The above illustrated poster for Nice Guy came courtesy of the official KBS page for the drama. For a drama that is at times intense and grim, there is a certain amount of levity about it that this illustration captures and highlights why I love it so. Maru is at the head of the pack because his decisions have driven which direction this drama has gone down. He’s not terribly happy but he seems content, and then we look back and realize why. It’s because Eun Gi is following behind him, holding his hand in a very cute and bubbly way. It’s post-memory loss Eun Gi, but at the same time I glimpse original flavor Eun Gi who was always her most feminine when around Maru. Next comes Joon Ha being all gung ho, but it’s Jae Hee and Eun Seok that bring a big grin to my face. I wish we got more Eun Seok in the drama, because the child speaks truths that are undeniable and many a character would do well by acknowledging. Here he is copying his beloved Eun Gi noona’s body, hand, and leg pose as he follows behind his mom. Too cute! KBS has set the premiere date of November 21st for upcoming fantasy sageuk Jeon Woo Chi starring Cha Tae Hyun and UEE, which means its confirmed that NG will not get extended. Whew! On an aside, Baidu NG fans have been going atwitter today with a Sina news article where a reporter was analyzing NG and wrote that the drama was wrapping up its convoluted plot as it headed towards a happy ending. Of course its just speculation but that reporter makes a convincing case for it and provided all the nervous finger-biting NG fans in China a much needed source of hope and elation. LOL, I love how watching NG has turned us all into jittery wrecks, anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop at anytime.
For those of you confused about recovered-memory Eun Gi’s seeming guilt towards her dead dad and her anger towards Maru, let me try to crack open her tough nut of a brain. Eun Gi has always felt ambivalent towards Maru – she was crazy in love with this random stranger in mere days, but her whip smart mind knew he was not right for her and likely bad news. Jae Hee warned her, Maru warned her, Joon Ha warned her, she tried to warn herself, but in the end she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to be with him. Even when she knew he was just using her, a part of her harbored the hope that Maru had developed genuine feelings for her during his manipulation of her to get close to Jae Hee.
At that beach, Eun Gi was trying to force Maru to acknowledge that he did have real feelings for her, and if he did, she wouldn’t care about why he pursued her and would be willing to be with him. But on that beach, Maru decided to stick a knife into her heart (for her sake) and lie that he never had feelings for her. What’s more hurtful for Eun Gi isn’t Maru’s intentions when he approached her, because he didn’t know her at that time so she was just a stranger to him. What broke her heart was seeing Maru destroy her heart now, even after she told him she didn’t care. She was too heartbroken to realize that Maru was lying for her sake, to get her away from him.
So when she learned that her father had collapsed, she headed back towards the beach. Was she heading back towards Maru? How could she? How could she have known he would have stayed on that beach the entire time? He could have left the beach right after she did, at which point she wouldn’t be able to find him. If she wanted to kill herself and take Maru with her, the best choice is to wait for him at his house, no? So where was she headed? Was she headed back to her family house, the one where she witnessed Jae Hee with Maru? It’s possible.
Until we see what happened from Eun Gi’s perspective, all we know is she turned around and drove back, for what ultimate purpose is still unclear. In that tunnel she came across Maru driving in the opposite direction, and at that moment she made a split second choice. It was not pre-meditated, either her suicide attempt or taking Maru with her. At that moment she was shattered and wanted release. So when her memories came back, she’s face with utter despair at seeing her father gone, Jae Hee running the company, and Maru beside her. The very same Maru who told her to bugger off because he never wanted her.
What is truth for Eun Gi? How does she discern truth in all the lies told to her. Post-memory loss Eun Gi is angry, and it’s a cold silent rage that is going to be frightening to behold. But in that anger its because she still has feelings for Maru, and Maru knows she has remembered hence every gesture on his part is sincere and selfless. He realizes it’s finally time for him to pay his penance to Eun Gi, and whatever she decides he’ll just accept willingly. Can these two break the vicious cycle between them? I know they can, because Lee Kyung Hee has also laid the foundation for that as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.
The perfect happy ending for me requires one or 2 more characters to drop dead…and they know who they are!
Great analysis, Koala! People’s emotions are seldom logical anyway.
Very happy with no extension as very few extensions do not drag the drama down, plus I am impatient for JWC to start
Thanks! I definitely want to check out JWC as well. Not a fan of either CTH or UEE, but its different and the concept is neat. As for NG, its seriously a bunched of emotionally f-cked up people doing f-cked up things to each other. Hardly worth trying to parse through the “logic” behind it, though LKH has written her characters to have consistency and that I love and appreciate.
the poster is cute 🙂 thanks mz. koala for cracking what might be inside the head of EunGi…very insightful…can’t wait for the next episode…still wishing for a happing ending between MaRu & EunGi 🙂
Phew! Good news for Nice Guy fans. We have two more weeks of this pain, even though it has only been bad recently; I think that is just enough.
I was ridiculously crying in my car on the way home tonight.
Why did he have to tell her all those bad things?
When will EG being able to discern the true MR through all the noise?
When will he get surgery?
OMG he can’t die, I will be devastated.
My kids think I am nuts, of course.
Lovely poster! Thanks for sharing and explaining. And this is the best news ever to greet me on a Saturday morning! =D have a great weekend everyone. ^^
what a great idea.. Do you know how relief i am with this news, poster, and your tought..
now, i cab rewatch ep 16 peacefully after reading your poster. Thank you Koala for make my morning weekend more wonderful with your NG and CA news.. ^^
Thanks for explaining your thoughts. It always sparks me to think about why as well!! 🙂 I just hope she really does feel the same for him as she did before.
*sigh of relief* whew! glad this is confirmed already. an extension would just give us non-sense and drag the drama along. i am desperately hoping that Eun Gi would not turn out as everyone of us feared. so worried about Maru, his health or rather his death and EG’s reaction to what had happened while she was amnesiac and the incidents prior to that.
i am also hoping that the reporter’s analysis would turn out to be true for all of us to be happy cuz i really want Maru to be happy. gawd! this guy needs a break!
also thank koala sis for the analysis. i am always looking forward to your ideas on the drama. i had been meaning to ask you what do you think would all of this would lead to. come to think of it, we weren’t able to see even a glimpse of the post accident EG memories.
Always interesting to hear your perspective. I’ve watched only two other dramas written by Lee Kyung Hee.. Thank You and Will It Snow at Christmas.. I don’t know if you’ve watched either, but they both have a more subdued tone like NG, and feature damaged main characters. While the plot resolution in both were positive and redeeming for the leads, the endings were very subdued – not “HAPPY!!” I’m expecting something similar in NG. Has anyone seen other LKH dramas? And I think there is a lot of meaning behind the OST and the theme of waiting and returning.
Tbh, half the posters for NG has a happy rom com vibe to them. But of they send me to an ending where half characters.die or wind up in a coma after the ridiculous cute that is this illustration, I might tear my hair out and take aa short gun to the other half.
thanks for your analysis abiout NG, koala. It’s very insightful.
Sometimes my judgement about character can change as the story progressed. And it will make me chills considering it means the writers knows how to give a twist and makes us viewers anticipated more.
This time the viewers want to give us believe MR actually knows EG way more than her self. I want EG’S ACTION some day will surprise him and force him to acknowledge his own feeling. Not all your calculate move will running smoothly, Kang Ma Ru. But I amazed by his acknowledge about Human psychological condition. He is so smart and knows about human psychological really well.
“On an aside, Baidu NG fans have been going atwitter today with a Sina news article where a reporter was analyzing NG and wrote that the drama was wrapping up its convoluted plot as it headed towards a happy ending. Of course its just speculation but that reporter makes a convincing case for it and provided all the nervous finger-biting NG fans in China a much needed source of hope and elation”
I NEED some of that elation right now. And sooo desperately. Can anybody share a link? I am seriously so depressed right now. Why the hell does Maru have to give so many death speeches?!?!
I second that.
Relieved that there is no extension and some spark of hope for a happy ending.
Is there any possibility to read this reporter-speculations in english?
I love that poster, there’s just 2 missing .. Jae Gil and Choco. I think it might be funny coz kwang soo is so tall 😛
As for NG, Everytime there’s a problem with Eun-gi she always returns to her heart and go with her gut feeling. No matter how much she made mistakes along the way by following her heart, she was able to learn about loving, living, and trusting which is benefiting. New Eun-gi is even scarier than the old one but I hope she finds her way back again.
Anyways, so I really trust LKH for her NG’s ending to be as consistently awesome as making NG’s journey. fighting Chakan Namja!
OH MY GOSH! Thank goodness for that!
Who is the last guy in this picture?????
Isn’t he cardboard-Lawyer Ahn’s minion? At least that’s what I think…
I just got the idea (famous lightbulb-moment, hahahaha) he could be Jae Hee’s brother.
The suit, hairstyle, and the little goatee. – Yep. All points taken. 😀
Jae-Sik 🙂
Would be a logical conclusion. But then hairstyle and suit don’t fit. And without Choco?
Great insight and very real from EG’s perspective. The anger and to some extent fear, uncertainty she experiences of what to believe as true/untrue and sincere/insincere upon her memory recovery. So wonderful of Maru to understand and anticipate her reactions. Proves that he really knows her and loves her for all her characteristics including suspecting and cold, innocent and loving and angry and strong.
i hope innocent man team will not disappoint their viewers worldwide by having a sad ending….please satisfy us by making a happy ending for our maru & eungi….thanks innocent man team…super great drama…thumbs up 🙂