by: Raine

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I’m quickly powering my way through this sucker (yay for vacation!) It’s so flipping good. I love when I can say that about a show the second time around. It wasn’t just the magic of novelty or finding out what happens that made I Hear Your Voice good the first time. It’s actually GOOD.

Feeling #1 The instrumental background is pretty awful. It’s synthesized and hokey and makes m yearn for some good orchestrations. It’s got the same hokiness as the music in Prosecutor Princess. The music meant to accompany Min Joon-gook is made effective only by Jung Woong-in’s amazing acting and the fact that he’s SCARY.

Feeling #2 Jung Yeop of Brown Eyed Soul does such a beautiful job with “Why Did You Come Now? (왜 이제야 왔니)” that the song gives me goose bumps. Plus, it’s used in conjunction with Lee Bo-young and Lee Jong-suk’s AWESOME acting. (Play below!)

Feeling #3 Knowing what will happen to mom is killing me. It makes her even more awesome. I think the buildup in episode 7 is even scarier this time around because I so clearly see how good she is and how fucked up Min Joon-gook is. I was on pins and needles when Soo-ha got the call at the end of episode 7 and I KNEW what was going to happen. Just awesome.

Feeling #4 Also about mom. I really appreciate the relationship between her and Hye-sung. They are close, they always show they care. When mom dies, Hye-sung will be devastated and the relationship shouldn’t have had to end. BUT…there are no true regrets. They gave everything and loved each other. Hye-sung will be filled with that for life. Of course, she’ll regret some little things, but mom lived a great live and gave her all for her loved one. If you’re gonna live life, live like mom. She was sharp, strong and wonderful until her bitter end. If you live like that, when you die, you’ll leave behind beautiful things like she did. Her presence is strongly felt for the rest of the drama, and indeed beyond. One of the best drama parents EVAR.

Feeling #5 Plot flaw. Isn’t it weird that mom doesn’t know what Min Joon-gook looks like? You’d think she’d seen pictures or something. Murder trials get put in newspapers and news sources, don’t they?

Feeling #6 This show has the one of the best uses of voice overs. It conveys thoughts, exposition and even allows our leads to have a think/talk conversation. They use the voiceovers over still pictures, which is a great touch. Freeze a moment in time to make the thought expressed even more powerful. Clever, clever stuff.

Feeling #7 I love how Soo-ha and Hye-sung quickly develop a rapport and, in a way, their own language using his mind-reading. Not only can they have think/talk conversations, but she learns to react to his mind reading of others quickly. She’s quick on the uptake. It makes them a great team.

Feeling #8 Soo-ha and Hye-sun aren’t just romantic leads. They are a team. They are partners. They trust. They’re friends in the truest sense of the word. This is what makes them one of my favorite drama couples. Watching them made me realize that all of my favorite couples were like them: they go so far beyond mere physical attraction and our conception of love. My other favorite couples are like them. Just to name a few dramas:

Prosecutor Princess (they develop rapport, it breaks, and then they work together to solve the ending case); The Princess’ Man (she helps him with his cause because she truly believes in it); 9 End 2 Outs (they are best friends who can talk about anything); Answer Me 1997 (they are best friends who can completely be themselves with each other); Family’s Honor (like The Princess’ Man, she is on his side and they work together); Flower Boy Next Door (they learn to really understand each other and how the other person thinks); Prime Minister and I (still early in the game, but they work together and challenge each other); Queen In-hyun’s Man (they 100% support each other and get along so well); Sungkyunkwan Scandal (they work together to solve the mystery and develop a friendship through it all); Two Weeks (from a broken relationship they work together to save their kid and really learn to understand each other despite the past).

Feeling #9 I love Kwan-woo. I love how he rages on a trashcan, then picks it back up. It’s draws such a clear picture of his character.

Feeling #10 I love what Kwan-woo does for Hye-sung. He effectively shows her how to be a better person and a better lawyer. He’s effective because his methods are good and he knows how to get to her. He scolds her without bruising her ego (her very, very fickle ego. Hehe.) He helps her because he sees that she is now receptive (thank you Soo-ha) and because he supports her more, her peers accept her, too. Sort of. She and lawyer Shin have a fun on/off relationship.

Feeling #11 To use Dramabeans nickname, I love how Pretty the Paralegal gets so overwhelmed by the awkwardness in the room when the lawyers are on the outs. So cute.

Feeling #12 In my notes I have this written over and over again, “I love how they work together.” Soo-ha and Hye-sung are a great team. They fall into step so easily. Like him always helping her open things or reach high places. Or, when he hurts his arm, she opens things for him without missing a breath. They argue easily, but effectively, and they force each other to think and reckon with situations. They constantly challenge each other and change each other. They always end up coming around and compromising after a fuss.

Feeling #13 Soo-ha protects her whole-heartedly, which she needs. But she also protects him: she cares for him when no one ever has. She does it quietly, doesn’t ask for attention. She patches up his wounds when he sleeps. She instinctively covers for him when the cops come looking for him.

Feeling #14 Soo-ha learns what its like to be caught in a thought he wants kept secret. Hye-sung will catch him caring in retrospect and its a nice bit of reciprocity. Like fixing the door for her.

Feeling #15 Love how Hye-sung and Do-yeon aren’t really frenemies, but outright enemies with respect for each other. There is no love lost there. NONE. But there is a respect there that makes them awesome.

Feeling #16 I don’t think Hye-sung is IN love with Soo-ha by episode 7. I do think she loves him, though. He is an integral person in her life. He is a friend, confident, protector, and dongsaeng. He’s someone she can be 100% comfortable with. Perhaps him showing up in a suit in episode 7 and that reaction that she (and every woman on the planet had) had to his manliness and hotness, is the catalyst for her to start to see him romantically. Wasn’t his reaction to her reaction adorable? *squee* So cute how much he loves attention from her.

Feeling #17 Soo-ha wants to grow up so bad because of Kwan-woo and because of Hye-sung. I love how he is so clever and relatively powerless in the eyes of the law. He has to resort to underhanded methods to protect her. I love how the suit is so telling of his character.

So I had a few more feelings this group of episodes. But I love writing about them. It reinforces my love for this show. What about you guys? What are you feelings?

Mini-reaction: I Hear Your Voice Episodes 1-3

Mini-reaction: I Hear Your Voice Episode 8-10

Mini-reaction: I Hear Your Voice Episode 11-13