park taejoon x yook junghwan | cake by the ocean [love all play]

"Why? Can’t we hang out together?" ft. a very ignorant Lee Yu Min

Love All Play - Yuk Junghwan

I started Love All Play because I’m biased towards sports based dramas and movies. So I will watch irrespective of the cast. The leads I have seen in some dramas before , I knew their performance would be good if the script was good - but the one actor and character that has surprised me is Kim Moo Joon’s Yuk JungHwan.

Let me clarify upfront, Yuk JungHwan is a snob and arrogant most times and I get why folks find him a spoilt brat and an a**hole. But what I don’t know yet is, if this behaviour of his is a defence mechanism to not let people know of his inner turmoil & vulnerability .

Yuk JungHwan clearly knows how good he is and I agree that he is a bit of an ass to his teammates and coaches, behaving like one prima donna. But at the same time he is also protective of his teammates - like the time he was not afraid to confront the national team coach for penalising his doubles partner, or being most empathetic to SeonSoo when he loses his first coach. He says to SeonSoo ‘His (coach) faith in your abilities is yours to keep forever’ - that’s all that SeonSoo needed to boost his falling confidence in that moment. Or when he doesn’t think twice to rush to get cake for SeonSoo’s bday and give him a piggyback ride to fulfill his wish. You see glimpses of his personality where he genuinely cares for his teammates.

His anger and hatred towards Taeyang is therefore not understandable, he seems a reasonable fellow but clearly one can get blind-sided if the person you loved has been hurt and your relationship borne the brunt of the incident. So the ability to self reflect, dissect logically goes out of the window and you only want someone to blame your misery on and Taeyang is an easy target for him. I hope the rest half of the drama will throw some insight into his attitude towards Taeyang and allow him redemption; he is not an evil person, he is just caught up in his own misery - and yes that’s not excuse to be a dick to Taeyang or others, but we have seen far worse leads being redeemed or hailed , so JungHwan’s redemption will come and is much needed.

But here are the things I do love about him and this is all credit to Kim Moo Joon’s cute face, his natural comic timing and his straight faced ability to deliver sarcastic retorts.

I do love guys who are sarcastic with sharp comebacks and I enjoy seeing JungHwan in this element. Also at the same time he gets flustered easily , gets a taste of his own medicine a lot from TaeJun (cue Boys be Ambitious 😂) and Yumin (subtle threats to tame his arrogant behaviour even for now if it is just where it concerns her dad).

The way he fell when carrying the cake after taking a diss at Taejun and Taeyang for walking slow and both giving him back in same vein, instead of showing concern, is exactly how he needed to be dealt with and I loved, loved Kim Moo Joon’s priceless expression during those 2 whole minutes :)

He is definitely attracted to Yumin , but is unable to let go of his first love, which he should by now; honestly if she has ghosted you for 3 years and then drops a random message like nothing happened, isn’t that a clue to move on? I’m invested in his and Yumin’s relationship because she is confident where he stands in her life, it’s him being all flustered and awkward at the same time trying to act über cool, which is most amusing to watch right now.

But most of all I love his and TaeJun’s rivalry on court and off court. TaeJun leaves no stone unturned to piss off JungHwan, JungHwan also does despicable things (taking TaeJun’s racket was wrong on so many levels) in his hate to Taeyang and TaeJun. But TaeJun is neither in awe of him nor fears him like other teammates and doesn’t hesitate to show him the mirror. This is the kind of teammate and friend (which am hoping will happen in future) is what JungHwan needs right now. TaeJun is more sorted emotionally than JungHwan and JungHwan needs to mature emotionally. I enjoy their sparring battles and childish banters , but I’m waiting for them to turn buddies, if not best friends; then at least crackling teammates on court. I hope to see them have healthy respect for each other by the end of the drama and yes for JungHwan to find his happy ending with Yumin.

Gif credits to @seawherethesunsets and @junghaesin

taeyang becoming friends with everyone once she stopped just pitying herself ✨

Park Taejun and Park Taeyang from Yunis. Yook Junghwan from Yunis and Lee Yumin from Somang Bank.

GOING TO YOU AT A SPEED OF 493KM (2022)

junghwan truly does have terrible social skills. not that it's an excuse, but it does explain most of his behaviour... and why he doesn't really know what to do around yumin (also, i bet even though girls swoon at the sight of him, no one has really pursued him which is why he's been so confused lol i still don't entirely get why she kept going back to him though)

love all play is literally so fucking frustrating to watch. firstly the main conflict is soo ridiculous. they're overplaying the accident so much like taeyang was literally not a shitty person for it?!she did not have any malicious thoughts she did not do it intentionally?!? then every episode now is literally full of depression like theres no conclusions no respite only characters suffering. taeyangs character has been reduced only to a crybaby who keeps on apologizing and nothing else. taejun is just there suffering, no one cares about him about his feelings. his family is just shitty as fuck. junyoung is a self centered bitch who needs to desperately get over herself and stop being so mean and unfeeling to people who love her. she has got so much love shes taking it for granted. their mother is also a bitch (im sorry i don't usually call parents that word but like. she IS). all she cares about is her poor junyoung and her feelings and her life and her career. shes such a bad mother to taejun.

now the coaches in yunis are just a different kind of assholes. they didnt stop any bullying taeyang was going through and their "tough coach" persona is so annoying and such a bad way to coach

junghwan and yumin's relationship too is soo frustrating. why is yumin still after him like obviously he has still not gotten over junyoung she needs to stop and get over him. he also keeps on leading her on like hello?!?

and just like the episodes are only the characters suffering and having conflicts BUT WHERE IS THE RESOLUTION?!? its just depressing as fuck what are the writers even doing

ALSO WHY DO THE CHARACTERS ACTUALLY PLAY SO LESS BADMINTON WHERE IS THE SPORT THE COMPETITIVENESS THE SWEAT THE MATCHES

Heart fluttering words that Yuk Junghwan says to or about Yumin without knowing

To Yumin's father:

Why is she pretty if she's your daughter?

To Yumin:

What? Can't you be with me?

Buy me dinner if you don't want to pay.

I thought I'd see you while I was in Seoul.

Why did you go without saying hello?

at some point I started caring about junghwan and yumin more than taejun and taeyang 🤷🏻‍♀️

The way Junghwan hauled Yumin off the court when he saw Taejun and Taeyang there I might just stan

Random thoughts about the characters of Love All Play.

The names of the leads (Park Taeyang and Park Taejun) really have sibling vibes. Calling them Twins was perfect. But I think in every universe, ParkPark couple is the best, lol!

Junghwan is cute, but an asshole. He has a soft side sometimes, but it's not enough to balance his negative side. The way he treats Taeyang like she can't do anything right makes my eyes roll so much. He doesn't want her to stay, yet he got mad at her for wanting to leave. Maybe it would've been understandable if he was Taeyang's love interest, but he's not. He's not even her friend. He's just a nobody in her life who treats her like shit. Yes, he's still not over his first love, and yes it's partly Taryang's fault that they broke up. But still, he should just pick a side and stick with it. If he can't forgive her, he should've just shut his mouth and let her leave. Telling her off for wanting to get fired when he can't stand her presence just makes him a POS. Regarding his lovelife, I'm annoyed with Yumin for pushing herself at him. But I'm also annoyed with him for being wishy washy with his feelings. One moment he's acting like he wants to be Yumin's bf, the next he's acting like Junyoung is the love of his life. He keeps giving mixed signal to Yumin. The same with Taeyang. I wish he'd end up with Junyoung because they're both toxic.

Yumin actress is also cute, she looks a bit like the Junyoung actress. Like they were chosen to be Junghwan's love interests because he has a type, and they're of the same type. But her character is annoying. She's a stalker of Junghwan, tbh. And she keeps meddling on other people's business. I wish she'd back off of Junghwan and continue with her blind dates offscreen. I want to skip their scenes tbh. Though I find both actors cute, their combined cuteness is not enough to offset the negative feelings that I have for their characters.

Junyoung actress is so pretty. I saw her on Yumi's Cells before. Her character Saeyi was also antagonistic. I haven't seen her other works so I don't know if she got typecasted as a mean girl. She reminds me of Yoon Park, who is also good looking, but who also plays asshole roles. Like they're both too good looking to be good, lol. Anyway, the more I see Junyoung, the more I hate her character. Yes it's Taeyang's fault for taking her to an empty ski track, for bringing cans of beer, for crashing on her and causing her injuries. But Taeyang didn't ask her to lie. She lied by herself, saying she got injured practicing alone. And as shown in the earlier episodes, Taeyang can't just refute it because the truth would ruin Junyoung's image (which happened when the truth came out). I think she also lied to cover her ass more than to protect Taeyang. She's used to getting all the love and admiration, and she can't stand it when someone else succeeds. She took for granted that her brother was left out a lot because their parents' attention is always on her, her loyal bf became a royal pain in the butt and a troublemaker because of her, and she's hurting her brother without feeling guilty or sorry. But tbh, I still don't mind watching her, lol. I don't have the urge to fastforward her scenes. Maybe it's because I like her face more than I hate her character, lol. There's a saying in my country that you should behave the way you look. It's like saying beautiful people can act however they want. But if you're ugly, you better be good. It's easier to forgive the beautiful ones than uglies. Sad but true.

Junyoung and Taejun's parents. They should've stopped having another child after Junyoung. They act like they only have one child, Taejun is not even a spare that they gave attention to when their Junyoung was gone. They're not really bad people, but they don't deserve Taejun. I can't wait for them to realize how much they damaged Taejun emotionally. Yes it's true, parents play favorites. But it's really sad when both parents have the same favorite.

The sunbae couple, Seungwoo and Youngsim. They're like the mom friend/dad friend of the group. The mom's a nagger and super strict, while the dad is super chill. But they both love their team mates (and each other, lol). I can't wait for dad friend to confess to mom friend, lol! I wish they gave them more screentime than the second couple/love triangle.

The hoobae couple Seungsil and Jiho. They're both cutiepies. I saw the actress previously in Our Beloved Summer. She was more mature there. Here, she feels much younger and more fun. I can feel the difference in the characters she play which imho, makes her a good actress. I mean, some actors feel like they're playing the same role in different AUs, lol (hello Kit Harington! Sorry, I love Kit, but all I can see is Jon Snow even when he's playing a different character). I wish to see her in more dramas so I can compare. Anyway, the lovebirds are mostly for comic relief that's why I would rather watch more of them than the second leads. They're my 3rd favorite couple.

The three stooges.. the coaching team. They're hilarious! I mean, mostly. I still can't stop laughing at their drinking session when the head coach blurted that he's the only one sober. They're sometimes spineless, sometimes bully, sometimes annoying, sometimes sweet, sometimes vengeful, sometimes kindhearted, and mostly funny.

Taeyang. I saw the actress before in Extracurricular where she plays a tough, streetsmart girl, so I was expecting Taeyang to kick some ass. Well, she was. But, then she grew softer and softer and softer. And now she's a mush. I thought she'd be a fighter like Heedo of 25 21, and she was at first. She powered through her detractors, she didn't quit when the group was ganging up on her. And she was even supporting and inspiring Taejun. Then Junyoung appeared and her character just changed to spineless, self sacrificing, aimless idiot. She's throwing her dreams and her love away. Her character took a nosedive and went down the drain. I feel bad for the actress. It must be exhausting to play the character. The last few episodes, her eyes are puffy even when she's not crying, like maybe they just finished shooting some more crying scenes. I hope episode 12 is the lowest of low. She better start fighting back or I'm gonna riot.

Taejun. I remember seeing the actor in Hot Stove League, where he played the role of a rookie who's experiencing yips. Tbh, at first I was hoping that the lead was Junghwan actor because I find him cute. This actor looks a bit like Seunggi, (a less cute version lol, sorry..). It took me a while to warm up to his character, but oh boy. I never thought that he'd become my favorite. By episode 12, I wanna fight his family and adopt him, lol! My baby needs a big hug. If there's a cinnamon roll in this series, it's him. Yes, Taeyang is like the punching bag right now, all she does is cry and give in and swallow her pride. But honestly, I feel like she can take the punches. She can survive not being in the team, she can survive not having friends, she can survive not having a family, she can survive not having Taejun (I mean she already did it for 3 years). Taejun is there for her and trying to protect her, but I feel like Taejun is more fragile. Taeyang is both his strength and his weakness. With her, he can do anything, even defy his family. Without her, he'd be back to his old aimless self. I feel like he'd take the breakup harder than her. He did say he can't make it without her. But maybe I'm wrong, let's wait for episode 13.

yumin fighting for junghwan while he’s still in love with junyoung omg girl get up!!!!!!!

I can’t believe Love All Play is ending this week. I can’t believe how much the characters and the drama has grown on me. Such an understated drama , didn’t get the hype it deserved. Most blame lies with Disney+ distribution strategy, why would they not release it in other countries at the same time! I hope that as it becomes available more people will watch and enjoy this drama. Not a moment of boredom, my only complaint is I would have loved to see more on court battles with Taeyang, Taejun, Yumin and JungHwan.

Yumin and JungHwan were adorable as hell. JungHwan is so flawed but I heart him. I loved Kim Moo Joon’s portrayal.

The coaching trio is the best, Jo Han Chul was delightful as the chaotic yet stoic and fair Coach! Their drinking sessions pondering over their athletes’ fates were hilarious! The teammates all wonderful - the bitterness at start was understandable, but I loved how they rallied around Taeyang once the picture became clear.

I liked that there were no villains in the story and everyone had their own growth and arc. These are the kind of stories, characters and arcs I’m invested in. People make mistakes, people admit the mistake and people take steps to make up for those mistakes. If we hurt people in our past, we acknowledge our faults and apologise, we mend the relations where we can. We move past the hurt. We are allowed to repent. We are allowed to choose our happiness.

And lastly, find me a better boyfriend than Park TaeJun in KDramas - I will wait. There is none right now that comes close to this character and I’m going to miss Chae Jong Hyeop ‘s bright, wide, heart warming smile on my TV screen until he does another drama. And he is a brilliant actor, especially when it comes to emoting with his eyes. I adore him!

In summary, I have much more to say about this gem of a drama , I won’t stop shouting about it. It has given me as much joy as Be Melodramatic - because I watched both with minimal expectations and the humor , characters and emotions in both floored me! I’m just so sad it is ending this week!

junghwan's first date at a gym vs. yumin's aegyo idk which one of them is more insane 😭

— Hey. My daughter Yumin will come first. Goodness. Whatever. To my daughter, her dad is her God.

— Taejun would die at my command. You know what? Junghwan. He'll show up within an hour if I call him, no matter what.

LOVE ALL PLAY - 너에게 가는 속도 493km (2022)