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I decided to talk about PHR's work, just to help you guys understand why I believe in my 1% chance. I hope this will encourage you to see her past work, because they're all amazing in their own way. (Spoilers ahead
)
I decided to talk about PHR's work, just to help you guys understand why I believe in my 1% chance. I hope this will encourage you to see her past work, because they're all amazing in their own way. (Spoilers ahead
)
PHR is known for the amount of detail she puts into her characters & how they tie to the overall plot. Even side characters serve a purpose. She always manages to stitch the narrative to make things come full circle in the end. Even the smallest details are written for a reason.
I also love how she always emphasizes the impact of our words & actions to the greater society. Ex: Pinocchio, the media needs to report responsibly. WYWS, prosecutors must understand the impact of their decisions. Startup has these themes as well (ex. how tech = reducing jobs).
Jipyeong is the mashup of her ML's in Pinocchio, IHYV & WYWS (all portrayed by Lee Jong Suk). All her ML's are flawed/imperfect. If the 1% happens, we can say that Jipyeong is basically PHR's love letter to all her past characters. 
If not... she is MAJORLY changing it up
If not... she is MAJORLY changing it up
Orphans: She likes making her leads as orphans. It gives her characters the tragic backdrop she needs to propel their story forward. Pinocchio, WYWS, IHYV: their sense of purpose is rooted in their orphan roots. Jipyeong's desire to pay back his debt falls perfectly under this.
Geniuses: All her ML's are smart: Suha (IHYV), Dalpo (Pinocchio), Jaechan (WYWS). On this note, Jipyeong is tagged as a genius investor. Her characters are all able to navigate life well, despite their tragic backstories, because they are independent, intelligent & sharp-minded.
Childhood Love: She loves this trope. Her ML/FL are always connected by a childhood past. It can get repetitive, but she always has a way of tying it back to the story. And of course, Jipyeong & Dalmi perfectly fit this trope.
Side Note: Nam Dareum always plays the childhood version of the main lead. Maybe this was our Jidal endgame hint all along (LOL).
Maybe this was our Jidal endgame hint all along (LOL).
Denial of Emotions: they always take time before admitting their feelings. Dalpo (Pinocchio) hid it for years! Jaechan (WYWS) took his time & rejected the FL's attempts. Jipyeong on this regard has taken his time as well. They're all are afraid to be vulnerable.
Despite denying their emotions, her ML's are secretly soft. Only the audience is able to see just how soft they are. Their walls are merely a front, hence you want to root for them. Their character development revolves around allowing themselves to love and to be loved.
Jealousy: like I've said, her ML's are always flawed. They're completely human. They show moments of jealousy to the other guy, and they always act immaturely and childishly because of their insecurity. It adds comic relief to the story too.
Sharp Tongues: Dalpo (Pinocchio) was dark & spoke harshly. At some point he even did it to hurt the FL. Jaechan (WYWS) was always blunt. Her ML's are never afraid to counter/fight the FL's perspective. It gives a sense of balance to the bright FL. Jipyeong is the same to Dalmi.
Comedic Nuances: Despite being sad characters, they are often clumsy and have funny quirks. This keeps the story light-hearted too & makes you root for them at the end of the day despite how brash and flawed they can be.
Letters: Suha (IHYV) found comfort throughout his childhood by writing to the FL in his diary. Hongjoo (WYWS) wrote a note for Jaechan when they were little & Jaechan kept it dearly. And of course, Jipyeong & Dalmi's letter exchange clearly fits this as well. PHR is a romantic
Comfort Character: Her ML's always have the strongest connection to the comfort character. Jaechan with Mr. Choi (WYWS), Dalpo (Pinocchio) with his "adoptive dad", and now Jipyeong with halmeoni. This strong relationship always impacts the story significantly.
Food: plays a role. She uses it as her way of connecting her characters. It's a device she uses to show a character's life status too. Again, if you watch enough dramas you know that they can use eating scenes for ad space (hi Subway) but they never do for Jidal moments.
Symbolisms & Parallels: PHR's universe has so many of these embedded in her story. The reason why I'm approaching Startup with a careful lens, is because I know PHR's writing style and how particular she can be with the elements in her writing. Everything is there for a reason.
Plot Twist: Every PHR story has a crazy plot twist. It's always the kind of plot twist that will make you stand up from your seat, pull your hair out & go "WHAT?" I don't want to talk about the twists in her dramas because = spoiler. We have yet to see this twist in Startup 
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So what's my point in all this? I'm counting on PHR to root for Jipyeong in the same way she has rooted for all her Jipyeong's in the past. I want to believe that she has placed these parallels & symbolisms surrounding Jidal to give us a mindblowing end. We'll have to wait & see.
FYI Startup was supposed to be named Sandbox, but wasnโt used due to copyright issues. Whoโs the most obvious sandbox? Itโs also described as a youth coding romance. And as @ariadnerd described it, Jidal stans have been figuring out/unlocking the code all this time!
I know this is a PHR appreciation thread but note that #StartUp is also really beautiful because of director Oh Choonghwan. Hence their other collab, While You Were Sleeping, is one of my favorite kdramas of all time. Their combination is lethally good. 
Another PHR writing parallel (WYWS) https://twitter.com/seonhohappy/status/1332975084055662593?s=20
And another (WYWS) https://twitter.com/seonhohappy/status/1332720914509701125?s=20
A PHR Universe easter egg https://twitter.com/seonhohappy/status/1329847375754477571?s=20
Another easter egg https://twitter.com/seonhohappy/status/1325513382498242562?s=20
