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Now that school has finally finished, I have a little bit more free time now so I finally have some time to watch some dramas! I decided to do a little post about the two dramas that I’m currently watching just to share with y’all my thoughts on them so far and to discuss with y’all what y’all also think about them (this is the first post, the 2nd post of ‘Queen for 7 Days’ will come out later)

Prior to ‘Fight For My Way’ and ‘Queen for 7 Days’, I was watching ‘Suspicious Partner’ and ‘Ruler’ but I decided to drop both of those dramas simply because I wasn’t interested and addicted to them. They fell short of my expectations and I just didn’t simply care for the characters or storyline (sorry Yoo Seung Ho and Ji Chang Wook, even y’all couldn’t stop me from not watching the drama! Hope to see y’all in future dramas though!).

Moving on, I decided to give “Fight for my Way” and “Queen for 7 Days” a try and I’m quite glad that I did (unexpectedly). Both dramas are on two totally sides of the spectrum, with one being a modern drama and the other one a historical sageuk drama, but both being engaging and knowing how to keep their viewers sucked in. I’m glad that I’m watching both dramas, because now I have something to keep me occupied other than my variety shows that I always love and enjoy watching.

“Fight For My Way” stars Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won as our main characters. Prior to watching the drama, I’ve always loved Seo Joon and although he hasn’t always had the best picks of dramas (Hwarang anyone?), I do think he’s a talented actor with quite some depth when he’s given characters that are multi-dimensional and he can express emotions and words quite well (+ his super good looks). As for Kim Ji Won, I’ve never really thought badly about her. I haven’t really seen her in anything other than ‘Heirs’ but even then I don’t really remember anything about her simply for the fact that I choose to not remember anything about that drama in the first place LOL. But I did think that Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won make a pretty cute and good-looking couple and after having watched 10 episodes of the drama, that belief still holds true.

There’s not really a strong plot in “Fight For My Way.” It’s just mainly about our two characters trying to make it out in the real world and trying to find ways to survive and make money and testing to see if their respective passions is the solution to making that money that they need to survive in life. And while things are working out so far for our main character Go Dong Man (played by Park Seo Joon), for Choi Ae Ra (played by Kim Ji Won) things aren’t looking so bright for her and her goal of wanting to be an announcer. While I want her to be able to achieve her goals of an announcer, I also think that at the same time maybe that’s not what she’s meant to be as we see her in the drama commanding the stage as an MC/host of some kind of event twice. It got me thinking that maybe in the end there are 2 good things she’s good at and although being an announcer is one of those things she’s good at, maybe being an MC/host is the other thing that she should consider because she’s just as great at it and maybe she will actually get hired and make money off of it. Whether she is to pursue that or not we will see in the future episodes, but it’ll be interesting to see what she does if her dreams of becoming an announcer does not work out.

I enjoy the natural progression and pace that the drama has been showing us in regards to Dong Man and Ae Ra’s relationship. It makes sense as to why they would fall for each other over the years as they’ve been childhood friends and have grown up together. They’ve been there for each other at both their highest and lowest moments in life and have basically gone through everything together. I do think the romantic feelings have been there for a while now, especially in regards to how Ae Ra feels about Dong Man and liking him first, but I do think Dong Man also had maybe some kind of feeling for Ae Ra but was probably just clueless or uncertain about it all. The way they suppress their feelings for each other or pretend that they don’t like each other and are just friends is so cute because everyone else knows that they like each other as more than friends. With 10 episodes in, Dong Man and Ae Ra are explicitly showing their feelings for each other a lot more now and are even making strides by confessing to each other how they feel too. I squeal every time they’re together and I love how in the midst of all these feels and confusion and ambiguity and chaos, they still remain the same true versions of themselves that they were when they were just friends as well. I think it’s safe to say that because they started out as childhood friends and grew up together, they don’t have to change to impress the other or have to do certain things to make the other person like them. For Dong Man and Ae Ra, they’ve already seen all the sides to each other and appreciate and love each other for that. They might try to act differently at first once they become a couple, but maybe they’ll realize that staying the honest and real versions of themselves that they are both familiar with is the best outcome for them even when they become a couple. It’ll be great to see this unfold even more as the drama progresses.

Moving on to the second lead couple with Joo Man and Seol-hee, I feel like their relationship is a little bit more complicated and complex than Ae Ra and Dong Man’s just simply because there’s so much ambiguity and confusion and secrets going on. Why doesn’t Joo Man want to marry Seol-hee? Why did they both feel the need to keep their relationship a secret and hide it from the rest of their co-workers? Why didn’t Joo Man just tell Ye-Jin that he’s in a relationship with Seol-hee and push her away? Why didn’t he stop her from pursuing him knowing that Seol-hee already knew what was happening? Why didn’t Seol-hee do anything herself? From the very first episode until now, I’ve rooted for Joo Man and Seol-hee ever since the very first episode where she got scolded by her boss and then Joo Man basically swooped in to save Seol-hee. That scene was so touching and sweet to me that I became a fan of theirs ever since that episode, but in all honesty it has only ever gotten worse from there. I’m a little bit more lenient on Joo Man not wanting to marry Seol-hee yet for financial reasons despite having been together for six years. He wants to be in a good financial state and be able to do all that he wants to do with her as a married couple without having to worry about money and finance. Sure, that I can put up with.

But I just don’t understand why he doesn’t just tell Ye-jin that he’s in a relationship with Sul-hee for six years and that he doesn’t like her. By not telling her, it has only made things worse and has put everyone in a sour position. Is he embarrassed to tell people he’s with Sul-hee? Will his position at work be threatened if he does? Is it because his feelings for Sul-hee aren’t as strong anymore because there’s Ye-jin now who keeps tugging along and confessing her feelings for Joo Man? A part of me believes that he’s a little shaken up by Ye-jin and therefore continues to do stuff for her and meet with her even though he doesn’t have to because there are boundaries that should be set in place as co-workers. But he doesn’t set any boundaries or doesn’t acknowledge them and when he doesn’t know how to stay within those boundaries and you have Ye-jin already breaking them and going all over the place, it becomes a messy outcome for everyone. I’ve read comments about how Sul-hee should be brave and not be so submissive and weak and just straight up tell Ye-jin about their relationship. I don’t blame Sul-hee and while I do want her to grow a backbone a little bit (in which she has in the latest episode), I want Joo Man to hold himself accountable for everything. I want Joo Man to be responsible for the issues that’s arisen in their relationship and to be straightforward with everyone (especially Ye-jin) on everything. Sul-hee is stuck in a situation where she’s supposed to be quiet and to be submissive and not talk alot. She’s grown up like that so one just can’t expect her to all of a sudden stand up for herself and advocate for her relationship with Joo Man. She doesn’t know how to do that and she’s not in a position to. She’s just a regular employee at her workplace who often gets scolded and yelled at. No one really respects her at her workplace. Even with Joo Man’s family, they don’t really approve of her and also put her down. She’s trying her best to be the best for everyone (especially for Joo Man who she supported while he was busy working and finishing school) so I understand and see why she would not be as strong and loud and out-going as people want her to be which is why I root for her. I like Sul-hee, I like her a lot. She’s given up so much for the ones she loves and cares about and she’s so kind-hearted which is why it breaks my heart and makes me absolutely infuriated when Joo Man goes off doing things with Ye-jin and lies to her just so he can “help” Ye-jin with work-related things. She’s done so much for him and then in the end gets treated like this. And worst of all, she has to confront this issue with Ye-jin because her boyfriend of six years doesn’t have the audacity or courage to do it himself (which goes back to the whole idea of how I believe he’s a bit shaken up because of his feelings for Ye-jin and might be losing feelings for Sul-hee himself). I’m glad Sul-hee stepped up to the plate and told Ye-jin about her relationship with Joo Man, but I also want him to do the same and stay true to his words. In the latest episode, we just went back to where we started and it was frustrating.

If anything, I want Sul-hee to break up with Joo Man herself to make him realize how much of a gem and diamond she’s worth so that he knows he won’t betray her next time and will maybe actually cherish her, do stuff for her as she’s done for him, and I don’t know maybe even marry her. But being in a relationship for six years, maybe things have gone stale. Joo Man is used to her now. He’s used to the daily routine. He’s gotten bored and he wants to do different things which is why he’s leaning a bit towards Ye-jin and it frustrates me that he’s become a bit careless in all of this. I understand that it’s suffocating for him as well having Sul-hee do and pay everything for him because he too wants to be in a position where he’s stable and well-off and doesn’t have to feel like he relies on Sul-hee for everything, but that’s been his excuse for everything. At one point or another, he’s gotta do something about the situation that he’s in. He either breaks everything off with Sul-hee and get with Ye-jin or vice versa. I feel like he’s in between right now, still staying with Sul-hee for whatever reasons, but leaning a little bit towards Ye-jin and it frustrates the heck out of me. Sul-hee’s literally bent her back working her butt off to pay and support Joo Man and in the end, lies, deceit, and a boy who interacts with his “intern” who doesn’t know how to back off and take no for an answer is all she gets? Sul-hee can do so much better and deserves so much better. I want Joo Man to do something about it or I want Sul-hee to end her relationship with Joo Man just so this will be a wake-up call for him and hopefully get him to realize how good he’s had it with Sul-hee. I hate seeing Sul-hee be treated like this when she treats everyone else so greatly and with so much love and warmth. She doesn’t deserve this. And in all honesty, the whole Sul-hee/Joo Man/Ye-jin thing has dragged on for too long now and I now no longer anticipate to see what will happen to them. I just want Ye-jin to leave because Joo Man told her to and for Joo Man to make it up to Sul-hee what he’s done. And if I’m going to be very very honest, you could have done this whole relationship issue without Ye-jin in the picture. There’s already a variety of issues that one could explore between Joo Man and Sul-hee considering that they’ve been in a relationship for six years, but why the drama chose the issue of having a side character be a threat to the relationship makes no sense to me. It actually frustrates me and I want it to be gone. I want to see Joo Man and Sul-hee strengthen their relationship after all that they’ve been through and get married in the end. Please show, please. Make it happen.

Phew. Long rant lol. But moving forward, as frustrating and aggravating as some aspects of the show can be, I do appreciate the aspects of the drama that are quirky, funny, and satisfying. I love how comedic and silly all the characters are, but most of all I love how the relationships that they have with each other and the ideas of wanting to look successful so that others around them aren’t worried (Ae Ra & Dong Man’s relationship with their parents, Joo Man to Sul-hee, etc.). It’s such a simple concept, but one that is so difficult to achieve in reality and it’s been great watching this happen for our characters. In a world where they just want to achieve their life-long dreams and goals, they have to face the multiple obstacles and challenges that come with those goals and the reality that wakes them up to all this and it’s been interesting so far seeing them face their fears and biggest obstacles. Where this goes and where they’re headed we’ll find in the next few episodes, but I’m excited and I hope I won’t be pulling my hair out as I’ve been the past 10 episodes to see what happens to our characters.