Here For The Romance

When he rolls over, his shirt answers the question.

Brilliant!

"My heart will forever only be bound to you." "I miss you very much."

Phob

Chi Cheng and I... now have a home.

Ahn was such a unique director in the Kdrama landscape in that he strove to create real stories between real people and all the messy emotions that come with that.

From a cinematography perspective, his frequent use of understated camera movement and long single takes gave his actors space to truly inhabit their characters and improvise. (This was especially evident in his love scenes, which were refreshingly mature and sexy in how natural they looked.) His camera captured all the subtle expressions and habits of everyday life, giving each scene an organic and sometimes painfully intimate feel--you knew these characters because you could see parts of yourself reflected on screen.

But I think what I most loved about his work was his deep appreciation for complicated (bordering on difficult) women and the even more complicated relationships they have with one another. His work explored heavy topics like trauma, identity, and dating taboos but in a way that was deeply empathetic to characters who would otherwise be villainized in other dramas. You really got the sense that women's stories matter in his work, and I will miss him and his storytelling.

Tin was willing to sacrifice everything for Phob. His family, his job, and his title. He was willing to sacrifice everything except Phob.

Phob was willing to sacrifice Tin for his country and its people.

And that's what makes Phob so incredible to me. He doesn't love Tin any less; he loves him deeply and absolutely. That is indisputable. He made a choice because he wanted a better world, and losing Tin was the price of admission.

That’s why he was so conflicted and in so much pain through it all. He wanted both. He wanted the happiness he felt during those days spent in their home with Tin to last forever, but he also wanted to change his country and help people who were suffering. And the heartbreaking truth of it is that, in this moment, in this place, he simply couldn't have both.

"I want to us to stay together like this forever." "If you don't let go of my hand, I won't let go of yours."

He wants to rail that man.

His use of the word "tantalizing" here give me the shivers.