Smile: Episodes 15-16

by dw4p

A first date with your crush. The jitters, the excitement. Now imagine the date as a 3-way with your crush’s mother. Isn’t that every girl’s fantasy? But our plucky heroine is satisfied even with this scene, grazing his hand in the ocean of popcorn, with his mother’s watchful eye boring into their hands.

Just when you think it can’t get any better, these two episodes of Smile top the previous. I need a better thesaurus for this series. How many ways can you say the word cute? Adorable, endearing, precious, charming, delightful… I’m running out of words!

SONG OF THE DAY

Julia Hart – “돌아와” (Come Back) [ Download ]

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

Episode 15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comments

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

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

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

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

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

RELATED POSTS

• Smile extended to 46 episodes
• Smile: Episodes 13-14
• Smile: Episodes 11-12
• Smile: Episodes 9-10
• Smile: Episodes 7-8
• Smile: Episode 6
• Smile: Episode 5
• Smile: Episode 4
• Smile: Episode 3
• Smile: Episodes 1 & 2