.T

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There was someone who wrote an ending for I Remember You that was totally onion material. I cried. There was even a crossover with I hear Your Voice.

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I still can't get over IHYV... They're better off as friends.

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Team KJW since episode 1!

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I still think the drama really want to point us how Ha won likes Ji won and not hyun min by the music but I completely saw different thing,
Idk what ji won does that helping her at any rate beside luck,
the birthday party wasn't on him , the helping at the hotel just because hyun min just had left seconds ago, ant that als happen with the digestion problem,

the more they bring jiwon, the more I scream hyun min,
the trait thay makes me like hyun min is that he talks to her, he is honest to her and the more he shield himself he knew it wasn't ha won fault for not understanding his situation,
hyun min also realised his wrong doing then asked her to mend it,

while jiwon is weird, he can be cold on and off but it never really about him appreciatng hawon but come often as something about his personal life

I am afraid that the road will about ha won and ji won is switched so ji won is the only possible candidate,

then here I am, sunking with jiwon,
I had to find the novel this week

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Haha I was completely turned off liking Secretary after that weird Glance with Hwa ja.

Either they are mother-son, which means Secretary and her are the worst kind of buy-one-get-one deal *horror*

Or he and her have a Romantic History, which is so disturbing it makes me want to bleach the thought out of my mind. *scrubs brain clean*

I'd prefer the first over the second, but both are nightmare inducing. Can you imagine her as a MIL? ?

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I have a feeling bodyguard lee and grandpa's new wife are related somehow. maybe mother and son because when she asked grandpa how he'd feel if he had another son.

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Am I the only one creeped out by Ji Won? Him trying to always pin Ha Won always creeps me out. I feel cold with his pairing with Ha Won, to be honest. Maybe it's the actor, maybe not. I'm just not into this forced exposure and sparkly sounds with him. It's hard to stomach and rather unnatural.

Hyun Min does have faults, but he's second or maybe third likable after the Secretary. And I can see him better with Ha Won than Ji Won. There's just something between them that's not forced by the narrative all the time. And I don't feel creeped out with him for Ha Won.

Everyone has preferences, but I think Hyun Min just wins me over with his sincerity (when he's really into it) more than Ji Won does.

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THIS. Ji Won creeps the hell out of me out when he gets all close and personal with Ha Won. I actually have to fast-forward through it because it makes the hair on my neck stand on end.

Maybe it's because Jung Il Woo doesn't do wild rebel so well, but the way he portrays this character makes me think Ji Won's too repressed, too understated, too "controlled" somehow.

If the script calls for outright rudeness in lines like "Get lost", I expect him to show visible annoyance, childish petulance, or even seething disgust -- just *something* other a carefully calibrated micro-flicker of an expression.

I know he's supposed to be the tragic young prince, but all I see right now is an eerily subdued orphan (who may or may not have a dark, unhinged side that we've yet to see.)

So maybe it's the dissonance between what the script calls for, and what JIW's delivering, that creeps me out.

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Yes exactly . I think the writting and the plot is very predictable and cheesy and cliche but we see so many times that it is the cast that makes shows interesting and i think we do have a good cast which makes it adorable and the actors aproach that makes a character fresh and interesting .Like AHJ his character is nothing new to k-drama but his aproach to him the way he delivered the character so far is very interesting and likeable i think even more likeable than the writers intend to. i think Jung Il Woo is failing to deliver his character it is not that he is a bad actor overall it is just that in this drama i don't think he is doing a good job. Like if you pay attention to the way he looks is just reminds me of emo rebel teenager who thinks the whole world is against him (for example there is a scene in this episode where everybody is looking at their phones and Ji woon is doing nothing giving some emo looks on the corner) . He can not deliver the pain he is going through or the fact that he is just a lonely person which is written to make him relatable and sympathic that is why people don't feel that sympathy towards the way they feel for the others. This is the point of the show all these characters the Kang cousins Ha won and even the secretary are just bunch of lonely people who have no family and carries lots of baggage because of their parents this what they all have in common the only one can't deliver is Jung Il Woo i am sorry i don't mean to disrespect him or i don't he is bad in general it is just this drama or this character is not working for him. And the writting is not doing him any favor.

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I know. I mean, hello, invasion of personal space. And that was in a shower, with both of them scantily clad.

I mean, I'm all for broody or steamy shower scenes, but that was too soon. I did not feel the feels one should feel were the scene shot further along the road. Maybe when Ji Woon has already grown on me.

Except that prolly won't happen. I will sink with the Hyun Min-Ha Won ship.

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Ji-woon is eerily creepy.

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I think it's because he hasn't started to like Ha Won, he is just planning to make Ha Won likes him so she'd leave Hyun Min's side. Maybe thats why his moves are not sincere and kinda creeps everyone out and only Ha Won be like swoooon

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I think as per-usual I will go opposite to the crowd. I favor Ji woon more that any other character. I understand why the viewers want Hyun min with Ha won. But he is obviously going to be with the girl I know he has a ton o f fellings for, whats her face (dont really remember her name) I have a thing fro broken characters I just want to see what is going to take for him to be happy again. I always cheer for the broken characters that build walls around them, inadvertently waiting for someone to care enough to break them down. Hyun min wasnt very reciving, he came into a strange house with a new "family", he doesnt know his dad, his mom is dead, and he grew up in an orphanage. The problem is, that it's not like im saying "poor baby" or that he can get away form anything because he had a tough life, but he is extremly human. No matter what some "higher-than-thou" viewer says, most people would as or even more bitter than Ji woon. Ha won is supposed to be special because, despite her rough life" she is optimistic, hopeful and kind, just like cinderella. But to me that is the whole point. For her to be a bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel. She has lost family and gained a new one in the sky house. After all, this story is about family and love.

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I LOVE Ji Woon & Ha Won's moment in the ramyun scene. Those chuckles & shy glances made made me smile from ear to ear...

Ha Won thanked Secretary Lee for his kindness AND compared him to a mom/dad. That was worse that being friendzoned...

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my problem with ji won is not his teens tendency but how he treats ha won, he knew her problem the best and she always nice to her but he always rude to her,

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I'm addicted to this show but does anyone think there is a heavy use of flashbacks? I feel there is an abundance.

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Why is it that spunky-girl-falling-in-love has to be equivalent to a lobotomy? Every time she is around JW, HW keeps losing points in my book.

JW entered the irredeemable jerk category the moment he decided it was a good idea to seduce his cousin's fiance just so that his friend/crush can continue to obsess about him in peace. Not only inexcusably meanbut also completely illogical. If he were a decent friend to NE he would find her a good shrink instead. But my biggest grippe with JW is that he is so damn uninteresting.

The only reason to continue watching is Hyun min because he shows hints of self-deprecation, vulnerability and even at his most glib he is fun to look at. But at the first hint that he ends up with certifiable-used-to-be-frinds-when-we-were-kids girl I'm out of here.

Is may sound crazy but I'd rather watch a romance-less version of this show: girl forces chaebol brats to grow up but they all end up friends in the end and said girl rides into the sunset to have fun in college on her own.

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Okay so I was on tumblr stalking all things 'Cinderella and the Four Knights related when I came upon a post that 'Baegjo' had made. I think the following statements that 'Baegjo' made seems pretty valid considering the epiphany I had after episode 2 when Ha-won's 'Dad who's not biologically related to her' pulled out that photo of the man in the Taekwondo suit. (In short, I thought that maybe there was a possibility that Kang Ji Woon and Ha Won shared the same father and in a way, the following thoughts prove that my epiphany may not be entirely incorrect).

Here is a list of the following things that Baegjo was certain about:
- The secretary is the chairman’s new wife’s son
- Eun Hawon is actually a “Kang”, meaning she is an heiress (The guy that Ha-won's not biologically related dad was looking for is called KANG Young Jin (this was on the flyer the "Dad" made))
- Kang Jiwoon IS NOT a “Kang”, The Kang guy who is said to be his real father isn't biologically related to him, rather, he is Eun Hawon’s real father (also Eun Hawon’s and his mom died on the same day..)
- Meaning Eun Hawon is actually related to Hyunmin (CRIES) and Seowoo, making her no longer a love interest for them (DYING I AM)

And now it finally makes sense that Jiwoon is the male lead, as he’s not a heir & not related to her (this is very sad news for me but makes total and complete sense)

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Your stalking skills are impressive.

If I may...

- if Ha-won's real dad is taekwondo kang, who maybe the long lost 4th Kang sibling, then yes, she's an heiress.
- I still believe that Ji-woon is a Kang.
- (my gut tells me) Hwa-ja is working with taekwondo kang. Her relationship with bodyguard lee really might be romantically linked (yes, they have a past) but both Hwa-ja and taekwondo kang have zero knowledge about Ha-won.
- Daddy Eun will reveal the truth if he finds out where taekwondo kang is, who I think has taken on a diff name.
- Ha-won will not end up with any of her knights and will choose to leave in another country. THE END

I know my version sucks but I'd rather she end up single than be with Ji-woon.

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My sentiments exactly, Yoyo. XD

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Live not leave*

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where is that cheese in the ramyeon tho? when they eat all i see is ramyeon, where the hell is the kimbap and cheeeeeeeese. is it just another fake retake, whyyyy i need my mini Let's Eat moment....

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Here's episode 8 preview...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4M5RGylguI

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No. Just... No.

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My Hyun-min ship is now pulling a titanic.

I hate that I had to watch that. I don't even watch previews!

Now my day is ruined. I wanna punch hye-ji's cheeks.

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It is like Titanic my ship is sinking well i think i am done with this show

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Dang it. My week is ruined. I hope hyeji will choose jiwoon and hawon will realise their feelings for each other (jiwoon and hyeji) and leave them alone.

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ak. i don't want HM with HJ. somebody please do something...

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I love this drema .Fighting Team JiWon

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SPOILERS UP TO EP 6!!!
Here's a fanvid I made for my fellow Team Ji woon shippers. Enjoy! <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkv1ANU3Cnw

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Thanks for the recap, chickachunga!

I'm glad to see the cousins being affected by HW more than they let on. The b-day surprise was really sweet despite being the wrong date. Bodyguard Lee and SW are clearly on HW's side already.

Good to know that HM is not too egotistic to realize that he was too harsh with his words to HW. He should be glad that HW views him as a friend, and that's why she was willing to spend the day with his mom. I'd bet he never had real friends who didn't get close to him because of his status/money.

JW is showing a bit less reluctance to HW, and I think it stems from their similar experiences. He can probably relate to her not having her mom around. I love how they had ramyun with cheese again and even smiled about it. =)

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