Itaewon Class – Catch more flies with Hyun Yi

Full transcript of Itaewon Class – Catch more flies with Hyun Yi.

0:00KT: It's another week in the For Your Reference household and we have our new segment where the other host has to guess what we think we will choose. So Oti.

0:12Oti: I would like for you to tell me who was the most valuable person outside of Park Sae Ro Yi, of course. Oh. In this to the success of Dan Bam.

0:25KT: And you're supposed to guess what I'm going to say. Is that correct? Yep. Okay. Three,

0:30Oti: two, one. No.

0:33KT: Get used to losing, sir. Let's get on to the show. Welcome to the For Your Reference podcast. You got your host, KT.

0:33Oti: And Oti.

0:33KT: And grab onto your squishy places because we are triumphing in hard work and counters with Itaewon Class this week. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Kamsahamnida for listening to our podcast. We're going to start off with stats, which is usually what we do around here. Mhmm. This is a Netflix show. And for all of the spankings Netflix deserves, this is a good spanking. Very good. So many international

1:32KT: TV shows and movies are being put onto the platform which we fucking live for. Please let us know if you would like us to cover the six episodic adventure that is Queen Sono. But no subtitles are required, friends and lovers, because the splooshes are universal. Yep. So it came out in January 2020, and it kind of slowly released itself into fruition of 16 episodes. Yep. We will I'll I'll just call the first three actors that we have on IMDB playing Park Sae Ro Yi. We have Park Seo Joon. Yep. He is a fucking maverick,

2:14KT: not just in Korean cinema and screens, but also internationally.

2:18Oti: I love how he stayed true to his haircut mate.

2:21KT: In the webtoon because we're super learning. Itaewon is based on a webtoon which was colossally popular in Korea. So many of the fans of the webtoon I think they don't really call it manga because it's not Japanese. Right? Yeah. Correct us if we're wrong. But yeah, there was there was many to say about how the characters should be. But Park Seo Joon, everywhere from Parasite to Hwarang to Secretary Secretary Kim, he covers it all. Oh, does. He definitely does. When I talk about my trophy case of stans like, you know, Daniel Kaluuya,

2:55KT: Park Seo Joon is in there as well. He just exudes so much quality. Mhmm. Well well, there we go. Let's continue with the show. I'm getting all flustered over here. We have Kim Da-mi playing Jo Yi Seo. Mhmm. And then we also have Yoo Jae-myung playing Jang Dae Hee, who's the president of Jangga. Jangga Co. Jangga Co. Like Coppola. So that's the cast that we have. We're definitely going to break the show down into delicious themes, also breaking into characters.

3:26KT: Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. If you've never listened to our podcast before, I guess this is where we insert our spoilers into you with consent. Oh, it's consentful. But let's get into our segment of first impression. So feel free to talk about whether you're a fan of the k drama, Oti and, I guess, your general sort of feelings about the show.

3:48Oti: I've watched a couple of k drama.

3:52KT: Alright. Pull all of your learned glasses up. Oh, no. Remember remember, we used to have Drama Fever until it just disappeared off the face of the fucking earth. Let's let's pour some sip on the concrete because that that really got me through sometimes. It was also during the time of Hwarang when I was trying to find a way to watch it.

4:08Oti: Yeah. And wow. I wasn't I wasn't immediately bought into the show. Mhmm. KT kept on asking, you have to watch this. You have to watch it. It's it's incredible. Until it reached a point where she'd stopped and said, I'm not going to continue watching this Yeah. Until we start over with you on board. Yep. And I was like, yeah. Maybe down the road. Not a minute later, in stepped Kim Toni.

4:34Oti: And I don't know what my motherfucking thought at the time, but for sure, I was completely sold. I said, drop in everything, and we're gonna start this properly. And I was not disappointed. The pilot episode. Jesus.

4:43KT: Because you have this habit of, like, pretending like you're not watching what I'm watching, and that kinda got you into 90 Day Fiance as well. Like, you'll pretend. You'll be like, whatever. I'm not watching this. And then you'll ask me questions, like, questions that you would only be asking if you're following for three episodes at least. But I get it because as much as I fucking love Korean dramas, some of them are so fucking dramatic. Like, they put the drama in Korean drama.

5:14KT: So I I definitely get what you're saying. But, mate, when I tell you, like, when I tell you to jump off aboard this train and also watch the show if you're nasty, then you gotta dive into it, my love. Mhmm. My first impressions of this show, how did I come across it? Well, obviously, Park Seo Joon. I on behalf of the podcast account, follow him on Instagram. On behalf of the podcast account. Okay. Creepy, I think. Right? Instead of me sitting in my corner liking all these all of these photos.

5:42KT: But, obviously, it's on Netflix. It wasn't a show that you had to dig for, essentially, which I think is a great thing. It is. It really is. And I'm loving what Netflix are doing at the moment.

5:53Oti: Just trying to get a lot of different content from different cultures and origins, and it's and promoting it on the global platform, which they have. And, you know, it's one way to get fucking culture and one way to expand your fucking worldview, and this is it. Yes. We will sacrifice our firstborn to there. Expletives are solely paying tribute to Queen Sono. This is the second time I've mentioned it, know, but calm down.

6:17KT: Yeah. Oti's mentioning it so much because he knows we're not gonna fucking cover it.

6:21Oti: Maybe I mention it, like, 50 times, you'll be like, alright. Goddamn it. We'll do a live.

6:27KT: Well, it felt it's feeling more like six more than six episodes. But, anyway, let's get back to Itaewon Class because we have a lot a lot a lot to cover. Mhmm. Let's go into my first impressions. So if we're talking about, you know, Korean dramas in general, you have Strong Girl Bong Soon. You have Oh My Ghost, which is super

6:45KT: you know, if you know, then you know. I think that's what the kids are saying. And then you have more serious sort of dramas like Stranger, which have Doona Bae in there. And then you also have Hwarang, which Park Seo Joon is also in as well, with Kim Tae Hyung, V from BTS, and he is also on the soundtrack for Itaewon. Yeah. You thought we're gonna cover Korean show and I wasn't gonna talk about BTS? Well, the joke's fucking on you, ARMY.

7:09KT: Oh, but, yeah, I was I was definitely into it. We'll talk about the show, but that fucking first episode is it is all of the chef kisses. It could be a stand alone, to be honest. It is fucking stand alone, and we'll obviously talk in more detail about the first episode. But, like, I felt everything that I ever needed to feel in my whole human experience.

7:30Oti: The feels, the journey, the exposition, the crescendo, fucking everything was here. Writing is writing, but you there is a certain finesse to establishing characters and making us fucking care about them. Taking us through the journey. Taking us through the journey, make us buying into the characters Oh, yes. Is crucially important. And how they do it, especially for a skeptic like me who came into the show

7:55Oti: not really fully bought into the experience because of only sort of an aspect of having a black person in it. Uh-huh. And then wholly that being completely taken out of my mind and fully focusing on the characters before me. Oh, yeah. And the past four months of Park Sae Ro Yi. Oh.

7:55KT: About to rename our dog. Yeah. Theo Sae Ro Yi. Theo Sae Ro Yi, man.

8:18KT: Oh, but the first episode was fucking brilliant. But we'll we'll talk about it and we'll break it down. But that first episode, I was like, darling, come on. Like, we need to watch this, and you just poo pooed me. And then again, we got to around episode six where Kim Toni walks in. And I have a secret. I had actually watched that twenty minutes before you came into the room. But I I rewound it because I knew your ears and your other places would be perking up.

8:47KT: Because we talk a lot about frame of reference. I really felt like that was going to valor your mugoolies. Yeah. So I I played it cool, but I actually rewound it. And then it did. It did. It really did. Yeah. And even then, you're like, yeah. Let's watch it. But you didn't really commit to it. I got to

9:06KT: a very pivotal point in the story. I already said spoilers, so I'll say it. This is where all of the years that Park said to you, you just think he's dumb. You just think he's dumb, and it takes him forever to get to do what he wants to do, but he actually had a calculated plan from the start. And all of that builds into a crescendo at the end of episode six, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. And that is that is when

9:28KT: I don't even wanna spoil it because it was so fucking delicious. But that is when I'm like, I'm actually going to stop watching this. Even if you don't wanna watch it for months, I am going to wait because this delicious moment is too good to watch alone. But there are some things you should be watching alone. Or maybe even listening alone.

9:47Oti: It really was. And I'm grateful for you forcing upon me a journey that I do not regret. A journey that has made me sort of appreciate the k drama more as a genre.

9:58KT: Pinning each other down and forcing each other to watch stuff is our love life.

9:58Oti: I know. You you we've watched a couple of dramas together, and

10:07Oti: they've been good. Not not to the level of class. Hwarang is fucking amazing. Not to the level of Itaewon Class. Can you I repeat. Alright. And this just made me feel a way. Mhmm. Feel a way that I've been missing for quite a while. Feel a way that I didn't even know that I missed feeling until Damn. Before my bloody eyes.

10:07KT: Who the fuck am I to you then?

10:07Oti: I do not know. I have no idea.

10:31KT: Don't you know k pop and k drama stands for KT?

10:37Oti: But wow. Like, I'm I'm I'm fully on board this train. And and the fact that we're not gonna get another sort of second season, I I certainly hope not because I think it all came into a sort of night night nicely knitted bow.

10:53KT: Knitted? We can't afford any satin bows. Damn, dawg.

10:58Oti: Well, true story. I used

10:58KT: Oh, no. Is this going to be like a Joe Swanson family

10:58Oti: I used to knit bows, and they used to be the perfect sort of I don't know. Back in the day, you know, you get presents with a knitted bow. It's quite reusable, you know. Think she was keeping the environment in mind during those times. Sustainability is key, mate.

10:58KT: Love is long suffering, and you'll come to find that out

11:20KT: with Oti. Mhmm. And thank you for directly correlating why that was relevant to the episode. Oh,

11:27Oti: you're welcome.

11:29KT: But just generally, overall, you know, not not not necessarily to mismatch k drama, but there is a certain connotation around k dramas, and it's exactly what you're saying. Like, you had an expectation of what it might be. So you're like, yeah. No. It's not for me. Yep. And I told you up until, I think, the third episode, I was I was I was exhausted

11:50Oti: Yeah.

11:50KT: From all my fiend in every fucking episode. From all the work my tear ducts had to do. I was I was I was panting by the by the finishing of the third episode. It was

11:50Oti: At just least your ass got a break.

12:02KT: What? You better leave that shit in there. Oh my god. You're ridiculous. That that relates to ass because I said leave that shit in there. We're a classy podcast, friends and lovers. Too classy. And that's what fucking happens when you derail us. Learn your lesson, Oti. I guess what I would say, just finishing off the first impressions was this this this Korean drama, this Korean show is exactly what I wanted. It was tantalizing. You know, when people talk about cooking where it's like salt,

12:32KT: salty, sweet, there's acid and there's heat in it. This combined every sort of tasty morsel in a viewing experience. Yeah. It covered so many so many social commentary effortlessly. It wasn't even done in a preachy way, and it it really strive to cover a lot more than you would in your average sort of Korean drama. Oh, for sure. There are lot of sort of things that will come across. One of them being like the big age differences in a relationship.

13:01KT: You know, sometimes you'll see it in Korean dramas, but it's it's a cutesy thing being like, I just wanted to say on our podcast. But this actually delved into, you know, the the actual conflict that Park Sae Ro Yi had. So there's there's a lot of tasty morsels to delight yourself in in Itaewon. Something that I would say is, and it might even be in our for your reference segment,

13:24KT: is this really reminded me of Monster, the anime. Oh. In the sense that, yes, you know what an anime is, but Monster completely blows you out of the water on any sort of expectation you might have had or any sort of limitations that you think anime might have. Oh, for sure. So I would definitely correlate that sort of sensation to Itaewon as well. Cool. So let's let's actually dive into the themes, but also the characters. I wanna focus specifically on the first episode and also on Park Sae Ro Yi.

13:55KT: The introduction to this show, the protagonist of the show is Park Sae Ro Yi. And we talked about, you know, sometimes you have really great shows, but it's hard to latch on to the protagonist. Yeah. Sometimes you're supposed to care about them. And if it's a antihero sort of narrative, like, why you're not supposed to care about them. Mhmm. Right? I talk a lot about Hughie from The Boys. I felt like that was a shortfall in the first four episodes of The Boys season one because we didn't well, I personally didn't fucking care about

14:22KT: Hughie. Yeah. Right? There was not any sort of potential for him to grow. He was just going to be that whiny sort of character. In regards to Park Sae Ro Yi, he at first, he presents himself as very simple, as very simplistic, but you start to see that his values outweigh any sort of modern day corruption.

14:42KT: And

14:43KT: that is quite clear. And even those values that he holds there Yeah. Actually derive from his father. Mhmm. I I don't know where Park Sae Ro Yi's mom went. Also don't know where mention that. I don't don't know where the president's mom went or maybe moms don't matter. Mom's the word in Itaewon apparently. But we it is a very insular story about Park Sae Ro Yi and his father and

15:07KT: how they navigate the world within them. His father was working for Jangga Corp and he was with them for a long time. And we even find out later on in the series that he was the one that created their signature dish. Yep. Right?

15:21KT: But they they they kinda brush it off as if, you know, it's a more sort of tangible story if you hear the president made that dish. Oh, because that's the sort of strength that they build Jangga on. Yeah. Just like the amazing CEO who's pushing your company to success and does pretty much everything. Yeah. Just like the chicken McNugget in The Wire talking about some guy in the basement

15:43KT: Yeah. Making it. But there are so many tangible themes to sink yourself into in Itaewon Class. And really at the heart of it is Park Sae Ro Yi and his father. Oh, wow. And the connection that they have because, you know, like, they're great fucking people. So, you know, all of all of the triumphs,

16:01KT: all of the lulls, all of the ebbs, all of the flows, we are along in that journey with them. Yep. You know? At the start of the first episode, you see Park Sae Ro Yi moving to a new school and it will actually be classmates with Gweon Won, who is classic, super terrible, super spoiled son of a mega corporation. Yep. Rich kid syndrome. Yep. Rich kid syndrome indeed. Ergo our Succession episode. Personally, I am so fucking grateful I wasn't born into a rich or super successful family. Because imagine like living in the shadows

16:37KT: or having to, you know, like toe the line, follow expectation, rise above.

16:41Oti: Well, just get everything so easily. Oh, yeah. Well, I I could live a lot. Not just the fact that I could not live with the fact that they expect me to be like them.

16:41KT: No. But if you live a life of complacency,

16:53KT: you you become numb to the luxuries. Right? So so we see this dynamic sort of form in the first episode. So it really is a story about a son and a father trying to fucking make it through the world. Yeah. Right? And even during the scene when Park Sae Ro Yi is supposed to be get reprimanded by the principal, you know, even his father stood by his side and was like, I am so proud of my son. Oh, yeah. Everything that I tried to embed into this boy, he's already living it.

17:22KT: I've become a coward. Yeah. That is some true feelings right there. And all of this culminates into you saw it coming, I didn't see it coming, the death of his father.

17:35Oti: Oh, I told you. There's only one reason to focus on on on on a character that way. Yeah. Either they're not gonna be there anymore or they're going to do something that's gonna change that's gonna be a a script flip moment.

17:47Oti: Oh oh. That's a Cleveland Show reference. You're welcome. And it's just that I saw it coming, but I still felt it because how of how it was executed. Mhmm. And the person that who had to kill him, of course, it was Gweon Won. Like Yeah. Bloody hell. There's only so many heart strings you can tug at with me, and they were tugging all of them. But the success was in laying the groundwork on establishing the characters and the emotional connection. For sure. Because they gave us a beautiful story. They explained

18:18Oti: so well. Oh, yes. They showed us a son who really, in in most parents,

18:24Oti: wouldn't understand. Mhmm. Because Park Sae Ro Yi was kind of different from everyone. Like dropping the bucket as like, the punishment was holding the bucket, and he dropped it on himself. Like like, people really didn't understand him. And the way the father just knew him, it's a relationship that we all sort of crave. And to be able to be understood that way in a fundamental level and not just some basic ass shit, you're my son and I love you because that's what fathers do. What father says I love you? I would love to know. Yeah. Like, in an actual way where they truly and deeply understand who you are as a person and to accept that, they gave us that, and they explained it so well so that when that moment happened Mhmm. You could virtually see Park Sae Ro Yi's world

19:04Oti: just crumble before him. And the way people behaved Yeah. By the father's death and just try and hiding everything and being corrupt and shit just not only just drove him forward because of who he is as a person, but the values he holds dear Mhmm. Oh, bloody hell. Like, I if if I was a film student, I think I would just want my fucking writing AC to be on this. Yeah. Because it goes above and beyond on all of It even touches on class

19:33KT: Yeah. As well. Yeah. It also talks about well, it's also class, but it also corruption. Because you do have the detective who we later get to know later on in the series where he actually did try. He got the CCTV, I think, of a private residence. That's how he was able to get it because there was no public CCTV. And he pretty much got shut down completely. Right?

19:52KT: And I guess that's the grand reveal where you know that something shitty is going on, but you can't fucking do anything about it. Oh, yeah. So he stayed quiet about it for such a long time. And even so even at the I'm not really sure what it's called, but during the time of mourning, you had Park Sae Ro Yi there and also Oh Soo Ah was there as well. Soo Ah remembered the 777 license plate Yeah. On the car. Right? What maybe she wasn't, but what was she thinking when she told Sae Ro Yi?

20:23KT: Did she think that he wouldn't go and seek revenge?

20:26Oti: But I think I would tell because that's such a heavy thing to hold secret. No. But she seemed so surprised that Sae Ro Yi was going to seek revenge.

20:35KT: True. True. Like, that didn't make any sort of sense to me. It's like anime characters being shocked over something they've known for hundreds of episodes. But the thing the weird I think the thing that I found most weird in that scenario was that she called the cops on him. That's what that but that was the next layer. So there's one thing to say, you know, you have the potential to do your vigilante

20:54KT: sort of justice. And then she also called the cops as well. And, you know, Sae Ro Yi says later on in the series, thank you so much. Thank you for stopping me from yes. I went to jail, but I didn't go into jail. A murderer. I didn't buy that. I didn't buy that shit. I don't truly believe that he was happy that maybe he's happy that he didn't go into jail. A murderer. But in that fucking moment He must have felt betrayed. Surely. With the rain pouring down, the John Wickenstein of it all,

21:20KT: I am sure he he regretted not, like, finishing him off. Yeah.

21:24Oti: Yeah. But wow. And and we're taken through the whole sort of 16 episodes. You're taking on such a lovely journey. And during the later episodes, I'm like, oh, man. I just wish you'd have finished this guy off.

21:38KT: This is great one in. Shit, man. Well, here's a question. Not in the real world because that is too fucking hard to unpack on this podcast. But within a TV show, within a movie, is there an opportunity for redemption for Gweon Won, for example? I'd say yes.

21:54Oti: Of course. Said you wanted him to be finished off. Yeah. But if if your punishment if you accept your punishment and come out the others from the other side a better person Mhmm. Then fair enough. You've paid your dues and kudos. The should be able to let you live.

22:12KT: But there's a disparity in privilege of class. Right? Anyone, unfortunately, anyone that is driving can unfortunately harm someone. Right? But not everyone has the privilege to hush that away Yeah. To make that crime go away. So do you think that's fair? Of course, it's not fair. But it's the world we're living.

22:33Oti: Really? It is. It is. Well, yeah, I know. But are you really going to do that? I'd I'd assume after spending a few a few years in jail, you'd have some time for self reflection.

22:43KT: Oh, when Gweon Won came out of prison, I'm like, oh, I like this final form. But then he turned into a bitch again. But when he came out of prison, that was a great, like, moment of, like, a comeback. Yeah. Yeah. He was a bitch the whole way through, man. Yeah. But he just wasn't built for that life. You know? Sometimes you have people that are born into families that they're just not built for. Oh, for sure. Right? But, yeah, that that first episode of Itaewon Class is it is marvelous.

23:09KT: And that is going to become my benchmark because it had all of the levels. It hit all the marks, if you'll pardon the pun. Yeah. And I don't think, in fairness, I've seen a better pilot. No. I don't think I've seen a better pilot in any sort of show. Fair to gauge a pilot based off an existing, like, sort of comic or webtoon?

23:25Oti: Of course. We've seen plenty of adapted shit that they just mess up. Yeah. Things that you think they wouldn't even be able to do because source material is already there. Mhmm. So, course, regardless of whether or not this had source material or not going into the pilot, doesn't make any sort of difference. They adapted it super well. They did it perfectly in my opinion, and wow.

23:25KT: Oti is coming in full splooshes blazing.

23:25Oti: Oh. That sounds fucking painful. And more me.

23:55KT: That actually sounds painful. But, yes, the first episode, if that was just a movie, then that would be fucking great. Mhmm. Right? And that will be my benchmark. Because if I watch a movie that has less character development, has less quality writing and character arcs, then, yeah, you're you're not going to be regarded as highly as I would regard this TV show. Oh, no. They had a story to tell and they did it and boy did we sob along the way.

24:21KT: But it really solidified Park as a character. You could see that that sort of character, like him being all about hard work, it could very much be like Saitama from One Punch Man. You know what I mean? Like, there's not really much to mention to him. Park Sae Ro Yi could have definitely been that. But they really fleshed out his character. You got a sense of his code of ethics. You got a sense of who he was and what he would not stand for. Oh, yeah. Values above all.

24:47Oti: You know what you stand for, and that's pretty much it. There's no compromise. Mhmm. There's no bending the rules to fit whatever narrative you want. Yeah. It is what it is. If shit happens, you pivot and find a different way. You don't complain. You don't bend to someone's rule. You stay true to yourself, and you continue carrying on. And that's what Park Sae Ro Yi embodied, and that's why he acted as a motivation to the entire crew of Dan Bam. Like, I'm just my mind was blown away Yeah. By this and his eagerness and motivation

25:20Oti: to know that one day he will get revenge regardless of whatever hardships that come his way. He knew. He knew it was coming. Yeah. I'm just like, if if there's a better protagonist out there somewhere, tell me, and I'll raise you fucking Park Sae Ro Yi.

25:31KT: And you know what? I cannot think of a show. Because if we're talking about overall pacing, there were definitely issues with the pacing, especially in the last sort of half of this series. But if we're talking about the conscious decision to introduce characters and introduce backstory of characters, I think this show should be the golden standard.

25:55Oti: It should.

25:56KT: Because so many times we would watch a show and wanna know more about the character. Well, sometimes we don't wanna know more about the character, and then we spend a whole season in fucking backstory. Uh-huh. Right? Itaewon Class did a perfect job on, you know, feeding us whenever we needed nourishment, but never more.

26:14Oti: Oh, yeah. And the fact that they covered more than just sort of vanity things is is quite a testament to what they were trying to portray in society as well.

26:27KT: Oh, definitely. And, you know, as much as we love our Park Sae Ro Yi, we need to definitely cover some more characters, but also some themes that are introduced in this show. Arguably, you could say the first few episodes of Itaewon follow the k drama sort of scaffolding a bit more than the rest of the series because it really comes into its own. So obviously, we do have elements there of love. Oh, yeah. And the classic sort of love triangle.

26:55KT: Also at the same time, we can definitely cover the characters as a whole. But I wanna talk about the love triangle between Park Sae Ro Yi, Jo Yi Seo, and Oh Soo Ah. And also not just that, it's, you know, the person who you fall in love with when you're a kid and the person that you fall in love with when you become a young adult. Because those are two different types of love. Yeah. Because people grow, people change. People grow, people change. Sometimes you hope that you grow together and sometimes unfortunately,

27:22KT: it doesn't work out that way. Sometimes you become a different person. So so let's talk about it generally, and we're obviously going to bring in the character traits as well. So we can kind of kill two KTs with one Oti. Oh, yeah.

27:36Oti: I think at the end of it, I sort of appreciated where they ended up with the relationship with the love triangle aspect of it.

27:36KT: Boo.

27:43Oti: Because, you know That's a hard boo, mate. I was team Yi Seo

27:47KT: Boo.

27:47Oti: All day every day.

27:49KT: Boo.

27:49Oti: She epitomizes everything that a hardworking go getter

27:49KT: Sorry. No.

27:49Oti: She does. She does. Compare and contrast her contrast her to Soo Ah. Soo Ah would just wait there. Tell Park Sae Ro Yi, come to me when you're rich. Come to me when you've achieved x y z. That's not okay. Come to me when when, you know, in jail. She didn't even go and visit him. She didn't, did she? No. Fuck you, bitch. Come to me when you've achieved all these things, and I'll give you my love. No way, mate. She had a 100 steps for Park Sae Ro Yi to validate himself, to be worth her love.

28:25KT: Maybe we should've talked about characters before we talked about the love triangle.

28:33Oti: Park Sae Ro Yi she she had a million steps for Park Sae Ro Yi to validate her himself before she was, like, before he was worth his his love her love, rather. And then in comes Yi Seo who says, if you want revenge, I will get you that revenge. If you want to be the best company Yes. I will be there. Mhmm. I will build this with you. I will do it for you because I love you. And that did not even flicker. When she was offered a job to go to work for Jangga Co,

29:05Oti: when when Park Sae Ro Yi was struggling with Dan Bam Mhmm. She did not falter. She did not question her loyalty, her love. She knew where her heart belonged, and she stayed true. And, well, how old was she? She's super young, and she could do it.

29:05KT: Hang on. She was 16 when they first met, and I think I have a problem with that.

29:05Oti: Mate, she was of age when the things sort of started developing. So

29:05KT: What things?

29:31Oti: You see that little explicit tag? That's why. When sort of mutual feelings started developing, she was of age. And I just thought that Yi Seo is is is is the typical ride or die. She would do everything for you as long as you're together. She would be there for you regardless. Yeah. Unlike unlike Oh Soo Ah who just didn't want to do the hard work but wanted the love at the end of the tunnel. But, mate, the end of the tunnel is fucking far away.

29:59Oti: Meet me halfway. Come to me. Let's run in the towards each other so we can we can we can compromise. But that was not Soo Ah. And until Soo Ah realized that she had to change, it was already too late when Park Sae Ro Yi had already started developing feelings and started feeling differently because of what Yi Seo had already done.

30:17KT: Okay. Alright. I just wanna go on the record to say that I think both of these women should not have been with Park Sae Ro Yi. I'm not saying this as a jealous KT. I'm just saying generally, both of them had fucking problems.

30:17Oti: Had bloody problems as well.

30:17KT: Sae Ro Yi did not have problems in his life.

30:17Oti: No. No. No. No.

30:17KT: You tell me. Without this whole like, within this whole series, when did he ever have a problem that he couldn't solve?

30:47Oti: Had a problem he had a problem with Yi Seo where he couldn't really understand his feelings and emotions. That someone else did.

30:47KT: When did Park Sae Ro Yi get in his own way?

30:55Oti: Not not not maybe any get in his own way in regards to his goals and dreams, but in his own way when it comes to the sort of softer things in life with his relationship and sort of building that team and team dynamism. He was he he needed guidance with that. Sae Ro Yi was focused.

31:13KT: He was working on his business. He was minding his own business. With Yi Seo, she he would have been a babysitter, essentially. And with Soo Ah, he would have turned into a sugar daddy. Like, none of both of them were self serving. They weren't necessarily about Sae Ro Yi. They just wanted him as a prize. You know, Yi Seo saw him as a project

31:36KT: and tried to work on him. And, you know, that's some fucking incel shit. Like, I'm just going to keep hanging around and keep being useful, and eventually, you're gonna fall in love me. That's not fucking fair. That's too much fucking pressure.

31:36Oti: No. She but at least she was clear about it. Nah. She was like, mate, I ain't going nowhere,

31:52Oti: and one day you'll fall in love

31:52KT: dude was doing that? That's creepy as hell.

31:52Oti: Oh, well, piss off because she's so cute and she's great.

31:52KT: Piss off. See? And and therein lies the evidence, friends and lovers. So I guess it's unfortunate that her her upbringing was overshadowed by her sense of privilege. I think, you know, sometimes when people get rich, they're a bit distorted from reality as much as we love Neil deGrasse Tyson. You know what I mean? Like

32:20KT: like, sometimes people get so rich and so privileged, they kind of forget what the ground is like. I think Soo Ah kind of got like that because it it started off as her not wanting to rely on anyone, and I can definitely deeply relate with that. And I think that's why I defended her at least for the first half of the series.

32:38KT: But then it came kind of became, yeah, like her on her throne saying, come back to me peasant once you actually have something to work for, which I definitely don't relate to. I'm in the trenches. I'm all about that sort of life. But I do give her graces in the sense that she did struggle and she really made a life for herself. When we had the backstory episodes, I guess in some ways you could say that's an excuse to try and make you feel a way about the character. But I think the way that

33:04KT: Jo Yi Seo was, I just didn't like her from the start. She just seemed like a bratty sort of kid that wanted what she wanted, slapping grandmas in the street.

33:10Oti: No. But but we saw how she grew up as well. We we saw her backstory. She was all about winning regardless.

33:19KT: And they weren't they weren't necessarily rich. But relative to, like, you know, losing his mom, losing his father, Sae Ro Yi, and growing up an orphan, Sora, like, Yi Seo didn't really did she didn't really she like, did she go through hardship? Sure. But proportionate okay. So this is where we're getting to. Like and when

33:38KT: Yi Seo went with Sae Ro Yi to go and talk to the previous detective and she was laying there and, like, stroking his scars and that sort of thing, that fucking pissed me off because to love someone isn't enough. You kind of need to be on the same scale of having gone through shit in your life. And nothing If you hang on a second. If you're a young, fresh 20 year old and you haven't fucking experienced what it was like to go deep sea fishing,

34:04KT: to have to be in prison, to have to be an orphan, there is a disparity in relatability in regards to the hard fucking life that you've had. So that was a problem that I had with Yi Seo because she she she talked a big talk, but really, in the grand scheme of things, you haven't experienced shit.

34:04Oti: I cannot disagree with you more, mate.

34:04KT: Well, then what are we doing then?

34:26Oti: Yi Seo, when she learned of what Park Sae Ro Yi went, of course, she knew her troubles were trivial compared in in contrast.

34:32KT: No. But I'm saying you can never really be in a true relationship

34:38KT: if you haven't struggled as much as the other person. Because eventually, you're going to get sick of them and say, hey, pull up your shit. Right? When everyone has so much like, when, you know, Sae Ro Yi has so much baggage that he's dealing with, she'll get to a point where she's like, I don't fucking understand what the problem is.

34:38Oti: But we didn't see that. We didn't see that with these. And she's fairy tales end there. And and and the fact that when she learned about what Park Sae Ro Yi had been through, that just deepened her love and affection for him.

34:38KT: Yeah. But it's the same as going on YouTube and watching a sad story about, you know, any sort of social camper.

34:38Oti: There's a difference,

35:10Oti: though. There's a difference between watching what a sad story and feeling sad about it. But Yi Seo not only just felt sad about it, she gave her life.

35:10KT: She treated him like a Ken doll.

35:10Oti: She Regardless of how she treated him as a Ken doll or a project, she gave her life up. She

35:10KT: So does that mean I need to devote my life to you?

35:10Oti: She said, I'm dropping off. I'm gonna devote my life to you.

35:10KT: But does that mean that Sae Ro Yi has to fall in love with you? No. No. It doesn't.

35:35Oti: But that's what she wanted. She said, I'll quit. But at the end of it, when she was already in hospital, she was ready to give up.

35:35KT: The ending was an issue. The ending was a fucking issue. I really felt like,

35:45KT: hey, Sae Ro Yi. You are a strong independent man. Go and be by yourself for a while. Or, you know, be with someone, but definitely not the ones that were presented to us.

35:45Oti: Oh, no, man. I knew I knew I knew I knew I knew we were going to spend some time on this love triangle. I just knew Yi Seo was was the one for Park Sae Ro Yi from the get go.

36:03Oti: And and it was just when Park Sae Ro Yi finally realized

36:08KT: Finally.

36:09Oti: Realized and opened his eyes to the fact that his one true love was just always there.

36:17KT: It was very arrogant of Soo Ah to be like, oh, he'll still love me. He'll still love me. It was arrogant. Because it's not enough. It's not enough. But she's good.

36:24Oti: She's good. She's good at what she does. She's beautiful. Why won't Park Sae Ro Yi fall in love with her? Oh Soo Ah?

36:31KT: Yeah. Well, I think we're also forgetting near the end of the series, you know, even buying out the stocks at Jangga Corp, that wasn't enough. It was actually Oh Soo Ah that tear down the empire with her years and years and years of scandals and secrets that she had.

36:31Oti: But that was just because of guilt.

36:31KT: Yeah. But no. But she's been gathering it for years.

36:31Oti: Not intentionally.

36:31KT: So don't discount her experience. No. No. No. Don't discount her contribution to the success of Dan Bam.

37:01Oti: I'm not I'm not I'm not discounting her contribution. Her coming in with those flowers. Remember when they had the stakeholders meeting? Yeah. Her coming with the flowers, that was fucking shitty. Like, that's

37:01KT: Because she's a shit person.

37:01Oti: Okay. Piss off. That can't be forgiven.

37:01KT: But what I'm saying is, you know, there there was so much interplay in regards to the success of Dan Bam and to the richness of Park Sae Ro Yi and his life. Let's leave the love triangle because there is actually so much more that we definitely need to get into. We

37:31KT: talked a little bit about class and privilege. I guess the only other thing that I wanna say here is, you know, doing doing some cute little research before this episode, it's actually a thing. You have super mega dragonauts in Korea that have successful businesses and, you know, you have those, like, the offspring that are going to come into power. It's just a given, like Samsung, for example. So it was a nice sort of highlight that they had in the show as well, and it showed a fully rounded experience. Yeah.

38:00KT: And I definitely wanna talk more about Gweon Won as we go through the themes as well.

38:00Oti: I wanna talk a bit about Hyun Yi as a character. Yeah. Oh, I loved her. Yeah. I loved her from the get go. Like, she she represented all the sort of the difference in perception and world view Mhmm. Of the sort of trans people, and I sort of respected how they did it. They did it quite tasty.

38:21KT: Well, first of all, you don't really see that in Korean dramas. At least in my blended experience.

38:30Oti: So this this not only made the the show stand out even more. Yeah. Like, they covered a lot of things that we don't really get to see with k dramas. Uh-huh. And the fact that you even sort of compare this to Monster and how it just expanded the sort of view you have with k dramas and the capacity they have in not only telling a story properly and and giving sort of relevant themes and thing and issues that the worlds are currently facing. Yep. It's I I don't think there'll be a better sort of comparison because of how they truly just executed it. Yeah. And and Hyun Yi was just, oh, bloody brilliant.

39:07KT: I like the way they introduced her being transgender on the show. She she was a bit quite androgynous when we saw her in the series. You know, we'll even have our best friend, Seung Kwon, asking, are you a boy? Are you a girl? Let's go to the sauna together. Don't be don't be ashamed of your dick size. I'm paraphrasing, obviously. And then, you know, obviously, we have the club sequence and that's where we're kind of first introduced to another side of Hyun Yi as well. And there's a big there's a big blowout, at least initially.

39:38KT: Right? Even our cute little fluffy Geun Soo was, you know, he was even a bit, you know, prejudiced against Hyun Yi as well. But they all kind of come around except for Yi Seo. She and you know what? It was so weird because she seemed so modern. She was the youngest. So you would assume that she's the most progressive, but she was fucking talking like a boomer. The way that she was, like, treating Hyun Yi was very it was unsettling to me Mhmm. Pretty much because it didn't make sense to me.

40:03Oti: But at least we get to see character development in Yi Seo where she grew and sort of understood the sort of role that she had to play as a sort of leader of the group or semi leader.

40:16KT: Is this your way of announcing you're gonna create a Yi Seo podcast?

40:16Oti: Yes. Thank you. Hold your dick, mate, and keep it steady.

40:28Oti: But she's the reason that she gave she gave Hyun Yi the confidence.

40:28KT: No. But she also tore her down and said terrible shit about her.

40:28Oti: Well, that was before she's she was aware of the sort of information and and and and all the sort of role that she had to play within the sort of Dan Bam team.

40:48KT: Yeah. But I guess it like, at least for me, it was a surprise because she was the youngest. She seemed to be quite progressive. And, you know, even with Kim Toni, which we'll come to in a second, it just really brought me by surprise that she wasn't she wasn't in the future. Like, she was very conservative

41:06KT: in her views.

41:06Oti: Yeah. She was conservative in a lot of the sort of things initially, but at least she grew out of them

41:06KT: And that's No. But you're you're hurting people. With the comments that she made, she hurt Hyun Yi and you could see it. And so Sae Ro Yi gave them a little project where, you know, even though Yi Seo isn't a cook, she knows what tastes good. Right? So they had that cute little montage together. But for me, that's inexcusable. But also at the same time, I guess it's also keeping in mind that South Korea is a homogenous sort of culture. Yeah. You know what I mean? They don't really see people outside, especially if you're not in the city sort of areas. You're not really seeing the multicultural

41:40KT: sort of, you know, community that you have in Australia, for example, or even in Kenya. Right? So I I I guess there there's something to say about that that, you know, just because people have, you know, ignorant views that they're not terrible people, which I guess is a story beyond this episode. But it just it it was interesting to me that Yi Seo was the one that was ignorant.

42:02KT: Like, if anything on paper, you would think it would be Seung Kwon. Right? True. Right? Yeah. But I really loved it. And then it built into a triumph where you have Hyun Yi cooking in the competition. Right? And it didn't even matter with all of the power, with all of the producers that you're rubbing shoulders with, Hyun Yi won that competition. Oh, yeah. Right? That was beautiful. But then you also had the moment where Geun Soo leaked the story to the media about Hyun Yi being transgender.

42:29KT: Yeah. What the fuck? I I'm sorry. Like, yeah. Yeah. It's a k drama, but I will never forgive that shit. Like, Geun Soo is fucking ridiculous.

42:37Oti: He he he's a seemingly good guy. Right? I don't think it's his problem. I I feel like it's the writing. I don't think it's him. No. No. No. No. Here, you have a seemingly good guy at the start who's who's been through a lot of shit. You know, he's been bullied by the brother. His father doesn't really care about him because he's a bastard. Uh-huh. And then you'd think after all the years of being sort of feeling second best and feeling oppressed,

43:01Oti: he'd be the better he'd he'd be in the best position to sort of understand True. True. A lot of these scenarios and situations.

43:07KT: Sorry. Where where was this scrutiny when you were talking about Yi Seo?

43:07Oti: No. No. No. That's different, though.

43:07KT: It's all different, isn't it?

43:13Oti: Because I guess. Because Geun Soo know Geun Soo knows all these things before. He's experienced a lot of hardships. He was like a cute little bunny rabbit. Like, just wanted be a carrier. He's been he's been treated as as second as a second class citizen all his life. Yeah. So, of course, he didn't know how to when he when people go through such trauma, you suddenly try and expect that it they wouldn't want anyone else to feel that sort of way. But for him to sort of just flick a switch just because he wanted a friend.

43:44KT: Yeah. Just because he wanted to be the leader of Jangga.

43:44Oti: No. It was made clear that he did it for Yi Seo.

43:44KT: Yeah. Of course. Because he wanted to be the leader of Jangga. And I think this is what do the Americans call it? This is a PSA from KT from the For Your Reference household in 2020. Don't do everything for love.

43:44Oti: Well, Yi Seo told him,

44:04Oti: don't come to me until you're the CEO of Jangga. Sae Ro Yi said the same sort of shit to Isol. I mean, as opposed to keeping them at arm's length.

44:04KT: Yeah. Yeah. But don't use that as an excuse to be a shitty person. Hyun Yi was nothing but welcoming to Geun Soo and he he didn't care because at the end of the day, he wanted to have love with Yi Seo. That's why love is fucking blind. That's why love is fucking selfish. And don't forget the people that, you know,

44:30KT: loved you and supported you along the way. That's all I'm gonna say. Oh, yeah. So let's get into pretty much the topic that Oti wanted to focus on in first impressions and that's foreigners in Korea. Yeah. So obviously, most contrastingly, Kim Toni is introduced into this show. As far as I understand, I don't think he was written in the comic. No. He was not part of the comics. He was later introduced into the show. And I'm actually surprised that he had quite a lot of character development and he had quite a backstory.

45:05Oti: He had quite a backstory, but I felt like they didn't explore him too much.

45:05KT: In 16 episodes though? No. No. No. I think they did quite well.

45:05Oti: No. At the start, they brought him in, and he was part of the team throughout. And then he sort of just disappeared out of nowhere.

45:05KT: Can I just say his opening scene where he's speaking Korean?

45:21KT: They're like, I and and and, you know, said I don't speak English. And he's like, neither do I in Korean. That was hilarious. Cadences as well. I think he's lived in Korea for around ten years. Yeah. Shout out to Chris Lyon. He really does. And it it was such a fun scene.

45:38Oti: And then only in that fun scene, they sort of start overlaying the sort of heavy themes with it. Oh, yes. What does it make for you to be a Korean? Is it just a skin color? And that's where your girl, Yi Seo, comes again. Yeah. And and I'm not I'm not I'm not giving up props for that because I was wholly wrong. Yeah. Like, people here would call me Aussie because of how I look. You know what I mean? Like, they'll be like, oh, where? Well, mate, where are you from? You know? And it'll always be African and Kenyan regardless of how proud I am of where from. But if I'm

46:09Oti: if I identify as fucking Aussie

46:11KT: Okay. Oti Dozil?

46:13Oti: No. No. No. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. You know, it's it's it's it's a sort of thing that you'd want to think that people are smart enough or open enough to sort of admit and accept. Just ask one fucking question and it will blow all of the perceptions that you have.

46:28KT: Right? Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, like you said, representation is very important. At least in the Korean dramas I've seen, I haven't seen anyone that wasn't Korean in the shows and the movies. And it doesn't have to be, but if you choose to have it, definitely make sure they have depth and they're not a caricature, which I think they did quite well with Kim Toni. They really did. I thought, I really, really thought that mister Kim, who's the 2IC to the president of Jangga Corp, I thought that was his son. Me too.

46:59KT: Because it's Kim. It's mister Kim. It would have been it been cute if you were. But Kim is like the smith of the Korean world, isn't it? Yeah. But it was sad. But at least he found his grandmother.

47:07Oti: Yes. Rather than finding out that his father had passed away tragically.

47:11KT: So this is a cute fun fact. So the the scene where he's actually peeling the apple, apparently, he was just supposed to be peeling it, and it was a non scene. But Chris Lyon, apparently, is notoriously known for not being able to peel apples. So when we have the scene of the

47:11Oti: Did you teach him?

47:11KT: Yeah. When we have the scene of the grandma, like, insulting him and making fun of how he peels the apple, that was actually real.

47:35KT: Because it wasn't it wasn't supposed to be a scene to focus on because he did it so badly. It was so obvious on screen. You know what I mean? Yeah. So that was a cute little tidbit. That was a cute little moment that we had. I I wouldn't go so far as to say the storylines are incestuous,

47:51KT: but it did it it was a bit interesting how so many stories intermingled itself because you have Kim Toni with his grandmother, but she's also a mega investor in real estate and she's been around for decades. I was like, Living as that's a launch a shark in some Yeah. I was like, that's a bit convenient. But, you know, at the end of the day, like, that's a baby Kwang in the sea of splooshes that we have for Itaewon class. But before we move on for from foreigners in Korea,

48:17KT: I do wanna focus on the scene at the club. Oh. So we haven't been to South Korea. If anyone wants to sponsor our ship trip there, please do. But from what we understand is oh, but even in, Russia, for example, like, you know, at clubs, there's a certain sort of standard that are allowed in there. Not just not just, like, Korean people, but, like, you can't even have fat Korean people. Like, you need to have a certain look that are allowed in the clubs. Right? And then it kind of gets a bit ugly

48:47KT: in the particular scene in Itaewon Class because I don't know if he outrightly said it, but it was made quite clear that Kim Toni wasn't allowed in. Right? I don't know if they said no black people, but it was made quite clear that he wasn't allowed to be there. Yeah. And there were so many comments that Yi Seo in particular made in that scene. And can I just pull you Oti, you specifically, and anyone that wants to align with the Oti faction? I want to take you to around two minutes later where Sae Ro Yi,

49:15KT: he ends up on the scene and he's asking the bouncer what happened. Yi Seo kind of brushes it off like, yeah, he's black. He's not allowed in. Right? What does Sae Ro Yi do? He goes and paints racist graffiti on Yeah. Calls them out on his bullshit. Yeah. He also pulls their team out of there and he's like, no, we're not fucking going in here. Right? So it's interesting. And it's not to besmirch Yi Seo, but I guess it's just to say that there there are so many different attitudes in regards to foreigners.

49:45Oti: Right? Yeah. And that scene really made me uncomfortable and sort of pulled me out of the cloud nine sort of field hours hours on watching the show. Sure. It dragged me back to reality and the sort of hardships that people of color sort of face in foreign countries, and it it was just one of those moments. I didn't really want to talk to you about it when it was happening because it just made me

49:45KT: Too real?

49:45Oti: Too real. You know, it's sad how this shit happens.

50:11Oti: It still happens. And I guess it's just it is what it is. And and that's sort of the thing that I'd never be fine with that I wouldn't really accept. And Mhmm. You know, if if you don't want people that look like me in here, fair enough, and I wouldn't fucking go there. But it's just a harsh reality that this shit exists. Yeah. True. Yeah. And and it's sort of I thought in my mind when I watched Kim Toni in there, I sort of felt, oh, fucking hell, you know, a barrier has been broken. Yep. And then that happened, and I'm not sure in my mind. I wasn't really prepared for it. It sort of caught me off kind of You were riding high. Yeah. I didn't think they would go there. And in my mind, I would laugh though, oh, fucking hell. I'd I'd want to go to Korea right now Yeah. And and live my best life. Uh-huh. And hopefully,

51:00Oti: everyone sort of I don't know. Which is a sort of naivety in me, or at least I think that was a naivety in me when I watched Kim well, when I first saw Kim Toni in this. And then for that to happen, it sort of just reeled me in a bit. And I was like, oh, yeah. This shit is real. This shit happens everywhere. And we've seen an interview with him and him saying that he's experienced that in real life. Yeah. It's not just the show. Yeah. So that not only makes me sad,

51:24Oti: but I guess it's sort of just it it's the fact of life, I guess.

51:24KT: But do you do you also appreciate that they showed that aspect in the show?

51:24Oti: Oh, yeah. There's no

51:24KT: That it wasn't all perfect and amazing?

51:24Oti: And nothing will change unless people talk about this shit. So the fact that they covered it and the fact that it's out there, hopefully, it brings it it shines a light towards the sort of people that do this and sort of implement these sort of archaic views. Yeah. Either way, it was such a like, it it you know, as much as it was a real thing to see, I think it was important thing to see. Mhmm. Because

51:56Oti: ignorance is the sort of root problem of all this nonsense. Yeah. And once the naivety and the ignorance sort of fades away, then we're left with the real shit to deal with and that's what we're here for. And it made me happy. And the fact that Kim Toni's character was not just a sort of paperweight

52:14Oti: to be Like, just have him in it just to have him. Yeah. Like, it wasn't just an aesthetic thing. It was more geared towards a storyline, and he played such a pivotal role in in in Park Sae Ro Yi's sort of success. Let not let's not forget his performance on the rooftop.

52:28KT: Kinda tied the whole Tied the whole series together. That was really good though, wasn't it? Yeah. And I guess it's just one of those things. Like, it's it is what it is. Right? It might not be great. It it could be better. But I guess that's that's where we come to be. And it's, I guess it's also a bit heartbreaking because it is a more progressive sort of side of South Korea where they see more international people. Yeah. So I think to continue to not be treated as well as opposed to like other foreigners,

52:58KT: I guess that wouldn't be great either. I'm not sure how I would be accepted in the clubs. More from like because I'm not skinny. But you know, Oti and I will be dancing on the streets. Oh, yeah. We'll be enjoying ourselves out in the streets with Yi Seo. Yeah. Oh, no. You already agreed, mate. Mate, she's like the she's like the the mother of all problems, at least in regards to discrimination in this show. I wanna talk a bit about the chicken scene. Mhmm.

53:30KT: That is quite a pivotal scene. It was very Animal Farm. It was very Fight Club. It was very, you know, building into who he would be as a character. Yeah. He being Gweon Won and also President Dae Hee. How did you feel about that scene?

53:44Oti: It was definitely pivotal to the scene. It was pivotal. And in as much as I didn't like Gweon Won at the time, seeing him go through that made me sort of empathize with him. Uh-huh. And, wow, like, he he has he has pretty much his future laid out in in in paper Uh-huh. Of what he should be and what he should act and how he should achieve.

54:06Oti: Yep. So it's bloody sad, and you can see how he affected him in his whole life. Like, could even bloody have chicken afterwards.

54:12KT: Yeah. So That would that's some shit that will fuck you up. That's that's that's some crazy shit, you know.

54:19Oti: Like, that goes beyond watching some fucked up documentary about the KT has said numerous times on this pod, no one can fuck you up as much as your parents.

54:28KT: Thank you, daddy. You're welcome. Wow. That that got really sexual.

54:33Oti: Mhmm.

54:34KT: But that that but you know what? Like, Gweon Won is a character. I you know, every time I gave him graces, he would do some shit where I'm like, no. That's unforgivable, mate. Like, I guess at the end of the day, he was not born into the right family. So many times the president would venture that he wished Sae Ro Yi was his son because he he pretty much matched him in every way. He read he read his biography. He was pretty much on a path of rampage.

55:02KT: And for the most part, he achieved it. Oh, yeah. He he really When the shoe dropped and Ho Jin came along, the same Ho Jin that got bullied by Gweon Won in his high school years for three years Yeah. They had teamed up together for seven and eight years buying up the stocks and waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for that shoe to drop. I couldn't read Korean, but the moment that the president was reading that list, I saw Park Sae Ro Yi flashing in my eyes. It was a fucking delicious moment. And that's when I told you,

55:36KT: we need to watch this together. Because, yes, the first episode is catastrophic in every way to all the feelings and all the places, but that particular in general, like, it just it was too fucking tasty to have alone. It really was. It really was. Woah. Woah. Woah. Woah. So much emotional investment. And like you said, as much as we fucking loved it, we don't want another season. No.

55:57Oti: It's done. Like, the story is done. It's done. There's there's there's no coming back from this. Like, we've you've experienced this sort of fifteen year, twenty year of their lives Yeah. On how they'd got to that point and where Dan Bam became IC and IC sort of became this multiglobal corporation. Mhmm. Then there's nothing more to tell. Yeah. We've seen the journey of Park Sae Ro Yi to fruition. His dreams have been achieved.

56:23Oti: What more

56:23KT: He's got more on the horizon.

56:23Oti: No. No. No. No. What more could it could drive him? Because revenge is a factor in bringing down Jangga Co. What's the factor here? What would the motivation be?

56:35KT: Money. Get bitches.

56:37Oti: It wasn't really just about money, was it? Yeah. I know. Yeah. So I don't know. I'm I'm just happy. I'm just I just hope that the sort of sixteenth episode is the end of it Yeah. So that we'd live to have this sort of thing in history where we can go back and just rewatch it. I'm pretty sure Park Seo Joon has, like, a 100 other projects he's working on right now. Yeah. Let him do other things. And I'm sure with this, it'll send a it'll hopefully, a benchmark

57:03Oti: of what a k drama can be and what a k drama can stand for and what a k drama can deliver in terms of themes. Let's let's push the boundaries. And when you push the boundaries, like foreigners in Korea, don't be scared to show the ugly side as well. Yeah. Because we know the ugly side exists. Even though Oti was naive to see it at the start and it caught me off guard, it still should be there. Yeah. Because it it sort of portrays our community perfectly. Yeah. You don't wanna have Straight Outta Compton where it feels too sanitized.

57:32Oti: Oh, yeah. Dre wasn't that good. But

57:36KT: You thought we wouldn't get a reference in there? Speaking of references, there is so much. I'm surprised we I'm surprised that we talked about so much, but there was so much we could still cover. Yeah. But speaking of, let's get into our segment we call for your reference.

57:52Oti: I'm gonna reference Monster. You would think it's your typical run of the mill anime. It's not. It simply outlays what an anime could be. Without insulting, it doesn't feel like an anime. It really doesn't feel like an anime. But, wow, does it deliver in storyline? It delivers in great characters. The depth it goes to to explain those Mhmm. Oh my. Like, it's one of the things that I would recommend to anyone who wants to fully understand what an anime could be and just to hang in there because Farah,

58:25Oti: there's some fucking creative people out there, and Monster is one of the best things we've watched Denmark. To date.

58:32KT: To date with Denmark? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have two references. The first reference that I have is Hwarang.

58:40Oti: Oh oh, of course. Yeah.

58:42KT: The dog bird, you'll understand that if you've ever watched Hwarang before, but Park Seo Joon is also in there. Also Kim Tae Hyung, V from BTS. And then also, always, I got a reference Kingdom. Itaewon kind of, like, kind of reached in the priority to watching, but I think it was more the consumability of it. Yeah. Kingdom is very much a vintage wine that you need to enjoy. And in these uncertain times, we definitely need to come back to it. But I will definitely reference Hwarang and also Kingdom. But thank you so much, guys.

59:15KT: All of the feels fighting. You can find us on Twitter and Instagram. We are @ForYourRefPod. Write us an email at hello@fyrpodcast.com. We also have an epic podcast, guys, and we'll see you next week. See you.