Start-Up 스타트업 [2020]

[mademoiselle]

New stills

LOL, what are these two doing?

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

[abs-oluteM]

20 hours ago, JenL said:

On 11/4/2020 at 1:11 PM, Chocolate said:

Apart from the letters, I think one of the reasons why the JP-DM pairing is so loved is because there is tension between them when they meet on screen. It’s exciting – the speculative/admiring looks, the missed opportunities, the ‘hey don’t interrupt them!’

 

Whereas DS-DM, from the start, they show that they like each other – well DS really likes her, but DM likes him for the wrong reason. So it is less interesting. Because, without JP and our question why the writer is giving him so much backstory with DM if they are not meant to be together, to be honest, the DS-DM romance is pretty boring (ok bash me now lol).

 

I totally agree. I think it's the anticipation of when DM will find out than JP was the one looking out for her the whole time. And it's the whole tortured-one-sided-unspoken-love thing. Haha, I'm a sucker for that kind of tension in a drama, so the moment I sense it between any pairing in a drama...I will automatically gravitate towards that pairing ...It can't be helped!  I prefer that tension, all the secretive-helping and longing gazes than to things like gifting flowers or showing weddings in a drama. 

 

I do think this series is very good at making both the lead and second lead likeable though. I hate when dramas make the second lead likeable, but the first lead horrible (sometimes they're borderline abusive, but it's excused because they a traumatic childhood....and yet the female stills chooses the first lead.) At least DS is sweet and supportive of DM. And even though I love the second lead, I can see why they would pair DM up with DS - she doesn't need a rich guy to save her, she needs someone imperfect to grow alongside with. It really really sucks for JP, but I'm guessing the moral of the story is - it's ok to be vulnerable. That's how people connect with others, especially in love.

@JenL @Chocolate thanks gals for this. I feel better ....I had to keep checking myself to see if my bias came from my love for KSH or was it because of the way the story is written. JP's story tugs at your heart and was so fleshed out from the get go that it is hard not to feel invested . 

[abs-oluteM]

Translation of a pre-released clip 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM Hahahahahahhahahahahahahaha those 2 idiots.

[abs-oluteM]

12 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM Hahahahahahhahahahahahahaha those 2 idiots.

IKR...they crack me up. I love their interactions.

 

Woah ....the love triangle is gonna get real ....ahahahaha

 

 

Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Sun-ho will have a scoring battle in tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama "Startup."
(article translated / adapted using Papago)

https://www.hankyung.com/entertainment/article/202011074436I

Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk) and Han Ji-pyeong (Kim Sun-ho) are fighting hard to win favor from Seo Dal-mi (Bae Su-ji) and Choi Won-deok (Kim Hae-sook) in the seventh episode of tvN's Saturday night, which will air at 9 pm today (Saturday).

In the released photo, a dizzying lion face was captured with a generous dinner table in front of him. Namdosan is curious to see the appearance of Han Ji-pyeong,( the real writer of those letters )  next to Seo Dal-mi, at the time when he visited her house to reveal the secret that he was not the one who exchanged letters with her in the past.

 

In particular, Nam Do-san and Han Ji-pyeong, who are conscious of each other and, are going to outdo each other  in order to show off their charms in front of the two women, giving off the best chemistry ever.

In the face of the childish jealousy of the two men, who are absorbed in competition from all over the house, we are looking forward to  Seo Dal-mi and Choi Won-deok's reactions. 

On top of that, Choi Won-deok's expression, which is restless, raises tension. All this had started with her desire to have  her granddaughter Seo Dal-mi have some friends at a difficult time when the young Dal-Mi had separated from her mother . The letters were initially written in good faith, but the lie that came with it increased like a butterfly effect, making the three men and women intertwine like fate's pranks 15 years later.

Furthermore, as Namdosan is the only one who finds out that Choi Won-deok is on the verge of blindness, it is becoming more and more curious how another heartbreaking secret between the two will affect these relationships.

[abs-oluteM]

A bit more translation to the pre-released clip

 

[mademoiselle]

One more new stills

 

[ryanallright]

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Am so sleepy but I couldn’t help myself to check for spoilers! 
Got deep kiss ! 

But those of us from JiPyeong nation feeling sad for our boy ! Lol ! I mean the guy doesn’t realise he’s jealous & that he likes her 

Aigoo my poor heart cannot bear this ! Look at how he cares for DalMi’s plant. Writer-nim is cruel 

 

[abs-oluteM]

You know, I am wondering if the writer is doing some trope / plot reversals here as far as the romance is concern. I know that usually , the love triangle will play out first btwn the the leads. Then once the 2nd lead knows he really stands no chance , he bows out ( sometimes gracefully , and other times not :D ) and the intended pairing gets together & seals the deal with a kiss. But here the 2nd lead is still grasping with his own feelings, the supposed intended pair starts dating early on & has a deep kiss before the truth is known . And writer continues to develop 2nd lead's arc almost as much as the main leads. Tell me is this writer trying to do something ground-breaking? Is she trying to throw in a twist that she has never done in her previous works ( I have watched her last 4 dramas & usually she is very clear with the love line )?

 

[mademoiselle]

Episode 7

First the beginning makes me cry then it makes me laugh. The part where Halmoni asked Do San not to tell both Suzy and Ji Pyeong and Do San's disappointment and realisation → This promise puts Do San in a disadvantage with Ji Pyeong and Dalmi. I'm forseeing a very very upset Dalmi in the future and even worst when the lie surface. But it'll pass because they all have to work towards the same goal.

 

I think with Do San's new idea, we may not get Halmoni's death, which is a good thing but we'll still bawl our eyes out no doubt when those 2 Halmoni's babies find out. If I already cried for the scene she asks Do San not to tell anyone then... it will be 100 times worse when they find out.

 

20 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

You know, I am wondering if the writer is doing some trope / plot reversals here as far as the romance is concern. I know that usually , the love triangle will play out first btwn the the leads. Then once the 2nd lead knows he really stands no chance , he bows out ( sometimes gracefully , and other times not :D ) and the intended pairing gets together & seals the deal with a kiss. But here the 2nd lead is still grasping with his own feelings, the supposed intended pair starts dating early on & has a deep kiss before the truth is known . And writer continues to develop 2nd lead's arc almost as much as the main leads. Tell me is this writer trying to do something ground-breaking? Is she trying to throw in a twist that she has never done in her previous works ( I have watched her last 4 dramas & usually she is very clear with the love line )?

I know what you mean. She is usually clear with the loveline. Even second lead as cute/good as Jung Hae In couldn't get in between Suzy and Lee Jong Suk's in While You Were Sleeping. In this instance, I don't mind a reverse in the loveline because it'd spice things up and be different for once; however, this twist would lead to  "shipper war" later on and worst, bashing of the female lead. So I'm not so sure I want to see that ruin the whole drama.

 

Side note:

Nam Joo Hyuk's acting has improved a lot. I had seen his debut drama School 2015: Who Are You, so I know how inexperience and stiff with facial expressions he once was but now, I'm seeing so much more from him.

Edited November 8, 2020 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

New stills

 

Spoiler

 

[abs-oluteM]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I know what you mean. She is usually clear with the loveline. Even second lead as cute/good as Jung Hae In couldn't get in between Suzy and Lee Jong Suk's in While You Were Sleeping. In this instance, I don't mind a reverse in the loveline because it'd spice things up and be different for once; however, this twist would lead to  "shipper war" later on and worst, bashing of the female lead. So I'm not so sure I want to see that ruin the whole drama.

 

In While You Were Sleeping , Pinocchio and even I Can Hear Your Voice , it was super clear that Lee Jong Suk would get the girl. Even in those dramas, the childhood connection was always between LJS's characters with the female lead. Here it is so different. She built up JiPyeong's story from the beginning securing the viewer's emotional investment , and linked it with Dal Mi's .  If we had come in blindly into this drama we would have thought that JP-DM would be the intended pairing. But for once I am very unsure given that we already have her and Do San together.

 

To DoSan's credit he had wanted to come clean & his feelings for Dal Mi is sincere. I do like the person that he is. Kind & thoughtful. It made me happy that he was inspired to use his technology because of halmoni's predicament . Plus he stood up for her in front of In Jae's stepfather - and given such swoony actions, any girl would be won over & moved. It was definitely a kiss worthy moment. But somehow the kiss felt nothing to me because the truth has yet to be revealed. Dal Mi's affections for the present Do San was fueled by her love for the DoSan in those letters. The elephant in the room certainly needs to be addressed soon. 

 

Ji Pyeong continues to grapple with his own feelings for Dal Mi. I love the scenes of him in denial - Kim Seon Ho is very good at playing roles like that . I do like the scene where he & Dal Mi called each other nosy. It was funny but more than that, it highlighted the extent of the things that JP has done for her. From Dal Mi's perspective there was certainly no reason for someone like JP do as much as he did . While I can forsee how hurt & how angry she'd be with Do San ( initially anyway) , I am looking forward to the moment she finds out that JP was the writer of those letters simply because it would finally all click & make sense to her. 

 

And the ending dialogue in the epilogue shows that nothing is set for stone. Dal Mi thinks she would chose the Do San of her childhood but yet the present Do San causes her heart to flutter. What  a troll this writer is! 

 

@Chocolate @JenL @bairama @gilaswan Any thoughts folks? 

@Jane are you up to speed?

[abs-oluteM]

Pre-released clip for eps 8

 

 

[mademoiselle]

36 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

And the ending dialogue in the epilogue shows that nothing is set for stone. Dal Mi thinks she would chose the Do San of her childhood but yet the present Do San causes her heart to flutter. What  a troll this writer is!

My take on this is that when Dal Mi said this, it was before she kissed Do San. I think this will be a matter of what the heart feels over what the mind thinks, and I'd go by feelings over mind. Plus I think there is a shift in feelings after what happened and her kissing him.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Suzy's IG Updates

 

 

And something cute/funny from Swoon IG

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHU-EYQJzU4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

[mademoiselle]

Oh wow, I just got spoiled for tonight's episode and looks like things are surfacing earlier than I thought! Do San tells Dalmi about Halmoni's eyes and Dalmi notices Ji Pyeong's handwriting is the same as the letters.

[JenL]

I forgot to write my thoughts from last week so starting with that first:

 

Episode 5

- The humour in Start Up is just so good. My favourite laughs: The boys stuffing the free food from Sandbox into their hoodies and bags because it was freeee (and DM not stopping them, but helping). Also when JP bullies his worker to wear the mentor T-shirt, but then to take it off even without a shirt underneath. So mean  Another funny part: DS's dad wanting to sell the best points of his son to Alex, but ends up getting drunk and saying DS is only greedy for one thing: Food 

-During the hackerthon, I can see why the guys from Samsan Tech were worried about their CEO with no uni degree- but the smartest people I know think on their feet, and it's better to judge someone on their skills and character rather than  schooling. 

-That scene with the mother meeting Halmoni - I was annoyed at the mother on grandma's behalf because she's such a spineless person. I think it's not the divorce or worrying about money that made her a bad person, since I think DM's father with his business ideas could have been a stressful partner and I can see people in real life breaking up for this reason- it's the fact that she literally married into money so she could do nothing all day but spend money recklessly that makes her so hateable 

-What I love deeply about this series is the touching story between JP and Halmoni. It's such a deep love between two people not related by blood who are both lonely in different ways, have prickly personalities and are stubborn, but clearly care for each other. What a bond. To be honest, I think I'm liking this story even more than the romances  

-I loved that JP made the Samsan Tech guys give DM a chance and I like that DM did well. Considering the short time frame, getting the testing wrong wasn't a big issue - since DS proves he can fix it like a day afterwards.

 

Episode 6

-I thought it was both great and terrible that DS tol DM that he and JP are close friends. On the one hand it'll force them closer together. On the other hand, it's another lie at the moment since tension seem high with the romance.

-I loved that the guys were so high tech, but when the desk moved in the office they were freaking out 

-Nobody punch me....Most of the times I think DM is a fun protagonist. And she's smart and resourceful which is likeable and admirable. But sometimes I find her very very annoying. And I can't tell if it's because of the way the character is written, or because I don't know if Suzy carries the character with conviction- the annoying parts are when she bluffs with her mother and sister...And when she's so naively accepting that DS is the boy from her past  I understand why she wants to one-up her family and I know her efforts are meant to look endearing and make us feel sorry for her  But I wish she would stop it because it's so embarrassing and pointless and she could be using her energies to actually do more things for Samsan Tech or DS. Sometimes I wonder if another actress could make these scenes work though? I think Suzy is pretty and acts ok (And I honestly haven't watched her past works), but sometimes I'm not convinced of the character through her? Anyone a Suzy fan? Do other people really like her and I'm just weird? 

-Haha, the part where JP tells DS in a very annoyed way that he'll be his Sherpa was hilarious.

-I laughed so hard when the Samsan guys were fighting and one of them yelled out "Baldness runs in my family!" Who knew tech guys were into hair pulling fights 

-The burst milk scene was gross! Considering it was off milk too! But I thought the scene with the Samsan Tech guys at the doctors were hilarious - I feel like everyone's had that before where they panicked about something being wrong with them only for the doctor to say it's an easy fix. Doctors must laugh at the rest of us so much in their profession 

[abs-oluteM]

17 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

Oh wow, I just got spoiled for tonight's episode and looks like things are surfacing earlier than I thought! Do San tells Dalmi about Halmoni's eyes and Dalmi notices Ji Pyeong's handwriting is the same as the letters.

Oh yeah...but think sooner the better...I am preparing myself. As much as I love JP, it might still look like DoSan will be the end game. 

Lots of tears for the preview

 

[Chocolate]

I am not familiar with k-drama tropes, but in every other kind of drama/movie I have watched and discounting the point about who is first or second lead, DS's role would likely not end up with the girl.

 

Yes, she kissed him. But that was after he smashed things in that awful man's office for criticising her father. She was partly grateful, I think, and that led to her spontaneous action.

 

I think deep down, DM likes JP, even without knowing that he was the one who wrote the letters. You can see she thinks about him. Why he doesn't pick up her calls. And hunts him down right to his home. If I did that, it means I have a crush on that guy LOL. And look at them bicker! That's how romances are borne!

 

But I agree with @abs-oluteM and @mademoiselle about the epilogue in ep7. So let's wait. I have a feeling this is going to be an open-ending or no one gets the girl, if JP and DM do not end up together. Nothing against DS, he is a sweet character and his idea to use technology to help the blind shows him to be a good guy. He's also in a tough spot because of his promise to halmeoni.

 

Aside from the romance, I empathised with In-jae when DM mistakenly said she relied on connections to secure the bank account. In that moment, I said a "Yay" for her and "serves you right" to DM for napping in that crucial moment (haha I actually don't like DM's character very much).

 

Then In-jae turned around and dropped a bait to DM with the step-father's project knowing very well it was a bad gig. Plus she wanted to make DM look money-minded to the Sandbox founder. That was evil!

 

I think DM is the girl on the swing that her father spoke about. In-jae had overheard the Sandbox founder's thoughts on how the idea for Sandbox came about - seeing how she makes use of information, I think she intentionally wrote it in her application to gain points.

 

It would be interesting to see if the sisters to reunite. I do want In-jae to be successful though despite this.

 

 Spoilers! Why do you guys get the episodes so fast?

Edited November 8, 2020 by Chocolate

[JenL]

21 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Then once the 2nd lead knows he really stands no chance , he bows out ( sometimes gracefully , and other times not :D ) and the intended pairing gets together & seals the deal with a kiss. But here the 2nd lead is still grasping with his own feelings, the supposed intended pair starts dating early on & has a deep kiss before the truth is known . And writer continues to develop 2nd lead's arc almost as much as the main leads. Tell me is this writer trying to do something ground-breaking? 

 

I think it may be different to her past works possible (I don't know if I've seen that many), but this idea of a well developed second lead is not new. At least I feel like I've seen it a lot in other dramas before - I think sometimes second leads are developed well to create a 50-50 split between audiences and capture a larger group of fans, since not all fans may like the character type of the first lead. I also sometimes suspect these types of stories are endorsed because it allows more stars to be 'recognised' and gain a step up (after portraying a loveable second lead, the stars often graduate to first lead in their next project). Hehe, so cynical in my assessment of second leads....maybe it's because lately I've had more second lead syndrome than usual and I'm developing conspiracy theories about it 

 

9 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I'm forseeing a very very upset Dalmi in the future and even worst when the lie surface. But it'll pass because they all have to work towards the same goal.

 

Everyone was freaking out over the lie in DDSSLLS with his age (which is on the cusp of the right age anyway), but honestly, this whole time I've been feeling like the lie in Start Up is much much worse because DS and the letter writer, JP are not even the same person!! If you think about it, this is like a form of old school catfishing. I know they're both at least nice, attractive guys....but I would feel so stupid if I was DM once I found out. And because Halmoni is in on it, she's going to be so angry at everyone. 

 

9 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Nam Joo Hyuk's acting has improved a lot. I had seen his debut drama School 2015: Who Are You, so I know how inexperience and stiff with facial expressions he once was but now, I'm seeing so much more from him.

 

I really liked him in Weightlifting Fairy too. I think he has improved though....and he does well in certain roles. He has a friendly guy charm and is better at playing more casual type roles. 

 

3 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

To DoSan's credit he had wanted to come clean & his feelings for Dal Mi is sincere. I do like the person that he is. Kind & thoughtful. It made me happy that he was inspired to use his technology because of halmoni's predicament . Plus he stood up for her in front of In Jae's stepfather.

 

Can't deny, DS really grew on me from his episode. I think he might not appear to be super empathetic at first, but he clearly is when he meets people he really connects with. I loved the way he protected DM from her stepfather - I found it convincing to his character too because I think as a tech guy he's a bit more black and white - he could never work for anyone he thought was so wrong as a person 

 

3 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

While I can forsee how hurt & how angry she'd be with Do San ( initially anyway) , I am looking forward to the moment she finds out that JP was the writer of those letters simply because it would finally all click & make sense to her. 

 

And the ending dialogue in the epilogue shows that nothing is set for stone. Dal Mi thinks she would chose the Do San of her childhood but yet the present Do San causes her heart to flutter. What  a troll this writer is! 

 

I want her to find out about JP but also dread it. She's going to be mad at DS, but I bet she'll be just as mad at JP. And it'll also be heartbreaking coz that's the point she's going to recognise actually she's not in love with the DS of the past, but she loves the DS of the present. It's going to be JP's tortureeee  That's why the writer put that Epilogue scene in - it's probably to measure DM's character growth and realising she can't just be stuck in the past with a DS she idealised 

[abs-oluteM]

11 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

Spoilers! Why do you guys get the episodes so fast?

It comes out on Netflix at about 11pm KST. So the spoilers will be plastered all over twitter 

 

4 minutes ago, JenL said:

Epilogue scene in - it's probably to measure DM's character growth and realising she can't just be stuck in the past with a DS she idealised 

Agreed. I know if i were to be honest, I am Team Good Boy ( if that wasn’t already too obvious ) , but each time I watch the eps   I do feel bad for DoSan - he’s clearly in love with DalMi.  And perhaps Dal Mi has truly fallen for the real DoSan . 
 

But at the end of the day , I suppose it isn’t really who is the better candidate . DalMi’s feelings will be “recalibrated “ once the truth is out there . Won’t be surprised if like what @Chocolate says , no one ends up with anyone .

[JenL]

28 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

I have a feeling this is going to be an open-ending or no one gets the girl, if JP and DM do not end up together. Nothing against DS, he is a sweet character and his idea to use technology to help the blind shows him to be a good guy. He's also in a tough spot because of his promise to halmeoni.

 

It's possible that this could be an open ending, since she's touted as being an ambitious and independent girl and this is in genre of a 'work' drama. But I feel like there's a good chance DM will end up with DS...This is one of those dramas which I think @mademoisellementioned as potentially creating shipping war type dramas .

 

DS has been painted as the underdog lead the whole time - he's not your charming CEO like JP, but he's been shown to have a good heart and he's going to have a rags-to-riches Cinderella transformation...So I think it's more likely he would be the winner as much as I like JP (Make no mistake, I too am second lead in this drama). And DM has been painted as naive in love- she's been treating her pen pal as the ideal dream boyfriend. But she didn't really know him as a person...to the point someone could trick her it was someone else. And I think this drama is going to be one of those ones with growing pains. ie. she's going to learn to let go of a pen pal she idealised as a first love when she was 15.  

 

28 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

Aside from the romance, I empathised with In-jae when DM mistakenly said she relied on connections to secure the bank account. In that moment, I said a "Yay" for her and "serves you right" to DM for napping in that crucial moment (haha I actually don't like DM's character very much).

 

Hahaha, I literally just wrote in the Episode 5+6 post above that I find Dal Mi annoying  Did you see that or did you just have the same thoughts as meee? Why don't you like her @Chocolate?

Edited November 8, 2020 by JenL

[Chocolate]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

It comes out on Netflix at about 11pm KST. So the spoilers will be plastered all over twitter 

 

Haha, I will avoid everything from that time then.

 

1 hour ago, JenL said:

DS has been painted as the underdog lead the whole time - he's not your charming CEO like JP, but he's been shown to have a good heart and he's going to have a rags-to-riches Cinderella transformation...So I think it's more likely he would be the winner

 

And I think this drama is going to be one of those ones with growing pains. ie. she's going to learn to let go of a pen pal she idealised as a first love when she was 15.  

 

Hmmm, never thought about it like that. Makes sense though. But I find DS's character very bland.

 

But episode 8, they were still bickering over the funding for Noomgil and it is interesting to watch. Then JP grabbed her wrist and it was like electric for the both of them! With DS, she calmly placed her hand in his - very sedate, just like their scenes, including the kissing scene. No feel leh.

 

1 hour ago, JenL said:

Hahaha, I literally just wrote in the Episode 5+6 post above that I find Dal Mi annoying  Did you see that or did you just have the same thoughts as meee? Why don't you like her @Chocolate?

 

Haha it was a coincidence! When I started typing, it was just after Mademoiselle's post with Suzy's IG updates LOL.

 

No particular reason. DM is hardworking and she seems to be a good salesperson. That's the extent of her character. So not very much more to like as well. Whether it is the way it is written or the way she is portrayed, I can't tell.

 

Which makes me wonder - since I have no particular liking for the 2 leads, why am I watching this show? 

 

[abs-oluteM]

H

10 hours ago, Chocolate said:

Which makes me wonder - since I have no particular liking for the 2 leads, why am I watching this show? 

The story-telling is good . This writer always has a way of engaging interest. 
———-

I have watched till eps 8 . There were a lot of JP - DalMi interactions . Regardless of whether JP is the end game for DalMi , I do think that he’s been her “guardian angel “ over the years . And even now ,he continues to help her . That lady that Dal Mi spoke to ( the cow dung scenario) was his contact too .  He’s doing much more than being a mentor - it’s fortunate that DalMi has his guidance because she’s like fish out of water where starting a business is concerned. 
 

Those letters he wrote were not only comforting for her but they also offered him solace . He too had a rough childhood & is a self made man. Look at the things he wrote . He may have initially started because of grandma but after that it was all him .