I find screenwriter Park Hye Ryun always honest and consistent in her storytelling, there are no cheap tricks and she doesn’t pull lame feints. That’s why her romantic OTP is always my ship, even if she writes two compelling male leads as to elicit affection for both. It always come down to understanding that the preference is made by the female lead, so who SHE loves and picks makes sense and the groundwork has been laid. When in Dream High Hye Mi picked Sam Dong, even if that was my ship from the beginning, I watched that girl figure out her feelings and come to her own conclusion. That Suzy now plays the grown up Hye Mi that is Dal Mi in Start-Up feels like DH reboot, and the shipping wars the same as I lived through ten years ago.
Three years later and it’s absolutely clear Dal Mi fell in love with Do San for real and friendzoned Ji Pyeong then and still now because her heart has chosen. It all comes down to that fateful decision Ji Pyeong made way too early for him to have made a thoughtful choice, when he found a fake Do San to take credit for his own letters to her. He didn’t swing then so he was out, and now it’s too late. The time jump made everyone more professionally developed and a smidge more emotionally mature, and the family ties are getting built back, but it’s Dal Mi and Do San’s second chance I am curious to see. If either steps aside again or calls an audible then I think they too have let a chance pass them by. I don’t think that will happen because from the beginning Do San may be less rich and successful than Ji Pyeong but he did have one thing in abundance, proactiveness.
The fanwars turned me off in watching this drama. Also now I know why PHR’s muse as male lead is Lee Jong Suk because even though his character has also bad traits as a person like every normal person, he just radiates so much protagonist aura that you just want him to be successful and achieve whatever he wants. Here, NJH did well as the ML but compared to LJK and KSH, he is not someone you just want to cheer on [that’s my opinion], hence, KSH’ Jipyeong is well-loved ’cause the writer puts a nice first impression story to Jipyeongs’ character plus Seonho’s acting did it really well.
Anyway, Dosan and Dalmi is also my OTP for this drama but I am most invested to the happiness of Jipyeong esp him finding a family. Still pissed off though about Injae’s character. I was hoping to see ala 2nd FL of I can hear you voice or Dream High but KHN was underused.
I hate when fanwars ruin a great drama, ala Answer Me 1994.
I think Nam Joo Hyuk is doing a phenomenal job as Do San. He’s handsome, smart, dorky, and totally wracked with guilt and doubt. He’s the perfect male lead but for the tsundere and rich element which was given to Ji Pyeong.
So as viewers of K-dramas we are mind fucked because we love BOTH OF THEM but Dal Mi only loves one. So picking between Good Boy and Nice Boy is like us picking between first and second born. We are not meant to pick, we are all Halmoni who tells both Boys they did well, they try so hard, they should not cry, they deserve happiness. In that vein, it’s Do San who tries to hold onto happiness and Ji Pyeong who hesitate and that’s the X factor.
But in terms of love, it’s all and only Dal Mi. And she fell for Do San for who he is, total dork who knits her Halmoni scrubbies in primary colors unrelated to the letters. That’s why this drama is so good and so frustrating, because it makes us want everyone to be happy.
Oh yes! Answer Me 1994 was also frustrating because of the fanwars. And yes, I do agree to the things you point out. If I were Dalmi, I would also probably chose Dosan [who is now matured, not insecure, and still dorky].
You are totally right, fans ruin with their comments. Da Mi loves One guy, she never had scenes where you can think that she loves Jipyeon, if they don’t like where the story goes, they should respect or watch anything else.
Ji Pyeong didn’t swing back then. In the span of 3 yrs,, he had many opportunities. Yet he still did not swing! Aiya, he’s not going to ever get the girl. Frustrating watch.
I’m pissed that the stupid love triangle screwed up this drama, which had a great first few episodes. At this point, I’m only watching for Suzy. She is doing amazing and is carrying the show. The second male lead’s fans can stay toxic and delusional lmao.
Can I have some of the soju you’re drinking because no way does she have the capability of carrying any drama or movie by herself as decent as she may be as an actress. She’s good but very limited at the moment.
Of course this toxic site who hates idols will say that she doesn’t have the capability to carry a drama lmao. It’s the truth that most people starting watching this because of Suzy and stayed for Suzy, no matter how much people here will deny it. Also, Suzy is not limited, she’s good PERIODT.
She’s carrying the show? I guess that makes all the other actors seaweed then. Hahahaha.
Part 1: 4.666%
Part 2: 5.151%
You wrote she’s good. Just good? Why not great, brilliant, exceptional, spectacular? C’mon, you can hype her better than just good. What a bad fan you are, Marie. Lmao.
@Zen The user Yeena said Suzy is “good BUT limited.” I was correcting her that she is good PERIODT. But yes, Suzy is indeed great, brilliant, exceptional, spectacular. We agree on that lmao. And wow, ratings queen. She can get that despite being the only big name in the cast. Thank you, Suzy.
I checked the latest Brand index rankings for this week and Kim seon Ho is at no. 1 followed by Nam Joo Hyuk..Suzy is found nowhere in the top 10.
I always find u discrediting the other actors apart from ur bias..Fact check: Not everything revolves around your bias ..
He topped that because of 1N2D. He is very active whereas Suzy has not been on TV other than this drama. As for drama related rankings, Suzy has been #1 for 3 consecutive weeks on Good Data, RACOI, CPI.. Seonho wishes he could be effortlessly relevant. His toxic stans are so delusional.
Did you forget that i mentioned Nam Joo hyuk as well.He ranked 2nd .And oops this ranking was for the entire month of November.. and in the actors category Suzy was not even in top 10.
@Anon Lmao NJH was all over the media promoting his movie with Han Jimin. Obviously he ranks higher. Nice attempt. Suzy hard-carrying Start-Up. Stay-pressed.
I really feel bad for the actress playing second lead. Seems like she got screwed, because she didn’t really have much to work with.
The company was going thru a big crisis. And like what? She stood there looking helpless and then she basically just left the room. ??? Terrible writing.
I’m not even watching this drama but I’m getting so entertained by reading the comments on my drama list site haha I’m glad I dodged the bullet by not watching this show but I’m vicariously experiencing this show second-handed by reading the comments. This is the first time I believe where the drama by this writer has such a heavy focus on a so called love triangle since dream high. Her other dramas didnt emphasize as much, and I think that’s what made those dramas more impactful and stronger when they didn’t waste time on high school-like love subplots.
Love triangle in Dream High was tolerable because each of the leads’ story got focus. I think the writer get invested in making a great 2nd ML that gave birth to [frustrating] love triangle which now hinders the spotlight to the story of each character. While You Were Sleeping had also two great male leads yet it was not chaotic as this drama. I can now conclude that so far, I Can Hear Your Voice is this writer’s best drama. All the leads and even the antagonist were written good.
Agree. ICHYV is also her one and only hit drama so far. Page Turner was decent but the rest feels lethargic. I am tired of this show. Its not very good. The first two mentioned I actually rewatched a few times. Everything else after no thanks. Just don’t like the ML or FLs too much. This one Im just trudging on. Suzys inconsistent acting is wearing me out too.
@Lydia1 Suzy inconsistent? You wish. Even knetz and k-drama reddit are praising her acting skills. Lmao people on this site are so blinded by their hate for Suzy that they even praise the likes of Park Shin Hye and IU, who are queens of mediocrity, just to downplay her. Pathetic.
@jamie thank you for the insight! My favorite project of the writer is I hear your voice as well. I’m watching while you were sleeping at the moment and I agree although the 2ML is amazing, I don’t have SLS although I do feel sorry for him.
@Marie You really are delusional! You drag and call IU and PSH mediocre? Whose dramas are consistently successful ratings-wise? Really?! LOL! Can we compare the ratings of Suzy’s dramas to those of these two?
@Marie You really are delusional! You drag IU and PSH here and call them mediocre?These two have dramas that are consistently successful ratings-wise unlike Suzy whose drama only have “mediocre” ratings.
@Maria,why are you dragging psh & Iu into this.no one talKed about.Psh has already enough getting hate for nothing.i doesnt see any one prasing likes of PSH or Iu here.i don’t know all suzyfans are like this.bz l have seen most of the suzyfans downplay others & they act like victims.this is too much.just hype your fav.dont drag others here just to create fanwars.
I don’t really care about fanwars. It won’t stop me to watch a drama. I’m old enough to make my own opinion and don’t understand why people let other people opinions spoil their fun…
In this drama, it’s the writer who still continue the love triangle when everybody already knows that Do-San and Dal-Mi will end together. It’s a waste for the characters and for the story.
I’m more angry about In-Jae, she’s more a guest in this drama than a second lead. The 2 Sans have more screen time and development.
Han Jinpyeong: In your hesitation, you find your answer.
I’m rooting Jipyeongi more with happiness instead of Dalmi.❤ You’ve got us Good Boy!
totally agree with your assessment of the show. My thoughts exactly! I find the shipping wars amusing because I feel like people are disregarding dalmi’s heart in the whole equation. They are just 2 different guys with completely different personalities and in the end her heart is with the real Dosan. NJH is doing an amazing job as an actor…can’t say it’s the easiest or most attractive male lead role but I feel for him having to cry in the last many episodes,
The show has gone downhill and can the writer stop dragging the love triangle out
I am not sure the series did enough to justify her falling for Do San. It felt convenient. She was still hung up over the do san in the letters 3 years ago until the huge revelation was made and the impact on the triangle went nowhere. The show was more focus on Do San and Dal Mi and disregarding Jipyeong. There was never any closure on the closeness Dal Mi had with the Do san in the letters so when she never had that crucial conversation with Jipyeong about the letters, it felt incomplete. 3 years later she misses Do Dan due to his absence. She had problems and he swooped in to rescue her. It is very obvious since ep 1 who Dal Mi will end up with unless the series pull a surprise. Quite simply because lead actor always end up with lead actress in Kdrama. No one expected the supporting male character to get noticed so much. As the series progresses, many times the writer shifts the focus on Do San. I’m not sure I’m convinced on the Do San-Dal Mi relationship. There is no triangle in this relationship. Jipyeong is the 3rd wheel and obviously he will back away. He is the perpetual missed chances in love sort of man. But will Dal Mi ever loved him if he did confess? No. Because Dal Mi already kissed Do San. Kdrama is always about first love. It may seem to Dal Mi her first love was the Do San in the letters but this series is probably saying her first love is the one she saw and actually had a conversation with. Unfortunately this series isn’t making that convincing because Jipyeong is sort of like those character you cheer for. Sure, Do San was more proactive but Jipyeong never lied to Dal Mi. He may not speak but when he does, he always told her the truth. That goes against him because he mostly chooses not to speak when it is about matters of the heart. Screenwriter shouldn’t have given such a personality. Then it is easier to see why Dal Mi falls for Do San because she sees everything that Do San does for her but she never really sees what Jipyeong did for her. Quite frustrating to watch. 3 years jump was taking easy way out. I’d rather concentration is on the start up than the romance.
Agreed with your view. Feels it is written for Suzy again, nothing against Suzy, with the triangle everything revolves around her, nothing much on start up and poor Injie. The next time the writer casts Suzy again, I don’t think I will watch it, cos it will be the same plot.
@Oto
Lol ? ? Your comment is hilarious!!! I’ve nothing more to add cause the comments on this forum says it all. We all knew who Dalmi would end up since ep 6 with and as they already kissed; but the writer kept dragging the love triangle instead of putting it to bed and focusing on more meatier fare. This decision came back to haunt her because it thoroughly ruined what was a promising plot and frustrated the viewers. Not only that, but she ruined the opportunities for her more experienced actors to shine. It is possible for a drama to put the spot light on more than one plot as Hospital Playlist has shown us. I really was looking forward to Injae’s. development, life lessons and growing to appreciate her late father’s choices.
You are totally right, fans ruin with their comments. Da Mi loves One guy, she never had scenes where you can think that she loves Jipyeon, if they don’t like where the story goes, they should respect or watch anything else.
Therefore, for those who ignore the fan wars and those who do not just focus 100% on the second male lead, this show is really great “K-drama watching” entertainment. Good looking and compatible leads, good acting all around and interesting story.
I suppose some fans are rooting for the 2nd ML because of the richness of his backstory and how it was executed in the first episode where his teenage character and sad story captured everyone’s hearts. I too am invested in his happiness but he doesn’t have to get the girl. For the Dosan-DalMi story, what maybe lacking is some sort of a stronger narrative to show that the 30s DalMi is no longer stuck on the teenage DalMi’s connection to the fake Dosan.
Well i will remember this drama as most ridiculous love triangle fiasco enjoy first few ep.dont agree with koala the story went downhill the writer only milking this show because of the male lead popularity
Second male lead popularity, Kim Seon Ho topped this month’s brand recognition ranking, ahead of male lead and heaps ahead of female lead.
@Maria,why are you dragging psh & Iu into this.no one talKed about.Psh has already enough getting hate for nothing.i doesnt see any one prasing likes of PSH or Iu here.i don’t know all suzyfans are like this.bz l have seen most of the suzyfans downplay others & they act like victims.this is too much.just hype your fav.dont drag others here just to create fanwars.
This is by far the laziest written drama from Park Hye Run…she had absolutely no idea beyond surface level about tech start ups hence the plot holes got bigger and bigger with each episode and the logic and any semblance of realism was thrown out the window. If I could nitpick, it would never end. I am surprised people haven’t realized that she ran out of story, plot device weeks ago. The same rinse, repeat cycle has been going on for some time now. Kim Sun Ho really did come through but I found his plot around Dal Mi unnecessary. 3 years gap, he still hasn’t confessed or stepped his game up, Dal Mi hasn’t lost a husband to war, she dated a guy and they broke up. What is the point of hovering around her. Also, Dal Mi is glorified damsel in distress hidden beneath fluff. Take the false outer layer away, she hasn’t saved herself and she hasn’t proven her mettle as a CEO. That scrunchie tightening won’t make me change my mind on this. Kang Hanna, a great character, a great actor wasted. Nam Joo Hyuk is good, I was far more impressed with him in School Nurse Files, his Do San isn’t really my cup of tea. He did well. I am glad next week this over cooked sticky rice of a drama will be over, we can finally move on.
team jinpyeong is trending on my country’s Twitter wtf is going on…? ?.
My conclusion after the slew of comments. Fan wars happen because the writer writes it to be so. Casting director also needs to be shot for picking someone as outstanding as Kim Sun Ho. This is the second time NJH got shafted. First being School 2015. Being team swimmer I felt so bad for him when Kim So Hyun and Yook Sung Jae was awarded best couple at KBS entertainment awards and they panned to him during the announcement. *facepalm*. Here I think he deservedly got shafted due to weak characterization. Park Hye Ran needs to be taken off my favourite writers list as this is one lazy badly written drama that feels like a replay of Hong Sisters worst drama to date Warm & Cozy a few years back. Be rational and think? Is there any particular scene in this drama that lingers with you and makes it unforgettable? For me, it started well with the memorable arc between grandma and jipyeong that soon fizzled with the triangle taking centrestage. ICHYV on contrary had plenty as the acting was flawless and with no love triangle involved allowed the author time to proper build each character. And I decided due to fans like Marie, I will not watch any other dramas by Suzy. Nor any by Kim Yoo Jung as this site has constantly shown the most toxic of fans belongs to these two girls. They are just not wonderful enough for me to tune out the crazies and read whatever constructive comments made about the acting or plot lines surrounding it.
Agreed. Bad fan turn me off.
i think you are severely underestimating nam joo hyuk’s impact and influence. he has in no way been shafted. he has been getting consistent praises for his acting, and there are many people who love dosan and relate to his struggles. han yian and nam dosan are oceans apart in complexity and depth, and kim so hyun/yook sungjae is not comparable to dodal, bc a large part of the viewers are rooting for dodal. you need only look at the naver tv comments and dodal moments capturing peak ratings in every episode to know that.
kim seon ho fans are loud and obnoxious, and they’re creating a lot of noise to discredit suzy and nam joo hyuk. i am not sure why they can’t praise their favorite without stepping on others, but they’re becoming notorious and could potentially cause damage to seon ho’s image (a la xiao zhan). even knetz are sick of them, and always asking them to not cross any lines, which they do very often.
I dont like this drama. Suzy acting is just meh. The way they build up the stories is weak.
I agree kim seonho fans is obnoxious. Nam joohyuk isnt great actor either. People on this site would never bash male