๐ Working-Class Mr. Ahnโs Unscheduled Visits to Dr. Yeonโs Clinic continuesโฆ
All the boogeymen away
Although he feigned being exasperated with his most persistently ill patient…
J: Dr Yeon secretly wants his patient never to get better.
What a terrible doctor, right?
A: hahaha, actually, I need your interior design consultation again.
I think at this point, it looks like the two arenโt living together (yet).
I picture this could be that Yeon Clinic premises are a little far from Mr Ahnโs current place.
Is it reasonable for Mr Ahn to still be at his grannieโs?
Should Dr Yeon move back in, or should they buy something new together?
On days when he did not visit… Dr Yeon felt the time crawl by.
J: This scheming doctor… time “crawling” by…
Will he ever get needy enough to pout at Mr Ahn?
I read this viral tweet about all the texts Si-eun sent to comatose Suho… with perfect spelling, every single one… it felt like he was being needy.
Broke my heart reading it.
Makes me wonder – did Suho read them all after waking up? How did that feel?
A:
Oh!! Iโve often thought of this too! Humour my multiverse-deluluverse alternative (may Grandmasters Han and Yoo remain in good health and not flip like fish upon the creation of this non-canon taster):
It wasnโt the hospital that called Si-eun in S2 ep 8.
That has its own special ringtone. It turns out it was just some insurance sales call that he promptly rejected, โIโm just a student.โ
Si-eun doesn’t turn on his messaging app notifications because they are a distraction.
I mean, at this point, he doesnโt even allow himself to get turned on, reciting Newtonian mantras when necessary.
His Eunjang gang all know the best way to contact him is to call him directly or catch him physically and drag him to karaoke or whatnot.
But the insurance call leads him to think of bad injuries, and that leads him to think of Suho.
So he checks his messages to Suho out of reflex, like he has always done a million times before, but this time he sees a reply.
Hey, itโs been a while
Suddenly, the whole world goes completely silent.
His heart and breath quicken as the adrenaline kicks in.
And then he flies off the stands without a second thought.
The Eunjang boys are alarmed, of course, and they run after him.
But the wind beneath Si-eunโs wings has returned.
He races ahead faster than ever before, his hair blown back.
Baku is shocked at his speed; Gotakโs knee acts up, so he canโt go much faster; poor hamster Juntaeโs lungs are about to explode.
And then Si-eun sees his light. As radiant as ever.
Baku tells him to go ahead.
Respectfully, the Eunjang gang give him space. At some level, they have always known the bond between the two boys runs so deep it is sacred.
At first, Si-eun smiles with shiny, misty eyes.
Heโs so happy.
He makes small talk about his new friends. His mind hasnโt fully understood what he is seeing.
Itโs only after when he gets even closer and kneels to embrace Suho that the Eunjang gang realizes he is crying.
It starts with little gasps and then becomes loud, guttural sobs.
All the guilt, all the regret, and all the happiness pours out at once.
He collapses against the bigger boy, weakened from almost two years of coma.
Iโve missed you. So, so much. Iโm sorry, Iโm so sorryโฆ
It turns out Grannie was the first point of contact, and she was so overjoyed that she rushed to the hospital and forgot to call Si-eun.
Later, while tending to Suho, she suddenly remembers his dear friend who came to visit almost every night.
Oh I must tell Si-eun now.
And Suho stops her. He wants to be the one to reach Si-eun.
And before he does that, he reads every single one of Si-eunโs texts.
Days of numbness and sadness that stretched into weeks and then months
J: That puffy face from too many sleeping pills.
Arms that wouldn’t sync with his steps. Empty expression, except when he’d spot traces of Suho in Baku, Gotak, and Jun-tae.
(I’m covering my face)
A: Everywhere I go, I see you.
I recall Si-eun having these brief flashbacks of Suho in the last seven minutes of S2 ep 1. It feels like a form of grieving to me. Heartbreakingโฆ
The trauma of years ago had not been expunged, only buried…
J: Si-eun will never experience anything more intense again (and “intense” feels deliberately loaded here).
So in his mundane daily life, he’s not physically limping like Dr Watson, but mentally he’s pushing it all down into the dark depths.
A: I think so, too.
I read some translations of his chats to comatose Suho, and it seems in one he asks,
โ…and Iโm taking sleeping pillsโฆ Suho, if you woke up, I wonder if I would not do that anymore. I donโt know. Even if itโs the doctor or someone elseโฆ suho if they told me when youโll wake upโฆwould my heart be more at ease? that tooโฆ I donโt know…โ
It seems he senses he has been so traumatized by the violence committed against his dearest person on the earth, that even if Suho woke up, the nightmares may not cease.
Incidentally, this sort of PTSD is totally real.
During the six halcyon years living with Suho after Eunjang High…
J: “Halcyon years” breaks and mends my heart. Is this all just a dream?
I imagine Si-eun sometimes gently tracing Suho’s eyebrows while he sleeps, just to prove it’s real.
A: Oh my, thatโs so sweet hahaha ok Iโm sold
When Suho punched in their shared door code…
J: In that shabby house – grandma’s only inheritance – there’d be no fancy keypad, just Suho pushing through that paint-chipped jade metal gate.
But still, Si-eun shuffling toward his returning Suho?
Heart-wrenching and adorable. (Melting again)
A: Ah, yes, when part 2 is cooked, I shall edit part 1 and re-release it, interior designerโs deluxe cut.
It chased all the boogeymen away.
J: I knew you’d love Suho’s windbreaker soaked in Seoul autumn air. Thank you for that.
They say smell is the sense that never lets you go.
A: Ah, no, no, thank you, Jennie. That was a really inspired passage, so fragrant with life.
Yes, they do say smell is the one sense that can take you back all the way to your earliest childhood.
But with Suho around,
Si-eun would awake to find himself in Suho’s arms.
J: You can’t see while sleeping, but in dreams, the boogeymen keep tormenting him. So, reading it as a sleeping child, calming down to familiar scents? Pure romance.
Once, he heard ‘don’t die, Suho, please’
J: (Eyes getting misty) Does Si-eun know that Suho hears his sleep talk…?
No way…
A: Suho just tells Si-eun that he knows Si-eun is having nightmares.
But he doesnโt say โI know you dream of Beomseok.โ
Or โI know you carry guilt that I almost died.โ
Thatโs just so hard for boys to talk about to each other, even boys who love each other. I think especially boys who love each other.
Don’t think I don’t know you are rubbing yourself on your favorite bolster.
J: He doesn’t know Suho hears his sleep talk, but somehow knows perfectly well that Suho uses him as a pillow and sometimes rubs against him pretty hard?
A: HAHAHA this is just me running with post-Eunjang Si-eun who has developed a bit of cheek from fermenting his mind with Bakuโs rambling.
I think Si-eun wakes up way earlier than Suho, but just lies there in his arms. Occasionally, he feels a prod that he knows isnโt coming from Suhoโs thumbs. Itโs probably just a morning thing, but sometimes Suho is clearly awakeโฆ
Not that deluluverse Si-eun minds hur hur hurโฆ
No, but we have popsicles full of fresh cream, don’t we?
J: Si-eun could never make jokes like this to Suho, but Suho can throw out these cheeky lines… makes me tingle with joy.
Mine is sea-salt caramel, yours is vanilla.
J: I understood this metaphor instantly and need to confess this sin at church this Sunday
A: HAHAHAHAHA
Iโm honestly not sure how a priest would receive this confession haha
In any case, sea-salt caramel and vanilla should be a very tasteful mixโฆ
…yah… Ahn Suho… you must be the healthiest guy in this neighborhood, really.
J: Guess they won’t need milk delivery service.
(Monthly/yearly milk subscriptions delivered at dawn are common here – I still use one)
A: Ah, interesting! I donโt think I have seen many (or any) milkmen in k-dramas before.
It also chased the boogeymen away.
J: Even the boogeymen fled from watching these two puppies do their morning mouth exercises.
GPT could never match the sweetness, wit, and romance of your secret notes.
With respect,
Your Jen
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment.
Sincerely,
ASL, still busy brewing.
P.S.
I saw that the South China Morning Post ran a May 14th 2025, article, taken from Hankook Ilbo, on both DP and Weak Hero. It talks about Director Han and tries to draw some parallels about the two dramas.
While Iโm always glad for major publications giving more credit and attention to DP and WH, the depth of the article is nothing close to your analysis.
May your blog survive till the end of time.
Come kiss hyung and find out
Si-eun felt strangely drained yet invigorated.
He plopped onto the wooden floor in a daze.
They had both been tired and busy, so his energy had been pent up for two weeks.
He noticed the floor was clean.
Suho had taken every last drop.
And now he faced the daunting task of eating as well as Suho did.
It was not as easy as he thought.
How do you get it all in one mouthful? Is there a trick to the angle?
Si-eun asked.
The angle?
No angle in the world will disguise the fact that not all servings are made equal.
Mine is a good two inches more generous.
No, itโs not!! And stop smirking or else Iโll bite.
And with his quick and powerful memory, Si-eun repeated what he learnt, and was quickly rewarded with sea-salted caramel.
Suho wasnโt kidding. Which only meant he must have tasted his own cooking!
But this got Si-eun really curious about himself.
Ermโฆ you knowโฆ do I really taste of vanilla.
Come kiss hyung and find out.
Hahahaha
Ah, the dessert-breakfast to die for. This is what I call a Happy Meal.
Asuka, most fulfilled.
Hi Asuka,
That walnut bit was totally inspired by your previous arc – I still get butterflies thinking about Suho being an MMA player before he was even fifteen.
And how he had perfect control over violence, too.
I know the backstory about him quitting due to injury, but if that hadn’t happened, he would’ve kept going as a fighter.
Having his parents disappear to Japan for their restaurant with zero contact was probably as devastating as his shattered dreams – like, life’s biggest curveball.
But instead of wallowing in self-pity, he kept his promise to grandma, never missed school, AND juggled three part-time jobs a week.
He’s such a ridiculously perfect guy stereotype that we can’t help but fall head over heels (suddenly cracking up because Friday mood, peak wage slave Dobby energy ๐)
So after that walnut part, I actually wanted to add:
Once Suho’s hands grabbed both ankles…
I was picturing this guppy-faced Suho casually crushing walnuts in his fist, then offering the pieces to Si-eun.
Si-eun knowing those hands would never hurt his ankles, but still getting naturally tense when Suho gets that determined look and ‘decides’ he’s gonna do something, you know?
(Writing this on the train home, I honestly feel bad for this train at this point. What did it do to deserve being the venue for my delusions unfolding… LOL)
I’m slowly savouring your new arc now – my heart’s all fluttery.
Jen
Just got off work.
Ah yes, Suho has โa terrifying grip strength that could fracture walnutsโ hahahaha
I believe when Si-eun first saw it, it may have even triggered a defensive reflex (perhaps he instinctively put his thighs together?), even though Suho only had sweet intentions of giving him healthy walnuts.
I can totally understand the tension he feels when this vise-grip finds its way around his ankles.
Hope this tension translates to excitement for the two of them.
Iโm also thinking when Suho grips Si-runโs ankles, Suho must be enjoying a very unfettered view of Si-eun that probably no one else in deluluverse has seen.
Asuka
Adult Life of Two Grown Puppies in Seoul
Si-eun only gets all jumpy about that grip strength around Suho, you know, the fact that Suho is behind every single one of Si-eun’s ‘firsts’ – every new emotion, every reaction – god, what a heart-fluttering narrative, right.
Even in the actual show, they use that metaphor of Si-eun as a newly hatched bird that can’t fly yet.
Rewatching Si-eun’s entire growth arc in WHC gives me the most delicious headache lol
(Hope you’re crushing it on stage and backstage today. When you grab a quick breather, hope my rambling emails bring you a moment of joy.)
Okay, so I’ve been doing some very detailed interior design for our two early-twenties puppies’ cohabitation setup on my train ride home (completely useless for my actual life but fun as hell to imagine lol).
There’s actually an invisible hand at work here.
Even with Korea’s great healthcare system, nearly two years in a private room on oxygen support?
That’s way beyond what Suho’s parents or grandma could afford.
But after Suho wakes up, throughout those nearly two years of rehab treatment, the hospital bills and rehab costs are always mysteriously paid in full.
Both Suho and Si-eun must know who’s behind it, but they never talk about it.
From Suho’s perspective – obviously the perpetrator’s duty – he’s not exactly in a position to refuse out of pride.
And when Suho was barely hanging on to that ventilator.
Beom-seok definitely snuck into that room at least once, held Suho’s hand, and begged for forgiveness.
I always hoped Si-eun knew about that.
Why this buildup?
Well, Suho working construction, doing delivery, and even that brief modelling gig to buy Si-eun a scooter.
I imagine around 23, he pivots to tile and wallpaper specialist work. This newbie suddenly gets constant high-paying gigs despite not having his technique down yet.
So Suho learns fast and gets skilled quickly. His entry into the hard-to-break-into tile/wallpaper specialist world was suspiciously smooth. Wonder why?
But Suho never dreams there’s an invisible hand helping again – just thinks he met some good older guys at construction who hooked him up, lucky streak of steady work.
Suho’s pretty one-dimensional that way; he doesn’t read beyond what’s right in front of him.
Time passes.
Si-eun gets deployed to Iraq, they don’t see each other for three whole years, then Si-eun comes to Seoul once for some intense conversation before heading back to Iraq.
By the time Si-eun returns to Seoul for good, they’re both in their early thirties. (The delusion deepens ๐)
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Suho’s freelance business is thriving – he’s already got his own place near Jongno-gu.
(I’ve placed it near Anguk Station in my fantasy – near Gyeongbok Palace, I’ll attach photos because there are gorgeous hanoks there and it’s the perfect area for two thirty-something puppy boys to date.)
Always pushing my financially savvy Suho agenda, he’s actually more established than Si-eun by this point.
When Si-eun wants to be close to Suho (Dr Yeon has zero interest in investing) and decides to open a clinic in the busy Jongno area, that’s serious money in a business district.
But when he visits the first realtor, they immediately recommend this ‘urgent sale’ listing. There’s absolutely no way a half-price urgent sale spot would be available in that area.
Si-eun never suspects a thing, just thinks it’s ‘luck,’ so he opens his family medicine practice.
(randomly switching to family medicine lol – in the ocean of delusion, anything’s possible, like Harry Potter’s Room of Requirement. Neurology could work too – pain clinics are everywhere. right in the business district.
Wonder why?
My fantasy of the guilty fairy godfather always hovering around these two.)
Oh, that dawn milk delivery thing!
People don’t really subscribe to milk companies anymore; it’s mostly delivery through big online shopping platforms now.
The drama probably couldn’t show that for advertising reasons.
People get milk delivered along with breakfast here – online delivery basically runs the country.
Off to savour your deep, rich soup word by word.
God, so good.
I bet that partner puppy learned how to please from ‘books’ too.
Picture this gorgeous, pretty nerd with urology textbooks spread out, studying exactly where to lick for maximum pleasure, learning everything from books.
Perfect.
The first thing Suho did when he got some real money.
Bought a small building here in Anguk – first floor for his office, second floor as his living space.
All while thinking about Si-eun’s eventual return from Iraq.
And just a short walk from Anguk gets you to Jongno-gu, the biggest commercial district in northern Seoul, like Gangnam but with more old-town charm.
That’s where his clinic would be.
The business commercial district where Yeon’s clinic is located
After work – Suho’s day already wrapped up at 1 pm – Dr Yeon and Mr Ahn walking home together to Anguk, to Suho’s place.
Old town vibes. Worn down, a bit grimy. Ungentrified.
But with love tucked into every corner.
Jen
What a wealth of great pictures to fuel my fantasies! I have saved them all in my heart (and my hard drive.)
Are these places tourist-friendly? Any shops and quaint eateries?
(Itโs just for myself to know, so I have more things to see on a holiday, otherwise Iโm always getting ushered into traps in Myeongdongโฆ)
I hope Suhoโs second-floor living space has good soundproofing. Si-eun, armed with urological insights from deep study, can probably make Suho sing higher notes than he ever thought possible.
And Suho will surely repay the favor.
What a hotbed of musical activity in Anguk.
ASL
Work done by 1 pm?
My god, this boy is living the life. And off he goes, skippity skip to Lalaland.
In a way, he deserves all the goodness in the world after what he has gone through. His parents are shite really.
I suspect if they ever show up and wonder why he is shacking up with another guy (although really cute-hot and a doctor to boot), and offer moralistic advice on how to live a proper life, Suho will totally snap and will have to be held back by Si-eun before he throws their favourite lamp or something.
Sounds like a possible arc hahahaha
Beomseok lingering far in the back and trying to mend his guilt by helping with things means in some way the trio is still around.
Although the canoe seating arrangement is all different now:
Two of them are clearly facing each other (possibly even in the lotus position), while the third is clinging to the outside paddling.
If his old jealousy returns, he might try to topple the whole canoeโฆ
Thanks for your exquisite and comprehensive interior designing!
ASL, ramen time, and dreaming of deluluverse conflicts
Feels like you’ve been to Korea a few times!
Oh no… please tell me you’re not going back to Myeongdong anymore.
I get it, though – I know how sneakily everything is designed to funnel foreign tourists straight there.
Next time you come, I hope you’ll wander the alleys around Gyeongbokgung Station instead.
Picture Suho’s little shop tucked away at the end of one of those alleys (totally tourist-friendly with loads of cute cafes for visitors too).
I was lying in bed, catching glimpses of your delusion fragments when your email came through – perfect bedtime reading.
Tomorrow I’m sending you more, ‘thought it was an insurance salesperson, but got unexpected news,’ sweet fantasies plus my amateur review of that rich, thick soup.
After that, I’ll be embracing another lovely Monday.
Well, one-sided Monday embrace, Jen
Si-eun’s strategic ‘head usage’ to please Suho? Totally inspired by that gaming scene.
Look at Si-eun’s expression – he’s not playing the game, he’s studying it
Remember when Suho snapped, “Games aren’t for studying!”
hahahaha
But this time will be different.
Picture Suho: Cracking up as he watches his puppy tilt its head at that perfect 45-degree angle, completely absorbed in applying theory…
before getting absolutely wrecked and breaking into a sweat…
And Suho’s parents… why am I 100% convinced they’d throw that kind of advice at him?
Well, the biggest thing Si-eun and Beom-seok have in common is being unpredictable nutcases starved for affection.
Si-eun got ‘cured’ (or seems cured) after six years of raising and being adored by his puppy.
But Beom-seok could snap out of his fairy godmother act any second – that’s the low-key thrilling undercurrent in our arc hahahaha
Maybe with all his wealth, Beom-seok’s actually been keeping those two puppies caged for a whole decade.
Jen
Want to see where Scheherazade’s tale begins? ๐ Click here to jump to Part 1
Or, jump to next episode ๐