Because we all love Kim Seon Ho as Han Ji-pyeong in Start-Up, we can't help but see fragments of that series in his latest project, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Maybe it's just us or...maybe the healing drama's writer, Shin Ha Eun, is on #TeamGoodBoy! You've probably noticed some of these easter eggs so let's talk about them, shall we?
Here are all the Start-Up references in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha so far:
1. Du-sik's love for grandmothers
Seon Ho's characters in Start-Up and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha may be completely different (one is a no-nonsense team leader while the other is a social butterfly who's the master-of-all-trades) but one thing they have in common is that they're both a halmeoni's favorite. They would do anything for the grandmas they grew up with—no questions asked—that's why they're so loved in return. Mrs. Choi (Kim Hae Sook) found Ji Pyeong wandering the streets on a rainy night, while Mrs. Gam-ri (Kim Young Ok) took care of Du-sik when his grandfather passed away.
2. When Du-sik fell asleep in Hye-jin's car
In Start-Up, Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) went to a faraway place to persuade a potential investor. It was Ji-pyeong who drove her back to Sandbox and we saw Dal-mi sleeping in his car. In Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Hye-jin (Shin Min Ah) and Du-sik went to Seoul for individual reasons (and to bring the halmeonis to the city) and during their drive home, Du-sik fell asleep while Hye-jin is behind the wheel.
3. That fireworks scene
After performing like a K-pop group for Ju-ri (Kim Min Seo) during the Lighthouse Singing Contest, Hye-jin looked for her BFF, Mi-seon (Gong Min Jung), and she bumped into Du-sik. All of a sudden, there was a fireworks display where Hye-jin said "It's really pretty," and our boy was completely charmed by her. Although it was not Ji-pyeong who was smitten in Start-Up, remember that night when Dal-mi and Do-san (Nam Joo Hyuk) finally met and they drove over a bridge overlooking Sandbox? Dal-mi said "Yeppeuda (pretty)" when she saw the fireworks and Do-san found himself looking at her.
4. When Du-sik talked about self-driving cars
This one's a direct reference to Start-Up! In episode five, Du-sik met Sung-hyun (Lee Sang Yi), the variety show producer (or mukbang star, according to Du-sik) who got lost while driving and ended up in Gongjin. In response to his story, Du-sik said: "I hope self-driving cars will be available soon." If those words ring a bell, that's because there's a self-driving car created by Samsan Tech in Start-Up, and it's called Tarzan!
5. Du-sik as a Math Olympiad
Hye-jin kinda underestimated Du-sik at first because of his multiple part-time jobs, and she was shocked when she found out that he's actually a Seoul National University graduate! He been really intelligent since he was a child and was even a Math Olympiad. We also have another ace in Mathematics from Start-Up and it's none other than Do-san! I mean, out of all the subjects the writer could have picked, it just had to be Math.
Bonus: A happy Du-sik under the pouring rain
This reminds us of Ji-pyeong, but with different feelings.
And another bonus: The featured "Staff" shirt
Du-sik did not wear it (the coordinators of the Lighthouse Singing Contest did!) but our good boy definitely came to mind.
You can watch new episodes of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha on Netflix every Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m.
*This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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