A Time Called You 너의 시간 속으로 [2023]

[mademoiselle]

 

@abs-oluteM @Tofu

[mademoiselle]

The adaptation is very similar to OG. First that I've seen that actually stays more true to the original than any other Korean adaptations. The slight differences I can tell are:

 

• The rain scene: I didn't like the K-version even though PD chose a beautiful forest backdrop. It just didn't come out as aesthetic as I'd imagine. So this one I liked the TW version more.

 

• Nam Si Heon's looks in 2023: This had the most complaints from OG fans since it was so different to the TW version, and is due to PD's interpretation of how the character should be like after all that he had been through. The interpretation is a subjective one—not necessarily right or wrong. I don't like the look but I can see the "whys".

Spoiler

• Original Wang Quan Sheng/Yeon Joon's backstory: In the OG, Wang Quan Sheng was bullied for being homosexual. If I remember correctly, he suicided. In K-version, maybe because we're now in 2023 where the world is more acceptance of the LGBT community that it is more appropriate that Yeon Joon's feelings was reciprocated and the suicide changed to a car accident.

 

P.S. Although the PD thought it might be good for Ahn Hyo Seop to choose a good mate to play his love interest, but I couldn't take this whole storyline seriously due to Rowoon playing the role. 😅 LOL.

 

• Oh Chan Yeong: Slight different to this in the sense that he's a classmate / friend to Yeon Joon and Jun Hee, and he is a carpenter rather than a psychiatrist. Maybe it didn't make sense for a psychopath to be a shrink. So this got changed.

 

• Si Heon's occupation in the finale is different, so is the ending for the OTP.

 

I always think Some Day, One Day's time slip plot was ingenius, but I don't love it because I find it too sad and Huang Yun Ru is just too gloomy/depressing that I don't feel happy watching the drama. Since I'm not in love with the show, I didn't delve deep into it or re-watch/remember details. While watching, I didn't find myself comparing the characters with the OG that much. I think it definitely helps when watching this version.

 

Acting wise, Jeon Yeo Been did an excellent job, especially towards the end portraying Kwon Min Joo's struggle and pain. I don't have issue with Kang Hoon either. As for Ahn Hyo Seop, I think he did well too except he's definitely not the Li Zhi Wei by Greg Hsu. Probably never meant to be.

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

cting wise, Jeon Yeo Been did an excellent job, especially towards the end portraying Kwon Min Joo's struggle and pain. I don't have issue with Kang Hoon either. As for Ahn Hyo Seop, I think he did well too except he's definitely not the Li Zhi Wei by Greg Hsu. Probably never meant to be.

There was definitely a lot of praise for JYB on twitter.  Even for me , I can see the difference between Min Joo and Jun Hee - two very different characters. 

 

This is so funny 

 

[ktcjdrama]

Will Kwon Min Ju's brother appear in the current timeline? I mean, why not cast someone who looks much younger to be the brother? At least an actor in early 20s? I seriously cannot see the actor as a high-schooler  why..... 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

@ktcjdrama Current timeline... as in 2023? No he does not. I don't recall him appearing in the TW version either. Did he? I can't even remember where Huang Yun Ru is in the present time. Refresh my memory? And argh... I really don't like Huang Yun Ru, and she continues to be annoying in the movie. LOL.

Sharing toothbrush?! – This is a question for everyone! For me, it is a big no.

Edited September 12, 2023 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]

29 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

Sharing toothbrush?! – This is a question for everyone! For me, it is a big no.

A big no from me. ....how is it even romantic?  LOL

[mademoiselle]

1 minute ago, abs-oluteM said:

A big no from me. ....how is it even romantic?  LOL

You get to put your Oppa's toothbrush in your mouth = romantic

[abs-oluteM]

Just now, mademoiselle said:

You get to put your Oppa's toothbrush in your mouth = romantic

Clearly my love for oppa is not strong enough ....

[ssteph]

@mademoiselle @abs-oluteM big no from me too 🤣

 

Will @SilverMoonTea share toothbrush with all her oppasss? She could be toothbrush collector 🤣

[ktcjdrama]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Current timeline... as in 2023? No he does not. I don't recall him appearing in the TW version either. Did he?

I don't remember it that way too... which is why I wonder why they need to cast that older actor if he's just gonna stay in the past... I checked his real age is 31, and sorry to say he doesn't look youthful, which is why I'm having a hard time seeing him as the immature younger brother.

 

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Sharing toothbrush?! – This is a question for everyone! For me, it is a big no.

I wouldn't want to share toothbrush with anyone too... but it's funny actually when you think of it, how people can kiss (share saliva) yet cannot share toothbrush... 

[SilverMoonTea]

46 minutes ago, ssteph said:

 

Will @SilverMoonTea share toothbrush with all her oppasss? She could be toothbrush collector 🤣

I was summoned for a toothbrush 😆 I haven't give thought about this issue yet, and tbh it's not like I will ever find any oppa's toothbrush to start with 

[JenL]

Hello all! I'm here watching this as a person who LOVES Someday or One Day so my opinions will probably be a little different. While I wasn't exactly overjoyed when they announced a Korean version, I also wasn''t one of those fans attacking everyone who was looking forward to this and saying the original should not be tainted or anything like that. I knew it would probably be milked for it's popularity, so no point getting upset when there's also going to be a Mainland remake as well. I was also quite curious about what they would do with the story and liked the idea that maybe if people were open to watching the original, then it could bring more people into the Someday or One Day fandom or get people into watching the modern day Taiwanese dramas which have improved a lot....The original series, Someday or One Day, had a pretty crazy following in Korea anyway - I witnessed this when the Taiwanese movie sequel for Someday or One Day was launched in Korea. A huge number of Koreans even started learning Chinese to understand the actors better etc. So I guess if anyone would give a fair evaluation of this remake it would be the Korean fans themselves. I think there's also fans who will enjoy both because even though they loved SOOD, they also love these Korean actors, which is fair enough.

 

Episode 1-2

 

My thoughts so far is that A Time Called You is ok. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either so far. Would I have loved it more if it wasn't a remake of SOOD? Hard to say. It's a nice enough drama and the actors are doing a good job - obviously they're both talented and have a huge following already, so I expect most people will like the characters as well. I'm not a huge fan of either main actor for the remake, but to be fair, I also wasn't a huge fan of Alice Ke or Greg Hsu before I started watching Someday or One Day either, but I loved their acting and chemistry and the way they portrayed their characters that I became a bigggggg fan of them both from that drama. Maybe it'll happen for this series too? 

 

In a funny way, I think this drama might actually catch all the fans who weren't exactly a fan of Someday or One Day. Even though the drama is going through the same central events as SOOD, it does have a very different tone which is not bad per say, but doesn't capture what I (and I suspect a majority of the SOOD fans) truly loved about the original series. But what a lot of fans loved may be what other people didn't (I just glanced at @mademoiselle's comments above and I can already see where we differ, but will reply later in a different comment because this is going to be a long one in itself!). So I think this drama doesn't have to be a carbon copy of the original. And I'm trying to apprciate the project as a drama in it's own rights - there are some scenes I like in this drama which were not in the original which I'll talk about below as well. But I will talk about some overarching changes/ differences with characters and moments that I think are the reasons I was hooked on SOOD from Episode 2, but not so with this series. Again, I don't hate this series - it's a series I'm watching, but I haven't felt compelled and wanting more the way I felt when watching the original. My bias are obviously: I already know how this story unfolds (so maybe not as exciting for me), I already have a strong reference to the original story/ characters/ stories. But I'm also feeling that even if I had no idea what SOOD/ or the original series was like, I still don't think it would be an addictive series for me, though I'd find it enjoyable.

 

Things I liked:

I think it's quite pretty - Korean cinematography is nice. The original was quite dreamy and definitelly pretty. But the Korea version has brought it's own aesthetic scenes. I think stuff like the cherry blossom scene when they were having that talk about the hearing aids was nice. I think they've styled Anh Hyo Seop to look mighty fine (Hahaha...the scene with the abs was definitely not in the original!). Sometimes I've been confused about Anh Hyo Seop. But he's looking like very much the dream boyfriend here which is essentially this character's main role hahaha. 

 

Certain scenes play out nicely. That scene where Jeon Yeo Been and Anh Hyo Seop talk at the table and she asks why he made her love him when he was just going to leave her alone was great - the lines existed in the original series, but the scene played out differently. A Time Called You also toned down some of the events in the first episode of Someday or One Day that had a bit more of a Taiwanese Slackstick element like when they go look for Huan Yu Xuan's (FL) collegue's missing dog and end up going to a dodgy fortune teller which is how she first sees Li Zi Wei (ML) on the street even though he's apparently dead...in this version she thinks she sees him at a train station which I thought was actig a decent change. 

 

Things I don't know if I like/ didn't quite like:

With that said, I'm not feeling as moved by this drama and I think it's in part because it's missing that deeply nostalgic element. They have indicated that one time line is 1998, but if I wasn't paying much attention, I wouldn't have really noticed because both time lines look so stylised and modern. But in Someday or One Day, 1998 is super retro and noticeable because it's so daggy. The record store and the shops and their houses are super telling of the times. The characters even dress super daggy and use the slang of that time - even if they hadn't written the year on the screen, I would have known because I could remember doing the same things, wearing the same clothes etc. The drama was also tied together by a song with very moving lyrics and very iconic to those times. I don't know if this drama has introduced their song yet, but I'm not sure if it'll have quite the same feel. 

 

In terms of the characters, I'm trying to differente Anh Hyo Seop's Koo Yeon Jun to Greg Hsu's Li Zi Wei. I feel like Koo Yeon Jun is quite reserved compared to the original character - Li Zi Wei is more realistically a teenager boy - And a charismatic and rougish and smart talking guy at that. Like one of those guys who is cheeky to teachers and sometimes puts their foot in it because they speak before they think, who is cool because they don't care about getting in trouble if it means protecting their friends, but well liked because they tease/ joke with everyone in a friendly way, but has a heart of gold, is brave and is deeply loyalty to their quiet friends who they bring out of their shells. So far, they've tried to show this, but Koo Yeon Jun is quite vanilla and much more reserved. He's definitely the heart of gold, loyal friend, but the character isn't as funny or as realistic a teenager as the character in the original. Part of the charm of the original story is how much Li Zi Wei (ML) matures and learns about himself and what love means when he meets the FL (I have avoided giving spoilers as to the context of how he meets the FL), but I agree with a few comments I've read where I don't think this will come out as strong in this series, where he is already more reserved. To a lesser degree, I also feel that about Jeo Yeo Been's Han Jun Hee and Alice's Huang Yu Xuan (the adult version of the FL). I'm not going to say yet because it hasn't gotten past the crucial point yet (can't say more or I'll spoil things) and maybe this will be shown eventually. But so far, it feel liks Han Jun Hee is much more mild when the original Huang Yu Xuan was quite spirited, assertive and charismatic - one of those people who doesn't have to try hard to be liked because they're flexible and carefree. The character that I've had to try my hardest not to compare is the second MLs. I can't help but feel like the second lead in A Time Called You has no personal character yet. In the original, he was reserved, but still tried to bring out the FL who was even more timid than himself. He also had a more convincing friendship - like they would show the 2 leads talking or plotting how to bring the FL on their adventures...in this series so far, I haven't seen ML and second ML lead talk unless ML tells him to talk to the girl (which is true to the original, but they had more conversations and jokes aside from that?).  

 

Another reason I feel less moved: they also got rid of a lot of the nice relationship scenes in the original which made you understand the backstory of just how good a relationship the main characters had. Like here, the birthday scene was he gave her flowers and a cake the year before. In the original they show a montage of how he celebrated her birthday each year for several years and he always did very meaningful things, not just give her gifts - he planned a surprise party which her friends and family, he dressed up in a character costume and they had play fights with cake because he brought out her silly side, one year they fought and he still celebrated her birthday, stuff like that etc. So by episode 2, I was also griving a dead boyfriend of several years that I had never had. In A Time Called You I understand logically that he's passed away and he was a good boyfriend, but I don't feel quite so sad because I have less details to go by and less meaningful moments/flashbacks? Feels a little like they show the surface level without as much depth? 

 

Anyway, I think a lot of people will have different opinions on the series which is fine, everyone has different tastes and likes different actors/ styles. I'm not trying to convince anyone to like either series more or less - but just exploring both shows, I can see what appealed to me and made SOOD a crack drama to me personally. But this might be a crack drama to someone else, so I'm not judging this drama to others. Just me and other SOOD fans I guess  Also plenty of time to see how the drama unfolds. I will laugh if I turn out to really love this drama too a few more episodes in.

Edited September 12, 2023 by JenL

[ktcjdrama]

Well said @JenL Agree with everything you've written, and I just want to highlight some of them below. 

 

20 hours ago, JenL said:

I'm not feeling as moved by this drama and I think it's in part because it's missing that deeply nostalgic element.

Must also be because I'm not as familiar about those times in Korea compared to Taiwan.

 

20 hours ago, JenL said:

I feel like Koo Yeon Jun is quite reserved compared to the original character - Li Zi Wei is more realistically a teenager boy - And a charismatic and rougish and smart talking guy at that.

 

20 hours ago, JenL said:

Part of the charm of the original story is how much Li Zi Wei (ML) matures and learns about himself and what love means when he meets the FL

 

20 hours ago, JenL said:

In the original they show a montage of how he celebrated her birthday each year for several years and he always did very meaningful things, not just give her gifts ...

... So by episode 2, I was also griving a dead boyfriend of several years that I had never had. In A Time Called You I understand logically that he's passed away and he was a good boyfriend, but I don't feel quite so sad

This!

 

20 hours ago, JenL said:

there's also going to be a Mainland remake as well.

Really? I didn't know this....

 

I'm at ep.4 now, and will share my initial impression. Like @JenL, I don't hate it, but I'm not in love with it too (yet?). The K-version definitely has its kdrama traits/elements standing out, so it's quite easy for me not to confuse this version with the original. One thing I notice so far, there's more telling (than showing) that it's easier to follow the plot/timeline. But this could also be because I already watched the original? 

 

And I just need to get this off my chest... I'm not a fan of the ML's long hair... Why this styling?!!

Edited September 13, 2023 by ktcjdrama

[mademoiselle]

OSTs

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

OST - Full playlist

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by mademoiselle

[ktcjdrama]

Important lesson to learn ~ Always keep your eyes on the road! Even though you get to hold oppa’s hand.... Gosh, I jumped a bit and gasped out loud when that scene happened... which brings me to one complain about Destined With You, also by RoWoon 

Spoiler

There was a scene in the car where RoWoon was gingerly fixing the sleeping head of JBA while he was driving. I really and always hated when the director shoot a scene in the car with the driver looking many seconds too long to the person seated next to him/her. Sometimes I think maybe these directors never ever driven a car before?? There is no way (I repeat: no way!) to drive and be looking lovingly at the person next to you...

At ep.9 now, I still am disliking the long hair...
There might be a blunder in the time loop that I noticed. But, let me finish all episodes first. Maybe it will get addressed. 

 

[gilaswan]

16 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I really and always hated when the director shoot a scene in the car with the driver looking many seconds too long to the person seated next to him/her. Sometimes I think maybe these directors never ever driven a car before?? There is no way (I repeat: no way!) to drive and be looking lovingly at the person next to you...

Hahahaha... I have the exact same thought. In more current settings, I find myself thinking they're all driving driverless cars now. Product placement. Hahaha...

[mademoiselle]

 

[ktcjdrama]

4 hours ago, gilaswan said:

I find myself thinking they're all driving driverless cars now. Product placement.

😄 You will never find me in one of those self-drive taxis (sw some on the road when I was in San Francisco recently). I am not going to let myself be contained in a machine without having any control of how the machine should behave. 
 

Anyway... I have completed this drama. I have to say this is a good remake (finally!). Since it is a remake and having seen the original, I couldn’t help but compare when talking about this drama. Like I said earlier, ATCY has its own charm and appeal as a Kdrama. I enjoyed watching this, however, the original is still way above this. Also because I watched it without knowing how it’s gonna end. But really, the original has more soul and hearts and feels with regards to what the characters are going through. 
 

For me, the most glaring difference would be the ML. AHS is too “nice” as the high schooler, but I can still accept the character setup as being different from original. My biggest problem is when he was portraying the limping ML. Sorry to say he is not able to do a mellow jaded role yet. I can’t feel it. Maybe it’s the hair also 🤷🏻‍♀️ But he just looks too fine to be a beaten person. The way he delivered the lines too. Maybe also because his face is too plump and too smooth. Which is probably why they try to have him in long messy hair with the big scar along his jaw to make him look a little more rugged. Didn’t work for me. They should’ve just kept him the same, fine, maybe just a little longer hair, but not that long... 

 

JYB, amazing performance!! Especially so for ep.11-12. Also great performance by Min Jin Woong as Chan Yeong. 
 

Like @mademoiselle, I prefer the original version of the time ML met the little FL. For the original btw, the ending actually was leaked before airtime, so there was quite a bit of hoo-ha then while the producers trying to make the drama still intriguing, which explains the addition of an epilogue. 
 

There was definitely one scene that was out of place in ep.9. And I still think that there’s a mixed up time loop there, but no time yet to check with a rewatch. It’s regarding the time SH went back in time and Uncle told him about In Gyu’s death at the empty record store. I think it’s not aligning with what I am remembering of the time loop. 
 

I would recommend this drama of course, but if anyone ask me which to watch first, I would definitely say watch the original first. Except that it’s so hard to find with English subs!! I do hope because of this remake, more people will want to watch the original. 
 

[JenL]

On 9/13/2023 at 9:14 PM, ktcjdrama said:

Well said @JenL Agree with everything you've written, and I just want to highlight some of them below. 

 

Oooh I forgot you also watched and liked Someday or One Day  It was nice to see your comments and have someone understand what I meant. I know @Tofu is also a SOOD fan, but I remember her saying she was avoiding this remake because she did not like the casting (Haha, have you decided not to watch at all Tofu? )

 

On 9/13/2023 at 9:14 PM, ktcjdrama said:

Must also be because I'm not as familiar about those times in Korea compared to Taiwan.

 

I think this is true - I wouldn't be familiar with the late 90's in Korea as much as I would be in Taiwan. With that said, I heard there was some backlash from Korean fans because A Time Called You actually didn't portray the late 90's in Korea very accurately. It went more for aesthetics rather than true nostalgia and fans called out the series for that.

 

I think the Korean fans were more hardcore than the Taiwanese fans about this remake! (But I guess it was in theiir culture)

1. https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/131244/20230913/a-time-called-you-backlash-multiple-inaccuracies-shouldve-done-properly.htm 

2. https://www.koimoi.com/korean/a-time-called-you-starring-ahn-hyo-seop-jeon-yeo-been-is-getting-backlash-from-the-audience-for-setting-unrealistic-portrayal-of-korea-viewer-says-seems-like-a-drama-that-only-focuses-on-loo/#:~:text=Korean Entertainment News-,'A Time Called You' Starring Ahn Hyo Seop %26 Jeon,Only Focuses On Looking Pretty”

Also some other translated forums, but can't find the links anymore

 

On 9/13/2023 at 9:14 PM, ktcjdrama said:

I'm at ep.4 now, and will share my initial impression. Like @JenL, I don't hate it, but I'm not in love with it too (yet?). The K-version definitely has its kdrama traits/elements standing out, so it's quite easy for me not to confuse this version with the original. One thing I notice so far, there's more telling (than showing) that it's easier to follow the plot/timeline. But this could also be because I already watched the original? 

 

On 9/15/2023 at 10:24 PM, ktcjdrama said:

Anyway... I have completed this drama. I have to say this is a good remake (finally!). Since it is a remake and having seen the original, I couldn’t help but compare when talking about this drama. Like I said earlier, ATCY has its own charm and appeal as a Kdrama. I enjoyed watching this, however, the original is still way above this. Also because I watched it without knowing how it’s gonna end. But really, the original has more soul and hearts and feels with regards to what the characters are going through. 

 

I've enjoyed reading your thoughts @ktcjdrama because your thoughts are very fair and considerate of both storylines and contexts and also because they mirror so many of my thoughts. I haven't finished yet (Just getting to episode 8), but I have started to warm to the storyline a bit more because as you say, it does have it's own charms and funny moments. It is faithful in the retelling in terms of similarity of events and scenes. It's almost scene for scene. But I definitely agree that it''s missiing the heart and soul of the original series. I think even if I was not a big SOOD fan, I would have still been able to point out why one series was more addictive to fans than the other. 

 

I also really agree that the Korean series seems to do more telling than showing which is a shame because it seems less realistic (?) when a character says a line that explains a plot line out loud. I think Han Jun Hee says something like "How did I travel through time? I fell asleep with the casette player. Must be the casette" or something really obvious like that which just struck me as odd because in the original the characters didn't know immediately but had to work that out. Anyway, like you, I think the series is watchable and entertaining. But I just don't think it'll be memorable or beloved in the long run. 

 

On 9/13/2023 at 9:14 PM, ktcjdrama said:

And I just need to get this off my chest... I'm not a fan of the ML's long hair... Why this styling?!!

 

Hahahaha, was this the older versiion of the ML? He was very shaggy  

[mademoiselle]

 

Spoiler

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

I am skimming through some of the comments here. Some I have yet to read & will do so after I am done with the series. I have completed till episode 8. Since I have never watched the original, my comments and feelings for this show is from an unbiased perspective.   

 

I like this so far and I think eps 7 and 8 were critical turning points in the show that drew me in . In the earlier episodes , I was too busy trying to figure out the mystery of this time slip and was confused about who the ultimate OTP is. But once we hit eps 7, when Jun Hee herself finally started to realise who SiHeon was and has always been for her, it gave me an emotional hook that I needed to stay the course. I think Jeon YB is very good here. But I do like AHS too. I agree that he's not the most nuanced actor ( he's best role for me when it comes to emotional acting is DRTK S2 & 3)  so I know the comparison out there to the original ML will not be in his favour.   However,  I like him as SiYeon - particularly when they were at the college stage and he was doing his best to get JH to fall for him.  There was a sweetness that he brought to his character. JYB and AHS's chemistry is not exactly sizzling but they match well. So I can find myself rooting for them.

[BUT.....AHS and Rowoon's  chemistry was pretty hot,  even hotter than all the actresses they have been partnered with! ( but hahaha no, am not into BL dramas ) ]

 

I do like what they are doing with regards to the time loop. It wasn't purely a linear sort of time travel of going back in time but we have 4 very different characters in the form of Min Ju/ Jun Hee , and SiYeon / Yun Jeon whose fates intertwined . The ones doing the time travel is Jun Hee/ Si Yeon whom we ultimately come to root for . Am writing this down because I hope  I am understanding it correctly?

 

In the original time line Min Ju dies , and 2nd lead InGyu will also end up killing himself. Jun Hee from the present also deals with the death on YeonJun ( whom I figured was actually Si Heon that she was in love with). So the time slip begins when Jun Hee while deeply missing YJ, goes back in time  and ends up in the body of Min Ju. Min Ju had always crushed on Si Hyeon but the latter doesn't like her the same way that In Gyu does. Then when Jun Hee "possessed" Min Ju ( sorry for the lack of a better word, lol!) , her personality was completely different since JH and MJ are polar opposites in character. JH realising she's gone back in time , tried telling the two boys and ahjussi about it, but of course at that time no one believes her. So it is also at this point that Si Hyeon falls for Jun Hee. At the same time, JH is also wondering why she's drawn to SH when he isn't her Yeon Jun, but she noticed that  SH and YJ tend to have similar traits. 

 

In SH's timeline, Min Ju dies, InGyu gets charged for killing her. Si Hyeon also migrated to the US with his family. But in 2002 he returns and goes visit IG in jail, though the latter didn't want to see him. On the way back from the visit, Si Hyeon gets involved in a bus accident and his soul ( or whatever ) gets transported to the body of YeonJun in 2007. YeonJun had been involved in a car accident while on a trip out with his boyfriend (Rowoon) . YJ is dead but now SH lives in that body. Also here YJ finally understood what Jun Hee had been telling him all along and he badly wants to find her. So this is the college stage that I am at in eps 8 where SH (as Yeon Jun) courts JunHee and hopes for her to fall for him. Technically though,  is this Jun Hee the same as the almost 30-year-old Jun Hee that possessed MinJu's body ? heheh...after all this Jun Hee had no knowledge of SH's past in high school. Anyway, I think regardless of which Jun Hee this is, JH and SH will always end up falling for each other. 

 

Meanwhile the JH in the present realises that SiHyeon is the one she had always loved and goes to ahjsussi's cafe and meets SH who is crippled. SH is crippled because of the bus accident in 2002. In 2007, when JunHee meets SH (in the form of YeonJun) , crippled SH is already aware of all that is going on. Hence the phone call from ahjussi saying things are going as planned. Crippled SH's goal is  not only to reconnect with JunHee, but also to save both MinJu who had been murdered  and InGyu who had killed himself out of depression.

 

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 9 was another game changing episode. The two versions of Nam SiHeon meets face to face with the crippled SH telling the SH ( who is in YeonJun's body) not to go on that flight. But the latter makes the choice of boarding the plane anyway because if he doesn't Jun Hee would have never gone back in time to meet SH during high school and they would have never fallen in love. But this also means that the soul of SH goes back to 2002 where he lies in coma after the bus accident. However all the memories that SH had as YeonJun was kept intact for crippled SH. And so the agonizing wait again for SH as he goes through physical rehab and has to wait for Jun Hee to cross his path again. 

So I am glad that in the present JunHee and crippled Si Hyeon are reunited and both are fully aware of what has happened. 

[abs-oluteM]

Before I watch the finale, I must say the two major twists in episode 10 and 11 were pretty good. Not something I expected. 

 

The first one being who the real killer is - ChanYoung from the present who used his older brother's body. I thought they did a great job casting this actor. I was trying quite hard to figure who CY was in the bigger scheme of things while watching the earlier episodes, and was even thinking that CY had changed identity and that it was always the same person. 

 

The second interesting twist was when YJ finally managed to go back in time to try and save Si Yeon, but only to end up being trapped in Min Ju's consciousness. Min Ju trying to pretend to be JunHee so that Si Yeon would like her came as a surprise for me. MinJu turned out to be more selfish and obsessed than I had expected. So perhaps ChanYoung in the present was right. JunHee may have ended up "killing" Min Ju while trying to save Si Yeon since MinJu looks like she might have a mental breakdown of sorts.

[abs-oluteM]

 

It was so sad to find out that at the end MJ had chosen to take her own life and InGyu truly felt like he had killed her. I was so glad that JunHee was able to go back once again and set things right even if it was the expense of her and SiHyeon not being able to meet the way that they had. The last half hour was pretty emotional since I had felt rather invested since ep 8. 

 

For what it's worth, for a time travel drama , there was coherence and "logic" to how things unfolded. I would attribute this to the original show - perhaps this is why they wanted to adapt this. Truth be told, the last few kdramas with time travel ( at least the ones that I watched) weren't great. Somehow the k-writers have this bad habit of overtwisting things and find it hard to reconcile things properly at the end. I read some comments that the relationships here weren't as developed and perhaps lack that nuance and depth of the original. As someone who didn't watch the original, I won't disagree entirely because the romance here took awhile to reel me in . Even the friendship between the MLs weren't as strongly presented as I had imagined.

 

I do think the drama hit its stride in the 2nd half. Not sure how close this was to the original but as the murder mystery unfolded, the drama became more engaging. I attribute this greatly to how good Korean productions are in doing the crime genre. I also felt that the leads connected better towards the end. Overall, this was a good watch and had no regrets spending time on it.