9 End 2 Outs, ep. 01-04

[oyceter]

(original title: 9회말 2아웃)

The title translation's supposed to be something like "Bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs."

Hong Nan Hee is turning 30, and she's still unmarried, living with her mother, and she hasn't done anything about her dream of being a published writer. (I am not sure if the living with her mother is a bad thing in Korea; my guess is the stigma isn't so much living with your mother so much as being unmarried?) And she's dating a baseball player 8 years younger than her. Her best friend since childhood, Byun Hyung Tae, isn't as worried about turning 30, although he is a bit of a womanizer, probably due to Backstory Angst.

They end up living together due to unforeseen circumstances!

Like most trendy dramas, you know where this is going. The pleasure lies in the characters, and luckily, I like all of them so far. The bonus is that the first few episodes almost feel like the middle of other dramas because Nan Hee and Hyung Tae have known each other for so long; there's no meet cute or getting to know you phase to go through.

Both Nan Hee and Hyung Tae's characters aren't as interesting as the leads in Coffee Prince or Dal Ja's Spring, but so far, the series makes up for it in charm. I love watching Nan Hee and Hyung Tae talking to each other; there's a palpable sense of trust and comfort that's very enjoyable. I also like friends-to-lovers stories, so this show hits a few buttons of mine as well.

The baseball player Jung Joo is surprisingly cute, and I think the writing does a good job showing both why Nan Hee's attracted to him while also showing the problems with dating someone at a different life stage than you. The current other side of the quadrangle, Hyung Tae's co-worker Jin Su, also doesn't annoy me, and the show gets around my squicks about working romances (she's an intern, he's a mentor) by having them hook up before she starts work there.

Also, did I mention how cute Nan Hee and Hyung Tae are together? They lounge around the apartment in sweats and glasses and bring each other food and call each other all the time! I'm sure Big Misunderstandings will come in sooner or later, especially when both of their first loves show up, but for now, I'm enjoying just watching them hang out.

So far, this isn't a stellar or groundbreaking show, but it's comfortable and cute and fun, and that's really all I'm asking for right now.

Watch this (legally!) at Drama Fever (US, Canada only)!

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

Watch this (legally!) at Drama Fever!

... if you are in the US or Canada. *weeps*

[oyceter]

Gah, yes! Sorry about that =(.

[troisroyaumes]

I think it's normal and expected in Korea to live with your parents until you get married. E.g. my parents expect me to live with them when I finish grad school, and I haven't quite figured out how to broach the possibility that this might not necessarily happen. ^^

This drama sounds fun! Will have to check it out. XD I like the friends-to-lovers storyline as well.

[oyceter]

Yeah, that's what I kind of thought because in Taiwan there's also not the rush to move out of your parents' house.

It is fun so far! I'm hoping it stays low key and pleasant.

[lady_ganesh]

This looks so shiny! Have bookmarked.

[oyceter]

Yay!

[anenko]

If you're interested in playing along, the discussion post for 9E2O is up at dorama_watch.

[oyceter]

Awesome, thanks!