Mischievous Kiss / Playfull Kiss episode 1

I had mixed feelings about this premiere: It wasn’t as good as I was hoping, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

I can see where some viewers had issues with it, and I share those concerns. But I think it started to find its groove later on — almost too late, really — and will hold onto that hope going into Episode 2.

SONG OF THE DAY

G.NA – “키스해줄래” (Will you kiss me?) from the Playful Kiss OST. [ Download ]


CHARACTERS

Our heroine is OH HA-NI (Jung So-min), a not-so-bright student in her last year of high school, who’s in the last-place class (seventh of seven) of her year. She grew up with a loving father who runs a noodle restaurant (her mother died when she was a child), and the two have an affectionate relationship. Prone to daydreaming, Ha-ni’s fantasies center around Seung-jo, a boy at school on whom she harbors a pretty strong crush.

Ha-ni’s best friends, also in the last-place class, are DOKKO MIN-AH (Yoon Seung-ah) and JUNG JU-RI (Hong Yoon-hwa). Together, the trio is a little bumbling, but good-hearted and loyal to one another.

BAEK SEUNG-JO (Kim Hyun-joong), on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He’s in the No. 1 class and isn’t merely the best student, but positively perfect. In fact, in the most recent exams, he scored a 500 out of 500. Alas, that intellectual perfection doesn’t come with a gracious personality. He’s not just the cold, logical type a la Mr. Darcy but quite condescending to boot, looking down his nose at everyone, not bothering to hide that he finds them inferior. Whatta prince.

His parents are perfectly friendly people, though, and his mother (GEUM-HEE, played by Jung Hye-young) will figure largely in our plot. For now, all we know is that she’s a welcoming, cheerful mother with a lively sense of curiosity about her son’s life.

The guy with the retro flipped-up hair is BONG JOON-GU (Lee Tae-sung), a Busan boy with the thick accent to prove it. He can usually be seen traveling en masse with his posse, the foursome played by rock band Bye Bye Sea who are identified simply as “Bong Joon-gu’s Boys.”

Joon-gu and the boys are also residents of Class 7. While the boys can often be found jamming on musical instruments in between classes, Joon-gu spends a lot of his energies following Ha-ni around, trying to win her affections. She remains firmly fixated on Seung-jo, however, and doesn’t spare Joon-gu much thought.


EPISODE 1 RECAP

We open on a fantasy sequence, set in what looks like an enchanted meadow in a fairy tale. The CG is exaggerated, but it has that overtly whimsical sensibility of Pushing Daisies or Big Fish — dreamy, romantic, and girlish.

In the daydream, a handsome young man dressed all in white comes upon a sleeping girl, kisses her lightly, then walks away. When the girl wakes, she sees a white horse and follows it through the forest to another meadow, where the horse turns back into her mystery man.

He approaches her and leans in. This time, she anticipates the kiss and purses her lips in readiness…

Which is when she wakes up. At school. Late for class. Oh Ha-ni, waking from her latest crush-induced fantasy, races off as the bell rings.

The dream sequence is admittedly very pretty to look at, but since we know it’s a fantasy from the very get-go, it does go on and on. My feelings on the opening went from “This is lovely” to “Hm, I wonder where they’re going with this” to “GRAHH, WHY ARE YOU SO SLOW.”

In class, Ha-ni’s teacher attempts to exert some authority over her sluggish pupils, but this ain’t the last-place class without a reason. Students nap, zone out, and generally slack off. Ha-ni and her friends aren’t worried about their latest grades, though — they’re always at the bottom, so what else is new?

While Ha-ni, Ju-ri, and Min-ah hang out in the lounge, a student comes by and loses a coin in the soda machine. She’s HONG JANG-MI (Jang Ah-young), who’s basically a Mean Girl, despite being younger than Ha-ni.

With a flourish, Ha-ni steps in and kicks the machine to get the soda to pop out, and enjoys basking in the moment. Particularly since it momentarily puts a cork in Jang-mi’s superior act.

Ha-ni moons all over Seung-jo, which seems to be a pretty common occurrence. Her friends are used to it, and only shake their heads when Ha-ni shares her daydream and calls him a spirit of the forest. She goes into raptures over his perfection, saying that now she understands how vampires feel — such is his beauty that it makes her want to bite right into him.

Speak of the devil: Seung-jo makes his appearance, calm and cool as you please, blithely ignoring the squealing of girls who ooh over his entrance.

Ha-ni freezes as Seung-jo approaches, victim to the vicissitudes of adolescent infatuation, and her heart thumps wildly. Jang-mi flutters over to him offers her soda instead, chattering on as though they’re close friends. Apparently their mothers are friends, and Seung-mi tries to use this to ingratiate herself, fawning all over him.

Seung-jo ignores her, but when his coin also gets stuck in the machine, Jang-mi calls out to Ha-ni to employ her fix again. She particularly enjoys putting Ha-ni on the spot, making the latter reluctant to comply but also reluctant to refuse.

So Ha-ni goes up to the machine, studiously avoiding his gaze, and delivers a kick. Afterward she cringes in embarrassment, not wanting this to be his impression of her, but I say there’s something satisfying in the way Seung-jo gapes; he’s not exactly impressed, but eliciting any reaction at all from his stone-faced demeanor is probably an accomplishment.

Seung-jo turns to leave, and Ju-ri, trying to help her friend, calls out her name loudly so that he’ll hear it. Seung-jo turns and starts walking back toward them, and Ha-ni readies herself in anticipation — surely he’ll thank her, or say something? But no, he retrieves his change from the machine.

Her friends urge Ha-ni to confess her feelings, since they’ll graduate soon enough. Despite her earlier embarrassment, Ha-ni bounces right back and clings to the new hope that perhaps Seung-jo isn’t expressing his feelings for her because he doesn’t know hers, and decides a confession is just the thing. But how?

To prove her utter lack of common sense, Ha-ni likes Ju-ri’s joke suggestion about dressing as Gollum and addressing Seung-jo as “My precious.” Min-ah’s suggestion is better, but not by much: a mating dance, like animals.

This leads us into another fantasy, wherein Ha-ni dances in Swan Lake, joined by Seung-jo. Again this goes longer than necessary, but at least the punchline saves it (sort of): Seung-jo partners Ha-ni, lifts her in the air, and then tosses her aside.

Poor girl. Even in her own daydreams she can’t catch a break.

Next up is drawing class, and Joon-gu (whom I’ve taken to calling Duckie in my head) is tapped as figure model. Anyone with half a brain would be totally onto how very much he’s in love with Ha-ni (or at least in grand infatuation), but I suppose half her brain is perpetually fixated on Seung-jo, so she brushes his attentions aside.

That means all his efforts to look cool are wasted, although he doesn’t know it. As the pose becomes harder and harder to maintain, sweat beads drip from his forehead but Joon-gu vows to stick with it, since Ha-ni is looking at him.

Ha-ni does draw, but in a mechanical way as she doodles the words “Confess… mating dance… Gollum…”

Adding salt to the wound is when Joon-gu peers at the drawing at the end of class — to see that she has drawn his body with Seung-jo’s face.

We don’t see much of the teachers in Episode 1, but I suspect they’ll have their own storyline, so let’s introduce ‘em: At left is SONG KANG-YI (Hwang Hyo-eun), and Kang Doo plays the Class 1 teacher SONG JI-OH. Both are “Teacher Song,” but are polar opposites — kind of like Ha-ni and Seung-jo, in fact.

I wonder if their storyline will mimic our main one, since it appears Kang-yi may have a crush on Ji-oh, who is just as cool and superior as his star student.

Ha-ni becomes engrossed in thought, trying to figure out how to confess her feelings to Seung-jo. Dad picks up on it, and understands that she’s got a crush on a boy even though she describes it as the situation of “a friend,” and shares how he made his confession to her mother. (Stealing, by the way, a famous line from I’m Sorry, I Love You.)

So that launches Ha-ni into another reverie — really, drama? Number 3 already? — wherein she corners Seung-jo with her motorcycle gang, looking like a bad girl out of Grease while a pale imitation of “Beat It” serves as background music.

(Gah, these extended fantasies that never end! I love you, director Hwang, but you could really do to watch some episodes of Scrubs. ‘s all I’m sayin’.)

Badass Ha-ni confronts Seung-jo, who backs away meekly, and she recites her line, which offers him the choice to either be with her or die.

And even in her fantasy, Seung-jo picks the coffin. Aw! There’s something really endearing about Ha-ni in this.

Thankfully Dad has more practical advice than her friends, and suggests that a sincere love letter might just work best. Ha-ni decides he’s right, and delivers a letter to his locker, then waits nervously for his response.

When he walks by the lounge and shows Ha-ni no recognition at all, Ju-ri shouts her name loudly, determined to make her friend known. Min-ah joins her, and this time, they have a reaction.

Seung-jo asks, “Are you Oh Ha-ni?” He makes his way back to them, and holds out a letter to her. Students gather round curiously, and Ha-ni barely contains her excitement as she opens it, telling him she hadn’t dared hope for a reply.

Yet as soon as she starts to read, her excitement fades, replaced by crushing disappointment.

Jang-mi has to live up to her designation as Mean Girl, so she swipes the letter from Ha-ni’s grasp, then crows about its contents. Seung-jo hadn’t written her a reply — he’d graded hers! The letter has been marked up in red pen, and he’d given her a D-.

(For what it’s worth, I think this moment would have been better had I not seen it done more cutely in Will It Snow For Christmas.)

Jang-mi positively exults and talks about it loudly for all to hear, while Ha-ni can only stand there, humiliated. Meanwhile, Seung-jo just stands there and tells her, “I’m sorry to say this, but I hate dumb girls.”

Joon-gu — bless him — comes late to the party but has sized up the situation, and confronts Seung-jo for his rudeness. He demands that Seung-jo apologize, to which Seung-jo smirks, “For what, correcting her mistakes?”

Joon-gu retorts, “Do you only see the mistakes? Don’t look at the letters, look at the contents!” (Aw. You’ve officially won me over, ridiculous hair-boy!)

He challenges Seung-jo to fight and takes a swing, but the latter swiftly evades the punch — cool as you please, his hands not even moving from his pockets.

The vice principal interrupts, and as Seung-jo is the golden child, he is dismissed while Joon-gu is called in for disciplining.

Finally, Seung-jo deigns to speak and levels a finger at the board that has been posted of the recent test results — Ha-ni and her friends occupy the lowest status of the school. He points to a second sign, which marks the 50 top students who are admitted to a special study hall each month.

Turning his scorn to Ha-ni, he calls her thoughtless for choosing to waste her time rather than caring about more important things: “I hate thoughtless, impudent girls.”

Ha-ni is devastated. Worst of all is probably the fact that he’s not wrong — she IS the lowest scoring student. Still, she hardly deserves such a drubbing from him.

She takes out her frustration by running around the school, exhausted and stumbling by the time she reaches lap 34. Her friends urge her to stop, but she insists on running two more laps. In a lovely moment of solidarity, they stand up to give her a hand (literally) and support her through her last lap.

Word of Ha-ni’s encounter with Seung-jo spreads through the school, making her the laughingstock. Is it worse to be mocked by your peers, or pitied by the cafeteria and cleaning ladies? Thankfully we’ll probably never have to know, but Ha-ni has to endure.

As she and Dad settle into their newly remodeled house, unpacking their things, he notices her glumness and guesses that the confessing didn’t go so well. He tries to cheer her up, and in the unpacking process he finds an old plaque that had been made when she was a baby — it bears the handprint of her parents, as well as her baby hand and footprint.

Ju-ri, Min-ah, and Joon-gu come over and marvel at the spacious digs and the newly built second floor. They sit down for a delicious meal prepared by Dad, who sighs that Ha-ni didn’t take after him in the cooking-skills department. Joon-gu takes that as his cue to assure Dad not to worry, since he’ll take care of the both of them.

The others laugh at Joon-gu’s over-the-top declaration and tease him, which makes him cry out in an exaggerated gesture and bang his head into the wall. Which sets of a series of creaks… and rumbles…

…and leads to the house crumbling down.

It’s not Joon-gu’s head-butt that causes the damage, but a small earthquake that shakes up the neighborhood. However, where all the other houses experience no more than mild rocking, Ha-ni’s house has inexplicably caved in on itself.

That’s one more reason for Ha-ni to become the focus of unwanted attention at school, and as she walks with her friends the next morning, they catch sight of a strange woman snapping photos of her. And for some reason, passing students keep looking at her and whispering.

The reason becomes clear moments later as they hear Joon-gu on a megaphone, who has taken up a spot at the school’s entrance calling for donations for a needy student. He means well, but one hardly wants to be called pathetic and a charity case in front of her peers, so the girls slink away in mortification.

Alas, Joon-gu spies Ha-in and drags her into the circle, continuing his appeals for donations — just as Seung-jo walks by. She’d like to ignore him, but misguided chivalry drives Joon-gu to engage, and he blames Seung-jo for being the cause of all of Ha-ni’s troubles.

Seung-jo points out that it was the earthquake that felled her house, and Joon-gu sputters in reply, saying that while that’s true, Seung-jo’s guilty of an “earthquake of the heart,” and for hurting Ha-ni.

Seung-jo shrugs and offers to contribute, then, and pulls out his wallet. He starts to put in 20,000 won (about $15), which is when Ha-ni finally speaks up. Indignantly, she tells him to put his money away — she wouldn’t accept his help even if she were a beggar under a bridge.

That affects him not at all, and he starts to leave. But now Ha-ni’s really worked up and she bursts out again:

    Ha-ni: “Who are you to look down on people like that? I bet to you, all the kids here just look like idiots, huh? You think you can just mock us. Are you so great? So you have a high IQ? You’re a good student? So you have a good-looking face and you’re tall!”

Uh, that statement took a turn, and Ha-ni realizes she’s started to lose ground here. So she fumbles for a suitable retort, and insists that she CAN study. It’s just that she hasn’t bothered to!

Seung-jo tells her to prove it. What does she propose, and how will she show it?

Gulp. Ha-ni can’t back down now, so she says she’ll score high enough in the next exam to score one of those seats in special study hall. Clearly not believing she can do it, Seung-jo agrees to carry her piggyback for one lap around school if she succeeds.

Internally, Ha-ni does a little giddy dance at the prospect of being carried on his back, then tamps that down to coolly agree.

Thanks to the news broadcast about the earthquake wrecking their house, Dad’s old friend had seen him on TV and called him to offer his house while the Ohs figure out what to do. Dad is thrilled to be reuniting with his old best friend, with whom he’d lost contact after they’d moved to Seoul.

When they arrive, Ha-ni marvels at the grand house; his friend must be a rich man.

Dad (Ki-dong)’s friend is Su-chang, who is married to Geum-hee, both of whom are very friendly and give Ha-ni a warm welcome. When Su-chang notes that she’s “even prettier in person,” Geum-hee has to fess up that she was so curious about her that she couldn’t wait and sought her out at school this morning. Ha-ni recognizes her as the mysterious photographer outside the school.

Geum-hee offers the services of her son to bring their luggage in, and sends him outside to the car where Ha-ni is gathering her things.

And really, it’s no surprise at all when the two kiddos discover just who they’re about to spend the next days, weeks, months, living with.


COMMENTS

A random trivia bit:

Playful Kiss is airing against My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, having started about a month behind it. One of director Hwang In-roi’s previous dramas, as I am sure many of you know, was Goong, which started in January 2006 — a month behind My Girl, which is one of the Gumiho writers’ previous dramas. (I’d always thought My Girl and Goong should have gotten higher ratings, but they were up against each other and no doubt shared much of the same audience.)

On to this drama:

There’s good and bad. When I was first watching it, I thought it was rather ho-hum. The more I watched, and toward the end in particular, I started to like it more and more. I don’t feel that emotional connection yet and the story isn’t as compelling as I’d like, but I am actually pretty hopeful about the show.

One huge detractor is that the first episode seemed like a collection of vignettes describing Ha-ni’s world — it wasn’t driven by a central plotline. I don’t think it’s a bad tactic in theory, but in a competitive television market you really need to establish your premise strongly and quickly, rather than lingering in the mundane moments. The drama doesn’t have to be high-concept like Gumiho, but it would benefit from higher-concept. (I know Playful Kiss is based on a manhwa/drama, which dictates the storyline. However, there are always ways to inject a hook or a catchy plot without dishonoring its source material.)

The problems appear to be both a writing and a directing thing. On the writing front, this episode is very thin on action. What actually happened in Episode 1? SO VERY LITTLE. We spent nearly 45 minutes on a schoolgirl crush. The writer could have condensed a bunch of scenes and would have been better served getting right to the point instead of dawdling.

There were no surprises. We know how this is going to end up — we know she’s going to move in with Seung-jo. So just get there already.

On the directing front, the pacing was sluggish and I don’t blame viewers for checking out quickly. FIVE MINUTES were spent on that intro fantasy when the entire thing could have been just as effective in thirty seconds. Long fantasies would be forgivable if they’re needed to tell a story or flesh out an idea — but as we get the point immediately, there’s no need to drag it out. The drama could have easily shaved 10 to 15 minutes without changing plot.

As for Goong:

The Goong comparisons will probably haunt this show for a good long while, and I suspect that will grow tiresome. So I’ll just say this here and (try to) refrain from belaboring the point in the future.

On the downside, wow there are a lot of tonal similarities between the two dramas. The stories are pretty different, but the execution is, in spots, perplexingly similar. Jung So-min’s styling, the school cliques, the teddy-bear ending frame.

On the other hand, Goong hardly spent any time at the school after the initial setup (which was one thing I missed after the royal stuff got going in earnest), whereas Playful Kiss will be primarily at school. So I don’t mind that similarity so much.

I did enjoy the whimsical feel of Playful Kiss, when it wasn’t veering on overly contemplative. Trendies need more energy than this, and I suspect that PD Hwang’s forte isn’t sassy comedy. Bright side: He has a deft touch with poignant moments, so there’s that.

Goong was elevated by its fusion-fantasy palace concept, and Return of Iljimae as a fusion-sageuk-comic book adaptation, so on paper Hwang should have been the perfect director for fusion manhwa adaptations like this. But I want more zazz, because this has no Big Concept to buoy the mundane school and home scenes. (Mundane isn’t bad — I like this mundane aspect, actually — but it requires more… oomph.)

Goong had pomp and elegance, and therefore it filled that space with its grandeur. Without that, Playful Kiss just has… space. It needs to tap into its energy, and I believe it’s entirely possible. I just hope it comes soon.  


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Akihabara@Deep

Now posting the Japanese drama, "Akihabara@Deep". If you’ve seen this drama, feel free to rate it and let us know what you thought of it in your comment.
Main Cast
Kazama Shunsuke
Ikuta Toma
Himura Yuuki
Hoshino Gen
Matsushima Hatsune Kosaka Yuka
Honjou Manami
Kitamura Kazuki
  
Year Aired: 2006 Genre : Comedy, Action, Otaku Episodes: 11+Special Fansubber:
TV-Nihon

Synopsis (DramaWiki): Akihabara is a Tokyo district full of mangas, anime, electronics, video games, figurines, etc. It is a place that gathers fanatics of such themes, people who are commonly referred to as otaku. Page, Box, Akira, Taiko, Daruma, and Izumu are six otaku each with his/her own troubles and sought relief through a website called "Yui’s Lifeguard." When site owner Yui died of a mysterious death, the six who are each experts in their own fields gathered to form "Akihabara@DEEP", a "trouble shooter" group that vows to protect Akihabara and solve the problems of its inhabitants.

Just when i was just gonna start watching either Genshiken or Welcome to NHK - this title just stumbled to me - and i was like - YEHEY! Another otaku oriented drama series! ^_^ You see, i'm much spoiled if it is a live action rather than anime :P Anyway, this is a great series, i loved it! Even though i gave that look when i found out there were two Johnny's here (thinking they are just pretty boys with bad acting) but i was wrong! Page and Box were acted well! Daruma's cosplaying gave me a big big laugh, i was like - OMG, That's Nobita of Doraemon! Lolololz, BlackJack! Nyahahaha, Amuro Rei! WTH, Maetel?! No way, that's Friend (from 20th Century Boys manga, no anime yet, but SUPERB manga, i recommend that series)! Cool, that's Akuma-kun (last time i saw that anime was when i was 5 years old in Tsukuba)! When the scene is in their headquarters, I even paused the video while watching and i identified most of the posters that is displayed! Sooo nostalgic! And I really got related when the show bashed Densha Otoko :P

Note: This series is uploaded by yours truly, zeldAIS. This is fansubbed by TV-Nihon. Use HJSplit in joining the files.
Note to KingRanger-sama-tachi of TV-Nihon: the files aren't corrupt, just splitted so that it can fit into sendspace. Check the CRC's and it matches with what is written in the files after joining.


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Cinderella’s Sister: Episode 14

 



Ki-hoon stands at his father’s bedside, and thankfully, he isn’t responsible for yet another father’s death, as Daddy Hong is alive and well. Darn it; the evil ones never die. With Ki-hoon, I’m starting to think that guilt might actually be a character trait rather than an emotion: What’s his deal? Oh, that dude? Yeah…he’s kind, emotionally stunted, and REALLY guilt-ridden. Like schooled-by-nuns kind of guilt.

He asks his father if he couldn’t just give it all up—the war, the family feud. He supposes that if Daddy Hong collapsed at Ki-hoon’s words, then maybe somewhere deep down, he wants a real relationship with his son, much like an Earth father might. I wouldn’t hold my breath; I’m pretty sure the man’s heart shriveled up sometime in the 80s. Ki-hoon says heartbreakingly, that if his father wanted, he could leave it all behind, and live in a tiny house where the two of them could go fishing. And if there’s a chance she’ll forgive him, he’d bring a certain stubborn skinny girl to be his daughter-in-law, so he could raise their child. Aw! Sadly, this is not that drama. Perhaps you are on the wrong channel?

In a move surprising to no one, Daddy Hong turns him down. He’ll keep his miserable millions, thanks. Curses! Nice try though, Ki-hoon. You get points for verbalizing your dream to marry Eun-jo and make babies, even if you’re constantly voicing these things TO THE WRONG person…but whatever. Daddy Hong agrees to be hands-off, but warns him that Ki-jung will not let him go so easily, and there’ll come a day when Ki-hoon will need his father’s help. Allegiance is a poor substitute for love; doubly so when it comes with such a giant string attached.

Kang-sook puts away Dae-sung’s diaries, lovingly caressing the last one that revealed his bottomless love for her. Hyo-sun comes into the room, wanting to lean on her mother for comfort. Kang-sook lets her, for just a second, and Hyo-sun tells her that she got rejected today. She seeks comfort, but Kang-sook gives her none, lost in her own reverie. Can we just stop to marvel at how good Lee Mi-sook looks in this scene?

Jang ajusshi has called Jung-woo out to fetch Eun-jo, after her fake/not-fake/maybe-unintentionally-not-fake-by-accident suicide attempt. Jang, hopefully scared straight for the last time, leaves, and Jung-woo sweetly hands him the money in his pockets, telling him to eat something. In case there’s some confusion about the money thing, my understanding is that the previous episode’s money was solicited by and paid to the thugs, who heard Jang loudmouth about Kang-sook’s money. He was just the kidnapped pawn, and therefore the truest sadsack, since his pathetic ass had to be ransomed by Eun-jo, the girl who hates him most in the world.

Eun-jo is shivering and nearly catatonic in the backseat, and Jung-woo dutifully takes her home. She shrugs off his help, wandering into the house on her own like a zombie, looking in on Mom with her trademark I’m-two-steps-from-crazy look on her face. But Mom’s still sitting in that same place, like a statue, frozen in her own emotional haze.

Eun-jo’s reaction after the suicide attempt makes me think that even if she did plan it as a scare tactic, something inside her stirred and broke in the moment. Because even though I think she had planned to play the role of her mother’s daughter, that very thing is also what she has feared most her whole life. And her agony at not being able to end her pain, even if she didn’t intend to die—that seemed real. What actually moved me more than anything else in that scene was her confession of wanting to kill Jang in his sleep. I could totally picture this drama veering into a horror/revenge plot that would be nine kinds of awesome and far more exciting than what we’re getting now.

Eun-jo goes to her room, where Hyo-sun is waiting; she asks if Eun-jo won’t play with her. Spoken like a true little sister. Eun-jo’s got the typical big sister look on her face, like you want me to what, after the day I’ve had? But Hyo-sun starts to tell her that she got rejected today by the guy she likes. Hm…who could that be? She tries to smile through the tears, but says that her heart feels like it’s tearing apart. Eun-jo lets out a big sigh, tears forming in her eyes. Is that…empathy? Sympathy? Joy? Perhaps all of the above is the complicated answer.

She calls out to Jung-woo from outside his room and Ki-hoon hears her from around the corner. He frowns, hearing her call for Jung-woo, but it turns out she’s calling Jung-woo to send out his roommate. Ha, the refusal to ever call Ki-hoon directly, let alone by name, is such an interesting quirk of hers.

They end up together…alone…in the woods! Omo! They are speaking words! To each other! If this ends up being a dream sequence I will hurl my beverage at you, Show.

Eun-jo rails into him for “dumping” Hyo-sun at a time like this, when she’s barely hanging on by a thread. She reminds him that he promised to take care of her, to look after her in Eun-jo’s place. She reiterates what she told her mother—the unbelievable goodness of that girl, who would rather have a sister and mother who hate her than have no one at all. “She had only one person in the world. Did that one person have to do that to her?” Ki-hoon listens quietly to her rant, then hurls his pent-up frustration at her.

    Ki-hoon: Are you finished? With your over-stepping words? Do I have to accept her? A kid who has never been a woman to me, likes me, so I have to accept her by default? Am I not supposed to have a heart, or a mind? Why? Because I owe a debt to ajusshi? Should I accept her to repay a debt? Is that how you repay YOUR debts, you punk? Enough. Stop it. Do you mean what you said? Hand to heart, is it sincerely what you mean? Is that really what you want to say to me? If I say to you: ‘I was wrong. I’ll accept Hyo-sun.’ Then what will you do? Is that what you want to hear? Honestly? Is that how you really feel?!

Oh my goodness. Who are you and what have you done with Stoic Ki-hoon? Nevermind. Don’t answer. Let us never speak of him again. I feel like…this is gross…but I feel like I’ve been constipated for weeks and weeks….and then finally…the sweet release. Aahhhh.

I think the look on Eun-jo’s face pretty much says it all. But she shouts back: “What are my true feelings?” Ki-hoon: “You know them.” Eun-jo, challenging him: “What?!” Ki-hoon: “You…me…” Oooh, is it MadLibs? Love! Hate! Desire! Tears and Recriminations!

And then? He steps closer. KISS HER! Kiss her!

…And he grabs her wrist. Of course. He pulls her close, saying, “You just try and say those words to me again. If you say those words one more time…I’m up to my neck with the desire to give it all up. ‘Let’s just forget it all. Ajusshi’s grace, my debt, I’ll just throw it all away! All I need is you. If I just had you, I could brazenly forget all my debts…and live.” Ack! Do it! Run away! God, angry Ki-hoon is way hotter than martyr Ki-hoon. He asks her if she really wants him to be with Hyo-sun, tears streaming down his face. Eun-jo finally breaks her barrier and lets a tear fall. It’s tiny, but it’s enough. He grabs her in an embrace. My god, it feels like a century since they’ve had any physical contact.

He holds her tight, both of them crying. He says: “We can’t, Eun-jo ya. It’s already too late. We can’t. I know you don’t understand, but we can’t. I resent it like crazy, but we can’t.” ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Are you trying to kill me, Show? Because it would be much easier to just cut open a vein. You CAN’T? Why can’t you? You’re standing there holding her right now! Why is it too late? You’re here right now…with the feelings…and the hugging…and the tears! Gah. I may have just snapped. Ladies and gentlemen, your recapper has just snapped. Does not compute. Does not compute. I need a drink.

Okay, I’m back. I may be just the shell of a former recapper, but that’s what happens when the story actually moves backward. Sanity is fragile, people. This show might just be the death of me. Eun-jo breaks away from his embrace, asking him to reconsider Hyo-sun. Really? You too? Was I the only one present for the outpouring of feelings? She adds: “If she gets any sadder, I don’t think I could handle it.” (Meaning the having to take care of her, not like she’d die of empathy or anything.)

The next morning Eun-jo leaves for Japan to do research with the super-special yeast-testing machine. She’s even sweet to Hyo-sun, promising to play with her when she gets back. They watch her go, and when Hyo-sun turns around to look up at Ki-hoon, he’s staring off at Eun-jo. Eun-jo does her own staring off in the car, as she flashes back to the scene we saw not eight minutes ago. Really, Show? Do you think I have the same short-term memory as your characters?

In a moment of much-needed comedy, a gaggle of ajummas come running up to the house searching for Kang-sook. Uh-oh. Auntie Priestess is looking for a smackdown. Don’t underestimate the power of the ajumma gang. She tries to kick Kang-sook out, for her alleged affair (which Hyo-sun’s uncle overheard last episode and spilled to said gang). Kang-sook decides to go with “Prove it!” ha, leading to a hair-pulling, knock-down drag-out fight, complete with broken vases and bleeding lips.

Afterwards, Kang-sook goes straight to the phone to call the other town elders, crying at the top of her lungs about how she was wrong. Nothing if not crafty, this one. She then confronts Hyo-sun’s uncle, challenging him that no one, save her dead husband returning from the grave, can kick her out of this house. She uses Jun-su, sole male heir to Gu Dae-sung, as leverage. And then she kicks him out. Again.

The rice company owner comes by, surprising Hyo-sun and Ki-hoon. He’s come to make sure the delivery arrives, as he’s decided to honor their request. Ki-hoon smiles at Hyo-sun, praising her for single-handedly getting it done. She looks at him quizzically, then tells him to stop it. Finally!

    Hyo-sun: Don’t talk so sweetly to me. I’m not very smart, so it really, really confuses me. If I think about it, from the day you came here, till the day you officially rejected me…while you were scolding me for being childish, telling me not to lean on you…you were exactly as sweet to me as you’ve always been. Even if the world crumbles, the feeling that if I held onto you everything would be okay…you did that. You pushed me off the edge of a cliff…and then you’re being sweet to me again—you can’t do that.

Thank you! I might be starting to gain some shred of sanity back. I’ve been waiting forever for someone to stop this boy from confusing her; the fact that it came straight out of the horse’s mouth? Topped my expectations. She really is growing up nicely, and I’m glad that even if his rejection of her didn’t move Ki-hoon and Eun-jo forward (grumble, grumble), at least it’s moving Hyo-sun towards growth and change.

She sends Big Sis a text, and at the same time, she receives an email from Eun-jo. Both sisters have sent word to the other that they have succeeded. Could it be possible we’re moving towards a sister-wavelength? That would be fun to see. She’s sending the results to the lab, and she’s named the yeast “Dae-sung Ssakaro Myesis.” I have no idea what the last two words mean. I’m assuming they’re scientific words, which I’ve just transliterated. But the important part is that she named it after Dae-sung.

She runs into the house, looking for Mom, but then ends up in front of her father’s picture, telling him the good news. She tells him that “unni did it,” and that she named it, not after herself, but after Dad. She cries tears of joy, finally able to say that they accomplished something in her father’s name.

She meets with Dong-soo, chattering away about the news as he types, hardly betraying any interest. She asks if it’s okay that he’s doing yet another piece on Dae-sung Co. for his magazine. Dong-soo replies that it’s not for the magazine; it’s for his blog. He tells her (rather defensively) not to underestimate netizens and the power of the internet. Oh, you don’t have to tell us, Dong-soo.

He brags that his site has more readers than the magazine, throwing his numbers around…Dramabeans tromps all over his little site, but I’m not being petty, really. He sort of talks through her, instead of to her, which Hyo-sun totally notices. This guy is becoming increasingly strange…in a funny way. He was always kind of weird; I guess he’s just getting more screen time. Hyo-sun comes home to witness the power of the internet for herself, as she is greeted with her own little fanclub (ha) complete with bubbles to replicate her commercial.

The machine to recreate the yeast has been sent from Japan, so once Eun-jo comes back they can start manufacturing new makgulli with the new Dae-sung yeast. Meanwhile, Ki-jung is maneuvering to underbid Dae-sung Co. on its Japan deal, to try and win back the buyer that was stolen from Hong Ju.

Jung-woo asks Ki-hoon: “What if I just stabbed you, right now?” Ki-hoon doesn’t seem to care much, asking why he hasn’t yet taken one of many opportunities to do so. “It’s because of Eun-jo, right? Someone’s chubby little kid dongseng (little brother), Han Jung-woo.” Uh, I’d be careful or you might end up with a baseball bat to the head. That might be true for Eun-jo, but it’s not how Jung-woo sees things. Ki-hoon says that it’s the same for him (Isn’t Eun-jo the reason for everything, with these two?), and that once the winery gets over this hump, it doesn’t matter what happens to him. He adds with a smile that if Jung-woo will let him live until then, that’d be nice.

Hyo-sun checks in on Mom, who’s been drinking alone tonight. She sees her vulnerable, for the first time ever, opening up about her sadness and loneliness in the face of Dae-sung’s death. For Hyo-sun to see someone else in her family finally mourning the death of her father—something Eun-jo refused to let her see—it shatters a wall between them.

Mom quotes Dad’s journal entry about her, saying that she read it over and over until she was bleary-eyed. Hyo-sun bravely goes in for the hug. Mom asks wistfully, “Are you that man’s daughter? That stupid man’s daughter? If he was so afraid of life without me, why did he leave me to go on without him?” Hyo-sun reaches for Mom’s hand and puts it on her head, asking her through tears to please call her “my baby” just once. Mom caresses her hair, tears falling, as she complies, giving Hyo-sun the affection she so desperately needs.

Eun-jo returns from Japan, looking much worse for wear, but doesn’t listen to Jung-woo’s protests that they go to the hospital. They arrive at the winery just in time to hear the bad news. Ki-hoon’s just received a call from the Japanese buyer that they’re canceling the machine rental and the makgulli order. And in this drama, as javabeans so aptly noted, when Ki-hoon is on the phone, somebody always collapses. Who will it be this time? Is there anyone left? Eun-jo it is!

Ki-hoon picks her up, pushing Jung-woo out of the way to drive her to the hospital himself. She gets up and tries to argue that she’s fine, eliciting Shouty Ki-hoon to make an appearance. Meanwhile, Hyo-sun calls the Japanese buyer to find out the real story, and goes directly to the competitor who swooped up the deal from under her nose…Hong Ki-jung.

They meet, and Hyo-sun doesn’t get a word in edgewise before Ki-jung cuts her down to size, making her feel young, inexperienced, and naïve. Which, to be fair, are all true of her. He announces that he’s not interested in talking about fair play; he made a bid and won, and that’s that. He was hoping that the older sister would make an appearance—the one researching yeast—because he has something to say to her. But upon discovering that Hyo-sun is the younger sister, he dismisses her soundly.

That night Hyo-sun tells Ki-hoon that it was Hong Ju who snaked their deal. He freaks out and makes a slip: “How did you…find that out?” She asks if he knew too, not suspecting anything. She declares war on Ki-jung and swears to destroy him, prompting an even bigger freakout from Ki-hoon that she went to go meet the Big Bad Wolf himself.

Hyo-sun cleans up in Mom’s room while looking after Jun-su, and discovers Dad’s journals, happy to recognize his writing. Eun-jo and Mom return from the hospital, and Mom asks what Eun-jo thinks if they get kicked out of the house tomorrow. Eun-jo says the deal is more important, and if it fails, they’ll have to pack up anyway. Kang-sook surprisingly doesn’t freak out at this news.

Mom goes into her room to find Hyo-sun surrounded by all of Dad’s journals. Kang-sook looks at her in surprise, as Hyo-sun shakes with resolve, raising her eyes slowly up at her mother. Ooh, scary.

So, let me get this straight, Show. You FINALLY brought Eun-jo and Ki-hoon to an emotionally honest and vulnerable place, and then they decide to stay apart for reasons that make no sense to anyone anymore. And then you FINALLY give Hyo-sun the connection to her mother that she’s been craving for eight friggin years, and then you yank it away with Dad’s words? They were supposed to be words of forgiveness and understanding! So…now we’ve ended the episode exactly where we started. Gah!

Perhaps I am being unnecessarily critical, or particularly plot-mongery this week. But I think I’m just…(borrowing Ki-hoon’s phrase) up to my neck with the swirling circles of going-nowhere-ness. I see shiny moments of what could be…and then they get yanked away, so cruelly.

I really, really hope that Hyo-sun’s Eun-jo-inspired death glare means some significant CHANGE in the episodes to come. And that Ki-jung will start getting involved to really muck things up for our crew. Or dare I say it? I might even welcome CANCER. Seriously. Cancer. Don’t make me wish Cancer on you, Show.

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Cinderella’s Sister: Episode 13

Ki-hoon pounds on the front gate, screaming Eun-jo’s name over and over, ready to confess everything to her. She has been tasting batches of makgulli, which has the natural side effect of getting her drunk, and is therefore asleep inside as he shouts to her. Slowly, she wakes up and hears the yelling, staggers drunkenly to her feet, and makes her way outside.

But Jung-woo has gotten there first, and helps Ki-hoon inside. He tells Eun-jo to go on, as Ki-hoon is dead drunk.

(And yeeaaargh, I was so frustrated with this complication that I wanted to hit Dear Ms. Scriptwriter upside the head for yet another fakeout. We finally get one character determined to talk, and finally get them both in the same general vicinity for said discussion, and finally get both drunk and therefore a little less hostile to hearing the other person out. And what happens? Thwarted by Leg #4 in the Love Rectangle. How typical.)

In their room, Jung-woo glares down at Ki-hoon. From outside, Eun-jo calls to him, bearing a tea tray with two cups. She sways a little, still tipsy, and says that it’s for both guys to drink. But Jung-woo’s no dummy and knows who it’s really for, and asks why she likes Ki-hoon.

Eun-jo scoffs, reminding him not to “fool around,” but it’s hardly an effective denial. Jung-woo grabs her (by the wrist, of course) and drags her outside, where he walks her back and forth to sober her up. Or should I say jerks her back and forth aggressively. I don’t know why he thinks making a drunk person stagger around dizzily is going to CURE her drunkenness, but he’s pissed off and it’s more like an act of frustration than helpfulness.

The reason for his anger becomes clear when he flashes back to just a few moments before, when he had opened the gate. Ki-hoon had lurched forward — Jung-woo had held him up — and mumbled his confession, addressing him as though he were Eun-jo.

Ki-hoon spilled everything about his intended takeover as part of Hong Ju, and how he was going to give the company back to Dae-sung. However, “he died because of me” after hearing Ki-hoon on the phone with his brother.

Now Jung-woo is burdened with this information as he sees Eun-jo, but not in a position to reveal it to her. He knows how they feel about each other but feels Ki-hoon is unworthy of her, and asks if she likes him knowing “what kind of person he is,” the implication being that she doesn’t know what he’s really like. Eun-jo warns him to watch his words — who is he to say that?

    Eun-jo: “It hurts when I don’t see him, and when I do. It hurts whether he’s here, or whether he’s not. Hurts whether he smiles at me, or smiles at someone else. Hurts whether he calls my name, or doesn’t. As long as I don’t disappear into the earth, I think I’ll continue to feel hurt, Jung-woo, but still, being here is better. Being able to see him and hate him is better than him not being here.”

She’d given this speech in a detached, faraway voice, and now she comes back to the present. Adding insult to injury, she calls Jung-woo kiddo, which must ruin the moment for him even as she says warmly, “You’ve grown up a lot, our Jung-woo.” With that, she makes her way unsteadily back to the house.

In the morning, Ki-hoon wakes on the floor. I like to think it’s Jung-woo’s little retaliation to have let him stay there all night rather than putting him to bed. When Ki-hoon wakes, Jung-woo demands to talk and asks why Ki-hoon isn’t asking him to keep his words a secret from Eun-jo. Ki-hoon answers that it’s because “I have to say them.”

At that, Jung-woo punches Ki-hoon. How could he dare tell Eun-jo this? “If you tell her, my noona won’t be able to breathe. You’re going to come clean so you can relieve your mind? Then what about noona — what happens to her?” He yells, “Are you going to kill Eun-jo?!”

Well, that’s a little dramatic, but then again, this whole show is really laying it on thick with the life-and-death stakes. While it makes for some poetic analogies, secrets don’t REALLY kill people, at least not via guilt complexes and mental anguish. Either that or these characters have the mental toughness of baby birds and must be constantly coddled to prevent them from breaking with every secret. Case in point:

Ki-hoon warns Jung-woo to keep his trap shut, because he will tell Eun-jo himself. Jung-woo tells him, “She says that it hurts to both see you and to not see you, but she’d rather see you. You sinned, didn’t you? You want to receive punishment, right? Then let your punishment be not being able to say it for the rest of your life, and not being forgiven.”

Those words do have an effect on Ki-hoon, but ultimately he sticks to his original idea and races for the house, looking for Eun-jo. Hyo-sun runs into him at the gate and hears that he’s looking for her sister, and for a moment you wonder if she’s going to lie to thwart their meeting. She ends up telling him that Eun-jo is at the lab, and he drives recklessly to get to the school as fast a she can. Alas, when he gets there, he finds the lab empty. You know, Ki-hoon, you could just… call her.

It turns out that Hyo-sun had known Eun-jo wasn’t at the lab, but she isn’t going to play out the manipulative sister role, so she calls Eun-jo to tell her that she has something very important to tell her. Can she come home right away?

Next, Ki-hoon calls Eun-jo to say urgently that he needs to talk to her right away, or he may never get the chance again. Where is she?

Ki-hoon then calls his father to explain his reasons for working with him in the first place. Perhaps he started out by wanting to get revenge against his brother and stepmother, but there’s also a part of him that wanted to do a good job for his family’s company.

However, now he is willing — nay, determined — to give it all up. His stocks, his claim as heir, even his identity as Hong’s son — he’s going to give it all up. Furthermore, if his father or Ki-jung ever ties to mess with Dae-sung Co. again, he’ll treat him as strangers and won’t hesitate to go public with all their illegal manueverings.

    Ki-hoon: “I’m going to see the girl who says she would rather see me even if it hurts her. I’ll atone for my sins, and ask her if I can stay, if I can keep seeing her. If she agrees, I’ll do it.”

He arrives at the house, seeing Eun-jo’s car already parked in front. And just as he’s about to hurry inside, a third car pulls up, stopping him. Seriously, the people in this drama have the Worst Timing Ever in the history of Ever.

Hyo-sun’s reason for calling Eun-jo turns out not to be an emergency, but a mental fear that she wants to address right away. She tells her sister that Ki-hoon was looking for her with some urgency, but in a way that wasn’t work-related. She hated feeling left out of the loop, but that made her feel ashamed. But even more than that, she was dying to understand the reason that Ki-hoon was looking for her so earnestly.

Eun-jo sighs, understanding that Hyo-sun hates herself for feeling left out, but can’t help being hurt by it. Her answer is a sort of compromise, and she suggests that Hyo-sun can come with her from now on. If it makes her that uneasy to feel out of the loop, they can stick together.

It’s really sweet to see Eun-jo make this concession — she could have told Hyo-sun that this isn’t her fault and that she isn’t making her feel left out on purpose, which is true enough. But instead, she reaches out a hand to address the underlying source of the complaint.

It’s generous of Eun-jo (especially considering her personality) to allow Hyo-sun to join her in the lab, where the latter hardly knows anything and might legitimately be more of a hindrance than a help. But she lets Hyo-sun in, and in return Hyo-sun does her eager best to be as helpful as she can.

The reason for Ki-hoon’s confession being interrupted this time turns out to be middle brother Ki-tae, who is so smitten with Hyo-sun that he’s here to beg Ki-hoon to introduce him to her. This is hilarious, because now Ki-tae is all eager to please, not at all the shifty punk he was when we first met him.

This encounter takes a swift nosedive when Ki-tae gets a call that their father has collapsed. Ki-tae doesn’t know why, but he hears that it happened right after he’d spoken with Ki-hoon on the phone.

And here’s where I borrow a girlfriday-ism to ask: Seriously, Show? Way to add to Ki-hoon’s already-crippling Daddy-killer issues. Are we in some horror movie now where a call from Ki-hoon has the power to send men to their deaths? Maybe that’s why he didn’t call Eun-jo earlier.

Ki-jung arrives at the hospital to join his brothers at his father’s bedside. But like the unemotional businessman we know him to be, he treats this whole scenario with coldness, and Ki-tae takes issue with his brother’s attitude, blaming Ki-jung for the collapse. Big Bro has been scheming with Mom to take over Hong Ju, right?

And then Mom arrives to scold them for yelling. Ki-tae is the most emotional of the brothers; he mutters that they all suck and stalks out. Ki-hoon listens numbly as Mom and Ki-jung have a conversation about how this incident delays their business plans. Hearts of ice, these two.

A different thug arrives at the house asking to see the mistress of the house. The gangster-looking fellow has been sent by her “brother” to the big sis who lives in a grand house, having been told that mere mention of him would be enough to get her to send money along.

Seeing Eun-jo driving up to the house, Kang-sook agrees to send the money to get him to leave, and urges him to go quickly. When she turns back to the house, she sees Hyo-sun’s uncle running away — he heard the whole thing.

Hyo-sun asks Eun-jo whether she knows a man by the name of Jang Taek-geun in Mom’s side of the family. And while it’s true he’s not actually Kang-sook’s brother, Eun-jo immediately knows what’s going on and confronts her mother. Leveling that glare at Kang-sook, Eun-jo asks how she’s going to handle this situation. Kang-sook promises to take care of it, but Eun-jo asks what she’ll do if Hyo-sun finds out.

To keep Hyo-sun away from Mom for the moment, she gives her a task. They need to find out what happened in the Japan export scam (and she’s already asked reporter Dong-soo for help on this front), but she has been unable to get in touch with Ki-hoon (whom she refers to as “that person,” as she still isn’t comfortable using his name). She asks Hyo-sun to get a hold of him asap.

Next, Eun-jo requests Jung-woo’s help — as he already knows about Jang ajusshi, she can therefore confide in him.

First, she asks Jung-woo to deliver the money to him, saying that if they don’t pay him off, he’ll keep sending people until they do. Jung-woo assures her that he’ll take care of it, but then Eun-jo changes her mind — she’ll go with him. There’s something she wants to tell him herself, so they can go together.

Jung-woo carefully asks Eun-jo whether “anything” has happened, looking closely for a reaction to see if Ki-hoon confessed the truth to her. He’s relieved to see that he hasn’t.

And again, this is a conversation that the sneaky uncle overhears. I don’t know why people are always having furtive conversations out in the open in this household, expecting complete privacy for their top-secret discussions. Cars, people! Go talk in your cars.

Kang-sook doesn’t want to hand over the money, but Eun-jo orders her to comply — they don’t want the elders to find out, do they? With frustration, Kang-sook retrieves her account books from her cabinet — but something catches her eye, and she pulls out a small stack of books from the back. They are Dae-sung’s diaries.

Opening the first one, from eight years ago, she reads an early entry where Dae-sung recounts meeting Kang-sook:

    Dae-sung’s diary: “A person came to me. She’s like the spring wind. She carries the scent of flowers in the spring wind. It trailed from her like it trails from a flower wind. I vowed to massage her swollen feet forever. I’ve made so many vows. A foolish man does that. This foolish man has once again made vows. That I wouldn’t cause tears to fall from her eyes…”

Ki-hoon trudges back home at the end of a long day, where Hyo-sun is still waiting for him, per Eun-jo’s orders. Seeing how weary and shell-shocked he looks, she asks in concern how he’s doing, and whether something happened to him. Slowly, she puts her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

And then, surprisingly, Ki-hoon’s arms raise from his sides and hug her back in a brief gentle gesture, before he pulls away. Silently, he turns away and walks off.

And… seriously? Dude, you have GOT to stop doing that! This is one of those moments where you can’t really hate Ki-hoon, since he (sigh) is weighed down by the guilt over possibly killing (or at least maiming) another father figure. The comfort of a friend’s hug is probably a really welcome thing right now. But hello, this is Hyo-sun, and the girl has just started to let go of her hopes after realizing that you and Eun-jo have something she can’t get between — and now you confuse her all over again! Like I said, these characters suck at timing. Le sigh.

And sure enough, long after Ki-hoon has gone, Hyo-sun still stands there in the yard, stunned and immobile, feeling the importance of that return hug.

When Ki-hoon enters his room, Jung-woo glares disapprovingly and checks to make sure Ki-hoon didn’t tell Eun-jo anything. Ki-hoon wonders if that’s the only thing he cares about. After finding out that Ki-hoon is part of Hong Ju, and why he came to this house, and what he did to Dae-sung, “Eun-jo’s the only important thing?” He asks why Jung-woo didn’t say anything.

Jung-woo answers that he believes Ki-hoon when he said he meant to return the company to Dae-sung: “If I don’t believe that, it makes you too pitiful.” It’s the least bit of credit he’s willing to give Ki-hoon, although he still mutters that he doesn’t know why Eun-jo likes him so much.

With the necessary equipment on its way to them, they can begin with the wine-making process again and Eun-jo can proceed with her experiments. Ki-hoon and Hyo-sun visit their old rice dealer to make an earnest request — just this once, can he honor the terms he had used while Dae-sung was alive?

The man keeps his eyes turned away from Hyo-sun, as though aware that looking at her would weaken his resolve to stand firm. Hyo-sun simply says that she knows he dropped by their father’s funeral. The man tries to keep his face stern, but has difficulty when she admits that if he’d greeted her, she would have probably passed out from crying so hard “because you would have reminded me of my father.” Her sincere thanks breaks through his tough exterior, and he has to wipe his eyes with his handkerchief.

Hyo-sun has been eyeing Ki-hoon with a mix of adoration and hope, and Ki-hoon understands why. So he tells her, “You’re a really good person, Hyo-sun,” praising her ability to touch people’s hearts with her sincerity, which is a talent that others don’t have. He envies that about her, and says, “You’re a good person. Believe that.” His kind words are pleasing, but they make her nervous that there’s a catch. And there is.

Hyo-sun asks why her earnest words don’t have an effect on him, but he answers that they did: “You liking me, believing in me, your earnest feelings — I know.” She’s a little abashed to have her feelings for him discussed so openly, and asks, “You know?”

He answers, “I know, which is why I’m telling you this. Which is why I’m turning you down like this.” Ki-hoon adds his promise to take care of the sisters no matter what happens in the future, even if he never “receives forgiveness.” The words are cryptic and Hyo-sun doesn’t understand, so Ki-hoon makes his stance clear: “Thank you for your feelings. I’m sorry I can’t receive them.”

She asks if this is because of Eun-jo, and whether he’s going to reject Eun-jo too. He says no — Eun-jo is the one who rejected him.

Hurt, Hyo-sun backs away slowly and says amidst tears, “So none of the things I hold onto are safe. Not Eun-jo, not Mom, and not you.” Gently, Ki-hoon tells her that she can stand by herself. She’s doing well on her own now: “You’re growing up nicely.”

Eun-jo and Jung-woo take the money to deliver to Jang ajusshi, who comes out to see Jung-woo (not seeing Eun-jo) looking much worse than we had last seen him. Jung-woo looks at him in pity and takes him out for lunch.

When they emerge from the restaurant, Jang ajusshi starts at seeing Eun-jo there, waiting for them. She tells Jung-woo to stay where he is, then orders Jang into the car. Both men comply, a bit hesitantly, and Eun-jo tells Jung-woo that if she’s not back in two hours, go home without her.

That alarms Jung-woo, who realizes she’s planning something big that he won’t be able to prevent if he’s not with her, and he tries to run after them. But she speeds off in her car, scaring Jang ajusshi with her reckless driving.

Finally, she screeches to a halt and tells him to get out, screaming the order when he doesn’t react the first time.

And then — shocker of shockers — Eun-jo kneels before him, asking, “Save me, ajusshi.” She addresses him with halting, low words that are alternately pleading and brimming with quiet anger.

    Eun-jo: “Save me. I feel like I’m dying. Every day, I feel like I’m going to die. I’m just barely hanging on. I live because I can’t die. I… I… am my mother’s daughter. Song Kang-sook’s daughter Eun-jo. Tough bitch Eun-jo. When you slept drunk, there was a time I wanted to kill you — you don’t know that, do you? I even held a knife. Every time you got drunk and raised a hand to my mother, I sharpened the knife to cut off this hand. That young teenage girl fantasized all sorts of things about cutting off that hand. Do you know that?”

Needless to say, her words freak him out, and he starts to apologize. But her voice turns hard and she tells him to shut up. If he’s really sorry, he ought to quit acting that way — but he always says sorry and does the same thing all over again.

With ominous intent, Eun-jo tells him, “Look at me. I’ll show you that your mistake can kill a person easily.”

With that, Eun-jo turns and walks down the hill, trudging down to the shore, not stopping when she hits the water and continuing on until she’s knee-deep, waist-deep, chest-deep in the lake. All the while, her face wears a look of resolve.

Shocked, Jang ajusshi hurries down the hillside and splashes in after Eun-jo, pulling her back and grabbing her around the waist. She screams her protests, but he carries her out of the lake and back to the car, where he puts her down in the grass, where she shrieks and sobs.


Kang-sook finds one journal for every year that she knew her husband, except for the most recent volume. Knowing that it must be somewhere, she ransacks her room looking for it, and when she finds nothing, the search takes her to his office.

She pulls books from their shelves and roots through desk drawers until finally, she comes upon the most recent diary, Year 2010. In it, Dae-sung writes how he had known his wife was meeting the other man, but being “that foolish man,” he had been too scared to ask why. Every time he opened his mouth to say something, he knew that his life with her over the past eight years would disappear and didn’t say the words: “That my life would continue without her — I’m most afraid of that.”

Kang-sook carries the volume back to the house, walking in a daze — Eun-jo had told her that Dae-sung knew the truth, but perhaps she hadn’t let herself believe it, or perhaps it never quite sank in just how generous, how loving he had been. But now there’s no denying it, and as she sits in front of her wedding photograph, she starts to sob.

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Prosecutor Princess: Episode 10

In Woo admits to Jenny that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Hye Ri. He doesn’t want to love her, and he doesn’t want to hurt her – he just wants to disappear from her life. (Gosh, such melodramatic words fueled by drunkeness…no wonder Jenny gets annoyed)
Jenny tells him to snap out of it – she’s just the air headed daughter of his enemy. She’s stupid enough to just listen to what he tells her to do. But In Woo says she’s not, and she’s not Ma Sang Tae’s daughter – in the sense that she’s not manipulative like he is. So what, should they just stop everything they’ve done so far? He would never have met her if it wasn’t for Ma Sang Tae anyways. In Woo looks at her mournfully, and she closes her eyes as though she wish she never saw this side of him.

Meanwhile, Hye Ri is having difficulty sleeping after staying up all night – and it’s something to note that the alarm clock is now by her bedside rather than by the coffee table. Her mother calls her, and immediately asks if she’s with In Woo. (HA! Where does her mother’s mind go at this late hour..!?) The reason she called is because she wants to say goodbye.
In an incredibly pathetic, over-acting, attention-seeking manner, her mother says, “I wanted to say my goodbye to you” because she’s going “to the other world.” Say whaaat?! She apologizes to Hye Ri for being born to her, which only increases Hye Ri’s concern. Turns out – she never got to tell Hye Ri (because of the In Woo Distraction) that her father’s company is in a bad state, but she doesn’t know what’s wrong. She just wants Hye Ri to come home and settle it. Hye Ri says she’ll come by as soon as her homicide case is over, and at that moment, Mr. Ma enters the room. The mother immediately hangs up and comes up with a feeble excuse for talking to Hye Ri, but Mr. Ma doesn’t care – he just wants her to draw him a bath.
Feeling lonely, Hye Ri calls up In Woo, afraid that she might have put him in an awkward situation with the meeting with her mom. But he doesn’t answer – he’s passed out in the bar, and Jenny doesn’t answer the phone, nor does she wake him up. Usually I’d hate the girl who does this, but she’s fully justified in hating on Hye Ri right now.
Outside on the terrace, Hye Ri wonders why In Woo isn’t home – but she gets a call from none other than Se Joon!

He’s waiting for her by a bench, and Hye Ri comes running over (not in heels!). He asks her if she had been up all night looking at the CCTV videos, and that’s why she went home in the morning/afternoon? Awkwardly, he then says that she must be stiff and sore – and that’s why he called. He wants to teach her some stretching techniques to relax her body.
Eh!?

Prosecutor Yoon’s Personal Workout commences! He starts stretching his arms and tells her how to do it. Hye Ri looks around worriedly, hoping no one is around to see this… (I’m just laughing and laughing and feeling so embarrassed for them – I don’t know why – I wonder how they did this with such a straight face)

Eventually Se Joon stops stretching with Hye Ri, and she says that they have to do it together so that it looks more like a date. (I didn’t even know that this was considered a date!) But Se Joon says ok, and they start stretching by lifting the other on the back. Hye Ri looks like a doll on his back and she shrieks awkwardly as she freaks over being lifted. BUT THEN – it’s her turn! She bends down to lift Se Joon over her back; while Se Joon goes, “Ahhhh…” Hye Ri goes, “Unghhhhhh!” in pain.

She even cries out “OMMAAAAA!” in pain as she lifts him over her back, and topples over – causing Se Joon to grab her wrist to prevent her from falling. And they smile and laugh awkwardly at the touch – finally realizing that what they just did was beyond ridiculous.

In Woo finally wakes up and Jenny tells him to just sleep over at her place. But he refuses – he needs to go home to protect the little girl Hye Ri who is afraid of being alone at night. In Woo smiles to himself as he remembers that she wouldn’t let him move out because of it, and Jenny has a moment of thinking, “What a fool he is for this girl…”

She walks him up to his apartment, but he tells her to go – just as Se Joon walks Hye Ri to her stairwell. They just miss each other, but Hye Ri sees In Woo walking drunkenly across the promenade. He nearly falls over, and she grabs him, but he brushes her away. She holds on to him again, afraid that he won’t make it to his apartment, and he grabs her wrist. This time, the grab is not too kind – and he gives her a heartbreaking stare that screams, “LEAVE ME BE!… but I don’t really want you to…”

In Woo falls into bed, and begins to dream of all the moments he had with Hye Ri, from the ski resort to the airport, when he told her not to leave.
Hye Ri returns to watch all the CCTV DVDs, pausing to wonder about In Woo’s wellbeing before continuing with her work all the way into the early morning. Finally! She sees the car that Woo Sung Mi had driven pass by a storefront, and there’s a shadow that looks suspiciously like the husband in the passenger seat. She is completely ecstatic – and to celebrate she calls In Woo first!

In Woo wakes to see that she’s calling, but he decides to ignore it. This is his first step in trying to remove her from his life – or vice versa. He gets up and is about to pull of his shirt to take a shower (show us those choco abs!) when Hye Ri rings the doorbell (aw maaaan!).

He answers the door, proving that he’s alive to her, and she enthusiastically asks if he’s ok. He avoids looking at her, and keeps his sentences short with her. His attitude makes her forget why she’s there in the first place – but she invites him to a celebratory brunch for finding the evidence. Though In Woo wants to reject her, he can’t help but be somewhat impressed with her.

And then the staple shower scene that shows off the male character’s angst AND body at once.

He meets her at the promenade – freshly dressed but wearing sunglasses (how can a guy look so good…? Ok I’ll stop gushing now). Hye Ri, though, seems to notice that he’s particularly handsome in a scruffy way, and looks away, fluttered at first. She tells him they’ll go to another brunch restaurant, because her regular place does not serve soup – and In Woo was drunk last night so he needs soup. In Woo looks a little uncomfortable and surprised that she was so concerned for him.

They go to the restaurant, and In Woo doesn’t touch his food. Instead, he just watches Hye Ri eat, which makes her self-conscious. And we get our InHye conversation that hearkens back to old times…

Hye Ri: Are you looking at me now?
In Woo: I’m watching.
Hye Ri: Why? Because I eat so deliciously?
In Woo: Because you look like a rabbit eating meat for the first time, and wondering, “There’s such a taste in this world?!”
Hye Ri: (pointing at the sunglasses) Can you take those off?
In Woo: Don’t mind me, and continue eating.
Hye Ri: Why did you cry yesterday?
In Woo: *looks down*
Hye Ri: I saw it all, so what’s the point of covering your eyes today? You cried, right?
In Woo: What about Yoon Se Joon? Shouldn’t you come here with Prosecutor Yoon on a day like today? On a day when you achieved something, when something good happens, on a happy day and on a sad day – don’t people usually meet the people they like?

He’s purposely irking her, and trying to push her away, but Hye Ri responds innocently that it’s the weekend and Se Joon needs to spend time with his daughter.

Hye Ri: Today is a very happy Sunday. On a nice day like today, with someone you feel comfortable with, to be sitting like this while eating delicious food – it’s a great feeling. Don’t you think so?

And she goes back to eating happily. In Woo looks slightly abashed, and he rips off his sunglasses in frustration. He just can’t get through to her the fact that he’s a bad guy!

By the way, Hye Ri’s in jeans!

The next day at work, she has the tape get analyzed so that she can get clearer photos of the video. It’s clear that they were together, and so she just needs to take them in for questioning. However, Park Yoo Chul is packing to leave the country and leaving his children behind. At the same time, Woo Sung Mi requested for vacation days from her job. She asks the Chief if she can go with the police at the arrest, and Se Joon supports her. He knows how it felt like when he was in her place long ago and wanted to make his first arrest. The Chief tells him he hates taking sides, but he asks Hye Ri how she feels. Hye Ri says she can only imagine their faces when she arrests them, especially since Park Yoo Chul dared her to find evidence. And the Chief yells, “I HAVE THE EVIDENCE HERE, YOU S.O.B.! That’s what you want to say, right?”
Hye Ri says, “S.O.B.? What if I get caught by the disciplinary committee?”
Yeah – she’s ready.

Hye Ri, accompanied by Investigator Cha and Se Joon’s assistant, goes off to arrest Park Yoo Chul outside his home. She starts reading him his rights, but then sees his two young children peeking out from the door, crying. They beg that she not take him away, and it’s clear he was going to abandon them. She lowers her voice and finishes reading the rights.

The police bring in both Park Yoo Chul and Woo Sung Mi to her office and she shows them the evidence from the CCTV cameras. Hye Ri won’t reduce their sentence, but she wants to know the truth as to how Choi In Sook died. Woo admits that she injected a lethal drug into Choi one morning. Every morning, Choi drank a cup of water as soon as she woke up, and so Park had put in a sleeping pill in it. After she was drugged, Woo came to inject her with two doses of the drug that killed her. They snuck her dead body out and went to the road where Woo struck her with the car.
Hye Ri can’t believe that there are actually people who would kill a dead person twice, and what’s more, Park Yoo Chul has the gall to say, “I didn’t commit the murder directly. She’s the one who gave her the injection.” Lady – what the hell did you see in this guy?!

Hye Ri escapes to the bathroom and starts crying. Jung Sun tells her to get out – she needs to poop. That gets Hye Ri moving. Jung Sun tells her to leave – she has no head for law, because prosecutors will always have to deal with people like this. “If you cry at all these moments,” Jung Sun says, “your double eyelids will unfold!”
Hye Ri can’t raise the kids herself, and she’s not expected to. As a prosecutor they can only help as much as they can within their capacity, but not expected to do more.
Se Joon is faced with his own problems: it looks like Go Man Chul has run away because they can’t reach his cell phone anymore, so he requests for a warrant.

At the meeting, the Chief reviews all the cases, and ends the meeting very abruptly. Jung Sun gives Min Suk the weird eye, and he says on cue, “But I heard Prosecutor Ma won another case.” The Chief over exaggerates his reaction, and Prosecutor Chae immediately looks at her expectantly for a free lunch. Everyone laughs at how hesitantly he says it, and Hye Ri says it’s not a problem. Everyone immediately says they want to be treated today, and they want to go to her home so that it can be a housewarming party as well. Hye Ri can pick the food.

Jung Sun notes that it is sort of short notice, but Prosecutor Chae outs her as the one who came up with the idea in the first place. Se Joon says that catching a criminal on her first year can be quite shocking, so she should be with plenty of people on that day – hence the party idea.
Hye Ri is touched that they were actually all thinking about her – and the prosecutors are finally bonding!
Meanwhile – In Woo drives Jenny over to his place. He thanks her for being patient with him and not asking too many questions. Jenny notes that she’s not his wife – and therefore shouldn’t be nagging. HOWEVER – if he cares to know – she was pretty anxious and pissed that all their plans might just go to waste.

Hye Ri welcomes them to her home, and she’s set up a wine party outside on the terrace. She even changes into a red party dress for the occasion! What’s doubly hilarious is she practically scripts the entire party, telling them that they’ll drink wine first, and then stand by the edge of the balcony to chit chat. And all her coworkers were expecting were some jjajangmyun and soju.
The Chief raises a toast to her, and it spurs her to ask about what he did for his wife. Jung Sun frantically tries to signal to her to shut up, but it’s too late. The Chief says he never got married – Why? – Because he couldn’t. She’s shocked that such a thing could happen. Prosecutor Chae is even snarky enough to say that everyone could get married – he himself did! And Min Suk makes an equally snarky comment that someone is trying to do it twice (ahem*Se Joon*ahem)

AWKWARD TURTLE!!! Made even more awkward when Jung Sun downs her entire glass of wine at once.
Hye Ri’s coworkers are unused to having European food, and the Chief just wants some simple kimchi. She decides that she could ask In Woo for some.

She goes up to his apartment – and who should open the door but… Jenny! Hye Ri’s surprised, but she asks if In Woo is around – she wants to borrow something from him. Jenny says that he’s in the shower, but she could go and ask him if she wants. Hye Ri stops her and says it’s not a big deal before running off. She is a mite jealous that Jenny’s in his apartment while he’s showering though. Hee!
But – Jenny lied! He had gone out to get some American food for her instead. While waiting for him, she thinks back to her first impression of Hye Ri, when Hye Ri had gone to In Woo’s office and said she would sue him for revealing that she had gone to an auction instead of the orientation. It’s clear she doesn’t like Hye Ri, and she doesn’t like that In Woo is falling for her even though he denies it.

When In Woo returns with the food, we find out more about Jenny’s upbringing. She was adopted and raised by an American mother who fed her westernized food. That is why she’s not used to Korean food.

Hye Ri tells her coworkers that she couldn’t get any kimchi, so Prosecutor Chae offers to go to a store and get some along with soju. The Chief follows him out, and that’s when Hye Ri and Se Joon both look up to see In Woo on his terrace. In Woo looks down but refuses to acknowledge them with a kind eye. Jung Sun, seeing that the two of them are so in sync, leaves the table, and Min Suk – not wanting to be a third wheel – leaves too.
Se Joon asks why In Woo is still around when he thought he had already moved. Hye Ri says she stopped him – after all, In Woo did help her when the weird stalker lived in her apartment. Se Joon is slightly indignant that she did not call him first, but Hye Ri reasons that In Woo’s just closer and so it’s more convenient to ask him. (This time Se Joon – YOU are one step too late!)

The prosecutors all leave tipsy, and are driven away. Jung Sun says she’ll leave first and Se Joon can help Hye Ri with the clean up. Hye Ri doesn’t want Jung Sun to go off in the dark alone, but Jung Sun says that’s she knows hapkido and taekwondo – she’ll be fine. She runs off to avoid any further awkward interactions, and Hye Ri prods Se Joon to follow her. To Hye Ri’s credit, she actually looks happy and relieved knowing that the two of them will be safe at night.
It’s refreshing, actually, to see a similarly insecure second female lead who is not going to be catty over her man, but would just rather not see her man interacting with another girl. It’s a bit cowardly, but it’s a nice change from all those other second female leads (ahem*Yura*InHee*ahem). I would do the EXACT SAME THING. Anyways – Se Joon follows her out, calling “Prosecutor Jin! Prosecutor Jin!” and Jung Sun just keeps walking faster and faster. Finally Se Joon calls out, “Jung Sun ah!”
Jung Sun stops in her tracks and she wipes away a tear before turning to face him. She comes up with the excuse that she wanted to exercise because she ate so much, and Se Joon is relieved to find that she is not angry with him. She tells him that she could sense the feelings between Se Joon and Hye Ri, and he gives her a non-reassuring answer of, “A person’s feeling can’t be controlled as he wills.” Jung Sun tells him that as long as he likes it, then it’s good – and if he’s happy, she’s happy.

In Woo and Jenny discuss their plan of action, and he tells her to stay the night since she has a very important task to do early in the morning. She reminds him that she came to Korea with him for a year so that he could do what he had to. Once the year is up, she wants to return to America quickly, together. (Ugh – I have a bad feeling about the future episodes). Then, Jenny immediately claims the bed and suggests that he sleep on a mat because the sofa’s uncomfortable. There’s no further awkwardness – just complete familiarity between the two.

Hye Ri, on the other hand, can’t sleep. She goes out to the terrace and stretches – only to see Jenny standing on In Woo’s terrace in his shirt. BAM – that was not what Hye Ri wanted to see, and she hides when Jenny looks down at her. Jenny doesn’t pay her any further mind, but Hye Ri isn’t too thrilled to see that another woman has taken up In Woo’s attention.

The following morning, Hye Ri goes down to the parking lot, where In Woo had just sent off Jenny. He asks if she had fun yesterday with all the prosecutors, and she turns the question back on him by saying why he’s asking something so obvious. Hye Ri is talking too much too quickly, and so In Woo asks if she’s being defensive because she had a fight with Prosecutor Yoon. Annoyed, she tells him to stop calling Se Joon like that because it makes it sound like he’s mocking her hero. She walks away on him, but starts berating herself for talking too much.
Hee! She’s jealous!

Jung Sun is in her own car – and when Se Joon comes to pick her up, she explains that she doesn’t want to go carpool with him anymore. Her excuse is that she’s going to start exercising in the morning, and she wouldn’t be able to go to the office at the same time. This is step one in trying to let go of her crush – and it’s pretty brave of her.

Meanwhile, Go Man Chul is on the phone with Ma Sang Tae, and he’s ordered to leave Korea through Incheon Port. Mr. Ma wants him to disappear for a few months and then he can come back quietly. Go Man Chul drives off, and the car in front of him is being purposely slow. He tries to overtake the car, but it speeds up. However, there is a checkpoint up ahead and the car brakes immediately. Go is unable to brake in time and so slams into the car. The driver gets out, and it’s Jenny holding on to her neck.

The police at the checkpoint station come over towards Go’s car, and he makes the stupid, very stupid mistake of trying to run from the cops. Of course he is caught and hauled to jail – and Jenny only smiles.
Hye Ri finally gets the notice that Ha Jung Nan withdrew her lawsuit, and she gets called in by the Chief. He’s going to combine her Ha-Go lawsuit case with Se Joon’s Go Man Chul-construction case. Se Joon gives her the notes. As she goes over them, she realizes that Go has never held a stable job – and yet he is the CEO of a paper company. She suspects that he lent his name to someone else, who then made illegal dealings for him. However, when she questions him he refuses to open up to her and tell her who ran the company for him.

Ma Sang Tae is in the shock of his life when he hears that of all people, HIS Ma Hye Ri is the prosecutor handling his case! Meanwhile – In Woo tries to gather some energy and motivation by looking over his soccer shoes again.

Hye Ri is frustrated with Go Man Chul, but she remembers that he mentioned buying land with money that wasn’t even his 15 years ago. She goes to visit Ha Jung Nan, and explains the new case that Go Man Chul is involved in. Ha is surprised to hear that he was involved with a construction company – since he doesn’t even know how to hammer in a nail! So Hye Ri asks if anyone gave him compensation to use his name. That’s when Ha starts getting a tad bit uncomfortable. She claims no knowledge and says that she never wants to hear about him again.

Hye Ri dejectedly returns home, and she bumps into In Woo sitting outside. He hands her a bottle of juice because she looks tired, and she gratefully accepts. He asks if she worked overtime, since it doesn’t look like she’s coming home from a date. Hye Ri responds that he’s losing his touch – both hypotheses are wrong.
In Woo says that she should go in an rest, since she looks like she is sick of talking to people and therefore would not want to talk to him. DENG! Hye Ri says that he’s right – she is tired of people, but does he know any great ways of getting someone to talk when they refuse to?

In Woo SO knows where this is going, and he gives her the advice that will lead to a breakthrough beneficial to both (or more for him really). The next day, when she questions Go Man Chul, she asks if his responses will be the same: “Do by the law” or “I have nothing to say.” Go nods, and lets her continue her investigation – she can just pick one of the two responses.

Hye Ri: Young Jin Corporation is a phantom company. You were asked by someone and merely lent him your name, right? “I have nothing to say.” That person said that if you take the responsibility on his behalf he will compensate you. But if you reveal his name he won’t let you go. He threatened you, right? “Do by the law.” Correct?
Go: Yes. *looks mighty uncomfortable at the facts that are bordering truth*
Hye Ri: That person, when you told him that regarding the Nam Woo Apartment you got a call to be questioned by the prosecution. He told you, ‘Go into hiding now.’ When the warrant was executed he told you he’d help you leave the country. That reason is to use you to pass the statue of limitation of this case, he said.
Go: Uh – wait, what do you mean?
Hye Ri: If you didn’t get caught within the remaining statute of limitation, then he’s exempt from any criminal charges in regards to Young Jin Construction. You knew right? Even in a civil suit, thanks to you who have no assets under your name, he wouldn’t have to give a cent. You knew that as well, right?
Go: *his expression says No!*
Hye Ri: But that person, if he got all those benefits because of you, he should give you at least $2 million. How much did he promise to give you? Well.. how about $100,000?

Go Man Chul realizes that he was severely ripped off in this scheme. The police officer begins to take him back to his cell, but Go stops midway and decides to confess to Hye Ri. He really did just lend his name, and knew nothing about the way the company was run. Hye Ri asks who was the person who asked for his name, and Go Man Chul says:
“Ma Sang Tae. S.T. Construction’s President Ma Sang Tae.”

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Cinderella’s Sister: Episode 12

Eun-jo has just broken down in front of Ki-hoon and asked him to run away with her. Dear god, please say yes. Just stow away your pride and sense of responsibility for one teeny moment. Can’t we just have one reprieve episode called “Ki-hoon and Eun-jo’s Beach Vacation,” if we promise to be good and get back to the angst next week? Le sigh.

Ki-hoon relocates her to the wine cellar and gives her a drink to calm down. He muses that if only the world were flat, not round, they could actually run away: “Even if you run till the end, you inevitably end up back home.” Stop waxing poetic and just get in the car!

Ki-hoon challenges her—what if he said okay? Is she prepared to run away with him to the ends of the earth if he said he would go? Ki-hoon: “If you’re that distraught, what am I supposed to do?” which to me means that he can’t keep his distance from her if she’s so unhappy. Hello, savior complex much?

He tells Eun-jo to just stay put and do whatever she wants, and let him deal with the rest. Eun-jo says she knows her own heart, but doesn’t understand what sin Ki-hoon has committed to tie himself to this house at all costs. She wonders if maybe he wants a piece of the pie, like her mom. Ki-hoon: “I have something to repay. If I can’t, I’ll end up like Dracula…unable to die even if I want to, for a thousand, ten thousand years.”

She asks what that thing is, but he can’t tell her. Eun-jo wonders how it would be if she ran away on her own then. Ki-hoon tells her she should do it if she wants, and that he’ll help her in any way he can. He’s smart enough to know that telling her not to do it would only provoke her rebellious spirit, so he’s reverse-psyching her. He asks where she wants to go.

Eun-jo sits in her room, staring at the drawing of Ushuaia that Ki-hoon made for her eight years ago. She hesitates, then packs it in her old duffel bag and heads out. Just outside the pavilion, she remembers Dae-sung coming to stop her the last time she tried to run away. This time she says aloud the things she wished she would’ve said to him, if only because she mistakenly believes her staying at this house caused his death. She asks for his forgiveness, since no matter what she does, he’s going to forgive her anyway. Aw.

When Eun-jo steps out of the house, Ki-hoon is waiting with his car, ready to take her anywhere she wants to go. Roooooad trip! No? Aw man. Eun-jo silently walks past his car and Ki-hoon follows behind her. As she walks past the outer wall of the compound, she’s drawn by the sound of activity in the winery. It makes her stop, as she realizes that she has an entire factory full of reasons why she can’t go. It’s as though she sees past herself for the first time, to her connection with other people and this place. It’s her first experience of community and responsibility, and her first step to becoming an adult. And it is proof of Dae-sung’s legacy alive within her—he stops her this time, just as he did eight years ago, giving her an opening to lay down roots for the first time in her life.

Hyo-sun’s uncle and all the other ajusshis greet her warmly, calling her “little boss” (which sounds less weird in Korean, but just as cute). It’s adorable because in giving her that nickname, they’re both treating her like a daughter and a boss all at the same time. Eun-jo just smiles and the ajusshis go back to work in high spirits.

Eun-jo looks on at them, as tears flow from her eyes. It’s probably safe to say she hasn’t felt this kind of warmth since Dae-sung died, and her heart is overwhelmed at the fact that she actually does have roots here deeper than she ever imagined. She’s surprised yet again by the capacity of people to forgive and forget, something that she had never known until Dae-sung, and it’s safe to say she feels his presence in these workers, not just in their attitudes, but in their dedication to his life’s work.

Ki-hoon watches from behind as she cries. She finally lets the duffel bag fall from her shoulder, and it hits the ground with a dramatic thud, signifying the end of her very long journey home. Turns out it was here the whole time. Ki-hoon picks up her bag and puts his hand on her shoulder, mirroring Dae-sung’s fatherly gesture. I have to say, I absolutely love this shift in his character, even if it arises out of guilt—to take Dae-sung’s place in these girls’ lives.

And then we catch up with Jung-woo…whoa…is it getting hot in here? I know this guy’s an idol star, but I guess I never really thought much of what might be…under his shirt? Jeepers.

He’s not in reserve training after all, as he had told Eun-jo; he’s working hard at a construction site to try and earn money so that his Eun-jo noona won’t starve if the winery goes under. Kah. That’s adorable.

Ki-hoon goes to meet with none other than Dong-soo, the kid who had once brought Eun-jo flowers and caused a rift between the sisters. All I can think during this scene is how cute Ki-hoon used to be when he was jealous of this kid. He asks Dong-soo, who’s a reporter now, to write an article on the winery. Dong-soo’s pretty much as haughty as he was in his pre-teen years, but his interest is piqued enough to take on the story.

Then we have the opening prayer/dedication ceremony, which Eun-jo leads in Dae-sung’s place. It’s a truly uplifting moment, seeing Eun-jo take her place as Dae-sung’s successor, and the intercutting between Dae-sung and Eun-jo doing the same actions is a nice touch.

After the ceremony, Kang-sook packs away Dae-sung’s clothing, which she does lovingly and sadly, remembering Eun-jo’s words that he knew her true motives and loved her anyway. Moments like this reinforce my belief that she’s just a very sad, tragic version of Eun-jo—what she could become if she continues to push love away because she thinks she doesn’t deserve it. I agree with javabeans’ take on Kang-sook because to me, she’s always lived by a code, no matter how flawed, and is the product of a much rougher life than any of these kids have ever known.

Hyo-sun insists on trying to get on Mom’s good side, and it’s like watching a rat in a cage push the PAIN button over and over again. Kang-sook shoots her a death glare, as Hyo-sun cowers before her, going on about the ceremonial rice cakes and how everyone has to eat in order for the blessings to be shared. Kang-sook remembers Eun-jo’s words about Hyo-sun being the same as Dae-sung, but shrugs her off.

Hyo-sun doggedly follows her, daring to place a piece of rice cake in Mom’s mouth in an effort to cute her way in. Uh…are you trying to get maimed? You’re lucky she didn’t bite your fingers off! She throws it on the dirt floor in disgust, and holding back tears, Hyo-sun picks it up and eats it. It’s part crazy person, part I-dare-you-not-to-love-me, and it’s got the equal effect of making me sad and afraid. Kang-sook mostly thinks she’s manipulating her, trying to outfox the fox. I think Hyo-sun’s actually smarter than we all think, but she’s also very simple too. She’s pretty much willing to eat dirt (literally) to be noticed by Mom.

Hyo-sun tries to help her make lunch, so Mom just tells her to do it all and leaves, flabbergasted at Hyo-sun’s undying pluck. But once Mom leaves, Hyo-sun beats her chest in pain. She ends up screwing up the side dish that she was supposed to do, so she goes to the kitchen ajummas over at the winery to ask for cooking tips. They give her some leftovers from the staff kitchen to take, which she does happily.

But when Mom sees her asks where the food came from, she inadvertently outs grandma and ajumma for being at the winery after Mom kicked them out. Oh crap. Mom flips out and thinks the worst of her, twisting every little thing around. She storms over to the winery with a vengeance. She rips the ajummas a new one for daring to defy her, and Hyo-sun defends them.

Just then, Hyo-sun’s uncle comes around the corner asking for lunch, and yeah, the looks on their faces pretty much say it all:

She yells that it’s his fault Dae-sung died, pushing Hyo-sun to the ground when she tries to intervene. Finally Eun-jo comes to the rescue—the only one who can match her mother glare for glare. Even the mighty Kang-sook shakes a little in her boots when Eun-jo arrives on the scene.

She drags her mother into the house by the wrist, and it’s clear that when she wants to, she can totally out-death-beam Kang-sook by a mile. Eun-jo breaks her silence with this: “Mom, you’re on my side, right? Not Hyo-sun’s side, but mine?”

Mom’s surprised at this turn. Eun-jo tells her that the winery belongs to the shareholders now, and they’ll give it all to Hyo-sun if Mom continues to treat her this way. She adds that Hyo-sun actually has more control over the inheritance than they do, because she can veto the sale of property, blah blah. She basically makes up a reason by which Kang-sook needs to be nice to her again, (not that it isn’t true, but she skews it past the truth) to preserve their right to the inheritance, and manipulate her into giving them more…and it’s GENIUS. This girl puts Machiavelli to shame.

It’s so smart because this is the only thing Mom responds to: money and logic. And now she’s provided a monetary reason for Mom to treat Hyo-sun well. She eats it up too, eager to do anything to increase her pot o’ gold. Eun-jo even butters her up too in her own way, insisting that Mom has to be the one to be nice to Hyo-sun, since Eun-jo sucks at that kind of thing. Ha. True, but you’re doing a pretty damn good job here.

I love this. It’s Kang-sook’s own machinations coming back to bite her in the ass. She’s raised Eun-jo to do what she thought Hyo-sun was doing: outfox the fox. And now she’s doing it to her own mother. It’s twisted and diabolical, and totally awesome.

Ki-hoon takes Hyo-sun for a drive out to the river to get her out of the house, and he worries that her constant chest pain is something they should see a doctor about. But it’s not that kind of pain—it’s because she’s trying so hard to hold in her tears and keep it together, that it’s manifesting in this way. Hyo-sun: “She told me not to cry…Eun-jo. I think she doesn’t like it when I cry. It’s okay. She doesn’t oppose me anymore. Sometimes she’s even warm.” Ki-hoon tells her it’s okay to cry, since it’s just the two of them. So sweet. He lets her lean on him, and he holds her while she lets out all the tears she’s been holding in. He cries too, saying he’s sorry.

Jung-woo has returned (yay—tank tops aside, I missed his lightness and the side of Eun-jo that only he brings out). Eun-jo puts him straight to work, as they research competing makgulli companies. I don’t know what kind of research she’s doing, but I’d start with a taste comparison first, right? What? Like you wouldn’t.

He asks her if she’s been wearing the bread pin (how cute is it that he picked a crown of all things, thinking it looked like a piece of bread?). She doesn’t respond, making him search her jacket all over. It’s not in any of the usual places a pin would be, but then he finally sees it pinned on the lower pocket. (It’s blurred, either because they had product-placement issues, or they realized it doesn’t look like bread, making Jung-woo seem like an idiot). He smiles, satisfied. The sidelong glance he gives after he sees the bread pin? The height of adorableness.

He tells her to ask if she ever needs money, and takes out an envelope and puts it on the table, telling her it’s hers. She asks where it came from, and he jokes that he won it in a game of Go-Stop, but retracts it once he sees her reaction. He asks if she’s eaten dinner, and ends up dragging her by the wrist (oy) to go eat.

She stops in her tracks, yelling: “Don’t be so brash!” (In Korean the word—brash or impetuous—is something you say to a younger kid who’s trying to go above you). Jung-woo counters: “Don’t be brash yourself! I told you, I don’t know about anything else, but I’m not going to tolerate you not eating!” I love that he doesn’t cower to Eun-jo, and that the one thing he decided to be vigilant about is her eating. It’s a holdover from their youth, not only because she always fed him, but in a larger sense, because in the world they came from, they never knew when their next meal might be.

He drives her to a restaurant, and even opens her car door. Eun-jo sees Ki-hoon’s car in the lot, knowing he’s probably there with Hyo-sun, but she doesn’t say anything. Jung-woo takes her by the hand (that’s better) and they go inside. She self-consciously detaches her hand, anticipating the run-in, and sees Ki-hoon and Hyo-sun eating. And just as Hyo-sun calls out to her, Jung-woo grabs her hand (this time it’s a hand-wrist hybrid…I don’t know) to take her to a table.

Ki-hoon turns around, locking eyes with Eun-jo, and looking down warily at the hands. A love quadrangle awkward moment! Finally! It only took us eighteen thousand hours, but we’re finally here.

They eat together, and Hyo-sun asks what their relationship is, quoting the bat inscription. Jung-woo just grins and gives non-answers, while Ki-hoon looks on with his old Dong-soo-is-a-jerk face back on. I love that face!

Eun-jo wants to leave, or have the earth open up and swallow her, but Jung-woo refuses to go until she’s finished her food. He puts her spoon back in her hand, saying: “You and I need to finish our food,” again implying that they are the kind of people who can’t afford to walk around with empty bellies. Hyo-sun looks on in amazement at this interaction—Eun-jo actually listening to someone, not biting his head off when he tells her what to do. She looks at Jung-woo like he’s either an angel or an alien, but either way she’s impressed.


Ki-hoon’s jealousy flares up and he deliberately puts some food on Hyo-sun’s plate, telling her to eat up. Jung-woo does the same to Eun-jo, and she eats it. This one tiny action has the following ripple effect: Jung-woo smiles, pleased because he thinks he’s gotten through to her; Hyo-sun can’t believe her eyes and is introduced to a whole new side of Eun-jo, one that she merely glimpsed over their bibimbap breakfast; and Ki-hoon…looks at Jung-woo like he just made out with Eun-jo all over the table. Priceless!

The girls come home, and Mom comes running out in full-sugar-coat mode, cooing over the girls. Hyo-sun looks at her, eyes wide, looking over at Eun-jo to figure out what’s going on. Once inside, she walks up to Mom’s bedroom door, but Eun-jo stops her. She knows that too much nicey nice will push her mom over the edge, so draws Hyo-sun away, for her own protection. It’s sweet to see her acting like a real unni here.

Eun-jo sees how happy Hyo-sun is because of Mom’s sudden upswing, and she admits that it makes her nervous, but happy. Eun-jo looks at her like, I don’t understand you, puppy, but your sadness…I get your sadness and your loneliness. It’s like Hyo-sun’s loss finally gave them common ground.

Ki-hoon looks over at Jung-woo, trying to figure out how he’s going to sleep in the same room with this kid and not end up strangling him. His brooding keeps him up, and inside the house, Eun-jo does the same, because no one loves to brood like these two.

The next day, Hyo-sun does a taste-test of the jars of makgulli they’ve made, and she determines that only one of the six is exactly the right taste. Eun-jo doesn’t understand why, as they were all made with the same process, but Hyo-sun tells her that the yeast can be different, and that it’s okay, because they did make one good batch. Now they just have to figure out how to recreate the one that’s right.

In a bit of randomness, Ki-tae, second brother of Ki-hoon, sits in his car creepily watching Hyo-sun’s commercial over and over again. Please stop that. Stop it right now.

Ki-jung, meanwhile, is getting an unhappy report that one of his Japanese buyers has decided to sign with a better brand—Dae-sung, in fact. His blood boils at the news that the half-container that Dae-sung sold to the backup Japanese buyer (after the big fakeout) circulated in Tokyo and became a sort of cult hit, creating a wave of Japanese hipsters running around in search of their makgulli. And we all know what happens when Japanese hipsters think something’s cool (think: Bae Yong-joon but on a mass-production scale).

Ki-jung doesn’t understand how they’re taking new orders since he was told the second generation couldn’t faithfully reproduce Dae-sung’s original taste. As it turns out, they’re close to figuring it out, with the Japanese buyer’s help.

Ki-hoon leaves the decision up to Eun-jo: they can rent the buyer’s special machine (to help them figure out which yeast produces the correct taste), accepting their order, or turn it down. He thinks it’s worth the risk and adds that he believes in her. Eun-jo can’t bring herself to take that risk again, because she’s so afraid that something disastrous will happen like the last time she pushed Dae-sung too far with her arrogance. Ki-hoon counters that she has this road to repay Dae-sung and honor him, while he has no such opportunity. He tells her he’s jealous that she has that.

Ki-hoon puts a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her sweetly. Eun-jo looks at him with tears in her eyes, her own hands clenched as she tries to hold in her tears. She says, “Don’t do that.” He pulls back, hurt. Oh, you had to do that, didn’t you? Now he’s going to think you don’t want him to touch you, without even knowing what flood of emotions that gesture brings back for you every time!

Eun-jo walks out and Ki-hoon follows after her, asking for a decision. He switches back to formal speech here, forced by her coldness to be distant. He tries to convince her, but Eun-jo is playing it safe, saying that they can’t afford to go into more debt. And what if it’s a scam, like the last time?

And then it dawns on her…why did she not do anything about that? Why did she just stand still and not find out the persons responsible? Ki-hoon, startled, tells her to leave that to him, but this does not bode well. I mean, Eun-jo is like a dog with a bone when she feels wronged. Ki-hoon tells her he has to be the one to figure it out, and that if they take this chance, Dae-sung Co. can get back on its feet. He trails off: “And I can…” Again with the unfinished sentences! Can be redeemed? Can leave? Can love you again? What?

Ki-hoon drops her off at the lab and asks what she’ll do if she finds out who’s responsible for the scam. Eun-jo: “I don’t know. I guess it’ll give me the strength to live the rest of my life. Thinking of those people’s faces…my strength will overflow. I’ll hate them without ever growing weary. That’s enough. With the strength from hating them, I’m going to live well until the day I die.” Oh crap. That’s Ki-hoon you’re talking about. To his face. This is a tragedy of Elizabethan proportions. Even as Eun-jo tenuously learns to open up her heart, we’re already seeing the future where they live as enemies. Just fess up now! It’ll be better. You’re not going to. I know. No one ever listens to me.

As he walks out of the lab, Ki-hoon spies his father’s car coming down the road, and catches him before he can make it inside. Ki-hoon begs his father to leave Eun-jo alone, but Daddy Hong has decided he has to meet her, and air all of Ki-hoon’s dirty laundry. In doing so, he knows he has to fess up to his part in the whole thing, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Mommy Hong’s filed for divorce, you see, and she’s going to leave him with nothing. So why not go down in flames? When the divorce goes through, Daddy Hong’s shares go straight to Ki-jung and Mommy, making Hong Ju all theirs.

Lest you think Daddy Hong has grown a conscience overnight, he’s actually here to bring Ki-hoon back on his side. The choice is his: either re-join his father’s side of the war, or Daddy marches in right now to meet Eun-jo and confess all. Ki-hoon refuses to join him, so Daddy says he’ll have to talk to Eun-jo. But then he puts it off, I guess? That’s not exactly a strong message to send, in the war of wills. Just sayin.

Eun-jo comes to see Ki-hoon later that night, and agrees to borrow the machine from the Japanese buyer as soon as possible. Ki-hoon’s too preoccupied with Daddy Hong’s threats, but says he’ll do it. He calls out to her: “Eun-jo ya…” but trails off and says nevermind. I wish you would just confess to her yourself, before numerous other people have a chance to beat you to it, not that I don’t get why you’re afraid of the wrath of Eun-jo. You SHOULD be afraid.

Eun-jo comes home to find the kitchen ajummas back in the house, indicating that Mom’s taking her threats seriously. She’s surprised to hear laughter coming from Mom’s room, and when she peeks inside, sees Mom, Hyo-sun and Jun-su laughing good-naturedly in front of the tv.

Hyo-sun mentions that a man came by the house earlier that night, looking for Mom, saying that he’s related to her. She knows Mom to have no relations, so she told him he had the wrong house, but by the look on Kang-sook’s face, it’s clear he didn’t. She confirms Hyo-sun did the right thing since she has no surviving kin, but this guy’s sure to make a dramatic comeback soon, by the looks of it.

Before going to bed, Hyo-sun hugs Mom, saying: “I know that I’m not very lovable in your eyes. But thank you for being good to me. Later on, so that you can hug me because you really love me, I’ll do well, Mom.” It’s so sad how much she needs the affection of a mother, even if she knows deep down that it’s fake. Kang-sook’s face contorts in disgust, but she keeps up appearances.

Ki-hoon drinks up some makgulli in the cellar, thinking back to Eun-jo’s words earlier that day. He calls Daddy Hong and tells him that he’s going to tell Eun-jo everything, essentially throwing himself under the bus, but in effect keeping Daddy Hong and Ki-jung from ever getting their hands on Dae-sung Co. That is SO not what Daddy Hong wanted to hear. “Sleep well, Father. I’m going to Eun-jo now.”

It’s a deliberate phrase, “I’m going to Eun-jo,” mirroring what he told Eun-jo in the last episode about being unable to “go to her.” The guilt of his involvement with Hong Ju and causing Dae-sung’s death has made it impossible to go to her, to ask her to love him. But once he’s decided to come clean, to take responsibility even if it means she’ll spend her whole life hating him, it’s symbolic of the fact that he could go to her again.

He stumbles over to the house, slamming his hands against the door, his whole body shaking with agony and regret. He calls out over and over, “Eun-jo ya! Eun-jo ya!”

There’s no way he’s going to tell her. Something else is going to prevent his confession, if not his own fear. That said, I do love the return of Ki-hoon oppa, and though he’s not exactly the carefree guy of old, I’ll take Speaking Ki-hoon over Stoic Ki-hoon any day of the week. Silent Jung-woo is sweet; Silent Ki-hoon makes me want to hit things.

The sisters’ relationship is definitely taking a much-needed upswing. While Eun-jo isn’t exactly a fluffy teddy bear who loves her sister in the traditional sense, she does care in her own way, treating her well out of a love for their father and a sense of responsibility for her family, which she’s just now starting to feel. I think that’s my favorite part of Eun-jo’s character growth—the fact that she’s starting to feel a sense of community and look beyond herself. Hyo-sun may be her father in heart, but Eun-jo is becoming Dae-sung in spirit.

I love Eun-jo’s unique relationship with Jung-woo, and the small touches like transferring the bread pin to every outfit she wears. It’s such a tiny, silent way to show that he does mean something to her, however she may try to brush it off. And her latest Mom-maneuvering leaves me in awe. She wasn’t joking when she told Hyo-sun that she’s a step above her mother because she’s smarter than her. Ha.

The fact that she has to go to those lengths in order to get her mother to treat Hyo-sun like a human being is tragic, and it’s not exactly a good thing for her character to flirt with the dark side like that. But that’s what makes her so interesting, as both the hero and the villain of this story. In response to javabeans’ query about my use of “villain,” I guess I didn’t mean it lightly or in the traditional sense either. I think Eun-jo is both darkness and light, hero and villain, both to herself and to everyone around her. The fact that she has equal capacity to go either way makes her fascinating, and just the right amount of unstable…so as to keep things interesting.

I don’t usually post songs, but I randomly re-heard this song the other day, and it immediately made me think of Eun-jo and her heartbreakingly complicated relationship with her mom. Thought I’d share.

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