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You’re Beautiful: Episode 10

(It’s Lee Hong-ki’s uncertain “Uhhhh…..” face that makes this shot for me.)

As for the episode, I kinda hate myself for doing this, but:

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Lyn – “Love U, I Love U” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 10 RECAP

Heyi accuses Mi-nam of liking Tae-kyung, and notes that she doesn’t deny it. Mi-nyeo is in such shock that she’s speechless, and when Heyi announces her intention to tell Tae-kyung, Mi-nyeo drops to her knees and shakes her head frantically as the guys start to approach. Reading her panic, Heyi says, “You don’t want me to? Then shut up when I do things my way.”

Heyi turns to the guys and says with fake worry that Mi-nam is ill. They recall that she had the beginnings of a cold and don’t question her, not seeing that Heyi mouths to Mi-nyeo, “Talk and you die.”

Sung-chan is sympathetic and sends Mi-nyeo home, saying she can make up the shoot later. He gives Heyi a ride back as well and answers her questions cheerfully, not aware of how Heyi is pointedly directing the comments at Mi-nyeo. For instance, she drives home that Mi-nam’s facing an important role in the band: “If a problem arises with Mi-nam, President Ahn, you and A.N.JELL will both be in a lot of trouble.”

Sung-chan agrees with her assessment, so Heyi turns to Mi-nyeo: “You heard, right? You’ll have to do a good job so things aren’t ruined for Tae-kyung oppa. And you can’t tell anyone the secret conversation we had. If you tell, I can’t keep my end of the secret either. Understand?”

In the safety of her own room (since Mi-ja is out at the moment), Mi-nyeo cries over her dilemma. She feels the burden of responsibility for A.N.JELL’s continued success in the wake of Heyi’s blackmailing.

She looks at the childhood photo of her with her brother and says, “Oppa, I’m so scared. What if he’s hurt because of me?” To clear up any ambiguity over who she’s talking about, she looks over at a photo of Tae-kyung. “He’s someone who shouldn’t be liked by a thing like me. I can’t ruin him.”

As the shoot wraps, Tae-kyung wonders how Mi-nyeo’s doing and asks to take some limes home with him. He doesn’t see Shin-woo asking the prop guy for some limes, too, nor Jeremy. When the guys arrive home, they find that she’s in bed and feverish. Tae-kyung starts to speak in concern, but stops himself and instead says gruffly, “If you were sick, you should have said so. Because of you, today’s shoot was ruined.”

Mi-nyeo apologizes and promises not to ruin anything in the future, but her weak response has him dissatisfied. He wonders if she’s gotten used to his (brusque) way of speaking, or whether she’s just out of energy. He turns his glare to Pig-Rabbit to scold, “If you droop like that, it takes the fun out of picking on her.” He grabs the ears to perk them upright, then wonders how to feed Mi-nyeo the limes.

All three guys have thought of the nutrition value of limes with the intent of giving them to Mi-nam, so Tae-kyung has to hide his surprise to find Shin-woo and Jeremy in the kitchen with theirs. In keeping with their previously shown preferences, Shin-woo suggests making hot tea with his limes, but Jeremy would rather make juice.

Tae-kyung feels stupid now, so he has to play off his intent, saying he liked eating the limes so much he brought them home for his own enjoyment. He takes a bite nonchalantly, pretending it’s tasty. (I apologize for the crudeness of the gif; I’ve never made one before so I had to figure out how to do it, but the moment was just begging for an animated gif.)

 

Tae-kyung shoots a glare at Pig-Rabbit, then figures, “Since everyone else is taking care of Mi-nam, I guess I don’t need to step in.”

Shin-woo brings her tea, but since she’s asleep he sets it aside, although it’ll be cold when she wakes. (The point being: his timing is bad.) Seeing Mi-nyeo shivering in her sleep, he says, “Don’t be sick, Mi-nam, because then I can’t stand by and not do something.”

Later that night, Tae-kyung heads to the kitchen because he can’t sleep. (He blames it on eating so many limes, rather than entertaining the possibility that it could be any other reason.) As he closes the fridge door, he starts at the sight of a haggard Mi-nyeo standing there looking like death. She groans, “I need… water…” (Symbolism! After all, Shin-woo = tea, Jeremy = juice, Tae-kyung = water.)

She collapses against him, and he rushes her to the hospital. As he drives, he berates himself for letting her illness get this bad. They should have called for help earlier.

He pulls up to the emergency room, but Mi-nyeo resists when he tries to usher her inside. Knowing that entering the hospital will put an end to her masquerade as Mi-nam, she refuses and staggers away.

His concern making him angry, Tae-kyung grabs her — her fever is too high and being discovered is the lesser of her worries (in his eyes). But Mi-nyeo bursts out, “I won’t go! Aren’t you afraid? What happens if I’m found out? If a thing like me — I’m so afraid you’ll be hurt because of a thing like me.”

Tae-kyung: “It’s not time for you to be worried about me. And I’ve been prepared for it ever since I promised to accept you. I’ll handle it, so let’s go to the hospital.”
Mi-nyeo: “I also made a promise not to be discovered. So I cannot go to the hospital.”

In frustration, Tae-kyung has to let her have her way. In the car, he covers her with his jacket and tells her more gently, “It’s okay if you cry or throw up, so you don’t have to clench your teeth and hold back.”

At home, Tae-kyung prepares supplies and tells Shin-woo that Mi-nam is really sick. This time, however, it’s Tae-kyung’s turn to hold Shin-woo back. He says, “I’ll look after her. You don’t have to worry about it.” Shin-woo clenches his fist, but stands by as Tae-kyung takes his tray to Mi-nyeo.

Throughout the night, Tae-kyung applies a cold compress and monitors Mi-nyeo’s progress as her fever runs its course. Finally, at 5am, she wakes up, still weak but better now. He anticipates her comments, guessing that she’s about to thank him and apologize before she actually says the words.

Tae-kyung: “Seeing how you worried about me even though you were that sick, you seem to have some loyalty. Seeing you enduring through it, you’ve also got some spirit. I haven’t wanted to accept you and wanted to reject you, but because of this, I’m accepting you. I’m on the same team as you now, so I feel a duty to look after you, and I’ll take responsibility for your affairs, too.”
Mi-nyeo: “I’m truly sorry. I’ll think carefully about what to do from now. And thank you for saying that.”
Tae-kyung: “In the future, don’t do things to be sorry for. Just think and live with a grateful spirit.”

Now that she’s better, he heads off to get some sleep. Mi-nyeo decides, “I can’t let things go any further. To make sure I’m not caught, and that he’s not hurt, Go Mi-nam has to disappear.”

From the hallway, Shin-woo watches Tae-kyung leave Mi-nam’s room, figuring that she must be better now. I suppose this means he was there all night, and he decides, “I’ll stay just a while longer” until she’s better.

Meanwhile, Hoon-yi has been busy creating Mi-nam pogs and hadn’t even known Mi-nam was sick until the stylist tells him. He enthuses about Mi-nam’s success and thinks of an appropriate “legend” to add to the A.N.JELL history.

First, he thinks of making Mi-nam a descendant of Bruce Lee, but the stylist shoots him down. Then what if he pairs her with a princess? Since Jeremy has England covered, they could pair Mi-nam with an Indian princess.

The stylist shoots down that idea, too (there are no Indian princesses anymore), so Hoon-yi settles on Old Faithful: a birth secret. They could paint Mi-nam’s mother as a mysterious, grand woman. In Hoon-yi’s fantasy, she is the tough woman who stands up to an invading Japanese samurai and dies for her beliefs. Of course, the stylist vetoes this as well, calling Hoon-yi childish.

Next, we have a few more Mi-nam fantasies, but this time they come from Tae-kyung’s mind. He goes shopping for women’s clothing — something to make Mi-nyeo look “definitely like a girl” in order to “disguise” her.

He rejects the sexy black and the flirty pink lace because they’re not his style. But a classic Jackie O outfit catches his eye, and he thinks, “Yeah, I’d like her to dress like that.”

Then he catches himself: “What do I care about liking it? This is just for an emergency escape. Any women’s clothes will do.”

The shopgirl is excited at his purchase, assuming they’re for Heyi. (Heyi had declined their offer to “sponsor” her with clothes — i.e., she would wear their brand to heighten their profile — but now she would since Tae-kyung is buying them for her.)

Another brand happy to “sponsor” the celebrities is the couple ring purveyor, who had supplied the rings in the MV worn by Heyi and Tae-kyung. Since they’re a real couple, they offer the rings for the idol stars to keep, and Heyi guesses, “If I ask him to wear it for real, he wouldn’t, would he? But I’d like to.” She pouts, “He bought a hairclip for a thing like Go Mi-nam. I really hate her!”

Jeremy and Shin-woo are eager to take care of Mi-nyeo, offering her some lime juice and a blanket. When Heyi drops by, I love how the guys look dismayed to have Heyi ruin the party. She explains that she’s here to drop by on the sick Mi-nam and see Tae-kyung, who isn’t home yet.

However, she has another agenda, and starts out by getting rid of the guys first. She asks Shin-woo to retrieve fruit from the car, then asks Jeremy for a drink. Both leave reluctantly, uncertain about leaving Mi-nam with Heyi.

They head to Mi-nam’s room for a word in private, and Heyi says, “I thought you’d get scared and run away, but surprisingly you’re hanging in there.” Mi-nyeo answers, “I won’t run away like this.”

Heyi enjoys seeing Mi-nyeo squirm, so she says that Shin-woo and Jeremy, who are so good to her, are bound to change if they knew the truth. She threatens to tell them: “You should be begging me.”

But Mi-nyeo startles her by answering seriously, “I will tell them. I’ll tell Shin-woo hyung and Jeremy. They probably won’t forgive me, but I will tell them the truth and leave.” Heyi adds, “Then can you tell them that you like Hwang Tae-kyung, too?”

Mi-nyeo’s face falls at that: “Do I have to say that too?” Sensing weakness, Heyi asserts, “Of course. That’s why you got caught by me, because you didn’t know your place and fell for him.”

Mi-nyeo gathers her nerves, then says, “Then I will say that, too.”

Heyi doesn’t like this, because it removes her power. All along, she’s been trying to be the puppetmaster and constantly finds herself thwarted, so by now she’s tired of being outsmarted. She says spitefully, “Fine, tell them everything! When oppa gets home, gather them together and tell them all! I’ll see with my eyes what becomes of you.”

In a bratty tantrum, Heyi knocks the glass out of Mi-nyeo’s hand, sending it crashing to the ground.

At the noise, Shin-woo walks in with concern. Immediately, Heyi switches on the act and says in a wounded tone, “Mi-nam, why are you doing this? It’s really mean of you to act like this just because I touched your things.”

She’s been outplayed, so Mi-nyeo just apologizes and crouches to pick up the pieces. When Shin-woo helps, Mi-nyeo asks him to get the vacuum. Heyi follows Shin-woo out and says with false concern, “Mi-nam is acting strange. I think he’s hiding something. Does he have something I’m not supposed to see?” She insinuates that Mi-nam’s overreaction suggests that he’s hiding something from Shin-woo.

Shin-woo doesn’t know the extent of her fakeness but he’s sharp enough to know Heyi’s no saint, so he doesn’t take her bait. He’s not interested in digging into people’s secrets. When Heyi asks if such a secret would make him feel bad, Shin-woo replies, “I’m sure there’s a reason for it. If it’s a reason I can understand, then no, I don’t feel bad.” Confused and frustrated, Heyi next tests Jeremy:

Heyi: “If Mi-nam does something wrong, do you just put up with it?”
Jeremy: “But he doesn’t do anything wrong.”
Heyi: “There could be a big thing that you don’t know about. What would you do then?”
Jeremy: “I’d put up with it. I really like Go Mi-nam, so everything is fine with me.”

Heyi has heard from one of her staffers that Tae-kyung bought clothes, ostensibly for her, and sees the shopping bag when he arrives home. When he walks past her, she deduces that the clothes aren’t for her — which mean they must be for Mi-nam.

Heyi has something to give him “because I need proof you’re mine,” then holds up her hand with the two couple rings on it. Tae-kyung takes the man’s ring and comments, “It’s pretty.” Then he puts it back on her hand, “Looks good on you. Wear them both.” He adds, “I’m saying this in case you get confused, but let’s make this clear. I’m not yours.”

Mi-nam requests a meeting with all the A.N.JELL guys, ready to tell them something. They all wait for her to speak, as she works up the nerve to tell them the whole truth.

Meanwhile, Heyi worries, “What happens if Go Mi-nam reveals everything and Shin-woo and Jeremy are still okay with it?” Then, a worse thought strikes her: “What happens when Tae-kyung finds out Mi-nam likes him? I can’t let her tell him!”

Therefore, Heyi races back inside the house, determined to put a stop to Mi-nam’s confession, arriving just as Mi-nyeo says, “What I want to tell you… Actually, I…”

Heyi makes a grunting noise to get the others’ attention. As the guys turn toward her, she says, “Tae-kyung oppa, I have something to say to you” — and gags again.

The implication is clear (she’s pregnant!) and everyone gapes in surprise, most of all Tae-kyung, since he knows this is clearly not possible. Jeremy connects the dots: “If she gags, does that mean… that thing that happens often in the dramas…?”

Heyi manages to say, “Oppa I’m sorr—” just as she gags again and rushes for the bathroom.

I LOVE JEREMY — even if I didn’t love him already, I’d love him for his next line as he says hesitantly, “Then do we have to have a congratulations party?”

Shin-woo prods Tae-kyung to take care of his girl. Tae-kyung knows Heyi’s playing around but denying it won’t get the others to believe him. He gripes, “She’s so dead!”

Heyi is pleased with her performance — she stopped Mi-nam from talking AND gave Tae-kyung a shock. Two birds, one stone. From the bathroom, Heyi calls Mi-nyeo to instruct, “Don’t tell them now. Revealing the truth won’t help Tae-kyung at all. Reveal it and take responsibility somewhere else, when there are a lot of people gathered. You don’t want those people [A.N.JELL] dragged in and hurt too, do you?”

Heyi brings up Mi-nam’s press preview for her music video: “End it there.”

Tae-kyung confronts Heyi about her stunt, but she airily tells him to be cool and refuses to tell the others it was faked. Understanding how her mind works, Tae-kyung follows her out and indicates the rings she’s wearing: “You were mad about that?” She answers, “You should have listened. Don’t piss me off.”

Taking her phone, Tae-kyung sees that he’s not #1 in her speed dial. (Her father is #1.) She’s flattered and asks, “Why, do you want to be #1?”

He asks, “Is your father scary?” Thinking to give Tae-kyung a good warning, Heyi says that her father is so scary that if he were to piss him off, he’d rip out all Tae-kyung’s hair.

This setup recalls the shoe scene at the lake, so we know to expect something as Tae-kyung punches in a few keys, and says, “Good thing you’re afraid of him.” He shows her the message he has typed: “Dad I’m pregnant.”

Heyi panics and tries to wrest the phone away from him, warning him not to do it — but he pushes SEND and off it goes. He asks, “What’ll you do? Looks like you’re getting a haircut today.” (Immediately, her phone rings. Tae-kyung leaves Heyi assuring Daddy that it’s not true.)

Tae-kyung explains to his bandmates that Heyi was merely feeling ill and warns them, “Don’t imagine anything more.” Now they recall that Mi-nam had something to tell them, but now that she’s been blackmailed by Heyi, she can’t come clean. Mi-nyeo apologizes for causing so much trouble, and they respond true to form: Shin-woo understands, Jeremy says it’s okay, and Tae-kyung says it’s hardly the first time.

Mi-nyeo is touched at their response, and prays, “Mother Superior, I have received such good care that I don’t deserve. Please give me courage to do what I have to so they are not hurt.”

Smelling pay dirt, Aunt Mi-ja had told Hwa-ran that she doesn’t know where the twins are. They may have even been adopted. Since she’s the sole blood relation to songwriter Go Jae-hyun, Hwa-ran can just hand over the money (for the remake) to Mi-ja…

She then toasts her impending riches with some friends, bragging about her encounter with Hwa-ran and gossipping about a hunch — she’s certain that Hwa-ran had something going on with her brother. She wonders if Hwa-ran knows who the twins’ mother is, but a friend wonders if Hwa-ran herself is the mother. Mi-ja pooh-poohs that suggestion, because an unmarried and pregnant Hwa-ran would have caused a lot of rumors. But then, she remembers that Hwa-ran had briefly retired, some twenty years ago.

Hearing that the twins are out of reach comes as a blow to Hwa-ran, who drowns her sorrows listening to the song. She asks, “You wrote this song asking me to come back to you, didn’t you? You made it for me. You only loved me.”

Tae-kyung also listens to the song and thinks, “Did you beg for him to return and abandon me?” He asks Pig-Rabbit, “She wants to remake a song like this — can you understand that woman?” He sighs that when he’s feeling down like this, he’d prefer Mi-nam to the Pig-Rabbit, since “the real Go Mi-nam has some use.”

So, next he finds Mi-nyeo outside, gazing at the sky. She can’t make out the stars, though, because the lights are too bright. Tae-kyung advises that she turn off the light, so they stand in the dark for a while.

Tae-kyung asks if she’s worried about her press conference tomorrow. She’ll have to go alone, because Sung-chan thinks it’s better to focus attention on Mi-nam rather than the other A.N.JELL guys.

Mi-nyeo says, “Later, when I think of this place, I’ll feel like it was a dream. You, Shin-woo hyung, and Jeremy are far-away people like those stars in the sky, and I will have been among you. Because the stars can be seen from anywhere, I’ll always be able to see you even if I’m not here.”

Tae-kyung squints to look at Mi-nyeo’s face — blurry in the dark — and reminds her, “I can’t see you very well. Not being able to see you is frustrating. So don’t be somewhere I can’t see you.”

Mi-nyeo points out, “You can’t see me very well even though I am here.” She waves a hand in front of his face, but he grabs it.

Tae-kyung: “I can see. I can see you enough to know you’re there.”
Mi-nyeo: “Do you really see me?”
Tae-kyung: “Yes. I can see you. So when it’s dark, stay at this distance so I can see you.”
Mi-nyeo: “I understand. But I have a request. When I quit being Go Mi-nam and return to being a girl, even if you see me well, please act like you don’t see me. I’ll pretend not to see you, too.”
Tae-kyung: “You want us to act like we don’t know each other?”
Mi-nyeo: “Yes. Please promise me that you won’t act like you know me as a girl.”

Tae-kyung is surprised at her request, and he looks at her in confusion, but bravado forces him to say, “Of course, that’s how it should be. I’ll promise. Let’s not act like we know each other.”

She thanks him with tears in her eyes and heads back to her room. Tae-kyung remains in the dark — both literally and figuratively — as he frowns over her words.

In her room, Mi-nyeo finds the clothes he’d bought. He texts her the message: “Those are clothes for you to wear when you have to leave quickly. Keep it out of sight. When you’re dressed in these like a girl, I won’t act like I know you at all.”

The next day, Mi-nyeo prepares for her preview event and is wished well by the guys as she heads off with Hoon-yi.

However, at some point she slips away, meaning that by the time she is supposed to take the stage, she’s nowhere to be found. Hoon-yi races around looking for her, and Sung-chan nervously barks at him to find Mi-nam asap. Heyi anticipates the show to come and calls Mi-nyeo to make sure she’s ready.

The A.N.JELL guys hear about Mi-nam’s disappearance, and Tae-kyung suggests that they go to the preview. If Mi-nam doesn’t show up, at least they’ll be able to manage the press.

When Tae-kyung changes his clothes, his eyes land on Pig-Rabbit sitting in his chair, like normal — but missing its hair clip. This is odd, so he heads into Mi-nam’s room, where he finds the shopping bag empty.

He thinks of her words last night. Now they have an ominous reading, and he guesses what she’s about to do. He leaves her a voicemail: “Go Mi-nam, run away instead. If you show up in that outfit, you’ll be in big trouble! I’ll take responsibility and handle this, so you can’t come here.”

All the while, Mi-nam heads toward the event, having gone elsewhere to change into her female garb. Mustering her courage, she tells herself, “I have to take responsibility. I can’t push it off to other people.”

The three guys cause a stir, but their worries are focused on Mi-nam, who is still missing by the time they arrive at the screening hall. In an effort to buy time, Sung-chan orders the video to begin, causing the lights to flick off — meaning, Tae-kyung can’t see.

Tersely, he tells Shin-woo and Jeremy, “I can’t see a thing, so I can’t look for him. Find Go Mi-nam.” They have to find Mi-nam before anyone else does, and knowing that time is ticking, he gives them one last, key bit of info: “Look for a girl.”

Shocker! Shin-woo is not surprised, but Jeremy is stunned. Baffled, he protests, “But you said to search for Go Mi-nam.”

Tae-kyung tells him quietly, “Go Mi-nam is that girl.” He has no time to explain, so he tells them to find her quickly and take her away. He heads back outside to the lit lobby to continue the search, almost missing Mi-nyeo as she walks right by the fans, unnoticed, and heads into the theater.

Tae-kyung chases as Mi-nyeo makes her way slowly down the aisle, walking toward the front. Tae-kyung is standing behind her, but everything appears blurry.

Fighting his desperation, he tries to make out her form in the dark as he mutters, “I can’t see anything. I can’t see Go Mi-nam.”

Frustrated, Tae-kyung yells out into the quiet room, “I told you not to be where I can’t see you!”

That causes a stir, as everyone looks around for the source of the outburst. Mi-nyeo stops in her tracks, recognizing Tae-kyung’s voice, and turns back around to face him. Knowing he can’t see her, she thinks, “Please don’t see me here. It’s no good if you see me.”

Just then, the lights turn on.

Girls squeal as they recognize Tae-kyung, but his eyes land on Mi-nyeo and focus sharply on her, just as the music kicks in — rather perfectly — “I shouldn’t have done that, I should’ve acted like I didn’t know, like I didn’t see you, like I couldn’t see you…

The crowd is starting to stir, sensing a big moment, but they haven’t recognized Mi-nyeo yet…

…and at just that moment, Shin-woo whirls her around — to hide her face — and holds her to him.

Shin-woo trades looks with Tae-kyung, then Jeremy, before he turns to the reporters to announce, “She’s my girlfriend. She’s the girlfriend I couldn’t reveal before.”

 
COMMENTS

Finally, Shin-woo’s timing works out! Earlier when she was sick, he had told Mi-nyeo that she should be well, otherwise he’d feel forced to act. I’m sure he recognizes that Mi-nyeo doesn’t feel the same way about him as he does for her, and I think that’s why he’s taking a voluntary backseat. He’s too much a gentleman to play the part of the stereotypical overbearing Kdrama Second Lead who forces his affections on a woman who doesn’t reciprocate. So the only thing that would actually force him to step up and assert himself is if she actually needed him to — ergo, the ending scene.

I’ll admit that the last shot, of Shin-woo holding Mi-nam to hide her face, didn’t have the same punch for that it probably was supposed to have because a similar moment was so fantastic in Last Scandal of My Life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it anyway. I’m often iffy about secondary romances swooping in to impede the main romance at this point in the story, but this is a case where it’s done right.

This moment of Shin-woo stepping in and pushing Tae-kyung aside (metaphorically) isn’t just a contrived plot twist; it works because it’s a confluence of factors that have been built up and layered in over the course of the whole series. The song is layered over Tae-kyung’s blindness — and subsequent sight — which is layered over the star-moon conversation, layered over Shin-woo’s desire to help but only when he must, layered over Heyi’s manipulations, et cetera… It’s a great build-up to an important moment and therefore I digs it. Furthermore, this happens just as Tae-kyung is getting to the point where I think he’s ready to admit his feelings for Mi-nyeo, having gotten past most of the initial denial, only to have that snatched away from him. Angst!

I’ve raved about the Hong sisters plenty, both regarding this drama and in the past, but I’m not blind to their faults and I’m still going to point out when something is dissatisfying. Therefore I have to say that I find Heyi as the big evil pretty funny for the first stretch, but thought it started feeling like “Give me a break” stuff by this episode. The Heyi thing definitely starts to feel like too much, but thankfully, with this episode she’s been totally de-fanged and stripped of her venom. Hopefully this means that the remaining conflict is more about the people at the core of the relationship, rather than a spiteful third party messing things up for our main characters.

(The Hong sisters have definitely improved on their plotting and angst development over the years, because I know a big complaint about Delightful Girl Chun-hyang was the overclingy second leads. That improved in My Girl but there was still a little bit of contrived “Get over it already” obstacles keeping our couple apart. Hong Gil Dong was lucky (in one sense) to have the politics acting as another conflict, to take the burden off the romantic conflict from carrying the story through its latter stages. So I think that with You’re Beautiful, they’re continuing to improve.)

 
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I love it, I love it......okay dokay....next episode please!!!!! And I hope we don't come crashing down like a balloon out of helium! Keep up the great analyzing JB....it sure makes the drama exciting!

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I love Tae kyung and Mi-Nam together but a part of my heart still aches for Shin Woo so this still made me really happy, the ending I mean, even though I know it can't be. =[

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When I see more than 250 comments, my mouth just opens to O and .. OMG
Drama fever is here ... he he..
thanks JB, now I have a habit of checking out your recaps first then watch the raw episode later . Even with English subtitles, I still think something may be lost through translation. Your thread and your insightful recaps are really great for the ones who don't know any Korean like me .

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wow ... i got up at 5am this morning to read the synopsis before going to work and the comments are at 250 already and probably going even higher by the time i submit!

thx JB for your tireless efforts! i haven't been left on a cliff like this since "stairway to heaven". i hope the korean network is monitoring all the postings on this drama to get the feverish pulse of the online community--mostly international--and its phenomenal following.

like others here, i just can't get enough!

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what an episode.. ;(

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Thanks Javabeans for your hard work and great recaps. I look forward to reading them every week.

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Honestly I don't know how to rave about it, its been all covered above. My 7 yr old daughter laughed so hard at TK's lime expression - it was really funny.

I am so happy and satisfied, I just don't care who gets the girl, or why some logics don't seem logical enough.

Ahh, next wed is a long wait.

I wonder if MNyeo would head back to the nunnery at the end and none of them gets the girl! Wait....don't hit me yet - isn't that a possibility!

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WooHoo! Can't wait to actually watch this one :)

I'm glad that the episode ended like that because I was beginning to get a bit tired of ShinWoo watching by the sidelines and being able to do nothing but sigh, maybe mope a little, quickly tough it back up and do it all again. I'm glad they're giving him some much-needed action.

Love the application of poems to this drama and the fact that awesome and intellectual people are enjoying JB's website and the drama! You guys rock :D

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First off, thanks a million times JB! I don't think I've ever been so obsessed by a drama (Korean or otherwise) and your swift recaps totally round out the entire YB-watching experience.

Like some of the other posters here, I tried to wait to watch episode 10 so that next week wouldn't seem to far away but it's Friday morning and I just couldn't help myself.

I'm not even 20 minutes into the episode right now but I've already watched the TK-lime eating scene 4 times and have gone through all my emotions (laughter! tears! squeaaallllss!!). I LOVE THIS SHOW.

Also, did anyone else notice how much facial hair was going on in the first part of the show? President Ahn and his goatee and all the boys had a 5 o'clock shadow that even the makeup didn't cover! I liked it ^_^

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Completely agree with you about the Heyi part. Her character is really irritating me, not simply because she's the bad one, but more like her importance is a bit too much. Why does it always have to seem like she's the main problem -.- ?

And Jeremy's expressions were priceless in this episode. So freaking gorgeous and funny !

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@ Fan

Love you insight and observations. You've expressed everything I feel but can't put it into words. Looking forward to more. Thank you.

Thanks a Million JB for this blog to share our addiction. Heart You.

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My heart hurt for for both TK and MN in that scene when they promised they would pretend not to know one another when she went back to being a girl...waaaaaa...sniff, sniff...a promise that hurts them the most! You just KNOW TK didn't see THAT curve ball coming! I'm sure in his mind when she went back to being a girl, he saw her still by his side!

And Jang Geun Suk's expression, the surprise, a little hurt, bravado---he's so wonderful in this role! The writing is great, yes, but the actors bring so much more to the scenes than what just the dialogue could bring had it been other actors in these roles. I can't help but think to myself...had someone like Goo Hye Sun had been in Mi Myeo's role...I shudder to think. I really apologize to any Goo Hye Sun fans but I found her acting flat, overly done and very emotionally lacking as a female lead.

It's interesting...so if TK and MN have their happy ending (which they will!), and their respective parents had loved one another but were not able to be together for whatever reason, it's almost like fate, a full circle. They can have the happy ending their parents never had! It's kinda cheesy...but I love it. Romantic!

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JB: thanks for the great recap!

But I really do no understand why MN asked TK to pretend not to see her when she quit being Go Mi-nam and return to being a girl. Why ? Can anyone enlighten me?

Or maybe Hong sisters is trying to build up some thoughts here for further development in the later episodes.

I do think UEE appeared to much in this episode. I particularly hate her when she pretended vomitting. How can this happen! But it's fun to see TK sent out the message.

I feel my heart broken along with TK when SW holds MN in his arms and claims that she is her girl.....

TK: You must declare your feeling to MN in the next episode........ I am waiting for this moment ah! I also thinks that TK will remake the song and GMN will sing it.....instead of his mom. I think his mom sing poorly.......lor

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Thanks Javabeans!!! This drama is great.

I was thinking, the ratings never count us, overseas fans. Just look at the comment thread after each episode!
Overall, the viewership rating is way more than just mere 9-10%. Somebody please let YRB cast know they are doing much better than 10%!!!!!

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thank you soo much for recapping YB, javabeans! i'm a long time reader, first time commenter ;D

I haven't watched the subbed ep yet, but i wanted to comment on how i love that you noticed the symbolisms regarding the whole tae kyung= water shin woo= tea and jeremy= juice thing XD. I can't help but further elaborate on that and say that Shin woo is like tea in that it warms and comforts MiNyeo when she's feeling sick or distressed; juice is like jeremy in that it's sweet and cheers mi nyeo up (that's what juice does to me anyways lol XD); tae kyung is appropriately akin to water, in that it's something that is vital and necessary for life, or in this case, he's a necessity to mi nyeo's life! HAHAHAHA i'm probably pointing out the obvious but i couldn't help but remark on that =) I'm just a symbolism nut haha

Thanks agaiiin!! This drama is so amaziiing!! I'll definitely buy it when it comes out! =DD

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@264 Judy,

This is just my thoughts but I think Mi Nyeo was thinking about the upcoming press conference when she was talking with TK that he should pretend not to know her...because when she reveals she's a girl, she doesn't want any of the guys to be party to the sh/tstorm of controversy that would ensue? We know the entertainment media can really wind itself up after all! Better have been conned by the girl-pretending-to-be-boy than being an actual accomplice of it?

Or it's simply she thinks she isn't a "a thing that can like someone like him" and she doesn't want to cause him any more trouble, as Heyi insinuated throughout the episode. Love is inexplicable and I take their behavior as slighly not reasonable but it's because they are thinking with their hearts and not with their heads...?

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best episode ever!
i can't wait ffor the next week and i want the same pig rabbit

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Rating for episode 10 has slightly improved:

TNS (Nationwide):10 (Seoul):10.5

AGB (Nationsied):10.8 (Seoul):11.6

YB: Keep up with your good work! Hope your rating will continue to rise!

I like to look of JGS in this episode. It seemed that the stylist starts to dress him more like a boy/man than a girl When he really falls in love with MN, I hope I can see a face without eyeliner.... this implies TK will show his real face to MN.

But JGS seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His face is so thin and small... I like his boyish look with some meat on his face....he is such a cutie.

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All this talk about second leads (interesting topic, by the way, though probably not the time and place to talk about it more generally) made me realize... Shin-woo role (in addition to being the classic White Knight second lead) is actually a lot like the main lead Sano from Hana Kimi (though from the manga more so that the series). Just like Sano, he chose to remain silent in order to protect the one he loved. The problem rose when Tae-kyung found out (and Mi-nyeo knew that he found out) and so he took on the role of protector.... and grew close with Mi-nyeo because he was the only person she could truly let her guard down around. To pull out another Hana-Kimi reference, Tae-Kyung is actually Dr. Umeda, without the age difference or being gay! (And Jeremy is Nakatsu, of course, right down to his bleached hair.)

At the beginning, everyone (even the actors!) identified Shin-woo as the classic second lead soulmate/White Knight. (The idea that your great true love can't also be your best friend.) But it turns out that Tae-kyung wasn't the classic angsty lead, even if he sure did walked the walk in the beginning. Instead of being mean and insensitive so that Shin-woo would sweep in to save the day and mend hurt feelings, he immediately realizes what he did and tries to fix it (while still trying to look cool, of course!) More than that, Tae-kyung opens up to Mi-nyeo and tries to see her for who she is, while poor Shin-woo is still waiting for his romantic moment to happen.

Part of me would really love it if this grand moment was another example of Shin-woo's bad timing and that Mi-nyeo doesn't actually need the dramatic rescue. If she instead planned to say something like "I am Mi-nam's twin sister. I'm very sorry, but my brother will not be able to come tonight. He has been very sick lately and will need to take a leave of absence from A.N.Jell." Because it just further reinforces Shin-woo problem: if you keep waiting for your big grand romantic moments, then life passes you by. Plus, I like when the girl can rescue herself. :-)

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

OMG!!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!

just finished watching it and i soooooooo excited!

how am i gonna wait till next week!

i feel so sorry for HTK!

and jeramy so awsome! makes me really laugth!

i thought epi 9 was really good....but 10 is killing me!

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@267 Anonymous

Thanks for your explanation.

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guys,

WHERE CAN WE DOWNLOAD GOOD QUALITY ENG-HARD SUBBED EPISODES of YAB? :)

THANK YOU!!!!

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Something crosses my mind. As nice as Mi nyeo seems to be to the guys, I find smth lacking. It doesn't seem like she cares about her own brother much at all from the beginning she never talked about his well being. She stepped in to take the role for him mainly because of the circumstances. And now before revealing herself can she even ask how her brother is doing? After all this is what he's meant to do, being part of the idol group. Ay least we want to know he's safe and sound and the twins are a loving pair right?

I love the drama and the characters. But after this thought I am a bit discouraged. Family bond is so important to me that if mi nyeo is really not that nice to her brother I will discount her niceness to the other guys a lot...

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@274

I agree - we need to see the real minam - however, it seems like minam left the convent for a while, so she hasn't really been in contact with him. plus - she's in such an emotional state of trying to figure out her feelings and realizing that she's liking a guy for the first time that it takes precedence over her thoughts for her brother.

also - i'm assuming that a lot of episodes are happening in a span of maybe a week? it's not sooo terribly long yet for her to start wondering where her bro is.

i wonder if they're going to bring in another actor for the brother, or have her play both roles

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^@274

In my opinion, MN does care about her brother a lot. But since she fully believes that the situation is really how Manager Ma explains it, then she believes that her brother is getting good treatment and recovery in the US. On the aspect of her revealing herself. I think that if she had a chance to do it, she most probably would also tell the truth about the whereabouts of her brother. Another dilemma she is in is that she realizes the complexity of human feelings through being exposed to the world. Falling in love is an uncontrollable thing and I believe that her love and care for the A.N Jell members is what led her to want to stop her masquerade as Minam.

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oh, and the ratings improved. Yay!

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@ 270 quaggy : "Plus, I like when the girl can rescue herself. "

Me, too! That would be a great resolution of the moment--I'm Mi Nam's sister. And true, into the bargain.

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All i have to say about this episode is that, Heyi's dress was disgusting ...

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Just a thought:

I guess SW, despite getting to save the girl in ep 10 still has something to lament about.

When he knew that MN liked TK, I think he had a feeling that maybe, TK didn't feel the same way. After all, like TK, I believe SW thought that he was the only one that knew MN was a girl?

With TK revealing to everyone that MN is a girl, I guess you can count it as disappointment for SW because it's like, 'oh so TK knew all along that MN is a girl and all this time, the time they spent together etc. They could really have had something' (The hug, the ditching because TK needed her, etc.)

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@275 It seems like PSH will play both the bro and the sis. I guess it would have been nice if they showed some insight into the bro-sis relationship before getting Mi Nyeo to fill in for her brother.

It's like... I'm totally clueless about them. I imagine - in their situation, being left w/o their parents, being twins, they must be closer then most siblings.

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@ 281

I think MN twins grew up separately. Mi Nyeo grew up at convent and her bro grew up else where. In first episode, MN said to Hoon-yi that she wrote a letter to her bro about her leaving to Rome. And also when Hoon yi showed her a real MN's pix, Mi Nyeo said something like "is that Oppa?" and her expression was like she didn't know what her grow-up brother looks like. So I just assume that they grew up in different places.

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@280

If I were SW, I would definitely think that especially when he realized that TK even bought the outfit MN is wearing. SW has been such a gentleman all along, I hope he continues to be that and allow TK and MN to be together, even if it hurts him. Though I believe he doesn't think TK deserves MN and will try to keep TK away.

It's been hours since I last watched Episode 10, but I'm still bubbling with emotions. What should I do, Mother Superior?

By the way, anyone has the lyrics to Curse this Heart (track 6 on the OST)?

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Sorry JV if I'm not supposed to post things like this here, but CUTE CF with Jang Geun Suk and Kim So Eun...and seeing as there are many JGS fans here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38S1u3Ng2pI

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squeeeeeeeallllssssss!! I JUST HOPE I CAN WATCH THE NEXT EP NOW! OMO!! it's killing me!!! kyaaaa!~ minama~ dont reveal your true identity~!.

got tears from my eyes at the scene where she was suppressing her feelings for taekyung.. huhuhu~

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I think Lee Hongki is a lot better actor than he's given credit for. His comic timing is spot on and his expressions-OMG- priceless!

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Oh my... my crack is gone. Now I have to wait till next week. *sniff*

Anyway, this episode is LOVE. I haven't been able to watch a series every single second for such a long time that I appreciate YAB so much. :D

Thanks for the caps! Your recaps keep me from going insane Wednesday and Thursday waiting for Viikii.

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its hong sisters. they make the villian extremely villaneous. thats their trademark. i loved ep 10. last part made my heart go... ARGHHH1!!!!!! HEART HEART

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Thank you for your re-caps.
I love coming to your site right after watching the sub.
I get to pick up details I miss. Like, with GMN appears at the fridge, 'I need water' symbolism.

I enjoyed this episode more than ep 9. Don't get me wrong, ep 9 was entertaining, but I felt it was losing a bit of momentum, whereas ep10 got it back to speed.

I am impressed with UEE's acting, she really makes me despise her character. I do agree it's over doing it a bit, but it was needed to get to the episode ending.

This drama is way better than BOF. I gave up BOF at ep12, it got repetitive and the excitement was gone. It was such a let down as I loved the manga. Hana Kimi was a let down to, I loved that manga too. The JDrama was just too much, it just got cringey to watch. YAB does cross dressing the best.

2 thumbs up for YAB. :)

Gotta savour it, just 6 more eps.

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I cried :( I love this episode so much and how sad it was for MN and TK. I sooo love your recaps, I look forward to the others next week. WOW this was put up so fast

THANK U!

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@282

Thanks for the explanation. I'm still sad though. If it's not like other people prevented the twins to see each other for so long, I can't believe they would not try to meet up and stay in touch even if they are taken in by separate people. If it were me I would love to keep in touch w/ my only family, and a twin sibling no less.

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That was the best hour of my life.

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@ 248 bumpkin

You're right. Evil scheming third-leg-of-love-triangle is annoying, not least because the evil scheming is so stupid when we all know that persecuting the love rival will only drive the other two into each other's arms. But I actually think that HY is more convincing than most. Because she is a diva actress, and we all know that actors are basically self-absorbed (no, really). In her case, she is dishonest to boot. I mean, all media darlings play to the camera to some extent (including our own winsome JGS), but to fake tears by a hospital bed takes self-absorption to psychotic heights. So I'm quite happy to go along with her twisted character. Yeah, she likes TK. Sure, her actions are illogical. But, hey, she's a spoilt princess, right? Since when was a spoilt child logical? So when she's calm and collected she can reason that she mustn't be mean to MN or she'll lose TK. But in the heat of jealousy / peevishness / indignation (how can this impostor be better liked than Korea's Fairy?) / anger (how dare he insult me!), it all gets the better of her and she just lashes out. Typical spoilt princess behaviour, really. That's her story and her tragedy - that she can't sensibly find her way to what she wants, when it's not handed to her on a silver platter.

Which reminds me, I liked the little touch in the conversation between TK and MN when she woke from her fever. When he prompted her with "I'm fine"? and she didn't nod, he said, "you really aren't fine". I thought it was a nice touch to show that he knows that she would try to play down her own suffering if she could, but at the same time she has a core of honesty that prevents her from saying she's fine when she's not (though she doesn't seem to have any trouble claiming she's receiving treatment at the hospital (ep 2) when she's not - we'll just put ignore that shall we and put that to her eagerness to oblige Manager Mah). Contrast HY, whom TK knows is a pathological liar and is not even surprised any more when he catches her out. Poor HY. How could the reflected glory of media adulation possibly compete with the pure light of the inner beauty of MN? Maybe this is why YB connects with so many - it's basically a fairy tale.

@ Momosa

"I wonder if MNyeo would head back to the nunnery at the end and none of them gets the girl! Wait….don’t hit me yet – isn’t that a possibility!"

Oh, I'm waiting for MN to "get thee to a nunnery"! (But not permanently, of course.) Ever since Ep 1 I have been cherishing a fond hope that we get to see JGS burst onto a crowd of horrified / fascinated nuns in all his Guyliner Glory, to the accompaniment of loud rock music. He spots MN in her habit, and the sight of that breaks his stride. But only for moment, as he marches in to claim MN his own. Only, this being the Hong Sisters, he'll probably be expelled by furious nuns or, worse, politely but firmly turned away, with a quiet admonishing word.

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THANK YOU JB for your recaps they are awesome!!!

I absolutely love this show i have never been addicted to a drama like i am to this one. THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE who make this drama possible.

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OMG!!!! I saw the ending, and I LUVED IT!!!! I watched it like 3 times!!!! XD ShinWoo is so AWESOME! and HOT! XD

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In which episode is it when Heyi got hit by A BIG TRUCK and DIE? LOL! Don't think that'll happen in this drama though, but a girl can only wish it would!

And WHERE in HELL is the REAL Go Mi Nam? Can't he come in and wear stylish sunglasess (since he can't close his eyes) or something? It's far too long and Min Nyeo wanting Go Mi Nam to disappear means wrecking his brother's career (as if he really got one!) Love the jealous Tae Kyung, the shocked Jeremy and the knight in BLACK Shin Woo!

I'm re-watching and re-reading your recap (and the comments) to get me through til next week. Thank you for a wonderful job and for not "shortening" the recap. Luv ya, Javabeans!

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well here we are again, can't stay away...in wait for our next dosage...

@296
I would love to see that episode as well, where YH gets hit by a truck and dies...but yeah, I don't think we'll get to see it, but hey...we can always imagine it right?

But I do agree with some that TK and YH have chemistry. They match in their bratty ways and are able to handle each other's temper quite well.

AAhh...what will we do when this drama is over??? Oh, that's right, watch the next JGS drama!

Is it Wed yet?

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@293 serendipity :

I think MN may go to back to the convent, and TK will sing the longing song for/to her, even though it obliges his mother whom he doesn't want to oblige, because in this episode he recognizes the potential power of the song. And then, in a twist of the first episode, MN will be the one listening to an iPod in church, when, as you say, TK comes striding in in all his guyliner glory to haul her out of there.

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@298 reluctantbutaddicted

First of, love ur name
Second, I do hope he sings that song for her.
I would love love love for TK to show up at the nunnery. Infact, I want MN to disapper. I want TK to go look for her. And I want a scene where he is waiting to meet her. She approaches him as he has his back turned to her. He turns out hoping to see MN, the girl and finds MN, the sister standing there.
The question he would ask " Who are you? The MN who disguised herself as a guy and showed up at the Prez's office. The MN who stood in front me at the press conference in pink clothes? Or the MN who stands before me in a habit?"

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@ 298 reluctantbutaddicted

Nice! ;-)

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@ 299 thankyou : first, thanks and second, ooh yes! He would have to ask exactly that. And then we'd see that she's wearing the hair pin under her veil.

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