Personal Taste Episode Recaps (source: dramabeans.com)

EPISODE 1 RECAP

Morningtime is a vastly disparate experience for our two leads: one awakens in a crowded workshop and scrambles to get ready, while the other awakens in a spacious room and leisurely prepares for the day. Hers is an old-fashioned Korean-style house; he lives in a modern, upscale home.

Let’s start with PARK KAE-IN (Sohn Ye-jin):

Kae-in jumps up clumsily at the sound of her alarm clock, already late. She’s a furniture designer and has worked through the night, sleeping on the floor of her woodshop.

She darts around her place while dressing for today’s special occasion, ditching her usual loose-fitting sweats for a little black dress. It comes out of her special armoire, which is still taped shut to indicate how rarely she makes use of anything fitted or pretty. But even dressed “up” like this, she still manages to ruin the LBD effect by tossing on a puffy blue jacket and serviceable boots (after breaking the heel on what is probably her only pair of pumps).

JEON JIN-HO (Lee Min-ho), on the other hand, occupies a chic, orderly room, and finds himself with an unexpected bedmate. He’s not the type to get worked up over surprises and dryly tells his companion to give up pretending — he knows she’s not sleeping. This is NA HYE-MI (Choi Eun-seo), whose little joke has not produced its desired shock effect. From Jin-ho’s non-reaction, we can suppose that he’s used to Hye-mi’s childish pranks and forward advances.

Hye-mi pouts, asking how he can reject a sexy woman like her. She asks teasingly, “Do you maybe like men?” Jin-ho banters back, “Didn’t you know that I do?”

Jin-ho’s mother calls out from the hallway, and despite his own nonchalance at Hye-mi’s appearance, he moves quickly to hide her presence from Mom, shoving her out onto the balcony. When Mom asks where Hye-mi is, he fumbles for an answer — shouldn’t she still be in Canada?

(Trivia: Jin-ho’s mother is played by musical actress Park Hye-mi, who by the way played the mother to Lee Min-ho’s best buddy Jung Il-woo in Unstoppable High Kick. Take that, Kevin Bacon! In Korea everything is measurable by two degrees.)

Kae-in is running late and Jin-ho’s car is blocked in, so both end up on the street hailing taxis. The very same taxi, in fact. While they argue over who was technically first, someone else slips in and claims the cab. Both are relegated to the bus.

The mutual annoyance kicks up a notch when Jin-ho claims the sole available seat. (Kae-in is expecting some show of chivalry, but Jin-ho suffers no such scruples.) Sitting down, his eyeline falls upon Kae-in’s visible panty line (ah, that scourge of modern womanhood!) — and although he’s regarding it with distaste, Kae-in catches him looking at her butt and thinks he’s being a perv.

She self-consciously adjusts her dress, but just then the bus lurches and she stumbles backward. Jin-ho, keen to protect his building model, throws his hands up in front of it… connecting squarely with her butt.

Jin-ho defends himself by saying it was to protect his model. Affronted that his hunk of plastic is more important than her body part, she insists on the bus taking her to the police station to report the pervert. Jin-ho once again demonstrates his coolheadedness, pointing out calmly that she’s being far more of a public nuisance by inconveniencing everyone on the bus — is her butt more important than everyone else’s time?

Aggravated, Kae-in returns the favor and grabs HIS ass. (If only we all had such excuses.) In shock, he drops his model, which crashes and breaks. Oops! Kae-in didn’t mean for that to happen, and quickly ducks off the bus.

The reason this is a big day is because she is launching her own line of furniture at an expo. (The brand’s name — Kae-in Story — like the drama’s title, is a pun that also means Personal Story.) Her furniture is tailored for the “happy single” and features innovations like making a single table function as dining surface, workspace, and vanity in one.

Kae-in is pleased at a congratulatory flower arrangement that her boyfriend Chang-ryul has sent her, waving off the fact that he didn’t come in person. Her sole employee, LEE WON-HO, clearly doesn’t approve of Chang-ryul’s indifferent gesture, especially when his big work presentation is in the very same building.

It’s the same presentation for which Jin-ho has been preparing with his work partner, NOH SANG-JUN (Jung Sung-hwa). With little time to spare, Jin-ho and Sang-jun get to work repairing the model.

They’re interrupted by the appearance of a rival architect — Kae-in’s own HAN CHANG-RYUL (Kim Ji-suk) — who smirks and tells them there’s no use bothering with the model, since he’s going to win. The guys trade barbs back and forth, Chang-ryul mocking the teeniness of Jin-ho’s firm, Jin-ho insinuating that Chang-ryul’s only successful because he has everyone else doing his work for him.

Chang-ryul hands over two invitations for his wedding tomorrow, and can’t resist adding the barb that he’s only doing so to give the guys a rare taste of hotel food (which in Korea is shorthand for fancy and expensive cuisine, not dinky Continental breakfasts and free refills of Sanka).

The two are part of several firms bidding for the contract to build the Dream Art Center, and Chang-ryul presents first for his firm, Mirae Construction. He’s smooth and confident — until a minor hiccup stymies him completely, proving Jin-ho’s point that he’s only good when he can take credit for someone else’s work, but on his own he falters.

Jin-ho presents for his company, M, incorporating the model into a hologram — that’s right, a hologram! — as he emphasizes his focal point of harmony, blending nature with people and culture.

To ensure that our main couple dislike each other as thoroughly as possible before being forced to change their minds, we get Round 3 of the Kae-in/Jin-ho clash while the architects take a break while the winner is decided. Jin-ho and Sang-jun wander over to the furniture booths, stopping in front of Kae-in Story. Sang-jun thinks the multi-function pieces are ingenious, but Jin-ho scoffs, calling the designer an egoist who has clearly never cooked for someone else, who cannot communicate, and is likely a “hysterical spinster.” I don’t even know what a hysterical spinster would be (screaming cat lady?), but it must be bad from the disparaging way Jin-ho says it.

And yes, Jin-ho’s kind of a pretentious prat. He’s got a point that the table isn’t suited for proper dining, but he’s also missed the point that it serves a different purpose than formal diningware, and is tailored to the space-saving single person. Kae-in had hidden away to avoid encountering the perv again, but at his criticisms she pops out to set him straight: There are some people in the world who don’t have someone to eat with, you know.

The architects head back to the convention hall for the results, and here is where I decide I love Sang-jun, who prays to his almighty God to win this account, then threatens to convert to Buddhism if they don’t. (The humor is all in his delivery.)

Alas, Mirae (hence Chang-ryul) wins the bid. A man sitting nearby — whom we will later learn is CHOI DO-BIN — takes note of Jin-ho’s disappointed reaction. This character, played by a dandified Ryu Seung-ryong (snerk, for those of you who’ve read the novel), will surely figure in the upcoming episodes.

Kae-in congratulates her boyfriend on his successful presentation. Since it’s been ages since they’ve been out, she suggests they go on a date the next day, not knowing that he’s got quite a different activity prepared for tomorrow. Fighting his cowardly nerves, Chang-ryul attempts to break up with Kae-in, trying to ease into the discussion by first pointing out all his flaws as a boyfriend. It’s too bad that Kae-in jumps to his defense and contradicts him, saying that even though he USED to be a big playboy, he’s not one anymore since he’s with her!

Chang-ryul looks increasingly nauseous, and forces himself onward. To make his point clear, he gets down on his knees in front of Kae-in and reaches in his pocket for the wedding invitation.

There are only two reasons for someone to kneel in front of you — to beg forgiveness or to propose — and with all this nervous stammering about the progression of their relationship, Kae-in thinks it must be the latter. Surely he’s reaching inside his jacket for the ring, right? Flustered (but pleased), she gasps that this is so sudden! She needs some time to think about it — can he give her some time?

Chang-ryul sees that this has taken a horrible turn and tries to get up and protest (she pushes him back down, ha). Serves you right, cheating liar!

This scene is interrupted by a grim-looking Jin-ho, who has recalled Chang-ryul’s pre-presentation comment that fixing the model was useless. Chang-ryul must have worked out some kind of backdoor deal to win the PT before it was even given. Jin-ho asks if he or his father messed with the process again.

Now we get a bit more insight into the bad blood here. Jin-ho’s now-deceased father used to be the president of Mirae, but now Chang-ryul’s father has taken a senior position. (Hence Chang-ryul’s success despite what appears to be a tainted work ethic.) At some point afterward, Jin-ho set up his own small firm.

Chang-ryul walks away, leaving Jin-ho stewing. Kae-in gripes that Jin-ho ruined her proposal by butting in at a crucial moment — and this strikes Jin-ho as odd. Obviously she must be deluded, since he knows Chang-ryul is marrying tomorrow.

Jin-ho has bigger worries, though, because construction on one building is running behind schedule and is in danger of not being done on time. Jin-ho has used all the company money on paying the workers and preparing their PT, and they’re in dire need of funds.

With a sigh, Jin-ho suggests they take on a museum project that they wouldn’t otherwise do — it’s their only viable source of work. Sang-jun warns that he may be getting over his head, but Jin-ho is firm. He wants to meet the museum’s Director Choi. They don’t know him, but Sang-jun remembers Chang-ryul’s wedding. Not only is it a good opportunity to network with contacts, the bride is also a curator at the museum. Therefore Choi ought to be there.

The meeting is broken up by the arrival of KIM TAE-HOON (Im Seul-ong), who bursts in and asks, with great indignation, how Jin-ho could dare lock Hye-mi out on the balcony.

Tae-hoon calls Jin-ho “hyung,” indicating that they’re on a pretty friendly basis. He is also an employee at the firm, though it seems to be a running line that Jin-ho wants Tae-hoon to quit.

Over drinks, Jin-ho assures Tae-hoon that he only thinks of Hye-mi as a little sister. This is not at all convincing to Tae-hoon, who is greatly aggrieved that Jin-ho supposedly stole a look at Hye-mi’s bosoms (according to Hye-mi), and that he’d promised to marry her. No matter that he only said that to shut her up when she cried and kicked up a fuss, and at age 14 to boot. Overwrought with jealousy and the angst of youth, Tae-hoon drinks.

Girls’ night at Kae-in’s house. She drinks with her two friends, LEE YOUNG-SUN (a photographer and mother, played by Jo Eun-ji) and KIM IN-HEE (Wang Ji-hye), the latter of whom is marrying tomorrow. In-hee has been living with Kae-in in this house but has recently moved out in preparation for her marriage, which is something of a whirlwind affair with a man she began dating only a month ago.

In-hee acts a little uncomfortable every time the girls mention her mysterious groom, whom they have never seen. When In-hee hears Kae-in announce brightly that Chang-ryul almost proposed to her, she excuses herself to make a phone call. She hisses to Chang-ryul that he was supposed to tell Kae-in the truth!

Chang-ryul works up his courage and calls Kae-in out to a restaurant, mustering the nerve to break the news. She, of course, thinks this is a nice romantic date, and that he’s going to finish the proposal that he started.

He starts by highlighting all his negative points, as though to soften the blow, saying that he’s hurt her a lot. Kae-in is happy to let that slide, because he’s the first man to see someone like her — not pretty, dense — as attractive. Her comments just make him feel worse, and he fights through this conversation wearing a worried constipation-face.

Finally, he dives right into it and gets to the point: “Kae-in, I beg you… Now… With me…” She waits in breathless anticipation, just as he finishes, “…let’s break up.”

Stunned, she asks if she did anything wrong. He says he didn’t love her, and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for thinking he might have loved her initially. He says she was like a puppy that followed him around: “I think I felt pity for you.” She was the girl who always messed things up and had never loved before, and he’d felt sorry for her.

Hurt, Kae-in gets up and walks away from the table without another word. He calls her back — so she stops in her tracks and storms back. (Nervously, Chang-ryul scoots his water glass closer, keeping it out of her reach.) But she’s angry at herself more than him, and says with difficulty, “I’m sorry. You were trying not to hurt me all that while, but I was so thick I didn’t know.”

The three men have relocated to an outdoor pojangmacha, where Tae-hoon challenges Jin-ho to a drinking battle. If Jin-ho loses, he has to date Hye-mi.

Sang-jun says that’s all backward, but Tae-hoon means it — Hye-mi has to be happy for Tae-hoon to be happy. That’s what love is! Jin-ho retorts, “So have that love between the two of you. Leave me out of it.” Still, he agrees to the drinking match under the condition that if he wins, then Tae-hoon has to quit working at the office. Commence soju!


Depressed, Kae-in calls out Won-ho (her employee) for drinks and gets very drunk, drowning her shame in alcohol. Rather than taking out her anger on Chang-ryul, she’s upset at herself for being so blind and stupid.

Nervous Won-ho takes this as his moment to confess his feelings for her. His comments don’t register with her, partly because it sounds like mere consolation words and partly because she’s in that mumbly, half-conscious phase of drunkenness. Perfect for wooing!

So it is that both Jin-ho and Kae-in wind up at a motel. Jin-ho has taken on the task of mopping up after Tae-hoon — a duty that he apparently trades off with Sang-jun — and deposits Tae-hoon on the bed. The jacket and shirt come off because Tae-hoon has unceremoniously vomited over himself.

Jin-ho leaves after scrawling a note on the mirror: “Congratulations on being fired. You go on the date!” (Meaning with Hye-mi.)

Meanwhile, Won-ho looks down on a sleeping Kae-in, and sneaks in a kiss. Then, getting carried away with his emotions, he starts to unbutton his pants — at which point Kae-in opens her eyes and groggily asks, “What are you doing?”

Won-ho bursts out, “I love you!” and jumps on top of her. Kae-in feels betrayed — she confided in him, and he takes advantage of her? — and lets her dissatisfaction be known. She chases him around the room, kicking and hitting as best she can in her tipsy condition.

She chases Won-ho out of the room, where he collides with Jin-ho before scurrying on. She looks up in recognition: “It’s the pervert.” He also recognizes her: “Proposal?” Mockingly, he notes that her groom has changed.

But he gets knocked off his high horse soon enough, because just then a voice cuts in, “Hyung!” It’s Tae-hoon, still a little addled from the liquor but conscious enough to have read Jin-ho’s parting message. In an anguished tone, he asks, “Do you mean what you wrote on the mirror? You can’t do this!”

Tae-hoon falls on his knees and begs, “Hyung! Please don’t do this! My only crime is loving!”

Kae-in naturally thinks this is a lover’s quarrel, and chides Jin-ho for being really mean. Jin-ho sighs that she’s got the wrong idea, but doesn’t bother to clarify the situation. As he leaves, Tae-hoon cries after him, “Don’t go!”

Feeling sorry for the heartbroken guy, Kae-in offers some consolation words: “They say that the one who loves more is the weaker one.” Clinging to this source of sympathy, Tae-hoon grabs her in a hug, crying, “Noona!”

(Law of Kdrama says: Just as there is a tacit rule that actors must be shown shirtless at least once in their first drama after army service, so must there also be a rule about idol stars and the same.)


Kae-in comes up to Jin-ho in the street and apologizes for misunderstanding in the morning. She makes grabby hands in reference to the butt incident, thinking that he must be clear of such an offense now because he’s gay. She sighs, “You have a difficult love.”

He retorts that hers is worse. He asks what she’s planning on doing today, to get an idea of how much she knows of her ex-boyfriend’s perfidy. She says her friend has a wedding, so he figures she’s still in the dark and starts to share a story of a “friend.” This woman didn’t know her boyfriend was marrying another woman, and showed up at the wedding. Kae-in laughs at that — who could be so dense?

She asks to know what happened to the woman, and Jin-ho answers, “You’ll find out.”

Having drowned his cowardly woes in drink, Chang-ryul stumbles to Kae-in’s house with the wedding invitation, which he slips inside the gate. He also leaves a voicemail message: “The one marrying In-hee tomorrow is me. Kae-in, I’m really sorry. I know this is asking too much but it’s my last request — don’t come to the wedding tomorrow. Please.”

Being lazy on top of spineless, Chang-ryul therefore thinks he has done his duty and assumes that Kae-in got the message (literally). And you know what happens when you assume!

The next day, In-hee is worried because she hasn’t heard from either Kae-in or Young-sun — and she’s sure she’d be hearing a LOT if they knew the truth. Chang-ryul promises her that he absolutely, positively took care of everything. But just to make extra-sure, he gives a photo of Kae-in to his secretary and orders him to keep her out of the venue.

And now another highlight: Jin-ho and Sang-jun come to the wedding as a networking opportunity, and on the way up to the wedding hall, Sang-jun fiddles with his zipper. He’d gone to the bathroom and his shirt got stuck, and he can’t get it free. Jin-ho takes over the task, and Sang-jun can’t help from cracking a joke at the compromising position, fake-moaning things like “Mmm, aw, good.”

The joke backfires when the elevator doors open silently behind Jin-ho, to reveal Young-sun (and her young son) standing in shock as Sang-jun continues his joke-groaning.

They don’t notice that their conversation just confirms Young-sun’s wayward thoughts, and Sang-jun asks what happened with Tae-hoon last night. Jin-ho says, “Don’t even ask. I took him to the motel, and thought I was gonna die.” Sang-jun laughs, “Two men at a motel — must’ve been fun.”

Of course he means this sarcastically, but tell that to Young-sun, who covers her son’s virgin ears in shock.

Young-sun arrives at the hall, and the instant she sees the bridal photos, she is furious. In-hee and Chang-ryul? Fuming, she storms into the room to confront the couple and tears into them. She asks In-hee scathingly, “Did you Botox your brain?” (which is an insult I’m totally tucking away for future use). In-hee has lots of men — why did she have to steal Kae-in’s?

In-hee seems to feel genuinely sorry to hurt her friend (though not sorry enough to have done the right thing, but whatevs, it’s twoo wuv!), and promises she’ll make it up to her. Young-sun says harshly, “Listen up. If I were you, I’d stop this wedding immediately.”

Kae-in had in fact missed seeing the wedding invitation and shows up at the wedding hall blissfully unaware. Young-sun does her best to waylay her, but as she is late, Kae-in is eager to get inside asap.

Her attention is distracted by the sight of Jin-ho, and mistakes the sight of Sang-jun wiping up spilled coffee for something much more intimate. Thinking of poor Tae-hoon and his heartbreak, she mutters, “Jerk. So he ditched his boyfriend because he found a new one.”

Young-sun tries again to reclaim Kae-in’s attention to tell her the truth, but this time another sight diverts her gaze — it’s the bridal party, walking toward the wedding hall to take their places.

Stricken with confusion, hurt, and disbelief, Kae-in follows them into the hall. In a daze, she walks down the aisle, dumbly. Young-sun tries to grab her aside, but Kae-in is lost in her thoughts and unaware of everything else but the couple at the altar.

With growing realization, Kae-in arrives behind the couple, eyes fixed on Chang-ryul, who stutters in shock at the sight of her. Then her eyes move toward the bride, who is doing her best to keep her face turned aside. Kae-in draws the veil up to uncover the bride, and looks at her friend’s familiar face.


COMMENTS

As I said in yesterday’s first-impressions post, one of the highlights of Personal Taste is in the casting. Everyone is well-suited for their roles, and not only that, everyone brings a little something extra to these characters. I can say that with particular certainty because in this case, we have an original novel to compare with. (I don’t intend to make comparisons between the drama plot and the novel beyond this post, so rest assured I won’t belabor this point.) After reading about these characters on paper and building up an idea of what they would be like, even before most of these roles were cast, I can say that I’m happy with the actors who were brought onboard, and like them all more than I did in the book.

For example: Kae-in is cute and good-hearted, but also dense enough that she mistakes situations that often turn out badly because of her lack of perception. This is a trait that could make her unlikable (they don’t call that trope Too Stupid To Live for nothing) — and when a character is exceedingly dim, she can get aggravating. Think Park Shin-hye in You’re Beautiful — adorable, but good lord how dumb could Mi-nam be, right? Sohn Ye-jin makes Kae-in credible, and the misunderstandings are arranged so that they’re not entirely the fault of her lack of acuity.

Jin-ho is cool without being heartless — a great way to differentiate this role from his high-profile turn as Gu Jun-pyo. I love that he doesn’t merely repeat the Jun-pyo character here, even though it would have been easy to do so given that they share similar traits — cool, polished, prickly. Lee Min-ho has softened the edges to make him warmer and more likable than the novel’s Jin-ho.

The sidekicks and second leads I also find refreshingly funny — they’ve got the potential to steal scenes and infuse the drama with hilarity. Take Sang-jun, who on paper fulfills the typical kdrama role of good-natured best friend. You know — nice but not very special. But Jung Sung-hwa has this wonderful, warm, mischievous vibe, and the way he rolls with the elevator scene is pure fun. Kim Ji-suk, as I mentioned before, must be having a ball — his Chang-ryul is wimpy and weak, but also haughty and cocky. Yet through all this, he retains a sense of humor, and I don’t actually hate his character. In fact, I think he and In-hee are well-suited for each other. Jo Eun-ji has often been cast as the plain sidekick, but she does it well. And Im Seul-ong — his character is not unlike Tae-kyu of Wish Upon a Star with his immaturity and sense of the dramatic, and in both cases I enjoyed the comic flair.

Can’t wait to see where Episode 2 takes us!

EPISODE 2 RECAP

Kae-in stands agape in front of her ex-boyfriend Chang-ryul and ex-roommate/ex-friend In-hee, stunned at their Affront to Human Decency, also known as their wedding.

Kae-in looks more hurt and betrayed by In-hee, who as her friend and you know, a human being, should seem more remorseful than if she had stolen your parking space or taken the last cookie. But before they can really have it out, Chang-ryul has security drag Kae-in and Young-sun out of the wedding.

The security team traps them in the sound booth, where of course Young-sun’s son happens to turn on the loudspeaker so that all the wedding chapels can hear Kae-in lament that the groom cheated on her with the bride, who she thought was her friend. Young-sun chimes in that In-hee’s no angel either; she’s been juggling a number of guys recently herself.

Both In-hee’s ceremony and another wedding stop in their tracks and the parties come storming over to the sound booth. Young-sun and Kae-in try to make a run for it, realizing the mess they’ve made, and In-hee comes huffing up, indignant that THEY’ve ruined HER wedding. Where do I even begin with the crazy?

Young-sun, being the only sane one here, slaps In-hee unceremoniously across the face. Nice. Back the other way? No? I’m fairly certain she deserves a second slap. Or a sixtieth.

Outside, Young-sun tries to cheer Kae-in up, but she just wants to be alone. Yeah, right after the fact is too soon to hear the buck-up-kiddos and it’s-all-for-the-betters. Kae-in trudges off to do a little moping on her own.

Meanwhile, Jin-ho has been trying to casually run into Choi Do-bin, his whole reason for coming to this fiasco of a wedding in the first place. He and Sang-jun notice someone else getting dismissed by him for trying to approach him at a non-work event, so Jin-ho decides to try a riskier tactic.

He rushes downstairs, finds the guy’s car, and crashes into it. At first I think he’s nuts (not a way to win a guy’s favor) but as it turns out, Do-bin is quite unflapped, and even recognizes Jin-ho as the architect who made a good pitch for the Dream Art Center. Jin-ho scores a meeting, and all it took was a dent in his car. Sneaky!

Back at the wedding of soulless bloodsuckers, Chang-ryul chases after In-hee, insisting that he did his part in telling Kae-in about the wedding. In-hee doesn’t believe him because she ain’t no fool, and decides to break it off and go on their honeymoon…alone. I hope you go someplace where they still have smallpox or malaria.

I have to say, Chang-ryul, while still being a dog, is definitely the more sympathetic of the two, as he is treated like a second-class citizen by both In-hee and his father, and is a hilarious wimp to boot.

Kae-in walks home, still in a daze from the events of the day. She zombie-walks through an intersection, unaware that she’s holding up traffic. The tears come flowing while cars honk at her, and Jin-ho sees her pass by.

Jin-ho and Sang-jun get back to the office, where they are greeted by a frantic Tae-hoon, who begs for his job back, offering up a carrot: he’s got a secret tip on the new museum project that Jin-ho is crashing cars trying to get. Is crazed and desperate going to be the only mode for this side character?

As Kae-in walks back home, her employee and “friend” Won-ho is hiding out from a couple of thugs who have come looking for him at her house. (Using the term “friend” loosely, as this girl seems to have surrounded herself with backstabbing vapidity and take-advantage-of-drunken-girl thievery as her friends. Between In-hee and Won-ho, who needs enemies?)

Kae-in doesn’t pick up Won-ho’s calls, but does see the collection letter once she gets home. He’s apparently borrowed the equivalent of $10,000 against the house, (don’t ask me how he managed to do so) leaving Kae-in neck-deep in debt and in danger of losing her home. Talk about a bad day.

Over at Jin-ho’s office, he and Sung-jun are getting the lowdown on the museum project from Tae-hoon. He tells them that according to his father, the head of the company who owns the museum fell in love with a han-ok (traditional Korean-style) house built by a renowned architect. He tried to hire said architect for the museum project, but the offer was declined. That architect is no longer in the picture, but the CEO still has lingering hopes for that style of architecture. Solution: if Jin-ho can get a peek at the original house that the exec fell in love with, he can design something inspired by the style, and win the contract. Ten guesses as to who the original architect is.

Kae-in broods in the dark, trying to convince herself that everything will work out. She may be on the dimmer side of Tuesday, but at least that keeps her positive and plucky rather than downtrodden.

To make matters worse, she gets a call from her father, informing her that he will be returning to Korea three months sooner than expected. Not only does this shorten her timeframe to save the house, but it seems to make her visibly uncomfortable on a personal level. One gets the impression from the very short conversation that Kae-in lives for Daddy’s approval but has yet to ever reach his impossible standards. She speaks very timidly and very formally to him, implying an emotional distance beyond the normal gruff disapproving father/underachieving daughter relationship.

In a sad little moment, Kae-in rushes over to In-hee’s empty room, forgetting for a moment the events of the day. Luckily, she does have one actual friend in the world, and Young-sun comes right over to be there for Kae-in. While unable to offer up any of her own money, Young-sun encourages her to eat up for her strength.

Sometimes I’m concerned that Kae-in is well, slow, but she’s not stupid so much as child-like, so maybe we can accept her as overly trusting, to the point of being the gullible patsy if people choose to take advantage of her. That seems to be the way that Young-sun sees her, so I’ll groove with that for a while until it starts defying all rational thought. When that happens, we will have words, Show.

We also find out from Young-sun that Kae-in lost her mother at a very young age, and her father loved his wife so much that he couldn’t face her death or the daughter she left behind. Okay, I’ve never really been good with this trope, because if you really had SO much capacity for love for another human being, how could you not have room in your heart for your own child who was born out of that love? Whatever, countless Kdramas over the past half century!

Back at the office, Jin-ho studies the few published pictures of the house, and Sang-jun arrives with his own backstory on the architect. The architect built the house for his wife whom he adored, and since her death he lives and teaches abroad, and his only daughter lives in the original house. Sang-jun thinks this’ll be a breeze, what with Jin-ho’s good looks and charm: just seduce your way into the house! He adds that since the mother was a legendary beauty, the daughter will naturally be a looker too. Jin-ho decides he’ll go the route of research, while Sang-jun should feel free to follow up on the daughter.

At home, Kae-in takes a moment to remember her mother as well, telling her that she wants her father to be proud, and is so afraid of disappointing him. She plays with a miniature replica of her mother’s rocking chair, where she used to rock little Kae-in to sleep in her arms. Scenes like this are why Sohn Ye-jin is perfect for this role. She can handle the drama and believable character pathos, beyond the cute and funny stuff.

We come back around to Kae-in in the morning, where she is speaking in a mysterious hushed tone to someone on the phone. So faced with insurmountable obstacles and debilitating self-doubt, who do you call? A phone-psychic! Ha. Bleary-eyed and dark saucers from talking all night, she asks the psychic for answers. The pc-bang-based quack blathers some obscurities about a savior who will come from the east. She asks, “Is it a man?” Psychic: “Not exactly a man.” Kae-in: “Then a woman?” Psychic: “Not exactly a woman.” Heh, wonder who that’ll be. Nice touch, to add her superstitious disposition into the mix.

She asks (just now!) how much the call costs, and at $1.50 per 30 seconds, she’s been completely had. She hangs up, just when Sang-jun comes knocking on her door, flowers in hand, ready to woo his way into the famed house.

Kae-in comes out looking like an alien-ghost, and crazily enough, the two recognize each other immediately. Sang-jun has two shocks: one at the sheer sight of her, then another when he realizes that she’s the wedding crasher from yesterday, the same furniture designer who clashed with Jin-ho over the form and function of dining tables.

Kae-in hides in mortification, but pops back out to ask if he came from the east. No, he did not, which rules him out as the foretold man/woman who will help her. Sang-jun runs off, thinking that she’s gone batty, with good reason, and that the house is a lost cause.

As if the last forty-eight hours haven’t been bad enough, Kae-in gets a call from the department store where she sells her furniture. She goes in to meet with the sales manager, and he tells her that they can no longer lease her the space due to low sales. She pleads, but the answer is no. The whole time, I can’t focus because I’m thinking, why is the manager a caricature-version of BOF’s Gu Jun-pyo, with rolls of curly hair and an over-the-top ascot-laced suit? And then he gets up, and we see that his nametag reads: GU JUN-PYO. Ha.

Jin-ho decides to cash in on his promised meeting with Choi Do-bin at the art center, but runs into him on his way out to lunch with Chang-ryul’s dad. The two exchange passive-aggressive pleasantries, and Jin-ho says he’ll come back another time. What we have gathered about Chang-ryul’s father: he was once the right-hand man at the architecture firm that Jin-ho’s dad started, he took over the firm after Jin-ho’s father died, even kicking Jin-ho and his mother out of their family home. Also, we know that he is eeevil, by the scar on his eye and other such unsubtle clues.

Sung-jun sees them pass each other, and asks Jin-ho if maybe Chang-ryul’s dad is making another backdoor deal with the museum contract, just like he did with the Dream Art Center. He asks Jin-ho not to fight to the death on this one, just for personal revenge, considering this will be a make-or-break contract for their small firm. But Jin-ho is fired up, whether for his career or for his vendetta, and plans to see it through.

Looks like Chang-ryul’s father feels equally on edge with the competition, giving Chang-ryul an evil-version of a pep talk, involving a kick in the shins, belittling, berating, and a threat to exile him to China if he loses the contract to Jin-ho. Should be a good fight, since Chang-ryul is now equally motivated to do well, even if for bad reasons.

Kae-in and Young-sun are on their way back from the department store in a truck loaded with all of Kae-in’s unsold furniture, when they see Won-ho lurking around in front of her house. It just so happens that Jin-ho is also doing some lurking of his own, trying to take some pictures of the house, to little avail since not much is striking or visible from the outside.

Won-ho sees her coming and bolts. Kae-in gives chase. Jin-ho follows. That may seem weird, but then, have you ever just started running because someone is chasing you, even if you have no reason to? Maybe it’s a reflex.

Halfway through the chase Kae-in twists her ankle on her high-heels (does she have to be both dim AND clumsy, Show?), and asks Jin-ho to catch the guy for her. He obliges and manages to corner Won-ho, as Kae-in catches up.

Won-ho admits to spending all of the money, and has no explanation or platitudes to give her. Kae-in starts off yelling, then pleading, but by the end, she feels more sorry for Won-ho, asking if he’s been eating.

They relocate to a neighborhood restaurant, where Kae-in BUYS the weasel lunch, and Jin-ho listens in on the conversation. Kae-in tells Won-ho that her dad is returning sooner than expected, and that she needs the money fast. Kae-in: “It must be pretty dire, if I listed the spare bedroom up for rent at the realtor’s office today.” At this, Jin-ho’s wheels start turning.

Won-ho finishes his meal, then says he’s going to the bathroom, and sneaks off. Kae-in, the girl who would believe the sun will rise in the south if you told her convincingly enough, lets him go, and is then surprised to find that he’s run off. Jin-ho: “Are you an idiot?” Heh, well, points for directness.

He notices that her ankle is pretty bad, so despite her protests about hospital fees, he takes her to the hospital and even pays for the visit. Kae-in is definitely wary of his motivations for being so kind, while Jin-ho tries to teach her to just say thank you and be gracious. He tells her that instead of paying him back, she could let him see the house.

Jin-ho says he’s looking for a new place and happened to overhear her conversation with Won-ho. Kae-in goes from suspicious to incredulous. A man! And a woman! Living under one roof! We can’t have that. She refuses to let him even see the place.

They’ve reached her door and Jin-ho keeps trying to convince her, to no avail. But Young-sun answers the door and as soon as she sees him, without even knowing the situation, she tells him to wait outside and whatever it is, she’ll persuade Kae-in to change her mind. Can’t say I’d do any differently if he were standing on my doorstep.

Inside, Kae-in fills her in on Jin-ho’s offer to be her roommate, and Young-sun can’t imagine why she’d turn down this perfect opportunity. She needs money and a roommate; he has money and needs a room.

Besides, Young-sun reminds her: HE’S GAY, remember? To him, you might as well be an inanimate object. Kae-in wonders if that’s really how it works, and starts to warm up to idea, as the two girls imagine Jin-ho as the picture-perfect gay roommate, cooking elaborate meals, being the best shopping companion, and even doing facials together.

This persuades Kae-in to give it a chance, so Young-sun lets him in to take a look at the house. Kae-in is still very apprehensive about him, and he’s not exactly a fan of hers either, so the two are edgy and cold to each other. But Jin-ho is struck by the house. Frankly, so am I because I dig the indoor/outdoor and modern/traditional fusion going on in that house.

Back at the office, Jin-ho tells Sang-jun that he’ll be living with Kae-in from now on. Sang-jun can’t believe he managed it, and wonders if Kae-in has lusty feelings for Jin-ho, since she wouldn’t as a single woman let just any man into her home. Sang-jun tells Jin-ho that if the situation should arise, he should just take one for the team and go for it. Jin-ho assures him that won’t be happening. Oh, you don’t even know the half of it.

Meanwhile, the girls discuss the deliciousness of Jin-ho’s butt, as Young-sun can’t get enough of this hottie that she can never have. Kae-in does agree that he has a derriere to write home about, having grabbed a handful in the previous episode.

The four of them meet at the house to sign the lease, and basically Sang-jun and Young-sun facilitate the whole deal, while Jin-ho and Kae-in remain cold and hostile towards each other. Once the seals are stamped, Jin-ho’s true colors come out, as he insists Kae-in adhere to some cleanliness rules. Kae-in, not to be outdone, says fine, then he has to abide by her spatial rules—not being in restricted areas—or else any body parts in unsanctioned areas will be lopped off.

Young-sun and Sang-jun hold them back from what would have devolved into fisticuffs, and they manage to seal the deal. Sang-jun dotes on Jin-ho as a younger brother, but his gestures, like putting his hand on Jin-ho’s knee, help to solidify the girls’ belief that they are a couple. The boys don’t notice, and go about setting up Jin-ho’s room.

And then to really solidify the misconception that they are gay, Jin-ho cuts his leg on a piece of furniture, and here are the things the girls hear from outside the room, complete with R-rated sound effects:

Sang-jun: “Take your pants off…Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle…Okay, I’m going in…”

I know this is beside the point, but there’s no way that Sang-jun would be the top in that relationship. Just sayin’.

Young-sun just thinks their relationship is adorable, but Kae-in fills her in on Jin-ho’s motel tryst with his OTHER boyfriend, Tae-hoon, a beast of a guy who he mistreats terribly, and that’s only the guys they know about, so god knows how many men he’s actually dating. Kae-in thinks she’s just going to have to set some ground rules, while Young-sun wonders when she’ll get to see the beastly one.

Over at Casa de Backstab, In-hee returns from the honeymoon to her new place, only Chang-ryul’s been living there since their not-a-wedding because his father kicked him out. They bicker and yell, and at one point they’re stripping off their pajamas while yelling, and I thought for sure it would lead to a bow-chicka-bow-wow place, but apparently their hatred runs too deep. Honestly, you guys kind of deserve each other, so I wouldn’t mind. Now whether you deserve to be happy is a whole other question.

Jin-ho takes a tour of the house, and ends up in Daddy’s office, where he sneaks a peek at some blueprints. Then, while Jin-ho fields a call from his mom, Kae-in creeps up to the room in shadow, and scares the bejesus out of him and me.

She revs up the chainsaw (HA) that she has in her hands, serving as a reminder that all body parts in violation of the rules will be chopped off. Jin-ho screams like a little girl and runs for his life, while I die of laughter and watch the scene again.

And then, the craziest thing happens. In-hee shows up at Kae-in’s house, suitcase in tow, expecting to get her old room back. Hh? Wh? She actually says that since Kae-in ruined her wedding, she didn’t really end up with her boyfriend, so the past is in the past. The past? As in YESTERDAY? Is it possible you were raised by howler monkeys?

Kae-in can’t believe she’s dared to come here, and thank god that she isn’t folding in this situation because I would have to disown her. The argument goes from icy to shouting to full-on girly hair-pulling, which gets Jin-ho out of his room to complain about the noise, since he can hear everything.

In-hee can’t believe Kae-in rented the room so quickly, and to a man, and proceeds to tell Kae-in how she should live her life! And I am totally going to reach into my tv and pull the lips right off this girl!

Kae-in counters that In-hee must be interested in her new roommate because she wants to steal another guy from her, and In-hee just says matter-of-factly that she could get any guy to say yes to her. Well, is that a thing to be proud of?

But Kae-in, confident this time that she can shut In-hee up, announces that she can try a thousand years to seduce Jin-ho. It won’t work…because HE’S GAY.

So far, having not read the novel, and staying away from any and all spoilers, the ride is mostly predictable, with the only twist being the presumption of homosexuality. But we’re only two in, so I’m hoping there are more comic surprises and new twists in story conventions to be had, as I do enjoy the characters (mostly the main four).

I’m relying on the developing relationship between the leads to be fresh and full of new problems, which I think it can deliver on. Even if this drama were lazy and rehashed Coffee Prince-esque angst, it has to diverge at some point because its premise approaches the gay question from a different angle, so hopefully they’ll be mining new territory, instead of side-stepping the issue.

EPISODE 3 RECAP

After dropping that bomb about Jin-ho’s sexual orientation, Kae-in sarcastically challenges In-hee to try seducing Jin-ho — with her boundless charms, maybe she can get him to switch sides. In-hee has the nerve to be offended that Kae-in rented “her” room to Jin-ho. In In-hee’s World, all events must transpire to attend to HER needs, don’tcha kno! Kae-in retorts that she’s more comfortable living with someone who doesn’t lie or backstab.

In-hee twists that statement to rub salt in the wound — Kae-in’s attachment to comfort is why she can never get a guy. Rather than fixating on In-hee stealing her man, Kae-in ought to think of how she got her man stolen from her! Yeah, that’s like saying it would be In-hee’s fault for running her face into my fist, which is the scenario I’m contemplating, frankly.

This whole encounter is difficult for Kae-in, but she perseveres through her stammering and insists that In-hee leave. In-hee replies, bald as you please, that she has nowhere else to go as though Kae-in had better not dare turn her away.

(Seriously, In-hee’s a wench of the first order, but I don’t mind it because she’s unlikable in an entertaining more than aggravating way. It’s delicious fun to hate her and imagine her getting her just deserts. Somehow I don’t think this drama will invoke piranha tanks or acid showers of toxic goo, but that can’t stop me from fantasizing. She’s so ridiculous that rather than getting upset about her, we’re better off just thinking of her as a beautiful, snooty alien arrived from Planet Narcissus who is determined to make everything about her, her, her!)

The most In-hee will concede is to say she’ll give Kae-in some time to think, ignoring Kae-in’s declaration that she doesn’t need time, because she doesn’t want to have anything to do with In-hee anymore.

Jin-ho has come out to watch the last part of the exchange (and In-hee sees him before leaving). How much do I love the ridiculousness of the next sentence I am about to write?: Kae-in jumps to see him, then picks up her chainsaw and tries to make a casual exit.

Jin-ho doesn’t let her off the hook so quickly, and asks what she meant about her statement: “Who’s gay?” Kae-in mistakes the reason for his ire, thinking it’s because she let out a secret that he wants to hide. She apologizes, then wonders, “But can you really hide it? I’ve already caught on.” She doesn’t mind his sexual preference, but she does express some distaste at his playboy tendencies, going from one guy to the next so easily.

Jin-ho thinks back to all the compromising situations at the hotel and the wedding hall, understanding how Kae-in came to that conclusion. He finds this all distasteful, not to mention embarrassing to be mistaken for a gay man when he’s very much straight. He’d rather not get further entangled with this unsavory woman, and immediately packs his bags. He texts Kae-in his bank account number, into which she can deposit the balance of his rent.

Caught off-guard, Kae-in tries to stop Jin-ho and discuss the matter with him, but he leaves without further ado.

At work, Sang-jun assumes that Jin-ho’s gloominess is because Kae-in likes him and made a move. Jin-ho starts to set him straight, but has a hard time even saying the words “She thinks I’m gay.” He just explains that he has decided to move out. So what if he doesn’t have access to the house anymore? They’ll win the museum account on the strength of their ideas! Oh, how naive and innocent our baby lamb is.

Sang-jun does not think this is a wise idea, but instead of trying to plead with Jin-ho, he uses reverse psychology. Sighing pathetically, he agrees, saying they can go head to head with Mirae Construction, even though their rivals are bound to use Kae-in’s house (named “Sanggojae”) as their concept. They won’t be able to use that idea, but hey, if they fail to win the bid, so what? Jin-ho can just close down his firm, and Sang-jun can always work at a supermarket. No problem.

(The point is made, but Jin-ho’s not about to give in just yet.)

Kae-in relates last night’s encounter to Young-sun, who scolds her for talking openly about Jin-ho’s orientation when he hadn’t even identified himself as such. It’s no wonder he got offended at her comments.

Kae-in feels awful now, but he has been rejecting her calls so she doesn’t have a chance to apologize. She decides to forget about the roommate situation, since it’s not like she loved living with him, either. All she has to do is catch Won-ho, and that’ll take care of her money problems. Right? Right??

That proves easier said than done. Kae-in trawls PC rooms, manhwa stores, and even the subway for Won-ho. No dice. Faced with the prospect of not finding Won-ho after all, Kae-in thinks back to the glimpses of Jin-ho’s nicer side, like how he took her to the hospital for her ankle sprain. Maybe she should try harder to get him back.

In-hee is another displaced former friend of Kae-in, who has resorted to crashing at the jimjilbang (sauna). She gets into a clash of words with some opinionated ajummas. She’s used to enjoying haughty upper-class privilege, but In-hee clearly has not yet learned the rules of the world down here with the common folk, where the ajumma reigns supreme.

Jin-ho and Sang-jun brainstorm ideas for the museum, trying to piece together a plan based on what they know about the Sanggojae. It’s difficult work, and Sang-jun urges Jin-ho to make up with Kae-in. Who knows, if he plays his cards right he might just end up Professor Park’s son-in-law.

Thus when Kae-in drops by as a visitor, Sang-jun is very pleased, wanting Jin-ho to make nice. They usher her out of the room quickly to keep her from glimpsing the drawings based on her house.

Kae-in apologizes for her careless statements and begs Jin-ho to forgive her and come back. She presents him with a gift, saying that it’s to thank him for paying her hospital bill. Inside is a little carved wooden desk and chair.

Jin-ho accepts the gift (which she swears isn’t a bribe), but it doesn’t affect his decision to move out: “Thank you for the goodbye gift.”

Next, Hye-mi bursts into the office. (Tae-hoon’s finger-horns warn them that her mood is dark.) She’s angry that Jin-ho left home with just a note — how could he leave her and his mother like that?

Jin-ho answers that it would be uncomfortable for her to live with him, and doesn’t look good in others’ eyes, either, ignoring her protests that it’s not uncomfortable at all. He adds that it could present a problem for her later when she marries, as Korean men are narrow-minded and chauvinistic enough that they have no problem personally sleeping around or visiting bar girls and prostitutes, but feel that a woman sharing a house with a man is an affront to decency. Or maybe that last part was just implied.

To grease the wheels for the museum project, Mirae’s President Han (Chang-ryul’s father) drops in on the planning director, Choi Do-bin. In a thinly veiled attempt at bribery, he presents him with one of his own prized paintings as a gift.

Do-bin is not moved by bribery and politely declines, thanking the man for the thought. However, as he cannot make a business decision on personal feelings, he will only accept the gift in spirit.

Meanwhile, Chang-ryul has come to the museum on a dual mission: first is to attend the museum project briefing, and the other is to catch a glimpse of In-hee.

While Chang-ryul lurks in the hallway, he runs into Jin-ho and Sang-jun, also here for the briefing. As usual the foursome can’t resist trading barbs. They’re here on business, though, so Jin-ho and Sang-jun take the higher road and walk away to join the briefing session.

Do-bin presents the plans for the Dahm Museum, outlining its extensive scope and their intent to preserve a Korean flavor in the building. All the bidders have a week to prepare their presentations.

As Do-bin’s trusted right-hand employee, In-hee is also part of this project, and Chang-ryul attempts to talk to her after the meeting. She breezes right by him, though she does stop to address Jin-ho politely. In a modest tone (because she’s a fakey faker who fakes) she apologizes for her rude behavior last night — and the words “last night” immediately ruffle Chang-ryul’s feathers. What does that mean?

Jin-ho enjoys pissing him off further by responding in equally vague (but suggestive) terms, saying that last night “made quite an impression.”

Temper provoked, Chang-ryul roughly grabs Jin-ho’s lapels and demands to know what’s going on between them. Unruffled, Jin-ho answers, “Curious? But it seems like your In-hee wants me to keep last night a secret.” Ooh, burn. If only the truth were a fraction as juicy as the implication.

Chang-ryul takes a wild swing at Jin-ho, who smoothly sidesteps and twists his arm behind him. Chang-ryul vows to completely crush Jin-ho in the upcoming competition, but Jin-ho answers, “If I thought that would happen, I wouldn’t have come here.”

President Han eyes his son’s antics with dissatisfaction, and tells his son that he’s always told him to view his lessers with pity — thereby effectively insulting both his son and Jin-ho at once. Efficient, he. Pointedly, he adds that they ought not mess with someone who’s always getting his nose bloodied by them, like an idiot.

Jin-ho knows the dig is aimed at him, and replies that he has no problem getting a bloody nose in a fair fight. However, getting one when your opponent hits you with a rock hidden in his fist is unfair. So this time, “I ask you to come at me with your bare fists.”

In-hee’s impressed with Jin-ho’s comportment, and so is Do-bin, watching the exchange from a distance.

President Han has noticed that Do-bin took an interest in Jin-ho’s presentation for the Dream Art Center, and warns Chang-ryul to be alert. Chang-ryul’s not worried since his father’s great at lobbying (read: backdoor-dealing), but President Han informs him that the method isn’t effective with Do-bin.

The president gets his son’s attention with mention of In-hee — despite his post-wedding distaste of his son’s bride, now he sees that she is close to Do-bin, and President Han is always looking for advantages to exploit. He comes to an understanding with Chang-ryul that if this Dahm Museum project turns out well for them, he won’t oppose the relationship. Chang-ryul jumps at this, and asks to handle the project. He wants to go out “with bare fists” to challenge Jin-ho.

As if the stakes weren’t high enough, Jin-ho and Sang-jun are called to the hospital when one of the construction workers gets into a minor accident. The foreman doesn’t hold Jin-ho to blame and the injury was small, but Jin-ho feels guilty because he’d pushed the foreman to keep productivity high, and the worker had dozed out of exhaustion.

Furthermore, Sang-jun tells him that the client for whom they were building just went bankrupt and ran off to the Philippines. If their financial situation weren’t dire enough, this really drives the point home. With no reason to stand on his pride now, Jin-ho decides to return to the Sanggojae, which Sang-jun heartily approves.

What’s particularly funny is that Sang-jun believes that Kae-in has designs on Jin-ho, since Jin-ho’s too embarrassed to share the whole “She thinks I’m gay” bit. So in effect, he’s pimping out his buddy for their business, and keeps prodding Jin-ho to do it for the greater good, so to speak.

Kae-in is surprised — but happy — to have Jin-ho come back home. Not enticed by Kae-in’s offer of ramyun for dinner, he takes her out for some much-needed grocery shopping. (Kae-in’s place is strewn with empty bowls of cup ramyun, among other junk.)

They do fight over paying, however — neither feels they ought to foot the bill, and neither has brought a wallet. With a sigh, Jin-ho pays with a mobile pass, which must be a bit of product placement (he scans his cell phone, which reads his account information) but at least they’ve taken some effort to work it into the plot.

He insists on a massive cleaning session, because he can’t live in such a pigsty. Kae-in takes this to mean he’s definitely moving back, and he agrees to stay as long as she promises to say nothing further about him being gay.

The cleaning starts out with Jin-ho ordering Kae-in around (and I enjoy how she keeps trying to find shortcuts in the cleaning process, because it’s totally what I would do). At a certain point, he takes over the mopping to show her how it’s done, and ends up finishing the job.

Kae-in has taken advantage of this opportunity to slip away to her room, where Jin-ho finds her looking at a miniature set of furniture made out of wood, similar to the pieces she gave him. This was her mother’s creation, and she’d been a furniture designer, too.

In-hee reclaims the honeymoon apartment by moving in when Chang-ryul is out, then changing the door code. When he calls her in a tizzy, she points out that while he may have bought the house, she bought the things in it. (And… I think that still gives him more right than her to be inside?)

She reminds him that he’d promised that everything of his would become hers. He points out that that was when they were going to marry, and insists that they ought to redo the marriage, then.

That night, Young-sun drops by, amazed at the clean house. Happy to take advantage, she also urges Kae-in to get along well with Jin-ho so she can ask him to model for her, as she photographs gay models. Young-sun is here to give her Won-ho’s address, which she tracked down with some help from her cop husband.

Kae-in heads to the bathroom to wash up, and happens to walk in on Jin-ho just as he’s wrapping himself in a towel. Or just before, I should say.

Both stare in shock, and Kae-in ducks out quickly. But she pops her head back in right away to assure him that she’s not wearing contacts or glasses, so she can’t see anything anyway.

This is where I give props to the set designers for working in the bathroom in a way that facilitates moments like this and also works with the Korean style of the house — the doors swing open and have no locks. Frankly, if I lived in a house with that kind of bathroom, I’d be wary of bringing in an opposite-sex roommate, too. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using the bathroom without an elaborate system of signals (like the all-purpose sock-on-the-door college trick) warning anything from “Open” to “Knock before entry” to “Turn away, or this will be very embarrassing for us both.”

Jin-ho accepts Kae-in’s excuse of having bad eyesight, but later that night he hears her giggling with Young-sun in loud whispers. She says she couldn’t see very well without her glasses, “But I saw enough!”

Young-sun asks for details, so Kae-in answers, “He looked all right. Not bad.” Jin-ho’s a little gratified at that. Young-sun says knowingly, “Not that. That.”

Suddenly tensing, Jin-ho understands what she’s asking and looks down at, uh, Little Jin-ho, waiting for her answer. We can’t see her expression but we can imagine her gesture as Kae-in replies, “About this much?” At Young-sun’s disappointed response, Jin-ho is affronted. How dare she insult his manhood — literally!

Jin-ho gets a worried call from Hye-mi regarding his missing mother, so he runs out to go find her. Luckily he knows her well enough to track her down to a certain bar, where he joins her. He apologizes for not telling her where he’s been staying and explains that he’s been busy with work.

Mom reminisces about when he was younger and his father was still alive. We can tell they have a loving relationship, as Jin-ho treats his mother as a perfect doting son ought. They both have wistful memories of their happy family life when his father was around, and Mom looks out at the Seoul skyline wondering where their old house is. Jin-ho promises to get it back for her.

Kae-in finds the address given to her by Young-sun, and makes her way to see Won-ho’s grandmother, who lives in a shabby room in a worn-down home. The woman thinks Kae-in is the volunteer who regularly comes by to help, and asks her to read a letter to her, thinking it’s a note her beloved grandson has left for her.

The bleakness of Won-ho’s grandmother’s situation hits Kae-in, and she is overwhelmed with pity. She opens the notice to find a loan payment reminder, and as she feels too bad to tell the old woman, she invents the contents of a faux-letter as she reads. It starts, “Grandmother, how are you? I’m so busy these days that I couldn’t see you. I’m sorry.”

On her way out, Kae-in leaves Won-ho a message to tell him she’ll find a way to get the money. While his behavior is hardly acceptable, there’s no point trying to squeeze blood out of a stone, right?

That evening, it’s time for some equal-opportunity boundary-infringing! Jin-ho returns home from an office dinner to hear Kae-in cry out. Thinking she’s in trouble, he bursts into the bathroom, and finds HER just out of the shower. (To be fair, she still has the upper hand in this scenario, as she is wearing a towel and he was not.)

Reminding Kae-in of the indignity he suffered the other night, Jin-ho adds that her body’s hardly interesting to him, anyway. He means this as an insult to her figure, but of course she takes it the other way and interprets this as a natural comment from a gay man. Even when he retorts, “Sorry, but aside from you I do have a lot of interest in women,” Kae-in doesn’t believe him. There’s no need to act straight in front of her!

Since he’s here, Kae-in asks for some assistance. She has dropped her contact lens, and with her blurry eyesight she can’t find it. Thinking he’s not interested in her appearance, she doesn’t bother to change her clothing — but he’s not completely indifferent after all, as he discovers when he comes face-to-face with her, um, assets. Or should I say, face-to-boobs, face-to-legs, and face-to-butt… Yo, eyes up here, buddy.

She’s not immune to his physical presence, either, as she discovers when she slips and he catches her. The tension grows when he leans closer, reaching out to touch her arm. He’s only doing it to pluck the lens from her shoulder, but the moment has been felt by both. After he hands it over, he turns to make a quick getaway.

Kae-in’s stomach growls, though, so she pesters him to go out to eat with her. She wants kalbi, which she attributes to the kalbi smell from his jacket (a remnant of his office dinner). She offers to buy, calling it a roommate bonding activity.

Jin-ho is not at all interested, and retreats to his room. I find Kae-in adorable as she sits outside his room, sighing pathetically:

Kae-in: “Aigoo, I’m starving. If he’s not going to eat with me he shouldn’t have smelled like food, the smell can’t fill me up. What kind of roommate is that cruel? I’m so starving I could die. There’s no rice at home and I’m dying for some beef, and it’s pathetic to go eat by myself. How great would it be if I had a roommate to go eat with? They don’t sell kalbi in single portions…”

Faced with putting up with Kae-in’s whining all night long or putting up with it only through dinner, he chooses the latter.

Drinking soju with her food, Kae-in is thoroughly drunk toward the end of dinner, and starts to mumble about Chang-ryul and how he called her a rain-soaked puppy that followed him around. She declares loudly, “Men are all the same! They only think the really pretty, sexy women are women!” But she remembers enough to add, “But I’m so happy you’re not a man like that.”

Jin-ho suffers through this, but just then, in walks Choi Do-bin. Jin-ho rises and bows respectfully, and the other man acknowledges him before heading to his own table.

Jin-ho starts thinking fast — clearly Do-bin is here on business. Deciding that it’s best to leave asap, he stuffs Kae-in’s mouth with food to hurry her up so they can go. Not picking up on his urgency, Kae-in slurs on about how he’s so nice.

Kae-in gets up to use the restroom, at which point Jin-ho is delivered a drink from the ajumma one table over. The woman raises her glass and winks at Jin-ho, which he does his best to ignore.

Alas, someone else has witnessed this exchange, and in bursts a thuggy-looking man who picks a fight with Jin-ho, calling him a gigolo who takes advantage of women. That’s his wife he’s flirting with!

Kae-in stumbles back in time to see this and boldly defends Jin-ho, insisting drunkenly, “Our Jin-ho isn’t like that!” The thug ignores her and raises a fist to throw a punch, so she bursts out wildly, “I said he’s not like that! This man is GAAAAY!”

There are few ways this could be more mortifying. Jin-ho is especially horrified, as Do-bin has seen the whole thing. Grimly, Jin-ho leaves.

Kae-in belatedly realizes what she’s done, and apologizes for breaking her promise again. She starts to cry, and sobs that she was afraid he’d get beaten up. Thoroughly disgusted with herself, she starts beating herself over the head and calling herself names.

At her excessive self-loathing, he sighs that it’s enough — there’s no use crying over spilled milk.

Kae-in falls asleep on the park bench, and Jin-ho has no problem walking off, leaving her there. In fact, he makes it almost all the way home before he has second thoughts and turns back in resignation. He returns to the park bench and rouses Kae-in, and then carries her home when her ankle injury acts up again.

Part of Kae-in’s charm is her eternal optimism and good cheer, which she demonstrates on the ride home by singing lustily, not noticing how her wild movements make it difficult for him to carry him.

She’s calmer by the time they reach her neighborhood, and she sighs, “Your back is warm. My father’s back is probably warm, too.” He picks up on the wording, asking if her father has never carried her. She answers that nobody has.

Recalling a childhood memory of watching her father work — his back turned to her — she says that she’d always thought a person’s back was only cold, but she’s glad that Jin-ho’s isn’t. Symbolism! Her voiceover (which reads like a diary entry) notes that while Jin-ho still seems a little cool, she’s confident he’ll begin warming up soon. Hence, front = cold, while back = warm.

Once home, Kae-in falls asleep where he drops her on the couch. Jin-ho urges her to sleep in her room, and sees her leg perched at an awkward angle. She looks about ready to fall of the couch, so he prods her to wake. When she doesn’t, he lifts the leg to place it at a more comfortable angle, which causes her to stir.

She eyes him suspiciously at first, then cheers up. If any other man had just touched her let like that she would have reacted, but she’s happy that there’s no problem with Jin-ho. Because of The Gay, of course!

When a leg cramp strikes, Kae-in turns baleful eyes to Jin-ho, and I’m pretty sure she actually knows she’s manipulating him. She’s no In-hee, but as with the exaggerated way she moaned about being hungry, I’d bet she does know how to twist him around her finger just a little bit.

Thus Jin-ho is roped into giving her a leg massage, which she enjoys with great gusto. In fact, her graphic cries of pleasure sound pretty much like sex moans, making it uncomfortable for Jin-ho to continue.

Last but not least, Kae-in thanks him for his help, and gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up to her new gay roommate.


COMMENTS

Like I mentioned, this episode was a lot better than last week’s. With Episode 3, the drama has gone from enjoyable-but-flawed to plain enjoyable. Not that I had a problem with them — they were full of laugh-out-loud moments. However, they did feel rather disjointed, and in between the funny beats were a lot of awkwardly placed scenes that felt like they were there out of necessity, but not necessarily worked in with any grace.

This episode felt much smoother, and much more like what we might expect. The music usage has also improved (perhaps with the exception of the first scene, which was much too heavy). The comic theme songs are a lot of fun, though, particularly that one that speeds up in accordance with Kae-in’s orgasmic leg-massage moaning.

It may sound like Kae-in’s constant misunderstandings about Jin-ho being gay are getting repetitive, but I assure you that it’s a source of constant hilarity for me. Jin-ho has to put up with her repeated misconceptions about his sexuality — and each time it’s just a little harder for him to endure — so it’s worth hearing her harp about The Gay just to see his disgruntled reactions to it.