That was quite the write up haha. Not much i don't disagree with, it was definitely shoved in to extend the plot and add in more drama. (Did you know, the story was never meant to be that long. Pretty sure it was only meant to be 50 or so chapters)

Ha. As I said, I’m new to the forum life so I’m enthusiastic with my responses. It doesn’t help that I’m rather opinionated. Also, I have a tendency to poke at plot holes and (over) analyze scenarios/character motivations.

If you take away the sex scenes, you do get 50 chapters though. Just kidding.

I figured something like an extension happened. It feels like while writing the story, Team Gaji fell in love with Seju so much that Sumin and Sungji were pushed to the side even though they were also supposed to be mains.

Was the whole "i know your secret" thing a red herring or just misunderstood you reckon?

I think it’s meant to grab our attention so we’ll read Seju’s follow up story.

Maybe Seju was almost assasinated before or maybe she witnessed her mother’s assassination. Basically imagine the most f*cked up things happening and all of that probably happened to Seju.

I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be more flashbacks that cover Seju and Dawoon’s pasts so we’re going to find out.

So when is this new series started? Skimmed through the latest chapter, not gonna spend $ on SungjixSumin fluff. Am in this from now on solely for Seju. Even my gf who is not usually into manga took a peek at some chapters of the main story and the final one of Paradise and was like “I volunteer as tribute to heal Seju” LOL

Probably this Tuesday coming, according to TG twitter. It's not a consistent schedule though since the author does sometimes go off sick, which delays the update.

OK so I felt I was maybe being too grumpy about the way the series ended so I went and read the English translation of chapter 108 carefully, in the hopes of getting over my bad impression about SungjixSumin. I am trying, I swear I am.

But it's like, Sumin can't even make a face like she cares since it's her first Valentine's with this girl she is supposedly madly in love with?? I don't get the way the writer is going about this, in Paradise Sumin and Seju look into each other's eyes etc I can feel all the love vibes. But all I can feel from this supposed romantic chapter is Sungji being insecure and Sumin with this dissociated face. Even after sex, "I am a bit tired" x_x what am I supposed to think? I feel personally embarrassed for Sungji who has been throwing herself at Sumin all this time. Gawd.

last edited at Apr 11, 2019 7:39PM

Remember Sumin is much older now so comparing the love she had as a teen with the one she had as an adult isn't fair when making judgements. I saw the love, it was just different and a bit more mature to me. Sumin kind of has resting bitch face, i'm the same way to be honest. Also Sungji was joking around with Sumin when she makes a face at the mention of Sumins ex.

To be honest i found the love in Paradise almost infantile in parts which is why it took me so long to finish reading it. But then maybe i saw it that way because i'm in my late 30's. After all, our experiences shape how we see the world. We can't truly look at things objectively.

Ps. Im at work so may be a little incoherrant.

Also am i the only one who thought the chapter was more played for comedy rather than seriousness.

last edited at Apr 11, 2019 11:16PM

I don’t think she’s completely disinterested. She had the forethought to get Sungji flowers (and Sungji’s favorite drink?)to commemorate the event and she’s willing to eat Sungji’s cake, even though she thinks she might get a little sick from it.

The scenario is realistic. Sumin has been in a lot of relationships. She’s probably had all the experiences that Sungji’s looking forward to so the activities aren’t exciting but Sumin knows the holiday is important to Sungji so she’s letting Sungji take the reigns.

What’s more important to Sumin is her forever with Sungji. And it’s just one commemorative holiday versus every day for the rest of their lives.

Also, Sumin might still have a little bit of a wall up. I don’t expect it to come down instantly after 10 years just because she’s in love but she’s trying and Sungji knows.

The tired bit might be just another emphasis on Sumin’s age. Remember the Salonpas patch Sungji put on her in one chapter?

I laughed a bit at the running gag. They over emphasize Sungji’s Young And Sumin’s Old. 34/35 isn’t old yet Sumin kept saying “Young people nowadays” like she’s some 90 year old woman.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 12:22AM

I don’t buy this to be honest because it’s a writer’s choice to show their relationship as something that Sumin is passionate about or not, especially in a chapter after 2 years (?) of hiatus and this being the supposed main pair, knowing that if this is indeed the main pair people would be “thirsty” for it. Even I was hoping for more since I am trying to like them.

Yet even now, for some reason they keep not doing so. The relationship feels like the only way Sumin could come up with to run away from her (admittedly toxic) dynamic with Seju. The issue of course is that the dynamic can be toxic due to all of the circumstances and yet she made the choice of not working directly on fixing it but rather to escape by trying to love someone else.
Key word is “trying”, which she admits as much. Well so if these are side stories, then just show them happy right now damnit lol isn’t the drama over? Convince me they are better than SejuxSumin at least.

What I want to know is if this is going to be a happy end story where Sumin in the end reaches the conclusion “it was for the best, I have succeeded in making Sungji the one and Seju is just a memory” (same with Seju) or if we are headed Blue is the Warmest Color route. Where the escape was a mistake. I would like the authors to commit to one thing and convince me — basically if they want me to cheer for Sungji and Sumin, make it romantic and organic, and not like they are “trying to make it work no matter what”.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 7:43AM

If Es0teric is correct then Team Gaji is still trying to prolong the narrative.

It does say TBC so we’ll probably be getting more of Sumin x Sungji interactions. Team Gaji is not just going to give the completely happily ever after shots just yet.

Think of it like Citrus+. Sumin is Mei and Sungji is Yuzu. They know they love each other but they still need to work towards their happily ever after.

My interpretation is that it’s a realistic depiction of a relationship between a person with experience and one with not.

The mention of an ex with baking skills subtly demonstrates that Sumin has had a variety of experiences since she’s dated a plethora of women.

Nami’s inclusion helps show the difference in the beginning stages of Sumin and Seju’s relationship with that of Sumin and Sungji’s. The latter aren’t holing themselves up in their own little paradise like Seju and Sumin did in their relationship.

Also, Sumin was introduced to Sungji’s friends which Sumin never did with Seju in the early stages of their relationship and I’m guessing Sungji still hangs out with her friends and visits her family and it doesn’t incite jealousy from Sumin.

Sungji isn’t filled with jealousy either. She’s comfortable enough to tease Sumin about her past. She’s not trying to guilt her, which means Sumin has earned back her trust after the cheating.

Also, remember that after Seju, Sumin was completely shut off from the world.

She was a husk and is unaccustomed to dealing with feelings. She confesses that she blushes over a little thing like being called ‘honey’ because of this.

Anyway, the fact that Sumin and Sungji are aware that there’s problems in their relationship already marks an improvement. They’re talking to one another about their insecurities which I don’t remember Seju and Sumin doing.

Yeah they knew about Seju’s jealousy but they didn’t talk about why Seju was so clingy or why Sumin was perfectly happy with her whole world revolving only around Seju.

It’s already a healthier relationship because Sumin and Sungji are openly communicating, not only about the positive things like being together forever, but Sumin addresses that she’s worried. Sumin is acknowledging that she made a lot of mistakes and she’s worried she’ll unintentionally hurt Sungji somehow.

Relationships take work. It’s not all flowers and unicorns. Love alone can’t guarantee lasting happiness (which is why Seju’s new story will probably be as long as the original story, if not longer) because it doesn’t fix everything. One has to be willing to put in effort.

Also, two years have passed outside of the story but if we’re going by the assumption that it is their first Valentine’s Day together, this means that it’s been months maybe after the drama so it is only natural that they’re still in the stages of figuring each other out and trying to make things work.

I sincerely hope TG isnt dragging this Sumin and Sungjil present time moments before releasing One. The delay and waiting is simply tortue for anyone whose on Team Pink lol.

Yeah, about Sumin and Sungjil, they've only dated for less than a year compared to Sumin and Seju who managed to have 7 years of beautiful memories together until the accident happened. It's going to take time for Sumin to readjust, considering she's so used to her old habit of being reserved and cynical. I mean, this is the woman who had her heart broken by her first love and had failed relationships with 30 other girls in the past. Perhaps in the 3 years time skip in Will, we'll see a different Sumin whose a lot more comfortable and enthusiastic.

As for Seju and Dowon, I'm kind of hoping it would end up in the My Sassy Girl route. Seju finally found someone who understands her and she realized her love for Dowon but she needs time apart to forget about Sumin. Then they reunited after 2 or 3 years where her wounds have healed at last.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 4:08PM

Is One a short series or long as anim8tur said? I thought these are all short side stories. Which begs the question of how they are planning to make Seju fall in love with someone in a few chapters only after 100+ chapters of her pining over Sumin. I mean...this girl DoWon better be an amazing character completely different from others or it will not be believable.

I am still betting on the regret kind of ending from Blue is the Warmest Color. This is kdrama after all lol But I know I am the only one.

Considering TG's tweet on the upcoming schedule when the last chapter of Paradise had just been released, we're going to see One very soon: "Next episode will be a one-shot sidestory about Sumin and Sungji at the present time, then side story One will be updated starting from next episode".

Considering how they put One as teaser along with that BIG Coming Soon in the last chapter 93 of main story and their efforts to create many new 3D backgrounds for One. I guess this 2nd side story will be the longest one (main one) of all. Falling in love will happen in a blink of eye if Dowon is an +++amazing character. It all depends on the way she approaches and communicates with Seju.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 5:10PM

Lol how do you folks even know she is amazing, the story isn’t even out yet. Maybe I have been burned too much by stuff like Citrus with massive disappointments in the end.

And God forbid this is yet another love triangle, but if I was Team GJ I would fake advertise that Seju gonna end with girl X and actually it’s someone else who is not mentioned. Isn’t surprise factor the most important thing?

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 5:19PM

Think of it like Citrus+. Sumin is Mei and Sungji is Yuzu. They know they love each other but they still need to work towards their happily ever after.

Citrus+ would feel very different if it had been a triangle with more than half the story dedicated to scenes with Harumin or a more mature Matsuri who hadn’t given up. My only criticism of Team GJ is their difficulty (according to my perception) to make Sungji and Sumin likeable enough and not eclipsed by Seju, be it her family drama or the previous romance. Either give up or improve please...
.

I only said IF. She can turn out to be Seju's friend in the end tho. However the fact that she's the first one to be introduced with a Full Profile besides the three main characters does make her a not-mediocre character. Not even Nammi or Dawoon got it.

Why Seju's new love interest has to make an appearance sooner in main story? Isn't real life full of unexpected occcurences? If Seju ends up with someone else then Team Gaji wouldn't put her name together with Seju when they listed out the order of their scheduled side-stories. Whoever she is, I'm perfectly fine if she can make Seju happy. But of course I'll hate her to guts if she's a jerk.

Well, I think Seju's life has been fuvked up enough, she shouldn't be forced to swallow more unnecessary drama. She needs a stable life, not another tiring triangle relationship.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 5:40PM

Citrus+ would feel very different if it had been a triangle with more than half the story dedicated to scenes with Harumin or a more mature Matsuri who hadn’t given up. My only criticism of Team GJ is their difficulty (according to my perception) to make Sungji and Sumin likeable enough and not eclipsed by Seju, be it her family drama or the previous romance. Either give up or improve please...
.

I said Citrus+ because we know from the end of Citrus that Yuzu and Mei get married. Citrus+ is the spinoff where we’re seeing the journey of YuzuMei toward the end of the aisle.

The coming chapters about Sumin and Sungji are essentially like the ones is Citrus+ in that manner.

There’s less drama but there’s still a hint of conflict as we are navigated toward Sumin and Sungji’s happily ever after.

And besides, TG might not want to close the book on Sumin and Sungji just yet either. If WDTFS keeps doing well, financially speaking, then of coursework TG is going to be motivated to keep going.

I can already picture a story line for the two that’s filled with drama that has nothing to do with Seju and has to do more with their relationships with their parents.

Well, I think Seju's life has been fuvked up enough, she shouldn't be forced to swallow more unnecessary drama. She needs a stable life, not another tiring triangle relationship.

I think we’re going to be finding out more f*cked up things that happened to Seju. Possibly they’ll go into detail as to why she wasn’t afraid of the assassin sent to kill her. I’m sure there’s going to be some messed up things that happened that to Dawoon as well.

Flashbacks are essential to the narrative of the story so I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot of it. Of course the story line is filled with an abundance of drama so perhaps TG won’t stray to far from their formula.

Also, as mentioned, Seju has had a lot of things happen to her so to give her 10+ chapters of healing would certainly not be enough.

Though the length may depend on the overall financial success of the continuation story.

Found this fan art of Seju and Dowon: https://66.media.tumblr.com/c4ae6676052d9ee1d2c3a85313756440/tumblr_owjzbsb3Da1wz22woo1_640.jpg

It would be amusing if they have this kind of playful relationship in the side story :P

Only time will tell if Dowon is going to be an awesome character or not. I like to think she will be since the author went through the trouble of giving that tease between her and Seju at the end of Ch93, along with her profile in the epilogue note. She's a former swimmer with a huge appetite, meaning she has a healthy lifestyle that can motivate Seju to be fit. And considering how Seju gets sick easily, she could really use someone that can give her the push she needed. If I'm guessing right, Seju is the CEO of a hotel based in the United States, which her father wanted to take over and Dowon is the general manager, so I imagine those two will have frequent interactions and get to know each other better, maybe realize they share the same dream and all.

TG has to fully develop Dawoon in order to make her worthy of having a love story with Seju, as well as properly depict Seju’s path to healing, or else it will never feel like they’re giving Seju a fulfilling ending. TG gave her the most tragic life so she should have the happiest ending.

TG has to fully develop Dawoon in order to make her worthy of having a love story with Seju, as well as properly depict Seju’s path to healing, or else it will never feel like they’re giving Seju a fulfilling ending. TG gave her the most tragic life so she should have the happiest ending.

Even though it's not something i'm going to read, i agree. I think Seju and her fans need some closure and i think it can be done without going around in circles and involving Sumin (Not that the two of them getting back together is entirely unthinkable).

Deleted an earlier comment as i should really be doing other things since i don't have much interest in this story anymore.
But keep up the good work of being the closest thing to an objective commenter on here anim8tur.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 9:40PM

Even though it's not something i'm going to read, i agree. I think Seju and her fans need some closure and i think it can be done without going around in circles and involving Sumin (Not that the two of them getting back together is entirely unthinkable).

I might just read the continuation when it’s finished. It’s not that I don’t like Seju, it’s just that they over dramatize her life too much to the point that it feels like there’s inconsistencies.

It’s like TG’s trying their hardest to give her such a hard time to the point where some of it doesn’t make sense plot/character (not so much Seju but people around her) wise like I stated before. So I’d rather read it when the drama is done then wait every week to see how they’ll add to/ease Seju’s suffering.

But keep up the good work of being the closest thing to an objective commenter on here anim8tur.

Thanks. I’m just pointing out things that happened in the story.

I try my best not to be biased when sharing my interpretations. I keep a level head, approach with facts, and of course logic.

I think anim8tur has good points but he doesn’t understand author mindset very well. The authors have been trying to tell a particular story despite the resistance of readers.

If you look at it without being a fan, the most inconsistent character who shouldn’t even be in the story, or at least not with her angelic shallow personality is Sungji.

So in my view the authors of WDTFS started with a romance story but after creating Seju, what they really wanted to write was a dark romance story, or even just a dark drama with some romance elements. But since that’s not as popular as fast food “my first love” romances they had to throw Sungji in there and keep her there. Otherwise most readers would not relate with anyone in the story and not like it as much. She is like the Mary Sue, a plot device for Sumin’s growth, but most readers can go through the story identifying with her and cheering for her.

What I would like is for the authors to just bite the bullet and tell the story they actually want to tell, even if it’s no longer the same story they advertised when WDTFS was just out, and even if it would disappoint a lot of readers.

Or maybe they would br better off just wrapping up WDTFS as is and starting out a new story that only has the elements they are best at depicting, without the hanging promise of a vanilla happy ending for all.

last edited at Apr 13, 2019 10:52AM

I don't think we can speculate about the authors' intentions/motivations with quite that much specificity, mw. Lezhin series in particular seemed (and this is just an impression--I was never a subscriber) to be very aware of short-term reader reactions and prone to editorial oversight/interference/pressure. So the final result could be any combination of original authorial intention + changing authorial intention + plus editorial "guidance" based on trends in sales/reader feedback, etc.

This sort of mishmash is par for the course in Korean TV dramas, where where the start and end points of the plot are pretty set, but the producers are always reacting to the previous week's ratings--I can easily imagine this series being the subject of a bunch of changing messages like:

• More sex scenes!
• More Sungji cuteness!
• More Seju's tits!
• Trend lines are down--what about an assassin?

The Seju "lovable villain" breakout character is also a Kdrama specialty. . .

How do they find out what the readers want? Reading forums? xD

Wasn’t a chunk of Lezhin readership pay per? I was under the impression that you didn’t pay by the full series.