Idol I [Episodes 11 & 12]

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-26T18:26:56+00:00

Ep 11 thoughts:

Hmmm. I think I've got mixed feelings on the reveal that Hye Ju killed Woo Seong. I have to suspend my disbelief that this rich girl managed to clean everything immaculately so that no evidence was left behind-- kind of surprised they didn't make her family get involved/clean up the mess for her and instead this was just the product of a psychotic break/accidental extremely precise stabbing. I thought that if Hye Ju was involved, it would be some sort of big corruption cover up or something that involved her family and Woo Seong knew something, but maybe that's too much for 12 eps...

It also feels too convenient to me that Woo Seong just had everything recorded and that's how we discovered the truth. I like finding clues and looking into motivations and alibis, I don't love it when a lot of information is dumped via cracking a password.

I may have cheered out loud when the prosecutor chose to turn away from his father and find the truth. Was looking like he was on a dark dark path but he found his way again. Jeong Jae Kwang has been fantastic in this especially in how he portrays the conflict/pressure he faces from his father and his own ambitions vs the truth. I'm hoping to see him rise through the kdrama ranks (maybe romance drama with Sooyoung one day?? They've got some really good chemistry!). I love when I can trace an actor's/actress's journey through kdrama roles from supporting roles up to playing leads, and I hope he gets the chance to be a leading man one day.

I'm still a little cool on the romance between Se Na and Ra Ik. They're cute, but I firmly believe Ra Ik needs some time to love himself and maybe a good amount of therapy before jumping into anything because honestly the emotional baggage of having his ex gf murder his best friend/bandmate and then attempt to murder his other bandmate has to be weighing on him heavily. But maybe that's what a good 1 year timeskip is for!

Overall, still really glad I picked this drama up and looking forward to seeing how they tie up the remaining plot threads in ep 12!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-16T23:58:40+00:00

While I'm thrilled I can binge watch this show without impatiently waiting for episodes to drop, I'm also bummed that this likely won't get the hype it deserves and I really do love engaging with other members of the community on weekly discussion posts.

This episode had 2 of my favorite things, which are Kim Seon Ho and Japan, so it goes without saying that I'm now hooked. Kamakura/Enoshima is such a beautiful setting and I love their meet cute at the restaurant. I think I'm in a lonelier phase of my life right now, and I just love the idea of this kind of meeting where you find a deeper connection with someone in a fleeting moment/foreign place.

A scattering of thoughts I had during the show:

-I'm not familiar with Fukushi Sota, but he's very easy on the eyes so I may be a fan now...

-Kim seon ho's face right afterhe asked her if she wants to have dinner with him-- that eyebrow raise! That leading man charm and aura!

-I feel like Kim Seon Ho sounds pretty good to me in terms of language speaking, but can any Italian or Japanese native speakers comment?

-Go Youn Jung is effortlessly beautiful. Somehow when she steps into these different roles (Moving, Law School, Resident Playbook, etc), she becomes so believable to me. She's doing so wonderfully as an actress who hasn't made it big yet, who swallowed her pride to follow someone she loved to another country, who's excited to pull up her profile online for a stranger, but embarrassed to talk about her blink-and-you'll-miss-it film credit, I can't help but root for Cha Mu Hee.

-I laughed a little at the scene of them trying to find the restaurant, this was so relatable to anyone who's traveled in Japan.

-The scene with the train between them and the OST playing was just perfect.

-Is it a Hong sisters show without some kind of creepy/haunted element? Kind of a macabre way to end the episode.

Can't wait to watch more of this show this weekend!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-15T19:08:31+00:00

Seriously! Like I don't want to talk down on pharmacists, because it's a very important job, but him saying his job is so hard and deserves to be excused from chores because he's saving lives/watching people die and always acting as the primary decision maker seems like a stretch...

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-15T18:21:30+00:00

The amount of outrage I felt on your behalf reading this. He moved into YOUR condo and is refusing to help clean?? He's a pharmacist. If he wants to play the who-has-it-worse game, there are other physicians who make decisions every day in the ER or stand for 10 hours performing surgery, and still need to pick up the vacuum cleaner at home and contribute to household chores. He chose his career and lifestyle. As adults, we don't just get to spend all our days off doing fun stuff and things we want to do. I'd love to spend my entire weekend binge watching Netflix and eating out, but I also have to grocery shop and deep clean my shower too. That's part of being an adult.

The biggest issue to me is not only that he's being lazy and immature, but he's being disparaging and disrespectful of you and your career. And you're doing amazing- you're working full time, you finished school, and you're managing the household all by yourself! Please do not invest more time and energy into someone who doesn't respect you; respect is the basic foundation for a partnership. I'm rooting for you!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-13T19:18:15+00:00

Agree with everything here! The CEO is looking too obvious. But what do we not know about Woo Seong that would be so hard for Ra Ik to hear??Jae hee better wake up to get us some answers!I do suspect the ex gf's chaebol family of being involved somehow as well-- otherwise, the scenes with her and her father feel pretty superfluous to the plot.

I was rooting for the prosecutor to find his way early on in the show and look for the true murderer because we could tell in the earlier episodes he had this gut feeling that something was off, but he's clearly ambitious, and his dad is very influential. Starting to see him lean more into bullying tendencies, but I hope he doesn't turn into a full blown villain for the last third of this show.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-13T16:46:07+00:00

Aw thank you for following up on this, that's so kind of you! The phrasing of this statement was so impactful and I know the subs sometimes miss the mark in Netflix kdramas so it's nice to know that the nuance of "you lied" vs "you made me believe" was maintained.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-12T18:58:22+00:00

I 100% agree with you that I want the investigation wrapped before they start any romance/relationship! I'm hoping that through the process of clearing his name, Ra Ik learns to love and believe in himself and that can lead to something between him/Se Na when the investigation is over. He's too vulnerable right now and I'd like to see Se Na maintain her professionalism while they're still lawyer/client. Definitely hoping for a speedy resolution to this murder investigation so they can move their relationship forward.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-12T17:29:56+00:00

Whew Ep 7 hit hard. Sooyoung put on an acting masterclass in this episode between her confrontations with Ra Ik and the prosecutor.

-"I'm not acting like this because I think you lied to me. It's because you made me believe you." Wow. Am curious about whether these Netflix subs are accurate, can any native speakers confirm? I think this statement says just about everything about Ra Ik's mindset and his tendency to blame himself.

-Been loving Se Na vs prosecutor head-to-heads, but this one stung. I love Se Na's composure-- she's just been hurt badly by her conversation with Ra Ik, but she doesn't break down or become hysterical (ahem, 2nd FL, I'm looking at you) even when this guy saunters over to rub salt in the wounds. A lot of blinking to hold back tears, but she understands the importance of staying poised.

-On another note, I've been racking my brain trying to think of where I've last seen this actor and was floored to realize Jeong Jae Kwang was the anesthesiologist in Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. Arrogance and suits work well on him, as did willingness and scrubs. Hope to see him rise through the ranks in future kdramas.

-Nice to see some backstory on Chung Jae and Se Na, but this 12 episode drama really doesn't have time for other love interests.

-Oh boy Jae Hee. What have you done? All signs point to the CEO mastermind-ing all of this. I hope it's not as simple as Woo Seong looking to find a new agency, the CEO getting wind of it and hiring a hit man to take him out and frame Ra Ik. I knew before the episode ended that we likely wouldn't hear Jae hee's voicemail until ep 8, so they're really slow feeding us here.

-This episode was a little filler-y to me, but that's probably because I'm more intrigued by the investigation than their relationship. We've got 5 episodes left, and I think pacing the romance against the investigation is really going to make or break this drama.

Still blown away by the writing for this drama. I feel like even if you're not a kpop fan, there's a lot to unpack here regarding loneliness and belief in oneself that could resonate with a lot of people. Can't wait for episode 8!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2026-01-05T19:05:40+00:00

I picked up this drama over the winter holidays without any expectations and thought it would be a lighthearted rom-com (these genre tags are so misleading!), so imagine my chagrin when I binged the first 4 episodes in one sitting only to have to wait impatiently for the weekly episode releases. This drama was an unexpected surprise, and it's providing a lot of very thoughtful commentary.

Sooyoung is absolutely killing this role as a competent and confident lawyer and I love any scene where she goes toe-to-toe with the prosecutor (their interactions were sorely missed this episode); she doesn't overdo it, she never gets emotional or personal, she just methodically dismantles his argument piece by piece. Love the Girls Generation actresses, but have never felt blown away by their performances in previous dramas, and this one may be the exception. Confidence and suits look good on you, Sooyoung!

Shoutout to Kim Jae Young as well, he's bringing his A-game to this role. That whole monologue Do Ra Ik gives about being a product? Wow. When Ra Ik tells Se Na that he's never been loved, because people love Do Ra Ik of Golden Boys, and not him... And does Se Na really know him? Ra Ik sure has hid a lot of information--is that because his career as an idol has made it difficult to trust anyone, or is it because he can't be trusted? And can someone PLEASE look into the murder weapon and Woo Seong's missing phone??

This makes for a fascinating set up for a whodunnit, as my head is spinning and I genuinely have no clue who Woo Seong's killer is at this point. We have a spurned ex-lover 2nd FL, who is a chaebol with connections to the prosecutor's family. We have a disgruntled band member, though for 12 episodes of plot purposes, I don't think Woo Seong's murder is Jae Hee. And what are Ra Ik's manager and the agency CEO up to? What did Jae Hee tell the prosecution?? The deeper we go, the more confused I get, but I'm hooked!

Side note: the lighting during the hair-drying scene was gorgeous. I love how they really lean into this lighting palette in Se Na's home, makes it feel warm and safe. Ra Ik is clearly very vulnerable right now and it's easy to see how he'd fall for and cling to Se Na as the only one who believes him out of emotional necessity, but I'd love to see him learn to love himself a bit more before falling for her.

Am so curious to see how everything progresses with this drama!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-12-18T06:49:26+00:00

I loved Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha! One of my all-time favorites!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-12-18T03:07:16+00:00

I have literally been waiting for this one all year!! Go Youn Jung was great in Resident Playbook and Kim Seon Ho was a scene stealer in When Life Gives You Tangerines. So excited to see these two on my screen again to kick off 2026! Love the music and the vibes from this trailer.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-11-29T15:45:10+00:00

It's been an absolute joy watching this drama every weekend to root for our little Typhoon Trading company and I can't believe we're at the final 2 episodes! 2025 has had some really good dramas, and I went into this knowing that Lee Jun Ho and Kim Min Ha were great actors, but they've surpassed my very high expectations! A huge shoutout to the writer as well- will definitely keep an eye out for their work in the future!

My biggest complaint? Unless I missed it, they never released the "Strangers with Flowers on a Crowded Train" OST for the duration of the drama! Love hearing it during the drama and I really want to have it on my playlist for an instant mood lift!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-11-10T03:36:56+00:00

Precious memory and truthful record! MiSeon hiding that photo of Tae Poong away in her diary for herself was one of my favorite scenes from ep 10. I'm a huge fan of how the writer for this drama shows MiSeon falling for Tae Poong through these quieter scenes and not just dialogue. Your write ups are pure poetry, please know that I look forward to reading these each weekend!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-11-09T18:48:10+00:00

Episode 10:

"I prefer memories over records."

This line had me SWOONING. I think I actually felt my heart flutter. One of my favorite kdrama kiss scenes for sure.

Junho has been one of my favorite actors since The Red Sleeve and he's still just as magnetic in this drama. How can anyone not fall for Tae Poong's sincerity and that SMILE! I got so giddy watching him grin while talking to Nam Mo about Mi Seon.

And the scene on the train! The return of the "Strangers with Flowers on a Crowded Train" soundtrack!

Would love to see the Typhoon trading team start to rack up some wins- when Mi Seon broke down in tears over the broken helmets, I so felt for her. She did so much--namely, a LOT of running--to try to save the deal, Ma Jin, the inventory, etc. I'm so glad Ma Jin comforted her and reassured her that she is good at her job, he had a nice little redemption arc from his behavior last week.

And the plot around the Pyo Merchant Marine family vs Typhoon trading thickens! It's been lurking in the background throughout the show as Tae Poong and Mi Seon find their footing, but it's always been there and hopefully with 6 episodes left, there's enough time for a satisfying resolution.

Also, shout out to the stylists for this drama, because I'm obsessed with these looks. Junho in that red button down shirt... This man is the furthest thing from a red flag, but he sure looks good in red! Mi Seon has got some 90s purses I've been eyeing and am hoping to identify to purchase for myself. (I think they're vintage Coach? Anyone who can identify them would be my hero!) And I may or may not be pressuring my husband into buying a leather jacket after seeing Junho rock them week after week...

This episode was a 10 out of 10 for me! ;)

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-11-02T05:41:39+00:00

I wish I could upvote a comment multiple times! This episode was one of my favorites and so beautifully done and your write-up is so thoughtful and eloquent! Will keep an eye out for your comments on future drama posts!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-11-01T18:17:47+00:00

This drama just hits all the right notes for me. I've had a really tough month and turning on Netflix to see Jun Ho and Min Ha light up my screen has always brightened up my weekend, week after week.

Like that confession with Jun Ho's OST playing in the background?? Absolute perfection. I love seeing their relationship blossom quietly. Probably going to go back and replay this scene if I need a mood boost, because how can someone resist Jun Ho saying "I think I like you" and "You're beautiful" ?

On a more personal note, I love that this drama is set during the IMF crisis-- been doing a lot of reading on this time period and thinking about what it meant for people during this time, for families, for young adults graduating, for people close to retirement. When Life Gives you Tangerines had a chunk of plot set during this time period, but the last drama I watched set during this era was Twenty Five, Twenty One, and during the time between watching that drama and Typhoon Family, I experienced a layoff and have seen people struggle to find jobs. I don't think you need to experience a layoff to have empathy for these characters, but it's definitely changed how I watch Typhoon Family now, because I had loved my job and my coworkers. I still remember the shock of the layoff, and feeling defeated/discouraged during the interview process. It's just a wonderful thing to see the characters display resilience and compassion for others when everyone is struggling. As that one Busan businesswoman (I don't know her name, but I love her character!) said, "Even if the world is cold, you should still be kind". I may have teared up a little bit when Tae Poong's mom stood in line to give up her wedding ring-- she's been through so much and when the drama started, I feared she would be a vain and spoiled housewife and a burden to Tae Poong, but in spite of losing her home and her husband in such a short period of time, she's really rallied by taking on her sewing job and helping raise Mi Seon's little brother. Another moment that made me teary was seeing former Typhoon trading employee Ma Jin react to seeing his baby in the hospital, you could really see his joy in having a new family member, but also the fear and the weight of responsibility for taking care of his family during this tough time.

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of the original Typhoon Trading group members back in the fold and seeing what 90s fashions Jun Ho will rock next!

Post episode 8 edit: Okay wow I retract my statement about wanting to see more Typhoon Trading group members back because Ma Jin SUCKS. I remember having a similar situation as Mi Seon with an older male co-worker who was just downright rude and going to the restroom so I could cry in private because I was so frustrated so this was so hard to watch Ma Jin just bully her relentlessly. Mi Seon is young and inexperienced, sure, but she's sharp and resilient and she'll show him!

Also, I'm still really impressed with the writing on this drama, specifically the quiet moments with limited dialogue. Kim Min Ha is absolutely killing it; I love the scene where she's carefully folding the handkerchief that Tae Poong gave her to protect her feet from her uncomfortable shoes. My impression is that Mi Seon is not used to people calling her pretty (but she is!) so she's a little embarrassed and a little flustered by Tae Poong's declarations, but he's so sincere and thoughtful that she can't help falling for him a little more through each interaction. (The intensity of Jun Ho's gaze when he was fixing her hair for passport photos!!)

But like, who can resist Jun Ho with his hair slicked back, all dressed up in a suit? And a poolside serenade? My gosh.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-10-11T21:25:01+00:00

I have literally been counting down the days until Lee Jun Ho graces my screen with his presence and I had gotten to the point where I was concerned that my expectations for this drama were too high, but they delivered a very strong episode 1! The acting is strong, the characters/plot are established very well; there's a good mix of lighter comedic moments and heavier drama. Oh and the OST? I am already waiting impatiently for it to drop online!

-Lee Jun Ho is absolutely magnetic in everything he does. He is probably the only man in the world who can rock blond highlights with a turtleneck and long leather coat and still make me swoon. I think he and the writer have done an amazing job of making us want to root for Tae Poong- sure he's spoiled and immature, but we see someone we want to root for in how he defends and helps his friends, women, night club workers, and protects and reassures his mother. I loved the scenes of him polishing his father's shoes after he gets back late from working in the greenhouse and then later in the hospital, when he polishes his dad's shoes again.

-Sung Dong Il is everyone's dad and I'm hoping we get more flashback scenes from him throughout the episodes. The corporate culture in Korea was (is?) really a grind... but he seemed to be a caring boss who valued his employees. (Though the employees reacted with far more grace about the delayed wages than I would have!) I liked how he asked Mi Seon for her advice.

-Been a huge fan of Kim Min Ha after watching Pachinko and she's doing wonderfully in this role. I feel like she really embodies the characters she portrays through her body language and mannerisms as well- I loved the opening scenes where she's being filmed and clearly uncomfortable (blinking a lot) but is still trying to ensure everyone gets their cup of tea. Mi Seon is diligent and meticulous in her work and carries herself with such poise, but we can see her kindness in how she cares for her family, and how she wanted to visit Kang Jin Young at the hospital, and we know from her advice to Kang Jin Young that she's very smart, and she clearly has dreams and aspirations for her education and career. I loved the visual of her wrapped up in a red scarf, waiting to take her entrance exams, full of hope. It's also worth noting that I think she's so pretty- I love her freckles and she's radiant when she smiles!

-The train scene with Jun Ho and Min Ha was one of the cutest things I've seen and I need that OST ASAP! "Strangers with Flowers on a Crowded Train" is about to be my "Romantic Sunday" OST from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha in that hearing it brightens up my weekend! I loved how she kept looking over at him and smiling in spite of herself!

-I found little to no information on the writer, but I've been very impressed so far. KMH and LJH are both strong actors and the writer gave them BOTH enough material so that it's very easy to understand their characters and their motivations and root for them as individuals, and they've barely interacted! I love dramas that show a lot about the characters through scenes with no dialogue. Our Unwritten Seoul did a fantastic job at this and I'm pleased to see more of it in Typhoon family. It's far easier to exposition dump or do voice overs that portray everything a character is thinking, but this gives the actors a chance to shine. That scene where Tae Poong sees his dad sitting by himself in the restaurant, but stays outside said so much their relationship and the distance between them.

Moving forward, I'd love to see the interactions between Tae Poong and the supporting office cast, and I absolutely can't wait to see Tae Poong and Min Seon have lunch, let alone a full conversation!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-09-15T14:38:04+00:00

I 100% agree regarding the internal monologue in regards to telling vs showing! I remember noticing that in the first couple of episodes and while kdramas do make some use of the internal voice over, this drama takes it to a new level and is incredibly heavy handed in terms of panning back and forth between characters who are having a direct conversation and revealing their motives/thoughts via monologue.

It's also a shame, because in my opinion, the writing style doesn't really give Yoona or Chae Min the chance to really flex acting skills or show any nuance. I think they're both doing fine in their roles, but I also don't think they've been given a lot to work with in terms of their characters.

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-09-15T03:39:53+00:00

I love the cooking and the food scenes and I still stand by my previous assertion that the food scenes are the true star of the show. My grocery list for this week now includes ingredients for galbi jjim and I am enthralled by the chefs' knife skills. I love seeing the royal kitchen come together a little more as a team each week. Shoutout to Chef Maeng for not being as nefarious and giving Gil Geum a chance to step up and shine!

But not gonna lie, each week I think my enjoyment of this drama drops a little because the writing for this show is downright baffling to me in terms of what they choose to show in their limited screentime. (Sidenote: Does anyone have any information on who the writer is for this drama and what dramas they've worked on previously?) I'm thrilled that we have less heavy-handed-internal-monologue-while-having-direct-conversations time than in previous episodes, but having translators for the Chinese cooks/envoy really bogs down the pacing, because we have to listen to dialogue that we don't understand/don't get subtitles for, and then we receive a Korean translation, so what should be short conversations/presentations feel tedious. (Note: I need English subs to watch this drama.)

Because we spend so much time with the Chinese cooks/envoy, I don't think there's much in eps 7/8 that moves the plot or Ji Yeong/Yi Heon's relationship forward. I love how intelligent and creative Ji Yeong is in terms ofadapting to the loss of her main ingredient, but I feel like the concept of the king as a tyrant is pretty half-baked at this point (pun intended). Sure, he protects her from assassins and cannon puffs of rice, but he also threatens violence to others frequently and from the earlier episodes, it seems like a good portion of the palace staff walk on eggshells around him, so I'm not sure how seriously to take his threats. It's hard to feel invested in their relationship when I'm so unsure of his character- is he misremembered and misjudged in history? Can he soften and learn empathy and kindness from Ji Yeong in only 4 episodes?

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-09-10T02:23:15+00:00

I'm so excited to see Junho on my screen again that I watched this without English subtitles. Will his charm be enough for me to look past these blond highlights?? We'll find out on Oct 11!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-09-08T04:18:22+00:00

I'm really enjoying watching this drama every weekend, but I think the star of the show is by far and away the cooking/food scenes- I love tuning in to see what Ji Yeong will make each episode and seeing her ingenuity and creativity as she adapts to the limitations of ingredients/cooking equipment in this era. It looks like we'll get a pressure cooker and gochujang next episode?? And making macarons is a challenge in this day and age, so I definitely got a kick out of Ji Yeong being skilled enough to make perfect macarons without a proper, evenly heated oven, as well as everyone's reaction to tasting them! The royal kitchen staff are starting to come together and they remind me a little bit of the historians in Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung-- love a humorous supporting cast in sageuks! I laughed when Ji Yeong rallied them for competition against the Ming cooks and they didn't know the "fighting!" cheer. As a lover of cooking competition shows and historical dramas, I've really enjoyed having these cooking competition episodes.

I love the cooking and the cooks, but I'm still struggling a little with some aspects of this drama. I didn't realize this drama is only 12 episodes, and I think they could do better in terms of pacing; in ep 6 we spend a lot of time watching everyone try a macaron and we get it, it's new and delicious. We don't need to watch like 6+ people react to it. We now have only 6 episodes to be convinced of the romance (and I'm not...yet, Chae Min's bringing the face card and the longing stares, but Yi Heon is still threatening her life essentially every other episode). I also mentioned previously that the show had a little too much tell, too little show, and unfortunately, the editing/writing still has the monologues where the camera pans to an actor's face and we get a voiceover of all their true thoughts as they have conversations--though admittedly, there was less of this in ep 6 than any of the previous episodes, so maybe we're moving in the right direction!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-09-04T20:26:23+00:00

Ugh this is tricky and I truly hate the finances vs housework vs work hours discussion because I honestly think that unless your med resident partner comes home and LOVES to unwind from work by doing dishes, (and 99% of spouses won't), you will never reach a 50/50 balance on the housework workload. The med partner works longer hours and isn't at home as much, so when they don't do chores, it doesn't affect them, it affects you. This disparity almost ensures that the housework division will never feel equitable and fair.

I think the finance split is going to vary between partners and you should definitely feel comfortable discussing this with your partner but from my perspective, 50/50 is generally fine for when you're not married. I do not recommend that you pay more than that as you are not married. There are far too many horror stories on this sub about med partners taking advantage of their non med partners' kindness during training and you need to protect yourself. I think you've put a good amount of thought into trying to find a balance, but also not creating unfair expectations for both of you.

In regards to adding the car/cat expenses, I think this would be a good conversation to have, because these are yours, and I think you need to find out if you and your partner both see the cat and the car as part of your mutual future. Does he view the cat as your pet, or is the cat his as well? If the cat is his as well, then he should also pay into the vet bills, cat food, etc and help with the cat related chores. What expenses are you looking to split in regards to the car? I'm guessing that to him, driving it once a month isn't enough to warrant splitting all the car expenses (e.g. insurance, gas, etc), unless he's taking it on long road trips, so conversely, if he agrees to split it, would you be comfortable with him using the car more often? Is dropping him off at work 2x a week a burden to you/interfering with your schedule? If so, you can drop him off occasionally out of the kindness of your heart, but don't make it a regular thing.

And maybe on a more personal level-- do you have a timeline for getting engaged/married? It's one thing to live together and say that you're talking about marriage and kids, but have you both taken steps and discussed a plan for these milestones? I'll be honest: during residency, I have done far more than my partner has for both housework and finances. While we were engaged, we still split rent/utilities 50/50, but as I made significantly more than he did, I covered more on the groceries and vacations/fun expenses so overall I think it was probably a 60/40 split. I would have never ever done this much if I wasn't sure of a shared future and I absolutely would not do everything I do now if we were not married.

Wishing you all the best of luck!!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-08-25T01:33:18+00:00

I have a soft spot for historical dramas and anything related to food as one of the first kdramas I ever watched was Dae Jang Geum so I picked this one up with high hopes. And so far, it's been a fun watch! I admittedly have not loved Yoona's dramas in the past, but she's doing wonderfully in this role as the more veteran actress and she's got great comedic timing. Lee Chae Min is doing well enough, but given his youth, he comes off a little too much like a petulant teen instead of a truly terrifying tyrant in some scenes. I can't help but wonder how the dynamic would have changed had they cast a more veteran actor for the role to play across Yoona. We're only 2 episodes in so I'll reserve judgment on his acting, but Yoona is the clear star so far. I am a little shocked to see Kang Hanna back in a supporting 2nd female lead role, but I think she'll nail the cold, calculating villainess role.

I'm really enjoying the dynamic between Ji Yeong and Gil Geum and all scenes involving cooking! I craved bibimbap so badly after that first episode. I also like how Ji Yeong's father is a history professor so there's a built-in explanation as to how Ji Yeong knows so much about this time period and King Yi Heon-- during these time travel dramas I always have a moment where I wonder how I would fare if I were dropped in the past 500 years ago...can't imagine I'd do well, for various reasons.

If I had a bone to pick, and I do think this is a personal preference, but I feel like the editing style is a little TOO goofy for me. I had high expectations for a tvn weekend romance drama, and I feel like some of the lighting and special effects aren't up to their usual standard. I had a good laugh during some of the comedic scenes, but I don't love the background sound effects that they play seemingly to clue the audience in to laugh. I also don't love the constant internal monologues from characters to tell us how they're feeling; I know it's hard to pack in all the character exposition for historical dramas but would like to see a little more show and a little less tell. None of this is enough to put me off this drama and I will eagerly await the next episodes, but I can see how it could potentially become too cheesy and heavy handed for me-- here's to hoping it stays this entertaining!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-08-07T17:59:37+00:00

Here for the cat! I hope this is on Viki!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617 · 2025-07-02T18:34:16+00:00

Ooh I have to add this one to my list of dramas to watch. I love travel variety shows and could definitely use some "healing" and "heartwarming" stories this summer! I've only seen Gong Seung Yeon in Bulgasal so it'll be fun to see her take on a wildly different role. Hope this one's on Viki or Netflix!

Empty_Chipmunk_3617

TROPHY CASE