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Jealousy Incarnate: Episode 2

Jealousy Incarnate seasons our light start with some darker turns, as we set up our driving conflicts and discover the secret of Hwa-shin’s past. This hour also untangles a lot of the relationships between our many characters—connections which are sure to lead to interesting places.

Meanwhile, battle lines are drawn at the broadcast station, and it’s a vicious world for a trampled weathercaster to survive in (especially when her forecasts keep turning foul). But Na-ri won’t give up so easily—not while she still has dreams.

 
EPISODE 2 RECAP

Pal-gang stares in shock as Sung-sook and her uncle Hwa-shin dance across the TV screen. When Ja-young appears, she asks, “Mom…are you that thrilled?” She screams that her dad could die while they strut around, and hurls her phone at the screen, cracking it across the image of the three of them. Distraught, she yells at Uncle (Hwa-shin) to save Dad.

Na-ri tells Hwa-shin that his chest feels like her mom’s, and her mom had breast cancer—it runs in the family. “I’m a man, a male!” he yells, thumping his chest. But Na-ri points out that men are human too, and also have chests. He slowly backs away from her.

Meanwhile in PD Oh’s office, Dong-gi nervously switches off the broadcast. Sung-sook pitches into them for making a numpty like Hwa-shin the star, and demands they put her at the forefront instead. They don’t need announcers either, she adds, since a pretty female reporter—like her—is already the full package and can do it all.

Leaping up in indignation, Ja-young retorts that viewers live in terror of Sung-sook bursting out of their screens, and tells her to take a look at herself instead of poring over ratings. PD Oh slumps in weary resignation as they argue. At the suggestion that the announcers be demoted to contract workers to save money, Ja-young delivers a resounding slap to Sung-sook, to everyone’s shock. Sung-sook swings one right back and the women glare at each other.

Hwa-shin’s early return to Korea takes Dong-gi by surprise. The PD tries to head him off from going into the office, but Hwa-shin tackles his way past anyway.

Ja-young is followed by a brood of her juniors who suggest ways for her to get back at Sung-sook. One offers to get her politician dad to remove her, while another offers to get her grandad to cut off his sponsorship. She entertains the latter for a delicious moment but then sighs that the station needs its sponsors. No, they’ll fight with their own strength, she says, and prove that announcers are indispensable.

Na-ri takes Hwa-shin by surprise outside the men’s toilets, and tells him again to at least get himself checked out by a gynecologist. She even offers to go with him if it’s too embarrassing. Taking her arm, he spins her out of the main corridor and against the wall.

“Hey. Do you still like me?” he asks, “I don’t like…girls like you.” She asks what he means by girls like her, and coming in closer, he looks into her eyes. “Easy women,” he replies. Okay, wow. Jerk. After a long moment, she nods a little to herself and slips beneath the cage of his arm. Walking slowly away, she turns to look back at him striding off in the opposite direction.

Jung-won tries on an exclusive one-of-a-kind shirt, and decides to give it to Hwa-shin. His man SECRETARY CHA argues that it should go to a popular actor instead, but Jung-won is firm—his friend gets first pick. Secretary Cha points out that all that flowery stuff Hwa-shin spouted about being more honest and upright while wearing clothes from Jung-won is just a ploy for getting luxury clothes. Jung-won knows that already, and laughs that they’re friends.

While he changes, he doesn’t hear his phone ring. Secretary Cha, seeing it’s Hwa-shin, answers it and lies that Jung-won is back in Italy and so he can’t come out for tea. After hanging up, Cha scoffs that Hwa-shin must think Thailand is so close, not realizing he’s back in Korea. He deletes the call from the log before Jung-won can see it.

Na-ri arrives at the hospital where everyone else is already waiting with Pal-gang to hear about how Dad’s surgery went. The doctor finally emerges and tells them that Dad is still at risk of stroke, but they’re now waiting for him to regain consciousness. Pal-gang says nothing.

Hwa-shin lets himself into his family house, where nobody’s home. He mutters to himself that only that useless Pyo Na-ri welcomed him back. Serves you right! Alone in the empty house, he tends to the cut on his chest.

The next day, Na-ri looks dolefully at the gray sky. Dong-gi condoles with her a second, before giving her a big coffee order. She indicates her full hands, but he just pops his card into her mouth. Well I guess you get points for not making her pay?

Card between her teeth, she joins the queue with a sigh, and notices a booth being set up for the new recruitment. Before you know it, she’s there, trying to hide her face while asking for a form for her “friend”. At her desk, she pops the form into a drawer with a smile…which fades as she hears a rumble of thunder.

The rain falls on Jung-won just as he’s left his car. Secretary Cha hurries back for an umbrella and Jung-won smiles to himself as he recalls a memory of Bangkok: Hwa-shin had wrapped up filming and they were about to go eat when it started to rain. Na-ri ran after them with her umbrella but each man told her to give it to the other, passing her back and forth between them until eventually they both walked on, content to get rained on.

Out of patience, she tossed the umbrella away, which finally got their attention. Jung-won picked it up again held it over her. She snapped that she hates most to see people get rained on, because she feels somehow personally responsible. She dragged Hwa-shin into the umbrella’s shelter and was satisfied at last when they were all huddled in. But a peal of thunder had her leaping into Jung-wan’s arms, umbrella and all, leaving Hwa-shin out in the rain.

Back in the present, Hwa-shin curses Na-ri as he’s forced to make the dash from his car to the station block in the downpour. She’s staring dismally out at the unforeseen rain when Hwa-shin strides past. Cringing, she vows to herself to quit weathercasting even if she has to starve.

She finds herself waiting for an elevator next to Hwa-shin. She answers a phone call, and we see it’s Secretary Cha on Jung-won’s phone, making an angry complaint about her incorrect forecast, (under Jung-won’s supervision, of course).

“So you got rained on because of me?” She asks. Surprised and pleased, she apologizes profusely. But before she finishes, Hwa-shin plucks the phone from her hand and gives confused Secretary Cha a harsh talking-to about harassing Na-ri to this extent.

He hangs up angrily, leaving the secretary blinking at the phone, where Na-ri is saved as “Swallowed Air and Pooped out a Cloud.” He wonders why Jung-won told him to make that call. “Just because,” Jung-won replies, looking out at the rain with a smile.

Hwa-shin returns Na-ri’s phone and advises her not to let it get to her. But to his surprise, she berates his interference and defends her caller as a precious fan. He scoffs, and she flashes in anger. Is she not allowed to be acknowledged as part of the news because she’s a lowly weathercaster?

Taken aback by her hard gaze, he orders her to straighten up. She tells him not to misunderstand her: She was done liking him three years ago and she’s not interested in his chest anymore, either. Muttering at his nonsense, she rides the elevator by herself, leaving him stranded outside.

Hwa-shin marches into the newsroom for Sung-sook, and asks her where his brother and Pal-gang are. She can’t tell him—she’s been divorced from his brother for ten years, after all—so he heads out again.

When PD Oh takes exception to being ignored, Hwa-shin tersely points out how Oh ignored him for the whole last three years. He’ll greet him when he’s officially back at work, he says. Awkwardly crossing paths with Na-ri on his way out, voice low, he tells her to get lost. Et tu, Hwa-shin?

He tracks down Ja-young next to ask if she knows where Pal-gang lives, and she scoffs at him for trying to play the good uncle now. Assuming she doesn’t know either, he leaves, while she yells accusingly after him that it’s because of him that his brother and Pal-gang keep moving around.

At his restaurant, Chef gets a call from Dae-goo telling him that Pal-gang’s packed her bags and left. He heads home and finds her room empty save for the old wedding photos spilled across the floor. Chef looks at the two sets and wonders which is her real mom.

Sung-sook catches up to Hwa-shin and tells him to let her know when he locates Pal-gang—as her mom, she has a right to know. Ohh. Leaning close, she tells him that she’s let his family do what they wanted with her daughter all this time, but that finishes as soon as Pal-gang goes off to college.

Hwa-shin tells her to continue living selfishly as she’s always done, but Sung-sook gets the last word: Although Pal-gang hates her, it’s surely not as much as she hates him after what he did. She asks, wasn’t that why he fled to Bangkok in the first place?

When Hwa-shin gets to his car, he’s accosted by Ja-young this time. She tells him to also let her know when he finds Pal-gang, but he replies that he’s not telling either of them. Upset, she reminds him that he ruined his brother and ran away, leaving Pal-gang and everyone else behind for three years. Pal-gang, who used to call her “mom” now doesn’t call her at all, and her marriage ended in divorce thanks to him, too. She wants to know how he can act like nothing happened. Judging by his face, her rebukes have hit home.

Chef finds Pal-gang at the hospital, keeping a lonely vigil for her father. Her dad isn’t going to die, he tells her reassuringly, and urges her to go back to school. Tears roll down her cheek and she tells him, “If Dad dies, I’ll die, too.”

In traffic, Hwa-shin stares at the red light (ppalgang means “red”) and slips into a memory. He had reported exclusively on a beef brisket franchise which had been selling cheaper cuts while passing it off as brisket.

While they were off the air, the announcer asked if that franchise wasn’t owned by his own brother. Hwa-shin replied that by reporting on it himself, he was able to keep the report accurate, because other reporters would embellish it until the situation snowballed. He was evidently pained, although his expression remained fixed.

Ja-young burst onto the set and seized Hwa-shin by the lapels and asked: How can he kill his brother like this? But with seconds left to go before they were live again, she was dragged away, cursing…only for Sung-sook to fly in seconds later and land a furious slap.

The memory fades, and cars blare their horns at him as the light’s turned green already. But as soon as he moves, he crashes into another car. The impact makes him clutch his chest in pain.

In the weathercasters’ lounge, Na-ri makes notes for her announcer application, but is dismayed by the girls’ gossip that perhaps no announcers will be recruited this time. Maknae NA JOO-HEE pipes up in alarm and they round on her, guessing her ambition.

She complains about being a nobody, and it’s not like she’s getting a better weather slot either, like the seven o’clock news—which is Na-ri’s. The other girls ask Na-ri if she’s okay with having her slot poached like that. Na-ri comes over to Joo-hee, hands on her hips in pretend-threat, and asks if that’s true. So that’s why she’s been sucking up to the other directors, she speculates.

At school, Dae-goo secretly receives a fast-food delivery, which he smuggles up to the classroom in an attempt to get Pal-gang to eat. She dully asks if he has cigarettes, which makes Chi-yeol angry. Just because her dad’s sick doesn’t mean she gets to be a degenerate, he argues.

When Dae-goo produces a can of beer, reasoning that she might drink “barley water” if not normal water (smells like teen logic…), she pops it open eagerly. But Chi-yeol snatches it away and drinks it himself. Their teacher arrives to the scene of her body-tackling Chi-yeol while Dae-goo tries to protect her modesty with a shirt over her butt. Haha, oops.

Na-ri finds Joo-hee drinking alone and pops inside the little restaurant. Joo-hee reminds her that she’s going on air soon, but Na-ri only plans to grab a bite, no drink. She apologizes for earlier, and encourages her to apply for the announcer post. She figures that Joo-hee is ashamed of her sunbaes, and admits she’s embarrassed of herself these days, too. Dispirited, she ends up accepting the drink Joo-hee pours her. Oh no, this can’t end well.

At the hospital, Hwa-shin gets a chest X-ray after his accident. The doctor tells him that his bones are fine, but takes another look at his chest, prodding and poking. He asks if she’s suspecting him of breast cancer, too, and accuses her of being a quack. But she remains serious and asks him to humor her and get it checked out. And that’s how he finds himself at the doors of the Breast Clinic.

It’s dark out and Na-ri’s still at the restaurant, alone and somewhat the worse for drink. At the studio, everyone’s looking for her since they’re about to go on air, but she’s busy calling Jung-won to apologize for the weather, and promises to call him every day for a week with special weather updates only for him. Stooop, I’m cringing so hard for you right now…! Amused, he advises her to stop drinking, but she won’t let him go until he agrees. Criiiiinge.

Oh, Joo-hee hasn’t left after all. She returns to the table, and when Na-ri drops some food on her dress—which belongs to the station and she’s supposed to broadcast in—she gets a dangerous glint in her eye. Loading up a lettuce leaf with fillings, she “accidentally” drops it down Na-ri’s front with a secret evil giggle, and then makes even more of a mess wiping it off. Ugh.

Na-ri finally realizes the time when it strikes seven. It’s a mad scramble back to the station, where she dispatches Joo-hee for a fresh dress. They can’t access the elevators so she huffs and puffs her way up the stairs.

From a dark stairwell in the hospital, Hwa-shin calls her, “Just because…” but she hangs up on him at that, in too much of a rush. “…you came to mind,” he finishes, a little forlorn. The camera pans out to show him clad in a pink hospital gown.

Jung-won arrives at the station with Secretary Cha, who delivers a special dress to one of the announcers in the same dressing room as Na-ri. Joo-hee (who turns out to have been loitering at the door) pretends to run in, and gives Na-ri the bad news that there’s not a dress to be found. Suuure. Na-ri begs the announcer for a loan of hers, but to no avail.

Na-ri finally rushes onto set… in Joo-hee’s skimpy, not-safe-for-news outfit, and reeking of alcohol. Looking at the state of her, the director wants to cancel today’s weather slot, but Na-ri swears she can do this perfectly.

PD Oh fires her on the spot, but she’s already cued to go, and delivers a bright performance. Jung-won watches, too, and smiles at the oblique reference she makes to his complaint. Hwa-shin, on the other hand, arriving back at the station just in time, watches it in what can only be described as thunderstruck horror. Mission accomplished, Joo-hee enjoys a private smirk before slinking away.

Dong-gi and the news director praise Na-ri for her best show ever, but worried, she seeks out PD Oh, who’s with Sung-sook and Ja-young. He tells her to get out—her firing stands. She pleads her flawless past record, and he says that in consideration of that, he allowed her this final broadcast, so she’d have a chance elsewhere without getting blacklisted.

Sung-sook finds his firing insufficient and treats Na-ri to an overwrought litany of her sins and how she’s a disgrace to the station. Ja-young joins in with remarks that amount to calling her a floozy, and the natural enemies are temporarily united in their attack of her. It’s beautiful to behold. They flounce off, and Na-ri struggles to hold in her tears.

Jung-won comes out to the car, and his secretary wails about him running away. And then to Secretary Cha’s despair, he runs away again.

In the weathercasters’ lounge, Hwa-shin drops in on Na-ri. Noticing that she’s upset, he asks what PD Oh said, and when she doesn’t reply, he just tells her to do better tomorrow. But he turns back at the door and blusters accusingly about how uncomfortable she made him and his chest, by giving him palpitations over her nearly wrecked broadcast today. How dare she give him chest palpitations, he says, like it’s a deep offense.

She turns red-rimmed eyes on him and tells him she’s really not interested in his chest anymore, and the words ring in his ears. Tearing up the announcer application form, she tells him not to worry: “Today was my last broadcast.”

Walking past him, she leaves, heels clicking down the empty corridor.

COMMENTS

I know rooting for these characters is a journey of twenty-four episodes, but we’ve really got our work cut out with Hwa-shin, huh? This last minute finally made him a bit more sympathetic to me, when it’s so obvious he doesn’t even understand what he’s saying. But it would be too easy if he started liking her already; I want there to be more reasons, based on much more interaction than this. So far, there aren’t really any reasons—nothing has fundamentally changed between three years ago and now, so a change of heart in Hwa-shin because she felt him up a bit on medical grounds doesn’t really fly for me.

On the other hand, the tragedy of his past falls hard and he was clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. But the problem with his lesser evil was that the fallout is still really, really bad, so I don’t think he can (or does) expect forgiveness from his family anytime soon, if ever. He’s obviously been avoiding dealing with it at all, and he had a bit of a symbolic moment at the traffic lights, with the red light representing the way he’s lived the past three years, stopped in place. But he’s back home now: The light has changed and it’s time to start moving.

Maybe even the crash as soon as he moves is a bit symbolic—things get worse before they can get better? It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts when he finds out where Pal-gang and his brother are, not to mention the guilt he’s bound to feel when he discovers hyung’s condition. Now that they’re part of Na-ri’s little surrogate family, that’s sure to be some kind of game-changer with his feelings, too, especially since he’s going to have to earn his niece’s trust back—something Na-ri and the others have more of right now.

Speaking of the un-family, they’re probably my favorite ring of relationships in the show at the moment. The boys are sweethearts, even if Chi-yeol has that rough, gruff exterior (wait, he’s a totally typical lead alpha-male, isn’t he?). Chef clearly is much more to them than a landlord; I’m curious to know where his ties to them spring from, and also how Pal-gang and her father came to live with them in the first place. But that said, apart from Chi-yeol, I’m not wholly sold on any of the characters yet, not even our leads.

For a start, it’s difficult to get a good read on them yet. With Gong Hyo-jin, I feel a certain amount of déjà vu between Na-ri and her Gong-shil character in Master’s Sun, which takes me out of the show every time it happens. To be fair, it’s faded a lot in the second episode—it was much more prominent in the first. I do like how embarrassment just rolls off of her, if it even registers at all. Like in the Thailand flashback, the untroubled way she inserts herself between the two men is actually rather delightful. She’s not at all worried about being a third wheel, and barely five minutes later, she isn’t.

It’s not quite shamelessness or boldness—more a pleasant matter-of-fact-ness. Much as I manically relate to flaily heroines, I also love having a steady one (tipsy phone-calling aside). However, I do feel like that seemingly core part of her nature is at odds with how she gets steamrollered by her colleagues, although that perhaps is an unavoidable consequence of her lack of status. If that’s so, then it makes an interesting contrast, because clearly, this woman is not a doormat, but she has to act like a doormat at work, and that makes me furious on her behalf. In fact, there’s a strong current of sexism and internalized misogyny underrunning the whole show so far, which I hope all our characters will tackle head-on.

The other thing I really liked about the Thailand flashback was how much it communicated the easy nature and depth of Hwa-shin and Jung-won’s relationship (which Na-ri didn’t register at all, lol). Each knows the other so well, and they’re both more considerate of each other than themselves. Considering that Hwa-shin’s mostly been a rude, selfish ass these two episodes, this is one of the moments that I hope anchors his character. He does actually seem to be well-intended more often that not—both episodes are peppered with miniscule moments of gruff kindness—but he seems to nurture his mean side more.

As for Jung-won, while I buy his character history (although neither LollyPip nor I have any idea what he actually does), I’m much less convinced by Go Kyung-po’s acting. I can see that his characteristic expression is meant to come off as enigmatic, but it comes off as bland instead. This is worrying because if he’s not convincing as a love interest, it sucks the tension out of the triangle and maybe even the OTP. Put up a proper threat, friend! Emote! Emote or I will groan through all your scenes and mock your hair!

This episode also solidified our warring factions within the station-hierarchy. Ruling the roost are the announcers (who work at the newsdesk) with Ja-young as their queen. Sung-sook is the self-appointed champion of the reporters (who work in the field), and languishing at the very bottom of the pecking order are the weathercasters (aka the servant class). It’s funny how it simultaneously resembles both high school cliques and courtly hierarchies, if they were imagined into a broadcast context—at once deeply petty, but also thick with hidden politics and intrigue. And to be honest, I’m looking forward to a lot of pettiness.

 
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Yay! M d frst one dis tym!
Loved d episode. Thanq fr ur effort! :-* lov u

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Spelling, plz. If u rite like dis, ur commt wll git delet’d. also, lee minoz will nevur luv u back. u duns want dat, do u?

Just in case you don't know... it's part of DB's policy to write with proper spelling and grammar here. Peace :)

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Damn that's harsh. Writing like that is annoying but that's how a lot of kids write. They didn't write anything offensive.

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Jolly is just quoting the actual comment policy. It's not harsh..quite funny.

And Lee Na is breaking another rule. FIRST comment is not allowed either

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I guess making fun of people can be funny, but it is still not nice. We as readers don't need to judge who is breaking the rules for something small like this, we just need to watch are own behavior.

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Sure ...I will keep that in mind next time.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank the people involved for their effort. There was nothing offensive so peace please!

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Don't really think its harsh. Its just informing the person commenting to follow a set of rules that comes with commenting. I don't actually understand fully whats being written in OP's comment, so I think the policy itself is also justified.

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I seriously thought she was talking in a different language ?

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I am the first one this time! Loved the episode. Thank you for your effort! Love you
@jolly thank you for kind correction and consideration. :-)

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Just noticed the memo for 24 eps. Maybe this is really a melodrama. The dysfunctional extended family already turned me off. I like the lead but I just can't seem to get excited about it. I find myself just staring at the pretty Go Kyung Pyo, he seems lost without his hyungs here. Somehow he needs those feisty girls to balance out his good boy demeanor. Paging webtoon editor from Flower Boy Nextdoor Kim Seul Gi and BoRa from Reply 1988. Gong Hyo Jin's character here is a nice girl so positive + positive is well, boring. That's not to say I like Jo Jung Suk's character here either. Hmmm.. I can always read recaps here if I don't feel like watching but still keep up with the story. This is not 2009 where there's only a few kdramas that we would watch anything just to get our fix. Then pull our hair in exasperation as to why some of the dramas ended up with a big question mark. And it took time to move on.

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And since we are talking commenting policy, what @Bluecat is doing is called Riding another person's comment, which is writing something totally unrelated to a comment in a reply just to cut in line/appear near the top, in case you don't know.

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I know I'm not supposed to like Hwashin, but I can't help it. I just can't stay mad at Jo Jeongsuk.

The teen trio is interesting, I'm looking forward to their future shenanigans.

Thanks for the recap -- the Lollypip/Saya duo is back! Wonder twin powers activate! ?

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Agree about the teen trio. I want to be Palgang, just so that I can get my own Daegoo and Chiyul. T__T I don't even need for them to be attracted that way to me, I just want two protective oppas who would ditch school just to run to me, and sneak in food for me to comfort me, and then protect my skirt even while fighting me. T___T Where can I find oppas like that??

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I like that they have set up three sets of trios (I'm still trying to figure out if its the hot chef or ex husband at the middle of the triangle for the 2 ex wives). It should provide lots of fun.

On the subject of the teenagers the 2nd guy (not the hot brother) seems pretty underdeveloped?

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I've read a post here in DB that it's going to be the hot chef and the 2 ex wives. Trio trios! ?

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If JJS and GHJ weren't in this, I probably wouldn't even bother with it. And, maybe I'm in the minority, but I actually do find Hwa-shin sympathetic. He's rude, yes, but I think his rudeness comes from his self-recrimination about what happened to his brother and niece because of his newscast three years ago. It's a defense mechanism, a wall he's built up around himself that he only let's down around Jung-won. It'll take being ill and finding his brother and niece, not to mention his relationship with Na-ri, to really bring that wall down for good. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this. JJS is a fantastic actor, and I just can't help but feel for HS thanks to JJS.

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The script doesn't feel that way but you're right that the actors are carrying the weight.

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Gong Hyo-jin always pick the characters with all her antics that I end up rooting for. I just prefer anyone who treats her better.

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To be honest, I found Jealousy Incarnate to be really unstable in terms of plot and characters. The only reason for me to keep watching is the cast. I particularly dislike the argument between Ja-young and Sung-sook. We see two professionals who have succeeded in their area having a petty argument over a wardrobe coincidence and who appears more on TV. It's not even funny. Not to mention the fact that they both abandon the same husband for the sake of work — because is such a crime for a woman to have both things, so she's either portrayed as a dedicated wife and mother or an emotionless workaholic. We've seen this kind of setup in other dramas, like Pinocchio, and I'm just tired of this trope. Sure, there must be a back story to it. I'm just not sure if it will be a good enough to subvert this. I know there is a cultural undertone to it, but nonetheless, it pisses me off. I guess Age of Youth spoiled me when it comes to female bonding and characterization in dramas
I just can't see where this is heading and I'm not optimistic about its run, but I'll stick with it a little longer to see where it goes.

(I apologize if my english is weird, it's not a language which I'm used to express myself)

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<I particularly dislike the argument between Ja-young and Sung-sook. We see two professionals who have succeeded in their area having a petty argument over a wardrobe coincidence and who appears more on TV. It’s not even funny.

Yes, the two of them totally don't work for me right now.

They strike me as unprofessional as can be.... and tell of Na-ri for disgracing the station. And they don't with their behaviour?

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I think the point is to show just how petty these two women can be; I don't think it's supposed to be funny so much as cringe worthy. I have to wonder if this animosity at work is also spill over from their separate marriages to the same man. As far as "family or work", for me, the fact that both women each asked to be informed of their "daughter's" whereabouts says a lot. Perhaps they chose to leave for their careers, but they still struggle with the fact that they love the girl. Honestly, I just think the show is presenting greedy people as petty, childish, and not very nice to watch, which is a good point to make when you consider life lessons. Hopefully there are enough episodes for their attitudes to change. Hopefully.

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What bothers me the most is that Ja-young and Sung-sook are representing so many stereotypes about women that it made my blood boil, lol. If the drama succeds on showing that these women are more than what was presented to us, I'll happily follow their journey. I would love to see tropes being subverted. I'm just afraid the show will make their flaws a definition of their selfs, not a part of something bigger.

I konow I'm judging the show way beforehand; I guess if I were more engaged with the show I would be more lenient to it.

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Your English is fine. You expressed yourself very well, Loud & Clear:)

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When the audience can't even tell if the yelling between those 2 women is supposed to be funny, it says something not so good about the writing, doesn't it?
What sane person would wear that get-up to appear in the Evening News, even if it's just the weather at the end? GHJ is gorgeous, but I cringe for the weather-caster she plays.
If Hwashin really ends up getting breast cancer, Nari should set up a booth in Seoul Station to check man-boobs. The guys can save time and $ for actual scans and she can have a good time.

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So many cringing moments on this show, the two yelling women included. But the worst for me were the scenes of Nari grabbing Hwa Shin boobs. I mean once and twice is enough but 4 times?? It gets very cringe worthy really fast. Is it supposed to be funny even?

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Your English is good. I am impressed that ou can express yourself so well. I agree with some things you wrote too.

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my comment is the same like last episode
1) go kyung po looked so damn fine
2) I can stay for another 5 ep about the high school trio, I like it, they have a great chemistry

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I totally agree with your number 1.
I'm in love with his character.

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<nothing has fundamentally changed between three years ago and now, so a change of heart in Hwa-shin because she felt him up a bit on medical grounds doesn’t really fly for me

I wonder what actually happened three years ago. All we know is that Na-ri had a crush on Hwa-shin, but I wonder if he didn't possibly have feelings for her then already too (or even before?). Thing is, I'm just not quite buying into his arrogance and macho-ness, there's something about him that makes me think it's all a shell and there's a lot that's hidden.

<easy nature and depth of Hwa-shin and Jung-won’s relationship

I like that, because it makes the love triangle (which I normally hate) more interesting. There's no nastiness or evil manipulations here, instead there's a real friendship to navigate around. I hope they keep at that and stay away from all the usual ways of love triangles and love rivals.

<this woman is not a doormat, but she has to act like a doormat at work

Yep, that's totally what I thought too. She lowers herself, but somehow I still feel she's not actually the one at the bottom. She just knows that that is what she needs to do right now and somehow she keeps her pride intact (even if that may not be obvious to her workmates).

Joo-hee: that was low. Karma is going to bite you in the a**.

Not very interested in Sung-sook and Ja-young right now. I find them just a bit too much and not particularly funny (which I think they are supposed to be). But they kinda bore me.

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I definitely think we are not getting the whole story re his feelings (or lack thereof) for Nari 3 years ago. Im ready for some flashbacks, drama if u please! I doubt he was totally immune to her antics. But either way, I'd argue while he may not be attracted to her/or interested in dating her then (or even now). He definitely doesnt hate her like he claims. Nor is he indifferent to her either. Certainly not now!

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I think it is belivable that she be concerned enough about his cancer risk to repeatedly invade his personal space, yet no longer be crushing on him. Due to her grandmother's and mother's cancer history as well as her own frequent breast screenings, it is something very much on the forefront of her mind. Anyone with a high risk of breast cancer has spent many anxious moments searching for suspicious lumps. To suddenly and accidentally come across a lump in a very unusual place becomes something she keeps thinking about. Was it really a lump? How could that be? Was it my imagination?

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I completely agree. I'm a cancer survivor and come from a family where cancer is prevalent and I'm always hyper aware of other people's health issues. I'm like 'you need to go to the doctor'l and get that checked out'.

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After jumping in the premiere week without any expectations i can say i liked the story a lot,there were indeed some cringy moments(that touching stuff already mentioned)but all in all i loved it...The family story between of our hero it's quite intresting and can't wait to see more of it...Also the relationship between the heroine and her own new family seems a bit at distance,mostly her relationship with step Mom...Episode 2 was better,at least for me,than episode 1,also already like the music

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Finally Nari speaks it out. I can not wait the next episode.

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Let me just say, I love that they are making male breast cancer a plot point. It can be such a taboo topic, and honestly, it's one of the only diseases so many people think is only connected to women. His, "But I'm a man!" comment made me laugh and sigh at the same time. It's nice to see something that isn't talked about actually explored.

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+1 :D. yeah, that's the only silver lining I am seeing in this drama as of now.

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It would definitely add some depth.

I'm a guy and one time I felt a lump in my breast so I went to the doctor. It wasn't cancer but I'm glad I had it checked.

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Are Gong Hyo Jin's legs insured? If not, they should be!

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She has nice legs. Correct me if I'm wrong but she's the only, if not, one of the few actresses who actually and boldly wears short(skimpy) shorts on most of her dramas recently(seen It's Okay, That's Love).

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I can't name any right now but I remember being shocked that a lot of "office scenes" show the actresses wearing a semi-formal blouse with short shorts. :O

Or is it usually just the second leads who do this?

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Those legs! My jaws literally dropped when she ran in wearing that skimpy outfit, GHJ totally rocks it!

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Sung-sook and Ja-young are nothing more than just angry ahjummas at this point, so hopefully their next screentime can make me understand them more.

Also, I've found another drama younger brother to cherish. I hope he gets a girl that O can approve of though, unlike baby Noh Jik

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speaking of Jik, I hope he stays respecting his sister and not trying to guilt trip her or preach to her constantly for choices she makes. I appreciate how he treats her so far, albeit we havent seen very much yet. one of thing that bugged me about UF is how Jik treated his older sister who works her ass off for him. she is waaaaay more tolerant of that than i would ever have been lol. but back to the topic at hand. i think cheol will have a love line with pal-gang.

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I don't know exactly why but I am totally in love with this drama even only just saw 2 episodes. Love Na Ri character and Hwa Shin he made me cry. Gong Hyo Jin & Jo Jung Suk's chemistry is good and can't wait to see their scene more. :)

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for me this is 100% Jo Jung Seok and Gong Hyo Jin. they both are so easy to root for no matter what character they play!

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"But it would be too easy if he started liking her already; I want there to be more reasons, based on much more interaction than this. So far, there aren’t really any reasons—nothing has fundamentally changed between three years ago"

Actually I have a counterpoint here. We dont really know what Hwa Shin's feelings were 3 years ago. We havent heard or seen anything from his POV to that end. For argument's sake, I'll say he had zero romantic interest/attraction/desire to date her back then. BUT, when she appeared in bangkok some things became apparent to me (that i thought while subtle was conveyed p well by jungseok).
My belief is that, he missed her while he was away in bangkok. and that he has a small soft spot for her that he may not even realize is there. It makes sense that she would've likely been very open with her affections pre him leaving, and if he did indeed leave SK on bad terms with his family. (and his only close friend lives far away) It's safe say that dude was probably REALLY lonely. So seeing her turn up suddenly again in Bangkok, idt he was unhappy with it haha. But that's all subtext, so in things that actually DID happen onscreen: while HS still plays it cool/aloof, his statement to Nari "dont let your eyes wander" had a double meaning. which she only registers the surface part of, "focus on your work only" when imo he also meant "only look at me not other men". Esp the way jjs's eyes are when he says it. Then we have HS yelling at the director(?) guy who traveled with Nari about his sexist BS back in SK and how he made her go as his shield in BK as well. Like HS really lit into him and I highly doubt that Nari being the direct victim of both actions was somehow unrelated to his fury on the matter. Not to mention him pettily flouncing off when Nari turned up later and only paid attention to Jung Won. also leading to HS repeating "dont let your eyes wander". which is even more explicitly NOT about work than it was the first time he said it to her.
Next ep he's way nastier to Nari, but he still ends up yelling at the secretary on the phone (not realizing the context) even before he finds out she was right about the cancer. Speaking of which, She may have indirectly saved his life, so i think that's a legit reason for him to try and reach out to her more in his super obnoxious way lol, but imo the seeds were definitely there. if not 3 years ago at least a few weeks ago when they met again in bangkok.
Yes I have put entirely too much thought into this....

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+ 100

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I agree with you Tai, I believe he does care for her.

Although my current theory involves something happening years ago that made him decide that he shouldn't be with her.
Pre-drama Noble Idiocy?

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I like your theory. And I think that what happened that made him decide that had to do with his brother and niece. Because that, I believe, happened 3 years ago as well. He went to Bangkok to avoid the situation. From what I've seen, he doesn't hate her like he tries to make it seem. So maybe she either confessed or he knew about her feelings, but after everything that he went down with his family, he decided he shouldn't be with her or just let her think he didn't care. I just hope we get more of a backstory on this.

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I don't know if you noticed, but when there was the interview fot anchor position the final annoucement was quite fishy and we have the same girls surrounding Ja-young and she tells something like your dad is a sponsor and the other girls one I don't remember what. So the girls where chosen because of their backround and Na-ri has the 7 o'clock spot for the evening news, which is the most important one in most of the broadcast stations. Maybe Hwa-shin knew about it and he see her wasted, but she accepted to be the "underdog". Don't know we'll see.

The "mothers" shocked me so much. They have tendency in these dramas portreying women like is so easy to give up on your own child - for the sake of money or career too. But I wouldn't give up mine no mather what, or just if it would be life saving to him. Maybe it's about the deep patriarchal society, don't know...

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I dont think they gave her up. It seems like she chose dad over them. They were both worried about her but not actively looking for her.

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There were some scenes that implied that Hwa-sin had actually been thinking about Na-ri during these three lonely years.. that he'd been watching Na-ri's news forecasts from Thailand. I think there will be flashback scenes that will show us where they left off in their relationship before HS left three years ago.

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@Tai
I definitely agree with you. The translation I am watching isn't the best, but it has him mentioning NR by name to the sexist PD. This has to mean he was watching her from Thailand. He also blames her when he's caught in the rain, again meaning he's watching. He sticks up for her to others although he's pretty terrible to her face. Whatever the extent of his feelings and whatever his awareness of them (which I think right now is zero), he is definitely not immune or neutral to her.

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So far, still not steady with its plot and relationship but i'll stay, i can quite see now this drama can develop in 24 episode, many area to explore. Hopefully it will go even better in exploring each character's story. And agree with you Saya, i want a strong background context of how Hwa-shin eventually like Nari, maybe it happen from three years ago? this drama is typically giving flashback to complete the story, which maintain my curiosity, i like it so far

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Agree with Tai. Hwa Shin is not as adverse to Na Ri as he wants her to think he is. He definitely has soft spot for her, probably because of her crush on him and her sort of hero worship of him. But because they're not that close (yet) that's the extent of their relationship. Or was, now all of that will probably change as per drama rules lol.

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I honestly don't know how i feel about this show. It has my favourite actors so I'm going to stick around for a while.

But somehow i feel like i have been dropped in the middle of a show rather than starting a new one. Very few things make sense. Like i'm missing big chunks of the puzzle. It feels so disjointed. As if they show shot individual scenes without an idea of how to connect them. I can't get a sense of rhythm or flow of the story.

Also, the ex-wives are annoying as hell. but i like the teenage trio the best. huge potential there

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I feel the same way! the execution of the show really feels disjointed. Let's hope it finds some way to balance the scenes out soon.

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Those were my same reasons for watching this show. I'm a big fan of GHJ and have seen many of her previous works before so I was interested in this. I Also like JJS since Oh my ghostess as well I liked GKP last two characters in Reply 1988/cantabile.

It's true that few things make sense. But it is only episode 2 so I'm willing to let it slide for now.

Agree I didn't like either of them since their first scene together in episode 1. and also even if hwa-shin was responsible for making their relationship with PG go south that doesn't mean that they should just continously blame him for it and not take action themselves if their relationship with her is really that important.

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I want to applaud Kyung Pyo. To acting 10years older than his age within 5minutes screen time for the whole show is clearly a challenges to himself. I like his acting and his portray of GoJungWon. Cannot wait what he store for there rest of 22 more episodes.

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A dancing Jo Jeong Suk is what made my day.

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You are right! It was as amusing as it was oddly impressive. That dance took a lot of guts, as a performance by a the actor and as a Broadcast employee pimping for his company.

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Saya, I believe Jung-won is the owner of a high-end fashion store/line named Hera. He provides the network with his clothes.

The editing on this show, I feel, adds to the sort of general confusion of the narative. It is definitely trying to be different and sometimes works, but othertimes it just takes you out of the moment. Plus, the cuts to the flashback scenes don't seem to flow very well. It is only the dialogue and storyline that make me realize that the events are taking place in the past. Editing doesn't always have to be invisible (though normally it is) but it does need to be done well.

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This show is a miss for me.

Gong hyo Jim's character portrayal is similar to her.master's sun role, the story is very catchy or engrossing either, just too many side characters on whose stories I am not sold at all because the show failed to capture my attention there, nothing exciting happening.

I can't imagine how gong hyojin and jo jeong seok are wasted in this show.

If the show doesn't deliver and get me invested by the next episode, I am dropping this. I stuck around this far only, I repeat, only because of my love for ghj and jjs.

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What are the odds! It's exactly one year....and I am rewatching this drama....for some reason I like it now...the drama is a crack drama with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Crazy family setup but strangely enough I am liking it this time :D

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I have just watched Ep1 and when her brother swooped her up from napping outside, I was like 'Brother, you have strong hands!!'. Suddenly my interest pipped. And I ended up watching Ep1 for the brother. Everything else is just mildly interesting now. Hoping for better episodes to come...

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Yes, Nari is being played by GHJ like her Master's Sun character. In the first episode, I kept getting dejavu and was slightly disappointed that she was retreading old grounds. Second episode, it's still there but has been toned down. Hopefully Nari becomes a character of her own and not a shadow of another character played by the same actor.

All in all, the first two eps are abit of a letdown for me in terms of editing and story. Giving it up to ep 4 to see if it's worth sticking it out.

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Somehow, the part where Hwa Shin gets jealous when Na Ri ignored him in Thailand and focused on Jung Won reminded me of a real life experience with a Korean actor who has since fallen from grace.

More than a decade ago, Ryu Siwon came to my country for a fan club meeting. He had mentioned that he liked to have attention all on himself and would get jealous if that was not the case. Since he was busy meeting all the fans on the stage, the few of us who already had our photos taken with him went to another part of the place and talked to his crew/friend. The guy was sharing with us his Korean name written in Chinese characters, and Ryu SW seemed to be a little annoyed that we were talking to his friend. It was a slight annoyance which he soon covered up with a smile, but this incident just remained in my memory.

I wonder whether Hwa Shin will like Na Ri in the future because of the attention she is giving to Jung Won.

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Well, sigh, considering to either continue or stop watching from the second episode. I love both the leads, but... When Hwa-shin told her she made his heart flutter, I felt like...oh? eh? what? Wasn't it too fast? But maybe there's a new trend in story telling or directing. I don't know...

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JJS is FASCINATING!! And I just found out that I can definitely watch him reading the yellow pages day in and day out, and still manages to find him fascinating!

What I can see from HS seemingly heart palpitations towards NR happens at a lightning speed, I think it is not impossible. When he first saw NR in Thailand, he seemed annoyed but at the same time restrained and aware of her existence. I mean, to me it was very subtle but if you look at his facial expressions every time NR got close to him, his face soften. His angry tirade toward NR looked like he was in defensive mode, in denial that he cannot actually believe that he was attracted to NR. I don't know it was just based on my observations. JJS is really great at playing with subtle facial expressions that it made me extra observant when I watch him.

All in all, I'm liking the drama and can't wait for the next episode. Hopefully it will get better as the episode progress.

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I keep reading these recaps to get in the mood for this show because I love the leads. But something feels...off. nothing seem6a very fun y or touvhing and even without reading comments at the end I felt that blandness from Jung-won. The story seems a bit scattered to me like things are juat happening because they're suppsed to. Sigh. Leta hope eisodes 3&4 leave me me feeling a bit different. I do really really like both leads and I really want to like this show.

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Okay, I haven't actually watched the show... but I feel like Choi Siwon could be a great Jungwon. XD

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He's mumbling again.

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I feel like Gong Hyojin is playing the same caracters all the time... still same feels, same hair, same typical annoying female hero.... too much romcom of her wish seing her in something new!

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Agree! But i like this drama better than hers before

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If not for JJS, I will have given up on this drama after episode two. The story is not engaging enough, and the camera work is just weird. Not to mention that excessive chest grabbing which got tired by the second episode. How are they going to stretch this drama for a whole 24 episodes?

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I think the relationships in this drama are quite refreshing. It's only episode 2 out of 24 so I am sure thats why the plot lines still seem a bit jumbled as the show tries to flesh out the characters and personalities more. That being said, its not my favourite GHJ character and drama. I really hope the show decides to untangle the exwives and daughter mess earlier on so we can see more of Na Ri's development.

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I'm not sure where you are getting the sexism from but regardless. I have to agree with you about the characters.

Most of them still aren't really all that grounded up until this point except for maybe 1 or 2. granted it is only episode 2 so I won't hold it against the show just yet. I do hope that it gives proper time to each character. As of right now I think my least favorite characters are probably the two ex-wifes just because they got extremly mad at na-ri even though they barely know each her.

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I like the show, but I am most struck right now by the 2 ex-wives and their motherhood status. They are terrible, but their (professed) love for Pal-gang is a refreshing twist on the usual drama bad moms. To me it makes the pathos of Pal-gang's situation all the more touching. Here's a girl who many people are looking for and wanting to help, but but are prevented by their past behavior. The moms and HS have all hurt her in such a way to cause her to loose trust in them. I am interested to see how the show works this out. Clearly Pal-gang needs someone, but I don't blame her a bit for avoiding the "family" she has. I don't remember this dynamic in a drama before.

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hihi does anyone know the song from the "umbrella scene " ? ;o

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Hello! I was reading the recap and I think you have the jobs of the two ex wives mixed up. Sungsook, the first ex, is an announcer, arguably the "top" job at the desk, shown every night under best lighting. Ja-young is the second ex, is the reporter. The paragraphs at the top have it the opposite way.

Thanks for your recaps tho. The editing choices are bizarre, but the writing and characters are intriguing for now.

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I'm now on the third episode.
But this episode, the doctor who asked Hwa Shin to consult another doctor, isn't that Suhbingo unnie from Oh My Ghostess! ? Hee.

And I am always staring so hard whenever Go Kyung-Pyo is on the screen. I am always thinking on how Sun-Woo from (Reply 1988) grew up to a man a like that, feeling proud by myself. *SIGHS*

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