I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the series ^^ .

Overall, I still am interested in the series and want to know what happens in the discussion but the last couple chapters have lessened my interest in the series. Frankly, I don’t care if the series will ever cover a working relationship between Seola and No-rae. And I’m fine with the series having a slow character-focused pacing. But I really think that in the whole ski-resort-arc (with the trip to No-rae’s parents) the series jumped the shark without knowing what to do with that.

I don’t think repetition is the problem here. It would imply that when something happens the series would move on in order to return to the same point – but the series never seems to move on these days. The relationship between Seola and Norae is frustratingly static, the complications of the plot remain incidental and the closure (even on an incidental level these days) is non-existing. FF’s writing seems very inconsequential. What happened on that ski-resort-trip was all VERY dramatic (Seola crying out of frustration, Sungpyo suddenly appearing, Seola and Norae nearly kissing etc.) but it didn’t amount to anything. None of it even seems very dramatic in hindsight due to this lack of commitment. Those atrocious time-jumps happened too often between chapters and killed the natural momentum of the story again and again there.

But even aside from consequences, the writing wasn’t very elegant. You have all these plot-points and character-moments but they all seem to be only tangentially related in how they’re presented. Every meaningful moment of the ski-resort-trip exists in its own little bubble. There have been no confrontations between Norae and Seola despite the fact that the reason for all the events is that they’re at odds with each other. Norae clearly isn’t on the same wavelength as Seola when it comes to their relationship and the series has so far done nothing besides rubbing the readers’ noses in it. And if for some reason you haven’t realized that yet, you will have certainly gotten the message with that wordy chapter 66 that needlessly summarized all that has happened in the previous couple chapters (the golden rule is “show, don’t tell”, not “show, don’t tell – then later tell them what they’ve seen”).

What bothers me the most these days is Norae, though. I assume Ssamba wants to create tension by making us identify more with Seola than Norae. But it should be the other way around at this point, I think. Chapter 66 and this new chapter are disappointing because we already know what Seola’s mindset is. Far more interesting would be to find out what Norae is actually hoping to achieve by doing this whole “oblivious”-routine. Honestly, in the scene where Norae plays the guitar she acts oblivious to the point of being kinda insulting. Since it’s hard right now to identify with Norae (because we don’t really know what exactly she’s thinking) the whole thing starts to feel like an “idiot-plot”. You know, the kind of plot that can be easily resolved with one short, honest conversation but it isn’t happening because the characters behave like idiots. And Norae is that idiot right now. I mean, with how stubborn Norae is, I don’t think there’s anything Seola can actually do to change their relationship.

It’s disappointing for me because the chapters itself often have one or more nice, little moments of fluffiness and cuteness. But these are only moments in a story that hasn’t really come together as a whole in a while.

Also Sungpyo is a stalker… Seriously, this is the second (!) time he just “happened” to be in the vicinity of Norae for a flimsy reason.

I used to really enjoy reading people's comments on this thread each week with all the predictions and insights to the chapters, but it's not that fun to read anymore. The horse has been dead for quite some time, and yet every week it's the same posts about how the pacing is too slow, and then the fans of the pacing coming out to defend it. Everyone has already stated their opinions on this multiple times, so why do we keep dwelling on it? There's so much more to talk about, but the whole thread is too clogged up with pacing complaining/defending to really enjoy it.

Tanks halmoni!
Still not sure why Norae is going all out partying like this. Maybe she is still depressed about her graduation being pushed back? Idk.
Maybe she's frustrated over her feelings for Seola too...
Norae being a vampire now, she could just be anemic.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 1:44PM

I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the series ^^ .

Overall, I still am interested in the series and want to know what happens in the discussion but the last couple chapters have lessened my interest in the series. Frankly, I don’t care if the series will ever cover a working relationship between Seola and No-rae. And I’m fine with the series having a slow character-focused pacing. But I really think that in the whole ski-resort-arc (with the trip to No-rae’s parents) the series jumped the shark without knowing what to do with that.

I don’t think repetition is the problem here. It would imply that when something happens the series would move on in order to return to the same point – but the series never seems to move on these days. The relationship between Seola and Norae is frustratingly static, the complications of the plot remain incidental and the closure (even on an incidental level these days) is non-existing. FF’s writing seems very inconsequential. What happened on that ski-resort-trip was all VERY dramatic (Seola crying out of frustration, Sungpyo suddenly appearing, Seola and Norae nearly kissing etc.) but it didn’t amount to anything. None of it even seems very dramatic in hindsight due to this lack of commitment. Those atrocious time-jumps happened too often between chapters and killed the natural momentum of the story again and again there.

But even aside from consequences, the writing wasn’t very elegant. You have all these plot-points and character-moments but they all seem to be only tangentially related in how they’re presented. Every meaningful moment of the ski-resort-trip exists in its own little bubble. There have been no confrontations between Norae and Seola despite the fact that the reason for all the events is that they’re at odds with each other. Norae clearly isn’t on the same wavelength as Seola when it comes to their relationship and the series has so far done nothing besides rubbing the readers’ noses in it. And if for some reason you haven’t realized that yet, you will have certainly gotten the message with that wordy chapter 66 that needlessly summarized all that has happened in the previous couple chapters (the golden rule is “show, don’t tell”, not “show, don’t tell – then later tell them what they’ve seen”).

What bothers me the most these days is Norae, though. I assume Ssamba wants to create tension by making us identify more with Seola than Norae. But it should be the other way around at this point, I think. Chapter 66 and this new chapter are disappointing because we already know what Seola’s mindset is. Far more interesting would be to find out what Norae is actually hoping to achieve by doing this whole “oblivious”-routine. Honestly, in the scene where Norae plays the guitar she acts oblivious to the point of being kinda insulting. Since it’s hard right now to identify with Norae (because we don’t really know what exactly she’s thinking) the whole thing starts to feel like an “idiot-plot”. You know, the kind of plot that can be easily resolved with one short, honest conversation but it isn’t happening because the characters behave like idiots. And Norae is that idiot right now. I mean, with how stubborn Norae is, I don’t think there’s anything Seola can actually do to change their relationship.

It’s disappointing for me because the chapters itself often have one or more nice, little moments of fluffiness and cuteness. But these are only moments in a story that hasn’t really come together as a whole in a while.

Also Sungpyo is a stalker… Seriously, this is the second (!) time he just “happened” to be in the vicinity of Norae for a flimsy reason.

I must say I agree with you- I'm truly enjoying the slow progress and the tension but ever since the ski trip the story feels a little inconsistent to me... It's like Ssamba is skipping all of the hard and important scenes! I just can't wrap my head around almost kissing, and then just going to sleep? Just like that? Even if they did I would at the very least expect some tension the next day... they don't even have to talk about it just showing that they were still thinking about it would've been enough but it's like they completely forgot about it!
Then there was the "More than Words" scene, which isn't as bad, but still I would expect No-Rae to follow Seol-A outside if she sees she's this upset/acting weird or at least to question her about it later! But nothing!

Like I said the slow pacing isn't a problem (It's the reason why this story is so good) but the inconsistencies lately drive me crazy~

Also I like seeing Seol-As inner thoughts (she's my favorite!) but I AM wondering what's going on with No-Rae. Like you said we hadn't had a No-rae chapter in a while and I just can't figure her out! Does she know how Seol-A feels? What does she think about her ex being back? What made her sing "More than Words"? What was she thinking after the almost kiss? Did it freak her out? Cause I would've definitely freaked out after instead of her, but we saw none of that!

I used to really enjoy reading people's comments on this thread each week with all the predictions and insights to the chapters, but it's not that fun to read anymore. The horse has been dead for quite some time, and yet every week it's the same posts about how the pacing is too slow, and then the fans of the pacing coming out to defend it. Everyone has already stated their opinions on this multiple times, so why do we keep dwelling on it? There's so much more to talk about, but the whole thread is too clogged up with pacing complaining/defending to really enjoy it.

Well be the one to break the ice and actually start a discussion. Cause so far I see nothing new in chapters to talk about.

Seo-la is crushing hard, No-Rae is oblivious as usual and gets drunk again... not much to talk about, is there?

Tanks halmoni!
Still not sure why Norae is going all out partying like this. Maybe she is still depressed about her graduation being pushed back? Idk.
Maybe she's frustrated over her feelings for Seola too...
Norae being a vampire now, she could just be anemic.

They were there and she wanted to drink! I think it's actually consistent of her character since we've seen her do this before (like when she met sunbae). Also the soju was an accident and she's sensitive to it

@Knightingale posted:

I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the series ^^ .

Overall, I still am interested in the series and want to know what happens in the discussion but the last couple chapters have lessened my interest in the series. Frankly, I don’t care if the series will ever cover a working relationship between Seola and No-rae. And I’m fine with the series having a slow character-focused pacing. But I really think that in the whole ski-resort-arc (with the trip to No-rae’s parents) the series jumped the shark without knowing what to do with that.

I don’t think repetition is the problem here. It would imply that when something happens the series would move on in order to return to the same point – but the series never seems to move on these days. The relationship between Seola and Norae is frustratingly static, the complications of the plot remain incidental and the closure (even on an incidental level these days) is non-existing. FF’s writing seems very inconsequential. What happened on that ski-resort-trip was all VERY dramatic (Seola crying out of frustration, Sungpyo suddenly appearing, Seola and Norae nearly kissing etc.) but it didn’t amount to anything. None of it even seems very dramatic in hindsight due to this lack of commitment. Those atrocious time-jumps happened too often between chapters and killed the natural momentum of the story again and again there.

But even aside from consequences, the writing wasn’t very elegant. You have all these plot-points and character-moments but they all seem to be only tangentially related in how they’re presented. Every meaningful moment of the ski-resort-trip exists in its own little bubble. There have been no confrontations between Norae and Seola despite the fact that the reason for all the events is that they’re at odds with each other. Norae clearly isn’t on the same wavelength as Seola when it comes to their relationship and the series has so far done nothing besides rubbing the readers’ noses in it. And if for some reason you haven’t realized that yet, you will have certainly gotten the message with that wordy chapter 66 that needlessly summarized all that has happened in the previous couple chapters (the golden rule is “show, don’t tell”, not “show, don’t tell – then later tell them what they’ve seen”).

What bothers me the most these days is Norae, though. I assume Ssamba wants to create tension by making us identify more with Seola than Norae. But it should be the other way around at this point, I think. Chapter 66 and this new chapter are disappointing because we already know what Seola’s mindset is. Far more interesting would be to find out what Norae is actually hoping to achieve by doing this whole “oblivious”-routine. Honestly, in the scene where Norae plays the guitar she acts oblivious to the point of being kinda insulting. Since it’s hard right now to identify with Norae (because we don’t really know what exactly she’s thinking) the whole thing starts to feel like an “idiot-plot”. You know, the kind of plot that can be easily resolved with one short, honest conversation but it isn’t happening because the characters behave like idiots. And Norae is that idiot right now. I mean, with how stubborn Norae is, I don’t think there’s anything Seola can actually do to change their relationship.

It’s disappointing for me because the chapters itself often have one or more nice, little moments of fluffiness and cuteness. But these are only moments in a story that hasn’t really come together as a whole in a while.

Also Sungpyo is a stalker… Seriously, this is the second (!) time he just “happened” to be in the vicinity of Norae for a flimsy reason.

@Knightingale: I agree with much of what you've said, though I have much more sympathetic view of No-rae's behavior. To me, No-rae is failing where many people fail in relationships, whether it's confidence, not knowing how important communication is, whatever. I do think it's frustrating, but I'm just saying... I wouldn't call such a person an idiot. Just normal, and unfortunate to be Seol-a or a fan looking to see a relationship grow. :?

Definitely, if Seol-a isn't going to risk being pushy, we're all depending on No-rae to move things forward. She doesn't necessarily have to confess, but if she'd at least let Seol-a know that she needs her help ("push me") or something.

Even though I say that, I felt similarly about No-rae's lack of response "**being kinda insulting**".

As someone else mentioned, Fluttering Feelings really has a "slice of life" feel to it, and, honestly, that's not usually my cup 'o tea. If that were the advertised genre for it, it would perfectly explain "**writing seems very inconsequential**".

I'm not worried about the story ending up poorly, but I'm not going to ignore its rough spots. We're in the middle of one. Have been for a while. (I expressed similar feelings after chapter 60.)

To me, the problem--for lack of a better word--here is that this is a character-driven story. The nuances of the character seem to be lost on or uninteresting to some folks, which is a way to explain why some people feel it's pretty inconsistent. I think No-rae's characters has put many of us, Ssamba included, into a tough spot, if our concern is to satisfy readers, generally. Without the aid of an omniscient or semi-omniscient narrator, No-rae's character is naturally quiet, and her lack of expression makes it hard for us to empathize with her, regardless. Period. If you can't know someone (someone's mind), you can't empathize. You can project and empathize with the person augmented by your projections, but those projections are fragile.

From this perspective, I'm not convinced Ssamba is intentionally aligning us with Seol-a. I think the alignment is a consequence of how we're wired. Whether or not Ssamba is aware of this, so long as she chooses to stick to her style, we "suffer" this.

Going forward or in her future works, with characters such as No-rae I think it would help if Ssamba "goes out of the way" a little more in order to bolster their presence. Slice of Life is Slice of Life, but this is a romance story, and one advertised for readers of Shoujo at that. I feel like I've been complaining about not getting enough of No-rae since half way through. This recurring feeling is probably the most damaging indicator for me with regard to how I feel about Fluttering Feelings at a given moment and will feel after it's completion.

Ultimately, the obvious time skips and plot devices aside, many of the complaints around the story being can be generalized as it being too natural or normal, full of details of regular life that are either not very entertain or cause frustration that we'd rather not revisit for too long in a story where we are all watching for growth (i.e., of the two characters' relationship in this case). This path Ssamba's chosen is not easy, but there is still a lot of story left to tell before the final judgements. So long as the content of the ending is satisfactory it will overshadow a lot of these discontented feeling that have mounted along the way. Still, I hope to see her grow as an author and ...elevate the writing before then. I'd prefer all of my favorite stories were very well written.

@sarawr144 posted:

I used to really enjoy reading people's comments on this thread each week with all the predictions and insights to the chapters, but it's not that fun to read anymore. The horse has been dead for quite some time, and yet every week it's the same posts about how the pacing is too slow, and then the fans of the pacing coming out to defend it. Everyone has already stated their opinions on this multiple times, so why do we keep dwelling on it? There's so much more to talk about, but the whole thread is too clogged up with pacing complaining/defending to really enjoy it.

@sarawr144: Totally understand. Why don't you share your observations and start a different thread of discussion?

More thoughts: Despite some of the issues at the macro level with transitioning, her in-chapter transitions are still very nice. Still handling subtleties well. ...But, as @Knightingale noted, we do not need any hints subtle or otherwise in order to tell the why or hows for Seol-a's reactions. No-rae's...behavior is more curious but, as usual, we're in the dark. I mean, if this is just normal No-rae, then this much of this chapter's content is wasted. The party scene could've been condensed into a few panes if the only point of the setting was to (naturally) reintroduce/reintegrate Sung-pyo.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 2:19PM

Hey, ssamba has already done a 50 Shades parody, so who's to say that she won't do Twilight next ;)

I'm also super curious about what No-rae is thinking, to the point of feeling a little frustrated... but I trust that the POV pendulum will eventually swing the other way and we'll get to see her thoughts again. ssamba has always been pretty sparing with the inner monologues, but when they happen they're so great.

@sarawr144 I guess I'm guilty of being on the defense squad, haha. Sorry, can't help but jump in when it feels like the thread is sliding too far in the direction of negativity. But I agree that it's been a lot less fun lately, I'm also getting tired of repeating myself.

Here's something to discuss if people want to: I wasn't expecting Seol-a/Sung-pyo interaction to happen this soon, honestly. I mean, next chapter it might just end at "oh we're here (at No-rae's place). okay bye" but there's a lot of potential for some interesting conversation... what do you all want to happen/think will happen? Do you think Seol-a will be cold/openly hostile? Chew him out for breaking up with No-rae the way he did? Or Sung-pyo will probe at Seol-a's relationship with No-rae?

From the bit about Seol-a having trouble remembering his name (profile or chart haha), it seems that she doesn't have him in her mind as "omg RIVAL!!!" or spared him that much thought, but at the same time, his appearance at the ski resort did affect her a lot.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 2:35PM

I used to really enjoy reading people's comments on this thread each week with all the predictions and insights to the chapters, but it's not that fun to read anymore. The horse has been dead for quite some time, and yet every week it's the same posts about how the pacing is too slow, and then the fans of the pacing coming out to defend it. Everyone has already stated their opinions on this multiple times, so why do we keep dwelling on it? There's so much more to talk about, but the whole thread is too clogged up with pacing complaining/defending to really enjoy it.

Well be the one to break the ice and actually start a discussion. Cause so far I see nothing new in chapters to talk about.

Seo-la is crushing hard, No-Rae is oblivious as usual and gets drunk again... not much to talk about, is there?

@Anubis3200: I agree that there isn't as much to talk about on Seol-a's end, but I think No-rae being oblivious and getting drunk is not as straight forward as just that. We've seen No-rae get completely wasted before, yes, but the worst cases were flashbacks to her freshman year. We have seen evidence since then that she has learned to have a little more control and recognize her limits. Even Hye-kyeong mentions this in the texting convo with Seol-a. At the previous beginning of semester party and the one on the MT (or whatever it's called) No-rae didn't over do it. She often likes to drink, but usually doesn't go overboard anymore.

We saw her lose control once recently on the ski trip when she was obviously upset about Seol-a's behavior towards her after seeing No-rae and Sung-pyo together. So what is the motivation this time to get so into the drinking?

Tanks halmoni!
Still not sure why Norae is going all out partying like this. Maybe she is still depressed about her graduation being pushed back? Idk.
Maybe she's frustrated over her feelings for Seola too...
Norae being a vampire now, she could just be anemic.

I think Kisa hit the nail on the head when she said No-rae is frustrated by her own feelings. Personally it seems to me like No-rae might have wanted to get into the party so she could avoid dealing with her own inner turmoil. I'm not totally sold on the "oblivious" No-rae that everyone talks about. Not denying that she isn't sometimes an oblivious block-head, but she also uses that as a facade sometimes to hide her true feelings and observations. There have been a few occasions where No-rae has shown (to everyone's surprise) that she is more observant and in tune with things than she appears, ie teasing Inah about her lie about the neck cast while "innocently" pretending to have believed her. I would also say that the panels showing No-rae with her head down looking at her hand after singing to Seol-a give her away a little.

I think No-rae is afraid to trust what she sees from Seol-a. She's feeling insecure and doesn't want to trust the instincts that are telling her that Seol-a might feel the same way. I also think she just doesn't know what to do with the whole situation and so she throws up that confused facade all the time to avoid giving herself away before she is more sure that's it's safe to show her feelings. But she is also frustrated with herself over this and her own hesitation.

That brings us back to her drinking. I sort of think she wanted to loosen herself up so that she could act more like how she wants to be with Seol-a without thinking about it too much, and it gives her a convenient excuse if people think she's acting weird. And I also don't think she was planning to get totally smashed, just loosen up and have a good time. Her thought about how that certain kind of drink (I forget the name) gets her drunk really quick and the flustered look on her face tell me that it wasn't her intention to get completely wasted (whoops). I think No-rae is just as frustrated as Seol-a, but more with herself and her uncertainty about what to do.

Here's something to discuss if people want to: I wasn't expecting Seol-a/Sung-pyo interaction to happen this soon, honestly. I mean, next chapter it might just end at "oh we're here (at No-rae's place). okay bye" but there's a lot of potential for some interesting conversation... what do you all want to happen/think will happen? Do you think Seol-a will be cold/openly hostile? Chew him out for breaking up with No-rae the way he did? Or Sung-pyo will probe at Seol-a's relationship with No-rae?

From the bit about Seol-a having trouble remembering his name (profile or chart haha), it seems that she doesn't have him in her mind as "omg RIVAL!!!" or spared him that much thought, but at the same time, his appearance at the ski resort did affect her a lot.

I agree I really like this direction! I would really like to see how Seol-a and Sung-pyo interact alone together- there are so many interesting directions this could go and it could be the catalyst we all been waiting for! I still can't believe this is only happening now! though i must say I'm a little scared there will just be a time jump again, I don't handle those well -.-
Also I can't wait for some Seol-a and drunk no-rae interaction once he leaves or at the very least some more Seol-a inner monologue~!

@sarawr144 I guess I'm guilty of being on the defense squad, haha. Sorry, can't help but jump in when it feels like the thread is sliding too far in the direction of negativity. But I agree that it's been a lot less fun lately, I'm also getting tired of repeating myself.

Here's something to discuss if people want to: I wasn't expecting Seol-a/Sung-pyo interaction to happen this soon, honestly. I mean, next chapter it might just end at "oh we're here (at No-rae's place). okay bye" but there's a lot of potential for some interesting conversation... what do you all want to happen/think will happen? Do you think Seol-a will be cold/openly hostile? Chew him out for breaking up with No-rae the way he did? Or Sung-pyo will probe at Seol-a's relationship with No-rae?

From the bit about Seol-a having trouble remembering his name (profile or chart haha), it seems that she doesn't have him in her mind as "omg RIVAL!!!" or spared him that much thought, but at the same time, his appearance at the ski resort did affect her a lot.

@cipp: I think a lot of people feel compelled to try to counter the negativity, and I get that. I made a short post on my pov a week or two I ago I think for partially the same reason. It's hard not to..

As for Sung-pyo, I thought it was kind of odd how unruffled Seol-a was by his appearance and by Hye-Kyeong asking him to help No-rae home. I kind of made the same observation that Seol-a didn't seem to give him much thought lol.
I wasn't all that surprised by his appearance now though. It seems about time for him to come back and get some closure, and, as someone already pointed out, it makes sense for him to be at the party since he is re-enrolling this semester. I feel like there must be at least a little conversation between him and Seol-a, otherwise it would be super awkward (and it still will be really haha), but I don't expect it will be confrontational. I'm guessing they might try to feel each other out a little: Seol-a to gauge his motivations and expectations and Sung-pyo to get a better idea of what kind of relationship she has with No-rae (since he was surprised on the ski trip by their closeness).

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 2:55PM

I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the series ^^ .

Overall, I still am interested in the series and want to know what happens in the discussion but the last couple chapters have lessened my interest in the series. Frankly, I don’t care if the series will ever cover a working relationship between Seola and No-rae. And I’m fine with the series having a slow character-focused pacing. But I really think that in the whole ski-resort-arc (with the trip to No-rae’s parents) the series jumped the shark without knowing what to do with that.

I don’t think repetition is the problem here. It would imply that when something happens the series would move on in order to return to the same point – but the series never seems to move on these days. The relationship between Seola and Norae is frustratingly static, the complications of the plot remain incidental and the closure (even on an incidental level these days) is non-existing. FF’s writing seems very inconsequential. What happened on that ski-resort-trip was all VERY dramatic (Seola crying out of frustration, Sungpyo suddenly appearing, Seola and Norae nearly kissing etc.) but it didn’t amount to anything. None of it even seems very dramatic in hindsight due to this lack of commitment. Those atrocious time-jumps happened too often between chapters and killed the natural momentum of the story again and again there.

But even aside from consequences, the writing wasn’t very elegant. You have all these plot-points and character-moments but they all seem to be only tangentially related in how they’re presented. Every meaningful moment of the ski-resort-trip exists in its own little bubble. There have been no confrontations between Norae and Seola despite the fact that the reason for all the events is that they’re at odds with each other. Norae clearly isn’t on the same wavelength as Seola when it comes to their relationship and the series has so far done nothing besides rubbing the readers’ noses in it. And if for some reason you haven’t realized that yet, you will have certainly gotten the message with that wordy chapter 66 that needlessly summarized all that has happened in the previous couple chapters (the golden rule is “show, don’t tell”, not “show, don’t tell – then later tell them what they’ve seen”).

What bothers me the most these days is Norae, though. I assume Ssamba wants to create tension by making us identify more with Seola than Norae. But it should be the other way around at this point, I think. Chapter 66 and this new chapter are disappointing because we already know what Seola’s mindset is. Far more interesting would be to find out what Norae is actually hoping to achieve by doing this whole “oblivious”-routine. Honestly, in the scene where Norae plays the guitar she acts oblivious to the point of being kinda insulting. Since it’s hard right now to identify with Norae (because we don’t really know what exactly she’s thinking) the whole thing starts to feel like an “idiot-plot”. You know, the kind of plot that can be easily resolved with one short, honest conversation but it isn’t happening because the characters behave like idiots. And Norae is that idiot right now. I mean, with how stubborn Norae is, I don’t think there’s anything Seola can actually do to change their relationship.

It’s disappointing for me because the chapters itself often have one or more nice, little moments of fluffiness and cuteness. But these are only moments in a story that hasn’t really come together as a whole in a while.

Also Sungpyo is a stalker… Seriously, this is the second (!) time he just “happened” to be in the vicinity of Norae for a flimsy reason.

I agreed with you on a few points. Seola would have been a lot happier if she took Enah's advice. Enah's role in the previous chapters didn't seem to help their relationship at all. They should have convinced Seola came out telling Norae how she feels toward her. Enah was right. As long as it continues like this, Seala is going to be miserable. Why can't Seola just tell Norae how she feels? She is a lot prettier, more attractive, and smarter, so I would assume she has more confidence. If I'm Norae in this store lol.. I would likely act like she did throughout the story. Falling in love with your smart and gorgeous best friend is a bit tough to come out to tell your friend you love her. Why do smart and beautiful people also lack of confidence when it comes to love?

I used to really enjoy reading people's comments on this thread each week with all the predictions and insights to the chapters, but it's not that fun to read anymore. The horse has been dead for quite some time, and yet every week it's the same posts about how the pacing is too slow, and then the fans of the pacing coming out to defend it. Everyone has already stated their opinions on this multiple times, so why do we keep dwelling on it? There's so much more to talk about, but the whole thread is too clogged up with pacing complaining/defending to really enjoy it.

Well be the one to break the ice and actually start a discussion. Cause so far I see nothing new in chapters to talk about.

Seo-la is crushing hard, No-Rae is oblivious as usual and gets drunk again... not much to talk about, is there?

@Anubis3200: I agree that there isn't as much to talk about on Seol-a's end, but I think No-rae being oblivious and getting drunk is not as straight forward as just that. We've seen No-rae get completely wasted before, yes, but the worst cases were flashbacks to her freshman year. We have seen evidence since then that she has learned to have a little more control and recognize her limits. Even Hye-kyeong mentions this in the texting convo with Seol-a. At the previous beginning of semester party and the one on the MT (or whatever it's called) No-rae didn't over do it. She often likes to drink, but usually doesn't go overboard anymore.

We saw her lose control once recently on the ski trip when she was obviously upset about Seol-a's behavior towards her after seeing No-rae and Sung-pyo together. So what is the motivation this time to get so into the drinking?

Tanks halmoni!
Still not sure why Norae is going all out partying like this. Maybe she is still depressed about her graduation being pushed back? Idk.
Maybe she's frustrated over her feelings for Seola too...
Norae being a vampire now, she could just be anemic.

I think Kisa hit the nail on the head when she said No-rae is frustrated by her own feelings. Personally it seems to me like No-rae might have wanted to get into the party so she could avoid dealing with her own inner turmoil. I'm not totally sold on the "oblivious" No-rae that everyone talks about. Not denying that she isn't sometimes an oblivious block-head, but she also uses that as a facade sometimes to hide her true feelings and observations. There have been a few occasions where No-rae has shown (to everyone's surprise) that she is more observant and in tune with things than she appears, ie teasing Inah about her lie about the neck cast while "innocently" pretending to have believed her. I would also say that the panels showing No-rae with her head down looking at her hand after singing to Seol-a give her away a little.

I think No-rae is afraid to trust what she sees from Seol-a. She's feeling insecure and doesn't want to trust the instincts that are telling her that Seol-a might feel the same way. I also think she just doesn't know what to do with the whole situation and so she throws up that confused facade all the time to avoid giving herself away before she is more sure that's it's safe to show her feelings. But she is also frustrated with herself over this and her own hesitation.

That brings us back to her drinking. I sort of think she wanted to loosen herself up so that she could act more like how she wants to be with Seol-a without thinking about it too much, and it gives her a convenient excuse if people think she's acting weird. And I also don't think she was planning to get totally smashed, just loosen up and have a good time. Her thought about how that certain kind of drink (I forget the name) gets her drunk really quick and the flustered look on her face tell me that it wasn't her intention to get completely wasted (whoops). I think No-rae is just as frustrated as Seol-a, but more with herself and her uncertainty about what to do.

I completely agree with every word you said, No-rae is definitely not as oblivious as she seems and is (as Seol-a mentioned before) very hard to read, which is why I'm dying for a chapter with No-raes POV~ I think the last time was that chapter when she met Seol-a accidentally in the convenience store or something, and that inner monologue definitely didn't disappoint!

It's been a while since I commented on. So here's my input on everything. We get so frustrated because we want that confirmation of our lovely couple. It will happen, we know this. That aside I think no-Rae is drinking for a few reasons. It goes deeper than just being upset about not graduating when she wants to. I think she is also feeling conflicted about Seol-a. When I saw her acting needy towards Seol-a, that was her true feelings slipping through. I hope we see more of the real No-Rae when she's sober.

• Also, I agree with othera that No-Raes best friend is not okay with the closeness No-Rae and Seol-a have. (Why is she acting gross) *
  -I realize now that was said by a random person. I didn't notice it until I re-read it.

last edited at Mar 14, 2016 9:16AM

Knightingale

I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the series ^^ .

[....]

What you wrote is globally what I've been thinking about FF for a while. But I got a lot of hate for saying it

And no, Sung-Pyo is not a stalker. It's just that Ssamba needed him there, so he was magically transported there. Because reasons.

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them. All the characters' background pointed to that. I found their hug at that time very well done and moving.

And then... nothing. All the emotions was washed away as if it never existed.

Ssamba sets up events and flags but then, they amount to nothing.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 3:45PM

It's been a while since I commented on. So here's my input on everything. We get so frustrated because we want that confirmation of our lovely couple. It will happen, we know this. That aside I think no-Rae is drinking for a few reasons. It goes deeper than just being upset about not graduating when she wants to. I think she is also feeling conflicted about Seol-a. When I saw her acting needy towards Seol-a, that was her true feelings slipping through. I hope we see more of the real No-Rae when she's sober. Also, I agree with othera that No-Raes best friend is not okay with the closeness No-Rae and Seol-a have. (Why is she acting gross)

I don't think Hye-kyung was against Seol-a&No-rae at any point... on the contrary- she was surprised when Seol-a pushed No-rae away and didn't really try to object when Seol-a decided to take No-rae home. She also seemed fine to me when she texted Seol-a and lets not forget she's Seol-as friend as well now, so I don't really see where this is coming from?

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 4:09PM

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 3:52PM

Why can't Seola just tell Norae how she feels? She is a lot prettier, more attractive, and smarter, so I would assume she has more confidence.

Doesn't matter how hot you are if the girl you like is not gay. :[

@sarawr144 I guess I'm guilty of being on the defense squad, haha. Sorry, can't help but jump in when it feels like the thread is sliding too far in the direction of negativity. But I agree that it's been a lot less fun lately, I'm also getting tired of repeating myself.

Here's something to discuss if people want to: I wasn't expecting Seol-a/Sung-pyo interaction to happen this soon, honestly. I mean, next chapter it might just end at "oh we're here (at No-rae's place). okay bye" but there's a lot of potential for some interesting conversation... what do you all want to happen/think will happen? Do you think Seol-a will be cold/openly hostile? Chew him out for breaking up with No-rae the way he did? Or Sung-pyo will probe at Seol-a's relationship with No-rae?

From the bit about Seol-a having trouble remembering his name (profile or chart haha), it seems that she doesn't have him in her mind as "omg RIVAL!!!" or spared him that much thought, but at the same time, his appearance at the ski resort did affect her a lot.

@cipp: I think a lot of people feel compelled to try to counter the negativity, and I get that. I made a short post on my pov a week or two I ago I think for partially the same reason. It's hard not to..

As for Sung-pyo, I thought it was kind of odd how unruffled Seol-a was by his appearance and by Hye-Kyeong asking him to help No-rae home. I kind of made the same observation that Seol-a didn't seem to give him much thought lol.
I wasn't all that surprised by his appearance now though. It seems about time for him to come back and get some closure, and, as someone already pointed out, it makes sense for him to be at the party since he is re-enrolling this semester. I feel like there must be at least a little conversation between him and Seol-a, otherwise it would be super awkward (and it still will be really haha), but I don't expect it will be confrontational. I'm guessing they might try to feel each other out a little: Seol-a to gauge his motivations and expectations and Sung-pyo to get a better idea of what kind of relationship she has with No-rae (since he was surprised on the ski trip by their closeness).

@sarawr144 Oh, I'm not surprised either by Sung-pyo showing up (I'm the one that pointed out that it makes sense for him to be at the party haha) but I was expecting it to be mostly him and No-rae interacting, maybe some drama happening, before Seol-a finally getting involved. But depending on if/how this conversation happens I prefer this direction.

I agree with you that it probably won't be confrontational (I was just throwing that out as a possibility) since they really don't know each other that well and it would be kind of weird/rude for Seol-a to do that. Seol-a does seem a little suspicious of Sung-pyo's intentions/seems to have picked up that he might not be completely over No-rae (i.e. from chapter 49, "What's he staring at her so affectionately for?") and she might, like you said, take this as an opportunity to "gauge his motivations and expectations." On Sung-pyo's part... it might be interesting if he was aware of and brought up Seol-a's reputation as "queen of the business administration department" and expressing a little surprise that someone like her is friends with No-rae. Cue "what's that supposed to mean"/defensiveness from Seol-a resulting in her revealing a little more about her feelings than she intended... well, that's just my imagination going too far :P

confused1203: Also, I agree with othera that No-Raes best friend is not okay with the closeness No-Rae and Seol-a have. (Why is she acting gross)

I don't think Hye-kyung thinks that No-rae/Seol-a are acting more close than regular friends would, and I don't think she has has a problem with it either. Are you maybe thinking about the line "Kyaah No-rae oppa, aren't you being a little too gross?!" I don't think that Hye-kyung was the one who said that, and it was said jokingly. But also, the word that was translated as "gross," 느끼해, is kind of hard to translate to English. I've seen greasy, sleazy, smarmy, buttery, oily, etc. (it is also used to describe food, i.e. if I only have rich Western food for a while I start to feel 느끼해 until I get my next kimchi fix) but none of them quite work. In this context it would be used to describe a couple that's going way overboard with the pda and acting super lovey-dovey, to the point that it's too cheesy/cringey/gives you major second-hand embarrassment. It doesn't quite have the connotation of "disgust" that maybe "gross" gives off.

Nevri:

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

I know that extreme situations pushing people together is pretty common in fiction (and sometimes it works really well! togetherness through adversity etc.) but personally, I would be really hesitant to make a move on someone who was possibly traumatized... to me something like that would seem like taking unfair advantage of them when they're in a vulnerable state.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 4:10PM

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

I actually disagree. Seol-a realized her feelings because of that accident- that is a huge progression! Immediately afterwords she flirted with No-rae all the time and looked for signs she felt the same. 10 chapters after the accident she even tried to confess.
In 10 chapters Seol-a did much more than No-rae did in over 20- I would say that's a huge progression!

Why can't Seola just tell Norae how she feels? She is a lot prettier, more attractive, and smarter, so I would assume she has more confidence.

Doesn't matter how hot you are if the girl you like is not gay. :[

True dat! Also Seol-a never been in love before, she's not used to this, and last chapter showed us she just doesn't know what to do.

As frustrated as I am with No-rae, I can't get mad at her for her behavior, I'd do the same shit she's doing. But it's also upsetting seeing this constantly through Seol-a's perspective because she's so whipped, its not even funny. idk man, I just hope there's some progression over the next chapters, because the ex-boyfriend constantly re-appearing is getting really annoying. I hope Ssamba can switch back to No-rae's perspective, because it's been Seol-a for a while, and I really want to know whats going through No-rae's mind right now. I'll try to stick through the end of this, since theres hardly any other series that catch my interest. WDTFS has progressed, so has Lily Love, and Their Story is just there, its not going anywhere anytime soon.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 4:16PM

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

That makes no sense. Seol-A realized her feelings after that. There was a lot of stuff for Seol-A going on after that. If you werent paying attention, that's definitely not the story's fault.

madlax232 posted:

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

That makes no sense. Seol-A realized her feelings after that. There was a lot of stuff for Seol-A going on after that. If you werent paying attention, that's definitely not the story's fault.

And yet there was no progression. I actually disliked the accident and it pushing them together would be weird and unrealistic to me, but it did make Seal-A more aware of her feelings and then... went nowhere. The fact car accident ended up being 100% pointless was what turned me off to series. After that we learned about "sad past" of Seal-A, her best friend dying in next accident and it all started to feel so forced at this point. When instead of any progress, we got flashbacks to Seal-A past I just rolled my eyes and wasn't able to keep on reading it anymore.

It's been a while since I commented on. So here's my input on everything. We get so frustrated because we want that confirmation of our lovely couple. It will happen, we know this. That aside I think no-Rae is drinking for a few reasons. It goes deeper than just being upset about not graduating when she wants to. I think she is also feeling conflicted about Seol-a. When I saw her acting needy towards Seol-a, that was her true feelings slipping through. I hope we see more of the real No-Rae when she's sober. Also, I agree with othera that No-Raes best friend is not okay with the closeness No-Rae and Seol-a have. (Why is she acting gross)

I don't think Hye-kyung was against Seol-a&No-rae at any point... on the contrary- she was surprised when Seol-a pushed No-rae away and didn't really try to object when Seol-a decided to take No-rae home. She also seemed fine to me when she texted Seol-a and lets not forget she's Seol-as friend as well now, so I don't really see where this is coming from?

Only from this last chapter. She seems supportive with friendship but maybe questioning in what their relationship is. I could be looking too deeply into it. She just seemed to have a strong reaction when No-Rae was leading on Seol-a.

Nya-chan posted:

In my opinion, FF jumped the shark after No-rae's bus accident. That life threatening experience should have accelerated things between them.

Yup. That is exact point after which I stopped reading it, cos even after it there was no progression.

That makes no sense. Seol-A realized her feelings after that. There was a lot of stuff for Seol-A going on after that. If you werent paying attention, that's definitely not the story's fault.

I didn't say that there was no progression (Nevri did), but what I mean is that event was something huge, that should have changed the very foundations of their relationship, like the first time they met and Seol-a was almost strangled to death. The fact that Seol-a is the only one who's getting some progression and not No-rae makes no sense. The thing is that when she was in shock because of that accident, the one who was there for her was Seol-a, the one she clinged to and hugged was Seol-a. That should have made her more aware of her own feelings. But only Seol-a got some screentime, which culminated in an aborted confession because of Mr Cockblock.

And then, instead of resuming confession once the ex is out of the picture, we get Seol-a and No-rae at at part-time job, some backstory of ex dead girl friend, listening to the story of a Seol-a clone which served no visible purpose, Seol-a and No-rae skiiing (hello Mr Cockblock. Why are you here?), Seol-a and No-rae visiting family (almost kiss, but forget it), Seol-a and No-rae walking on the beach, Seol-a and No-rae partying (hello Mr Cockblock, long time no see. Or not).

All the arcs following the bus accident have been used to delay the unavoidable. Maybe some people enjoy that kind of play, but I feel for bad the characters.

last edited at Mar 13, 2016 4:56PM