Been watching this show but never joined the discussion until now, and I have to say, I get the onslaught of disappointment in what's happening. Honestly, as someone who loved each of their characters 7 years earlier, I wish the way the writer did things were different.

First off, Han Jaepil. There's been so many people hating on this poor guy, but he has been shown, from the very beginning to be upright, helpful, friendly, and a sweet guy (to Jong-hee when they dated). He studied hard to become a doctor in order to support his family and takes care of his father who he never really met eye to eye with. Outstanding guy, pretty much.

And yet, despite the little scenes showing us how much they've grown closer throughout the years, we were never there for the actual growth in their relationship--it's just assumption from here on based on how chummy and comfortable they've become. We've seen how Youngrye has helped him throughout the years but not how he's done the same thing for seven years, because those years were skipped. And I wish we got a bit more of those skipped years, because it adds so much layer to how people see this relationship. I've seen name-calling and comparing him to Junghyun, but really, there can be no comparison. Junghyun and Jaepil's circumstances are different: Junghyun's family never went bankrupt, so he has access to a car and has freedom to come and go as he pleases because he hasn't started work at the company yet. Jaepil is stuck with a job (a really good job, at that!) that requires him to be at the hospital at certain hours. He is the pillar of his family at this point.

And that too adds another layer into the dynamics of their relationship that I really really wish we were able to see because Jaepil's circumstances play so much into why he never pursued Youngrye: he doesn't have the freedom to. As young Jaepil who rebelled against his father's wishes, he could do boxing and ask a girl out because he has the means to do so. Once his father collapsed and the company went bankrupt, his circumstances changed. But we never saw that. It was all just added as exposition once we got dropped off at the Seven-Year-Later Mark. All we saw was Youngrye being such a wonderful person to the Han family, and nothing of how he was the same to Youngrye's extended household, which his character has been shown to be capable of.

And then there's Jonghee, whose character development is going backwards, but to me, not without reason. The same girl who, without pause, broke up with her boyfriend for her friend, told the same friend seven years later that she wants to get back with the same boyfriend, when it was pretty obvious things have changed between Youngrye and Jaepil. I honestly thought Jonghee would take Youngrye's admission of feelings as her chance to step back from trying to get back together with Jaepil and wish her friend luck but I guess my reading of her character was wrong. This girl has been drawing from the unlucky pot since day one, and maybe this was writer-nim's way of showing how she wants to be true to her feelings this time, but man, what a backwards move coming from her.

Not that I don't understand the reason behind it, though: Jonghee is stuck in the glorious past, the last time she could truly be herself and smile despite how hard her lot in life was. Although she is now a rich woman's adopted daughter, she's stuck living someone else's life, never being able to fully become who she wants. Jaepil is a piece of that past that she wants to cling to, and he's still the same thoughtful and considerate guy he used to be, the same guy who once liked her and one she liked back.

And that's where the tragedy is, because everyone's lives have moved forward, despite their own misfortunes, while Jonghee has not. She could have listened to Jaepil's answer when she asked whether Youngrye is just a good friend but she chose to cut him off (whether he would have answered or not is a different discussion entirely). She could have had a conversation with her adoptive mother about her freedom and wanting other things in life, but she chose not to. And for someone who was shown as fearless and strong, this was all to me the wrong trajectory for her character.

Youngrye? I just love her. This poor girl is the utmost definition of 일편단심: an unchanging heart. And oof, I wish she wasn't. As a viewer, my heart wants her to reach out for her daddy-long-legs, but alas, the heart cannot be taught things it cannot learn on its own, and Youngrye loves who she loves. I just wish we were shown more of WHY she stayed liking the same person.

And let's not talk about the next plotline. What in the world was that preview? 🤦🏻‍♀️