#yes i know dohoe has been in pain as well

[heretherebedork]

Dohoe was the moon that lets Juyoung see his own light and energize himself and the more time he spends away from him the more he has to rely on himself and no one else gives him anything, not the students and not his friends and not his coworker... nothing. The sun is fading because he lost the moon that showed him how bright he could be.

(Joyoung learning that not only was he left but he was deliberately abandoned at the end of the episode, when he saw Dohoe right there and knew he'd been not just abandoned but actively avoided was heartbreaking. He tried to be so bright when he was young and he tried so hard for so long but twelve years is a long time to shine into a void and to wait, to wait, to not live but to survive, to keep moving but to not experience any of it and to see that Dohoe lived and succeeded and found his dream and Juyoung has just been circling the one time he was happy and when he thought they were happy but maybe he was wrong because Dohoe is living and it's just... ugh.)

[nabi-unveiled]

Catching Up: Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Ep 4)

Other Reacts: Ep 1 Ep 2 Ep 3

I'm back home and even slept so I could thoroughly enjoy some time diving into this show today. I had some ponderings and predictions over the weekend. The only thing yesterday's car ride added was thoughts about how much Ju-Yeong's mom being a pastor would end up playing into things (if at all). I thought a lot, but I never landed anywhere. Anyways, it's time to prepare for pain. Because there will be a reunion, but I don't think it is going to be smooth sailing. There's 5 more episodes after all.

Still vibing with this intro. I also appreciate that the intro shows scenes that we've already seen so it's not revealing any narrative.

It's not a complete time skip. Never going to complain about that. Ju-yeong sounds panicked. Where did Do-hoe go if he didn't go home? Hmm. I'm also surprised that Do-hoe called him at all. I actually was expecting him to completely ghost him. Ghosting is incredibly cruel though so I'm glad Do-hoe gave him a call.

It's at this point that you know for certain that Do-hoe is icing him out. Because it 100% DID have to do with Ju-yeong. This is a brooder in shut-down mode. I'm loving the aesthetics here. All of the traveling shots demonstrate they are moving forward/traveling in life. I'm trying to decide if it's indicating Do-hoe went somewhere, but for now I'll settle on it's just showing us moving forward. Having just the voices is excellent as it provides a more disconnected and unsteady feeling. Both of them are unsettled. Seriously A+ scene.

I'm going to have to slow down on my screenshots, but this is just SO well done. He's rebuffing Ju-yeong. When that didn't work, Do-hoe went for the jugular. Do-hoe had said he would look past it. Ju-yeong is expecting for Do-hoe to hear him out. But what this line really is "I don't understand myself, and I don't want to see what this becomes." He's scared.

The bad part of this interaction is that Do-hoe has ALL the power here. There's nothing that Ju-yeong can do about it, and he doesn't know what's causing Do-hoe to react this way. So fading back in to Ju-yeong on this line of "and I don't want to" is gold. Boy has been cut loose. The tether has been broken, and he's dealing with a new reality. One without Do-hoe (for now). For a Red character, this is what causes spiraling and potentially self-destructive actions.

I'm not missing the fact that frenemy isn't here for this conversation. He's with Do-hoe isn't he? Ugh.

LOL. Called that. You don't say lines like "it'll be everywhere in the future" (or similar) if it's not going to pop back up.

Called that too. Boy is looking DISTRAUGHT. It's nostalgic, but it's more than that. "I waited quietly for that day to be over." Poor baby. He's still wanting to explain. He still thought he had a chance, and that Do-hoe would call him. I take it back. This is essentially the same as Do-hoe completely ghosting him. Same impact.

SO MANY LAYERS to this one line of dialogue. On the surface, he was left by his friend. And yes, I'm side-eyeing her hard right now. But he's also feeling abandoned by Do-hoe. WAIT! In the previous episode when he talked about being abandoned by his parents, was he talking about his BIRTH parents? That would make a lot of sense. Note to self - go back and rewatch that scene later. Regardless, when people consistently leave you, your self esteem and sense of worth take a serious hit. There's a lot of emotional baggage afterwards.

I can't tell who is saying this line. It's not Do-hoe, but I can't tell who it is. It is incredibly telling that Ju-yeong's response to this was "He's Dohoe's father." I had not expected him to be in touch with Grandmaster AT ALL. The fact that he has continued this relationship? There's so much to unpack there. He's trying to keep any connection he has to Do-hoe alive even if it's through taking care of this bastard. Plus, filial piety is huge culturally so caring for Do-hoe's dad carries a lot of significance. Even if he deserves to rot.

There's two things I'm noticing here. One - our boy is going to be out of a job soon. He's not the grandmaster. There's another gym opened up next door. Taekwondo isn't as popular. All the signs are there. I don't have faith in her as a friend. We already know that she'll leave him. She's done it before. But two - the CHAPSTICK IS BACK. It'll be interesting to see if current day Do-hoe still has that habit.

Ju-yeong - WHY?!?! Just WHY?!?! I don't like it, but I understand taking care of this bastard at HIS home. But why are you going out to eat with him on YOUR turf? Why invite him into your space?? Of course, he said it was sudden. Maybe he didn't know grandmaster would show up. Anyways, it's not chicken with green onions, but it's chicken. I'm not happy we're eating together though.

Ok. He didn't know he was coming. But he's way more comfortable with this POS than I would've expected. I'm trying to decide if it's masking or if he's worked to genuinely build a connection with him over the years. Did Grandmaster mellow after Do-hoe left? Doubt it. Personally, doesn't matter to me if he did.

He's still doing math quizzes. Lol. It strikes me that he seems a lot more comfortable with the children than his "friend". He's calming her down and building rapport. This "they all go to the English academy" dialogue is yet another foreshadowing though that the gym won't do well in the long run. Will he end up on his own like the grandmaster wanted? Will he end up returning to Do-hoe's hometown?

This dialogue with the kid is interesting. It makes me wonder what kinds of questions they'll ask each other once they reunite. Will Do-hoe even ask questions? My guess is no. After all, it tells a lot when someone DOESN'T ask questions too.

Sorry kid - "when is the happiest time in your life" may SEEM deep, but I don't think I'd actually count that as a deep question. It's the basis of a deeper question though so stay in school. Also - "Hanseol University" has been mentioned a lot. It feels important.

We're eating THE BRAND of ice-cream while sitting alone in a mood. 😭😭😭 Ok - grandmaster now offering for him to take over the gym. It definitely feels like they are setting this up for Ju-Yeong to end up back in the small town. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think I'd rather him stay in Seoul. I'll ponder on that. Also that whole "You said you'd be my son." He's trying to fulfill Do-hoe's duties (so much cultural significance in this action).

THERE WAS A CAR WRECK?!?! I'm vacillating between being shocked that they took the bastard out that easily, delighted that it happened (evil I know), and brainstorming all of the possibilities of what that means for our leads. THIS is what brings them back together isn't it? It actually makes SO much sense. Also trying to figure out who "Byung-gyu" is? Is that one of the guys from high school? Is that the mysterious voice in the earlier scene?

The snow is back as a symbol. This must feel to Ju-yeong like his final connection with Do-hoe has been severed. Having it snow on top of that? Just like the day that he "lost" Do-hoe? Harsh.

Predicted frenemy would be in Do-hoe's circle still. It looks like Do-hoe's doing well for himself. He was determined after all.

But still - imported German car. So many questions about where his life has went in the last 12 years. It's interesting with all of his "don't look down on..." statements in the past. He's making sure he can't be looked down on now. I'm really liking this development. He's not stuck financially anymore. Any choices to move forward or not are mental and emotional. I actually LOVE this development.

But I'm not liking what these looks imply.

Ju-Yeong is SO hurt. He's in so much pain. Do-hoe is too, but his has an air of resignation to it. That little sigh before he greets Ju-yeong very coldly? He isn't ready to open up that wound. He's steeling himself. Please don't lash out. Please don't lash out. Please don't lash out. If you say something three times, it comes true. Right?

The timeline seems a little off to me. Frenemy said he saw Do-hoe at the big-name university when he was a freshman.

This means one of two things (assuming it's not a scripting issue). EITHER frenemy had to retake the exams too OR Do-hoe hadn't actually messed up his exam. He had done well and gotten into the university he wanted meaning he lied to Ju-Yeong. I'm going with the latter. Ju-yeong is going to be able to put that together too. You can practically feel him thinking. Poor sunshine baby. He's really going to feel abandoned now.

Byung-gyu IS the high school friend. Got it.

Do-hoe! You did not SERIOUSLY just try to walk away without talking.

But it may have been better if you did. Sunshine characters do not do well in the cold. Yes, I'm purposely bringing the cold back into this whether the story did or not. Ju-yeong is helping a lot at the funeral. The thing is....there's so much pain and hurt on both sides. The way the funeral scenes are shot, the music, etc. - everything conveys a sense of longing. The eye contact with Do-hoe consistently being the one to break is going to KILL ME. I expected it, but dang this hurts.

The lighting here was great. Compared to any previous scene, when Do-hoe started to watch Ju-yeong sleep, his face was lit up (from the window). The light comes onto his face after he notices Ju-yeong. He still cares. Just like when they first started, he doesn't WANT to care. But he does. However, it's a LOT harder to break through adult walls than teenage ones. Do-hoe has had plenty of time to build them. You can literally SEE him putting up the walls every time he is getting ready to interact with Ju-yeong which is SUCH good acting.

There we have it. Our first question. Followed by "Don't you have anything to say to me". As anticipated, Do-hoe is NOT asking questions. Asking questions opens up cracks in the wall. Actually wait - he did ask the sarcastic question earlier about the armband. But he's not asking any questions about Ju-yeong himself.

Ouch. I'm trying not to get too into my feels for Ju-yeong, because you KNOW Do-hoe is in pain too. But this statement, it's a shot through the heart. I'm free of my Dad. I'm free of this place. I'm free of you. Then the line "I'll see you again if need be".

For Ju-yeong who has been waiting for 12 years, who has been desperately hanging on to every thread of connection? There's no way to interpret this line but "I don't need you" and "I don't want to see you". There were so many layers to this conversation. If I'd watched this live, I'd have probably wrote up an analysis of the subtext of EVERY line here.

This dialogue and framing of this next sequence are GOLD.

It's a verbal confirmation that Do-hoe IS putting up walls. It's a verbal confirmation that frenemy KNOWS the deal. However, it's also showing that Do-hoe has someone that he can verbalize those thoughts too. When the other guys asked if Ju-yeong was ok, he wasn't. But he nodded "yes" anyways. Having Do-hoe and frenemy in the front of this shot TOGETHER while Ju-Yeong is behind them ALONE conveys so much. Do-hoe is moving forward. He's trying to put Ju-yeong behind him. He's not okay, but he's moving. He has people by his side. Ju-yeong is still stuck in the past. He's standing still. He's alone. (Note: I am very curious how much contact Ju-yeong still has with his own parents.)

GIRL! I say this as someone who is not naturally empathetic, this line just shows a lack of caring about others. I struggle to understand people and their thought processes. I struggled in real life to identify emotions. I struggle handling other people's or even my own emotions. I still cognitively understand that they ARE a big deal. YOU WORK ON IT. There are so many ways to help you improve this particular skill if you are willing to put in the effort. *Let me get off my soapbox.* I probably should like her, but I don't.

Ugh. I knew this was coming, but you were JUST saying that you couldn't handle driving the kids without him. You are definitely not as good with the kids yourself. You lost students that enjoyed the sport based on YOUR choices. You are just bad at running the place. That said, Ju-yeong is just going to feel abandoned by her as well.

Is that Do-hoe going INTO the English academy? Hmm.

It WAS. They had mentioned the English center enough that I should've picked up it was important. I thought it was just to indicate the taekwondo gym doing poorly. This is going to hurt Ju-yeong even more, because this is HIS neighborhood. If it's the same one that he shared with Do-hoe on the date, then it's where Do-hoe said he could see himself being successful. But...oof. He was close.

It is his home area. It means that Do-hoe IS close by and STILL chose not to contact him. That hurts. Also, Do-hoe selling the gym may mean that's not even an option for Ju-yeong anymore. I think I'm okay with that. Still pondering on that particular aspect.

Do-hoe is harsh again, and here comes frenemy. I'm trying not to hate on the dude. I have no evidence to suggest he hasn't grown and matured. But...he's definitely trying to pull Do-hoe out of this convo.

Didn't expect that. It doesn't bode well. Generally, I'm all about eating together. However, this feels ominous. My only ray of hope is that frenemy doesn't look pleased with this development either.

Ok, so we now know that Ju-yeong is a MESS of emotion and is carrying a LOT of hurt. I need Do-hoe's viewpoint now. Please 🥺.

[myreygn]

n over k equals you going down!

summary: Kuroo and Yaku are studying math and, to put it nicely, it doesn't work all too well. Luckily there are ways and methods to clear your head and Kuroo has just the right idea - whether or not it works out for him is a different story.

an: i'm sorry @heyoitsgenderconfusion your ask disappeared. idk where it went so i just have to tag you and really hope you see this!

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“Okay, let's try this again.” Kuroo rubs his temples and sighs, then he points at the book right in front of him. “We have these numbers, four and thirteen, and we have this formula. Now we put the numbers in and then we have...?”

“Gosh, Kuroo, I don't know! Repeating the question doesn't change anything!”

“Just look at the example, there's an example right there-”

Yaku groans and bangs his head on the book, effectively crushing Kuroo's hand with his forehead and making him whine in pain. “I. Don't. Know. And I'll never know if you keep going like this!”

“It's not that hard!” Kuroo pushes him away and shakes his maltreated hand while furiously nodding at the exercise. “It's n over k, so it's thirteen over four and that means thirteen faculty divided by four faculty multiplied by thirteen minus four faculty! You just have to put the numbers in the formula!”

“But how am I supposed to know which number belongs to which letter?”

“I told you a million times!”

“Fine,” Yaku cries out, “fine, shut up, we've been doing this for, what, three hours?! I'm taking a break, I'm getting water!” He gets up and stretches out, nudging Kuroo's side with his foot. “Breathe through and hydrate yourself, you're so tense dude!” Kuroo flinches away almost hard enough to faceplant, making Yaku chuckle. “Come on now.”

He hears Kuroo shuffle around behind him as he gets himself something to drink, turning around when his friend enters the kitchen, and sighs. “Thank God, I needed this.”

“You needed this?!” Kuroo splashes water into his own face before he empties his half finished cup of coffee, regardless of the fact that it must be cold by now. “I've been explaining the same problem for thirty minutes and you still don't get it!”

“Well, maybe you're just bad at explaining.”

“Or maybe you're just bad at math!”

“Oh, that's not a good combination.”

“Then maybe you should get someone else to tutor you!”

Yaku smirks. Bantering means that Kuroo is recharging his battery, that's good – seeing him fired up  helps himself to regain control as well. He turns around again to put his glass in the sink. “Probably. I'm sure Kai would also actually tutor and not torture me like you do!”

“Oh, you want torture?” Yaku busts into surprised giggles when he feels long, swift fingers scribbling up and down his sides and he leans away from the maddening sensation, over the counter. Unfortunately this attempt to escape just makes everything worse for now he can't even properly protect himself – not that that was an option before. “I'll give you torture!”

“H-hey! Dohon't doho thahahat! Kuroo!”

“I mean, you started it.”

“Whahat? Did not!”

“Yes, you did!” Kuroo shoves his hands further up Yaku's torso to massage the spaces in between his ribs, drawing some of the ugliest cackles the Libero has ever heard from himself. “You attacked me earlier when you nudged my side, you did that on purpose!”

“I-it's not my fahault thahahat you're a wahalking tickle spoAAHT, STOP IT!”

“Why?” Yaku manifests all of his willpower to turn around and immediately regrets it when he's met with Kuroo's obnoxious signature smirk, those awful fingers relentlessly squeezing and jabbing his hips. “Aren't you having fun?”

“FAHAHACK YOUAHAHA!”

“Tsk, language.”

Yaku feels himself getting weaker and weaker the longer the tickling lasts – no wonder, this bastard is attacking his worst spot exactly the way he knows it drives Yaku up the wall. A little voice in his head regrets to ever have agreed to this study session, another one criticizes the very idea of being friends with Kuroo and Yaku hates how he hesitantly agrees. They just know each other too well and... hey, wait, that might be it!

“NAHAHAHA KUHUROHOO! PLEAHEHEHESE!”

The captain slows his touches down and moves his hands up a little. “Please what, Yakkun?”

God, he's going to kill this jerk! Yaku feels his face burn. Please, that's a word he almost never has to resort to and only uses when it's really bad. More often than not he's too proud – but that also means, that Kuroo knows it's bad when he actually pleads and that's a huge opportunity to fool him. The tickling on his sides is bearable. He can function now. Yaku throws him a wicked smirk through his giggling and it turns victorious when he sees the horror dawn on his friend's face.

“Please don't be less ticklish than last week.”

“WhAHAHAHAAA YAHAKU!”

“You know, Tetsurou,” the Libero smirks and wrestles Kuroo down, straddling him and wriggling his fingers in his armpits, “you're really funny. We've known each other for, what, two and a half years? You should really know by now that you don't stand a chance. I don't know if you noticed, but my worst spot isn't half as bad as yours. See?” He coos at his friend. “You're already crying, naw, Tetsu! It's not even been ten seconds!”

It's almost funny how Kuroo is a mess already, yet the teasing still seems to make everything so much worse. Yaku grins. He can't deny it, he's always having a blast wrecking Kuroo, especially when- ah, there it is.

“NYAHAHA! PLEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAP!”

“I don't know, should I? We barely get to hear this beautiful, beautiful hyena laugh from you, we should enjoy it while it lasts!”

Honestly, it's impressive how long Kuroo takes it. They're almost at four minutes before his laughter goes silent and Yaku decides to move away from his underarms, resorting to softly scribbling all over his stomach. “So, will you teach me this math problem?”

“I- Ihi trihied!”

“Yeah, well, as you said, I'm bad at math. Will you try some more?”

Kuroo can only nod, his face flushed bright red and his cheeks wet from laughing tears.

“Good.” Yaku finally stops his tickling and stands up, offering his friend a hand to get up. “Let's get back to work. And remember, when you think about starting a tickle fight the next time, don't. You'll lose. Got it?”

“Shut up...”

“You shut up.”