Thoughts on Ep 11 and 12 of My Roommate is a Gumiho
*spoilers below
My Roommate is a Gumiho started so strong, but what happened?? Episode 11 wasn’t it for me at all and 12 wasn’t any better. The characterization of Woo Yeo and Dam took a dive and they are acting in a way which doesn’t match who they were at the beginning of the drama.
At the beginning, Woo Yeo and Dam are thrown together and Woo Yeo is everything - kind, considerate, sweet, and tries to not to interfere in her life at all apart from keeping her safe.
Then comes episode 11 and he is obsessed with the fact that Dam and Seon Woo are connected - something which isn’t either of their fault. He even goes so far as watching her while she’s at work because the two of them work together. It’s normal to be jealous when you partner is constantly with someone who likes them, but in the beginning of the drama, Woo Yeo is characterized as someone who is very mature, free from a lot of petty human emotions, and who has seen a lot, so he is understanding. This isn’t understanding at all. He then tells Dam about the connection, but it doesn’t seem like he wants to be honest, but more like he wants her to make more of an effort to stay away from Seon Woo. Then in episode 12, he even sends Hye Sun on a trip so she can watch Dam for him to make sure she stays away from Seon Woo. Is this how he respects and trusts his girlfriend? At the end of episode 12 when Dam breaks up with Woo Yeo, it’s not because of his behavior towards her, but because he has been taking energy from people so he can be around her.
We see time and time again that Dam and Seon Woo have a genuine connection and from the dream, she herself learns that she could be happy with him. My problem is that Dam has lost all agency as this connection has been revealed. At the beginning of the drama, she had no problem voicing her own thoughts and making demands of Woo Yeo as he made demands of her. When he told her to stop eating chicken and drinking, she told him that he had to stop smoking, she insisted on continuing with her regular life even when the marble was in her, she even pretended not to know Woo Yeo for a while because she thought that was best. But now, she is pulled between what has been “destined” by the string and what Woo Yeo wants. Where is what SHE wants? Yes, Seon Woo confessed to her, but she was clear that she isn’t interested in him. The times they’ve seen each other have been because they are classmates, clubmates, and coworkers - all situations where people see each other constantly. Before she knew about the string connection, she didn’t act in a way that was dishonest, in fact, she was always really honest with Woo Yeo. It was only after she found out about the string that she started to avoid him, which is practically impossible because they have class together, are in the same club, and work together. She started changing her life, like quitting the job she needed to make money, because of what her boyfriend wanted. Woo Yeo should trust her to make the decision which is best for her own life, not try to control her because he wants her to be with him and not someone else.
I’m mostly disappointed in Woo Yeo because he started as such a strong character. He had great qualities and genuinely treated Dam with respect. I was rooting for him and Dam so hard. Seon Woo’s change was the opposite. He started as a low and climbed up on his own as he realized his own shortcomings. I can’t even say much about Dam because in these episodes she barely had a personality. All she seemed to do was pull away from one man because another man told her to. I really liked her character at the beginning and I hope in someway they turn this around.
I haven’t even started on the teacher/student this which is a plot line I absolutely HATE for so many reasons.
I’ll keep watching I hope I find something in the next episodes that makes up for this.
p.s. second lead syndrome has me in a tight grip. Though I know it’s won’t happen, I can dream.
