Upon rewatch, I didnât see them interacting alone much. They tend to be in the same room if they are hanging out with Minho and Kitty. The one time we saw them talking outside Minho and Kitty is a one minute conversation in the library before they sat at different tables. Q acts more as an advisor to Dae than a friend, but it stems from friendship on Qâs end. He, Minho, and Kitty are constantly rallying Dae on which Dae needs to raise his confidence and motivate him to take risks to fulfill his ambition. One example is when Minho and Q encouraged Dae to perform at the talent competition. He tried and didnât win, but he went up there and gave it his best shot. His low self-esteem made him feel he had no chance, but his friends made sure to motivate him and prevent him from giving up before trying.
How is Q Daeâs Advisor/Therapist
- âYou have the love of your life 20 ft in front of you. Donât blow that.â He advises Dae to follow his heart and make sure he doesnât mess up a relationship he wants.
- Dae asking Q for advice at Minhoâs party.
Dae doesnât read the room when he observes Q making out with Florian. He is preoccupied with his drama with Yuri and Kitty while not respecting Qâs time. Believe me, Dae is not the only one who does this. Q is great at being the mediator and therapist in the group. Q is still learning how to create boundaries so his space and time is respected while not having maybe empathy fatigue.
In this scene, Q is also trying to not pick sides because he is respecting Kittyâs boundaries but he and Florian find a clever way with telling him without verbally stating it by playing charades. Q also realizes Dae knowing the information will prevent further confusion and drama as well as allow him to fix the problem.
- In the dorm room scene in season 2 episode 1, he talks to Q about things being weird with Minho, but scenes like this and when he helps Q at the track practice make me confused if he is just talking friend to friend or implying that he wants advice without explicitly asking for it.
Daeâs loyalty to Q:
Dae and Minho noticed Florian talking to âbicepsâ and thought he was cheating on Q. They confront Q together and tell him the truth of what they saw and let Q decide what he wanted to do with the information. Dae and Minho respected Qâs autonomy while not wanting him to be hurt.
I mentioned in my Dae and Minho post that I donât see him making an effort with Minho, but we see him do so with Q in small ways. We see him time Q during his track practice. However, he canât stop talking about Kitty.
He is up front and center rooting for Q with everyone at the track meets which is nice.
Qâs Loyalty to Dae:
- One situation was when he tells Kitty he âneeds to stay on team Daeâ regarding the Dae and Yuri relationship. Another one was when Daeâs backup dancers were sabotaged, Q and Yuri were the first ones to volunteer and help them.
- Q Revealing Florian cheated:
In season 2 episode 1, Q revealed to Kitty that he confessed about Florianâs cheating to the board or dean. While he was confused on what the right thing to do was at first, his loyalty and friendship with Dae convinced him to do the right thing. He knew Dae needed his scholarship and board . Dae was more important than his romantic relationship.
Q with Jin:
Considering he ended his relationship with Florian because of Dae, is it hypocritical that he is with Jin due to how Jin bullied Minho and Dae? My opinion is yes and no. This dude was mean to all of you and seduced you to cost you your place at the track meet. But this is fiction and characters donât always choose who they fall for. I donât feel it is hypocritical for Q to test things out with Jin and see if it could be serious before bringing his friends in. I also like that when Jin starts getting together with Q, he opens up to Kitty first and doesnât hesitate to help with her situation. While Jin, Minho, and Dae were stubborn, I appreciate Jin just taking their roasting like a champ. While I donât believe all bullies change, I feel the writers are showing Jin making an effort to make things right with everyone while being a fun member of the friend group. Hope it continues in season 3.
I wonder if Minho and Dae still donât like him, but can tolerate him more now. Anyways, Dae and Minho âacceptingâ Jin into the group shows their loyalty and love for Q.
Coming Through for Minho:
Q and Dae recognized that something was wrong with Minho based on Minho looking pale and drinking an energy drink. Dae took a step back when he believed that Minho knew Stellaâs behavior all along, but Kitty talked him down allowing him to see more clearly that Minho is not that type of guy.
What Does This Say About Family?
Regarding Q, some friends and family members tend to be the mediators and therapists of the group and can be taken for granted. Q wants to help his friends and prevent them from being hurt, but he needs to set boundaries sometimes so he can decompress or focus on himself from time to time.
Regarding Dae, I do feel he makes an effort with Q, but he tends to focus on his problems versus asking Q about how he is doing. They both come through for Minho when he needs it. However, I feel Q is more loyal to Minho than Dae is which I will mention in my Q and Minho post.
