Smile You Recaps (source: dramabeans.com)

Veteran actor Choi Bool-am plays KANG MAN-BOK, who isn’t necessarily the lead character but certainly the central one who holds the rest together. At 72, he is the longtime driver to the Seo family, who owe their riches and prestige to the now-deceased CEO. Grandpa Man-bok was especially loyal to the former chairman, who has been succeeded by his son SEO JUNG-GIL (Kang Seok-woo, in the red tie).

Even though Jung-gil is rude and snobby and has none of his father’s admirable traits, Grandpa is still respectful — even when he is sneered at and fired one morning when Jung-gil loses his patience with the old man.

Grandpa Man-bok lives in a modest (borderline shabby) home with his mechanic son Kang SANG-HOON (Chun Ho-jin) and son’s wife GEUM-JA (Song Ok-sook). Although Grandpa is completely deferential to his employers — he’s like a relic of the older ages — at home he rules with an iron fist. His rules are law, and even when Sang-hoon and Geum-ja want to stand up to him, they inevitably end up cowering meekly. For instance, when Geum-ja buys beef for her son’s welcome-home dinner, Grandpa insists that it’s a waste of money — tofu is much more nutritious anyway — and forces her to return the meat.

That son is Kang HYUN-SOO (Jung Kyung-ho), 28, who is now returning from studying abroad. Hyun-soo is a good son, a teeny bit of a mama’s boy, and a perfect example of the Beta Male. Where the Alpha Male asserts himself with masculine confidence, the Beta is more sensitive, sometimes timid. This means he is hilarious in his ineffectual attempts at courting his longtime (one-sided) love, and exerts himself to comical extremes in order to avoid confrontation. (I love him already.) He has earned a graduate degree and is pursuing a doctorate; his field, like his family’s, is in the automotive industry.

Now for Seo JUNG-IN (Lee Min-jung). As the youngest child of the Seo family (dad Jung-gil, mom Joo-hee), Jung-in is the first to marry; her rascal of a brother (Lee Chun-hee) is off in the States while her older sister is a busy doctor.

Jung-in is set to marry her sweetheart in an actual love match. Although her union to Lee HAN-SAE (Lee Kyu-han) could be seen as an arranged marriage to benefit both families, who both run large corporations, Jung-in and Han-sae profess themselves to be in love and are happy to marry.

Jung-in is a little spoiled but also very plucky, so I like her right off the bat. I’ve liked Lee Min-jung in everything I’ve seen her in, and find that she possesses a winning charm even when some of her characters are a little difficult. She brings out their inner appeal, and her Jung-in is no different; sure, she’s a rich heiress, but the instant she’s brought low, she doesn’t crumble or whine or collapse. She grits her teeth and sticks it out, and I admire that.

JUNG-KYUNG (Choi Jung-yoon), 28, is the older sister with whom Jung-in’s relationship is strained. I think in another drama, Jung-kyung could even be heroine material — she’s the rational one in a family whose members are snooty and out of touch with reality — but here, she’s the professional, detached, and cool middle child. She has distanced herself from her family and focused on her career, looking at her little sister with exasperation and a little bit of judgment; after all, she got by on her brains and merit, while Jung-in is the princess marrying out of one rich family and into another one.

Jung-kyung is also, coincidentally, Hyun-soo’s first love. He’s been enamored of her for the past eight years — they were in the same class at university — but she has never spared him a passing glance. (At least you can’t accuse her of stringing him along; he’s delusional to hang on for so long.) She’s dating an older doctor, and while they seem to like each other a lot, this relationship is handicapped from the get-go because (1) they’re keeping it a secret from colleagues and (2) he has a daughter, and when his schedule conflicts with dating time, he naturally has to choose his daughter over his girlfriend. Jung-kyung understands, but is not happy to be pushed aside.

Meanwhile, the Seo sisters have an older brother we haven’t yet seen: Seo SUNG-JOON (Lee Chun-hee), 30, who went to U.S. to become a pro golfer.


EPISODES 1 & 2

Early on, it’s clear that Jung-in is the one in control of her dynamic with Han-sae, but there is genuine affection between them. He avows his eternal love, and she reciprocates (after letting him know it’s not cool to ignore her phone calls to go party, even if it was his bachelor party). Their marriage has been approved by both families, and although Jung-in has some last-minute cold feet, her father Jung-gil encourages her to continue. This would actually be the perfect arranged marriage — love between the couple AND politically/economically beneficial to both families — if only the situation weren’t challenged right away.

The kids get married and head off to the airport to their honeymoon, stopping briefly so Jung-in can share happy words with Grandpa Man-bok. She’s the only member of the Seo family who actually treats Grandpa with respect or affection; the others treat him like a common servant. He wishes her well, and she and Han-sae zoom off in elation.

However, immediately after the ceremony, Jung-gil receives word that things have gone awry with his company. His attempt to borrow from associates have failed, and this means his company is broke. The news spreads and Han-sae’s parents (the Lees) realize that Jung-gil is sneaky and manipulative; the reason he was pushing the kids’ marriage was to merge the two companies before the others found out. Thus the Lees feel cheated, and order Han-sae to come back immediately to sort things out and to dissolve the marriage.

Han-sae tells his mother, “But I love Jung-in,” wanting to stay married. Jung-in tells him that if he returns home as ordered, he’s effectively giving up on their marriage. Thinking that he will stick with her, she insists that he choose between them.

To her shock, Han-sae tells her, “Sorry,” and heads back home. This leaves Jung-in stranded on the highway in disbelief. She cries in anger as she curses him, and stumbles along the road. She’s not only angry at Han-sae for ditching her, she’s angry to hear from her father that he knew his company was going bust. She correctly guesses that he was pushing her to marry for the sake of the company, and accuses him of selling off his own daughter. She’s penniless and alone, but refuses to return home.

Therefore, she hails a taxi to her sister’s hospital and asks for a credit card to help get by. However, big sis Jung-kyung is a little too coldly rational and pulls the “See, I told you so” card, which does nothing to ease the sisterly tensions. Furthermore, Jung-kyung is more concerned about looking bad in front of her workplace and hushes Jung-in, who retorts, indicating her appearance, “Who do you think is more humiliated in this situation?”

Jung-kyung offers some cash, but Jung-in is insulted that all her sister can do in this emergency is offer a measly 10,000 won ($8), and storms off.

Hyun-soo, meanwhile, has arrived fresh off the plane from America and calls home to check in, then calls his beloved crush — Jung-kyung. She has no interest in his return, but he is so eager to see her that he reads hope in all of her dismissals, and visits her at the hospital. Which is where he sees Jung-in, sitting alone and looking pathetic at the bus stop.

Hyun-soo is hilariously cowardly and pretends not to listen in as she mutters to herself and tries to figure out where to turn. It’s then that she remembers Grandpa Man-bok, who has always treated her kindly. She calls him, but his phone has been cut off and all she knows is his neighborhood. Hyun-soo recognizes that as his own neighborhood, but when Jung-in asks him for info, he pretends not to know, wanting to distance himself from the crazy jilted bride.

She follows him onto the bus (he pretends not to notice her), and they disembark at the same stop. But rather than offer his assistance, Hyun-soo nervously runs off, ignoring her inquiries. LOL.

Without any information, Jung-in is stranded in this neighborhood, and her hungry stomach leads her to a restaurant. Hyun-soo goes home and happily reunites with his family, after which he goes out searching for Grandpa Man-bok, since he’s been gone all afternoon. This leads him to the restaurant where he and the owner watch Jung-in eating alone, guessing that she’s unhinged, and call the cops to take her away.

Jung-in protests and calls Grandpa, who comes rushing to the police station to release her. To Hyun-soo’s shock, Grandpa treats her respectfully and comforts her as she cries. Worse still, Jung-in blames Hyun-soo as the reason he got sent to the police in the first place.

Therefore Jung-in spends the night in the Kang family home, to the discomfort of everyone else. Jung-in may be stranded but she’s still used to a princess-like upbringing, so she is dissatisfied at their humble home, which naturally gets on Mom and Dad’s nerves.

A bit later, Hyun-soo finds Jung-in borrowing one of their cars (the family auto center is next door, and a young employee is eager to help out pretty Jung-in). He balks, and when she refuses to get out of the car, Hyun-soo jumps in to join her.

This leads them to Han-sae’s house, where a bitter Jung-in drags a canister of gasoline and leaves a voicemail threatening to burn his house down if he doesn’t come out to see her. Instead, Han-sae’s snooty mom answers the door, and orders Jung-in away. Essentially, she calls Jung-in a mercenary bitch, and to be fair, I don’t blame her for thinking so. Don’t get me wrong, Mama Lee is incredibly abusive in her language and out of line to slap Jung-in, but Jung-gil WAS sleazy to try to merge their businesses without telling them he was going broke.

Jung-in defends herself, insisting that she and Han-sae are in love, but Mama Lee isn’t having it. It’s only at this point that Hyun-soo starts to see Jung-in in a new light (and one that doesn’t paint her as a crazy Miss Havisham type), uncomfortable at seeing her so abused.

This leads to drinking.

Jung-in downs bottle after bottle of soju, and at this point Hyun-soo is stuck with her. On one hand, he wants nothing to do with all her drama, but on the other hand, now he’s developed a sense of sympathy and can’t just ditch her.

Adorably, Jung-in’s drunkenness soon leads her to call Hyun-soo “oppa.” But she refuses to heed his suggestions to go home, and tells him to go off without her. Not like she hasn’t been abandoned before.

Hyun-soo does end up ditching her, which is when she calls her sister and tells her to bring money to pay off her bar tab. However, Hyun-soo’s guilty conscience kicks in and he turns back to find her babbling nonsense and half-unconscious. He picks her up to deposit her in the car…

…which is when Jung-in’s sister arrives. He is immediately aware how this looks, and hurriedly tries to assure his beloved Jung-kyung that this is nothing, that he doesn’t know the girl, that it’s not his girlfriend. Jung-kyung merely smiles and says he looks cute with his girlfriend. All the while, Jung-in’s head is hung so that her face remains hidden, and her sister figures she must have left.

Hyun-soo curses Jung-in for ruining this moment and giving his Jung-kyung the wrong idea, and is none too happy as he takes her home. Unfortunately, as a result of all that soju, Jung-in vomits all over his back just as he arrives, and he grimaces in disgust.

Hyun-soo takes off his soiled top and wipes the mess off the floor, fretting over the mess she has made on herself and the bedspread. After some hesitation, he decides to take her outer shirt off since it’s covered in vomit — which is when her parents arrive at the house to claim their wayward daughter.

Seeing a strange guy shirtless and hovering over their unconscious daughter, Daddy Seo freaks out and starts beating up on Hyun-soo… which is when Mama Kang swoops in to defend her son… and the whole mess is stopped by a stern Grandpa. The Seos claim their daughter while the Kangs defend themselves.


COMMENTS

It’s hinted that there are some romantically crossed wires amongst the parents’ generation. The online character profiles tell us that Joo-hee (Mama Seo, to the right) and Sang-hoon (Daddy Kang, at left) used to be first loves. For whatever reason, Joo-hee married Jung-gil instead and became a rich princess, while Jung-gil lives a blue-collar life in more humble circumstances.

Furthermore, the two men have a contentious relationship dating back to old days, which revives when Jung-gil’s company goes bust. All these years, Jung-gil has looked down on Sang-hoon for being poor, while Sang-hoon has resented Jung-gil for being his father’s ungrateful boss. The moment Jung-gil is brought low, Sang-hoon exults to see his rival having to eat some crow.

Like in Sons of Sol Pharmacy, I’m not really a fan of the romantic shenanigans between the middle generation, mostly because it feels manufactured and less interesting. But on the other hand, if it does what Sol Pharmacy did so well in establishing the friendship underneath all that bickering, I will be happy.

As for the main couple: I am already a fan! Like I said, I just love how much of a Beta Male Hyun-soo is. He’s kind of a wuss when it comes to confrontation, but there’s something in Jung Kyung-ho’s acting that reminds me of Jae Hee in his comedic roles — the facial expressions, the subtle but spot-on comic timing. He can be over-the-top but it’s not slapstick; if anything, he plays off his nervous babbling comic moments with a witty delivery. I like it a lot.

I also love that Jung-in is NOT (thank jeeves!) a damsel in distress. She does cry when she’s dumped at the side of the road (who wouldn’t?) but it’s not tears of “Woe is me, pity me, whatever shall I do, save me!” It’s more tears of “How dare he, rotten scum, just you wait, I’ll gut you and make you regret crossing me!” And then she rips off the dragging layers on her wedding dress to make herself more mobile. When she’s asked, “Are you crazy?” she retorts, “Look at me — do you think I wouldn’t be?” And when her sister feels embarrassed at her outburst at the hospital, she references her own disheveled appearance and points out that she has more of a right to feel embarrassed at the moment.

She’s fully aware of her circumstances but it doesn’t stop her from trying to figure out ways to get out of it, so for that alone I like her.

So here we have the two happy families:

They haven’t moved in together yet, but we can be sure that will be the next step. This will give us a chance to see the family dynamics as the Seos and Kangs attempt to make things work under the same roof — no small feat when there’s already bad vibes running between them in each generation.

The verdict?

I like Smile. It’s watchable and funny, and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, when it uses cliches they are working FOR its story, rather than being a crutch to drag the story along. I’ll keep watching.



Hello all! To help alleviate some of javabean’s lovely recap work, 3 guest bloggers (including yours truly, dw4p) will be taking over the Smile (Smile, You) series. This is my first time doing recaps of this nature, so I may have some growing pains… bear with me!

Just a quick synopsis: Smile stars Lee Min Jung (Boys over Flowers) as Seo Jung-in, a rich and bratty girl who is about to marry to a rich and bratty boy, Lee Han-se (Lee Kyu Han of My Name is Kim Sam Soon and Que Sera, Sera.) When Han-se’s family finds out that Jung-in’s family is bankrupt, they decide to annul the marriage. (He literally leaves her on the highway on route to their honeymoon.)

Kang Hyun-soo (Jung Kyung Ho of Ja Myung Go) is a professor, just back from studying abroad, who runs into Jung-in in her torn wedding dress. We also find out that Hyun-soo’s grandfather was the Seo family’s loyal driver. (Eventually, the Seo’s will move into the Kang’s family, but that’s to come later.)

The star of the series is really Lee Min Jung and she shines. Her character is abrasive and harsh, but she does a great job of making Jung-in likable. We also see a bit of her vulnerable side come out in this episode which I find endearing. (See screencap above.)

Episode 3 Recap

We resume with the Kang family, kneeling in front of the patriarch, asking for forgiveness for trying to make the extra room into Hyun-soo’s room. Grandpa Man-bok orders them to clean up the room to rent out.

The mom, Geum-ja tries to cry her way out of it, but the grandfather will have none of that. He tells them to get out if they don’t like his ways. He then tell them to save electricity, and promptly turns the light off.

Jung-in wakes up in the morning and remembers the events of last night. She’s completely devastated and some light cursing ensues.

She comes down from her room and gives her farewell to her parents: “Mom, dad, thank you for raising me well. I’m going to go and die, so don’t look for me and live well.” Her sentence moves from the honorific to ban-mal (familiar), Jung-in’s trademark. First honorific while giving a big bow and then to the familiar as she glares at her dad. (I find it funny that she announces her death but has her luggage and is wearing an awesome jacket and harem pants.)

Because of the company bankruptcy, her father tells them they need to pull together a million won ($800K) in order to keep their house. Jung-in is desperate to figure out a way because she can’t stand to be more humiliated than she is now.

Jung-in sets up a time to meet up with a friend, all the while hating the fact that she needs to ask for money. But she realizes that she’s in dire straits, and gets ready to do whatever is necessary. Just then, her mom comes running in, showing her the presents that were returned from Han-sae’s family. Jung-in demands that they return their presents as well and realizes that her engagement ring is missing.

We now see the Kang family having breakfast. (I love their plates and matching outfits.) Hyun-soo receives a phone call from Global Korea looking for him to sell his product to them for a million won. But he’s already decided to work at the school rather than take the money, to the dismay of his mother.

Downstairs, Hyun-soo falls back into his delusion about his love, Jung-kyung. He psyches himself out, going over the conversation in front of the mirror. “Jung-kyung, I understand you’re jealous but I don’t have any relations with that woman. If you’re that nervous, then just hold onto me.” He then subsequently hits his chest so hard that he hurts himself.

He hears a noise upstairs and comes up pant-less to find Jung-in looking around for her engagement ring. Hyun-soo takes this opportunity to try and take Jung-in to explain himself to Jung-kyung. But Jung-in won’t hear any of it and is only interested in finding her ring.

After remembering that she took her ring off at the po-jang-ma-cha (outdoor bar), she drags Hyun-soo to look for the ring. Hyun-soo’s mom sees Jung-in grabbing her son and is unhappy that they seem close. We actually see quite a bit of physical contact between the two, mostly initiated by Jung-in. (More on this later.)

While waiting for the owner of the bar, they get into an argument. Jung-in brings up Hyun-soo’s 8 year love and he brings up her explosive personality, almost mentioning the broken marriage (pa-won in Korean). Jung-in gets livid hearing “pa” from him. They get into a cute interlude wiith Hyun-soo denying that he was going to say “pa-won”, saying that there are lots of other words that start with “pa”.

The bar owner comes back but the trip was for naught as the ring wasn’t there. In order to force Hyun-soo to look for the ring, Jung-in threatens to tell his mom about the 8 years of unrequited love.

The 2 run into each other at the next location and comment about each others clothing. Hyun-soo asks Jung-in if wearing less is the trend. And Jung-in accuses him of sharing clothes with his grandfather, to which he replies, “Do you think I’m the same size with my grandfather?” (Ha! You got her good!)

Jung-in meets with an oppa, evidently to ask for money. And Hyun-soo is there to meet with the director from Global Korea, who happens to be Han-sae. Even though Han-sae does all he can to humiliate Jung-in, she doesn’t back down and gives it all back, before walking out. Hyun-soo also walks out on Han-sae, saying that he wants to work with people who care about others rather than money.

Hyun-soo finds Jung-in crying in the middle of the road and goes to comfort her. Han-sae, who still has feelings for Jung-in, drives by the road and is shocked to see the two together. I really like this scene of Hyun-soo and Jung-in. Even though it was for just a moment, we see Jung-in leaning on someone else, instead of trying to resolve everything on her own.

Hyun-soo tells Jung-in to forget about him and let him go, since she loved him at one point. Jung-in, as she would, tell him to stop writing a poem and says that she loathes Han-sae for what he’s done. And here’s we see the difference between the 2. Hyun-soo is truly a romantic, so much so that he still believes in his love after 8 years. Jung-in is much more pragmatic, not because he hates Han-sae, but because she knows that her love is over.

Jung-in’s dad, Jung-kil is in a bar with Hyun-soo’s dad, Sang-hoon. Jung-kil has brought Sang-hoon to a bar to convince Sang-hoon to “invest” in him, thinking that Sang-hoon owns the Kang family land. He bring in girls, drinks, and provides entertainment, include a performance of “I don’t care.” But when Jung-kil finds out that the land is in grandpa Man-bok’s name, he takes off, leaving the bill for Sang-hoon.

Jung-in comes home, weary from the day, and turns to her deceased grandfather for comfort. She regrets her way of life, “Grandpa, I’m being punished because I used to say that a woman doesn’t need to study hard, just marry well. Since you used to listen to me when you were alive, please help me.” It’s both refreshing and heartbreaking to see Jung-in show a vulnerable side.

Jung-Kyung and her older doctor boyfriend are together at a bar and Jung-Kyung is hoping for some clarification of their relationship. She receives a call from Hyun-soo, who’s trying to clarify the misunderstanding of the previous evening. But Jung-Kyung is not interested and hangs up on him.

Hyun-soo continues to live in his dream world and is convinced that Jung-Kyung hung up because she’s upset about the other day. He blames Jung-in for the misunderstanding.

Hyun-soo’s mom has found Jung-in’s diamond ring, and Hyun-soo tells his mom that he will return it to Jung-in.

Sang-hoon, who’s been left with the bar bill, calls home to get some money from Hyun-soo. He at first hangs up a couple of times because grandpa Man-bok picks up the phone. He tries to get Hyun-soo to bring him the money in secret, but he’s quickly found out when grandpa Man-bok turns on the speaker phone.

Hyun-soo’s mom in her fury over her husband, pushes Hyun-soo into grandpa Man-bok, who in turn hurts his back. She wants grandpa Man-bok to pick a side when Sang-hoon returns home. She doesn’t want her husband to get away with anything and needs grandpa Man-bok’s help because he’s the clear head of this family. Meanwhile, Sang-hoon is sleeping in a gazebo using newspapers as his blanket, and cursing Jung-kil.

Jung-in receives a call from an “oppa” and bellows out that she knows too many oppas and needs a name. Upon hearing “Hyun-soo oppa”, she replies “the slapper’s boyfriend?” But her tone changes when she hears that he has the ring.

They meet for the ring exchange. Even without a hello, she immediately demands for the ring but Hyun-soo has other plans. He wants Jung-in to explain that nothing happened the other night to Jung-kyung, or there will be no ring. She says OK but wants to see the ring first. When she sees the ring, she grabs it and runs away with it.

Hyun-soo chases her and wants her to keep her promise. But she thinks it’s crazy that she should apologize and suck up to a woman she doesn’t know. When Hyun-soo grabs for the ring, they get into a little tug-of-war match before Jung-in headbutts Hyun-soo and walks away. (The tug-of-war reminded me of Jun Jin and Lee Si Young’s wresting match in “We Got Married.” It’s pretty clear where this relationship is headed…)

As she’s leaves, Hyun-soo yells, “You’d better be careful walking around the street. Because if I see you, you’re dead!” And she retorts, “I only ride in cars, so I won’t be seeing you!” LOL!!!

When Hyun-soo sees Jung-Kyung, he tells her that he won’t give up on her even though it’s been 8 years. And she finally agrees to a dinner date. As she’s driving away, Jung-in sees Hyun-soo and Jung-Kyung together and is shocked to find out that her older sister is his 8-year love.

Hyun-soo is, of course, ecstatic to finally earn a date. Let’s all say it together: Yahoo!

However, he finds Jung-in patiently waiting for him when he comes out of the hospital. He doesn’t want anything to do with her, but she calls him oppa, says she’s sorry, and pushes him into the car, offering him a ride.

He gets dragged into the car, but nothing will break his spirits and he happily whistles along as they drive off. They quibble in the car with their usual cute exchange. (Look at Hyun-soo with his feet!)

JI: Seeing your good mood, it looks like you have a date.
HS: How did you know? Are people already talking about our relationship?
JI (thinking): Seo Jung Kyung, you acted so high and mighty, and it’s because of this maniac?
HS: What?
JI: Congratulations. Hope you and the slapper get along well.
HS: Don’t call her slapper. As oppa said, her name is Beatrice, Odette, Hippocrates, mermaid.
JI: It’ll take all day to say all her names. That’s why it took 8 years to get a date.
HS: Either way, I succeded.
JI: OK, OK. Congrats, congrats. Anyway, why did she all of a sudden say yes after 8 years?
HS: It’s probably because she finally saw my sincerity.
JI: So, are you gonna get married?
HS: Why are you bring up marriage on our first date. Don’t go too fast. (but liking where it’s going.)
JI (thinking): He’s crazy.
HS: Where should I take her?
JI: What’s there to think about. Just take her to a hotel.
HS: Hotel? We don’t have that type of relationship.
JI: What are you thinking? Don’t act like you don’t have money, think luxury. Woman like men who set the mood. And mood comes when you spend money. Don’t think about where to go, but how much you should spend.
HS: What’s wrong with you?
JI: What!
HS: Forget it. I’m the crazy one for asking you. That’s why…
[Jung-in steps on the breaks.]
HS: How can you stop the car like that?
JI: You’re asking because you don’t know? You want to tell me not to talk since my marriage was called off.
HS: I didn’t bring that up.
JI: I pick up on this stuff really fast, don’t pretend you didn’t think it. Now that you finally have a date, you think you’re all that? It took you 8 years to get just 1 date.
HS: I want you to listen to me without feeling bad. Oppa’s saying this because I worry about you. That incident must have been shocking. You should go get some professional help.
JI: Get out. Get out. [She pushes him out of the car.] You’ve made a big mistake. Do you do can do well with the slapper without me?
[She speeds off, leaving Hyun-soo behind.]

Sang-hoon goes to see Jung-in’s mom, Joo-hee to tell her about going to the bar with Jung-kil. And wants her to give him money for the bill. He’s embarrassed but doesn’t see any other alternative. She quips, “This is not the Sang-hoon I know. Are you that scare of your wife?” But she gives him the money. He stands up for his wife, but wishes that Joo-hee won’t remember him this way.

Jung-kil gets a call from his wife to stay away from home because there are weird people at his house, maybe the police. He tries to run away, but is caught and dragged away, blind folded. They end up being loan sharks who scare him with fake blood. He promises to pay them back the loan within a day.

Sang-hoon comes back home to talk to his wife, who won’t listen to a word he has to say. She throws a bowl at him, which is avoids. But when she tries to throw flour at him, she misses her husband and it lands on grandpa Man-bok’s face.

Comments

It’s very easy to see the kindergarten playground attraction between Hyun-soo and Jung-in. It’s always nice to see a romantic comedy with good chemistry between the leads. It makes the relationship so much more enjoyable and believable.

I also love that Jung-in is the forceful one in the relationship. Hyun-soo tries to take control, referring to himself as “oppa” (older brother), but it’s pretty clear who’s in charge. It’s fairly uncommon in a kdrama to have a likeable female character be touch feely with a man, but we see Jung-in pull, push, and tug Hyun-soo like he’s a toy. I’m enjoying the dynamic.

Relationship aside, I’m loving Jung-in. I really liked that this episode brought in a softer side to her character. I especially love the scene where she realizes that life is different than how she’s lived in the past. I’m hoping that she’ll make changes to herself because she sees herself in a new light, rather than because she meets a man.

I also LOVE all of her crazy facial expression. I think it brings a charm to her insolent ways. (It’s hard to capture good screencaps, because her face is constantly moving. Her face muscles must be working overtime) Did I mention that I love her yet?

This episode had a quite a bit less hustle and bustle compared to the first 3 episodes, but showcased a subtler side. It still had its energy, but maybe with a little restraint. I missed Jung-in a little bit, but appreciated the bits of tranquility.

I’m hoping that the directing will take a hint. Most of the drama to this point has been talking heads just capturing dialogue. While I love close ups of an actor’s facial expression, moderation is usually a good policy. The screencap above is one of the very few wide angle shots – Hyun-soo and Jung-kyung’s first date – and you can feel their awkwardness, in contrast to the other couples in the scene. It’s really a beautiful way to convey their emotions in a NON “I-need-to-hit-you-over-the-head” way.


Episode 4 Recap

Episode 4 starts off the same as episode 3, with the Kang family (minus Hyun-soo) kneeling in front of Grandpa Man-bok. Sang-hoon explains that he took care of the 1,800 won ($1500) bar bill, by going to Jung-kil’s house and getting it from Joo-hee. Man-bok is unhappy but lets him get off the hook and tells Geum-ja to take care of spousal issue on their own, which she does by checking his body for any signs of a woman’s touch.

We then move to the Seo family, where there is more calamity. Joo-hee greets her husband at the door, who promptly calls a family meeting to discuss his plan: “Let’s go to America!” The family is frustrated to hear it but Jung-kil is adamant that this is the only way out. Jung-Kyung won’t hear any of it, “You do whatever you want. I’ll just live as though I don’t have a family.”

As Jung-kyung is about to leave the house, Jung-in tells her not to trust in men, knowing that Jung-kyung is about to go on a date with Hyun-soo. Even though Jung-in pretends not to like Hyun-soo, we see her standing up for him, telling her sister not to slap him anymore. Jung-kyung has no idea what she’s talking about, tells her to mind her own business and worry about herself.

Hyun-soo is excited beyond belief about his date tomorrow with Jung-kyung. He looks at the stars hoping for good weather. He even asks grandpa Man-bok what he did with his grandma on their first date and runs around like a little kid. It’s super cute.

The Seo family heads to the airport to run away to the States. They wait awhile for their housekeeper to bring them the money from selling Jung-in’s wedding presents (without Jung-in’s knowledge). When she doesn’t show up, they check into their flight, only have security show up and take Jung-kil away.

Sang-hoon, in his desire to get on his wife’s good side, asks grandpa Man-bok to give them the extra room for Hyun-soo. He promises to pay rent for the room. So when grandpa Man-book tells Geum-ja and Hyun-soo to leave the room furniture, she’s confused at his words. Sang-hoon then comes in and tells them that Hyun-soo can use the room. Geum-ja is elated.

Meanwhile, the Kang family has been brought to the police station and finds out that their housekeeper was brought in because she tried to pawn off too much jewelry at once. He tries to act like he’s not behind it but it’s pretty obvious that he’s the one in charge of the operation.

Jung-kyung arrives at the police station shocked to see that they haven’t left for America. Jung-in and mom ask her to get some money but Jung-kyung doesn’t want to get involved. Jung-in is furious, “What have you done since we’ve become like this. Dad’s in jail and you’re only worried about your pride?” Jung-in may be a brat, but she’s a loyal brat and loves her family, no matter what they’ve done. Mom Joo-hee cries that they need to contact their older brother, Sung-joon to solve their problems.

Jung-kyung is back at the hospital where her doctor friend is there to comfort her. But his jealous daughter comes to take him away. Just then, Hyun-soo arrives for his date with Jung-kyung and introduces himself as her boyfriend to her dismay. Hyun-soo and Jung-kyung then head off for their date, leaving her older doctor friend befuddled.

Hyun-soo tries hard to keep the conversation alive on their way to the restaurant, but receives no response from Jung-Kyung. When they finally get to the restaurant, they miss their reservation and need to go eat somewhere else.

So their first date turns from a fancy dinner with the view of the city to a ho-hum dinner at a Korean restaurant. But even with the date going awry, Hyun-soo keeps up his spirits and tries to keep her entertained. (Although he can’t contain his nerves and starts to hiccup.)

When Jung-kyung asks Hyun-soo why he likes her, he tells her that it’s because he’s always thinking about her and curious to know what she’s like. She tell him that she has someone like that also, “I wonder what he’s thinking even when I’m next to him. And if I’m not with him, I wonder what he’s doing. This is why I came out today, to tell that you that I have someone like that also.” She gets up to leave but Jung-kyung grabs her and tells her to stay and finish eating, since it’s their first date. (It’s his manly act #1.)

Grandpa Man-bok receives a call from the Kang family housekeeper and goes to the police station to visit Jung-kil. Jung-kil tries to act remorseful and asks Man-bok for bail money, asking him to sell his auto shop. When he finds out that they still have a mortgage left to pay on it, Jung-kil changes his tune and yells at grandpa Man-bok to leave. Then as a last resort, he pretends to faint.

Jung-kyung receives a call from Jung-in and runs to the police station to check up on her dad, with Hyun-soo following her. However, she immediately realizes that her dad is faking and yells at him to get up. Jung-kil is at his wits end and asks Jung-kyung to take him to her hospital as her patient. He’ll do whatever it takes to get out of jail. Even grandpa Man-bok has had enough and leaves.

A frustrated and sad Jung-kyung goes outside to find Hyun-soo waiting for her with dessert (can of coffee). He confesses that he’s always found excuses when she rejected him but he’ll accept her words this time. She tells him that he’s a good man and that it’s not his fault that she doesn’t have feeling for him. And Jung-in comes out to witness the end of their date. She wonders how her sister could be on a date at a time like this. (I also think she’s starting to feel something for Hyun-soo. Whether that something is love or friendship, it’s not clear, and she would certainly deny such feelings. Even though they bicker every time they meet, she doesn’t want to see him get hurt.)

On his way back home, he goes down memory lane and remembers seeing Jung-kyung for the first time. He believes that her words are real and knows that he needs to let her go. He tries to throw out her picture out the bus window but can’t get himself to do it.

Back at the hospital, Jung-in and Jung-kyung argue about the situation. Jung-in leaves for the hospital but their mom Joo-hee wants to call the Kang family for help.

A despondent Hyun-soo comes home and can’t handle his mother’s energy. He asks her to leave him alone just for tonight. But he can’t any rest because Jung-in calls with her “I need something” voice, calling her oppa and all. She inquires about his date and asks for his help in honor of the occasion. Hyun-soo is not in the mood to handle her and hangs up on her. She calls back wondering why he’s in such a foul mood after going on a successful date. He yells, “Even if I’m in a good mood, I turn sour when I hear your voice” and disconnects the phone.

The next morning, Jung-in calls her brother, Sung Joon, who they’ve been trying to contact since the bankruptcy. He’s in the States pursuing a golf career. She leaves a voicemail as only she could, “Are you Tiger Woods? I never see you on TV, why do you always say that you’re in a tournament? You’d better call me immediately when you get this message. Or I’m gonna go find you!”

Han-sae is looking for a way to purchase Hyun-soo’s new product and tries to partner with the school to work with him. But Hyun-soo wants his designs to be put to good use and reminds Han-sae that he’s looking for a way to help people, not make more money.

During dinner, Han-sae receives a call from Jung-in and he makes sure that Hyun-soo knows who’s calling him. When Jung-in arrives at the restaurant, she lets Hyun-soo have it, “Who do you think you are? I don’t have any desire to get back together with you. Why are you using your mom to do this to me? Don’t worry about it, I’ll return all your presents.”

Hae-sae doesn’t know anything about it and wants to start again with Jung-in. He tells her that he was going to call her once her anger subsided and that he really did love her. She’s furious to hear him talk about love and kicks him before saying, “I chewed up and spat out your love. If you want to find love, go check the ground!”

As Han-sae tries to push Jung-in into his car, Hyun-soo comes out to see them together. He doesn’t want to get involved at first, but hears her screaming and goes to her rescue, shocking Jung-in with his aggressiveness (Manly act #2):
HS: Jung-in, what are you doing here? Oppa will take you home.
JI: Hey you, what are you doing?
HS: You say, hey you, to your oppa!!! (To Han-sae) We’ll go first. (To Jung-in) Follow me.
[Walking away...]
HS: A girl, roaming around so late at night…
JI: Can you not hold my arm so tight?
HS: NO!

They leave Han-sae behind looking dazed and confused.

Not knowing the situation, Hyun-soo tells Jung-in to stop chasing after Han-sae. He tells her that Han-sae doesn’t like her anymore, and this behavior just makes her look needy. Even though she may want to see him so much that it hurts, he’s left her. So she should stop acting stupid, and just accept it. Jung-in is quite perceptive and realizes that he is no longer talking about her. She looks up at him with curious eyes and says, “you got dumped by the slapper?”

She makes fun of him and says that it’s pretty obvious he took her on a bad date – cheap food, a can of coffee for dessert. Hyun-soo gets mad listening to her true accusations. They then have a repeat of their cute good-bye at the hospital from episode 2. Hyun-soo tells her that she’ll die if he sees her again. And Jung-in replies, “Sure, I’m really scared.” (She really gets him every time.) And he takes his frustrations out on a tree…

Sang-hoon is racking his brain, trying to find a way to mollify his wife. He decorates his backyard with baby’s breath and tells her that today is the 30th anniversary of their first meeting. She says that they started dating in the spring. But he tells her, “it’s been 10,951 days since I first laid eyes on you. They say that baby’s breath signifies death, and rose signifies love. [While giving her a rose] I’ll love you until the day I die.” Hyun-soo and Kyung-soo, who works at the auto shop, appear to congratulate Geum-ja.

Joo-hee receives call a saying that Jung-kil will be released from jail. Grandpa Man-bok is waiting for him at the police station with tofu in hand, but Jung-kil hits it out of his hands. (In Korean tradition, released convicts eat tofu so that they won’t go to jail again.) Jung-kil thinks that he was released on his own strength, not realizing that Man-bok is the one who got him out of jail.

The Seo family shows up with their bags, because loan sharks have taken over their house, and they have nowhere to go. Grandpa Man-bok offers his house to them. Jung-kil and Joo-hee says they don’t want to, but Jung-Kyung humbly accepts his offer and the family heads over to the Kang household.

MeanwWhile the Seo family is celebrating Sang-hoon and Geum-ja’s 30th “anniversary”, and is completely shocked to see Grandpa Man-bok coming in. They try to hide the signs of a party, but Man-bok brings an even bigger surprise – the SEO FAMILY! We have an awkward meeting of Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo, realizing how their families are connected. And with that the 2 Kang men commence their hiccuping. The only one that seems happy is the ever affable, Jung-in, who seems like she’s having fun with the awkwardness. Here’s the new happy family!

Comments

I fawned over Jung-in in my last recap, so it’s time to show Hyun-soo some loving. With Hyun-soo at the helm of episode 4, it’s nice to see a different side of him. He’s more forceful and has a couple of “I am man, hear me roar” moments. Some may find this behavior schizophrenic, but I think it’s because of his ardor and faithfulness to what he believes. He stands up for what he loves – 8 years of chasing a lost cause. I talked about Jung-in’s bulwark loyalty to her family earlier and we now have found a trait that the couple shares.

I loved that he followed Jung-kyung to the hospital and waited to make sure that she was OK. I also loved that he walked away without looking back, even though he isn’t quite ready to throw out her picture. It may be 8 years of foolishness, but I find his devotion to Jung-kyung irresistible. (It kinda reminds me of Poong Ho’s adorable and undying commitment to Haru in Triple.)

Now that the 2 families moved in together, I’m looking forward to the hilarity that is sure to erupt in the house. I’m also looking forward to the love triangle that’s coming to fruition. Will it be the lovely Jung-kyung or the sassy Jung-in? (Well, we probably know the answer but I’m pretty sure that it’ll unfold in an entertaining way.)

Hullo! I’m soyjoy, and I’ll be your guide through episodes 5 & 6. The three of us “Smile” recappers are rotating weekly, so hopefully our stylistic differences won’t throw you off. Luckily, we’re all in agreement that this is an endearing and enjoyable series, so at least the commentary should be pretty consistent in tone!

I think Lee Min-jung is adorable; she’s the reason I started watching the drama, then quickly got sucked in. She’s refreshing and spunky, and, like javabeans and dw4p, I’m really enjoying her in “Smile.” That said, I think Episode 5 is Jung Kyung-ho’s time to shine. He carries the scenes so well, from understated moments like the one above, to the wildly contorted facial expressions he makes in Hyun-soo’s goofier moments.

And off we go…

Episode 5 Recap

The Kang family (minus Grandpa Man-bok, plus Kyung-soo) is having their little make-up-with-Mom celebration, which is a smashing success. Turns out it doesn’t take much to win Geum-ja over; she’s a total softie underneath her gruff exterior. Sang-hoon promises to treat Geum-ja well, and Hyun-soo says he’ll move into the front room that evening.

Grandpa Man-bok comes home, and everyone scrambles to attention. Sang-hoon begins to explain, but Grandpa Man-bok cuts him off, bringing in his guests—


The Seo family.

Suffice it to say that no one is really happy about this, especially when Jung-kyung sees Hyun-soo, whose speechless stuttering devolves into helpless hiccups.

That is, no one except for Jung-in! She’s stayed here before, so she knows the ropes. Plus she finally gets to rub salt in her sister’s wound, since she’s onto the (non-)relationship between Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo.

“Hi Oppa,” she waves blithely when she enters. “Oh, right… this is the first time you two are meeting! That’s Chauffeur Kang’s grandson, Kang Hyun-soo.” Oh, she is enjoying this. Hyun-soo starts to explain that they know each other, but Jung-kyung cuts him off and introduces herself as though they’d never met.

Grandpa Man-bok explains that the Seos will be staying at their place for a few days. He shows the Seo family to Hyun-soo’s (intended) room. After how hard she’s fought for that room, Geum-ja is not giving up easily, but Sang-hoon pulls her away.

Hyun-soo is shocked. Very.

Jung-kil, meanwhile, is back to grandstanding. He says the place is too small and starts to leave to go to a hotel, but Jung-in points out that they have no money. The room definitely is too small, though, so Jung-kil will have to stay in Grandpa Man-bok’s room.

Hyun-soo has recovered from the initial shock and is ready to take advantage of this new proximity to Jung-kyung. He hovers at the door under the pretext that he’s delivering blankets.

Jung-kil comes out and warns him that he remembers the last incident (wherein a half-naked Hyun-soo was hovering over a drunk Jung-in, passed out in bed). Jung-kyung comes out of the room from behind and beelines for the bathroom.

Jung-in is ready to take advantage of a few things herself, and tells Jung-kyung through the door that using hot water will get her in trouble with Geum-ja. Hyun-soo cuts in, telling her to go ahead and use as much hot water as she needs.

Having primed him, Jung-in then says that her sister is sensitive, so Hyun-soo should make sure his parents treat the family well while they’re there. He’s all obliging, especially when she turns on the charm.

Wink, tuck, smile. Well played, Jung-in!

There aren’t as many pleasantries in Grandpa Man-bok’s room, where Jung-kil settles in for the night. He tells Grandpa Man-bok not to get the wrong idea just because he’s momentarily in a rough spot, then tells him to turn off the light.

Grandpa Man-bok sums up all of Jung-kil’s rudeness in one look. Then he gets up and turns the light off, without a word of reproach. (The look is searing and all, but could someone kick Jung-kil already?!)

It’s a sleepless night in the house.

Jung-kyung goes out to get some air, only to run into Hyun-soo, who had the same idea. She asks him if he’d known who she was.

Hyun-soo: Never! Really. Truly. If I’d known, I would’ve told you. It would have been an easy way for us to become closer. This is no ordinary connection. No, it’s fate—this has to be fate!

Jung-kyung quickly puts a damper on his excitement. She tells Hyun-soo not to get the wrong idea; had she known who Hyun-soo was, she wouldn’t have come to the house. She asks him to pretend he doesn’t know her. He cheerfully agrees, so long as she’ll let him know if there’s anything she needs.

He’s not exactly driving a hard bargain, and it becomes apparent once she leaves that he’s not even disappointed by her words. “Alright,” he peps himself up, “This is as far as I’m getting today.” (After all, what’s a day after eight years?)

Jung-in bumps into her sister coming back in, and suspects something is going on, which is confirmed when she finds Hyun-soo pumping himself up. She interrupts him to ask what he thought about meeting her sister. He says the two sisters are nothing alike, and Jung-in retorts that Hyun-soo is nothing like his Grandpa Man-bok; she says he must have been adopted. Hyun-soo tells her to stop being immature and hits her on the forehead.

Jung-in: Hey!
Hyun-soo: How can you “Hey” at an oppa? What kind of woman…. Granted, one mountain isn’t like another, so not all women would be alike either. Talking to you only makes my mouth hurt.

(Note that Hyun-soo’s begun to refer to himself as her oppa. Even though Jung-in and Hyun-soo both use the term to serve their own agendas, they’ve definitely settled into a nimble bickering relationship that goes from antagonizing to sweet-talking each other.)

Jung-in, manipulative though not maliciously so, goads him by saying that her sister mentioned him. She trails off and turns to go, but he’s positively hungry for the information. As she hesitates, he looks at her like he might eat her if she doesn’t spit it out, so she finally says her sister told her not to be rude to Hyun-soo, since he’s Grandpa Man-bok’s grandson.

He’s pleased at this and asks for more. She retorts, “What do you mean more? She just met you today.”

She turns to go, and mumbles under her breath, “No wonder he’d get slapped with a slapper.” He doesn’t hear her, and is not only unfazed, but beside himself with glee.

The next morning, breakfast is rife with tension before it even begins. In the room, Jung-in is yelling at Jung-kyung, who is trying to wake her and Joo-hee up. The Kangs overhear the argument as they’re setting the table and Geum-ja rails at the daughters’ poor upbringing.

When the Seos finally come out to eat, it’s amazing that anyone can manage to keep anything down with such palpable animosity going round. The Seos gripe, and the Kang parents respond with hateful looks and comebacks. Finally, Grandpa Man-bok yells at everyone to just eat, and silent watchfulness ensues.

When Jung-kyung gets up to go to work, Jung-kil tells Grandpa Man-bok to drive her. But Jung-kyung hurriedly leaves, saying the bus will be faster.

Hyun-soo’s almost missed his cue!

He crams his remaining spoonfuls of rice in his mouth, trying to catch up with Jung-kyung. He starts to leave, but his mother hands him some hot broth to finish first. He downs it, scalding hot. Hyun-soo’s expressions in this scene are PRICELESS.

Hyun-soo runs out and catches up with Jung-kyung at the bus station. He tries to give her helpful hints about which bus to take and safety at night, but she doesn’t respond. When the bus comes, she asks him to take the next one. This time, he’s disappointed, especially when she sees him out the bus window, then turns her back to him.

Jung-kyung at work is much more chipper. Two coffees in hand, she banters with the Chief. Seeing her suitcase, he asks if she moved out of her house. She asks, “Why, are you worried I’ll try to move in with you?”

Reaction FAIL. She continues to play it off lightly and says they should spend the night together at the hospital instead.

After he leaves, though, we see her true feelings.

Now we see Hyun-soo at work. Too cute to be a prof!

The director approaches him and says that he did sign the deal with Global Korea, so he should start working there as of the next day. Hyun-soo asks the director how he could make that decision without consulting him first, at which the director reminds him that there was no way to contact Hyun-soo, who doesn’t have a cell phone.

Hyun-soo: So, Lee Han-sae, you’re saying we’re on the same team?

He stalks off determinedly. (Whoa! What happened to being Beta male?) Well, Hyun-soo is nothing if not loyal, and this scene makes it clear that his loyalties lie with Jung-in. He looks positively FIERCE.

Back at home, Jung-kil comes out looking for “Chauffeur Kang,” where Kyung-soo is working on a car. I heart Kyung-soo, not just because he is hilaaarious in all his scenes, but because he’s the only one so far who puts Jung-kil in his place.

Kyung-soo tells Jung-kil to stop calling Grandpa Man-bok “Chauffeur Kang,” since that was yesterday’s news. Jung-kil raises his hand to smack Kyung-soo, who responds by raising his own—which is holding a wrench. Jung-kil awkwardly puts his hand back down. HAHA.

When he finds Grandpa Man-bok, Jung-kil is shifty and pretends to sniffle at how sad it is for his family, and how bad he feels at being unable to recompense the Kangs for their troubles. Grandpa Man-bok offers a roll of toilet paper (ha), but Jung-kil moves on to his main point.

Jung-kil: So… you should buy us plane tickets to the U.S.!
Kang Man-bok: What?
Jung-kil: It doesn’t cost much, so buy them for us and unburden yourself of the indebtedness you feel toward us once and for all!

(Ugh.) Grandpa Man-bok tries to dissuade him, but Jung-kil insists, even saying he’ll repay the cost once he finds Sung-joon.

A storm is brewing… Sang-hoon hasn’t necessarily overheard the exchange, but he’s had enough. He winds up, ready to lay one on Jung-kil, but Jung-kil blackmails him by reminding him of the “thigh” and “pink lipstick.”

Huh? Thigh? Pink lipstick?

Flashback—room salon—and—oops! It’s true. Sang-hoon had indeed kissed one of the hostess girls and touched her thigh. Jung-kil threatens to tell Geum-ja about the incident, and psychologically shakes Sang-hoon down for some cash.

Hyun-soo’s brought home some food for the guests—coffee and bread, which Jung-in had said in the morning is the only thing Jung-kyung eats. Meanwhile, Grandpa Man-bok has also brought home coffee and pastries. Geum-ja feels betrayed, especially by Hyun-soo, that the guests are treated so well while she isn’t given even a stick of gum.

She has a pity party in the kitchen, crying while she does the dishes. Hyun-soo comes in and holds out the bag to her, asking if she had looked thoroughly at its contents. At the bottom of the bag is a bottle of hand cream, which soothes a sore point, since unbeknownst to him Joo-hee had just called Geum-ja’s hands “tortoise shells.”

Hyun-soo: I prefer hands like these, my mother’s hands. They show how much my mother loves our family, and loves me. I am so proud, and so happy, to be your son.

This scene: Awww!! I should go call my mom.

Speaking of making phone calls… Jung-in’s phone fell in the toilet. When she comes out of the bathroom, Hyun-soo is talking to a woman (we presume it’s Jung-kyung, especially when she hangs up on him).

It’s impressive how quickly Jung-in works: she says her sister’s cell phone has been dropping calls, trying to goad him into buying a new phone for her(….self).

And he’s suckered again. You’d think he would see through her, but no. She convinces him to get his own too, since there’s a deal on “couple phones.”

She takes the phone that’s supposedly for her sister and is about to split, but Hyun-soo insists on going to the hospital now to give it to Jung-kyung in person. To avoid getting caught, she tells him to wait in the lobby while she gives Jung-kyung the phone.

She finds her sister in the Chief’s office, where the two are engaging in some collegial hanky panky. She backs out quickly—not without a judgmental glare—and intercepts Hyun-soo, who came up looking for Jung-kyung. She tells him she already gave her the phone and hurries him off.

At home, Jung-in gets a text from Hyun-soo: “Jung-kyung, I went to the hospital, and I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to see you. Overworking is bad for you, so take some breaks while you work. –Kang Hyun-soo.”

Jung-in says to herself, “Poor guy. He doesn’t even know a thing.”

But she sends a reply to Hyun-soo, with the voice-over is in Jung-kyung’s voice (since that’s who he thinks it’s from): “I’m disappointed too. And thanks. <3”

The heart was a little much on Jung-in’s part… but needless to say, Hyun-soo is ecstatic. He excitedly starts tapping away at his response.

(The music in this scene, which plays during the rest of the text-message scenes between Hyun-soo and Jung-kyung/Jung-in, is a great pick. It reminds me of the kinds of music they play in Mac commercials: it’s light, playful and has a steady pace that suggests the development of something novel.)

Grandpa Man-bok has bought tickets for Jung-kil, who is of course not only rude enough to wrest them away from him, but complains that they were purchased by redeeming mileage points. Jung-kil takes them and trades the redeemed points for cash, which he plans to use to pay for a hotel.

To this point, I haven’t captured much detail from the scenes about the dynamics among the parents because (a) it’s a secondary storyline and (b) it’s not that interesting, but this exchange cracked me up:

Joo-hee (to Jung-kil): Honey, when are we going to the U.S.? She keeps trying to start a quarrel, and it’s so scary.
Geum-ja: How am I scary? Am I an evil spirit? You’re the scarier one.
Jung-kil: Actually, even as a man, I do find you a bit scary.

We’ll see a lot of the parents’ dynamics in the next scene, though. Grandpa Man-bok gives Geum-ja meat for the guests. She protests—he wouldn’t even get meat to celebrate Hyun-soo’s homecoming—but he explains that the guests are leaving. It’s for their send-off. At that, she perks up. “I understand, Father. I’ll do my best!”

Though the Seos are about to leave for the hotel, it’s not hard to convince them to stay to eat the meat.

The two families grill the meat outside. They’re sitting in cramped quarters, and the sound of the sizzling meat is like a soundtrack to the escalating tension.

Jung-kil eggs Sang-hoon on, gesturing and alluding to the girl at the room salon, the thigh and pink lipstick. Meanwhile, Hyun-soo is anxious, waiting for Jung-kyung to come home. And Geum-ja is taking this last opportunity to rib the Seos.

Joo-hee mentions that she wants coffee, and Hyun-soo jumps up to go buy a freshly made cup, since he’s anxious for an excuse to look for Jung-kyung. Jung-in is close behind, seizing a similarly lame excuse of an errand. As they’re walking, they run into Jung-kyung, who’s just been dropped off by the Chief. The three of them pick up the coffee and head back to the house. Hyun-soo drops hints about the cell phone:

Hyun-soo: You must be sad that your family is moving to the U.S.
Jung-kyung: Yes.
Hyun-soo: Well, since you have your phone, you can keep in touch with them.
Jung-kyung: I guess so.

Back at the house, things are getting juicy. Jung-kil is alluding to Sang-hoon’s womanizing ways by bringing up his first love and how he even started attending church for her. It seems that neither Geum-ja nor Jung-kil realize that person is Joo-hee, who chokes at the mention. Awkwardd! Then Jung-kil alludes to the thigh and pink lipstick again.

Sang-hoon’s had enough. He lunges for Jung-kil, accidentally searing his hand on the grill in the process. He pushes Jung-kil off the platform, then jumps up howling in pain.

The “kids” return and are there to witness Jung-kil’s retribution—he spills everything. He says that Sang-hoon touched the hostess girl’s leg, and even kissed her.

Far from the outburst you might expect from Geum-ja, she’s silently throwing daggers at Jung-kil with her eyes.

Jung-kil: Why are you glaring at me? Sang-hoon’s the one who kissed her.
Geum-ja says Sang-hoon did well: Why go to such an expensive place if all you’re going to do is drink? Even though my son is here, I’ll acknowledge that men will do such things sometimes. And the fact that he lied to me? That’s obvious. We’re married, so you can do that. That kind of lie is acceptable. Do you have anything left to say? If not, please leave our house this very instant!

(Geum-ja’s having a moment, and I like it. She’s been sensitive up to this point, but it’s because she’s fiercely loyal and wants affirmation that her family is loyal to her, too. In the face of mockery from the outside, and especially from the likes of Jung-kil, something finally snaps and she rushes to Sang-hoon’s defense, willing to overlook his mistake. Will she kill him later? We don’t know. But for now, brava!)

Jung-kil appeals to Grandpa Man-bok, who clears his throat and looks away. Jung-kil says, “Fine, I’m leaving!” and begins to spit on their hospitality. Sang-hoon spits back, and there’s no end in sight to their juvenile antics.

But just then, the long-lost brother Sung-joon comes in. Heads turn, and not just because of that outrageously shiny murse.

Sung-joon: “So this is where you all were!”
[The Seos]: “Sung-joon!”
Sung-joon: “That’s right. Mother, Father, I’M BAAACK! AAAHAHAHA!”


COMMENTS

I know we’ve only seen him for all of 15 seconds, but having also seen episode 6, I’ll say that I am loving Lee Chun-hee as Seo Sung-joon. His character comes on the scene when, frankly, the plot was starting to drag and I was past annoyed with Jung-kil’s asinine behavior. Sung-joon’s arrival could have been a total plot contrivance—the distant son swoops in and sets some plot devices in motion—but Lee Chun-hee just does it with so much gusto. His entrance tells it all: this guy is crazy, and when he bursts onto the scene with his half-maniacal laughter, he infuses the scene with new energy. He commits to his antics with loads of flair and creates moments of unbridled comic relief while the other (more serious, if you will) plotlines are developing. Keep watching—there’s more Sung-joon fun to be had in episode 6!

On the other hand, Seo Jung-kil irks me to no end. I know he’s supposed to be annoying—his character is grotesquely immature—but I haven’t decided yet whether to attribute my reaction to character alone, or also in part to Kang Suk-woo’s performance. Jung-kil’s nonexistent backbone is essential to the plot; he’s dodgy, evasive and oblivious to how his actions affect others. But I think that Kang Suk-woo is making Jung-kil out to have the emotional intelligence of a 12-year-old, and regardless of character flaws, this is still a man who steered a company for several years. Granted, he steered it right into the ground, but surely he should have even the slightest sense of scale? That said, I am looking forward to seeing Jung-kil eat some humble pie in order to grow a backbone, and I hope to see a bit more nuance in how Kang Suk-woo portrays that growth.

This episode is not so much a series of small lol’s as a crescendo towards one, raucous, side-splittingly hilarious scene (Thank you, Lee Chun-hee!!). In my opinion, it’s the funniest scene in this series so far.

Overall, the snappy pace and light fun of this series are getting a bit bogged down, but we do get a lot more Jung-in/Hyun-soo quality time in the latter half of this episode (yay!). In recent episodes, the two carried on about the slapper and traded barbs as they adjusted to the new two-family dynamics, but the actual relationship between the two of them for its own sake hadn’t developed much. Here, we get lots of “I care for you” looks from Hyun-soo toward Jung-in, which I appreciate even if he hasn’t actually mentally processed this yet.


Episode 6 Recap

Sung-joon, the pro golfer son on whom the Seos’ hopes hang, has finally come home. His entrance inadvertently breaks up the Seo-Kang feud that had just come to a head. Feeling back in control now that his moneybag—I mean, son—is home, Jung-kil begins to taunt Grandpa Man-bok and Sang-hoon and the tension reheats.

But Sung-joon interrupts and says that, despite what may have been happening in the house up to this point, the proper order of things must be observed. He leads the group inside, where he makes a formal bow to his parents and apologizes in elaborate, flowery language for having been oblivious to their troubles.

When he finishes his little monologue, Jung-in looks at her sister and says, “What’d he say?” (Our first indication that it’s not just we the viewers who find him a bit odd.)

Eagerly, Jung-kil asks whether the house and car he’d bought for Sung-joon in the U.S. are in good condition. Taken aback, Sung-joon says, “Pardon?” and laughs nervously. “Of course! But more importantly, they say that the rich can last three years even if they lose everything, so how did the house disappear overnight?”

“Not to worry,” Jung-kil says. “Everything will be fine now that you’re here.”

Jung-kil reaches in his pocket, takes out the money Grandfather had given him and throws it on the floor, saying he no longer needs it. He tells the family to get ready to leave, but Sung-joon interrupts: “From now on, we need to live differently. Even if we leave for America, until we go, I will stay in this house.” (Love Geum-ja’s expression here.)

Speaking with gravitas, he says that, given the ruin that’s come to this family, he must now take responsibility as head of the house. With a quick look around and a comment on how small the house is, he says he’ll sleep outside and runs out with his luggage. Everyone is thinking the same thing—WTF?!—so it takes the Seos a few moments to regroup and follow him outside.

It must have been a long time since Sung-joon left for the States, because something about him has clearly been off, yet they are only just now catching on. Jung-kil says that he’s found the whole thing suspicious from the start and asks Sung-joon if he’s been doing drugs in the States (haha!), while Jung-in uses her sixth sense to surmise that Sung-joon has set up house with a mistress.

Sung-joon has quickly fallen from grace, but he doesn’t stay down for long. He denies both of these scenarios and turns the searchlights back on Jung-kil. Where Jung-in’s childish “This is all your fault” outbursts fail, Sung-joon uses logic to undermine Jung-kil’s inflated sense of self:

Sung-joon: Don’t carry on like that; you have no right to do so in these circumstances! As far as the business, sure, sometimes things can go wrong. I’m not saying we should resent you for that. But whose fault is it that we’ve come to this house? If times are hard, it’s harder on Mom, Jung-in and Jung-kyung; and the blow to their pride would be greater, too.

Hyun-soo comes outside, expressing concern that it’s cold and Sung-joon must be tired. He tells Sung-joon to sleep in his room tonight, at which Sung-joon immediately grabs his man-bag and goes inside.

Hyun-soo smiles at Jung-kyung, hoping for a word of thanks. Jung-kyung looks away. You literally hear crickets in the background as Jung-in eyes them both skeptically.

Sung-joon invites himself to sleep in Hyun-soo’s bed, and with Jung-kyung in mind Hyun-soo is completely amenable, trying to impress her older brother. The two establish that Hyun-soo is a year younger than Sung-joon, who magnanimously tells Hyun-soo to be comfortable with him and just call him “Hyung” (older brother), while he begins calling Hyun-soo “Dongseng” (little brother).

Sung-joon observes that Hyun-soo has a certain charm and gives him a seal of approval as a potential suitor for one of his younger sisters. Hyun-soo is overjoyed—and his reaction blips on Sung-joon’s radar.

The Seo women are settling in for the night. Jung-in gets a text message from Hyun-soo, asking Jung-kyung to come outside to talk for a bit. The response: “Once my family is asleep, I’ll come outside. Wait for me.”

And wait he does. It’s cold outside, so he grabs clothing off the laundry line and piles it on.

When Geum-ja finds Sung-joon sleeping in Hyun-soo’s bed in the morning, she sounds an alarm in the house, worried that he’s disappeared. Jung-in remembers the text she’d sent, and rushes outside.

Without much sympathy for his barefoot-in-the-cold, fetal position, she wakes him up.

Jung-in: “You like it that much? Is it that great?”
Hyun-soo [with a sheepish look at the phone clutched to his chest]:“It is new after all…”
Jung-in: “That’s not what I meant.”

Geum-ja and company rush to the scene. Hyun-soo sees Jung-kyung, and, not wanting to make her feel guilty that he fell asleep out in the cold while waiting, he exaggeratedly insists that he’s completely fine, really!

Jung-in sarcastically remarks that he doesn’t seem to have a fever, so maybe drinking the morning dew has addled his brain? Geum-ja flings Jung-in’s hand off her precious son. Sung-joon’s radar computes: sister—hand—Hyun-soo—forehead—!!! As everyone heads inside to eat, Sung-joon flashes a sly, knowing look at Jung-in.

Over breakfast, Jung-kil asks Sung-joon to just front some cash so the Seos can leave. If nothing else, can’t they just abandon the house they’ve lost and go to their second home in the States? Sung-joon and Jung-in both say they can’t just abandon the house, its associated memories and the belongings they left behind.

Grandpa Kang agrees. Ever loyal to the Chairman, Grandpa Kang says that now that the company’s lost, the house is the sole inheritance left to the family.

Sung-joon later approaches Grandfather Kang in the car garage office, emphasizing once again that this house is the best place for the Seos to stay until they can recoup their losses. He begins to bring up something else, but Kyung-soo interrupts.

Grandpa Kang, referring to Sung-joon as “Young master” (which is also how he addresses Jung-kil), leaves to make his morning rounds. Kyung-soo sarcastically remarks, “This isn’t the Chosun era anymore, so what’s with all the young masters around here?”

Kyung-soo and Sung-joon have a mini-showdown, which I think is cute because they have similar character traits. If ever there was such a thing as a Korean-male-blonde, these two are it. Though well-intentioned and charming, they are not all there upstairs, and whether by self-report or by reputation, they supposedly know how to work it with the opposite sex. (They even kind of look alike!)

Both react with surprise when they hear Jung-in coming, looking for Oppa. Kyung-soo realizes that he’s been mouthing off at the older brother of the object of his affections, and immediately changes his tune.

Sung-joon senses the shift in power dynamics, and he begins to coax some information out of Kyung-soo. He asks how the car wash business is doing, and whether Grandpa Kang still owns the surrounding land. Kyung-soo says he does, but there’s something more important that he wants to tell Sung-joon. He hesitates. Sung-joon insists that his lips are sealed, so he should tell him everything.

Kyung-soo essentially wants to ask Sung-joon for his blessing in re: Jung-in. He cryptically (at least to Sung-joon, who is completely out of the loop) refers to Jung-in’s past and says it doesn’t matter to him that she was married. He dreamily refers to the first time he laid eyes on Jung-in, when she was dumped on the way to her honeymoon and appeared at the car garage with tears in her eyes, wearing her wedding dress.

Sung-joon: “If you’re kidding around, you’re dead meat!! Tell me straight up. What happened to my little sister Jung-in??”

Meanwhile, Lee Han-sae calls Hyun-soo and asks him to come by the office for a brief orientation of the facilities, since Hyun-soo starts work tomorrow. After hanging up the phone, Han-sae tells his assistant to bring together a team for the system testing project.

Confused, the assistant reminds Han-sae that Hyun-soo is assembling his own team. Han-sae tells him to choose people who are capable enough to take over the project in its entirety, since Hyun-soo might find himself ousted somewhere down the line. Do I smell sabotage?

Why, yeeesss. And accompanied by a look of evil genius, no less. Han-sae is planning professional revenge for a personal grievance—that Hyun-soo would steal “his woman.”

Han-sae’s revenge is oh so passive-aggressive. He tells the receptionist to relay the message that he’s stepped out of the office, and have Hyun-soo wait. While waiting, Hyun-soo drafts a text message to Jung-kyung. It reads, “Jung-kyung, have you had lunch?”

With a sigh, he chides himself: “All you ever do is talk about eating; she must think you’re a glutton.”

Sung-joon is outraged at hearing what happened to Jung-in, and he finds her reading text messages from Hyun-soo, in a wistful mood. Sung-joon demands to know what happened with her marriage and annulment.

She expresses bitterly that Jung-kil pressured her into marrying Han-sae in order to save the company from bankruptcy (by forging ties with a wealthy family). As a result she was accused by Han-sae’s mother of using the marriage to swindle them. She says thinking about it stings her pride so deeply that she’d rather die, and tells Sung-joon to drop the subject.

Far from dropping the subject, he yells, “Lee Han-sae, you bastard!” and takes off in a tizzy of protective, big-brother anger. (It’d almost be cute, if he weren’t so completely crazay.)

Jung-in rushes to find her mother and father, asking them to stop Sung-joon from causing trouble. She wants no further entanglements with the Lee family, and if Sung-joon creates a scene they’ll think she still has feelings for Han-sae.

Back at Global Korea, Han-sae finally calls Hyun-soo up for their much-delayed appointment. Hyun-soo asks, “Did I get the meeting time wrong?” To which Han-sae responds that he had some important reading to do. He throws it on the desk, and it’s a mere consumer magazine, Top Gear.

Han-sae gets down to the business he’s interested in. He asks what the relationship is between Hyun-soo and Jung-in.

Hyun-soo: Our families are acquainted.
Han-sae: By acquainted, you mean…
Hyun-soo: My grandfather was their chauffeur.
Han-sae: Chauffeur? [Laughs.] Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not because he was a chauffeur… but for you, working with cars is the family trade. Granted, you’ve upgraded a few levels.

Han-sae continues to press Hyun-soo for the exact nature of his and Jung-in’s relationship, but Hyun-soo keeps his tone professional and makes it clear that’s not what he came here to talk about.

They tour the premises, then leave the office together. As Hyun-soo is taking his leave, Han-sae says, “Kang Hyun-soo, I have high expectations for your work. And I’ll be putting in my best effort when dealing with you, whether at work or in other matters.”

Hyun-soo responds with a civil, “Very well.”

All civility disappears when Sung-joon bursts on the scene. It’s like the running of the bulls when he barrels down on Han-sae, full-force:


“Lee Han-sae!! Come here, you bastard! You call yourself a man? Annulment?! When was it that you chased Jung-in around saying you liked her, and then you throw her out in the cold??”

He shakes Han-sae like a rag doll. Hyun-soo is trying to break up the fight, but ducks out of the way when Sung-joon winds up his athletically trained arm and decks Han-sae. Han-sae goes flying, and Sung-joon picks him up, only to flatten him again.


But Han-sae’s called security, and when they accost Sung-joon, Han-sae says, “Hold on tight!” and begins to hit Sung-joon back. (A dastardly move, if ever there was one… not that we’d expect any better from Han-sae. Even the security guard is looking at him like, ARE YOU FORREALS?!—haha.)

Han-sae taunts, “Come on! Come get me!” His attempt to enrage Sung-joon is too effective. Sung-joon flings the guards off, lunges and mauls Han-sae to the ground. (He is a BEAST!)

(HAHAHA… This is like one of those “Can you find all seven things that are wrong with this photo?” puzzles.)

Jung-in, Jung-kil and Joo-hee have arrived. Jung-in looks at Han-sae, disheveled and bloodied, and asks, “Did you really have to go this far?”

Sheepish, he says that Sung-joon started it.

Jung-kil is enraged now, too: “You drew tears from my daughter’s eyes… and now you draw blood from my son?!”

He jumps into the fray, and a hilarious, frenetic melee ensues. Unable to break it up, Jung-in yells in frustration from the sidelines. It almost seems like a game of tag, musical chairs and steal the bacon combined… Which is to say, nice job on the maturity level, boys.

(Okay, commentary. OMIGOD Lee Chun-hee is brilliant. He’s the fulcrum of this madness, and he completely lets it rip. Props to Lee Kyu-han, too, for being a remorseless Hugh Grant to Lee Chun-hee’s Colin Firth; the only thing this scene lacks is a fountain. I should note, this also happens to be the first scene in which I approve of Jung-kil’s actions—it is the very first time we’ve seen him stick up for his family. He’s always cowering, evading, worming his way out of sticky situations, so it was just fun to see him getting his hands dirty along with the rest of them.)

Now that testosterone levels are back to normal, the two families start a war of words. Jung-kil, master of empty threats, says that Global Korea’s corporate reputation will suffer when word gets out that Han-sae is prone to violence; he points to Sung-joon’s bloodied lip as evidence.

But Han-sae’s mother advises Jung-kil that those who have more win out in the end.

(Wardrobe! What did you do to this poor lady? I know she’s a total witch, but did you have to make her look like one?)

Proving Mrs. Lee’s point, her lawyer comes in with a file on Sung-joon. While at a casino in Las Vegas, he says, Sung-joon had been restrained for creating a public disturbance when he got in a fight. Jung-kil jumps to Sung-joon’s defense, but Sung-joon admits that it’s true.

Jung-in, still smarting from the physical and emotional slap she got from Mrs. Lee, apologizes on her brother’s behalf for creating a scene. Mrs. Lee turns her verbal venom on Jung-in, telling her to stop clinging on to Han-sae. Since it’s money she’s looking for, would she give up if the Lees introduce her to some other wealthy bachelor?

Hyun-soo has been observing the dynamics: Jung-kil’s groundless pugnacity, Mrs. Lee’s vindictiveness and Jung-in’s silent submission. This isn’t the resilient, right-back-at-you Jung-in he’s come to know. He grabs Jung-in’s hand and pulls her outside.

Hyun-soo: Are you a fool? How could you just stand there and take the things she was saying?
Jung-in: You’re right. I’m a fool. So stay out of my business.

Outside, Sung-joon apologizes to his parents for having gone gambling in Vegas, and to his surprise Jung-kil shrugs it off. Sung-joon is a man, after all, and sometimes men let their fists fly.

Remember how I said Sung-joon is a Korean-male-blonde? He proves it when he ditzily responds: “Father, I was wronged. They say there’s no mercy in gambling. Even though I only put down a few million, it was criminal of them not to give me at least me a cut of the winnings. And so, before I realized it, it was over…”

Jung-kil stutters, “A—a few, a few million?” No doubt, he asks, that money was from Sung-joon’s tournament prize earnings… right?!?!

Wrong. Sung-joon sinks to his knees, pleading for his life. (Actually, he’s pleading for his death, saying, “Please kill me!”—which drove home for me the vast difference in how culturally appropriate behavior is perceived.)

Joo-hee and Jung-kil, realizing what this means, collapse in frustration. The moneybag has come home empty. In a nice touch, after Jung-kil collapses flat on his back, his feet convulse a little, as though he’s just died a little inside.

Grandpa Man-bok had come out looking for the family (he’d driven them to the original fight scene), and he overhears the exchange. He, too, is distraught to hear the news. But as he leaves, he walks purposefully and determinedly. The family’s hit rock bottom, and there’s no time to waste. Something must be done.

Hyun-soo has been walking Jung-in home, a few paces behind her. But he looks around and wonders where she’s going; this isn’t the way home.

It is, though—it’s the way to her old home. “Grandfather,” she says in tears, “right now, I feel so upset, and so troubled, but there’s no one to turn to. And so… I have nowhere to go.”

As if on cue, Hyun-soo steps into the scene. (This is gorgeous—both in terms of the framing of the shot, and the symbolism, which we’ll soon discover.) He tries to cheer her up, and they banter per usual, but her delivery lacks its signature feistiness.

He points to the angel statue they’ve been sitting under, commenting that it kind of resembles Jung-in.

Jung-in says that her grandfather had it made when she was born. “Grandfather treated me the most fondly. So he said he wouldn’t give this statue up, even when I leave the house to get married. If he missed me, he said, he’d look at this statue and think of me. But the reverse has happened. Since he passed away, whenever I miss him, I look at this statue.”

(Back to the photo above—I love that Hyun-soo’s entrance is a mirror image to the guardian angel that symbolizes her grandfather. It’s way obvious, but sweet nonetheless.)

Still trying to cheer Jung-in up, he tells her that with her spitfire personality, she’s bound to get the house back if she sets her mind to it. Once she’s reclaimed the house, he demands that she invite him over for a barbecue. “A luxurious one,” he gestures. Jung-in scoffs.

Hyun-soo: What? We had a barbecue party for you at our house too, you know.
Jung-in: Some party that was.
Hyun-soo: Regardless, you ate barbecue.

Jung-in is still hard to please, but her tone has softened.

Hyun-soo: Are you hungry? Let’s go eat. I can buy you anything under $10.
Jung-in: Have you forgotten? For women, it’s all about the atmosphere. You shouldn’t worry about where to go, but how much you’re going to spend.
Hyun-soo: You’re not a woman, you’re a dongseng.
Jung-in: I’m not hungry. Go and eat by yourself.
Hyun-soo: Hey, I’m putting effort in here, so could you stop acting like that?
Jung-in: Put your effort in with the slapper, and don’t worry about me.

A gate latch clicks, followed by a door opening and closing. Footsteps approach.

Hyun-soo grabs Jung-in to hide behind the bushes. Jung-in asks in a whisper who it could be. As Hyun-soo whispers in her ear that it must be the new owner, she becomes aware of his physical presence.

His hand is on her shoulder to keep her in their hiding spot, and his face is so close that it almost seems a precursor to a kiss scene. “Let’s get out of here,” Hyun-soo whispers.

After they leave, lights turn on in the house. The owner sits down among the slipcovered furniture, and in the briefest moment, we see that it’s Grandpa Man-bok who has bought the house.

Hyun-soo continues to follow Jung-in and asks her if she’s sure she doesn’t want to eat. The whispers still ringing in her ear, she turns around and pushes him away, telling him not to stick so close to her.

Sung-joon, Jung-kil and Joo-hee discuss next steps as they approach the Kangs’ house. Simple-minded Sung-joon suggests that they should come clean and ask Grandpa Man-bok for some money to reclaim the house, but Jung-kil and Joo-hee say that would never work. And if Geum-ja were to find out the truth… Joo-hee shudders at the thought of it. They don’t have a plan B, but they agree that no one in the house must know this change in their situation.

Hyun-soo and Jung-in arrive, and Sung-joon apologizes to Jung-in for starting the fight. She tells him he did well, but asks him not to interfere again, and to avoid the Lee family from now on.

Hyun-soo goes inside, and Jung-kil points out that he might have overheard their secret. “Don’t worry,” Sung-joon says. “Leave it to me—I’ll take care of it.”

He puts out feelers to get a sense of whether Hyun-soo has overheard anything about losing money, gambling and the like. Hyun-soo’s non-reactions put him at ease, and Sung-joon pulls out his trump card.

Sung-joon: Very well! I consent. Take good care of my little sister.
Hyun-soo: What??
Sung-joon: I was onto you the moment you grabbed her hand and swooped out of the room.

Hyun-soo, of course, insists nothing is going on. Too discomfited to keep this conversation going any longer, he goes upstairs to wash up.

Jung-in comes out, looking quite lovely. (Is it the hair? Curled more tightly than usual?) She’s also had a mood upswing, and offers to cook ramen for Hyun-soo if he’s hungry, since they never did eat on the way home.

Sung-joon pops up from downstairs, intrigued. (Hahaha!) Hyun-soo says he wouldn’t eat it with her, and storms into the bathroom.

Jung-in processes an eventful, emotion-filled day. She thinks about her interactions with Hyun-soo and sighs, “I must be crazy.”

Just then, a text message. “Are you sleeping?”

(The voiceovers are now in Jung-in’s voice (up til now, they were voiced over by Jung-kyung). Hyun-soo still thinks it’s coming from Jung-kyung of course, but Jung-in needs someone to talk to—her guard is down—so she’s interacting with Hyun-soo in her own voice and thoughts.)

Jung-in: “I can’t sleep.”
Hyun-soo: “If you’re too tired, it can be hard to sleep. Was it a difficult day?”
Jung-in: “A bit. I was upset enough to cry, but I’m okay now.”
Hyun-soo: “Via text, I can’t pat your back or console you with a song, so what can I do?”
Jung-in: “Do you sing well?”
Hyun-soo: “No. So if I sing, at least you’ll laugh. Though you’d be laughing at me.”
Jung-in: “Unthinkable. Singing doesn’t suit you at all.”
Hyun-soo: “Haha. But it’s strange. When you’re texting, you seem like a different person.”

At this, Jung-in snaps out of it. Hyun-soo sends a few more texts, but she doesn’t reply.

Grandpa Man-bok, in the Chairman’s house, vows that in the Chairman’s memory he will make a man out of the young master. His determination is evident when, probably for the first time in his life, he calls Jung-kil “young master” and then corrects himself saying, “I mean—Seo Jung-kil.”

The plan goes into effect bright and early the next morning. Grandpa Man-bok sounds a siren, to which Geum-ja, Sang-hoon and Hyun-soo react with evident auto-recall. Barely awake, Hyun-soo bounds out of his cocoon sleeping bag, robotically puts on his jacket and goes outside.

Grandpa Man-bok announces that the morning exercises that were temporarily sidelined due to Hyun-soo’s studies abroad will now resume daily at 6 a.m. Those who are late don’t eat. Those who don’t work also don’t eat! He says that anyone who lives under his roof from this point forward must follow his orders.

He turns on an antiquated recording, to which the Kangs do their morning routine. The Seos find this hilarious, but it’s cold, they’re tired, and it’s not enough of a spectacle to keep watching. So they head inside.

Until Grandpa Kang calls out, “Jung-kil, you wretch! Get down here right now!”

Jung-kil’s never been called a wretch, so he says in surprise, “You… you… wretch?… Chauffeur Kang!”

“Shut your trap! Who said I’m your chauffeur? I am the owner of this house. Kang Man-bok.”

COMMENTARY

I embedded by fangirly commentary re: Lee Chun-hee above, so I’ll pass on describing once more how much he’s enlivened the show. He brings crazy fun, but Lee Ming-jung and Jung Kyung-ho provide the cute fun so I’m glad we’ve seen their friendationship take a baby step forward. The chemistry between the two is still going strong, and I think they had a lot of great moments together in this episode.

But I’m starting to think that Jung-in’s character is actually getting short shrift, somewhat. Lee Min-jung traverses such a spectrum of expression that she makes Jung-in’s emotions believable in each moment, but Jung-in as a character doesn’t really cohere for me. She was engaged & spunky; now she’s dumped and mopey. She was rich; now she’s poor. She’s fresh and in-your-face to Han-sae, but sensitive and timid in front of his mother. We know she was spoiled, but I just can’t figure out anything else about her. Aside from being opinionated and outspoken, Jung-in hasn’t actually done much other than express her opinions and make a fuss in these last two episodes.

One thing to note: in the last recap, I said that the parental dynamics are a secondary storyline, but I misspoke; the parents are clearly integral to the story. What I actually meant to say was that Joo-hee seems so… peripheral as a character and inessential to plot development. She doesn’t register for me at all—I don’t feel sorry for her, amused by or even annoyed with her. And for the most part all the characters pretty much ignore her too, including Jung-kil. The exception is Sang-hoon, I suppose, but the fact that he turns into putty around Joo-hee seems completely out of place, considering that they were interested in each other thirty years, two marriages and four children ago. If they were, say, 35 and had toddlers rather than grown adults for children, then maybe. I hope the writers don’t take this thread too far, because it just doesn’t make sense.

I probably sound a little schizo in my assessment— it’s fun & cute; but it drags and some characters don’t make sense. Well, since taking on these recaps I’ve started watching episodes twice, which brings out both the good and the bad. The first time, I thoroughly enjoyed the episode for its fun/farcical moments, and I didn’t pay much attention to the less interesting scenes. But my reaction after watching the episode a second time was tepid because while the fun parts are still fun, the rest just isn’t going anywhere right now. The show focuses entirely on the Seo/Kang inter-family dynamics, but there’s nothing else external going on to keep the plot moving. And since the characters haven’t developed much in these first six episodes, the cyclical jibe-comeback-glare-sulk thing is getting tired/predictable.

Whip ‘em into shape, Grandpa! Let’s MOVE this story right along!!

How the mighty have fallen…

As soyjoy mentioned in her last recap, watching an episode twice makes the shortcomings glaringly obvious. This definitely isn’t a masterpiece that needs to be seen more than once. It’s not surprising for a 50-episode series to be drawn out, but I think some plot development/movement is in order. Fortunately, Lee Chun Hee’s entrance has infused a bit of energy and his love interest has been revealed, giving me some hope for the future. I still enjoy the goofy and sweet moments, so all is not lost.

[Just a little housekeeping note: Unfortunately, our 3rd partner in crime had to bow out, leaving 2 of us for the recaps. With the good ratings, I fully expect to see 50 episodes of Smile, leading to our decision to recap 2 episodes together going forward.]

SONG OF THE DAY

Smile OST – “안녕 내 사랑” (Goodbye, My Love) by Melo’ Breeze [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Episode 7

The Seo family is in complete shock with Grandpa Man-bok’s stinging words, “Yesterday was the last day I treated you like a guest. You’d better do as I say!” The puerile Sung-joon, immediately walks over to the Kang family, and starts stretching. (Chunderella, you’ve still got it!) Jung-kil kicks Sung-joon and takes his family into the house.

Inside, Jung-kil accuses Jung-in of tattle tailing their current state of poverty to Grandpa Man-bok, declaring that she’s always liked him more than her own family. Joo-hee (mom) and Sung-joon both jump on her for betraying the family. She immediate declares her innocence and reminds them that Grandpa Man-bok isn’t the type of person to be swayed by money. Seeing the desperate situation, Sung-joon suggests following Grandpa’s orders, but Jung-kil won’t hear any of it. Jung-in takes charge, “Let me give it a try. He listens to everything I say, so you just sit quietly and trust me.”

She heads outside and turns the charm dial to full, trying to win Grandpa Man-bok over. But he’s no pushover, and tells her to stop acting like a child. He calls over Geum-ja and puts her in charge of the women, instructing her to share the housework with Jung-in and her mom. He even suggests that she hit them if they won’t listen. Geum-ja is excited beyond belief and walks away thinking about the possibilities.

Realizing that he needs to work in order to eat, Sung-joon heads outside and pretends to help Hyun-soo with the car wash. (He basically picks up a sponge and then puts it back down.) Sung-joon asks Hyun-soo to take care of the soft-hearted Jung-in, which makes Hyun-soo adamantly deny that anything is going on between them. But at the mention of Jung-kyung’s name, Hyun-soo perks up.

Sung-joon: If it was Jung-kyung…
Hyun-soo: What if it was Jung-kyung?
Sung-joon: She would have already packed up her bags and left, and never come anywhere near here again. Her personality is… bleh. If you say one thing she doesn’t like, she’ll never see you again. That’s why she has no friends.

Meanwhile, Jung-kyung is off playing house with her doctor boyfriend. He’s moved her into his spare apartment, and comes over to prepare breakfast as she wakes up in the morning.

I know there’s been quite a bit of Jung-kyung hating going on. Maybe I’m biased because I like the actress who plays her character (Choi Jung-yoon), but I think she has redeeming qualities in the series. Yes, she’s cold, even heartless at times, but I think she wants the best for her family. She just does it in her own harsh way. I mean, she’s had to endure 26 years of her family’s craziness. That said, it is pretty bratty of her to stay in this apartment, while her family suffers at the Kangs.

As the Kang family starts breakfast, the Seos file out, hoping to join them. They start to scoop food onto their plates, but Grandpa Man-bok is relentless and refuses to feed those who don’t work. Jung-kil calls his family back to their room, but the shameless Sung-joon fibs that he helped Hyun-soo with the car wash, and eats breakfast. Man-bok is so stubborn that he won’t even let Jung-in drink water at the table.

The Kang dad/son combo try to talk Geum-ja into showing some compassion to the Seo family. It’s for different reasons, different ladies to be more precise. Sang-hoon is worried about Joo-hee, while Hyun-soo is thinking about Jung-kyung. But Geum-ja refuses to give an inch.

As Hyun-soo leaves for work, he offers to buy food for Jung-in. But she thinks that he’s only being friendly because of the earlier text she sent, pretending to be a worried Jung-kyung.

Jung-in: What happened? You didn’t even want to eat ramen with me yesterday.
Hyun-soo: That was yesterday. Let’s go. I’ll buy you something.
Jung-in: Forget it. Don’t meddle and just go.
Hyun-soo: How can I not meddle when you’re like this?
Jung-in: If anyone saw, they’d think you’re worrying about me.
Hyun-soo: Huh?

Sung-joon see them talking to each other, and asks what the 2 of them are doing. When Hyun-soo abruptly leaves for work, he gives Jung-in a knowing smile.

Hyun-soo heads to his new work at Global Motors (used incorrect company name in earlier post), and Han-se loads him with work on his first day. He also takes the opportunity to talk to Hyun-soo about the incident outside the restaurant. He tells Hyun-soo to be careful about Jung-in, because she’d try to do anything to win him back. Even using sympathy to exploit Hyun-soo. Han-se is hoping for some revenge with his words, but Hyun-soo replies with confidence.

Hyun-soo: Is the Seo Jung-in you know that kind of woman? I’m sure you know her better than me, since you even married her. But the Seo Jung-in I know would find keeping her dignity more important than being pitied. I’m sorry that I seem to get involved in your personal life. As I said earlier, Seo Jung-in and I don’t have any relationship. So, please try to avoid this kind of discussion in the future.

Jung-in is sulking back at the Kang residence, waiting for someone to notice her. It’s a little cute, but mostly sad that she’s decided to act like a toddler to get her way. (What happened to the resilient Jung-in?) Her presence has the opposite effect that she’s going for, and Grandpa Man-bok’s blood boils, seeing her mope. Geum-ja pushes her into the house at Man-bok’s request, and tries to put her to work. She hands her a hand broom, explaining that sweeping the floor is the easiest chore in the house. But Jung-in throws the broom on the floor, barking that she shouldn’t have to work. Geum-ja slaps her on her back, calling her a foolish, immature girl. (Way to go, Geum-ja!)

While having lunch, Hyun-soo’s coworkers start telling grade school wordplay jokes.

Q: Do you know who grandpa loves the most?
A: Hal-MO-NEY… (Hal-muh-nee is grandma in Korean.)
Q: What do you call it when a dong-seng (younger brother) really loves his hyung (older brother)?
A: Hyung gwang pen [형광팬]… (It could either mean a highlighter or hyung/older brother’s biggest fan.)
It’s cute that Hyun-soo takes a second to figure out the joke, and then texts them to Jung-kyung (really Jung-in) to make her smile. Jung-in gets the message and thinks, how childish, but starts cracking up after a second.

Hyun-soo text: You’re laughing because it’s childish, right? But if you laughed, mission accomplished.
Jung-in: I laughed because it’s me. If it was Seo Jung-kyung, there wouldn’t have been any laughter. What a dummy.

Hyun-soo receives a text from “Jung-kyung” that reads, “hehe… really funny.” But more significant is the pair of lips that comes with the text. Hyun-soo tries to play it cool in front of his co-workers, but we know that he’s bursting with joy on the inside.

Jung-in lies in bed, thinking about Hyun-soo, and wonders if he could figure out the owner of the lips. She realizes that it’s unrealistic, but still peruses through the texts from him, smiling. When she sees her sister’s name in one of the texts, she comes to her senses, knowing that they were all meant for Jung-kyung.

Determined to tell Hyun-soo the truth, she resolves to pay him back for the cellphone. She decides to sell off her clothes and starts going through the luggage, with her family following suit. When they try to take the clothes out of the house, grandpa Man-bok orders them to give up their clothes as collateral for the room. After Man-bok drives off with the clothes, Jung-kil is still in a good mood, and takes his family out, promising to buy something better than the lost clothes. When Sung-joon asks about money, Jung-kil points to his watch.

As Jung-kyung is about to go on a date with her doctor boyfriend, Hyun-soo arrives at the hospital and sees them together. He’s surprised but walks over to talk about the text he sent. She, of course, doesn’t know what he’s talking about and takes out her cellphone. Hyun-soo realizes that it’s not the phone he bought and flees. Jung-kyungs runs after him, wanting to keep him quiet about her boyfriend.

The rest of the Seo family are out at Joon-bae’s restaurant. Jung-kil and Sung-joon are enjoying their food, while the 2 ladies are none too happy with the situation. Joo-hee has filled up with the bread that Sang-hoon brought her and Jung-in wants money instead of meat. Joon-bae is averse to watching the Seo family eat their money away, and calls Man-bok to come pick them up.

A dejected Hyun-soo heads home, and sees the oblivious Jung-in, who’s happy to see him. But Hyun-soo is angry and walks right past her.

Jung-in: Oppa. Hold on. You were going to take me out for food this morning. Let’s go now. I haven’t eaten all day and I have something to give to you.
Hyun-soo: … [walks away.]
Jung-in: I have something to give to you.
Hyun-soo: … [walks away.]
Jung-in: Oppa. I have something to tell you. I’m not sure why you’re mad, but I didn’t eat, waiting for you to come home. I know I was cranky this morning for no reason. I just didn’t have anyone else to take it out on. When I was burned by Han-se, when I cried, or when I was upset, you…
Hyun-soo: I’m not going to anymore. I’m not going to soothe or console you anymore. So get out of my way.
Jung-in: Listen to me first.
Hyun-soo: I don’t want to.

Jung-in wants to tell Hyun-soo the truth, but he’s rightfully upset about the cellphone incident, and doesn’t give her a chance to apologize.

Meanwhile, Jung-kyung has come to the house to talk to Hyun-soo. She finds Jung-in’s cellphone and looks through the texts, figuring out that Jung-in has been sending messages to Hyun-soo disguised as Jung-kyung. She comes down to Hyun-soo’s room to find Jung-in and Hyun-soo together.

Episode 8

Jung-kyung dismisses her sister as a flake only interested in getting a free cellphone, and scolds Hyun-soo for behaving rashly, “Did you really think I would send you these kind of texts?” Hyun-soo is wounded by her words but remains level-headed. He blames himself and reminds her that he’s always found excuses everytime she’s rejected him. Jung-kyung affirms her feelings for her boyfriend and begs him to stop making excuses anymore.

Grandpa Man-bok drags home a drunk Jung-kil. Our 2 families are finally together under the same roof again, but with disastrous circumstances. Jung-kil is fully inebriated and calls Man-bok all sorts of name, before passing out. The members of the Seo family are embarrassed and worried about being thrown out.

Jung-in runs after Jung-kyung, who sneers at her, “Why do you want to talk to me? To apologize? Forget it. I should thank you for helping me end things cleanly (with Hyun-soo.)” Jung-in has become quite the softy when it comes to Hyun-soo and calls her a callous bitch for the way she’s treating him. Jung-kyung picks up her sister’s concern for Hyun-soo, and tells Jung-in to keep her feeling in check and not fall for a guy who’s had an 8 year crush.

When Jung-in comes back to the house, she sees Hyun-soo outside. She tries to cheer him up and hands over the money for the cellphone. He makes her follow him to a playground nearby to talk in private. When he asks how long she’s known, Jung-in comes clean. She tells him that she accidentally saw them together at hospital, and tries to console him.

Jung-in: I know Seo Jung-kyung well, since she’s my sister. She’s always been a brat, since she was little. You saw the way she left, even though dad was (drunk) like that. So stop letting her upset you, and just let go of her. A person like you is worthy of someone way better than her.”

Unfortunately, Hyun-soo is more bothered by Jung-in’s condemnation of Jung-kyung, than comforted by her words.

Back home, they both ponder the conversation. Hyun-soo muses over his love, Jung-kyung, while Jung-in frets over Hyun-soo. She gives him 10 seconds to return her text, and starts counting to 10 slowly, sad that he’s not responding.

The next morning, both whole family comes out for their morning exercises. Jung-in may talk a big game, but still has a guilty conscience. One glare from Hyun-soo stops her yawn in its tracks. (Cute!)

Grandpa Man-bok cancels the morning stretching and calls a family meeting. The Kangs are assuming that Man-bok will finally come to his sense and kick out the Seos. But he has other issues to discuss. He’s found wasted rice in the drain and wants to know who threw away good food.

When no one speaks up, Man-bok declares that as the head of the family, he’ll take responsibility. He then eats the dirty rice off the table, while everyone looks on in horror. (That almost made me puke.) Even more surprising to the Kangs, is his decision to have the 2 families continue to live under one roof. When Hyun-soo speaks up and asks the reason for the decision, Sung-joon confesses that he’s squandered away the family fortune and they have no other place to go. Grandpa Man-bok clearly states that the Seos need to live like them, and puts Sang-hoon and Geum-ja in charge.

Following Grandpa’s orders, Sang-hoon takes the men out to the autoshop and makes them practice greeting customers. Jung-kil is slow to follow along, but threats of eviction convinces him to go along with the lesson. (Did anyone else have Sunwoo Hwan flashbacks from Brilliant Legacy?) Geum-ja shows the women around the kitchen and the backyard, proving their economical lifestyle. The Kangs could almost live off the grid with their efficiency. They don’t produce any garbage and live off the fat of their tiny garden.

Jung-in heads to the bus stop to see Hyun-soo before he leaves for work. (She’s turning into quite the stalker.) She starts out the conversation with her usual arrogance, but changes her tune when Hyun-soo scolds her. She’s truly sorry and apologizes while handing him the money. When Hyun-soo cites Jung-kyung as the reason for not accepting the money, she screams, “I’m not Seo Jung-kyung. I’m SEO JUNG-IN!” She runs into a doting Kyung-soo on her way back and takes out her frustrations on him.

Jung-kil and Joo-hee are not used to doing any manual work, and cause problems. Jung-kil’s brazen attitude results in Kyung-soo’s complaints and ultimate departure from the autoshop. In the kitchen, Joo-hee breaks out into tears after breaking a nail from dropping and breaking a dish.

Sang-hoon sees Joo-hee crying and imagines her running to him for comfort. He’s so guilt-ridden that he runs to Geum-ja and gives her a passionate hug. Joo-hee in turn witnesses the hug, and goes to her husband for sympathy. But Jung-kil and Sang-hoon are too busy trying to sabotage the autoshop, wanting to get kicked out of the house (along with some money for a rental).

A woman drives into the autoshop after getting into an accident, wanting to get her car fixed. Seeing the blood on her forehead, Grandpa Man-bok orders Sung-joon to take her to the hospital. He’s squeamish at the sight of blood and tries to get out of it until he sees Man-bok take out 50,000 won ($40 USD) out of his pocket. Sung-joon and Jung-kil’s eyes pop out at the sight of money, but Sung-joon beats his dad to Grandpa Man-bok and escort the bleeding woman to the hospital. (The fortuitous accident brings us the last supporting character for the series, Jung Ji-hoo, played by Jun Hye-jin.)

Meanwhile, our 2 older couples, spend some time with each other’s partners. Sang-hoon and Joo-hee spend time at a cafe, reminiscing their younger days. Jung-kil and Geum-ja spar over bibimbap, as he tries to sweet talk Geum-ja into giving him money to move out.

This is the first time that I’ve found the scenes with just the parents intriguing. I found the constant bickering to be annoying, and it’s nice to see some real interaction between the 4. Also, I like Geum-ja the best out of the group, and it would be fun to see her whip Jung-kil into shape.

Jung-in comes out of her room to help Geum-ja prepare dinner. She sees Jung-in’s glum face and tries to liven up the mood. When Jung-in mentions that she knows Geum-ja’s dislike for her, she quickly compliments Jung-in.

Geum-ja: No, I never said I didn’t like you. I was just surprised to see you after the wedding, kicked to the… What I mean is, why did such a smart looking girl pick out a man like that? Actually, it’s good that you ended things with a man who throws out his woman for going broke. So, just think that this happened for you to meet a better man. Looking at your plump cheeks and behind, I think you’ll find a good husband.

She then gives Jung-in’s butt a little pat, just like she does to Hyun-soo’s butt. I think we’re seeing some not-so-veiled foreshadowing here.

After Sung-joon drops off Ji-soo at the hospital with Jung-kyung, he siphons the 50,000 won and enjoys a glass of wine at a fancy bar. He runs into Han-sae at the bar with another woman, and reveals that Jung-in also has a new man, one who’s competent and honest.

Sung-joon comes back home and tries to put one over Grandpa Man-bok, not realizing that Ji-soo has already come back from the hospital. Sang-hoon tries to alert him with hand gestures but our Sung-joon doesn’t have the brightest bulb, and continues his lies. When he sees Ji-soo at the autoshop, his face divulges his mortification.

Geum-ja, who had found Hyun-soo’s cellphone earlier, finally figures out how to use the phone and calls the slapper’s number. Jung-in happily answer the phone thinking it’s Hyun-soo, only to hear a woman’s voice on the other line. Geum-ja asks, “Are you the one who sent the slapper picture? Who are you?”, leaving Jung-in flabbergasted.

COMMENTARY

As I alluded to in the opening, there is a general shift in the dymanic between Jung-in and Hyun-soo. Her slightly confused, slightly embarrassed feeling for Hyun-soo is ever-so-slightly changing the way she acts around him. She hasn’t lost her pluckiness per se, but she’s glued to her cellphone and does nothing much except fawn over Hyun-soo. I think she needs to get a job.

On the other hand, Hyun-soo’s manliness is creeping out. He’s still a bit of a beta male, but proving that a talented working man is quite sexy. I also like that he’s trying to tackle the Jung-kyung issue head on. When he saw Jung-kyung with her older man at the hospital, he could have easily walked away. But he took the initiative to verify the relationship, and hopefully let her go for good. (If he ends up being like his dad, I will be sorely disappointed.)

Overall, I’m still having fun watching the series. It definitely has it’s moments of hilarity. But my initial love for the characters is waning a bit. For instance, I was completely thrown off by Jung-in’s childish behavior with Grandpa Man-bok. It seems out of character to me. This is a girl who ripped off the hem of her wedding dress and walked the Incheon highway, without any self-pity, after her new husband kicked her to the curb. Why does she plop herself on the ground and wail like a toddler because Grandpa took a few pieces of her clothing? I do want to see different sides to our characters, so here’s to some real development instead of incongruity.

Episode 9

Jung-in picks up the phone call, but she’s shocked to hear Geum-ja’s voice on the other end. Jung-in hangs up quickly. When she comes out of the bathroom, Geum-ja beckons her to come and asks for help finding a photo on Hyun-soo’s phone, saying that she’s trying to track someone down. Jung-in hears Granda Man-bok’s voice outside and seizes the opportunity to dodge the situation.

Grandpa Man-bok confronts Sung-joon for using the money he’d provided for Ji-soo’s hospital fees to go drinking. He tells him to pack his bags. Sung-joon begs for forgiveness to little avail, but Grandpa relents when Ji-soo, Hyun-soo and Sang-hoon all intercede.

Jung-in pulls Hyun-soo aside and tells him that she almost got caught by Geum-ja because he left his phone at home. Hyun-soo’s still upset about the phone matter and doesn’t want to talk about it, but Jung-in urges him to take the money and settle it cleanly. If Geum-ja finds out about the incident, Jung-in won’t be able to stay in the house. She’s genuinely worried, and Hyun-soo softens a bit.

Hyun-soo: Why would I accept this? I told you, I’m considering that I’ve given it to Jung-kyung.
Jung-in: I’m Seo Jung-in! Take a good look. I’m not Seo Jung-kyung, I’m Seo Jung-in. Seo. Jung. In.

Jung-in moves in close, asserting herself with Hyun-soo. He’s surprised at her reaction and not entirely comfortable with her proximity, so he breaks the mood by pushing her away. “I said that I’m giving my heart to Jung-kyung, so what’s it to you”? he asks.

“Fine,” Jung-in retorts. Forcing the phone back in his hand, she says, “Here. If that’s your wish, take both phones and talk or text with Jung-kyung and do whatever you want, you bona fide sicko!”

Geum-ja tries to wheedle the truth out of Hyun-soo. She asks him whether he’s been hiding anything from her. She’s about to confront him with the evidence (she still has his phone in her pocket), but ever attuned to his mom—and with Jung-in’s heads-up from before—he preempts her. “Oh,” he says, “it’s not a secret, but I got a cell phone because it was difficult juggling work and class. You’re the only one who knows; keep it a secret from Grandfather.”

“It’s in my room, shall I show it to you?” he asks. She pulls it out of her pocket and admits that she’s already found it. She mentions the photo of the hand that she’d seen and asks him who it is. He shrugs it off as spam texting.

In his room, he looks at Jung-in’s phone to find out what photo his mom is talking about. He sees her recent texts and recent calls list, which are all to him. (Seriously, doesn’t she have any friends?) Seeing this stops Hyun-soo in his tracks for a moment.

In the morning, Grandpa Man-bok comes outside and sees Ji-soo up early, packing her wares for the day in an icebox. He’s surprised to learn that she slept in her truck, which she says is her home for the time being. She says she won’t intrude, and that she’s already swept the yard. He’s impressed with her industriousness–she everything the Seo family has not yet shaped up to be. She’s peppy, strong and independent, and she insists on repaying Grandpa Man-bok for his troubles, but he won’t have any of it.

The rest of the family comes out for their break-of-dawn exercises, and she introduces herself, saying that she’ll be sharing the yard space with them. She gives Sung-joon several kimbap rolls she’s made and tells him to share them with his family. Regardless of his behavior, his sister did treat her wound, so she’s giving it to him as hospital fees. She can’t stand to be indebted to anyone, she explains. Jung-in chimes in, underhandedly insinuating to Hyun-soo that she’s relieved to be free of debt now, too.

Hyun-soo goes to the cell phone store to return the Jung-kyung/Jung-in phone, while Jung-in has come to buy a new, identical one. Hyun-soo mutters under his breath, “Why are you buying a phone when there are no calls for you to send or receive?” She replies that she’s flooded with incoming calls, but having seen her call list, Hyun-soo knows she’s fibbing.

Hyun-soo tells her she’s in no circumstance to spend her money foolishly on a new phone. He gives her back the old phone. “Take it,” he says. “Spending your money so carelessly, when are you ever going to leave our house?” She’s miffed that he’s giving her the phone back as an excuse to try to get her out of the house. He responds that he doesn’t expect her to be able to move out with just $800, but was reacting to how careless she is with her money.

Jung-in: What about you? You bought two cell phones in order to seduce a woman. Isn’t that so?
Hyun-soo: Don’t insult a person’s good intentions. Seduce? Who are you accusing? I never once thought of moving someone’s heart with money. I only wanted to buy a cell phone for Jung-kyung because you said hers had broken. Will it make her a bit more comfortable? Will she like it? Although things turned out this way, I have no regrets. For me, it meant something. So don’t say such things again.

For the first time, Jung-in is subdued into silence. She’s been picking on Hyun-soo about Jung-kyung because she actually is starting to care for him, and, abashed at his response, she has nothing to say in her defense.

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, in this episode Jung-kil is also finally shamed by his own ludicrous behavior. They say sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to face reality, and I’m not sure it gets much worse than, well… read on.

Jung-kil sits down with Lee Joon-bae, Grandpa Man-bok’s buddy who owns the nearby barbeque restaurant. He prods Joon-bae for a bit of insider information, trying to find out what really pushes Grandpa’s buttons. He frames it by saying that he needs to know what to avoid, but really he’s back to his hopelessly facile plan to annoy Grandpa into voluntarily kicking him out (and for some reason, he thinks Grandpa will pay for their new housing). I do believe there are some holes in this logic.

Joon-bae warns him to be very careful; this is a matter that puts Man-bok’s pride on the line. Jung-kil is all ears.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. It’s precisely.. barley rice!” It’s not quite what Jung-kil was expecting to hear. Barley rice?

Joon-bae continues, explaining that during the Korean War, he and Man-bok realized that hunger could be more dangerous than bullets. So they enlisted together in the army in order to eat. But Man-bok was honorably discharged within a month, Joon-bae explains, because he had severe constipation from the barley, ultimately, causing his colon to tear. And to this day, the smell of a barley-fart will flip his lid.

So Jung-kil stuffs himself with barley and runs home, anxious to lay a good one on Grandpa Man-bok. Meanwhile, Joon-bae tells Man-bok about his conversation with Jung-kil earlier that day and laughs about the barley-fart yarn he made up.

Not realizing this, Jung-kil is stuffing his face with even more barley rice to fill ‘er up, so to speak. He goes into Grandpa Man-bok’s room to make his fart attempt. In a scene that is hilariously uncomfortable to watch—I imagine it as what an episode of “The Office” would be like if they let you see what goes on in the bathroom—Jung-kil is really putting effort into passing some gas through his system. But with all the effort and all the barley in his system, something catastrophic… maybe… just… *grunt*… might…

…befall a grown man to make him CRAP HIS PANTS. The sound effects are truly cringeworthy.

“What’s this smell?” Grandpa Kang asks. It’s not the reaction Jung-kil had hoped for, but he’s more concerned about getting out of his poopy pants. (HAHA. Wow. Really. Too old for diapers but too young for incontinence pads. It’s a shame.)

The setup of the next exchange is appropriate: Jung-kil is sitting down, embarrassed enough by the scene to be in a humbled state, at least physically. Grandpa Man-bok stands above him, finally reproaching him directly.

Grandpa: Can’t you see that no matter what schemes you come up with, we can see through you like a lying seven-year-old?… Don’t hold a grudge against me. When I see you, I am more reproachful towards the Chairman. He saved up his fortune to provide for his family, but in the end he only taught you to spend money, not how to make it. Don’t disgrace your parent any longer, but move out when you can.
Jung-kil: I need money to move out! How do you think I can move out of this house!
Grandpa: I went through even more than you! Even after being slapped by someone my son’s age, I waited on you hand and foot in order to feed my son and send him to school. It felt more miserable than when I was starving and nearly jumped before an oncoming train, but, you see, I couldn’t die because of my son. That’s what it means to be a father and head of a household. What will you do if Sung-joon is in your position in thirty years?

Jung-kil closes his eyes and sighs. What could he possibly say to that? He’s lived his whole life without understanding that there are consequences to his actions, and it’s only now that those consequences are sinking in.

It has, meanwhile, been a busy day for the other characters, too. Hyun-soo stops by the hospital to see the Chief. He says that he has moved on, but he asks the Chief to make Jung-kyung happy, so that he doesn’t have to look back.

(I thought these next few scenes used Hyun-soo’s theme song, “Goodbye My Love” by Melo’ Breeze is Blowing, particularly well. You can listen to it in the previous recap of episodes 7-8.)

Hyun-soo runs into Jung-kyung on his way out, and he assumes a bright, friendly tone to indicate that he’s moved on and set her at ease. She warns him not to confuse her sister with her.

Hyun-soo: Seo Jung-kyung, you really don’t know me. Although you probably didn’t really want to know me anyway. Whomever I meet in the future, I won’t meet with her while thinking of you. If someday, I begin to like someone, I would have already erased you from my heart completely. So you don’t have to worry about that.

He walks away, and OMG I don’t know about Jung-kyung, but if a guy gave me a speech like that and walked away… if my legs still held me up, I’d chase him down and say TAKE. ME. NOW. Jung-kyung’s got a look, too, that suggests, “Did I just let something good walk away?”

Back at the house, Jung-in is looking for a way to make it up to Hyun-soo. She looks around his room, and picks up his sweatshirt, thinking she might buy him something new. She shyly catches a whiff of it. Aww!

Meanwhile, Geum-ja and Joo-hee are bickering per usual, with Geum-ja provoking Joo-hee into a mess of nerves. Geum-ja says that love is all a woman needs. Joo-hee says that a man’s ability is more important than love. But really, Joo-hee does hope for attention from Jung-kil, who deflects by pointing out that Sang-hoon really ought to take better care of his wife—look at her clothes!

Geum-ja pretends to be unfazed in the moment, but she later looks through her wardrobe with newfound disappointment. She decides to go shopping, and Jung-in tags along. Remembering what Hyun-soo had said earlier that day, Jung-in wants to make up for her earlier lack of consideration toward him by being attentive to his mother.

Thankfully Jung-in is there to veto Geum-ja’s tacky taste, and she takes her instead to a boutique where they have an unlikely bonding moment. In an endearing twist on the cliched Pretty Woman moment, Geum-ja gets her moment in the sun. The staff are snippy to her at first, but they recognize Jung-in, who tells them to pull out all the stops for Geum-ja, who is “like a mother to her.” Determined to do her good deed of the day, Jung-in insists on buying an outfit for Geum-ja.

(Hehe.. looking sharp, but those clunky clogs definitely won’t do.)

As far as unlikely bonding moments, on his way back from the hospital, Hyun-soo stops by the office, where Han-sae has been looking around. They decide to have a drink together. I guess this is the episode in which anything can happen!

After a few drinks, they talk about women. Han-sae says that Jung-in is special to him, and asks if Hyun-soo thinks she would go back to him. He explains why he still has feelings for her:

Han-sae: She’s very affectionate, and she doesn’t know how to lie.
Hyun-soo: Seo Jung-in doesn’t know how to lie?
Han-sae: Yes. She might seem immature, but you could say that she’s pure, like a child. That’s her charm.

Han-sae: Why are you looking at me like that?
Hyun-soo: Nevermind. After all, it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Han-sae drops Hyun-soo off, but Hyun-soo asks to be dropped off a dew blocks away. He says that he’d like to walk off the alcohol before going home, but also, Han-sae doesn’t know where Jung-in has been living. As Hyun-soo leaves, Han-sae says, “We’ve become a bit closer, right?”

Meanwhile, The Reveal is about to happen. Jung-in tells Sang-hoon to come outside, where Geum-ja surprises him with her new outfit. To her chagrin, he tells her it doesn’t suit her. She’s upset, but bigger trouble lies ahead. Grandpa Man-bok comes outside, and when he realizes how much the outfit cost and that Jung-in blew her money on it; and even worse, that Geum-ja didn’t have the foresight to refuse the gift, he throws them both out of the house.

Up til now, the threat of being thrown out has been only a threat, but amazingly, this time, Geum-ja is so incensed at being thrown out after 30 years of dutiful service that something snaps internally, and off they go.

Hyun-soo arrives just then, and wants to know what happened. He asks where Jung-in thinks she’s going—since she has nowhere to go.

But Han-sae shows up, having finally received a call from the people he’d assigned to locate Jung-in. He tells her to come with him, and confronts Hyun-soo about not having told him that she was living in the Kangs’ house.

Jung-in is nothing but angry to see Han-sae, and Hyun-soo immediately goes back into protective mode. She tells Han-sae to leave, but since he doesn’t, she grabs Geum-ja and walks away first.

Left to their own devices, the two women have to figure out where they’re going. Unfortunately, turns out that Geum-ja has no contacts. They literally have nowhere to go.

Episode 10

After Jung-in and Geum-ja leave, Han-sae pulls Hyun-soo aside for some more man-to-man talk. But the closeness they had just developed in the former scene is gone. Han-sae tells Hyun-soo that he had broken up with Jung-in only because of his parents’ wishes, and asks Hyun-soo to help them get back together. Hyun-soo is unmoved, having seen Han-sae coldly rebuff Jung-in twice in the past: “It was difficult even for me to hear, so wouldn’t Jung-in have been more hurt? Before you make a request like this, you should confirm Jung-in’s feelings first.”

Surprisingly, Han-sae acquiesces. “Very well. I admit that I acted rashly. I will take heed of your advice. But now that you know my feelings, please don’t interfere with Jung-in and me.”

With nowhere to go, Jung-in and Geum-ja go to Joon-bae’s restaurant. He tells them to eat quickly and leave, but Geum-ja has a plan. After they finish eating, she picks up the bowls to start cleaning and says they’ll work at Joon-bae’s restaurant in exchange for housing.

Sang-hoon comes to visit Geum-ja, who is unrelenting and out for revenge. She knows the household can’t go ‘round without her. He’s come to bring her back home, but she tells him instead to leave the house too if he finds it inconvenient. She says, “You go back and tell him loud and clear, in the future, ask not what Baek Geum-ja can do for the family; ask what the family can do for Baek Geum-ja.” (Haha.)

Jung-in gets a text from Hyun-soo saying that he’s worried and asking her to call back. She smiles at getting the text and goes outside to call him. He’s already figured out where she is, and mid-call he turns the corner and sees her.

Just then, she sighs and says there’s no one looking out for her. Looking straight at her, Hyun-soo says, “What do you mean there’s no one?” but says that Han-sae had come looking for Jung-in. But that’s all in the past and she has no feelings for him anymore, she says. She hangs up, saying she’ll go inside. Hyun-soo calls out, “Hey—hang on!” and she realizes that his voice is coming from nearby.

He tells her to quit drinking, and she says that it’s better to use alcohol as a “disinfectant” than to get hurt by someone like Han-sae.

Hyun-soo: Do you think that’ll make it better? It’ll just make you cry.
Jung-in: What? Did you cry over Jung-kyung?

(Hehe… Unfortunately I don’t have time to recount the whole scene between the two, but their interactions are adorable. Especially the following one—worth watching!)

Geum-ja walks Sang-hoon out, so Hyun-soo grabs Jung-in’s hand to hide behind a car. Sang-hoon impulsively grabs Geum-ja in a hug before he leaves. Their interactions are also cute, like a young couple in love; she tells him to leave first, but he tells her to go inside and back and forth.

Ahhhh in cuteness parallel, when Hyun-soo and Jung-in come out from their hideout, they’re still holding hands. Jung-in says cheerily that she envies Geum-ja. She looks down at their hands, and the two quickly pull away from each other.

When Sang-hoon gets home, Jung-kil pulls him inside the room to talk. Again, anything can happen! He doesn’t have an agenda or an ulterior motive, and in fact, he even mentions that no matter how scary Grandpa Man-bok can be, he still envies Sang-hoon for at least having a father.

Grandpa Man-bok, outside, overhears and is encouraged to see some progress in Jung-kil’s reformation.

In the morning, a clanging in the kitchen brings everyone running in to see what happened. Now in charge of preparing meals, Joo-hee has climbed up to the countertop and sent pots clattering to the floor. She says she’d seen a bug (while watching this scene, I was more worried that she’d singe herself on the burner—almost literally out of the frying pan into the fire here!).

Breakfast is looking a lot better at Joon-bae’s place, where Geum-ja and Jung-in are watching TV as they eat. But Joon-bae turns off the TV and tells them to get to work. Hyun-soo shows up (Joon-bae: “Good thing you’re here. Take them with you.”), and Geum-ja is delighted to hear that there hasn’t been any breakfast in the Kang (and Seo) house. He asks her to come home, but she tells him to come eat at the restaurant. She’s loving her independence!

She goes off to get food for Hyun-soo, who calls Jung-in “Runny Nose” and tells her to give him her phone. He turns it on and tells her to answer it; he’d been trying to call her that morning but had to come all the way to the restaurant. Since she’s so good at whining, he asks her to annoy his mother into coming back home.

She gets mad and sticks her chin out defiantly. He mirrors her movement, and they look at each other for an extended moment.

As Hyun-soo’s leaving, Jung-in calls out after him, asking what he’ll do for her if she brings Geum-ja home. He’s at a loss, so she tells him to bring her some squid to start. She needs an idea, and she needs food to think. He says, “Fresh or dried?”

Jung-kyung has had a hard night. She’d had dinner with the Chief and his daughter Yeon-jae, but she worries that she overstepped her bounds. Jung-kyung had followed Yeon-jae outside after she’d stormed out and reprimanded her, but Yeon-jae was, as you might expect, highly unreceptive.

The Chief shows up at the apartment, having set aside the day for Jung-kyung. She’s still upset about the clash with Yeon-jae and the lack of resolution there, so when she gets a phone call from Grandpa Man-bok, she quickly agrees to stop by the house. He’s put off that she’s not making time for him (now that he’s finally made some time for her), but she reminds him that she’s waiting for his lead with Yeon-jae. His hesitance gives Yeon-jae room to push her away.

Jung-in turns up the whininess with Geum-ja, complaining that the restaurant is uncomfortable. Geum-jaresponds by slapping her leg. Clearly, she’s not having any of this. Her mind is made up.

Jung-in texts Hyun-soo recounting her lack of progress and reminds him to bring the squid. Sung-joon sneaks up from behind and tells Hyun-soo that persevering through times like these will deepen their relationship.

Kyung-soo is back. Hehehe. He’s heard that since his departure, the female clientele has dropped off. Jung-kil chimes in, it’s not just the clients—the women of the house have left too. But there is a new addition—Ji-soo—whom he recognizes, eyes wide in fear.

Suddenly, we see a different side of plucky Ji-soo. She tells him that as of this moment, he doesn’t know her. He says he does know her, and she tells him again: Now you don’t. Once she’s satisfied with his response, she tells him to leave. He nervously crab-walks away.

Man-bok sends Joo-hee to the market with a few dollars, telling her to buy groceries for dinner. She asks Sang-hoon to come along to help her find what she needs, especially since she couldn’t do it on that budget.

Jung-in and Geum-ja have also come to the market together. (Uh-oh.) Jung-in is impressed to see Geum-ja’s bargaining skills in action. Geum-ja says she’s doing it to get Jung-in a hot dog (which she had been whining about on her way in). “Ajumma, I love you!” Jung-in exclaims.

Geum-ja and Jung-in run into Joo-hee; Sang-hoon, having seen them from afar, runs off to hide. The Joo-hee/Sang-hoon secret is safe, for now.

Hyun-soo has bought squid for Jung-in, but Jung-kyung catches up with him on her way to the house. She asks him what the squid is for, and he explains that Jung-in and Geum-ja had been kicked out of the house; the squid is his bribe to help her get his mother back to the house. He goes into the restaurant, and she continues to the house. After having spent years turning her back to him, for the first time, she looks back over her shoulder as she walks away.

At the house, Joon-bae has stopped by to see Man-bok. Jung-kil is still fuming over Joon-bae’s practical joke, and in their confrontation Joon-bae attempts to scold and shame Jung-kil, but unknowingly lets it slip that Man-bok received help in purchasing his house.

In case we were starting to think Jung-kil has actually become a new man, he goes back to his old ways of trying to fish for details about the value of the house with Man-bok. It’s no easy task, so he gives up after trying to work a few angles.

Geum-ja sends Jung-in to the house to scout out the mood. Jung-in comes up with an excuse to go—to get some red pepper sauce—as an alibi, in case Grandpa sees her.

Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo come out at the same time to get den-jang sauce and red pepper sauce, so she overhears their conversation while she hides. She’s been unaware of their friendlier tone, and they’ve become comfortable enough to talk about Hyun-soo’s first impressions of Jung-kyung. He says, “We should have gotten along like this sooner. This is the first time you’ve laughed in front of me.”

She does look genuinely comfortable and happy for the first time.

As Jung-in leaves, she runs into Han-sae, who’s been waiting around the house for her to show up. He takes her to a bar, where he tells her he wants to start over. She says it’s too late, and tells him not to come looking for her anymore.

She gets ready to leave, but stops when he says, “I love you.”

Han-sae: I still love you. I mean it.
Jung-in: You mean it? Then have you cried because of me? I haven’t. I cried because I was indignant and felt that I was wronged; but that was for myself, wondering how this could happen to me, Seo Jung-in. ‘Lee Han-sae, that jerk, betrayed me after promising he loved me? You’re dead, wait and see.’ That’s why I cried. I never once cried because I missed you, or didn’t want to let you go. It was too big a wound to call it just experience, but I feel fortunate that I can start over now. I was sincere when I said I liked you, but I never loved you.
Han-sae: Then you were going to get married when you didn’t love me?
Jung-in: I liked being loved. I thought I would be happy to live the rest of my life like that. But, when you left me, I realized how foolish that was. Now, I’m going to date someone I love.

Jung-in is understated, and her emotional control underscores her resoluteness. She walks away, but Han-sae says that if she really wants to break it off cleanly, she should return the ring. Otherwise, she should go back to him.

Sang-hoon goes to see Geum-ja, but on his way, he sees Joo-hee, who is upset at the day’s events and at being brushed aside by Jung-kil. She begins to cry, and he tries to cheer her up. She says she wants to go back to the way things used to be.

Geum-ja, meanwhile, has been waiting for Sang-hoon. Since he’s taken so long, she goes out looking for him and comes upon the scene with Joo-hee.

COMMENTARY

The past few episodes were draggy, but these two episodes picked up the pace and were just fun to watch. So I’ve decided to just enjoy the show for what it is — simple, fun family fare. The interactions between Jung-in and Hyun-soo are delightful to watch, and there was plenty of it in these two episodes.

I think Lee Min-jung did an exceptional job in these two episodes. The nuances in her expression–hopeful for positive signs from Hyun-soo, followed by fleeting evidence of disappointment and quickly transitioning to her tantrums and back–are pitch perfect.

Also, I am loving the development of her relationship with Geum-ja. We can all see that Joo-hee is pretty vapid as a character, and most likely is the same way as a mother. So giving Jung-in a mother figure to respond to has brought out another fun and spunky side of her character.

I read in the comments that episodes 11 and 12 get even better–I held off on watching them so as to be able to write these recaps without prejudging what happens next–so I’m looking forward to getting to watch those and reading dw4p’s next recap!

Episode 11

Geum-ja seethes with anger as she sees the cozy Sang-hoon and Joo-hee. As they start walking back home, Joo-hee asks, “Were you going somewhere?” And when he answer no, she asks again, “Then did you come out because you were worried about me?” He just laughs it off, because he had come out for a reason: to visit his wife! He walks Joo-hee back home and runs to Geum-ja.

Geum-ja’s blood is boiling at this point. And when Sang-hoon comes in, she makes him sing a song (after seeing him sing Joo-hee a song). He sings his usual Geum-ja song, but hearing him sing to her right after seeing him sing for another woman make her even angrier.

Jung-in walks by the house, hoping to see Hyun-soo. Just as she’s about to call him, Ji-soo walks into the front yard, chasing her away. When Hyun-soo comes outside and hears about Jung-in from Ji-soo, he immediately runs off even before Ji-soo finishes her sentence. Haha… how cute are you!!

He tries to call her, but hears a weird rattling noise nearby, forcing him to walk over. Luckily for him, it’s Jung-in! He immediately demands to know where she’s been and what she’s been doing. (Protective much? LOL.) Jung-in is surprised at his questions. And Hyun-soo uses his mom as an excuse for worrying, seeing her reaction. He then offers to walk her back, making Jung-in all smiles. He tells her, “It’s dark so stay close,” and holds onto her arm. (Seriously. So cute!)

Upon arriving at the restaurant, it’s pretty obvious that they don’t want to part.

Jung-in: Since you’re here, why don’t you have a beer with me before you leave?
Hyun-soo: You little kid. Stop drinking.
Jung-in: You don’t even know what I’m like inside. Fine. Go.
Hyun-soo: What about your inside? Are you hungry? You want me to bring you something? Tell me. I’ll do whatever you ask except for drinking.
Jung-in: Really? You’ll do anything?
Hyun-soo: But you have to come home tomorrow.
Jung-in: Alright. Since you’re not one to say something you don’t mean, I’ll tell you everything.
Hyun-soo: What is it?
Jung-in: Let me borrow 10 million won ($8500 USD).
Hyun-soo: What? 10 million??
Jung-in: Yup. You’re competent. Try to pull it together somehow. I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.
Hyun-soo: What? You got kicked out because of money. You still can’t think straight? Not even a hundred thousand or a million, but 10 million?
Jung-in: You said you’ll do whatever I asked.
Hyun-soo: It needs to be something reasonable. Don’t think about anything else. Just convince my mom and bring her home tomorrow. Hurry up and go. Hurry up and go!
Jung-in: I’m not coming home. You’re fine without me as long as you have Jung-Kyung.
Hyun-soo: What? You…

Jung-in walks off in a huff as a surprised and slightly guilty Hyun-soo watches her walk back to the restaurant.

Back in their room, Jung-in and Geum-ja brood in their relationship problems. They are more alike than they realize, but they stay in silence.

Hyun-soo runs into Jung-kyung when he returns home. He tells her that he’s coming back from dropping Jung-in off. Jung-kyung apologizes, assuming that he’s being nice because she’s her sister. But Hyun-soo replies, “It’s OK. I said I would walk her back. I’m scared that she’ll run off somewhere.” He has a big smile when talking about Jung-in, which doesn’t escape Jung-kyung. She watches him as he walks downstairs. Their relationship is doing a 180, as he’s no longer the one watching her walk off.

Sung-joon runs off to buy beer after getting a few dollars from Hyun-soo. Ji-soo is in her truck making dduk-bok-ggi, and calls him over for a taste test. He heads out to buy some bottles of soju (alcohol) and comes back to eat some dduk-bok-ggi with the alcohol. Sung-joon get a wee bit drunk and tells Ji-soo that she needs to sell alcohol to make money. She’s apprehensive about selling alcohol, but he assures her that he’ll take care of it as her oppa. She response, “You will Ajusshi?” To which he responds, “What do you mean Ajusshi? Call me oppa.”

As they talk, we learn that Ji-soo’s parents left her when she was young. But she doesn’t hate them because she realizes how difficult it is to live. Sung-joon is impressed by her attitude even in his drunken stupor. He starts to pinch her cheeks and pat her head, saying, “You’re cute. You’re so cute!” We, of course, know that she’s got some sort of past, and her gaze changes into a menacing glare at Sung-joon.

The next morning, Sung-joon is sleeping inside Ji-soo’s truck. When he tries to get up, he notices that his whole body is in pain. Ji-soo runs out when she sees Grandpa Man-bok, which gives Sung-joon time to sneak out the side. The family gather together in the front yard, and Grandpa Man-bok tells Joo-hee to change her clothes and tie up her hair. Her life of leisure is now over. She’s got work to do! Sung-joon also comes back, pretending to have jogged around the neighborhood.

As the family does their morning exercises, Geum-ja looks on from a distance. She sees Sang-hoon handing Joo-hee a pair of gloves, and the two of them smiling and flirting with each other. She says to herself, “That fox. I shouldn’t have left my place.”

Jung-in looks for Geum-ja at the restaurant, but she’s nowhere to be find. Joon-bae hands her a letter from Geum-ja, saying that she’s left to go back home. When Geum-ja come home, she bows down to Bok-man, and repents for her actions. In order to show her penitent heart, she changes into the expensive outfit from Jung-in. She tells Man-bok, that she’ll work in this outfit while reflecting on her wrong doings. Grandpa Man-bok gets a kick of her idea, and has a good laugh. “You’ve been singing your praises for 30 years, but it looks like you’ve finally learned something. Alright, you live in that outfit.” She’s accepted back into the fold.

Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo to leave for work together. While passing by Joon-bae’s restaurant, he can’t help but keep looking over. At that moment, Jung-in comes out of the restaurant, with Joon-bae close behind. Jung-kyung calls for her but Hyun-soo is quick to shout, “Hey, runny nose!” Jung-in looks up at him, surprised that they seem close. As Joon-bae is about to give Jung-in her pay, he’s distracted by seeing Hyun-soo and Jung-Kyung together. He comments about how good they look together, which send Jung-in into a fit. She plucks the money out of his hands saying, “I’m going to pray that all of your hair falls out” before stomping off. (LOL.)

Jung-kyung looks over and sees Hyun-soo staring at Jung-in as she walks away. He really can’t keep his eyes off of her. Jung-kyung has been given too many hints, and she’s caught on that Hyun-soo is a little too attentive to her sister.

Jung-in comes right home, yelling, “Hello. I’m back!” She goes straight into the house and gives it to Geum-ja. “How can you not saying anything and betray me like that? I was in shock when I got up in the morning. I felt like my mom bought me ice cream and ran off.” Joo-hee answers, “What do you mean? Your mom’s right here.” Jung-in tells her mom that she’s no mom at all, not even looking for a daughter who left home. Geum-ja tells Jung-in that she had worries of her own.

When Grandpa Man-bok comes in, he screams, “Get out!” Jung-in replies back immediately, “I don’t want to!” Man-bok tells her that she needs to pay for everything for 15 days (eating, sleeping, using the bathroom, etc.), if she wants to stay at home. Jung-in says that she’ll pay and tries to run to the bathroom. Geum-ja stops her so that she can pay up before going in. Jung-in gives her money but cries for her change when Geum-ja says that she doesn’t have money right now, “Do you know how many bowls of soup I need to serve in order to earn 4,000 won ($3)? Give me my money…” Man-bok is happy to see Jung-in cry over $3, knowing that she’s earned the value of a dollar.

Jung-kil is back to his old ways. This time, he’s hard at work trying to steal Grandpa Man-bok’s house. Man-bok walks into the office as Jung-kil is hanging up a call with his lawyer. Jung-kil runs his mouth off with empty words, “Even though it was a short time, I’ve learned a lot by just watching you, President.” Man-bok is shocked by Jung-kil’s words, and replies, “You scare me more when you says such mature things.”

Jung-kil is so ridiculously annoying. Someone seriously needs to kick his butt into shape.

Sung-joon takes Ji-soo aside to ask about what happened last night. He thinks maybe she’s the one who caused him to ache all over. When they get into a conversation about her new food truck venture, he gets quite overprotective. He yells, “How can a woman sell alcohol?”, not remembering that he made the suggestion. Sung-joon is funny blaming her for listening to him, “How could you listen to someone drunk?” And when she tells him that she’s already bought the liquor, he’s incredulous. “Why are you so unnecessarily diligent?” Hee-hee. I love Lee Chun-hee!

Kyung-soo sees the exchange, and sneaks his way to Sung-joon. He’s got some sort of hidden past with Ji-soo, and knows about her dark side. He’s unable to spill the beans, fearing Ji-soo’s wrath, but does give Sung-joon a warning. “Even the thorn of a rose has poison.”

Meanwhile, Jung-kyung asks the Chief for his daughter’s phone number. She wants to get close, and thinks diving head first may be a good way to start. He reluctantly hands over the number. Jung-kyung calls her a close of times but Yeon-jae hangs up on her.

Hyun-soo and Han-se get into an argument at work over the new project. Han-se tells him to do as he says, but Hyun-soo does not back down and walks out of the conference room. (The competent kdrama man… how can you resist?)

Jung-in calls Hyun-soo to find out the computer password. Hyun-soo is glad to hear from her. When he starts telling her the password, “1-1-2…” She interjects. “Is it a 9 next? I see… Seo Jung Kyung’s birthday… That’s good. I needed some money anyways. Your savings account also is 1-1-2-9 right? Where’s the bank card?” Hyun-soo tells her not to go through the desk drawers, but she hangs up on him, thanking him for telling her where it is.

Jung-in is annoyed that he still has feelings left for her sister, but moves onto her own problems. She googles, “How to make 10 million won instantly.”

Sung-joon is still achy from the mysterious evening, and calls Ji-soo over to put some PAS (heating patch) on his back. She sticks them on without any help from Sung-joon, which makes him ask, “How did you where I was hurting even though I didn’t tell you?” She’s a little startled, but answers, “When you have a business, you get punched around a little. I just knew because I’ve been hurt around the same area.” Sung-joon is shocked to hear that she got pushed around by guys, and tries to make her reconsider the food truck business.

As Jung-in rolls in bed with a stomachache, she gets a call from Han-se. He tells her to comfort Hyun-soo for getting yelled at in the meeting, not revealing that Hyun-soo’s the one who got in the last word. Han-se tries to be all cool, telling Jung-in to come back to him. But he immediately hands up the phone when his mom enters the room.

Han-se’s shrill mom yells at him for talking down to the new manager (Hyun-soo) at work. His father is livid that Han-se tried to get rid of Hyun-soo and is prepared to hand over the project to him. She tells him to give into Hyun-soo so that he can keep managing the project.

After seeing the job listing for the “Kiss Room: 100,000 won per kiss”, Hyun-soo’s head is filled with Jung-in. He holds onto his cellphone, waiting for her to respond to his text. Just then, a sexy nightie-wearing Jung-in walks into his room. She walks towards him and pushes him against the bookshelf. She then presses herself up against him and says, “100,000 won. All it takes is 100,000 won.” Hyun-soo tries to resist her advances, but doesn’t do such a good job. He can’t help but pucker up his lips, ready for her kiss.

Puhahaha!! He so totally wants to be the first in line at that Kiss-room! As Hyun-soo is enjoying his daydream, Sung-joon comes down and interrupts. He asks Hyun-soo for some money, which gives him an excuse to stomp out of the room.

Meanwhile in adult-land, Sang-hoon goes off to the bakery to buy pastries for Geum-ja. He ends up picking one up for Joo-hee as well, which turns into a whole mess at the house. Sang-hoon give the bread to Joo-hee and starts singing “I Don’t Care” to cheer up the crying woman. Geum-ja sees them together again, and is furious.

Hyun-soo tries to exercise off his thoughts, and does push ups in the backyard. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help much and he calls Jung-in to come outside. He hears that she’s giving herself a facial, and gets even more worried, compelling him to go into her room.

Hyun Soo’s only able to see Jung-in’s lips, and has to stop himself from imagining a kiss. When she reaches over and put a little facial cream on his face, he jumps up at her touch. He picks up one of her miniskirts and asks, “What’s with this and why are you getting a facial?” He then pleads with her, taking both of her hands, “Please stop doing things like this. I can’t do anything because you’re making me so uneasy.”

Just then, they hear a commotion outside. Geum-ja is angry beyond belief and starts crying in front of Man-bok. “If you don’t make these people leave, it’s going to be the end of our family!” Jung-kil thinks that she’s talking about her ploy to take the house, and claims that he’s the victim in all of this. Geum-ja replies, “Then you knew that these two [Sang-hoon and Joo-hee] are having an affair?” Sang-hoon vehemently denies it, but Joo-hee breaks down and cries, “I’m sorry!”

Jung-in tries to run out of the room, but Hyun-soo holds her back. He’s holding onto her rather closely, and Jung-in looks over at Hyun-soo, feeling the (sexual) tension.

Episode 12

Hyun-soo and Jung-in try to come out of the room, but is forced to go back in seeing Sung-joon. When Sung-joon comes into Jung-in’s room, she pretends to be sleeping. Sung-joon isn’t able to wake her and leaves the room, at which time, Hyun-soo is revealed under the covers.

The scene is pretty cliche way to get them into bed together but I still enjoy the cheesy, cliche exchanges between the 2 because they’re just so darn cute! I love how Jung-in pushes him back down in bed and says, “Where are you going?” Haha.

The family adults are in Man-bok’s room, all trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Geum-ja’s hope rests on Man-bok to dole out the punishment, but her hopes are dashed when he finds out that their “affair” included some bread and a little singing.

Other members of the family may think it’s a misunderstanding, but Jung-in is on Geum-ja’s side. “I totally understand ahjumma’s feelings. It was completely ahjusshi’s fault. Why throw fire onto a woman’s jealousy?” Looking at her reaction, it seems like she’s talking more about herself than Geum-ja. Doesn’t it? Hyun-soo takes this opportunity to bring up the kissing ad. “You actually thinks she’s a woman… Don’t use being a woman as an excuse to do something stupid.”

He tells her that he’ll help if she finds an honest job, and puts his arms around her. Just then, Sung-joon comes into the yard to talk to them. “Before there are more issues with the family, let’s just tell the adults about your relationship.” Both Hyun-soo and Jung-in deny it, but Sung-joon goes on, “I know that a secret relationship is thrilling, but I don’t think you should let it go on for too long.” Hyun-soo denies it so adamantly that it makes Jung-in mad. She kicks Sung-joon as he starts mentioning the 2 of them in bed earlier, and exclaims, “Do you think I’d like someone who’s an idiot?” and runs off.

In the morning, Man-bok only kind words to Geum-ja. He reassures her that Sang-hoon is not the type to have an affair and tells her that once Jung-kil comes to his senses, he’ll make the Seo family leave. She sarcastically asks, “How will you kick out the precious young master?” But he replies honestly, “How could he be more precious to me than my own daughter-in-law?” (Aww…)

As the family eats breakfast, Hyun-soo keeps looking over to Jung-in’s room, wondering where she went. Sung-joon notices and sneers, “Where did Jung-in go so early in the morning without having breakfast?”

We find Jung-in in Han-se’s office, asking him for a job. She wants to pay for the ring by working it off. He says that this isn’t how he wanted her to come to him. She replies, “Why? You want to get married again? I’m sure you’re not asking me to be your mistress? You know me, right? Don’t even say that in jest, because I might blow up this building.”

Hyun-soo is less than thrilled to see Jung-in at the office with Han-se, and tries to yell his way into sending Jung-in home. But she’s determined to stay and work to pay off her ring.

Jung-in’s assignment is to have 200 surveys filled out by the end of the day. She’s out on the street, but doesn’t have any luck trying to get passerbyes to fill out a survey. She even tries to lay out the survey on the street. (LOL) While working, Hyun-soo and Jung-in both think about calling each, and Hyun-soo finally changes the name on his couple cellphone from Beatrice to Jung-in. Hurray!

Back in the office, everyone’s interest is piqued with the buzz on the Global Motors website. A forum started by “runny nose” is a buzz with comments about people’s ideal car. When Jung-in cheerfully walks into the room with the completed surveys, Han-se condemns her for writing all of these surveys with the comments from the internet. He tells her to redo it by tomorrow morning or she’ll be fired.

Han-se is such an ass. He completely humiliates her in front of others, but turns into putty when he’s alone with her. Jung-in should blow up his building.

Hyun-soo on the other hand is sweet as a button. He doesn’t understand why Jung-in insists on working in Han-se’s company, not knowing about the engagement ring. On the bus back home, Hyun-soo sits down next to Jung-in, who’s upset with him for thinking she wants to get back together with Han-se. When Jung-in tries to get up and change seats, he replies, “There’s no more seats.” When she retorts, “I know that the bus has empty seats,” he replies, “So what? This is the only seat next to me.” That calms down Jung-in.

He then takes her foot and puts a band-aid on her blister, telling her to wear sneakers tomorrow. They take sidelong glances at each other, content to be together. So sweet!

At home, Jung-in announces that she’s found a job and gathers everyone to complete the survey. They all sit in a circle and pop up to make comments like the whack-a-mole game. Jung-in comments, “It’s nice to have a big family at a time like this.” She then remembers her sister and calls Jung-kyung to see if she’s coming home.

Hyun-soo follows her and Jung-in thinks it’s because she’s calling Jung-kyung. But he tells her that he has an idea to finish the 200 surveys. When she wants to know how, he replies, “You always call me oppa from now on. Then I’ll tell you.” Ahhh, the power of the word “oppa.” Not only is it an endearing way for a girl to call an older brother, but saying the word produces a kissing motion with your lips. Hyun-soo can barely stand it as Jung-in calls him oppa. (Ladies, give it a try. It really works!)

Hyun-soo’s light bulb is to take the survey to the hospital, a place filled with people waiting. The idea is a smashing success and they are able to complete the surveys pretty quickly. And it gives them a chance to give longing gazes in each other’s direction.

Unfortunately for Jung-in, her sister comes and steals Hyun-soo away for a cup of coffee. Jung-kyung thanks him for taking care of her sister and for being a good friend. “I want to be that kind of a friend to you also. A friend who can root you on and give you courage. So would you be able to tell me when someone new takes my place in your heart?” He promises to tell her first when he meets someone new. And as he walks away, it’s Jung-kyung again who looks back to watch him go.

Meanwhile, an anxious and pouty Jung-in waits for Hyun-soo to come out. He thinks her glumness is because she got in trouble, and says, “Why aren’t you thanking for me for coming here to help you?” She says she knows he’s not here for her. Hyun-soo mutters, “It was because of you…” but Jung-in doesn’t believe it, thinking that he came for Jung-kyung. The 2 push and shove each other as they walk down the street to head to work. (Ha! Cuteness.)

Sung-joon has been stymied in his efforts to impress Ji-soo, and looks to find a job to gain some respect. (He gets chased away by Ji-soo when he tries to do something nice.) He goes to Joon-bae for some help on getting a golf teaching gig.

Our Jung-in has finally gotten a job and is working hard at it. As she talks about the results of the surveys, she mentions an idea about changing the headlight design of the car. Being the jerk that he is, Han-se immediately derides her and says that the idea isn’t practical. They get into a tiff during the meeting and walk out.

Hyun-soo is irritated at Jung-in’s behavior, and runs after her, trying to get her to quit. She refuses. He tells her to meet him at the bus stop after work to ride home together.

We know that Ji-soo’s got some sort of secret life, looking at Kyung-soo’s alarmed expressions. But the 2 men watching her and taking photos, confirms that she has a mysterious past. It’s a little out of left field, but Smile is all about the alpha female and beta male, so a female gang leader would fit right into the story.

Han-se lies to Jung-in about using her headlight idea, and steals her away to a restaurant. I love that she just yells at him and runs off to meet Hyun-soo. Unfortunately, Hyun-soo had been waiting at the bus stop for awhile, and has left for home. When Jung-in finds out, she tells him to come back to the bus stop. When she gets there, he’s nowhere to be found. Han-se comes to see her and tells her that he loves her and won’t leave her alone anymore. You think she may have fallen for his words, but we find soon enough that she isn’t won over that easily.

When Jung-in gets home, she sees Hyun-soo painting her attic room. He tells her that he wanted to paint the room together, and puts a streak of paint across her face. He turns around to see her eyes tearing up.

Hyun-soo: Why? Are you mad that I put paint on your face?
Jung-in: Did I tell you to do something like this?
Hyun-soo: What?
Jung-in: I told you to wait. To come back. Why didn’t you come? Why didn’t you wait? You waited for Seo Jung-kyung for 8 years, but you couldn’t wait for me for 30 minutes? I waited so long because I thought you’d come.
Hyun-soo: Why are you talking big after coming late? And how are you and Jung-kyung the same? Jung-kyung was my first love.

He tries to smack her forehead but Jung-in grabs his hand this time, and asks, “Did you ever kiss Jung-kyung?” He’s surprised to hear the question, but Jung-in moves in for a kiss before he can answer.

Comments

Yipppeee!!! I actually made a squealing noise when I saw the kiss scene. I just LOVE Jung-in! How awesome is it that a female lead takes charge and steals a kiss? Our Jung-in is flawed, but it’s hard to deny her strength and boldness. It’s great to see a kdrama applauding someone like her. And Hyun-soo may have started as a total beta male, but has become quite the machismo. Their relationship isn’t breaking any molds, but a romantic comedy is all about chemistry, and our couple’s abounds.

Maybe it’s just the fangirl in me, but I can’t help but love the childish antics of Sung-joon. He could have easily become an annoying character, but Lee Chun-hee brings such a lovable charm. How cute is it that be bring a stolen urn of kko-choo-jang (red pepper paste) to Ji-soo as a gift? And he lifts up his shirt to show that he’s an athlete? Too funny.

Overall, I’m really enjoying the strong female characters in the drama (except Joo-hee I guess.) And I love it that it’s not portrayed as a flaw, but as an asset. Geum-ja takes takes care of her family with her thriftiness. Jung-in’s the one that takes control whenever there is a family crisis. And Ji-soo figures out a way to start a new business even with all of her misfortunes.

EPISODE 13

Stunned by Jung-in’s kiss, Hyun-soo falls back against the wall.

Hyun-soo: What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?
Jung-in: I wanted to be a first to you, too. That way, you’ll wait for me.

Hyun-soo tries to change the subject, saying the paint won’t come off his jacket (ha! There’s our beta male.)

Jung-in: You’ll wait for me, right?
Hyun-soo: What?
Jung-in: You said you waited for Jung-kyung because she was your first love.
Hyun-soo: Sure. Sure, I w-w-waited. But who said that was my first k-k-k-kiss?

Nonchalantly, Hyun-soo says that there’s nothing he hasn’t done before.

… System OVERLOAD. You can almost see Hyun-soo popping screws as he staggers downstairs and collapses in bed. Sung-joon comes over to check on him, but, with urgency in his voice, Hyun-soo yells that he doesn’t want to be bothered, touched or even have anyone standing nearby. His whole body is tingling in shock!

Meanwhile, Geum-ja confirms her suspicions when she finds Joo-hee’s name on an ancient church bulletin in Sang-hoon’s Bible. She stalks off to find Joo-hee, who is in the backyard talking to Sang-hoon. Geum-ja rounds the corner, but Jung-kil, following close behind, pulls her back.

Sang-hoon holds Joo-hee’s hand briefly, saying that had been his wish thirty years ago. Joo-hee asks what his wish is now; he says he wants to make up with Geum-ja. But Geum-ja doesn’t hear this last part because Jung-kil pulls her away.

(Jung-kil consistently shows no affection toward Joo-hee, and even upon overhearing this incriminating conversation, his only reaction is to try to turn it to his advantage. I find Joo-hee exceedingly insipid and annoying, but seeing Jung-kil fail to display a hint of jealousy, protectiveness, or any interest at all, actually made me feel bad for her.)

Jung-kil tells Geum-ja that the Kangs’ house originally belonged to his father, so the house and car center all belong to him. He suggests that she can wield this knowledge to threaten Sang-hoon into good behavior and get more respect from Grandpa Man-bok.

Sung-joon finally gets Hyun-soo out of bed, but complains that the bed smells. Hyun-soo realizes it’s because of the paint and runs up to the attic, where Jung-in has fallen asleep among the paint fumes. He opens the window to air out the room and takes Jung-in outside.

They make a fire with fallen leaves to keep warm. Hyun-soo keeps his distance, but Jung-in tells him to sit next to her with a string of excuses: (a) it’s cold, (b) she’s still dizzy and wants to lean on him and (c) his legs must hurt from squatting. Finally she says, “Oppa, you’re acting weird.” Defensively, he sits next to her saying that’s not the case.

Jung-in: How was it?
Hyun-soo: What? H-h-h-…. H-h-h-how was what? W-w-what are you thinking?
Jung-in: I meant… the survey… how it went…

Hyun-soo falls sheepishly silent, and Jung-in mutters, “Player.”

Hyun-soo responds with feigned flippancy, “Look, for a man that’s a given! So what if I k-k-kissed someone? Just because I kissed a girl once…” His tone changes, genuinely curious. “… does that make me a player?”

Jung-in drops the subject, but as if in response she cuddles up to Hyun-soo, sayiing, “Can’t a dongseng link arms with her oppa when it’s cold?” He has to be consistent with his new playboy image, so he nervously laughs off the sexual tension, puts his arm around her and agrees that between an oppa and dongseng, it’s nice to be able to keep warm together.

(Eeeeeee!! Omgoodness, the cuteness of it all!!! Hyun-soo is making a total sucker out of me. *MELT*)

The next morning, Jung-in tells Hyun-soo they should make another fire and roast sweet potatoes. He shrugs her off, saying the fire is obviously not strong enough for the task. She pouts; he tells her, “Tuck those lips back in.” (Ha!)

But he can’t get her lips off his mind and starts seeing lips everywhere. He spazzes, but so as not to call attention to himself, he eats the “lips.” His imagination is so vivid that he struggles not to gag as he chews and swallows.

Jung-in finds onions and charcoal in her room, which Hyun-soo has put out to absorb the smell. Happy to see his thoughtful gesture, she labels them with post-it notes marked “Gift 1” and “Gift 2.”

Enter more tension between Jung-kyung and the Chief. Their relationship has already been strained because of personal matters, and now it’s spilling over into the workplace. Jung-kyung, incensed to hear that the Chief took her off a patient’s surgery, confronts him in front of colleagues. He sternly tells her it’s his policy to take a doctor off a case if the patient requests it.

Later, they make up quickly over the surgery issue, but when they get to the real problems at the heart of their relationship, making up isn’t so easy. The Chief argues that she wasn’t this way (i.e., this ‘demanding’) before Hyun-soo came back. Frustrated, he says they should take some time to rethink their relationship.

We get to dig into Sung-joon’s pro golf past, and there are skeletons lurking in his closet. The owner of the driving range asks him about his pro credentials, and he shiftily says that he left it in the U.S. He says his pro pseudonym was Tiger Buzz. “Tiger Buzz?” the owner repeats, incredulous; he’s never heard of it. (Though it does have a vaguely familiar ring… LOL. Oh, Sung-joon.)

To his salvation, a gaggle of eager ladies pass by just then, and he introduces himself as their new coach. (Damn, he’s tall.) They’re only too happy to be taught by the strapping young man. I suspect this is how he got by in the States, too…

At Global Motors, Han-se’s getting all lovey-dovey to Jung-in’s cold shoulder. “What?” she asks. “Cuz I like you,” he responds. The love sesh is rudely interrupted by Hyun-soo and his team. Seeing that the meeting room is taken, the team heads back out, but Hyun-soo yells, “Don’t close that door!” His ears perk up as he strains to listen from across the way.

While Hyun-soo is leading a meeting about the H-Spider brake system, Jung-in lets out a big yawn. (Haha–love Hyun-soo’s mid-sentence glare.)

They have coffee and desserts during the meeting, and more red juiciness = more lip fantasies. Hyun-soo passes off the cake, saying he doesn’t want it. After a beat, he says, “Nevermind—I’ll eat it,” and takes it back. And again, “Nevermind—you have it.” Hehe. I love how flummoxed he gets with all things Jung-in.

Han-se has Jung-in come to his office for lunch. Frustrated at the impasse she’s reached with Hyun-soo, she asks Han-se why he likes her.

Han-se: You’re pretty, you’re sweet and you don’t listen.
Jung-in: What?
Han-se: It’s a good thing. A woman should be like that; if she’s too easy, it’s no fun…. And truthfully, what I like most is that you make me tremble. Aside from you, no woman has ever been like that for me.

An employee comes in to tell Han-se his mother is on the way. Panic mode!! Jung-in runs into the employees’ workspace and hides under Hyun-soo’s desk. Han-se’s mother recognizes Hyun-soo and approaches the desk; Jung-in grabs Hyun-soo’s pant leg anxiously.

(Mrs. Lee really gets the shaft from wardrobe. Here she is, with all the grandeur of an ostrich.)

Once she leaves, Hyun-soo pulls Jung-in out, angry that she felt the need to hide. He tells her he’ll help her find a job elsewhere if she needs money.

Hyun-soo: You said you had no thought of getting back together with Han-se.
Jung-in: And what if I do?
(Han-se: [Eavesdropping, reacts] ?? … !!!)
Hyun-soo: What?
Jung-in: I said, so what if I do? It doesn’t matter to you whether I do or not. I’m not that smart, so don’t go confusing a person.

Jung-in’s speaks her mind with refreshing candor, and they fall silent as her meaning sinks in with Hyun-soo. Jung-kyung calls him, saying she’s at the house, but no one is there.

Jung-in always gets tight-lipped when Jung-kyung comes up, but this time, Hyun-soo tries to talk it through with her. While they’re waiting for the bus, he wonders aloud why Jung-kyung called: “Where do you think everyone went? Why would she stop by?” It’s not that he’s anxious to know; he just wants Jung-in to engage. This signals a shift in dynamics—he’s trying to involve Jung-in in the process so she doesn’t feel left out.

The cougar action in this scene is scary hilarious to watch. One woman offers to buy Sung-joon clothes, which he says he doesn’t need, and she says, “So it’s not clothes you need, but money!” She pulls out a wad of cash and greases his palm with it. He excuses himself to go count the money, saying, “I’ll be right back—I have to go powder my nose.” The women find this adorable.

Ha. Seo Dong-chan (of My Fair Lady) would have done it with more finesse than our endearingly bumbling Sung-joon, but ladies–I do believe we have a contender to take over Dong-chan’s old gigolo duds!

Sang-hoon takes Geum-ja to dinner, but their time is cut short when Jung-kil, anxious to thwart any potential reconciliation between the two, arrives with Joo-hee.

Sang-hoon does finally redeem himself later, in a rather touching scene. He tells Geum-ja the truth about Joo-hee, then continues:

They say that you realize how precious your parents and your wife are only after they’ve passed away. You’re grateful for them, you miss them, you feel sorry to them. I don’t want to have those regrets later. Dear, you’ve suffered a lot during these past thirty years. I don’t know how much time we still have left, but if we can live together another thirty years, during that time, even with you next to me, I’ll be grateful for you, miss you, and feel sorry to you.

He pulls out a ring, then kneels and puts it on the ring finger that’s never had a diamond on it til now. He explains, “I saved up some spending money to buy it, so I couldn’t get a nice one. Thank you for loving and protecting someone like me up til now.” She’s moved to tears (she’s also had her fair share of soju, hehe), and they embrace.

When Jung-in and Hyun-soo arrive at home, Jung-kyung tells Hyun-soo that she hasn’t eaten yet. In a huff, Jung-in tells them to eat by themselves and stalks off.

Hyun-soo is concerned at her reaction, but he goes with Jung-kyung and they end up at Ji-soo’s food stand. Sung-joon arrives after them and asks, “Why are you two here—where’s Jung-in?”

Home alone and furious, Jung-in needs to vent. She uses Hyun-soo’s gifts against him, taking the charcoal and writing “Idiot” on the wall he’d painted.

Sung-joon later reminds Hyun-soo about Jung-in’s intense propensity for jealousy, and Hyun-soo merely says, “Goodnight.”

“Oooh,” Sung-joon responds. “At long last you acknowledge it!”

As they get ready for bed, Jung-kyung asks Jung-in if she likes Hyun-soo, and tells her to get over him. Jung-in asks, “Why? Am I not allowed to like him?” Jung-kyung says that Hyun-soo had liked her for eight years; so even if it were to work out with Jung-in, Jung-kyung would still come to mind between them.

Jung-in confronts her sister right back, asking if she likes Hyun-soo. Jung-kyung admits it. “He’s a good person. There’s no reason not to.” She challenges Jung-in, “Do you think Hyun-soo sees you as a woman? Not as my little sister, but as Seo Jung-in, a woman?”

Jung-in: It doesn’t matter. Your feelings changed after you disliked him for so long, but now you like him. So who knows whether Oppa’s feelings might change too? So don’t say it can’t happen.

(YOU GO GIRL! That line is so perfect. I love how relationships and emotions are handled in this series—it’s true to life and handles both the rational and emotional aspects of how relationships develop, rather than relying on serendipitous maneuvers, musical cues and cliche to convey emotional crescendo.)

EPISODE 14

Neither sister can sleep, and Jung-kyung gets up to go back to the hospital. On her way out, she runs into Hyun-soo, who offers to give her a ride to the hospital.

In the car, Jung-kyung comments that it seems like rather than Jung-in being her dongseng, now she’s Jung-in’s unni. Hyun-soo is confused: aren’t they one and the same? Technically, they are, but Jung-kyung senses that her footing with him is slipping.

She says things aren’t going well with the Chief. Hyun-soo responds that liking someone won’t always be easy. Caring for someone can cause worry and hurt, and he encourages her to think of her situation as such. He says that when liking a person actually plays out in real life, it feels like taking a test without studying; or as if you’re cheating so you can’t look up straight; or when you do catch the person’s eye, your heart starts to pound. This makes him think of Jung-in swooping in for the kiss, and he shudders giddily at the thought.

Waiting up for Hyun-soo, Jung-in makes another fire by herself. After she puts it out, she kicks it over in anger.

In the morning, the family finds the overturned ashes. Jung-in yells that people who do such things should be punished, as well as people who stay out making noise at 2 a.m…. and 3:05 a.m. (Not that she was keeping track or anything.) Sung-joon realizes that Jung-in is acting out because Hyun-soo drove Jung-kyung to the hospital.

Sung-joon: [In Hyun-soo’s ear] That’s why I told you to watch out for her jealous side.
Jung-in: It’s rude to whisper when I’m right here!
Sung-joon: You see that, you see? She can’t even stand the sight of me standing with you.

Sung-joon stops by Ji-soo’s truck to raise some fanfare about his new job, but she’s sick and unresponsive. Watching from afar, Kyung-soo repeats, “Poison! Poison!”

I never knew til now that golfing could be so… ELVIS. BWAHAHA! Sung-joon gets his hip-gyration flirt on while demonstrating form. I’ve never golfed myself, but somehow I sense that this is NOT how it’s done.

Han-se calls Hyun-soo and tells him to tell Jung-in to turn on her phone. Peeved, Hyun-soo goes up to Jung-in’s room where she is woosah-ing her anger away by meditating on a black spot, her “mark of self-discipline.” She makes him meditate with her. He hits her on the forehead to snap her out of it; when he tries to do it again, she moves to block and he smiles.

Jung-in asks, “Aside from Runny Nose, is there anything that comes to mind when you think of me?” Helpfully, she offers a few ideas: Pretty, cute or loveable? Koala, parakeet, a big-eyed bunny, a bear cub? As she hovers in close giving him cutesy looks and batting her eyelashes, he can’t seem to help but pucker his lips.

“Oh!” he says. “A frog.” She snaps at him, and he says that confirms it—she’s a big-eyed green frog. Han-se calls Hyun-soo again, and he petulantly tells her to pick up. Han-se tells Jung-in to come outside (he’s on his way) because his father approved her headlight design.

She gets ready to go out, and as she comes down the ladder in a miniskirt, Hyun-soo looks on with a loud gasp. HAHAHAH!!! It’s supposed to express his disapproval and disgust, but the setup of this shot is hilariously suggestive.

Geum-ja reprimands Hyun-soo for going up to Jung-in’s room, but Jung-in tells her Hyun-soo is like an unni (older sister) to her. Geum-ja is offended, so to prove her point, Jung-in puts on Hyun-soo’s mama-boy voice and acts out the scene when Hyun-soo had come to Joon-bae’s restaurant, begging her to come home: “‘Mom—since you’re not here, I haven’t been able to eat. To me, mom’s cooking is the BEST. So huwwy up and come home~!’”

Hyun-soo gets defensive, but Geum-ja says it’s okay for him to stand in for the daughter she doesn’t have, and follows up by saying that outside of his interactions with her, he’s like his father. In a word: Macho.

Jung-in gives him a once-over, then throws her head back and milks that laugh for all it’s worth.

She meets Han-se outside, and he takes her to an apartment that he’s found for her. He tells her to leave the Kangs’ house and have a room of her own, but she retorts that she already does. “You didn’t know? I have a room. A room that Hyun-soo oppa made for me.”

She tells him not to take her for a strange woman and do things like try to give her a place to live. He asks if that makes Jung-kyung a strange woman too, since she was living with a man in an apartment. Shocked, she goes to the hospital to confront her sister. On her way, she calls Hyun-soo to ask if he’d known about this. He has no idea what she means, but worried that she’s going to create a scene, he goes out to follow her to the hospital.

Yeon-jae storms out of a cab right behind Jung-in and gets to Jung-kyung first. Having intercepted a text from Jung-kyung to her father, she confronts Jung-kyung in the middle of the hospital terminal, drawing a crowd: “Get your filthy hands off me! What did you and my father do in the apartment?” (Whoa, there. I know people think Jung-kyung is bad, but this little biotch-in-the-making here is something else entirely.)

Jung-in cuts in and puts Yeon-jae in her place, saying Jung-kyung wouldn’t date a man with a kid in tow—especially if that kid is as ill-bred as Yeon-jae. Yeon-jae is intimidated, and when the Chief comes in she runs to him, whimpering.

Jung-in asks the Chief, “Ajusshi, did my sister ask you to buy her an apartment? The sister I know is too proud and would die before asking for something like that. Ajusshi, tell me. Say it clearly in front of your daughter!”

He tells Yeon-jae that he’d already had the spare apartment, and he was only trying to help a colleague in need. “We don’t have that kind of relationship,” he says.

Disappointed by his cop-out response, Jung-kyung interrupts, “Yeon-jae, you don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t you who misunderstood, but me.”

Jung-in runs out after her sister, but Jung-kyung walks away as Hyun-soo arrives, witnessing the tail-end of the scene. Hyun-soo finds Jung-kyung and offers an ear as she verbally processes her relationship troubles. She asks for his advice, contrasting her feelings for the Chief with his feelings for her. But he says he doesn’t know the answer, since their situations were different: his was one-sided, hers is mutual. He tells her, “Just because the process is hard, don’t doubt his love.”

“Kang Hyun-soo,” Jung-kyung says, “I wish the Chief were as honest about love as you are.”

He brushes it off with a laugh: “If he had, he would’ve been rejected a long time ago, like me.”

Forget the self-discipline Rorschach; Jung-in is back to venting by darkening the word “Idiot” on her wall. She adds, x 100.

Jung-kil and Geum-ja see a lawyer about the house, who says that Jung-kil can’t make a legal claim to the house without any official records, like an IOU or proof of the Chairman’s payment. Without the backing of the law, Jung-kil tries to bully Grandpa Man-bok into turning over the house. He tells Grandpa Man-bok to come out with the truth.

Grandpa Man-bok: Look, you rascal who’s more worthless than an ant! Even the lowly ant moves its food with its own body. What are you planning to do with your body, that you’re trying to get something for nothing?

Kyung-soo later finds Jung-kil in the car center office, descending to new lows. He takes all the money from the cash register and even grabs the tip right out of Kyung-soo’s hand, claiming that it all belongs to him. (STOP! THE! ENTITLEMENT!)

Kyung-soo calls the house to tell them that Jung-kil took off with all the money, so Grandpa, Sang-hoon and Geum-ja all run out after him. Hyun-soo goes to look for Jung-in.

She’s outside, sketching headlights. He texts her, saying, “You’re needed. Come home.” She shows him the sketches she’s been working on, and they’re pretty good, but he says they’re not what he needs. “I’m hungry. Get me some food.”

She makes some bibimbap, but knowing she hasn’t had lunch, he makes her eat it. He tells her gently that Jung-kyung had been upset about the Chief, and he had only been there to listen.

Geum-ja comes home and gives Jung-in a hard time about her dad. Jung-in has no reason to stick up for him, either, so she keeps quiet. To get Geum-ja off Jung-in’s case, he leads her out of the kitchen.

As they leave, he motions to Jung-in to keep eating and gives her an exaggerated, dorky wink.

Sung-joon has been helping Ji-soo find a new place. She does find one, and to thank Sung-joon for his help, gives him a coupon to her pojangmacha. He buys her blankets and says that in exchange, she should give him an all-you-can-eat coupon. She refuses, so he says, “Forget it”; walks out, counts to five, and bursts back into the room, catching her red-handed in the frilly blankets.

Jung-kil comes to Joon-bae’s restaurant, where Grandpa Man-bok has been talking with Joon-bae. He says to Jung-kil, “I can’t live indebted, so I will give it all back to you. Let’s go.”

But Grandpa takes him to the police station. Once inside the door, he grabs him by the collar and yells, “Catch this thief!” He tells Jung-kil, “This is exactly what I had to repay to your father, the Chairman. I went to jail because of your father!”

Back at home, Hyun-soo begins to text Jung-in, asking, “Is it going well?” Hearing her coming down the stairs, he throws the phone down like a hot potato.

Jung-in: Who were you calling at this hour?
Hyun-soo: Nah, just l-l-l-looking at the time.
Jung-in: If you’re going to lie, you should fix that stutter first.

She asks him what was up with the wink from earlier. (Jung-in’s Hyun-soo impressions crack me up!!) She says, “Hey, Player. What you said about having done everything was a lie, right? You dorky mama boy.”

She asks him again for feedback on her sketches. He’s already given it some thought, and shows her the preliminary design he’s started on his computer. He launches into technical speak, none of which matters to Jung-in right now (Teehee!!).

Jung-in: I really like you, Oppa.
Hyun-soo: What?
Jung-in: You’re clumsy, dorky, you can’t wink and you lie about being a player, but I still really like you. So you should appreciate it and be good to me in the future. Wait for me, and teach me, like this. Okay?

Typical Hyun-soo, he hits her on the forehead. You can’t blame her for being slow on the block—who would hit a girl at a time like this??

He tells her to pay attention to the task at hand—but I’ll confess, his techie speak gets totally lost on me because I am just sitting here going SQUEEEEEEE at her blatantly loving looks. She doesn’t even look at the screen–not a once!

At the Chief’s apartment, Jung-kyung has packed her bags and expresses that she’s reached her limit.

Jung-kyung: You know, we’re very similar. Though we pretend not to be, we’re extremely selfish. You have your reputation at the hospital, you want to be a good father to Yeon-jae, and on top of that, me—you won’t sacrifice any of these three. So how could you love me?
Chief: Then would you be able to give up everything for me?
Jung-kyung: I left my family at another person’s house and came here without batting an eye! If it weren’t for you, would I want to be a mom right now? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t come to work listening to the gossip at my back! If it weren’t for you, I would have met someone else by now who would make things easier for me. What else could I give up?

She walks out and calls Hyun-soo. Hyun-soo is still working on designs with Jung-in. He looks at the phone and says, “It’s Jung-kyung. Why would she be calling at this hour?”

Just as he takes the call, Jung-in says, “Don’t answer.” Jung-kyung asks Hyun-soo to come pick her up, and again, Jung-in says, “Don’t go.”

Hyun-soo argues that they can finish up when he gets back, but she insists: “No. If you leave now, I don’t think this will work. Don’t go.”

But he goes anyway, and she begins to cry. Once outside, though, he turns back.

“Let’s go together,” he says, grabbing her hand.


COMMENTARY

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Maybe it’s because the buildup has been so long in coming (enjoyable, but long), but that final scene totally got me. He’s finally beginning to reach back out to Jung-in, too.

I appreciate that this series respects the viewer enough to allow events to unfold naturally, rather than banging Big Moments over your head with flashbacks and voiced over closeups of the brooding lover. The charm of this series–and why it works–is that it uses the small moments to bring out the charisma that abounds in this cast.

A few thoughts on Jung-kyung. I haven’t had a visceral response to her because while her actions are abrasive, I do appreciate her from a character development standpoint. Though her actions are inexcusable, I think Choi Jung-yoon, who plays Jung-kyung, grounds them in motivations that make sense.

Probably thanks to the parents who raised her, Jung-kyung has little capacity to take anything other than her own needs/goals into account. So her life is a precarious balance: her career, her noncommittal single-father doctor boyfriend, and her family. She puts these three in triage and prioritizes her career and the Chief; dealing with family troubles on top of her workload and the stress of an unfulfilled relationship would be too much to handle. So her icy, inconsiderate words and actions stem her efforts to maintain this decision, and Choi Jung-yoon does a great job of portraying the resignation and frustration Jung-kyung feels as she follows through on the choices she’s made. In these episodes, the fragile balance is thrown off-kilter, cracking her “Ice” exterior and exposing her humanity.

So I don’t hate on Jung-kyung, but her relationship with Jung-in does still trouble me. It might just be because it saddens me to see them be so harsh and unforgiving towards each other. (In fact, in a recent interview Choi Jung-yoon admitted that portraying Jung-kyung’s relationship with Jung-in “makes my heart ache.”)

Though Jung-kyung keeps a cold exterior, Jung-in’s spunk and warmth usually manage to win out. But in the abrasive interactions between these two, I have yet to find anything redemptive. Perhaps that’s why family is family; other relationships wouldn’t withstand such friction. The sisters share too-similar flaws; they’re opinionated, proud, self-centered and stubborn. With this set of foibles, they’re bound to clash. And while the Kangs have loyalty in spades, loyalty is not the Seos’ strong suit—although Jung-in does stick up for her sister in the hospital scene. Perhaps she’s finally learning something from the Kangs!

Episode 15

Grandpa Man-bok takes Jung-kil to the police station for stealing money from the auto center. Seeing that his current tactics aren’t having much effect, he decides to leave Jung-kil at the police station for a few days. (Does it looks like our grandpa is sick? He shows the proverbial cough and chest clutching. You decide.)

Hyun-soo and Jung-in head over to Jung-kyung. In the cab, Jung-in leans in to rest her head against him. He immediately pulls away, embarrassed at her behavior. And when the taxi driver says he understands a lover’s quarrel, Hyun-soo adamantly declares that she is just his little sister. But when she leans on him again, he relents. (OMG – how cute is Jung-in? I just love it when she links her arm with Hyun-soo and asks the taxi driver, “Ahjusshi, don’t we look good together?” It’s behavior typical of a supporting female character but pulled off so irresistibly by Lee Ming-jung.)

Once they get to the apartment, Jung-in’s ready to defend her sister and tell off the cowardly doctor boyfriend. But Hyun-soo tells Jung-in to wait for them. When she complains of the chill, he puts his jacket around her and tells her to think about his suffering due to her stubbornness. She pretends to grumble as he walks off, but gleefully pulls on his jacket tight.

Hyun-soo walks towards the building and sees a defeated Jung-kyung sitting on a bench. She’s disheartened by the chief and says she wants to just run away like this. He gives her a wise reply.

Hyun-soo: Will anything is be resolved if you run away, when your heart is here? If you could forget by not seeing someone, or not think about a person by running away, how could I have liked you for 8 years? The only thing I can do for you is to stay next to you. Tell me when you decide. If you think your heart can be pacified by going away, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”


Hyun-soo starts telling corny jokes to Jung-kyung to make her smile, as Jung-in watches them from a distance. Hearing that Jung-kyung isn’t thrilled about her presence, she calls Hyun-soo to say that she’s left for home. He get peeved that she left with his jacket (and wallet), and glances over at Jung-kyung hoping for some help.

As much as Jung-in yells at her sister and calls her names, it’s pretty clear from this scene that she loves her big sister. Her fiercely loyal trait comes out in full force as she protects her sister from the chief and his daughter. I just love Jung-in. It’s also good to see Jung-kyung’s honesty here. She knows that she abandoned her family for a man and comfort, and feels guilty about her choices.

On her way home, she sees Ji-soo’s truck stand (po-cha for short) with its piping hot dduk-bok-ggi. She looks at it longingly, but doesn’t want to spend Hyun-soo’s money. (Look how far she’s come!) Ji-soo sees her ravenous eyes and offers to give her a tab. When Jung-in cheerfully accepts, Ji-soo comments, “Now that I look, you’re really similar to your oppa.” Jung-in doesn’t realize that it’s not a compliment, “Really? My oppa does have a really good personality like me. Even as a child, he’d give me the candy out of his mouth if I asked for it.”

Just then, Sung-joon arrives and flashes his VIP membership card, telling Jung-in to eat her fill without worrying. It’s cute to see the 2 siblings enjoying a glass of soju.

They continue their sibling banter in Jung-in’s room after running into Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo. They share laughs about their childhood, reminiscing the time that Sung-joon got a 0 on a test in grade school. Sung-joon defends himself, saying that he went on strike because the class trips kept getting canceled due to rain.

Sung-joon, sick of hearing about his stories, blurts out that Jung-in peed in bed during middle school, and that Jung-kyung brought home the 2nd ranking girl (academically) in her class to meet Sung-joon, so that she wouldn’t study. As the sisters playfully try to push Sung-joon out, Hyun-soo gets in on the action. “I played hooky during school to go play with my friends!”

They then get into a sweet interlude, with Hyun-soo and Jung-in shouting “knowing” insults at each other. When Jung-kyung describes Hyun-soo when asked about her ideal man, Jung-in gets jealous and tries to change her answer to someone more like Hyun-soo.

After the boys leave, the 2 sisters have their first non-antagonistic conversation. Jung-in tells her sister that she wanted to drink together when she got dumped by Han-se, not realizing that Jung-kyung came in time to see her on Hyun-soo’s back. Their conversation eventually turns to Hyun-soo.

Jung-in: But I like that company. Is Han-se the only one there? I like traveling with him [Hyun-soo].
Jung-kyung: Jung-in…
Jung-in: I know. Not me. Wedding dress, 8 years, and what else was there? Who cares?
Jung-kyung: How can everything be so easy for you? Getting married quickly because dad hurried you along. And how can you even think about working at Han-se’s company? I keep worrying about you because you act without much thought. From now on, be prudent before making a decision.
Jung-in: But when I think about it, my heart gets flustered and hurts. Unni, I know. That Hyun-soo oppa like you. Right? I’m right…

Jung-in breaks my heart in this scene. And Jung-kyung may be a little aloof in her speech, but you can tell that she’s trying to dissuade Jung-in for her own good.

The next morning, Geum-ja tells Jung-in to wash the blankets with Jung-kyung. Hyun-soo speaks up and says that it’ll be easier for a man to complete the task. Jung-in takes the opportunity to bring over some of her laundry so that he can wash them at the same time, reminding him that a strong man is better suited for the job. They get into a little tiff, which ends with a fully soaked Hyun-soo, and a soapy eyed Jung-in.

Geum-ja walks into the bathroom and sees the mess they’ve created. Jung-in and Hyun-soo take turns tattling on each other to Geum-ja: “She made me do her laundry!” “He’s only doing laundry for his first love!” Ultimately Hyun-soo wins out by telling Geum-ja that Jung-in keeps using informal tone with her and treating him without respect. Geum-ja starts smacking Jung-in, who runs away to avoid getting hit.

This eventually leads to Hyun-soo holding onto (hugging) Jung-in while Geum-ja looks for something that she can use to spank her. All the while, Jung-kyung looks on with absolute shock. (Their expressions are priceless.)

Jung-in gets out of Hyun-soo’s death grip by giving him a head butt, then scatters away. Jung-kyung takes care of Hyun-soo’s injury, while Geum-ja sings her praises. When she leaves, Geum-ja tells Hyun-soo that she would be a good match for him, if not for her family.

Seeing Geum-ja talk well about her sister, Jung-in tries to win some brownie points as well. She finishes up the laundry and gives Geum-ja a massage, surprising Geum-ja with her maturity.

Jung-in: If you look closely, you’ll see that there are lots of things I’m good at. I sing well, and dance well too!
Geum-ja: You think that’s something to boast about? Don’t go around saying that. You’ll never get married.

Haha. I love Jung-in and Geum-ja together.

Now to Jung-kil. He’s been living at the police station for a few days, without feeling any remorse. Grandpa Man-bok goes to pay him a visit and tells him a story.

Man-bok: I stole 30,000 won from the President [Jung-kil's father] and was in prison for 6 months. It was to pay for my pregnant wife’s hospital bill… When I got out, I found that he had taken my wife and Sang-hoon to live in your summer home.”
Jung-kil: Then he was your life’s savior. Why are you doing this to me?
Man-bok: You foolish man. If he was going to do that for me, why do you think he put me in jail? If he had just let it slide because he felt sorry for me, I might have lived my life stealing. Jung-kil, I may have lived my life bowing to others because I had little and knew little. But I’ve been able to stand proud in front of my son, grandson, and daughter-in-law, all because of the president.”

Man-bok tells Jung-kil to write a note promising that he won’t bring up the house again, but Jung-kil pushes back, saying that he’ll live uprightly if he gets the house. Man-bok tells him to think about it more and leaves. Seeing that Sang-hoon and Geum-ja heard everything at the station, he tells them to help Jung-kil to live honestly, instead of harassing him.

Han-se meets with Hyun-soo (at Ji-soo’s po-cha) to apologize for his misunderstanding about Jung-in. (He overhears a conversation that Hyun-soo has with Jung-kyung, and thinks that he’s being nice to Jung-in for her sister’s sake.) When Han-se asks him for help with Jung-in, he refuses.

Han-se: Why can’t you do it? Do you possibly…
Hyun-soo: Because I don’t believe what Jung-in says. How can I possibly tell you about her feelings? When Jung-in says she’s OK, she doesn’t seem OK. When she says she’s not mad, it looks like she’s mad. When she says she doesn’t need anything, it looks like she needs something. When she says she’s full, she looks hungry. I can’t understand what Jung-in says nor can I believe it. How can I possibly tell you what she’s feeling? So, if you’re that curious, ask her yourself.
Han-se: Kang Hyun-soo sshi. Have you never dated?
Hyun-soo: What?
Han-se: Damn. I’m gonna go crazy.

At this point, Han-se’s fully caught on and calls Jung-in, demanding her to leave Hyun-soo’s house immediately. He comments, “I should have just given a fish to a cat.” (LOL) When Hyun-soo asks why he’s acting like this, Han-se spills the beans.

Han-se: YOU LIKE JUNG-IN!!!

Meanwhile, Ji-soo finally confronts the 2 men who have been tailing her. They accuse her to causing an accident, which she vehemently denies. Sung-joon witnesses the 2 guys pushing Ji-soo around and comes to her rescue. Apparently, Sung-joon was not only smooth with the ladies, but got into his fair share of fights, because he throws a punch again. Ji-soo runs to Hyun-soo for help, who gets hit in the process. Just then, Jung-in runs into the scene, yelling, “Who hit Hyun-soo oppa!” This gets Han-se involved in the fight, trying to show off to Jung-in. And all hell breaks loose.

We know that Ji-soo has some sort of past, because we see her clenching her fist and moving in as though she’s about to take control. Unfortunately for us, the police show up and we don’t get to witness her ass-whooping skills. (I would have loved to seen that.)

When the whole crew arrives at the station, they see Jung-kil handcuffed to the seat. Jung-in is exasperated to see her dad at the police station, and starts wailing, moving everyone to silence. When the rest of the family arrives, they all start pointing the finger at each other. Han-se even barks orders at Man-bok, asking for his lawyer. But Grandpa Man-bok tells him to shut his trap.

Geum-ja sees the blood on Hyun-soo’s face and asks Jung-kyung to take a look at it, shoving Jung-in aside. She’s downcast, watching Geum-ja push Hyun-soo towards her sister. As she walks out, Han-se starts to chase after her. Sung-joon holds him back and tells “dong-seng” to go after her. He’s, of course, referring to Hyun-soo, but Geum-ja thinks that he’s talking to Jung-kyung and tells her to stay to look after her son. Hyun-soo looks worried and tries to follow her, but Geum-ja is insistent on getting his face checked out.

We find out that the 2 men following Ji-soo are from the insurance company, and they are trying to collect money from her, accusing her of illegally causing an accident. They apparently know about her shady past (she’s a bit of a con artist), and threatens them with their knowledge of the thief (Jung-kil) and the fraud (Sung-joon) living in their home. Grandpa Man-bok roars that they should bring proof before pointing an accusing finger.

Hyun-soo looks for Jung-in once he gets home. He finds her next to the fire made by dried leaves. He then runs inside and brings out some sweet potatoes to roast.

Jung-in: Don’t be nice to me.
Hyun-soo: Don’t be nice? Alright.
Jung-in: You just said alright. Why aren’t you leaving?
Hyun-soo: This is being nice? I’m just sitting next to you. Jung-in ah, are you uncomfortable when I’m next to you? But I feel comfortable when I’m next to you like this.

Just then, Jung-kyung arrives and tells Hyun-soo that she’ll take her family and leave. Jung-in and Hyun-soo are both shocked and upset.

Sung-joon is in bed, thinking about Ji-soo. He plays over scenes in his mind and his brain works overtime to figure her out. He even pulls over Hyun-soo and asks, “What’s the connection between these words: rose, thorn, poison, orphan, dduk-bok-gi, gratitude.” Hyun-soo is totally befuddled by Sung-joon’s question, which forces him to confront Ji-soo at her house.

Sung-joon: Who are you? What’s your true color? I have an idea of what it is…
Ji-soo: Yes. What you’re thinking is correct. I was previously…
Sung-joon: a rich family’s daughter. Right?
Ji-soo: Eh?
Sung-joon: But you left home because your parents got remarried. So you developed a poisonous heart to rebel against your family, and said you were an orphan to hide your true self, and sold kim-bap. Then you met me and fell head over heels. And was thankful to have left home because of it.”

Haha. Mystery solved! Love that ridiculous Sung-joon. Ji-soo is stupefied to even respond, and Sung-joon continues, “Tell your parents to stop tailing me. It seems like they’re trying to break us apart, but you’re not my type at all. I don’t meet girls for money.” She decides to just go along with his theory and says that she’ll be returning home soon. She thanks Sung-joon for making her happy during the time they were together.

Episode 16

Jung-in isn’t able to sleep thinking about Hyun-soo’s words, and runs outside to see if he’s still there. He’s gone, but she finds the roasted sweet potatoes on the ledge. She can’t hide her joy, and carefully gathers up all four of them in her arms.

Grandpa Man-bok gets Jung-kil out of jail and sends him off to a construction site for some manual labor. Jung-kil is still living in la-la land and thinks that he’s there for a management position. Finding out that it’s the Seo Jung-kil who lost them money, the other workers chase him around the site.

At breakfast, Jung-kyung announces to everyone that she’ll be leaving with her family. Grandpa Man-bok objects, but she interjects, “My family won’t change easily. You’ll probably give up at some point and we can’t just wait until then. If they have a hard time after leaving, they’ll figure out a way to live. This way will be faster.” But Man-bok tells her that it’s not time for that yet. He has a plan, wanting to fulfill the president’s dying wishes.

Sung-joon and Joo-hee assume that he’s talking about an inheritance and muse their future life. Joo-hee would use the money to get their house back and buy clothes, while Sung-joon would buy a sports car. (Oh goodness, no wonder they need 46 episodes! It’ll take atleast that to turn these clowns around!)

Jung-in wants to go into the office with Hyun-soo but be claims to be busy. She thinks that he’s dawdling to leave the house with Jung-kyung and storms out. She says to Jung-kyung, “It looks like Kang Hyun-soo wants to go to work with you. Make sure you look pretty before leaving!”

Han-se is waiting for her outside the house. She reluctantly rides to work with him. In the office, she starts to eat the sweet potato that Hyun-soo made her. Han-se gets jealous that she’s savoring something from Hyun-soo. When he tries to wipe away the dirt on her lips, she smacks his hand away.

When Hyun-soo arrives at the office, he calls out Jung-in. She’s elated and a little abashed to find out that he was working at home to prepare materials for her presentation. He sees the dirt on her face from the sweet potato, and gently wipes it away, while Han-se looks on with ire.

Jung-in gives a glowing presentation, but Han-se disregards her work and gives the project to someone else, telling his assistant to compensate her for the idea. Everyone is surprised, with Hyun-soo being most perturbed. He pursues Han-se back to his office, asking why he’s being like this, especially when he claims to still love her. Hyun-soo’s disgusted with Han-se’s treatment of Jung-in, and tells him never to bring her up in front of him again.

Han-se: Then tell me a way also. I can’t roast sweet potatoes to make a woman’s heart flutter. It’s too cheesy. What else is there?
Hyun-soo: There shouldn’t be anything you can’t do. If you like her, you should do everything.

Jung-in doesn’t get disparaged by Han-se, and sells off her compensation (10,000 won gift cards) for 9,000 won in cash to her co-workers. Hyun-soo’s relieved to see her buoyancy. She wants to treat him to something after work, but he has to teach a class. He asks for a cup of coffee, but she’s busy with work. Our star crossed lovers! (But it’s OK, because this will eventually lead us to the funniest part of evening.)

Jung-kyung decides to take a sabbatical from the hospital, and asks the chief for his signature. He’s less than thrilled, and tries to explains his actions. He says that he’ll try to set up her birthday dinner with Yeon-jae. Jung-kyung replies, “I don’t believe your promises anymore” and walks out.

As one relationship folds, another blossoms. Jung-in blithely types in Hyun-soo’s computer password (Jung-kyung’s birthday), making arrangements for their date.

The family gathers in the evening. Jung-kil moans and groans about working at the construction site with a bunch of inked gangsters. Sang-hoon and Hyun-soo smile on the side at his childish behavior.

Jung-in comes home and quells the insanity, with the aroma of presents! She’s earned 500,000 won for her headlight idea, and decides to spend 100,000 for her family and 100,000 for herself. (She’s already given 300,000 to Han-se for the ring.) Geum-ja and Sang-hoon mention that she’s spent quite a bit, and she retorts, “As grandpa said, it’s more important to know how to spend money than make money. I bought this for the happiness of our family, so don’t say anything this time.” Long-johns for Grandpa Man-bok. (She asks everyone to applaud as she gives out the gift. So cute.) Bootees for the ladies and socks for the men. She goes around in a circle, handing out boxes to everyone. She whispers to Geum-ja, “I got two for you!” When she gets to Hyun-soo, he already has his palm out.

Jung-in: Oh no! I completely forgot about yours! Sorry. I’ll make sure to get you something later.
Sung-joon: How could you forget Hyun-soo’s…
Hyun-soo: That can happen. It’s fine. I have a lot of socks. It’s not like I don’t have socks…

Puhaha. He even takes the bag and flips it over to make sure that there isn’t anything inside. Jung-in laughs to herself, knowing that she’s got other plans.

Jung-in follows Hyun-soo into the kitchen to tell him about their date. Just then, Geum-ja swoops in and asks him to take her on a date with his first paycheck. He promises to take her tomorrow, to Jung-in’s horror. She tries to push back their plans, saying it’ll be cold tomorrow, but Hyun-soo is totally clueless and sets the mother/son date for tomorrow. Jung-in flabbergasted, and cries, “That idiot!” as he walks out.

The 2 stooges (Sung-joon, Joo-hee) tell the 3rd stooge (Jung-kil) about the grandfather’s dying wish. They decide to feign reform, to earn Man-bok’s trust and ultimately, to gain their “inheritance”.

Jung-in contemplates which part of the date to forgo, when she has a little fantasy of her own. She imagines the 2 them at an empty theater, with Hyun-soo making his move and suavely coming in for a kiss. She’s delighted at the prospect, and giggles to herself. She tries to pawn Geum-ja off to Sang-hoon and gives him the tickets for the boat ride. But Geum-ja is insistant on going out with her son.

At the office, a dense Hyun-soo finally realizes why he didn’t receive a pair of socks last night.

A movie. A Boat excursion. Full-course meal.
An evening for 100,000 won!
But it’s free for Mr. Macho.
Look for the frog with the runny nose at the bus station!

On the other hand, Han-se is quick as a flash. He hands Jung-in a mound of paperwork to keep her from going to the movies with Hyun-soo.

Han-se finds Jung-kil’s whereabouts and visits him at the construction site. Han-se tries to earn back Jung-in’s favor by using her dad. “If Jung-in’s heart returns to me, I’ll help you try to restart your business.” Thankfully, Jung-kil isn’t a totally reprobate. “If she comes back? Are you trying to haggle with me for Jung-in?” Unfortunately, Jung-kil is an easy target, and we’re left with the feeling that he can fall into Han-se’s trap at any second.

Hyun-soo regrets that he didn’t find out about the date earlier, but Jung-in reassures him that it’s OK for him to go with his mom. He replies, “So you’re telling me to leave you here alone and go by myself? You be the idiot from now on.” (Aww…)

Grandpa Man-bok decides to go into business with Ji-soo, opening up a small restaurant (pocha style). He brings Joo-hee to the store to give her a job. She initially wants to be president but is easily derailed by the responsibility and agrees to working for Ji-soo. Poor Ji-soo…

And now the piece de resistance! Hyun-soo surprises Jung-in by coming to watch the movie on their (almost) date. Geum-ja is wary of their closeness, and separates the two of them. She watches on as they eat out of the same popcorn bag. And stops Hyun-soo from drinking out of Jung-in’s straw. The 2 ogle each other during the movie, while Geum-ja enjoys the racy scenes of the movie. (Awkward!! Who here’s sat through watching a sex scene with their parents? Raise your hand!)

Hyun-soo scolds Jung-in for picking such a risque movie, and pretends to get rid of her for dinner, forcing Geum-ja to reluctantly invite her. At dinner, Jung-in doesn’t order, bothering Hyun-soo to no end. He continues to pester her about getting a meal, until Geum-ja gets annoyed at his persistence.

Hearing Geum-ja heap accolades on her son, Jung-in is curious to find out what Geum-ja’s looking for in a daughter-in-law. When she replies, “I don’t care as long as Hyun-soo likes her,” Jung-in’s face lights up. “Really? Ahjumma, you’re really cool.” But when Geum-ja starts listing off qualities for his ideal mate, her face slowly turns downcast.

Geum-ja: Even when you look, you honestly don’t think there’s anyone like Hyun-soo. Right?
Jung-in: That’s true. You can say he’s almost perfect as a potential husband.
Geum-ja: See! Jung-in, if you had a man like Hyun-soo, you’d immediately get married. Right?
Jung-in: Yes. Then, what do you think about me as your daughter-in-law?

Geum-ja almost chokes and Hyun-soo take his steak right out of his mouth. (But his expression isn’t that of shock. More like interest?) Geum-ja gets worked up over the question and brings up Jung-in’s failed marriage yet again.

Han-se calls Hyun-soo to get Jung-in back to the office, fibbing that he’s lost some documents. As she heads out, Hyun-soo figures out that she didn’t eat on purpose to pay for their meal. He promises to pick her up from the office after dropping Geum-ja off at home.

On his way to Jung-in, Hyun-soo runs into Jung-kyung. They reminisce a bit about their 8 years (while Sang-hoon overhears), but Jung-kyung now knows that his heart is elsewhere. “If I’m a friend, what is Jung-in to you?” Hyun-soo isn’t able to answer the question, and walks off. Jung-kyung can’t shake her anxiety, and calls Hyun-soo to ask him the question again, forcing him to honestly deal with the issue. (Soyjoy talked about this in her last recap, and I totally concur. The drama does a great job of building to the climax, rather than manipulating the viewers to arrive there. I love that the music almost cuts off as Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo talk, allowing us to freely ponder their conversation and his dilemma.)

Jung-in waits for Hyun-soo, rebuffing Han-se’s advances and his words of doubt. She leaves the office to run away from Han-se, and sees Hyun-soo waiting for her outside. As he takes her to the car, he has a revelation, and goes back to talk to Han-se about the ring.

Hyun-soo: I’ll pay it. The cost of the ring.
Han-se: What?
Hyun-soo: I said I’ll pay for it.
Han-se: Do you even know how much it is?
Hyun-soo: It can’t be in the hundreds of billions range.
Han-se: Why would you pay for that?
Hyun-soo: Since I can’t mess up a project worth hundred of billions. I can’t focus on my work, seeing Jung-in tossed around by your money.
Han-se: Kang Hyun-soo. Are you trying to start with me?
Hyun-soo: Lee Han-se. Shall we?

After throwing down with his new nemesis, Hyun-soo comes outside and sees Jung-in. He remembers Jung-kyung’s question, “Who is Jung-in to you?” And finally seems to have an answer.

Hyun-soo: Seo Jung-in. JUNG-IN AH!!!!!

Comments

Hurray! I love this ending!! Doesn’t Hyun-soo seem completely resolute as he cries her name? This is a man who loved the same woman for 8 years, a woman who didn’t return an iota of that love. Once he uncovers his feelings, he’s a man who’s steadfast to them. Just as Jung-in accepts her own heart for Hyun-soo, I firmly believe that Hyun-soo will be unwavering in acknowledging his heart. And I heartily praise Hyun-soo’s decision to call Jung-in by name, instead of the unattainable nicknames that he bestowed on Jung-kyung.

As we have said at length, the basic premise for Smile is fairly trite. We can guess at the gist of what’s to come. They love, but feel guilty towards Jung-kyung. They love, but the family is adamantly opposed. What sets Smile apart are our protagonists. They are nothing if not honest, almost to a fault. When Hyun-soo tells Jung-kyung that he’s going to pick up Jung-in, or when Jung-in tells Han-se that Hyun-soo’s coming to pick her up, I almost groaned inside, thinking “Why? Don’t tell them!” (This may just mean that I have a dishonest nature…)

Because of this attribute, I don’t find the drama to be frustrating. A little slow (in those few episodes), at times annoying, but never frustrating. I may be being too optimistic, but I do not expect the usual misconstrued, signal crossing antics that are commonplace in kdrama lovelines. In the aforementioned scene, Jung-in could have easily been kidnapped by Han-se or Hyun-soo could have run to see Jung-kyung. But the writers use the moment to show us their resiliency by having the two meet as promised. This makes the series quite refreshing to watch.

I can probably go on forever, so I’ll leave you with a criticism. I may be bewitched but still have some sane moments. I’m sure by now most of you have heard Jung-kyung’s dubs in these 2 episodes. The official word from SBS is that Choi Jung-yoon was suffering from a severe cold, resulting in the need for a voice-over. The problem is that her voice was obviously softened, especially during the more tender moments. I’m sure we won’t be hearing her like this again (based on the stink it caused with its fans), but it was quite distracting while watching Jung-kyung’s scenes.

(BTW – Isn’t it great to speculate and develop conjectures about the next episode without any hints? This is the effect of a drama with no previews: an imagination run wild. I absolutely love the anticipation.)

EPISODE 17

Hyun-soo suggests they go see a movie, since the evening hasn’t panned out as Jung-in hoped. He parks by the Han River and brings her ramen, saying, “They don’t have popcorn at this theater.“ He tells her to look out at the serenity of the water and the lights of the city: “This is a movie!”

She reminds him of her advice to plan a date thinking about how much to spend, not what to eat, yet he’d only bought her a bowl of ramen. He says they’re not on a date, but he can’t stop looking at her. Jung-in asks if he wants some, saying he’s been staring at her eating this whole time.

“But why do you think I was looking at you because I wanted the ramen?” he asks. He tells her he’s been thinking about what she is to him, other than a frog.

They sit out on the steps to watch their ‘movie.’ Jung-in touches Hyun-soo’s cheek, saying his face is cold. “Your hand is colder,” he says, holding it in his. “If you’re cold, lean on me. In the future, lean on me if you want to.”

At home, Jung-kyung mulls over her conversation with Hyun-soo. In a voiceover, we hear his response to her question: “I’m going to start thinking about what kind of person she is to me. I’ll give you an answer once I figure it out.”

Geum-ja is waiting up for Hyun-soo to come home, still suspicious of their three-way date. Just who exactly the third wheel was in that configuration, she can’t quite tell. Sung-joon sees her waiting up and warns Jung-in, so she hops out of the car a block away, leaving Geum-ja to inspect an empty car.

Jung-kil wakes everyone up at 4.30 a.m. the next morning. He makes a fuss per usual, and asks what his father’s last wish was. He wants to know if there’s money involved, because if there isn’t, it’s not worth working for.

“There is!” Grandpa Man-bok yells gruffly. But he says if Jung-kil brings it up one more time, it’ll be as if the money never existed.

Han-se goes to see Jung-kil and says he thinks Hyun-soo likes Jung-in. He asks Jung-kil to move out of the house as soon as possible, saying he’ll find them a place. Sensing an opening, Jung-kil tells Han-se that Jung-in was very attached to their old home. She might be swayed if he gets the house back for her.

As Jung-in gets ready to leave for work with Hyun-soo, Geum-ja is quick to jump on her case. She says if people in the neighborhood see them together, they’ll jump to conclusions, which could dim Hyun-soo’s marriage prospects. Jung-in is sensitive to Geum-ja’s critique and apologizes. (We saw her this way around Han-se’s mother too—she seems to clam up when strong mother figures call her true intentions into question.)

Hyun-soo runs out to catch up with Jung-in and says that his mom is picking on her because she’s too pretty. He says, “Who told you to be so pretty? Let’s see. Eyes, nose, mouth; how can there be no flaws? No, I guess your forehead juts out a little.”

Jung-in slaps him on the forehead.

Hyun-soo: “Hey, it hurts when you hit someone out of the blue like that!”
Jung-in: “I’m hurting too.”

Hyun-soo claims he’s still figuring out how he feels about Jung-in, but HELLO could it be any more obvious? When he and Jung-in arrive at work, Han-se’s in the office with the staff. Hyun-soo seizes the opportunity to speak to Jung-in informally, which they’ve never done in the office. There’s awkward silence as Jung-in, along with everyone else, takes this in.

Hyun-soo explains that their families know each other, apologizing for not telling everyone sooner. When Han-se asks if they’re going to speak informally in front of everyone, Hyun-soo says they won’t during office hours. He looks at his watch and disingenously says, “Oh dear. We only have five minutes left.”

Han-se cuts in to make his own statement, saying he and Jung-in are extremely close. “Jung-in, you know how I like my coffee, right? Go pour me a cup.”

Jung-in angrily retorts that he shouldn’t be asking her to fetch him a coffee. Awkwardly trying to save face, he chuckles, “Jung-in…” Hyun-soo wordlessly enjoys his little victory.

(Especially since the staff all know about their past, HOW AWKWARD would this be for them to watch?)

Hyun-soo, Jung-in and the team are assembling a model car. Hyun-soo asks Jung-in to bring him an airbag, and he winks as she hands it to him. She notes that his wink is much smoother than last time, winking back. “I practiced a lot,” he says. (Hehe!)

He tells her to sit in the car and is utterly adorable as he asks, “Now that you see me in action at work, don’t I look dashing?” She smiles and nods an admiring yes.

Han-se has his secretary look into the Kang family’s finances to see if Hyun-soo can actually pay up for the ring. The secretary only finds the ownership of the car center under Grandpa’s name, and can’t find anything else since he can’t see their bank account information.

Han-se asks Hyun-soo when he intends to pay back the cost of the ring, to which Hyun-soo, even-keeled, replies: “Do you need money?”

Han-se doesn’t flinch, either: “I need money to buy sweet potatoes.”

Hyun-soo promises to deliver the money within the week. As Hyun-soo is leaving, Han-se tells his secretary to look into the ownership of Jung-in’s old house so the Seos can move in soon.

Hyun-soo gets pensive over Han-se’s comment. Jung-in is worried, knowing it has something to do with Han-se. Seeming to have something up her sleeve, she ducks out for a moment.

She comes back with Han-se, who has bought nutritional drinks for the team. Hyun-soo’s wondering how this is supposed to make him feel better, but she merely closes her eyes and begins to do anger-management meditation. As she intones, “Hyun-soo, let us now work together to release our anger,” he sees a white “meditation spot” on the back of Han-se’s head and spits out his drink in surprise.

He feels MUCH better now. (BWAHAHA! I love this unexpected, hilarious twist on a prior plot detail.)

Jung-in asks Hyun-soo to present an idea for a cosmetics company where she’s hoping to get a part-time job collecting surveys. Jung-in says that this job will get her closer to paying back her ring—she stops and corrects herself—er, get her house back. She says she’ll keep her promise to Hyun-soo once she has the house. He doesn’t remember, and she says, “You forgot again? We said we’d have a barbecue party in the backyard.”

She asks Hyun-soo if he’s decided what to call her, and he says he’ll call her Seo Jung-in. She’s disappointed; she was hoping for something along the lines of Beatrice-Audrey-Hippocrates-Mermaid, like he’d called her sister.

Hyun-soo: But you’re Seo Jung-in. Seo. Jung. In.
Jung-in: Can’t I be something else? Like Cinderella or Snow White.
Hyun-soo: But I like ‘Seo Jung-in.’
Jung-in: I don’t like it.
Hyun-soo: I said I like Seo Jung-in.
Jung-in: I don’t like it!
Hyun-soo: I said I like Seo Jung-in!
Jung-in: [Walking away] Forget it.
Hyun-soo: [Yelling after her] But I like Seo Jung-in!

(Two things. First, this scene brings in moments and details that had seemed pretty small in previous episodes without fanfare or flashbacks. These blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references are part of how this drama makes you feel like you’re really experiencing these moments with the characters. More on this later. Second, the dialogue shows how Hyun-soo’s matured. Jung-kyung had been a set of ideals for him, but here, he’s obliquely telling Jung-in that he likes her as she is, without any of the Cinderella-story nonsense. More on this later, too.)

Hyun-soo shows Grandpa Man-bok his bank account records, where he’s been saving up money to repay Grandpa for his studies abroad. He says he’d intended to repay double the tuition, but a sudden circumstance came up where he needs to spend the money. What he’s saved so far isn’t enough, so he asks for another year to repay the tuition fees, and asks for help fulfilling the rest of the sum.

Hyun-soo later sees Jung-kyung in the kitchen and asks if she has time to meet the following day. She suggests they meet at their college campus. Jung-in overhears from the living room, disappointed.

The next morning, Hyun-soo gives Han-se money for the ring, but Han-se refuses to take it.

Han-se: Did you really think I would have accepted this money from Jung-in?
Hyun-soo: Yes. I thought you would, at least in consideration for Jung-in’s feeling that she needs to return it.
Han-se: But why would you pay for Jung-in’s wedding ring?
Hyun-soo: I’m taking responsibility for what I said I would do.
Han-se: I don’t need this. Take it.
Hyun-soo: I don’t need this either. With this, the relationship between you and Jung-in is completely over.

(Oh man. These two would be an excellent matchup in a fight-to-the-death if this drama were a sageuk. They are both so steely in this scene, it gave me the chills.)

He runs into Jung-in in the hall, and he tells her that he’s leaving to go to visit campus. She feels precarious because she thinks he still has feelings left for Jung-kyung, so her responses are rather tepid. But to her surprise, he asks her to go out with him in the evening.

Han-se fills Jung-kil in on his findings from looking into the Kangs’ finances. He says there’s definitely no inheritance left to Grandpa Man-bok. Talking more to themselves than each other, they commiserate in their woes: both had thought they could get back easily what they’d had. Han-se acknowledges that Jung-in’s heart can’t be won over by money, while Jung-kil is puzzled that Grandpa would try to use money to sway him. They dwell egotistically on their own predicaments, but see eye to eye on the solution: Let’s get it back.

Grandpa soon gets a call from the construction site, saying that Jung-kil has disappeared with his son-in-law, i.e., Han-se.

Jung-kyung walks around the campus before she meets with Hyun-soo, and while there she finds a photo of herself pinned to a photo collage. Hyun-soo had kept the photo in his wallet for years while he liked her, but he took it out and clipped it to the board in episode 9, when he’d resolved to let Jung-kyung go.

When they meet, he has only kind words for her, but he says them with a strong sense of finality:

Seo Jung-kyung. I liked you so much. Do you know how much I liked you, without regard for my pride? Those eight years… I have no regrets. Jung-kyung, thank you for filling that time with beauty. I’ll tell you now the answer to your question.

She says she doesn’t have to hear, but he continues, “Jung-in is…”

Jung-kyung later tells Jung-in the rest of this response, but Jung-in misunderstands it. Jung-kyung says, “I asked him what you mean to him, and he said you’re someone who [he] likes a lot.” In Korean the pronoun is implicit, so the literal English translation is, “He said you’re someone who likes a lot.” Since this can be understood either way, Jung-in misunderstands and responds, “Yes, I like [him] a lot.”

Trying to keep her from going out, Jung-kyung tells Jung-in that her first date with Hyun-soo was at Namsan (mountain). But Jung-in says, “I’m going to go. So don’t say something like that about Hyun-soo again.”

Hyun-soo is waiting for Jung-in at Namsan, and she calls him to ask if they could meet somewhere else. But she meets him there anyway, and he takes her to eat at a restaurant where he’d also taken Jung-kyung on their first date. He recalls Jung-kyung’s glum face while sitting in the same chair, and says to Jung-in, “If it were you, I knew you’d eat it well.”

She asks if he’s been here with someone before, and Hyun-soo says it was Jung-kyung. At first she makes light of it, but his words begin to pierce her bravado:

Jung-in: I like this kind of place, but other women, even if it weren’t Seo Jung-kyung, would slap you too.
Hyun-soo: Hit me if you want to. I came here knowing I might get hit.
Jung-in: What does that mean?
Hyun-soo: You know, don’t you, how excited I was to come here with Jung-kyung? Even though it was just me, I liked her for eight years, and in that time, I broke up with her and got back together with her, on my own, because she was the first person I liked. It’s possible that until the day I die, every time I hear the words ‘first love,’ I’ll think of the name Seo Jung-kyung, Beatrice-Audrey-Hippocrates-Mermaid. With Jung-kyung, I never dated her in six years—four years of college and two years of graduate school—yet I never once regretted it, because I liked her that much. The first love that I liked that much is Seo Jung-kyung. Jung-in, your sister…

Jung-in has been silent all this time. But it’s too much to bear. How could Hyun-soo say such hurtful things, knowing full well the situation this puts her in? She says, “I get what you’re saying. You’re truly cruel.”

She gets up, and he tries to stop her, saying he hasn’t finished yet, but she leaves anyway.

He runs out after her, and finishes: “Can it work with someone like me? Can someone like me, like Seo Jung-in?”

She turns around, and her wordless answer as she runs to him is yes.

(OMG OMG. Please look away for a moment while I get all fangirly and SQUEEEEEEEEE!!! I totally want to BE Jung-in in this scene. I think this is Lee Min-jung’s best scene in the whole episode–the emotions look so real and raw.)

COMMENTARY

Seriously, there is so much to love and most of it goes like this: Kang Hyun-soo Kang Hyun-soo Kang Hyun-soo Kang Hyun-soo! I was watching the last scene, wondering how could he be so cruel and—frankly, sick—as to take Jung-in on the same first date as Jung-kyung?! But it all makes sense with his final line; he clinches it with a confession and catharsis all at once.

In fact, he spends the whole episode tying up loose ends so he can start anew with Jung-in. He gets the money to close the Han-se chapter in Jung-in’s book, then closes the Jung-kyung chapter in his own. He even says hard words to Jung-in, knowing it’ll hurt her, so that his first love doesn’t become the elephant in the room. Imagine that! None of the “I’m still in love with my ex” stuff, which dw4p aptly called “signal crossing antics.” In so many plots, a couple experiences entanglements and misunderstandings until the guy comes through at the end with a Big Gesture to prove his love. But here, Hyun-soo does the big gesture first by offering to pay for the ring… and Jung-in doesn’t even know yet what he’s been up to behind the scenes.

So, they’ve made it this far, but I suppose the question now is: Can writer Moon Hee Jung continue to pull this off? I think she can, given how this episode unfolded. It’s amazing how every detail matters! Small things come into play from earlier episodes that at the time I excluded from the recaps, thinking they weren’t significant. The writer drops references to those moments with a very light touch and gently gives them new meaning. This subtlety again contributes to Smile’s organic quality, and I think it’s why I find it so addicting. I’m more invested in Hyun-soo & Jung-in than characters from any other drama I’ve watched, and I think it’s because it feels like we’re truly witnessing their development, and we’re even in on their inside jokes and memories.

For example: in the scene when Hyun-soo tells Jung-in he’s decided to call her Seo Jung-in, he re-emphasizes each syllable, Seo. Jung. In. He’s quoting her in episode 9, when she’d given him back the phone, saying “I’m Seo Jung-in! Take a good look. I’m not Seo Jung-kyung, I’m Seo Jung-in. Seo. Jung. In.” It’s a shame that she misses the significance of his words! He’s finally proving that yes, he does take what she says to heart, but the best part is his underlying message that he likes her for who she is.

I love that there’s none of the “part-of-that-world” syndrome prevalent in so many rom-com dramas. The cause of romantic tension is so often because the protagonists inhabit different spheres in life—the spunky/poor girl and the chaebol son, the celebrity and the commoner, or a variation of these themes. Invariably, some fairy-godmother wand-waving has to equalize the playing field before the two can have a happy ending.

But in Smile, the characters (with the exception of Jung-kil, Han-se and the Chief, none of whom are the good guys) have no interest in money/power/status. Jung-kyung takes a sabbatical from work; Jung-in is more at home with the Kangs than with her own family; Geum-ja and Sang-hoon have been completely disinterested in the Kangs since day one. The real standout of course is Hyun-soo, a confident professional who stands on his own two feet. I just love that he doesn’t back down or kowtow to Han-se or Han-se’s mother. Growing up around money but without it has made him a very grounded person, and he won’t give up an inch of that.

EPISODE 18

Holding hands, Hyun-soo and Jung-in walk along the romantically-lit street. Realizing that they’d forgotten to pay for the food, they head back to the restaurant. On the way, Jung-in stops him at the place where they’d hugged and says, “Let’s kiss to commemorate this moment.” She puckers up expectantly, but he hits her on the forehead and tells her not to bring up kissing again until he initiates.

Noticing that neither Jung-in nor Hyun-soo have come home yet, Geum-ja is about to check in on his whereabouts, but Sang-hoon stops her from dialing. Her tells her that her (s)mothering ways are the reason why Hyun-soo doesn’t have a girlfriend yet. He says she needn’t worry about Jung-in; without saying who it is, he says Hyun-soo has a one-sided crush on a college classmate. From upstairs, Jung-kyung overhears wistfully.

Ah, the happy couple. They go window-shopping and look at Christmas decorations. Jung-in picks up an angel, saying it looks similar to the statue her grandfather had commissioned when she was born.

Hyun-soo picks out his decoration: a frog.

As they walk home, Jung-in declares their first date a total success—though she admits she is a little disappointed. Hyun-soo knows she’s referring to the fact that there was no commemorative kiss, and he feels the pressure to perform.

He takes her to the pagoda near the house to rest their legs. It’s cold enough that when he sighs, you can see his breath, but he unbuttons his collar and says it’s hot. His statement obviously makes no sense, so he corrects himself, “I mean… compared to yesterday.” LOL.

He leans in, but she bends down at that moment to massage her legs. He awkwardly bobs about a bit trying to angle his way into a kiss, but he can’t find the right position or timing.

Jung-in asks what his first impression of her was, but trails off mid-sentence, recalling their first encounters—when she had gone to his grandfather’s house in a shredded wedding dress, and later got drunk and threw up on the bed:

Jung-in: It would have been nice if I’d looked prettier when we met. I shouldn’t have asked. Please don’t remember it. Oppa… for your part, can it work with someone like me? Can I like you?

Sensing her vulnerability, he admits that his first impression wasn’t the best, but he considers himself fortunate to have met her. He even says he’s always liked frogs and used to catch them with his bare hands as a kid: “It must have been so I could meet you.”

“Jung-in,” he continues, “I’m sorry that when we first met, I wasn’t able to see you for who you are.” He wipes her tears away, then gulps, preparing once more for The Kiss.

The strings play softly. She inches forward—

And grabs him in a hug, crying, “Oppa… Oppa!” He can’t help but laugh. (Macho FAIL.)

They walk hand-in-hand until they get to the house. She lets go and looks warily at the house. Drawing her finger along her throat for emphasis, she tells Hyun-soo that if Geum-ja sees them going in together, she’s dead.

Ever so forthright, Hyun-soo wants to tell Geum-ja that they’re dating, but Jung-in says she’s worried about what will happen between their families if they find out. With an apologetic tone, she asks Hyun-soo to give it some time before they tell their families—so that the families have time to get closer and she has some time to win Geum-ja over.

There are two people in particular they need to be wary of: Geum-ja, whose suspicions have already been roused, and Sung-joon, who’s liable to try to pull something crazy if he finds out they really are dating.

HAHA. This image captures the scene perfectly:

* Jung-in tries to be the sweet, meek daughter[-in-law]
* Feigning ignorance, Sung-joon drops hints right and left that Jung-in would be a catch for “some lucky guy”
* Geum-ja scoffs at the idea
* Joo-hee is cluelessly in her own world.

Trying to score points with Geum-ja, Jung-in lets slip the fact that Sung-joon has been sleeping in Hyun-soo’s bed, and Hyun-soo on the floor. She suggests that they put the mattress on the floor for Hyun-soo, and Sung-joon can sleep on the bed platform.

Geum-ja leaps into action. Hyun-soo insists that he’s fine on the floor, but he’s obviously pleased to hear it was Jung-in’s suggestion. To get Geum-ja off the scent, he noisily complains that Jung-in is always causing a ruckus, like a frog.

Geum-ja is overjoyed at this unfavorable comparison, not realizing it’s actually a term of endearment.

Sung-joon tries to take Jung-in’s mattress, feeling shortchanged that Jung-in is looking out for “Hyun-soo oppa” instead of her blood-related oppa. Jung-kyung is fed up with the both of them, so Sung-joon leaves, offended that neither of his little sisters will take him seriously.

He goes to Ji-soo’s place and vents his frustrations to a very unwilling ear; Ji-soo is busy preparing for the restaurant opening, and not in the mood to entertain her intruder/guest.

He tells her he’s going to wash up at her place and says slyly, “Watch yourself so that you don’t come in.”

Disgusted, Ji-soo balks, “Huh?”

“Into my heart,” he says.

(Hahaha. He is so clueless and cheesy. It’s hilarious to watch him thinking he has the upper hand, while we know she could probably crush him with her pinky finger.)

As if they’re not in the same house at the same time, Hyun-soo and Jung-in are having a lovey-dovey phone call, right down to “You hang up first” and “I miss you already.” After hanging up, Hyun-soo runs upstairs. Jung-in comes out of the bathroom just then, so they sneak back in together (Ooh la la!).

Despite the suggestive circumstances, their romantic jitters make for some hilariously bland, even nonsensical, conversation:

Hyun-soo: Jung-in, remember the socks…
Jung-in: You said you have a lot of socks, right?
Hyun-soo: Yeah.
Jung-in: I have a lot of stockings, too.
Hyun-soo: Isn’t it cold if you only wear stockings in the winter?
Jung-in: They’re surprisingly warm.
Hyun-soo: That must be nice. I’d like to wear them too.

LOL. But the chitchat masks the sexual tension between these two; once their conversation lapses, Hyun-soo moves in for the kiss, and this time they’re both ready.

Alas! Just then, Grandpa Man-bok knocks and asks, “Who’s in there?”

Romeo hides in the laundry tub, whilst Juliet, remembering to flush the toilet for full effect, leaves first. (That would make Grandpa the Nurse in this scene—teehee.)

Hyun-soo manages to escape, but later runs into Jung-kyung. She asks him why he’d taken Jung-in to Namsan. He says, “I just wanted to be honest with her.”

He explains that he’s never met with Jung-in thinking of her as Jung-kyung’s sister, but since they are sisters after all, he wanted to make sure it was okay with Jung-in that he used to like Jung-kyung.

Jung-kyung acknowledges, “You said you wouldn’t meet with anyone else while thinking of me, so that must mean there’s no room in your heart for me.” But she asks him to reserve a little space for her–as a friend.

(I’ve been really impressed with Jung Kyung-ho–and this moment is an example of why. The way he looks at Jung-kyung in these scene is perfect. It shows sensitivity and concern, but with enough detachment to indicate that he really has moved on.)

Meanwhile, Sung-joon emerges from the shower and blithely continues to flirt with Ji-soo under the guise of calling her his new dongseng (little sister). She’s had enough, so she twists him arm behind has back and kicks him out.

So much is astir tonight! Jung-in sneaks down to Hyun-soo’s room. She sticks a post-it note on which she’s written, “Seo Jung-in’s boyfriend,” and takes a photo.

Over breakfast, Jung-in and Hyun-soo pick up the same types of food at the same time to eat “together” even while in the group. Of course, it doesn’t go unnoticed by ever-watchful Sung-joon.

Jung-kil wakes up in bed with Han-se (HA!!). He’d passed out the night before, after the two had promised: Jung-kil will reclaim the inheritance, and Han-se will reclaim Jung-in.

Each is trying to use the other to achieve his own end, so then argue around each other in circles. Jung-kil says he can’t go back to the house, but Han-se says he has to go back and keep an eye on Jung-in and Hyun-soo.

Jung-kil assures Han-se that Hyun-soo is not Jung-in’s type, and she’s just using him to make Han-se jealous. But Han-se responds, “She’s changed! She was bragging about how he roasted a sweet potato for her.”

Jung-kil: “Hey, do you really think people change that easily? Look at me. Have I changed?”

From Han-se’s look, you can tell he’s thinking: Touche.

At work, Han-se’s secretary says he has found the address of the new owner of the Seo family’s house, who lives in America. Mid-conversation, Han-se smells something pungent. It’s coming from the stairwell, where Jung-in and Hyun-soo are having a picnic that includes some pungent pickled radish.

They hear Han-se’s voice saying “Find the smell!” coming up the stairwell and run off. Hyun-soo drops a container, though, leaving a pile of red pepper sauce behind.

Han-se comes running up the stairs and leaps out of the way. He yells, “CATCH THE BASTARD WHO POOPED ON THE STAIRS!!!” (HAHAHA—Han-se is getting funnier by the episode.)

Jung-kil returns home with a tall tale about how Han-se dragged him away, got him drunk and toyed with his conscience. Grandpa tells him to stop lying and divulge his real reason for returning home.

Jung-kil surmises: Han-se says there’s no inheritance, but Grandpa Man-bok says there is. Therefore, Grandpa’s house must be the inheritance, so he’s come home to reclaim what’s rightfully his.

Grandpa Man-bok tells him to resume working at the construction site to find out if his conclusion is true. This worries Geum-ja–What if what Jung-kil is saying is true, and the house becomes his? She tells Sang-hoon they have two options: 1) for the Seos to become in-laws with Han-se again; or 2) prevent Jung-kil from developing moral character, since that’s Grandpa’s prerequisite.

Han-se happens to catch Hyun-soo practicing kissing against the wall. Alarmed, he follows him to the bathroom, where Hyun-soo is brushing his teeth to get the kimchi smell out.

“You sure are brushing your teeth furiously,” he comments sarcastically.

Hyun-soo waits in the warehouse elevator for Jung-in, with newfound badass flair. “Get on,” he commands.

With MRAWR in every slinky move, he backs her up against the wall and decisively slams his hand against…. the intercom.

“Is there a problem?” a voice asks from overhead.

“No—I pressed it accidentally,” he says, sheepish.

(EPIC MACHO FAIL.) Jung-in doubles over with laughter.

Han-se later confronts Jung-in about Hyun-soo. She tells him not to pry into her life.

Jung-in: I told you I don’t have feelings for you. I’m not someone you can command to come or go because of that money [the cost of the ring]. I’m not afraid of money. The only thing I’m afraid of is losing someone that I’ve finally, finally gained. So don’t interfere in any way with me and Hyun-soo oppa.

Ji-soo and Joo-hee’s joint ddukbokki (spice rice cake) restaurant has its grand opening. The family all turn out to help hand out food and show their support—everyone except Jung-kyung, who’s decided to move out and find her own place.

When Han-se shows up, the mood sours.

Jung-kil quickly takes him inside. Han-se complains that Jung-in definitely has feelings for Hyun-soo. He points out the window and says, “See for yourself whether the two of them have that kind of relationship.”

“It doesn’t look like anything to me,” Jung-kil says. He turns around and asks, “Do you perhaps… have paranoia?”

HAHAHA. Han-se leaves in a huff, and on his way out again tries to cajole Jung-in. Geum-ja cuts in, trying to work her new strategy of getting Han-se and Jung-in back together, and tells her to run after him. Telling Jung-in it’s best to go back to the man that she’s already married, Geum-ja pushes her forward, knocking over a pile of dirty plates.

Hyun-soo’s been watching silently. He bends down to help Jung-in and holds her hand, but she pulls away.

Inside the restaurant, the Kang and Seo parents get in an argument again, this time over Jung-in. Geum-ja complains that Jung-in has been following Hyun-soo around. Having heard Han-se’s latest, though, Jung-kil argues that it’s Hyun-soo who’s following Jung-in around, and he says Geum-ja should tell him to stop.

Hyun-soo follows Jung-in home and says she should stand up to comments like that, and not let what others say get to her.

Jung-in: I don’t care what anyone says. But ahjumma is your mother. I can’t stand to have you listen to those kinds of things. So just go.
Hyun-soo: If I decided to be your boyfriend, isn’t it obvious that I would have to listen to those things? Did you decide to be my girlfriend thinking you wouldn’t hear those things from my mom? Jung-in, isn’t it alright if it doesn’t bother me?

There’s nothing like an argument to bring people closer. He puts his arms around her, and she says, “Sorry. I won’t do that again.”

They’re enjoying the moment, but right when he says, “Let’s stay like this another minute. It’s nice to be just us two in the house”—

Geum-ja comes in.

COMMENTARY

This series pulls off practical jokes with pitch-perfect timing–like the meditation spot on Han-se in the last episode, the pepper-sauce-poop or the intercom in the elevator. I love Hyun-soo and Han-se’s characters for letting themselves be the butt of so many of the jokes. Props to Lee Kyu-han for having no fear in letting his character be quirky, sometimes sensitive, sometimes dense, and more often than not, completely hilarious to watch as he tumbles from grace. He manages to make Han-se likable, probably because he’s so much fun to laugh at.

I have to admit, about halfway through this episode I was still “Aww”-ing at all the sweet moments between Jung-in and Hyun-soo, but I was also missing their banter. I hope they move past the ‘honeymoon’ phase and settle back into their flirty bickering soon. Although, the elevator scene in this episode got a really hearty laugh out of me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lee Min-jung’s laughter in that scene seemed pretty genuine, too.

On a side note, I’ve been dreading flashbacks as a sign of fatigue on the production & writing team’s part—reusing old material to fill the extra time. Flashbacks begin to appear in this episode, but I actually don’t mind them! They’re not heavy-handed or obtrusive to the flow of the scenes. Instead, they’re treated like snapshots, and frankly some of the references go far enough back that we could use a reminder.

Refreshing writing & production, tight pacing, electric chemistry between the leads, a hilarious supporting cast. The only thing I can think of that would amp up this series a few extra notches would be a more nuanced soundtrack. I like the songs that are used, and I also like the PD’s use of silence (rather than overpowering every scene with a score). But I do think the soundtrack could do more. I’m kind of holding it against the standard of Coffee Prince, though, which is probably setting the bar too high.

As the new couple Jung-in and Hyun-soo enjoy their alone time, Geum-ja walks into catching them sharing an intimate moment. So Hyun-soo thinks quickly and comes up with an idea… for a HEADLOCK! It’s brilliant and hilarious.

The two of them get into a nonsensical fight, with Hyun-soo accusing Jung-in of stealing his wallet. They start hurling insults at each other.

Jung-in: Why would I steal your wallet out of all things? When you don’t even have any money!
Hyun-soo: What did you just say? Why don’t I have any money? [A bit too sincerely...]
Jung-in: Did I lie? Do you have money? All you wear around is that dirty track suit.
Hyun-soo: How about you? When you look just like a frog.
Jung-in: What? Frog? Can you not see right because you have mismatched eyes? And look at your body. Why are you talking so much when all you have is flesh and bones?
Hyun-soo: You… you… Look at your swollen lips! It looks just like fish roe! [What he was eating when he only saw Jung-in's lips everywhere.]

The adults look on with shock and then distress, getting into a tiff of their own over their kid and eventually the house. Sung-joon tries to stop the fight but gets caught up and ends up spilling the truth about Hyun-soo’s love for an old classmate. Hyun-soo and Jung-in start getting nervous when the conversation turns askew, and figure out a way to both run out of the house.

Outside, they first worry about each other, making sure that their physical fight didn’t cause too much harm. But the faux argument has brought out enough that they have an actual fit, even moving into the you’re not that skinny area. (Yikes! Don’t go there Hyun-soo!) Thankfully, Grandpa Man-bok arrives just then and makes the couple head inside.

When Man-bok arrives, the adults do a 180 and pretend to have made up from their previous fight, all the while giving each other small jabs. Once he goes into his room, Jung-in and Hyun-soo go at it again before their parents separate them.

Sung-joon hangs out at Ji-soo’s restaurant, “helping” her by counting the money from their opening. He even tries to steal a few dollars but Ji-soo catches him, telling him not to come to the store from now on. Sung-joon answers sheepishly, “I won’t count it from now on” and reminds her that a lot of the girls come to the store to see him. When she says that she doesn’t like that either, he continues with the delusion of her feelings for him.

Han-se shows up at the restaurant, not realizing that Jung-in is long gone. The 2 boys have a little chat. Han-se lies that he thought Jung-in was trying to marry him for his money, and claims that he was planning on getting back together with her when things quieted down. After hearing that Sung-joon knows about Jung-in’s feelings towards Hyun-soo, Han-se decides to stick with him, “Hyung-nim, please be on me and Jung-in’s side.” All the while they’re having this serious conversation, Ji-soo continues to clean the store, hoping to chase out the two shameless men.

Hyun-soo and Jung-in meet to continue their argument. When they run into each other in the livingroom, he even gives her a little shove to start things. She finds him outside, pumping iron. She then puckers her lips, saying that it’s gotten swollen because of him. His anger quickly turns to timidity when her lips come toward his face.

When they hear Sung-joon lurking nearby, Jung-in hides under the deck, while Hyun-soo pretends to exercise. He tries to get rid of his dad, but Sung-joon is sick of listening to Geum-ja complain and sits down for a talk with this son. He starts to ask about Jung-kyung, and Jung-in starts to pull on Hyun-soo’s pants and pinch his leg, sending them into a game of footsie (and handsie).

Han-se drops Ji-soo at her house, hoping for some alone with with Sung-joon. He tries to head into Ji-soo’s place but she tells him not to come over anymore since she has a new roommate. Seeing Sung-joon get huffy, Han-se teases him on his choice of women. He denies the claim, saying that she’s just his dong-saeng (younger sister) and goes into the car. They get into a conversation about women, with Sung-joon giving Han-se some brotherly advice.

Sung-joon: It’s too late, Jung-in’s heart’s already left. Women are different from men. When it’s done, it’s done. They don’t look back because they’re practical beings. Don’t you know? Men think about their past loves, but women are focused on their current love.

Back at the house, the Kang father/son pair are also talking about first love. Sung-joon thinks about his Julia (aka Joo-hee) and continues to bring up Jung-kyung, trying to connect with his son. When Jung-in hears Hyun-soo say, “One sided love is still love,” she becomes dejected and stops pinching his legs.

When Sung-joon finally leaves, Hyun-soo immediately pulls out Jung-in. She is visibly upset and puts her head on his chest.

Hyun-soo: I’m sorry. You’re upset, right?
Jung-in: Yes. If you call me fish roe one more time, I’m never going to give you a kiss.
Hyun-soo: OK. Isn’t this more cushy than it looks?
Jung-in: Yeah. It’s warm.

He gives her a hug.

We find Jung-kyung at Ji-soo’s place, as her new roommate. She’s asked Ji-soo to keep it a secret from her family for the time being. Meanwhile, Jung-in worries about her sister and tries to call her without luck. She leaves her a message.

Jung-in: Unni, it’s me. Don’t stay at the hospital and just come home. You may be uncomfortable when you’re at home. But don’t you know that I’m uncomfortable when you’re not here? You’re so mean. If you come home, I’ll give you my mattress and won’t call this my room either. So come. I’ll wait for you.

Seeing Grandpa Man-bok’s desire to see a matured Seo family, Geum-ja does all she can to keep that from happening. Early the next morning, Jung-kil wakes up for his job at the construction site. But Geum-ja is ready to lure him back to sleep. She leaves him a meal, has blankets on the floor, bring in an electric heater, and encourages him to take a short nap before heading off for work.

Taking a 10 minute power nap proves to be a bad idea, as Grandpa Man-bok finds him sleeping in the living room. Geum-ja still continues to tempt Jung-kil, this time with kimchi pancakes. But he knows that she’s up to no good, and heads to work.


Hyun-soo and Jung-in try to share sweet moments together, but are continually thwarted by their family. She tries to feed him her home made egg roll, but they end up having to pretend fight when Geum-ja walks into the kitchen. Outside, Jung-in buttons Hyun-soo’s shirt when Joo-hee sees them. They immediately go into fight mode and Jung-in switches her grip from one of love to rage.

After texting Hyun-soo to wear his red plaid shirt, she reveals her own red plaid shirt, proclaiming that slightly mismatched shirts make for the most stylish couple tees. (LOL!!) Hyun-soo tries to put his jacket back on in embarrassment, but she makes him take it off just as their coworkers come inside to see their matching shirts.

At a meeting, Han-se sits himself next to Jung-in and grabs onto her hand, asking about Hyun-soo’s relationship with Jung-kyung. She tells him to keep quiet and digs her heels into his foot to make him let go of her hand. Hyun-soo is upset to see them together and lets Jung-in know it afterwards.

Hyun-soo: Don’t play around during the meeting.
Jung-in: It’s just that Han-se was saying weird things.
Hyun-soo: Whatever he says, just ignore him. He get excited and keeps going because you answer him every time.
Jung-in: Are you mad?
Hyun-soo: A little.
Jung-in: Should I just quit here? If it bothers you, I can just work on the make-up questionnaires.
Hyun-soo: Don’t try to make me happy but do what you want. What I want to see is for you to be upright here, and not get pushed around by Lee Han-se.
Jung-in: Alright.

Seeing her look defeated, he perks her by suggesting they go on a date during the weekend.

At the dduk-bok-gi store, Joo-hee flips through a magazine while Ji-soo is hard at work alone. When she asks Joo-hee to take some orders, she gets livid and storms out of the restaurant. Geum-ja sees her leave and helps her with the store work, earning a bit of spending money. She immediately tattles on Joo-hee when returning home, prompting Grandpa Man-bok to have Kyung-soo help at the restaurant in the evening. He replies, “Who me? I don’t go out in the dark often because I get scared.” Then he brings up his previously used excuse, “I’m allergic to dduk-bok-gi” to try to get out of going.

Hyun-soo and Jung-in enjoy their walk back home, making fun of each other one minute and being serious the next, when they see the chief, Han Min-joon, waiting outside their house. Hyun-soo heads off to talk to him while Jung-in eagerly waits for his return.

Min-joon tells Hyun-soo about Jung-kyung’s sabbatical from the hospital, and asks him to convince her to return. Hyun-soo retorts, “When I see Jung-kyung, I’ll tell her to go back to the hospital. But it’s not to send her back to you, but to do right as a friend.”

Hyun-soo gives Jung-kyung a call, asking her to meet him. She hears his message but is hesitant to go. He waits for her at the cafe, calling her periodically. “You made me wait for 8 years, and you still make me wait for you after agreeing to be friends? Please come.” Hearing his words, Jung-kyung runs off to see him. Han-se who had been waiting for her, follows.

Jung-in can’t wait for Hyun-soo any longer and blithely heads over to the cafe. Noticing him sitting alone, her mood glooms and she crouches down to a squat. Jung-kyung runs to the cafe but sees her sister sitting to the side, waiting for Hyun-soo. Han-se chases after her and also sees Jung-in. The two of them can do nothing but watch the scene in front of them.

As they watch, Jung-in and Hyun-soo watch as well. But all they can see is each other. He comes out of the cafe and is surprised to see her crouched on the ground. They leave arm in arm, with Jung-in trying to convince Hyun-soo to buy her a drink. All the while, Jung-kyung and Han-se can only watch them walk away, as they are stopped by the red light in front of them.

The couple heads over to the fated po-cha (street food tent), where they had their first drink, and share in a little role play – with Jung-in as the calm girly girl and Hyun-soo as the tough manly man. But it’s not their style, and Hyun-soo ends up spilling the soju to Jung-in’s dismay. They enjoy a laugh together and take a trip down memory lane. At Jung-in’s prodding, Hyun-soo talks about his girlfriend using the dreaded Kdrama staple, the flashback. Fortunately, it’s used fairly amusingly here, almost in jest. (And any new viewers have a quick “what you’ve missed” for Jung-in and Hyun-soo’s relationship.)

They end with the kiss flashback, which brings a smile to Jung-in’s face.

Hyun-soo: What do you think about my girlfriend?
Jung-in: I think she likes you a lot.
Hyun-soo: How is that like, when she keeps butting me with her head, making me angry, and kissing me without permission?
Jung-in: I know because I’m a woman. I bet she’s probably really regretting everything. I’m sure she’s staying awake at night, thinking about how to make good memories so that he can forget about all the bad memories. So when you see your girlfriend, tell her that she’ll be staying with you a lot longer than his first love. And that there’s no need to be impatient.
Hyun-soo: Alright. I’ll tell her.
Jung-in: OK. Should we have 1 more bottle of soju?
Hyun-soo: You tell my girlfriend also. To stop drinking so much soju!

Back at home, the adults get into another argument. With Joo-hee asking for a new business that suits her better, like a cafe and Geum-ja sneers at her. Grandpa Man-bok is sick of their attitude and tells all 4 of them live upright because he’ll be watching all of them.

Jung-in heads to the bathroom and receives a call from Han-se, telling her about Jung-kyung at the cafe. When she enters the po-cha, she sees Hyun-soo on the phone calling for Jung-kyung. And Jung-kyung is at the cafe, seemingly waiting for Hyun-soo to return.

She returns to the table and Hyun-soo tries to tell her again about meeting Jung-kyung. But she stops him from talking, not wanting to hear about her sister. On their way back home, Han-se sees the 2 of them flirting while walking back and stops them.

Han-se: Do you know where Jung-kyung nuna is? It seemed like she was waiting for you.

Jung-in and Hyun-soo look at each other, and she grabs his hand, letting him know that she’s there for him and trusts him.

Comments

I’m continued to be amazed at how the the drama refuses to create misunderstanding between the couple to develop artificial angst. Even though Smile has time and time again proved me wrong, I still anticipate such trickery to rear its ugly head in the back of my mind (being indoctrinated through the years of living in kdrama land.) When Hyun-soo walked out of the cafe, I fully expected him to see Jung-kyung across the street, rather than see Jung-in sitting down on the floor. But they not only provide a nice surprise, but used the scene to quietly show us their makeup.

I also find their sometimes sheepish, sometimes aggressive nature to be true to life. It’s endearing to see them they speak jibberjabber to each other, to lengthen the time that they spend together. But what I love the most of all is their desire to respect each other. I appreciated Hyun-soo’s comment to Jung-in to make her own decisions based on her own mind and he continues to allow her to deal with Han-se without getting involved in front of her. Just as Jung-in allows Hyun-soo to deal with Jung-kyung without getting involved.

On the other hand, I am a bit confused about Jung-kyung’s motivations. She seems to have become a different person from the beginning, starting out as a strong and capable doctor, chasing after her love without abandon. I do understand that she’s been hurt and is trying to nurse her pain but I feel like it’s such a change in character, from the feisty woman who refused to back down an inch from her crazy family to a timid one who’s running away to solve her problems.

With the sole focus of the last few episodes on Jung-in and Hyun-soo, I’m ready to dive a bit deeper into the other characters. I would love for Lee Chun-hee to get a bit more screen time and look forward to seeing Sung-joon and Ji-soo develop a their story line bit more.


With Han-se surprising Jung-in and Hyun-soo with news of Jung-kyung, the 3 of them stand, shocked, unsure of what to do next. Jung-in takes control of the situation and starts whispering something in Hyun-soo’s ear. It’s funny to see the exasperated Han-se, trying to find out what she’s saying.

Jung-in sends Hyun-soo off to meet her sister and heads back home, but not before requesting ice cream. Before he leaves, he has a word for his rival.

Hyun-soo: I don’t know what you were expecting when you came here, but stop following us around.
Han-se: If you don’t like me doing this, don’t hang around our Jung-in. (It literally is “our” but the in Korean it basically means “my”.)

Han-se catches up with Jung-in as she is about to go inside. He’s still curious to find out about what they’ll be doing later and brings up Jung-kyung again in an effort to split them up. I love how Jung-in threatens Han-se with his mom, when he tries to threaten them with Geum-ja. Sang-hoon shows up just in time and chases Han-se away. Inside, we see the beginnings of a partnership. (It looks like Geum-ja’s going to be the odd person out.)

Jung-in: Ajusshi, don’t you not like me?
Sang-hoon: Why would I not like you?
Jung-in: Thank you.
Sang-hoon: It’s not something to be thankful for.

Meanwhile, Hyun-soo goes back to the cafe but Jung-kyung is gone.

Sung-joon forces himself into Ji-soo’s apartment, continuing his crazy delusion that she’s in love with him. When she asks what he’s doing tomorrow, Sung-joon thinks that she’s about to ask him out on a date and replies, “It’s finally here, but it can’t be an overnight trip.” Ji-soo laughs at him and says that it’s just to help out at the store.

Jung-kyung is hidden in her room, afraid that she might get found out by Sung-joon. It probably wasn’t the best idea to runaway to a place her brother visits daily.


Jung-in is perched at her window, looking for Hyun-soo’s return. He brings her ice cream and watches as she eats. They get into a conversation about Jung-kyung, telling each other what they know about her job and relationship with the chief.

Even with the serious conversation, they are dating after all and have fun with the ice cream. She talks about how she play-fights with Sung-joon when eating food, and Hyun-soo quickly catches onto the clue. He draws a line in the ice cream and tells her not to cross the line while eating.

Geum-ja hears laughter up in Jung-in’s room and tries to listen in. Sung-joon walks into the house and finds her peering in. Sung-joon is as sly as a fox and immediately catches on to the situation. He climbs up to the room and says smoothly, “Come out.” Hyun-soo pops up from the blankets in the corner, and kneels down in front of Sung-joon, with Jung-in muttering, “Idiot.”

Sung-joon: Let’s set a [wedding] date.
Hyun-soo: Hyung!
Jung-in: Oppa!
Sung-joon: You, don’t call me oppa. The reason why I’m on your side is because Hyun-soo generously gave up his room for me. It’s not because of you, Jung-in.
Hyun-soo: [Breathing a sigh of relief] Thank you.
Sung-joon: Even when Han-se came asking for help, it was your innocence that kept me from listening to him. I like you.
Jung-in: I’m the one who asked him to lie. You know my situation. So don’t make things into a big deal.
Hyun-soo: I’m sorry for hiding it. I like Jung-in, but I was trying to be discrete.
Sung-joon: Of course. I like your introspective attitude. [To Jung-in] I’m warning you.
Jung-in: What did I do?
Hyun-soo: Jung-in. [Giving her a look]
Jung-in: Alright oppa. I’m sorry.

Sung-joon is hilarious. I love that he wants his sister to set a wedding date, even as a self-proclaimed playboy. Back down in the boys’ room, Sung-joon continues his overly protective comments, “If you ever make her cry…” But Hyun-soo immediately answers, “Of course not. I’ll be trying hard to give her laughter.” It seems like he’ll be taking lots of orders from Sung-joon from now on. One word from his future brother-in-law, and Hyun-soo immediately hands over the mattress.

A drunk Han-se calls Hyun-soo to talk to Jung-in, calling her “our” Jung-in again. Hyun-soo tells him that “our” Jung-in isn’t next to him. Han-se has a pitiful moment.

Han-se: Why do I need to do this? Jung-in is my woman. Why do I need to go through you in order to talk to her? Let me talk to her!
Hyun-soo: You’re drunk.
Han-se: You have Jung-kyung nuna. Just go to her.
Hyun-soo: The person I like is Jung-in.
Han-se: Then how about Jung-kyung nuna. Do you know where she is and what she’s doing?
Hyun-soo: Do you know where she is?
Han-se: You acted like you weren’t interested in front of Jung-in. Why are you asking? Why? Why?

Han-se starts to bang his head against the wall, wailing “Jung-in” and making Hyun-soo uncomfortable.

Jung-kil wakes up Geum-ja, to get back at her for making him late for work the other day. He makes her pull together breakfast for him, while she dozes off on the side. Geum-ja tells him to just send Jung-in to Han-se, and get some help from Global Motors, instead of toiling away like this. Jung-kil agrees that his thoughts are the same but will not be leaving until he gets what he deserves, namely the house.

The family all work outside in the morning, with the Seo family working hard to get grandpa Man-bok against Geum-ja.

Sung-joon walks over to Jung-in and whispers “cue” and the couple starts a fight. Sang-hoon and Sung-joon tell them to stop fighting, and Sang-hoon makes the 2 of them make up and shake hands. It’s even better than Jung-in and Hyun-soo expected, with the unforeseen physical contact in the morning due to their fight.

Hyun-soo asks Ji-soo about Jung-kyung, making her nervous about lying. Sung-joon arrives at the store, demanding lunch. When Ji-soo leaves to feed a sick Jung-kyung, he follows her to the apartment. He tries to go into the extra room and see the roommate but Ji-soo pushes him out.

Jung-in tries to use Hyun-soo’s computer but sees that he’s changed the password. When she calls him to ask about the change, they have a bit of a *barf* moment.

Jung-in: Boyfriend, where are you?
Hyun-soo: In your heart.

I realize it may be an “awww” moment to many, but does anyone else think their relationship is getting a bit too sugary sweet?

Hyun-soo goes into the office and sees Han-se waking up from his drunken stupor. He’s upset and frustrated to see Han-se’s behavior. He tells him that liking someone means learning to let them go as well. Han-se brings up Jung-kyung again and doesn’t understand how Hyun-soo could like both sisters.

While the Kang/Seo household have dinner together, Jung-in announces that it’s Jung-kyung’s birthday tomorrow and suggests throwing a party. She brings the whole family together to blow balloons, make decorations, and enjoy each other while working on the celebration. In contrast, Jung-kyung lies in bed alone, feeling sad and sorry for herself.

Jung-in goes out to the backyard to see Hyun-soo working out. She comments, “It must be nice to have a girlfriend like me, who even takes care of his first love’s birthday. How did Seo Jung-in become like this.” She adds that their family doesn’t celebrate birthdays and she’s only doing it because she doesn’t want Hyun-soo to get sick from not celebrating Jung-kyung’s birthday.

Jung-in: How much did your heartache while changing your password? It’s difficult enough to let go of your 8 year first love, but she’s disappeared and isn’t coming back. Be honest, you sent me a telepathic message. ‘Remember Seo Jung Kyung’s birthday… remember… remember.”
Hyun-soo: [Seriously] I did send it. [Smiling] We really do communicate well.
Jung-in: There’s no need to be so happy. I’m throwing the party to show that you have no chance with Jung-kyung. Know that I’m the only who likes you and treat me well.

She then tell him to change his password to 0730 instead. And when he’s ignorant of the number, she gives him a nasty look, making him realize the meaning immediately. He tries to get her to stay longer, but she leaves to help making the food for the party. He smiles as she walks off.

In order to get Jung-kyung to come to the house, she makes Grandpa Man-bok call Jung-kyung. She wants him to tell her, “Happy Birthday. I miss you.” (LOL) Man-bok is unable to say such words but does tell the birthday girl to come home for dinner. When Jung-kyung uses work as an excuse, Jung-in gets on the phone.

Jung-in: Don’t hate me also. Because I’ve lived my life stupidly, everyone hates me. So come tomorrow.
Man-bok: Who hates you?

Hearing Jung-in’s somber comment, Man-bok tells Geum-ja to take care of Jung-in, saying that she must be having a difficult time even though she doesn’t show it on the outside.

Kyung-soo is sent to Ji-soo’s store to help, with Joo-hee feigning Jung-kyung’s birthday to stay home. (She claims that she gets sick during the month she gave birth. OMG. So that means she’s sick 3 months of the year. Geez.)

He tries to come up with many excuses as possible to get out of working with Ji-soo. He has a shaking problem and might drop the dishes. He’s face is so ugly that he might chase away the female customers. (Puhaha.) Ji-soo laughs and asks, “Why do you keep calling me nuna when we’re the same age? Just call me by my name.” He gets to “Ji…s…” but can’t continue.

Sung-joon comes to pick up Ji-soo for the birthday party. She’s reluctant to attend, but he uses the past hospital bill to guilt her into coming. They head to a small store to buy a gift. Sung-joon then notices a hairpin and puts it on her hair, telling her that it’s nice to see her face.

Sung-joon is pretty hilarious, telling her that buying a present is a bit too forward. When she calls Jung-kyung unni, he quips, “Did we apply for a marriage certificate?” LOL.

Joon-bae and his new girlfriend plan a trip together. When he suggest taking their friends, she refuses to go anywhere with his friend, Man-bok. We’ve seen before that she’s apparently a con artist and is spending time with Joon-bae to take his money.

When Jung-kil shows up to buy some meat for the party, he recognizes it immediately. “I think you’re similar to me.” He may be idiotic in some aspects, but notices when he sees his own kind.

Jung-in and Hyun-soo decorate the Christmas tree. She’s worried about the electric bill, when Hyun-soo bring a used car battery to light the tree. They put on the angel ornament, which makes her long for her house. She realizes that it’s unlikely that they’ll get the old house back. She thinks about the angel statue and her old pictures, saying that she was really cute as a kid. Hyun-soo tries to lighten the mood by pointing out that she couldn’t have been cute since she would have looked like a tadpole as a child. “When you find your house later, I’m going to check the album first. So don’t give up hope.”

Jung-kyung thinks about Jung-in and Hyun-soo’s words, pondering what to do. The chief is also waiting for her, keeping the promise that they made. He’s at a restaurant with his daughter, hoping for Jung-in to come. He’s also decided to take a sabbatical so that Jung-kyung will come back to the hospital.

Jung-kyung chooses her family instead of the chief and heads to the house. The family is elated and all start talking at once, lighting the candle, and singing happy birthday – turning into one big happy family.

Jung-in calls for presents and Sung-joon turns on a spotlight (swirling around a flashlight) for the event. How cute is it that he makes Ji-soo follow him?? Not too many people have prepared a present using food, cake, meat, and giving birth an excuse. But she does get a piggy bank (Ji-soo), candy (Sang-hoon), and gloves (Hyun-soo.)

Jung-in takes everyone outside for her gift, proudly showing off the Christmas tree as her present and making the whole family happy. Joo-hee even recites an impromptu poem for the occasion.

Jung-in gives Hyun-soo a little shove for the gloves,which prompts him to grab her hand behind his back. “But your gloves are right here.” He hold her hands and says, “Your gloves.” And put his hand into hers, “My gloves.” It’s pretty sweet (and a little *barf*.) Jung-kyung, who’s standing next to them, sees the two of them holding hands.

As Jung-kyung is about to leave, Hyun-soo asks to talk before she goes. When Jung-kyung says she needs to head out, Jung-in suggests that he driver her home and they can talk in the car. Continuing to see the couple exchange happy looks makes Jung-kyung miserable.

Hyun-soo tells Jung-kyung to go back to the hospital, telling her to keep working at her relationship with the chief. She tells a befuddled Hyun-soo that her difficulties aren’t because of the chief and walks away.

Jung-in realizes that she’s left her angel ornament downstairs and send her own telepathic transmission to Hyun-soo, wanting him to bring up the angel. Just as he’s about to pick it up, Jung-kyung comes back.

Jung-in: Don’t turn off the light. I haven’t said my wish yet. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Kang Hyun-soo, can’t you like me again?

Meanwhile, Jung-in opens her window and looks at her hand, commenting “Kang Hyun-soo’s glove,” leading to…

the real love triangle.

Comments

I really enjoyed the coming together of the full family for the birthday party. Call me a sap, but I like seeing a family together, especially a dysfunctional one. I think one of the important messages of the drama is the strength of a community, and the birthday scene, along with the contrast of Jung-kyung alone, did a good job of articulating this point.

The also appreciated the extra focus on Sung-joon and Ji-soo. I’ve been waiting for the couple to have a bit more screen time, which I think happened in this episode. I do wish that they would have picked some other token than a hairpin, which has been overdone a bit this year. (My Fair Lady, You’re Beautiful) But I absolutely adore the flashlight scene at the birthday party. It does a good job of showing their impending relationship, with Sung-joon doing something funny and crazy and making Ji-soo follow along.

Now for the final scene… the writer has done this to us before – giving us a sense of conflict at the cliffhanger, but quickly resolving the issue at the beginning of the next episode. With the series heading to its midpoint, I do think we need a bit of conflict to occur. (They can’t possibly show us 26 more episodes of Jung-in and Hyun-soo dating each other, as cute as that might be.) We did pretty much know that this was coming, and I think it’s an interesting topic to dive into. As much as Hyun-soo says that it doesn’t matter, he’s liked both sisters and it’s gotta be atleast a bit awkward. And Jung-in is the model girlfriend right now, but how much longer will she be OK with her boyfriend and sister meeting together?

As for Jung-kyung, her behavior is hard to defend. I also dislike the way that she confesses her feelings to Hyun-soo – not coming out and saying that she likes him but trying to manipulate him into remembering his old feelings for her. Choi Jung Yoon, the actress who plays Jung-kyung, has basically come out and said she doesn’t like Jung-kyung’s behavior. It’ll be interesting to see how well she pulls off her character’s emotions when she doesn’t seem to relate to it at all.



The writer of Smile does it again and gives the viewers a sweet surprise. Sung-joon thinks that Ji-soo is emotional because she misses her family, still thinking that she’s a rich family’s daughter. Seeing her cry, he lends her his chest. When she takes him up on the offer, he’s shocked and a little excited. When she moves back, he stares at her and gives her a kiss.

Sung-joon: I think I need to break up with you now.

Jun Hye Jin (Ji-soo) is a pretty new actress and it shows. Did anyone else think that her crying sounds didn’t match her facial movements? I suspect a little dubbing going on. This scene works because of Lee Chun-hee and the writing. I also absolutely love the fun irony, ending the scene with the song, “Good-bye My Love”, poking fun at itself and other dramas for the grand “I can’t be with you because of XXX” type of good byes. Hee-hee.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. We find Jung-kyung, confessing her feelings to Hyun-soo.

Jung-kyung: Kang Hyun-soo, can’t you like me again? … I’ve finally started seeing the Kang Hyun-soo that I didn’t see before. Am I too late? I guess you can’t change it back.
Hyun-soo: That’s right. Jung-kyung, I’m going to think that you’re like this because of your mood. And I want to do my best to the person who’s next to me right now.

It’s not a big surprise. We all knew that this was going to be his response, right? But still… YAY! He starts out stammering, shocked to hear Jung-kyung’s question and blames her difficulties for her actions. But seeing that she’s being genuine, he tells her flat out that he’s moved on, even heading back to finish his thought.

Hyun-soo: Since you’re my friend, cheer us on. It’s the first time. Even when I make a mistake, she just laughs and lets it go. She listens to me. I know that I’m lacking, but when I’m with her, I feel like I’m a good man. Because she believes that’s who I am, that’s who I want to become. I’m sorry. No matter what you said or how you acted, I wanted to accept it. But I’m sorry I can’t.
Jung-kyung: I know. You’re Kang Hyun-soo. I figured that you wouldn’t, with someone else in your heart. But since you’re the Kang Hyun-soo who liked me for 8 years, I thought maybe, perhaps… I’ll try. If not, I won’t be able to see you even as a friend.

Geum-ja and Sang-hoon walk out of the house together and see them. Geum-ja is livid when she finds out that Jung-kyung is the one who rejected her son and vows to get her revenge.

Sung-joon, who has ran away from Ji-soo, is confused about what he’s feeling and goes up to see Jung-in for some clarification. He hugs her and scratches his head, thinking “That wasn’t the same…” Jung-in thinks that he’s referring to Jung-kyung and gets mad.

Jung-in: Even though both of you are my oppas, you and Hyun-soo are like night and day to me. One person makes my heart flutter every time I see him. When I don’t see him, I wonder what he’s doing and want to see him. And I want to do anything for him. The other [pointing an accusatory finger at Sung-joon] is the complete opposite.
Sung-joon: I feel the same! I’ve never wanted to put a hairpin on that protruding head of yours!
Jung-in: Really… why bother? I didn’t feel it when you went abroad, but when Hyun-soo oppa goes down to the basement room, it’s like he went away to the farthest place in Africa!

Hahaha! These 2 siblings. When Sung-joon finally tells his problem with a girl that reminds him of a ggo-choo-jang (red pepper paste) jar, Jung-in assumes that he’s meeting a married woman and tells him to come to his senses. Hee hee.

Hyun-soo picks up the angel ornament on his way back into the house and brings it up to Jung-in’s room. He sees her sleeping and takes a photo of her with the angel and names it “Hyun-soo’s girlfriend,” completing the photo circle.

When the morning alarm goes off in the morning, Jung-in finds a nice surprise on her pillow, the angel ornament. But she finds even a bigger surprise: Hyun-soo sleeping on the floor! She goes down first to check out the lay of the land. She tries to signal Hyun-soo to come down but is stopped short by Geum-ja, who’s still wrapped up with thoughts about Jung-kyung. She gets Jung-in to spill all of her lovey dovey thoughts about Hyun-soo, which livens her up.

When Sung-joon tells her that Hyun-soo didn’t come home to sleep last night, she tells him to check under the desk. Because he likes to sleep there there when busy to maximize his work time.

During breakfast, Grandpa Man-bok asks everyone to come home early and help with the kim-jang (winter kimchi.) Joo-hee and Sung-joon make excuses but Jung-in quickly raises her hand and offers help, reminding Geum-ja that they were the fantasy pair when working at Joon-bae’s restaurant. (So cute.)

Grandpa Joon-bae tries to get Man-bok to go on a trip with him. He even promises that So-nyu will find him a match. Grandpa Man-bok (and I) burst out with laughter hearing Joon-bae call her, So-nyu (which means young maiden in Korea). Joon-bae sulks, “What can you do? It’s her name.” Man-bok has another bout of laughter when he hears her calling Joon-bae, oppa.

Before Man-bok leaves, he tells Joon-bae to not listen to Han-se. And So-nyu’s ears perk up at the talk of selling a house. Man-bok notices her reaction and raises his suspicions about her.

Han-se follows around Jung-in at the office, saying that his heart flutters even when seeing her back. When she threatens to call his mom, he lets her go. But not without an “I love you” and a wink. (It’s been awhile since Lee Kyu-han’s last drama project, and he’s had a pretty good comeback as Han-se. He brings a certain charm to the annoying character and make you root for him.)

Jung-in heads back into the beat team office and sees Han-se lost in thought. She’s worried about her sister and asks him to meet her again. But he responds, “I don’t want to. Jung-kyung doesn’t know her own feelings and is confused right now. There isn’t much I can do.”

Sung-joon shows up at the dduk-bok-gi restaurant, bringing a smile to Ji-soo’s face. (Lee Chun-hee is looking pretty good in his suit. *giggle*) He has grandiose plans to send Ji-soo back to her house and tells Joo-hee that they’ll have to run the restaurant from now on.

He takes Ji-soo out for a farewell date. He takes her to the richer part of the city and first buys her clothes. He wants to send her back home looking the part. He does a double take, seeing her walk out of the dressing room wearing a dress.

While checking out their newly developed car, Hyun-soo gets a call from the chief. Jung-in looks on, knowing that something is up with her boyfriend. Han-se tries to steal her attention.

Han-se: Look at him. But you’re the only one I have. So don’t worry. Look at me. [Jung-in keeps her eyes on Hyun-soo.] Hey. Look at me!

When she tries to start a conversation with Hyun-soo, he’s pulled away for work and walks away.

Sung-joon and Ji-soo continue their date at the restaurant, and she tells him that it’s the first time that a man has treated her this way. She’s happy to spend time together like this, but Sung-joon proclaims that this is why they need to break up. When she mumbles that they can just forget about the other night, he exclaims, “How can I when my lips remember! Can you promise that our relationship won’t go any further? What will happen when the family disapproves?” Of course he’s talking about her family, but Ji-soo thinks that he’s talking about his own family and agrees to ignore him from now on.

After lunch, he’s ready to send her back home.

Sung-joon: From here, you take the lead. I need to see you go home before I can leave. If your father is a three star general, you must live well. Apkujong-dong, Chungdam-dong, Nonhyun-dong. (Well to do towns) I figured it would be within these areas. I think I need to take you home before I can forget you. I’ll talk to grandpa.
Ji-soo: What are you talking about? I said I was an orphan.
Sung-joon: Why are you like this? If you’ve cried because of a man, you’re now an adult. Do you still not understand your parents?
Ji-soo: Are you still confused and think that I’m the daughter of a three star general?
Sung-joon: What do you mean confused? I know it’s the truth.
Ji-soo: How many times do I have to say that it’s not true!!

She gets angry at this point and tells him this makes her even more pitiful. Sung-joon thinks about it and finally concludes that she must really be an orphan. His face lights up and starts running after her.

Sung-joon: [yelling] Are you really an orphan with no place to go? Then we don’t have to break up. Ji-soo, let’s go together!!

As Hyun-soo and Jung-in walk home, she notices his doleful mood. She thinks that he’s worried about Jung-kyung and says she’ll take charge of his thoughts. Out of the 10 “thinking pockets”, 5 can be filled with cars, 3 is hers, 1 is for the family. When Hyun-soo thinks that the last pocket is for Jung-kyung, she says no way. Jung-kyung needs to be in the family pocket and reminds him that his family is huge – including all of the factory workers he calls family. He responds, “Alright. I won’t think about her.”

Hyun-soo grabs her hand to walk back home, but she runs in by herself saying that Geum-ja is finally being nice to her. She tells him to count to 100 before coming in. He watches her walk away and starts counting with a big grin on his face.

Han-se is back at Joon-bae’s restaurant, trying to buy back the Seo’s house. Han-se tells him that he needs to get the house back to get Jung-in to like him again. He asks Joon-bae to help him love again.

Jung-in and Jung-kil arrive at the restaurant to borrow the equipment for making kim-jang. After hearing Han-se’s confession, Joon-bae asks Jung-in if she has any interest in getting back together with Han-se. But she gets angry at his comment and says that she’ll wish for all of his hair to fall out again if he keeps bring it up. Joon-bae gets the hint.

On their walk home, the father/daughter pair have a sweet conversation. He brings up Han-se, but she’s now thankful for everything that’s happened. Being able to have breakfast together, celebrating Jung-kyung’s birthday together, and seeing her father spend his hard earned money for the family.

Jung-in: I had this thought on unni’s birthday. That I want to marry a man just like my dad.
Jung-kil: Really?
Jung-in: In the past, I liked you, but I didn’t want to marry a man like you. But these days, you’re always on my side, you go to work early in the morning for your family, and coming on the errand with me like this. This is the kind of man I want.

Jung-kil had wanted to talk to Jung-in about marrying Han-se, but can’t bring it up hearing her talk about how much she likes who he’s become.

The whole family work together to make the kim-jang. The men (minus Sung-joon) dig the hole for the urn. And the ladies (plus Sung-joon) are indoors, getting the ingredients ready. Seeing his mom sitting idle, he tells her to go and help Ji-soo at the restaurant. Geum-ja, who’s taken a liking to Ji-soo, comments that whoever marries her will be a lucky man, making Sung-joon listen blithely.

Joo-hee listens and is upset to hear Ji-soo being matched up with Sung-joon. And Geum-ja takes this chance to put down Jung-kyung, still mad at her rejection of Hyun-soo. By this point, Sung-joon gets mad at his mom for talking badly about Ji-soo. And when she yells at Geum-ja to just let Ji-soo marry Hyun-soo, Jung-in gets up in arms over her comment and tells Geum-ja to just ignore her mom. (It is the Kang/Seo household after all, we were bound to have a family fight.)

The whole family then gathers together to make the kim-jang. Even Jung-kyung arrives at Geum-ja’s request to come help.

And she has fully decided to give Jung-kyung hell and tells her to go wash the dishes since she came late. But Hyun-soo says that he’ll do it and heads into the bathroom. Jung-kyung follows suit but he’s visibly uncomfortable around her.

Jung-in comes into the awkward atmosphere, wondering what’s up with the 2 of them. When Geum-ja peers in and sees Hyun-soo doing the dishes, she gives the look of death to Jung-kyung, making the awkward environment even worse.

The whole family sits together after finishing the kim-jang, to enjoy some mak-gul-ri (rice wine) and pork. Grandpa Man-bok passes out the family photo, making Hyun-soo and Jung-in smile, seeing a photo of themselves. And Sung-joon asks about the other family picture, and laughs to himself, seeing him and Ji-soo together. He immediately excuses himself to go help Ji-soo with the store.

Geum-ja looks at the picture and says that Jung-in looks the prettiest from the Seo family in the picture. She turns to ask Hyun-soo, who looks around uncomfortably, and picks his mom as the prettiest. As they continue eating, Hyun-soo looks lovingly at Jung-in, which Geum-ja sees and mistakens for gazes at Jung-kyung.


As Ji-soo enjoys the pin in her hair, Sung-joon arrives at her house. She immediately takes it off, embarrassed to let him see it. He brings the kim-jang and mak-gul-ri and tells Ji-soo to prepare the table. Afraid that Jung-kyung may come home, she drags him into her room. It’s now Sung-joon’s turn to get embarrassed, “But I’m not ready yet.”

Ji-soo: Now that I look at this picture, you’re really tall.
Sung-joon: You only see me?
Ji-soo: It looks like a real family. Right ahjusshi?
Sung-joon: If you want to really be family, how about changing what you call me? I don’t like ahjusshi.
Ji-soo: Then do you want me to call you oppa?
Sung-joon: That’s too common. You call Hyun-soo oppa also. And Jung-in, Jung-kyung, they call me oppa. It’s too confusing.
Ji-soo: Then what should I call you?
Sung-joon: Baby.
Ji-soo: Eh? Oh… disgusting.
Sung-joon: Fine. Then how about simply… Sung-joon sshi.
Ji-soo: Think about how old I am. If I call you by name, it’s to ill-mannered.
Sung-joon: Alright. Then you can call me by what you really want… dear. Dear.
Ji-soo: Dear?
Sung-joon: Let’s not take too much time on stuff like this. Dear. Honey. Darling. You. Pick from these 4.
Ji-soo: I don’t like any of them.

She tries to give him a shove but slips and ends up falling in his lap.

Back at the house, Geum-ja keeps pushing Jung-kyung’s buttons. When the conversation turns to her ideal man, Hyun-soo runs out of the room, with Jung-in on his tail. She’s unable to let things go and this point and demands an answer. When he feigns ignorance, she asks, “Do you still like unni?” Jung-kyung overhears the conversation and comes in.

Jung-kyung: No, Kang Hyun-soo doesn’t like him. But I like him. That’s how I feel. Do I need get your permission for that also?

At that moment, Geum-ja comes in and hits Jung-kyung, pressing to know why she rejected her son when he followed her around for 8 years and leaves the whole family shocked at the revelation.

Comments

I can probably write about Lee Chun-hee forever. But I think my fangirl side has been fairly well exposed, so I’ll just say this. It’s pretty difficult for a love line to be convincing when it’s just one-sided. But even with a fairly lackluster Ji-soo, Sung-joon pretty much carries this couple’s sweet and a little flighty relationship.

Now onto Hyun-soo. He fully puts the nail on the coffin when he tells Jung-kyung that he’ll try harder around her because she’s his friend and more importantly, Jung-in’s sister. I know that he doesn’t have any left over feelings, which made me question why he didn’t just tell Jung-in about what happened. I’m sure it can be argued that he’s trying to shield her from being hurt, but I’m not sure if I would buy that reasoning. The basis of their relationship has been brutal honesty up to this point. (Well, except for the ring. But that makes more sense.) Are we getting into some angst manipulation? I’m not really sure because the episode didn’t show enough to make a conclusion.

I do wonder whether the cancellation of the Saturday episode had any kind of impact on the flow. The episode felt almost unfinished, leaving me a bit unsatisfied. I’ve felt like the drama had made the 2 weekly episodes almost fuse into 1, with the real cliffhanger coming at the end of the Sunday episodes. I guess we’ll just have to see how it plays out.

Hello all! Sorry for the hiatus… computer issues coupled with some apartment redecorating had kept me away from the wonderful world wide web. I just recently caught episode 22 and was glad to see the relationship between Hyun-soo and Jung-in develop a bit and pass the early stages of bubbly cuteness.

And as many (including myself) had desired, we finally got a couple of scenes out of the usual locales which was a nice change of pace. But in the end, family kdramas tend to stick to the few tried and true scenes, so I don’t expect much variation. And Smile hasn’t really shown any good camera work, keeping it fairly simple and boring: another reason to keep our expectations low.

I again found this episode to be a bit slow, but the scenes towards the end with Han-se and the couple made up for most of the dullness of the first half.

The rice wine brings out some craziness for the Kang/Seo family which leads to Geum-ja hitting Jung-kyung, wailing by Geum-ja and Jung-in, and everyone confessing their fondness for one another. It’s all pretty ridiculous but funny none the less. The funniest part is when Jung-in raises her hand and says she likes Hyun-soo also, after Jung-kyung confesses that she likes him. The sisters both mean that they really like Hyun-soo, but the family thinks that it’s just friendly affection.

As Jung-kyung leaves, Jung-in follows to ask her out. She admits that she feels uneasy knowing that her sister now likes Hyun-soo. She ends the conversation reminding Jung-kyung that Hyun-soo is the man whom her younger sister likes.

I really like that Jung-in focuses on her own feelings when trying to dissuade Jung-kyung from liking Hyun-soo. In comparison, Jung-kyung told Jung-in to keep her feelings in check because Hyun-soo had liked her for 8 years.

Sung-joon is enjoying his drinks with his new girlfriend, Ji-soo. When she asks him why he likes her, Sung-joon has an honest answer.

Sung-joon: I like you because you’re next to me. Miss Brazil, Angelina Jolie, Girls Generation (Kpop girl group). Why would I like them when I’ve never even seen them before. I like you because I’m able to see you everyday. How did you ever come to the auto center?

He’s just so super cute! They start their oh-so-sweet phase of their relationship, reminiscent of Hyun-soo and Jung-in. They start rattling off all the things they want to do together. He aims high: taking a plane to Italy and she aims low: sitting on a train together.

When Jung-in returns to her room, she notices a slight change to the graffiti on her wall, courtesy of Hyun-soo. It now reads: Idiot x 10000. His way of letting her know that it’s ridiculous for her to worry about Jung-kyung’s feelings.

In the morning, Hyun-soo is the one packing their lunch and Geum-ja comes to apologize for her alcohol induced behavior. He starts yelling at his mom when he notices Jung-in standing by the door.

Hyun-soo: Because I’m in shock from your behavior, I’m going to start dating from today. I’m going to meet a girl who likes me and date earnestly. So don’t be surprised. From this moment, if there’s a girl who likes me, I’m going to immediately start dating her.
Geum-ja: But you can’t just date anyone. I’m sure there are lots of girls who’d like you.
Hyun-soo: Of course, I have to choose. Someone like you with big eyes, a hearty voice, and who can cook, especially someone who can make good rolled eggs.

When Geum-ja leaves the kitchen, he’s left to deal with Jung-in’s anger (for not telling her about Jung-kyung.) She pinches his arm, which immediately gets him to sing a chorus of I’m sorry.

Over at Ji-soo’s house, she wakes up to find Sung-joon asleep next to her. He’s about to leave, but is shocked to see that Jung-kyung is the new mysterious roommate. Of course there are surprises all around as Jung-kyung sees her brother and Ji-soo coming out of the same room in the morning. She asks him to not tell her family where she lives, and in turn Sung-joon tells her not to blow their cover as well. After he leaves, Jung-kyung comments, “I guess you don’t know since you’re by yourself, but it doesn’t always work out because two people like each other.”

Jung-in continues to harbor her anger at the office and Hyun-soo eventually gets upset as well. “Do you still have any interest in Han-se?” When she profusely denies it, Hyun-soo adds, “Then why do you think I would?” Hearing his words quells her heart and the two move in for a little affection. But Han-se watches from the side and jumps right in, seeing the 2 of them too close for comfort.

Hyun-soo gives Jung-in an assignment and starts to give her his new computer password (her birthday) but stops short. She asks to send the info over using telepathy, which he happily obliges by touching her forehead. Han-se tries to get in on the action and follows the same motion, telling Jung-in to guess the surprise present that he’s planning for her. (Haha)

Hyun-soo and Jung-in walk home together, arm in arm, happy to have made up from their fight. When Jung-in gets melancholy, thinking about having to hide their relationship, Hyun-soo decides to take her somewhere special: to the public bath. (MISA flashback anyone?) They spend time alone together but are hit with an unexpected surprise.

It just happened that the Kangs and Seos decide to have an excursion of their own to the very same public bathhouse. When they enter the room with the couple, they are forced to hide their faces by throwing a towel on them. They try to make a getaway but are forced to remain seated. Jung-in eventually takes the towel and runs away alone, leaving Hyun-soo to hide his face using his t-shirt.

The two finally meet at the igloo room. They decide to stay in the cold room a little while longer, figuring that the adults wouldn’t come into such a cold room. Jung-in suggests that they get blankets to keep themselves warm, making Hyun-soo smile and ask, “Does that mean we get to be under the same blanket?” Hahaha.

Unfortunately, their families are sitting right outside and Jung-in gets caught just as she walks out. She’s forced to sit with them and eat hard boiled eggs while Hyun-soo freezes.

Hearing that Man-bok is under the weather, Joon-bae comes to visit, bring his girlfriend, So-nyu. She tells Joon-bae to take care of his friend, thinking that Man-bok doesn’t have much. But changes her whole attitude when she finds out that Man-bok is really the rich one. He just doesn’t like to show it. She looks at him with different eyes and even calls him oppa, fulling raising Man-bok’s suspicious antenna.

Jung-in gives everyone a face mask to create a diversion for Hyun-soo’s escape. But Geum-ja sees him as he tries to leave and they are forced to stay with their parents. The two of them are able to stay alone for a short while, which gives them a chance to play a silly word association game together. (i.e. Your face is red. Apples are red. Apples are tasty, and so on.) But the game leads Jung-in to come up with a plan for bring their families closer, and ultimately for them to reveal their relationship.

They come up with a clever plan to go on a vacation with both families, manipulating the conversation with their parents. They get everyone to agree on traveling together to save money, but play separately once they get there. They sit around trying to think of a name for their vacation group which ends up with the Paradise group. The whole thing is kinda ridiculous and kinda cute, but the goal of bring together the sets of parents works for the time being.

Han-se takes Jung-kil to Joon-bae’s restaurant and asks for his help in convincing Joon-bae to sell back the old Seo house. Jung-kil starts putting the pieces together in his head and comes to the conclusion that the house must be the the last wish that his father had shared with Man-bok. (Oh boy. What shenanigans will he get into now?)

Hyun-soo receives a call from Jung-kyung, and fully discloses the call to Jung-in, making her smile. Jung-kyung heads to the hospital to talk to the chief. She tells him not to take a sabbatical on her account and reveals her feelings about Hyun-soo, quipping, “Isn’t it funny that I like someone who doesn’t like me back at this age?” But the chief answers, “No it’s not funny. It looks like I’ll be doing the same. But I still want to do it.”, and surprises Jung-kyung with his confession.

Han-se’s mom comes into the office and finds Jung-in working at Global Motors. She drags her to Han-se’s office demanding to know what’s going on. When she starts to accuse Jung-in of trying to win back her son, Han-se speaks up to his mom for the first time.

Han-se: I’m the one who called her back. I made her work here by threatening her with the ring money. I’m the one who likes her even though she doesn’t like me back. She doesn’t want money or anything else. So don’t be like this also.
HS Mom: [To Jung-in] You must be jumping up and down on the inside. But I know what you’re really up to. [To Han-se] Kick her out right now!
Han-se: Mom, you leave! I can’t just let Jung-in go like this. I thought I would be able to get her back. I thought she would come back to me if I had Global. But she says she won’t come. Even if I gave her Global, she won’t come. I don’t need Global or anything else, so mom you bring back Jung-in to me!

His mom slaps him, sending both Han-se and Jung-in into shock. Hyun-soo runs over hearing that Jung-in has been dragged to Han-se office and finds Han-se clinging onto Jung-in.

Jung-in: I told you I don’t have any leftover feelings.
Han-se: Do what you want. You said you wanted to meet who you liked. Alright, do what you want. It’s OK. I’ll wait. Come back. Please, Jung-in.
Jung-in: I’m not going to say anything. No matter what I say will hurt you.
Han-se: No. I think I finally know what I should do.

When Jung-in asks for an expensive cup of coffee to liven up her mood, Hyun-soo takes her to ride in the new beat car and hands her a can of ice coffee. When she wonders why it has to be cold coffee, he replies, “There’s a reason. What did you and Han-se talk about?” When Jung-in doesn’t answer, he tells her to hold on and starts swerving around with the car, forcing Jung-in to blab out the conversation with Han-se.

Then they finally have a serious adult conversation.

Jung-in: I think I understand why you didn’t want to tell me about Jung-kyung unni. Honestly, my heart ached. Are you angry?
Hyun-soo: I can take it for now.
Jung-in: Me too. So tell me. Be honest.
Hyun-soo: I was surprised, bewildered, shocked, unbelieving, flustered, and scared.
Jung-in: That your feelings would be shaken?
Hyun-soo: That your feelings would be shaken. ‘It’s difficult to be Kang Hyun-soo’s girlfriend. Even with Global’s heir chasing me, I decided to still date him but what’s with him? I have to lie and be secretive about my relationship at home and my older sister is his first love. It’s giving me too big a headache to continue.’ That you’d leave like this.

Hyun-soo takes her hand and they sit in silence, while Han-se looks on with sadness and acceptance in his eyes.

The parents talk about where to go on their family vacation but have a hard time agreeing on a spot. When Geum-ja mentions just going to a karaoke bar instead, Sung-joon appears out of nowhere and yells, “Karaoke call!” (Hahaha!!! I really missed Sung-joon in this episode.)

When Jung-in and Hyun-soo arrive home together, Joo-hee discloses that they are working at Global Motors together and it’s not a big surprise that they would be coming home at the same time. But Sang-hoon’s suspicions are raised for the second time. (The first time was seeing the two of them together at the public bath.)

Jung-in and Hyun-soo spend the night talking away on their couple phones. When Jung-in mentions that it’s difficult to lie to Sang-hoon, Hyun-soo tells her that his dad will understand why they decided not to tell the family right away. The two of them promise to be good to each other’s families, when Sung-joon pops up out of bed, “Instead of thinking about being good to me later, just let me sleep now.” Sung-joon threatens vengeance by talking on the phone for a long time as well. They are just about to get into a conversation about his new girlfriend when…

the whole family is awaken to: KANG HYUN-SOO! OPEN THE DOOR! A drunk Han-se shows up at their doorstep looking for Hyun-soo.

Han-se: Kang Hyun-soo. I’m so miserable. Kang Hyun-soo. Seo Jung-in. You two. How can you do this to me!!


Comments

Han-se was really terrific in this episode. Lee Kyu-han does a great job of showing Han-se’s serious side, after weeks of being relegated to comic relief. (We knew he had the chops after Que Sera Sera, so it’s nice to see the drama taking advantage.) The relationship between Hyun-soo, Jung-in, and Han-se is shown rather beautifully in the episode with bouts of angst, bliss, and comedy all melded together. It allowed us, the viewers, a chance to glimpse into the lives of people in love and feel their confused emotions in a real way.

I think that’s what the drama wanted us to feel in episode 21 with the Jung-kyung incident as well, but without success. I really believed that the meat of the angst would come from this part of the love rectangle, but that has not been the case so far. I think the storyline is there to develop something of significance, but the more I watch Jung-kyung, the more I think Choi Jung-yoon may have been miscast for this role. I actually like her quite a bit but she’s not coming off genuine to me. She has come out and commented that she doesn’t really understand why Jung-kyung would behave this way, and I think this shows up in her acting. The scene where she cries, holding onto the gloves, was completely forced. Of course, it’s not just Choi Jung-yoon’s fault, as Jung-kyung’s character development has been sketchy at best. Why the writer needs to have her quit the hospital and turn her into a sobbing mess is beyond me.

As mentioned in the opening, the first 2/3 of the episode dragged on for me a bit. I fully expected a bit of a lull with the drama hitting its mid poingt, so it’s not completely disappointing. But I think they may need to add in something a little new to keep things moving. I’m usually not a big fan of throwing in a new character to bring in excitement, so I’m hoping that the something new will be in the realm of character development.