Start-Up 스타트업 [2020]

[bai]

OH MY GOD EPISODE 9. Let me rewrite my spontaneous thought after watching the characters diligently from previous week.

Spoiler alert.

"Everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone takes responsibility. Only the brave can do that."

Spoiler

This is from Itaewon Class dialogue but it simply in my thought while watching Dosan scenes.. He finally open up his burden of the 'wind' since childhood and now he would take the risk of loss that he imagines about Dalmi. He is haunted. It takes bravery.. today episode somehow makes me fall more to Dosan. Its nearly Dosan himself that ends it (the lie). Ahhh but universe takes it first. Writer-nim.. You are so good. All I think is everyone becomes victim because the letters take too far, but it also what links them together, but with wrong turns.

 

Jipyeong back to get the letter for grandma is.. Proof that two of them are just good boys. He would suck up what he really wants for grandma. This brotherhood to be (I'm praying hard!) I'm loudly crying for my NamPyeong feels. They both deserves great things as a man, as my heart is breaking for three of them.

I can see from the build up is, deep down Dalmi is so grateful to know both of them that willing to be that 'kind' to her. Her eyes tell that. Bae Suzy nails the eye expression, really. It's interesting to know what happens next:

Spoiler

I hope after the lie ends, the real game on the start up begin. Because both of the boys are already in Dalmi's heart within different way, there is no fair start of them because the lie. Remember that Dosan asked by Jipyeong to support the lie. I really like the wind and storm analogy. But often, after the storm, sunshine will follows even there are damages. So, somehow I want the production to focus more on Sandbox thing, include how Injae-Dalmi as sisters development, while the romance is the last thing concluded after they complete the 'swing session' in Sandbox. Love that flows naturally with the start up fight.

 

anyway, goodnight and hopefully see you tomorrow night

love NamPyeong~

[abs-oluteM]

I fell asleep writing this late last night 

Eps 9 - I felt bad for everyone , I did . Yes, in spite of my partiality towards Ji Pyeong , I can't help but feel sympathetic towards Do San's  inner struggles. While , DS had a better childhood,  has a loving family and some loyal  friends, he clearly has not overcome this self-doubt and inferiority complex . Winning that Maths Olympiad the way he did was to me the worse thing that happened to him . It  ended up defining his entire existence and becoming a baggage that weighed him down. It was a good thing that he told his parents , and they removed all the pictures etc. I think it is about time that Do San believes in himself - he needed to look at the 90% that he is capable of instead of the 10% that did not originate from him . I think that would likely apply to the romance. The letters which I see as the 10% ( that did no originate from him) have defined this relationship far too long. I do think that Dal Mi can see Do San's sincerity. From previews,  he wants her to forget that 10% and look at the 90% - the real him. And I think she is going to? I am not sure if I agree that a person should be your goal in life , because people will disappoint. DoSan still needs a personal goal career wise , something that does not have the shadow of his parents' expectations cast on it. 

 

Do I sound like I am resigned to the fact that JP may not end up with Dal Mi? Perhaps , as I don't want to be too disappointed since I enjoy the show very much. But I am gonna cry for JP when that comes to past. I was already hurting so bad for him last night when grandma wanted him to give up his feelings.  While I can understand grandma's love for Dal Mi and why she wouldn't want Dal Mi to find out the truth, I am disappointed with the request that she made of JP. This was the very 1st time that JP has been true & honest to his emotions , and he gets shot down like that.  I know that JP keeps saying he has a  debt to repay - one which cannot be measured with money. But as far as I'm concerned he and grandma are now even . He's done as much giving Dal Mi that emotional support over the years & going to this extent to keep the secret. 

 

BUT you know , the person I feel the saddest for is Dal Mi. The hurt in her eyes says it all. When she called DoSan and asked him to meet them at the birdhouse , and he didn't have a clue ...gosh did everything she believe in just crumble in those 2 mins? She was lied to by the person she loves the most too - grandma. I know she will come to understand but she will  hate the feeling of being deceived. Those beautiful memories she has of the letters have now become tainted. 

 

Like @bairama I think what I want is for a fair chance for Dal Mi to see the real Do San and Ji Pyeong . Whoever she ends up with I can accept if this is well-handled.

 

Preview

 

 

 

[bai]

@abs-oluteM you are so on point breaking down of whats break in each three of them in this episode. Exactlyyyy, my hearteu.

 

Lets see how these struggle ends huhu. I'm rooting for all of them. Halmeoni, Dalmi, Injae, Jipyeong, Dosan, Samsan. 

 

Side comment: why do I find Dalmi's - Injae's mother is such a.. Somehow it is getting my nerves she acted like that with baggage all around. This one character hard for me to empathy hsksksksk

[mademoiselle]

Episode 9

Some really good acting from Nam Joo Hyuk in this episode: in the beginning he was thinking back to his past; when he was drunk thinking Dal Mi is in front of him, and the ending where he was frantically calling Dal Mi. I'm saying this purely because I still remember clearly how green he was when he started out in School 2015, and even though he was well-loved in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, the role didn't require intricate acting. After these dramas I hadn't seen his other two dramas apart from School Nurse Flies and this, so I'm seeing a huge improvement/difference.

 

As for Kim Seon Ho, many are praising how his acting is similar to the actor's Nam Da Reum who plays young Ji Pyeong. I do see a similarities too when they were placed side by side. Kinda think it is cool in terms of acitng that if he had studied how Nam Da Reum portrayed Ji Pyeong (or vice versa we really don't know) and made sure it mirrors.

 

@abs-oluteM you have said it so well regarding Do San's self doubt and inferiority complex. I feel bad for him. He's a really kind, good kid and all this time he couldn't be honest because he didn't want to hurt/disappoint his parents. I feel bad just seeing him beating himself for not meeting his dad's expectation. I suppose we as an Asian, would really understand how that feels.

 

Dal Mi is the victim in all these lies. However I know she will (very) soon see / understand it was done out of love. I'm more interested to see how this change the dynamic between her and Ji Pyeong. I don't think it would affect her feelings for Do San as much, not sure why, maybe because I know Do San is the male lead... hahaha... so the brain/mind can't be bother thinking further regarding this.

 

Ji Pyeong - Now that the truth is out I really REALLY wish Dal Mi and Halmoni can embrace him into the family. This guy seriously needs to stop acting tough because his tough act keeps putting a distance between him and Halmoni when what he really needs is family, someone to love him...I want him to stop acting like strangers and openly bicker with Dal Mi and Halmoni. I want this to happen now before Halmoni's eyes worsen. Also it would be nice that Do San finds out Ji Pyeong is an orphan so he would understand Ji Pyeong may have the materialistic things, he is lacking in others that Do San had (doesn't he already know? Surely the press would have reported about Ji Pyeong's background).

 

As for Halmoni, I also can understand why she's against Ji Pyeong telling the truth. At first she didn't know Ji Pyeong's true feelings. After she knew she is still against it because her love is biased. It's obvious from the get-go that all she had done since 15 years ago was out of the love for Dal Mi. I can't fault her either because Dal Mi is her granddaughter (by blood, from her one and only dead son), so of course she will be biased. No doubt she cares/loves Ji Pyeong too, it's just incomparable to Dal Mi.

 

Now, off to wet Ji Pyeong...

source

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by mademoiselle

[Alice Wonderland]

Just done episode 9. Ah. The wind once again turned into a storm. It was the price for keeping a lie. I got a clear message from this there is no such a white lie. A lie is a lie. It might be for good but somehow it comes along with some problems in the end. Well. Everyone learn their lessons here. It's time to set things right and restart over and back on track. 

 

The writer always comes up with a great twist so I will believe in her and waiting for next episodes. Haha

[Alice Wonderland]

I love how DS take the two go on a date. And the ost is just so cheerful. 

 

 

Spoiler

 

And these two beautiful couple... I find it pretty cool to date a boyfriend majoring in engineering. He tells you science and it sounds cool. I feel like I am collecting many nice quotes since ep 1. And one from this episode is pretty beautifully said, "You're that star over there, the one that looks like a tiny dust particle, a fixed star that is much bigger than the moon" 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Alice Wonderland

[mademoiselle]

Lol if only these two stop fighting... they are definitely cuter when they're asleep

 

[ktcjdrama]

This drama is so good! I just cannot stop watching it! On episode 6 now. 

[mademoiselle]

Looks like they'll be ok...

 

Spoiler

 

[Alice Wonderland]

@mademoiselle oh it's so relieved. I am rooting on those two 

 

@ktcjdrama ikr!! I marathon from. Ep 5 to 9. Now i have to wait again. Sigh.

 

 

P.S. i love the bromance set up they have here. They really like brothers. Put aside the triangle trope. Those two are matched to their tshirts. Lol. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Alice Wonderland

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, Alice Wonderland said:

 

@ktcjdrama ikr!! I marathon from. Ep 5 to 9. Now i have to wait again. Sigh.

I am done with 8. Need to take a break first and later on to 9, maybe 10 also, then it’s the weekly wait, argh! Hahahaaa

[mademoiselle]

Love it when Kim Seon Ho mimick his T shirt's character

Ahahahahahahahaha I didn't notice Halmoni's expression before!!! Look at her!

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by mademoiselle

[Chocolate]

17 hours ago, bairama said:

 

  Hide contents

I hope after the lie ends, the real game on the start up begin... So, somehow I want the production to focus more on Sandbox thing, include how Injae-Dalmi as sisters development, while the romance is the last thing concluded after they complete the 'swing session' in Sandbox. Love that flows naturally with the start up fight.

 

 

Yes! I would also like to see more development of the sandbox competition. And things seem to be looking good for the sisters to reunite - maybe against step-father's company? Surely he must have some comeuppance eventually.

 

9 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Like @bairama I think what I want is for a fair chance for Dal Mi to see the real Do San and Ji Pyeong . Whoever she ends up with I can accept if this is well-handled.

 

Yes well-handled is key otherwise I am giving a lot of minus points to this writer for milking this plot line for no purpose other than to make the romance between DS-DM more interesting. And

(a) do we want JP to tell DM that he likes her and then get rejected or

(b) JP to quietly accept grandma's request and not interrupt DS-DM relationship?

 

See @mademoiselle I am resigned to what seems to be expected. But... open ending? LOL!

 

 

I really like how the lie is finally exposed. From DM taking grandma's phone by accident and seeing the text message by JP. Will she find out eventually that he was being selfless?

 

But I don't like how DM seemed so surprise. That is not realistic considering she was already suspecting after comparing the handwriting and just didn't have the courage to ask DS point-blank. This could have been written much better.

 

 

Did anyone think he would strip and change his shirt here? I was surprised he went to the bathroom to change - this show is so clean .

 

And yes please to this:

 

 

[mademoiselle]

1 hour ago, Chocolate said:

But... open ending?

 

Park Hye Ryun doesn't write bad/sad/open endings. If she keeps to her own usual writing style then we will have happy ending  i.e. Dal Mi & Do San happily ever after.

[gilaswan]

It’s been such a busy time at work, and I’ve been meaning to put in my 4 cents worth but well... just never got down to it till now. 

 

We’re well past the midway mark now and there’s been quite a bit of focus on the relationships. Yesterday’s episode especially brought us up to that dreaded point - what would happen when Dalmi finds out the truth on her own? I’m not sure about everyone else in the room, but as much as I would like to see some kind of advancement in this tension that’s been building up, like Jipyeong and Dosan, perhaps I’d also like to avoid having to confront it. Based on the preview, it does seem like we’re gonna have to dwell on it a bit more, but I’d really like to bring our attention back to the business development side of things. Maybe cos I too don’t want to have to face the reality of how Dalmi would choose. And exactly how would she choose? Wouldn’t she be angry at both of them? In the preview she says Dosan was her dream, but who’s closer to her dream now?

 

This is the first time I’m so invested in the second lead, yet I’m not so sure there’s actually a main and a second lead in this show. I’d like to believe too @abs-oluteM, that the writer is changing her style a bit here as far as the romance department is concerned. In all her other stories, the second leads were always very likeable characters, but the girl was always clear right from the start who it was she would pick. Her attention and focus was clear. This time however, Dalmi’s choice doesn’t seem quite so crystal. And both Dosan and Jipyeong are likeable - I’m still rooting for Jipyeong but I can’t help but also feel sorry for Dosan if he doesn’t get the girl in the end. Or maybe that would be left ambiguous for us at the end of the show.  

[abs-oluteM]

@mademoisellethanks for the lovely gifs of wet JP.   @Chocolate mr dimple is stingy with  fan service . All his dramas he won’t show skin. Breaks my perverted fan girl heart 

 

@gilaswan the promotions online for the drama    have always been for DoSan & DalMi as the OTP. But if I were to look at screen time & the emotional build up for JP’s character, I would have thought he’s got an equal chance in this love triangle. 

———
 

The idea of a sandbox was to soften the landing of the fall but it doesn’t prevent you from falling . It is meant to give you some courage to ride the swing . There are two possible outcomes of riding the swing  1) enjoy the thrill  or 2) fall & hurt your knees . From a young child’s perspective, falling off a swing could be traumatic, and become his greatest fear . But never taking the risk , meant missing out on the joys of playing on a swing . The ultimate message of this show isn’t really about the sandbox is it ?  The sandbox merely gives you courage to step out of your comfort zone , take a risk & face your fears . 
 

So what is it that both the male leads feared the most & needed to take a risk on ? 

In Do San’s case it was definitely the courage to be . He needed to stop selling himself short & have some self belief.  He is afraid most of failure because he has not tasted real victory  .  In some ways these letters & the chanced meeting with both JP & DalMi was like a red string of fate for his life . Dal Mi’s belief in him was the sandbox he needed to finally have some ambition & purpose. He’s not seen tangible returns to his talents & capabilities because he doesn’t desire them enough. The Korean - American guy highlighted this . When he saw that broken pen at the hackathon , he knew something finally awoke within DoSan 
 

In JP’s case , his greatest fear has always been being openly vulnerable. He wishes to protect his heart because he’s knows what is like to be abandoned & sidelined . I can’t remember how his parents died . Of course it is not like his parents had purposely abandoned him but it can’t be help for an orphan to feel like they have been robbed of family love . To make matters worse, he got pushed out so early from the orphanage and started to fend for himself at such a young age . These  tough childhood years have caused him to emotionally guard himself.  So @Chocolate, I vote for the 1st option of him telling DM . The rejection is the risk he’ll have to take . So what if he gets rejected- it won’t kill him. But not telling would lead to future regrets of what could have been 

 

Yay @ktcjdrama @im0202, Glad you guys are watching this . 

[Chocolate]

11 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

The idea of a sandbox was to soften the landing of the fall but it doesn’t prevent you from falling . It is meant to give you some courage to ride the swing . There are two possible outcomes of riding the swing  1) enjoy the thrill  or 2) fall & hurt your knees . From a young child’s perspective, falling off a swing could be traumatic, and become his greatest fear . But never taking the risk , meant missing out on the joys of playing on a swing . The ultimate message of this show isn’t really about the sandbox is it ?  The sandbox merely gives you courage to step out of your comfort zone , take a risk & face your fears . 
 

So what is that both the male leads feared the most & needed to take a risk on ?

 

Wah @abs-oluteM this is my first time posting on a drama thread. This is too cheem for me. I just want to see good guys win and the bad guys suffer 

 

But great analysis. You have a point.

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

In Do San’s case it was definitely the courage to be . He needed to stop selling himself short & have some self belief.  He is afraid most of failure because he has not tasted real victory  .  In some ways these letters & the chanced meeting with both JP & DalMi was like a red string of fate for his life . Dal Mi’s belief in him was the sandbox he needed to finally have some ambition & purpose. He’s not seen tangible returns to his talents & capabilities because he doesn’t desire them enough. The Korean - American guy highlighted this . When he saw that broken pen at the hackathon , he knew something finally awoke within DoSan 

It’s very unfortunate for Do San to have the wind blew that piece of paper into his sight. Perhaps, given a few more seconds/minutes, he might be able to recall the solution by himself to that difficult question. Then he would’ve won that Math Olympiad fair and square. But now he would never know and left to doubt himself until now. 

 

Haha, I love that Alex kept the broken pen and was actually using it when they were deciding who will mentor the team. I sure hope he won’t be a villain. I am even guessing could he be that guy Do San gave his medal to? When he first heard Do San’s name in the US, he seems to have known it and was recalling/associating the name with something in his memory. 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by ktcjdrama

[JenL]

Hello all! I'm here again to share my thoughts. Drama life is too busy!  I have so much to discuss from everything you guys have said, but just want to write these things down first. 

 

Episode 9

- Finally!! The lie is revealed!!! Oh god the tension  I don't like angst when he doesn't make sense in a story, but when it does and it's done in just the right way, I have to say, I really enjoy it. This episode was just the right amount of angst. I felt so bad for Halmoni, for DM and most of all for JP & DS.

-For JP: My heart broke into tiny pieces for him because I wished he'd understood his own feelings sooner. It would have been so hard for him to admit liking someone (a vulnerability or weakness in his eyes), only to be told, "No, you can't tell your feelings now - bottle them up and hide them away again."  It was a real burn. I feel like those who hate JP would say that he was selfish once again to Halmoni in the hurtful things he said, but I think she would understand him. As an orphan, he literally had no one to rely on but himself and it wasn't till he met Halmoni that he started to understand what it was like to have a family. However, in that moment, when he admitted his feelings to her, aside from feeling really frustrated at himself and DS and the whole situation, he really needed someone to say it was ok to feel this way. But Halmoni needed him to hide those feelings once again to protect DM's happiness, which was DS. However, it felt like a betrayal to JP (which mirrors the misunderstanding with the money in Episode 1) because it sounded like she had chosen the new DS, over him, the JP she had known, as family. He felt like it was now DM, DS and her. And so he lashed out, as he always has when he's needed to protect himself. The irony is that he's someone who has his walls up so high to protect himself from getting hurt, but doesn't realise that it's the walls that are hurting him - if he wasn't so guarded all the time, he could have admitted he liked DM sooner.  The higher the walls, the more hurt comes crashing in if there's a crack in the walls!

-For DS: I also felt deeply hurt for DS. All this time he was carrying the burden of that one moment throughout his life and it actually wrecked his confidence. This is why you should never cheat! But to be honest, I felt like a lot of people, let alone a child, would choose to do that if the answer floated towards them  I felt like he suffered a lot of pressure from his family - because his father was such a inflexible person, and he was such a timid and gentle personality, he always felt the pressure to do well to please his father. But again, the great irony is that DS ended up disappointing his father exactly because he was always afraid to disappoint his father. And even though he was always talented, his father's pressures are what stunted, rather than motivated, DS's growth as a person. What was worse was the pride that DS's father felt at his one achievement, which to DS felt like his greatest failure in life.  What an awful situation to be in.

-But I like how DS and JP are opposites and it proves that you can be unhappy in either situation - everyone thinks the grass is greener elsewhere. I love the way that the story is well rounded and no character is without fault in all of their messy relationships: Everyone has lied out of love, which is the worst reason to life because it hurts more when you're meant to be close to the person.

-I'm going to say that this lie has made me more uncomfortable than other lies in other dramas because it was so drawn out and so central in the love triangle. But also because if you think about it...it was kind of a weird version of catfishing. Not saying it was DS's fault at all since JP begged him and made him do it and even helped him to do it. But once it was evident that DS didn't need to continue playing that role, he still used the lie to his advantage to stay near DM and he tried harder to hide the truth, rather than tell it. I think this is a thing I don't like about DS's character, his way of wedging himself. But as JP didn't exactly have the courage to admit he was the letter write either, it's not like DS did anything wrong either. 

-Hahaha that sequence with the drunk DS coming to DM's house was hilarious!  I loved JP calling DS a heavy feather and saying elephants were lighter and cuter. And even though he carried him, he was also his throw up target too  Haha, I am also disappointed there was no topless scene, but that would have fed shipping wars, so pink t-shirt for laughs was fine by me. I felt sorry for JP that the dinner he was looking forward to with just DM and Halmoni was interrupted by DS and then DS was asked to stay over. Haha, Rough! I really appreciated the prickly bromance of JP and DS snuggling up together though!!

- I'm glad DM was smart enough to have suspicions about the letter writer. For some reason, I still don't feel that warm towards her character on the whole - maybe because some things don't make sense with the way they've written her . I still think it just seems so inconsistent that she would never have checked to see who put those letters in the box or tried to track down DS earlier if she liked him so much and she was so smart. I also feel like she was in denial and just wanted to believe in DS even though deep down, she was suspecting things herself - she could have asked DS or JP when she felt something was off, but she didn't. Still, she is the victim of everyone's babying, so it sucks to wake up to this situation. ohhhh the angst! 

Edited November 15, 2020 by JenL

[im0202]

I’ve managed to watch up to the latest episode just now. That’s 10 episodes in 2 days. Phewww! Enjoyed going back and reading everyone’s posts too! 
Are we divided in terms of lovelines or does everyone have SLS here 

Ok romance aside, I’m learning a lot of new terms and other business stuff through this drama. It’s quite a new topic for me (unlike medical dramas) so I find this part of it interesting. I also like the three main characters who each have their own flaws. As for In-Jae, I keep going from liking her to hating her. At first when she quit her step-dad’s company, I thought she was going to eventually join hands with Samsan or her sister, but till now she is still competing against Dal-mi and she is so annoying at times. Pretending/lying that the girl in the Sandbox logo is her - not cool. 
But overall, my favourite duo be Halmeoni and Ji-pyeong  (pls let halmeoni be happy)

[abs-oluteM]

Am watching eps 10.  This is 2016 by the way . So expect a time jump . 
I have a lot on my mind about this episode but just wanted to leave these important spoilers

I didn’t expect the twist above ! 
 

 

[im0202]

@abs-oluteM I loved the noodle confession scene too! He was all like “no pressure!” and he really meant it. 
Right now besides the lovelines I’m looking forward to the Demo day as well. Thought it’d be shown in Ep 10 but they dragged it out so I guess it’ll be in the next ep then. Which is funny cos the title of Ep 10 was Demo Day lol.

[ktcjdrama]

Finished ep.10... What a pleasant surprise to have Lee Bo Young cameo for this episode 😃 And what’s the joke with ancestors? I don’t get it. Maybe someone can explain? 

 

I wasn’t paying close attention, but where does it say that it’s 2016? @abs-oluteM I am expecting time jump because I suspect Do San will leave for Silicon Valley with Alex, for 3 years and return to Korea. 

 

@im0202 hahahaaa I also finished 10 episodes in 2 days. Wasn’t expecting the drama to be sooo engaging that I couldn’t stop watching. It’s the weekend, so I could spare the time to binge. 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by ktcjdrama

[abs-oluteM]

@ktcjdrama it was in the opening episode 

 

[gilaswan]

I feel that with Jipyeong, things are not so clear because while he has come to like Dalmi (I’m not sure if he’s in love with her yet, but he certainly likes her), he’s also got this back relationship with Halmeoni who’s the only family he has. That relationship alone makes things more complex because he will prioritise Halmeoni’s wishes above his own. Almost a flash back to Pinocchio where Dalpo held back acting on his feelings for Inha because of Halabeoji. In many ways, Dalmi+Dosan pairing seems less difficult and cumbersome. 

 

I love the relationship between Halmeoni and Jipyeong too. And for sure Halmeoni wants Jipyeong to be happy, so while it seems very intuitive to say she wanted Jipyeong to “sort things out” between Dosan and Dalmi, I cannot imagine that she would want to sacrifice Jipyeong’s happiness for Dalmi’s though... Such as the misunderstanding between him and Halmeoni regarding the money. I’m waiting for some sort of revelation or resolution in this regard. This relationship between Jipyeong and Halmeoni seems so precious - he’s like a grandson to her, and she’s never wanted anything back from him... surely she wouldn’t still now. Dunno. Need more re-watches and thinking.