You’re Beautiful: Episode 12
by javabeans
The drama hit its series high rating with this episode, although that only translates to a very modest 11.1%. Still, yay for upward mobility. (IRIS, in comparison, is far out in front with its own series high at 33.7%. We’ll see how Hero fares next week.)
SONG OF THE DAY
Spicy Soda – “나에 곁으로” (Stay by my side). Love the crescendo and the chorus on this one.
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EPISODE 12 RECAP
Yes, the kiss was a real one, and it takes both participants by surprise. In fact, what makes this scene (for me) is Tae-kyung’s gobsmacked expression as he pulls away, completely confused with what he’s just done. Mi-nyeo is just as startled, and the moment she recalls her bearings, she presses her nose.
At a loss, Tae-kyung tries to cover up the moment. He very awkwardly laughs, “Ha. Ha? HA! Go Mi-nam, you’re funny.” Turning stiffly, he hurries away and heads into the building. I love how utterly discombobulated Tae-kyung is. He rationalizes to himself, “I was just so angry that I lost reason. I’m not this kind of person. Why did I do that?”
Mi-nyeo is lost in a daze and prays, “Mother Superior, the star in my heart has exploded into thousands of them. What do I do?” She stumbles into the building (after first geeting lost in the revolving doors) and sits down to rest: “It’s like fireworks are going off inside my heart. I’m dizzy.”
When Shin-woo calls, she vaguely recalls that she was supposed to meet him. She’s too stunned to be very coherent, and murmurs, “Where am I? I’m doing fireworks.” Shin-woo tells her to calm down; he’ll come to her.
Mi-nyeo wonders what prompted Tae-kyung’s kiss, and imagines a few possible answers. Was it out of anger? (But he’s never done this and he’s been angry before.) Was it out of flirtatiousness? (No, he’s not that kind of guy.)
Heyi arrives outside the agency, wondering at the best way to send Mi-nam back home. She considers telling Tae-kyung about the nunnery, but cautions herself to handle this with care. She spots him leaving the building, but he’s so lost in his own thoughts that he walks right by without acknowledging her. Thinking he’s ignoring her out of anger, she asks if he’s still upset with her.
Tae-kyung replies that he’s not angry, nor does he have anything to say to her. But it’s almost worse that he doesn’t care enough to be angry with her anymore. She asks, “Am I nothing to you? How could a woman like me be nothing to you? I’m pretty and popular. We were voted Korea’s best-suited couple — how could you not like me?” (What saves this speech from being aggravating is the honest-to-goodness confusion in Heyi’s voice as she asks it. She genuinely believes her own hype.)
Tae-kyung agrees that Heyi is pretty and popular, but she’s also fake, “so don’t confuse things.” She asks, “Then what will you do if Go Mi-nam confuses herself and says she likes you?” That makes Tae-kyung pause before answering: “That won’t happen, not when she’s foolish enough to cast away her pride. I’m sure.” He doesn’t sound quite convinced, but he’s recalling Mi-nyeo’s supposed feelings for Shin-woo.
Heyi spies Mi-nam exiting the building, and takes advantage of the moment to ask pointed questions that will get overheard while Tae-kyung remains ignorant of Mi-nyeo’s presence. Heyi warns Tae-kyung not to get “confused” regarding her: “Go Mi-nam is a man — don’t mistake her for a girl.” I’m pretty sure she knows that by pushing Tae-kyung’s buttons, she’ll get the desired answer out of him:
Tae-kyung: “I’m not someone who gets confused. Go Mi-nam isn’t a woman.”
Heyi: “Then when you bought her the hairclip and clothes and protected her, did that mean nothing?”
Tae-kyung: “Yeah, it had no meaning, I just did it. It meant nothing.”
He doesn’t see that Mi-nyeo has overheard and turned away in sadness. Heyi asks if he can be sure that those gestures also meant nothing to Mi-nam. Tae-kyung tries to convince himself, “It was nothing to her.” Then he stops, bothered. “How can it be nothing to her? Forget it, it was nothing to me too. If I let it make me feel bad, I lose.”
Shin-woo tries to get in touch with Mi-nyeo, but she doesn’t hear her phone ringing as she cries in a darkened studio. Now that Tae-kyung has said she means nothing, she’s mortified for hoping and feeling more.
Shin-woo worries that she’s sick and rushes back to the agency. Hearing her sobs, he comes upon her in the studio, but Mi-nyeo stops him before he can turn on the lights: “I want to stay in the dark. I feel so embarrassed, I want to hide in the darkness.”
Shin-woo may be patient, but he has his limits and raises his voice as he asks, “How long were you going to cry like this? After you were done, were you going to come to me? I see, you totally forgot me. Even so, I was waiting for you and came running and worried about you — I feel like an idiot!”
She apologizes for breaking the promise and for thinking only of herself. Shin-woo answers that he’s tired of always thinking of her: “Take a good look at how I feel in the light.” With that, he flicks on the lights to show her how upset he is — but in the light, he sees how miserable she is, and his anger starts to dissipate. Mi-nyeo repeatedly apologizes, and he says in a gentler tone that he’s sorry for getting angry.
Sit together after Mi-nyeo stops crying, Shin-woo admits that he was going to confess his feelings to “that woman,” and had prepared flowers, presents, and a song for her. He jokes that it’s Mi-nyeo’s fault it didn’t work out, but smiles and adds, “No, it’s not your fault. I don’t think she was ready for it yet.”
He doesn’t have gifts or flowers now, but he picks up his guitar. Under the guise of practicing, he asks Mi-nyeo to listen. The lyrics describe Shin-woo’s emotions of feeling like a fool (for caring despite always getting hurt and disappointed). Here’s the song as sung by Jung Yong-hwa — I’m sure there’ll be an official track released at some point, but this one is just an audio rip from the episode, so beware of the quality. [ Download ]
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Although she doesn’t pick up on the meaning behind it, Mi-nyeo says it’s a good song: “You’re not embarrassed of your feelings, or sorry for them. You’re diligently liking her. If you’re a fool, you’re a cool one. Can a nobody be cool like that?” Shin-woo says consolingly, “Even if the other person doesn’t know it, no love is nothing.”
Tae-kyung has retreated to his own studio, where he tries to work out his feelings. Why did he kiss Mi-nyeo?
Tae-kyung: “Because I was angry. Why was I angry? Because like an idiot, Go Mi-nam was going to Shin-woo. Why did I stop that? Because I didn’t want her to get hurt. Why would I hate that? What is Go Mi-nam to me? Ugh, this is complicated and confusing. I’ll have to see Go Mi-nam in the bright light and think things over.”
When he walks out intending to find Mi-nyeo, he sees her leaving with Shin-woo, who has teasingly told her to buy him dinner. Watching the two together, Tae-kyung thinks, “Seeing her in the light makes me even more confused. What the heck is she to me?”
Tae-kyung is called to his own dinner meeting with Sung-chan and Hwa-ran. Sung-chan is surprised that Hwa-ran was able to persuade Tae-kyung to do the song, and hears she has worked out the copyright issue with the songwriter’s heir — which is a shock to Tae-kyung, who didn’t know the songwriter was dead. Hwa-ran explains that she’ll probably be able to locate one of the twins, and smiles as she wonders if the kids will remember her — they were such cute things who used to fight over the cookies she brought them.
(I spoke too soon when I wondered previously if Hwa-ran had lost her power to hurt Tae-kyung, because hearing her speak fondly of another man’s children hardens his expression. That can’t be pleasant, and Hwa-ran is so coldly honest that it doesn’t occur to her to watch her words.)
When Sung-chan steps aside, Tae-kyung bitterly tells his mother that she and her lover are the same — she’s a woman who would abandon her child for love, and he’s the man who would write a song for that woman. As though to dispel any misunderstanding that she was a usurper, Hwa-ran makes clear that the twins’ mother died after giving birth.
He sneers, “Is that why you played the mother to them, bringing them cookies?” She says, “Yes. Because I loved him so much, I could be like a mother to them.” (Ouch. The implication is that she didn’t love his father, and therefore Tae-kyung.) She adds, “If he didn’t die early, they would have been your siblings.”
(Hwa-ran doesn’t mean they’re blood-related, but that she would have raised them as her children, since she would have stayed with the songwriter.)
Tae-kyung notes sardonically, “For him to make a person like you think of being a mother, it was a frightening love.” Hwa-ran: “Yes. My love is great enough to be frightening.”
After dinner, Tae-kyung comes home in a funk, thinking that he could use Mi-nyeo to distract him from his darker thoughts.
Mi-nyeo worries how he is but is too timid to bother him. As she peers into the hallway at his room, he walks by, and the two freeze uncomfortably. Mi-nyeo ducks back into her room without saying something, and at her reaction, he feels a tiny bit of satisfaction, because “She must not feel nothing, then.”
Mi-nyeo vacillates between leaving Tae-kyung alone (not wanting to add to his burdens) and making some kind of overture. Finally, she decides it would be best to assure him that she’s completely fine in the wake of the kiss, and not feeling bothered about it.
She texts: “Hyungnim, I’m truly fine.” Belatedly, she realizes she has mistyped a character, and now the message connotes something else. (She meant to tell him she is okay about the kiss. Instead, her message suggests the kiss felt okay.) Oh no! She doesn’t want him to the get the wrong idea.
Mi-nyeo decides that she has to erase the text before he has a chance to read it, and sneaks into his bedroom. It’s empty, so he must be in the bathroom. With relief, she spies the phone on his bed, and grabs it just as he emerges from the bathroom. Mi-nyeo dives to the other side of the bed to hide.
Unfortunately, the phone is locked with a PIN number. In frustration, she tries a few combinations, but is unsuccessful. Tae-kyung turns off his music and calls out, “It’s 4820.”
Mi-nyeo enters the password before registering that Tae-kyung is aware of her presence. With dismay, she faces him as he indicates that he’s already read her text, and mocks her for it.
Tae-kyung asks if she’s really fine with everything, and when she answers yes, he deletes the message: “Everything today is deleted.”
He sees the redness on her forehead — she smacked it on the ground when she dove behind his bed — and gives her medicine to apply. However, his warning not to get it in her eyes comes too late, and she yelps in pain. He flushes out the ointment with water, then treats her eyes with some drops.
Mi-nyeo stumbles up to go back to her room, running into things because she can barely open her eyes. Tae-kyung grabs her hand, then leads her back upstairs.
She asks, eyes still closed, “Are you still very angry with me?” He answers, “How can you know whether I’m mad when you can’t see?” She reminds him that she’s a public nuisance who’s always angering him.
Tae-kyung tells her, “At first, you were. Now, you’re…” He trails off and Mi-nyeo again assures him that she’s fine with everything. He finishes, “In any case, I was smiling just now. I’m not angry with you.”
The next day, the guys have a photo shoot with Heyi, to make up for the aborted press conference. The air is distant between the A.N.JELL guys and Heyi, now that they know what kind of person she is. She watches them cheerfully interacting with Mi-nam and pouts, “I’m the one wearing the princess’s clothing, but she’s receiving the princess treatment.”
She tells herself that as long as Tae-kyung stays away from Mi-nam, she can put up with it. And she only has to wait a little longer, because Mi-nyeo will be heading back to the convent soon.
Heyi ropes the guys into helping her, wielding Mi-nam’s identity as a weapon to get them to do what she wants. They’re reluctant, but do as she wants. You’d think that forced attention isn’t very satisfying, but Heyi will take it where she can get it, and is pleased to monopolize the guys as long as Mi-nam is kept at a distance. It’s pretty pathetic, if you think about it.
The stylist points out how pretty Heyi looks, making Mi-nyeo feel inferior, since she’s always dressed as a boy.
The guys treat Heyi like a necessary evil, addressing her with thinly veiled distaste. Tae-kyung doesn’t bother hiding his low opinion of her, which prompts her to threaten, “You know that when I’m in a bad mood I talk a lot, right?” Jeremy and Shin-woo remind him to be careful.
I think Heyi hates his new attitude even more than the old one. In the past he was hostile, but now he’s dismissive, and indifference is worse. Therefore, she latches onto the first bit of leverage she stumbles across, when the stylist comments that Mi-nam must envy Heyi because she wants to look pretty to Shin-woo. Heyi’s startled — Mi-nam likes Shin-woo? (In the stylist’s defense, she assumed that Tae-kyung told his girlfriend and therefore isn’t spilling a secret.)
This gives Heyi newfound hope — and a new plan. She might be able to solve her problems by hooking up Mi-nam with Shin-woo, and asks the stylist to help her.
Heyi proposes that Mi-nam would enjoy a chance to look pretty in front of the boy she likes. Therefore, when sudden rain calls a halt to the shoot, the stylist takes Mi-nam aside and makes her up as a girl. She explains that she wanted to do something nice for her: “Just while it rains, you can be a pretty girl. When the rain ends, you can go back to being a guy.”
She convinces Mi-nyeo that it’s safe, since the rain is keeping the crew indoors and they’re in the greenhouse, which is a separate building.
Mi-nyeo enjoys the brief moment of feeling pretty, and the stylist snaps a picture so she can hold onto the memory even when she has to dress as a guy. The stylist steps out for a moment — and sends Shin-woo in on a false errand.
Seeing him, Mi-nyeo is flustered and her instinct is to hurry to change, but Shin-woo tells her not to: “If nobody saw you, what a waste it would have been. Mi-nam, you’re very pretty. Beautiful.”
He says she’s like a fairy-tale character: “When it rains, you’re a girl. When it stops, you return to being a guy.” He recalls hearing a similar story somewhere (he means RANMA!), then calls her the swan princess — a swan in the daytime, a princess at night.
At the same time, Heyi drags Tae-kyung along for a walk outside. (She sighs that it’s like a scene in a movie, and he agrees — a horror movie.) Spotting the greenhouse in the distance, she suggests they head there to get out of the rain, knowing who’s inside.
And so, Heyi and Tae-kyung walk in to see Shin-woo sitting with a girly Mi-nam. Heyi coos at how nice they look together, and insinuates that they’d make a good couple. She says, “You’re working hard to look good to Kang Shin-woo. It’s pretty. Doesn’t it suit her?”
Tae-kyung doesn’t betray an outward reaction but his glare is furious as he says harshly: “It doesn’t suit you. It’s laughable.” He whirls out, leaving his words to cut at Mi-nyeo’s own fears. When Heyi catches up to him, he says with contempt, “Get lost.” Heyi is startled at the intensity of his reaction: “Why is he so angry? I thought he’d mock her, seeing her like that.”
Mi-nyeo beats herself up, agreeing with Tae-kyung’s assessment: “He’s right that it doesn’t suit me. I did something really laughable. I told myself I wouldn’t be ashamed. I told myself I would be fine. But I’m more foolish than a fool.”
Shin-woo tells Mi-nyeo not to cry: “Don’t cry anymore because of Tae-kyung.” He confesses, “I’ve found out that the reason you’re crying is because of Tae-kyung. You like him.”
Shin-woo: “I didn’t want to make things difficult for you by getting involved. But I hated seeing you always crying.”
Mi-nyeo: “I thought I was doing well enduring it and hiding it. You figured it out?”
Shin-woo: “Yes. Because I’ve been looking at you.”
Mi-nyeo: “My feelings must be visible.”
Shin-woo: “Tae-kyung can’t see them clearly yet. Do you want to show him?”
Mi-nyeo: “No, I don’t want to shock him or make him feel bad. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of my feelings and make sure they are not seen. I’ll change my clothes and return to being a man.”
The snooping Reporter Kim wanders around the grounds, intent on uncovering the secret of A.N.JELL’s mystery woman, and sees Shin-woo walking off in the rain. He suspects some drama must have gone down in the direction of the greenhouse, where Heyi has returned to find Mi-nyeo berating herself for being foolish.
Heyi: “It was wrong for you to have come here from the start. You should have stayed at the convent and become a nun. When you’re done being Go Mi-nam, do you intend to go back to the convent? In my opinion, why don’t you go back to Rome to become a nun? Go back to that.”
Mi-nyeo: “Yoo Heyi, although I have given up that path, it’s not something to speak so lightly of.”
Heyi: “I said, go back home!”
Mi-nyeo: “Ms. Yoo Heyi.”
Heyi: “Do that and Hwang Tae-kyung! You want to stay with him so he’ll see you, don’t you? If he’s nice to you, you raise your hopes. You act like you don’t, but you want that, right? Do you want him to see you being so foolish? Do you want him to find out?”
Mi-nyeo: “I don’t want him to see me looking foolish. I won’t be found out.”
Just then, the reporter steps inside, interrupting the scene. Seeing the two women and knowing that Shin-woo has just been here, he smells a scoop. Mi-nam whirls around to keep her face averted.
Heyi mutters to her to run away, so Mi-nyeo knocks the reporter aside and runs out into the rain, while Heyi holds the reporter back.
The rest of the crew is still indoors to wait out the rain. Hoon-yi thinks Tae-kyung looks sick: “You look like you’ve been really hurt and are in pain.” Tae-kyung answers tersely that he’s not hurt — he’s mad and surprised. Hoon-yi guesses, “You saw something you didn’t like, which made you feel shocked, which made you angry, which made you feel hurt.”
Tae-kyung has to admit to himself, “I want to deny it, but he’s right. I was shocked to see her like that, and angry that someone else was with her, and that hurt. Since it hurt, I lost.”
Hoon-yi flips through photos and sees Mi-nam making the pig-nose and comments, “She’s still doing that.” This grab’s Tae-kyung attention, and he asks, “Mi-nam does that every day. What is that?” Hoon-yi explains that he told her that whenever she feels her emotions overtaking her in front of the person she likes, she should make the nose. He assumes that Shin-woo must have been in front of her in the photo.
The truth dawns on Tae-kyung as he asks, “Is that what that meant?” He rifles through the photos to confirm his hunch, and sees that the shot of Shin-woo doesn’t line up. Instead, the photo matches with one of himself, and he realizes, “She’s looking at me.”
Hoon-yi’s part idiot, so he doesn’t catch on and chides Tae-kyung for being mean to Mi-nyeo. He urges him to be nicer to Mi-nyeo, especially since she looks up to him. Why, she even treasures the hairclip he gave her, even though it was a cheap old thing that broke.
That strikes him as strange too, so Tae-kyung grabs her bag and fishes through it, until he finds the broken clip. “She found this again?”
You know a storyline has gotten good when you’re frustrated that it cuts away to Mi-ja and Hwa-ran, even though we do finally get some clear answers about the big birth secret.
Mi-ja asks why the singer is so keen on meeting the twins. She saw her scar — is she the twins’ mother? Hwa-ran laughs at that ridiculous idea, and answers that she owes the kids a debt, but she didn’t give birth to them. She’s searching for them “because it was my fault they lost their mother. She died because of me.”
(Note: This clears up that Mi-nyeo is not related to Tae-kyung, not that it was ever really a concern, right? Hwa-ran cares for the Go twins because she loved their father and feels indebted to their mother. Since her love died, the closest thing she has is his children, who are living ties to the person she lost years ago. Her own son represents bitterness and a loss of her great love, and since she has a small heart, she just couldn’t love him with the same openness.)
Mi-nyeo seeks out the comforting embrace of Mother Superior as she cries out her heartbreak.
Mi-nyeo: “He’s like a bright, shining star. When I receive that light, I feel brighter and also darker. When it’s bright I get my hopes up, and when it darkens I feel disappointment. I hate myself for this and feel ashamed.”
Mother Superior: “As you have come to know this love, you are quite beautiful.”
A bit later, Mi-nyeo sits outside, looking up at the night sky. She can’t stop crying, and says, “Because the tears keep coming, I cannot see the stars. If I continue to not see them, I won’t get my hopes up or feel disappointment. I wish I didn’t see them.”
A car screeches up and interrupts her thoughts. Mi-nyeo looks up at the source, squinting against the bright glare of the car’s headlights, which are directed at her.
It’s Tae-kyung, who gets out of the car and faces her, leaving the headlights on:
Tae-kyung: “Go Mi-nam. I see you very well right now. You can’t see me because it’s too bright, can you? When I couldn’t see you, were you always crying like that?”
Mi-nyeo: “I won’t cry anymore. Please pretend you didn’t see me.”
Tae-kyung: “How can I pretend not to when I can see you so well? Go Mi-nam, you were looking at me like that all this while, weren’t you? I couldn’t see you so I didn’t know.”
Mi-nyeo: “Please act as though you don’t know. I won’t look anymore.”
Tae-kyung: “Don’t stop looking. You can’t quit of your own accord. Keep looking at me! Like you are now, keep looking only at me!”
Mi-nyeo:”Hwang Tae-kyung…”
Tae-kyung: “Go Mi-nam, from now on, I’ll give you permission to like me.”
COMMENTS
I’m a little dissatisfied with that last line translation because that sounds condescending in a way he doesn’t mean. He’s being sincere and the tenor of the message is, “I know that you like me and from this point on, I’m okay with it.”
Maybe it’s the lack of spoilering, or maybe I’m just thrilled to have the truth (finally!) out in the open, but I loved the way this episode ended. Truth be told, I was feeling let down by the first half of the episode — it felt like stuff we’ve come to expect. It’s sort of standard to feel a little lag at this stage, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it, especially when I think the writers are good enough to keep things moving. The wacky appeal of the earlier episodes was because so much zany stuff flew at us unexpectedly, and that kept us on our toes: Mother Superior emerges from a gym locker, Jeremy’s imagination runs wild, Mi-nyeo believes making a pig-face will control her emotions, Tae-kyung throws away Heyi’s shoes, Tae-kyung gets lost and refuses to admit it…
Therefore, when Tae-kyung finally figured out that Mi-nyeo’s in love with him, it comes as a nice huge breath of fresh air. Finally, we can lay to rest one tiring plotline and get busy with the next phase.
Surprisingly, I liked Shin-woo better in this episode. Maybe it’s not surprising since the reason I liked him was that he was finally honest. He didn’t outright tell Mi-nyeo that he liked her, but he dropped a very big hint when he told her that he was always looking at her. (If she were a sharper person, she could pick up his meaning.)
It was interesting when he got angry at Mi-nyeo for standing him up at the restaurant, because (1) you could say that his anger made him look petty or small-hearted, because he was thinking of his own foiled romantic gesture more than her pain. But (2) I liked that flash of anger because it made him seem human, rather than that Robotic Second Lead With Perfect Responses To Every Crisis and Perpetual Understanding. I don’t care if Shin-woo shows a flaw or two — heck, Tae-kyung’s flawed up the wazoo but he’s insanely charismatic — so I welcomed his moment of bitterness. And then he saw how hurt Mi-nyeo was and his anger melted, so he’s not entirely selfish.
An example of plot tiredness is the Heyi and stylist connection. (I say “tiredness” because the plot itself is fine, it’s just that it’s been drawn out a wee bit too long so it’s worn out its welcome.) I don’t really mind Heyi’s continued bossiness in this episode because even though she’s still blackmailing everyone, at least the situation is different. It’s only for show now and everyone knows her true nature, whereas before she was manipulating people’s emotions. I’m okay with her character at this point because she’s so irrelevant to the relationships that she’s like an amusing pest. Also, Tae-kyung’s reaction to her has changed, because now he can’t even bothered to care about her. That brings out her inner vulnerability, and that’s actually something I find interesting. I want to see more of that Heyi — the girl who has been so surrounded by yes men that she draws her own self-worth from how people see her.
The stylist, on the other hand, greatly grated on my nerves because at this point she has turned from amusing minor character into Plot Device. She just keeps blabbing information to Heyi. I don’t care that she’s a blabbermouth so much as I wish Heyi were cleverer about finding out her secrets. She just keeps falling into information.
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Tags: Jang Geun-seok, Jung Yong-hwa, Lee Hong-ki, Park Shin-hye, You're Beautiful
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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251 YABaddict
November 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM
@250
Yes! A sequel, that's a great idea! Or, I would be happy with a director's cut DVD which would have 20 episodes! I do feel some scenes may have been cut to fit the time restrictions.
We want more YAB!
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252 Mandy
November 13, 2009 at 3:18 PM
I love reading your recaps after I finish watching an episode. (:
I'm so happy that TK finally realized his feelings about MN and that last line makes so much more sense once you realize that he's referring to the moon/star conversation they had. :DD <3
Thank you for your wonderful recaps, can't wait until ep 13.
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253 melYAB
November 13, 2009 at 3:20 PM
i have a bad feeling that the reporter might find the polariod pic taken by the stylist for Minam.. it could be for the next ep.. i just hoped that when minam ran away from the greenhouse, she took the pic with her..
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254 Momolito
November 13, 2009 at 3:23 PM
YAAAYYYY!!! Loved the episode!
I hope on episode 13 a big kiss, its not male Gominam its a beautiful girl in front of TK. We need a cute episode because im dying to see a romantic TK with MN. JGS is doing an amazing job!! Such a complex character and yet so lovable. That line between what hes saying and what he is feeling is present and the viewer can feel the truth about his feelings. If this character isnt well portrayed, we all be complaining about how GMN is in love with a psychiatric patient. That under certain circumstances he needs medication. I think it will be interesting to see the reaction of the other members, SW and jeremy have feelings for this girl. It definitely will change the interaction of the group members. Until next week!! More crackkk!!
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255 I love YAB.
November 13, 2009 at 3:23 PM
I agree on what you said about He Yi. I was actually surprised that she helped Mi Nam in the green house when the reporter came. If she wanted to, she could've just stood by an did nothing. Maybe her character won't be so evil after all. ;)
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256 serendipity
November 13, 2009 at 4:17 PM
@ 223 reluctantbutaddicted
Sister!
JGS has always had wardrobe issues. Maybe it's an indication of my love for TK that I've been far more bemused than annoyed. I like to think it's a cheeky nod to JGS' real-life idol-dom (and his sartorial eccentricity). Anyway, it adds to his eccentric persona. Much like the "If I get upset, I lose" mantra, it says that TK doesn't give a toss what you think: Here I am, take it or leave it, so there. And this aggressive approach to self-assertion is of course a protection against deep-rooted insecurity.
Which explains the armour he has constructed around himself and feeds into his inability (1) to admit his own feelings (because caring for MN makes him vulnerable. Why, see what trouble he has already gotten into on her behalf, and this is even *before* he's explicitly committed to her) or (2) to see that someone like MN could be crazy in love with him.
So, in all these thwarted-once-again! plot constucts, I have to admit there is some kind of logic. A method in the madness. Rather gratifying, really.
@ 226, Why, thank you, Fan. I enjoy reading you, too. Isn't all this mini-reviewing fun?!
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257 reluctantbutaddicted
November 13, 2009 at 4:40 PM
@ 256 Serendipity
I've only just recently clued in to the real world wardrobe of JGS--when JB posted those pics of him at an awards ceremony a couple of months ago (?) YB hadn't started and I had no idea who he was so I just glanced, pityingly, shook my head, and moved on. Now, of course, going back to see what JB has written about him, the full realization has hit me smack in the face. Yikes. He REALLY doesn't care what anyone thinks, eh? Not at all. Well, I admire his chutzpah, I can say that. But I think he needs a fashion Intervention and I would be glad to help out there.
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258 mary
November 13, 2009 at 4:48 PM
wasn't tk allergic to pollen b/c his mom wanted to send him some flowers, but he ends up visiting a greenhouse full of flowers?
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259 aiqcn
November 13, 2009 at 4:54 PM
I just realized one thing in YB & I just had to say it.
Does anyone realize that all the male characters in YB are all lovable while all the female characters are not so, except mother superior & mi nyeo?
From TK to manager Jung....even manager Ma is adorable...LOL...
Anyway, just a thought.........
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260 Cherrie
November 13, 2009 at 5:06 PM
AAAAAHHH!!!! I just LOVE "You're Beautiful"!!!! :D
I love this series.... ^^
I'm a total fan of Jeremy and Shinwoo!!!!
Poor Shinwoo... broken heart... :(
Jeremy is SOO funny! xD
Well anyways good luck to the cast! ^^
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261 sukispop
November 13, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Thanks, JB, for another fabulous(and speedy) recap!
Some random thoughts-
I think that He Yi's "help" to Mi Nam, keeping the reporter down so she could escape, was self-serving. He Yi's only stronghold over Tae Kyung and the rest of the A.N.Jells, is the secret that Mi Nam is a girl. If she had not advised Mi Nam to run or helped to keep the reporter down, and just allowed the reporter to get a shot of Mi Nam the pretty girl, then the secret would have been revealed to the public and Tae Kyung would no longer have to stay by He Yi's side as fake boyfriend.
I don't think that Mi Nyu is quite as dumb or dense as some folks here think she's been...especially to Shin Woo's or Tae Kyung's feelings toward her. Yeah, she's definitely pure, innocent, and naive; she grew up in a convent and was fairly insulated from the real world. Also, and at least from her point of view, she's just a regular, common person(a "nobody" as she has put it a number of times)...who has suddenly found herself living amongst and performing with a hugely popular idol group. All three A.N.Jells are exceedingly good looking, and the stuff of dreams for seemingly every young woman. It isn't unreasonable for Mi Nyu to consider it completely absurd that any one of the A.N.Jells might have feelings for her. Her innocence, naivete, and clumsy-bumbling ways(but always with good intentions) are a big part of what makes her so very adorable. I simply cannot imagine anyone other than Park Shin Hye as Go Mi Nyu/Mi Nam. She not only owns this role...she's killing it!
The first time I viewed the episode ending, I felt a bit unsatisfied and maybe just a bit annoyed. Here's Tae Kyung's big moment and chance for not only telling Mi Nam that he finally knows that she's in love with him, but also that he has fallen in love with her as well. But, nooooo. Instead, he delivers his revelation to her by practically shouting at her...and tops it all off by telling her that she has his permission to like him. What the...?!?
Then I watched it again, realizing that Tae Kyung is simply staying true to his character. Having been abandoned by his mother, the dynamics of love is not something that Tae Kyung is particularly familiar or comfortable with. He tries to boil everything he's feeling down to practical elements and that's how he's been rationalizing the feelings that he's experiencing every time he's near Mi Nam. Before his climactic revelation to Mi Nam, he's been asking himself, "What is she to me?" So, by the episode's ending, he is finally aware of how Mi Nam feels for him...but it's possible that he still hasn't completely come to grips that it's love that he's feeling for her. On top of that, he always has to feel in charge with Mi Nam, so that's why it is he who grants her permission to like him. What a perfectly Tae Kyung way of handling this!
Last thought-I really liked the style coordinator in the beginning of the drama. She's funny, bold, and brassy...who couldn't love her for the way that she happily beats on the manager. But now, her character's been reduced to a witless fan girl who's willing to share critically secretive information about Mi Nam with none less than He Yi...and for what? Because they're such BFFs? Sorry, but this is not true to her original character, imho, and a poorly conceived plot device for what the Hong Sisters are capable of.
I.love.this.drama.
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262 Norma
November 13, 2009 at 5:29 PM
I love Sukispop random thoughts! You're paying attention!!!!
This is sooooooo fun....love it, love it!!!!!!
Is it only me....how come episode 12 isn't posted yet on kdrama site?
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263 sukispop
November 13, 2009 at 5:37 PM
@256 Serendipity-
I think I so commented in a previous YAB recap, but it bears repeating:
I REALLY enjoy your comments, which are entertaining, spot-on, and eloquent. Thank you.
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264 lola
November 13, 2009 at 5:47 PM
About the "I give you permission to like me" line. I did not at all find it condescending. I thought it was a clever way to evioke the star moon conversation: Takyung tells go minam to ask the star if she can like it, Takeyung does not realize he is the star so he does not answer and when he looks at gominam's half tearful expression, he sees some emotion but heyi interrupts the moment. I think it is a clever way for taekyung to say "I know i am the star and yes, you can like me". What do you guys think?
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265 sukispop
November 13, 2009 at 6:09 PM
@262 Norma-
Thank you! I guess that some of the stuff starts to sink in, after you've re-watched the episodes several times, each! LOL
I enjoy your comments, too! I love that you're a grandma who's loving these dramas! I'm a 53yr old father of two daughters in college, so I know what you mean about about our youthful mindsets. The best moments in these dramas really touch the heart of this ol' guy. I, too, prefer these dramas to much of what American television has to offer nowadays.
@220 Lisa-
Your quote: "The “I give you permission to like me” line was from the ep they were looking at the stars in the country, MN asks TK (he thought she was asking a star) if it’s okay for her to like him (it)."
What a great catch!!! I've been trying to figure out why Tae Kyung chose to say this, specifically...and, now, thanks to you, it makes perfect sense! The Hong Sisters do it, again...masterfully clever!
Thanks, Lisa!
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266 serendipity
November 13, 2009 at 6:17 PM
@ 257 reluctantbutaddicted
Great idea! Let's e-mail him and make an appointment to take him shopping for a whole new wardrobe. JGS, honey, I'm sure you clean up real nice. Let your Noonas take care of you, you won't regret it. Why, we'll even throw in some free English speaking classes; maybe that'll help you avoid another Itaewon Murder Case train-smash. I bet by the end of the day I could get you to say along with me "Shirt collar good, cowl neck bad".
Seriously, I'd love to find out the real story behind TK's wardrobe. Was the production team so short of funding they said to JGS "Could you just bring along your own stylist? And, if you don't mind, your own wardrobe as well?" Or maybe it was a contractual term: "OK, I'll give my all to act in this, but in return I get to wear what I want."
In an (adorable) television interview of JGS, he said that he can take up to an hour to decide what to wear, and he can change his clothes more than three times before he gets out the door. Somehow I find this so killingly hilarious (and enduring)! Firstly that he's so vain. Secondly that he would admit it on national television!
There's this interesting "sameness" and "difference" between TK and the real-life JGS. There's the superficial wardrobe similarity. But the reasons for its eccentricity seem to be quite different. For TK it's asserting his devil-may-care and confidence, because it's in reality quite fragile. For JGS I think it's just because JGS thinks it's fun and loves attention. He comes across on television as being a confident young man who is very comfortable in front of the camera. Does he crave the camera because he, like TK, has deep underlying insecurity issues? Who knows. Are all showbiz types in search of deep affirmation? Anyway, what on earth possesses some people to parade their lives in front of the world? Better minds than mine have pondered these deep questions...
@263 Sukispop
Hey! Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun too.
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267 Ibeova
November 13, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Thanks JB for the brief summaries…
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268
November 13, 2009 at 6:56 PM
Finally! So many things have been cleared up! (wipes forehead) No more thinking their siblings. whew. :)
I'm dying to see what she's going to reply.
Three scenerios:
1. She replies okay.
2. Shin Woo suddenly appears out of nowhere
3. She gets up and walks away
Though, I doubt it'll be any of these things because the Hong Sisters have a way of surprising you :)
And can I just say in caps that I <3 JEALOUS TAE-KYUNG. Even with the slightest touch, he gets angry and mutters things to himself. Hopefully, after this, he can finally be true to his own growing feelings.
As for Shin-woo, very sweet/sad scene in the greehouse. :( Though, I have stopped feeling sympathy for him a long time ago. There were SO many times when he could've confessed -_-
Haha, and He-yi has got to the be the most funniest antagonist. :D She tries so hard even though Tae-kyung shows no.interest.in.her.whatsoever. I thought he would fall for her along the way (you know, like most asian dramas go), but I guess not. LOL.
Im so excited for next week that Im dying :D I absolutely cannot wait until next week. Til then, I shall indulge myself in your blog.
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269 eyebagsndramathons.com
November 13, 2009 at 7:16 PM
Thank you for the recap.
Now the SMS text messaging scene makes a lot of sense. Once again, Minam manages to help Taekyung take his mind off his problems. She is a natural at this. :)
Taekyung's reaction to the kiss was GOLDEN. He didn't have any reaction except distaste when Heyi stole a kiss from him. Yet, he kissed Minam on impulse, was speechless for a few minutes and then barely made his way to the exit door. LOL..
These two are too cute. It looks like once they go steady, everything else will be fine. I dont think Taekyung will let it be their parents' history to affect their relationship. Minam is far too precious to give up, Taekyung! :)
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270 tinyviolin
November 13, 2009 at 7:24 PM
I feel kind of bad for disparaging Shin-woo so heavily earlier (I even changed his name to Shin-Who) because the actor is actually acting better! Granted, it's marginal, but it makes me disproportionately relieved! I actually saw some emotion flit across his face for brief, constrained seconds. He's no "Ji-who" from BOF, who seemed so actively determined to act poorly that it become too aggravating to forgive.
I missed Jeremy in this episode! I still enjoyed it a lot, but now that I've accepted Jeremy's glee, I want more of it. More Jeremy, please! ^^
Also, I liked that the kiss was awkward. It's supposed to be a surprise to both, even Tae-kyung who initiates it. Yes, his reaction afterwards is hilarious. Stalking off, stunned, hahaha.
"Hoon-yi’s part idiot, so he doesn’t catch on..." I've actually been tamping down my frustration with the idiocy of everyone. It seems ludricous that Tae-kyung can't/won't understand his feelings for Mi-nyeo. He's playing the anger and confusion completely straight, so I don't think he privately realizes his love and is just trying to suppress it. As a contrast, he knows his mother's power over him, but he still affects a hard exterior. I've been fervently coming up with excuses for his idiocy (his mother's love, inability to believe in love, blah blah) but the fact is...even Mi-nyeo, the pure nun, recognizes love when it hits her upside the head. Must the reporter be the only lucid being among them? Is this the only way to play out the story, which must be too unrealistic?
Nevertheless, I have to say how well the writers are playing on the star metaphor, the darkness and light. I loved Mi-nyeo's conversation with Mother Surperior, about how she herself become brighter and darker in the borrowed light. Great way to describe love. And it doesn't seem forced at all, rather it comes naturally from the story itself. Pretty cool, that.
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271 jeijei
November 13, 2009 at 7:39 PM
javabeans, could you post the lyrics for Spicy Soda's "Stay By My Side"?
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272
November 13, 2009 at 8:05 PM
PSY is quite adorable and funny in this ep for me. I think she's a great actress also..i saw her first in STH and she was amazing!
I would like to check out more drama with JGS in it..he is AMAZING..but I dont think anything would top this for me!!
Finally SW shows some personality in this ep!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE every ep so far..never a dull moment!!
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273 serendipity
November 13, 2009 at 8:25 PM
@271 Anonymous
Actually, I think YAB might be JGS' best work to date. He was pretty much in over his head in "Hong Gil Dong" - miscast in a role that required more gravitas than he could deliver. And he wasn't particularly stretched in "Baby and I". "Itaewon Murder Case" is well-nigh unwatcheable because the poor boy was acting in indecipherable English.
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274 bumpkin
November 13, 2009 at 8:35 PM
I haven’t been able to watch the episodes yet so BIG BIG thanks JB for your recaps!
Ah TK, how do I love thee? I love that you are consistent with your character. Whether it may be an unexpected kiss or confession, you still do it with your own unique style! I love the consistency of his character in this episode. In episode 2, after learning that MN is a girl, he goes out right away to confirm it. Then he confronts MN. In this episode we see him discover the possibility that MN likes him and not SW, confirms it, then confronts MN. (I agree with you, 162!)
New OST
I heard about the new OST and that JGS has a new song called ‘goodbye’. I read somewhere that it is a sad love song? I think that maybe, instead of remaking the ‘what do I do’ song, he decides to create a new one—I think he will change his opinion of Songwriter Go after he hears the love story of Songwriter Go and his Mom. I can so imagine him thinking that he used to hate him (MN’s dad) because of what happened. But now, he wants to thank him for having MN, so in a way, ‘giving’ MN to him.
Ah, Heyi. I actually felt kinda bad for you in this episode.
I learned somewhere that the opposite of love is not actually hate—it’s ‘indifference’. ‘Hate’ is still something that you give to others. It involves acknowledgement of the other person. Indifference on the other hand involves, well, nothing. No giving of anything, no acknowledgement of existence.
I think that HY tolerated TK’s hatred because there is something that she can still do about it (I think this is what she is hoping for). To be treated as ‘insignificant’ however, is something that really ticked her off, so she tries harder with her schemes. If there is anything we learned about Heyi, we can say that she should have changed tactics when her schemes are not working but we can surely give her points for effort. Haha. I do hope she gets to redeem herself in the last 4 episodes.
As for the ‘over the rainbow’ song, I dunno, maybe the Koreans think that it’s a classic or something. Maybe it is something that should be liked/ everyone likes/ or ‘you must like this because you are from this country’. Like Kimchi…:)
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275 nikita
November 13, 2009 at 9:16 PM
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this drama i have watched each episode at least 5 times and still find it interesting.
What makes it so great is the romance between JGS and PSH who i love to bits. JEREMY who is adorable and funnuy ans SW well he is just good looking. Have watched many dramas but have never reacted to any like i have for this one. Keep the episodes coming and JB thank you for your wonderful recaps.
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276 lollyobsessed
November 13, 2009 at 9:35 PM
I LOVE their reactions to the kiss! I couldn't stop laughing at that part...so not what I was expecting XD
This episode was slightly slower than the rest, mainly because we've gotten to the 'conflict' part of the drama. But the ending! Now it's gotten me all hyped up for next week's episode!! And I love the way it was done, he was yelling and she was confused, but the conversation was so good! *gushes*
TK is such a quirky character, I love him. He's just got so much depth to him..oh and LOL at the comments serendipity made about JGS's real-life wardrobe! It is pretty horrifying, but he's so cute otherwise! I think his acting's great and I can't wait to watch him in something else. :D
Thank you for my crack, as always! <3
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277 Vy
November 13, 2009 at 9:49 PM
Hello,
Thank You for the lovely (as always) recaps, Javabeans!
I guess most people will agree with me when I say that I come straight to your blog right after watching the actual episode(s) of You're Beautiful. I've always thought that I was the only one that did that and that I was weird for doing it but it's good to know I'm not alone. Like, it's starting to become a habit now too. It's like, even though I'm finished watching the episode(s), I'm not finished completely unless I visit your site. This proves how awesome your recaps are, Javabeans! Also, not only do I love Javabeans' comments but I just love all the comments other people make as well.
And now, about the actual episode.
I liked it. Although I did think that the first half of the episode was slow and it felt weird since I was used to seeing You're Beautiful as funny, cute, and fast paced. But all in all, it was amazing nevertheless. As for the ending, at first, I thought, "Wow, he finally realizes that he's in love with her and he says THAT?! Really?". BUT after I came here and read most of the comments (see, this is what I mean when I say I LOVE the comments people make because it totally makes sense after I read/ think about it! And all of you who does think of these kind of things are so much brighter than I am because I would've never gotten that whole ep. 7 + ep. 12 connection.) about Tae-Kyung's response, it made me even more giddily and happy inside knowing since he replied with their little star/ moon conversation, then it's all good.
Gawsh, I'm so hoping that in the future episodes, Tae-Kyung and Mi-Nam's relationship will continue to progress and them actually being lovey dovey. It sucks when the two main characters in drama don't get together until the VERY END (I'm thinking of something like..Soulmate.) But yeah, to wrap up, I really love this drama so much and would hate to see it end. (Don't you hate it when you get SO ATTACHED to a drama, movie, etc?) I agree with those that say You're Beautiful HAVE TO, no, NEED TO be extended. Pretty please!
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278 kaedejun
November 13, 2009 at 9:57 PM
one thing that really bothered me in this episode was the stylist. she became SO ANNOYING. it's clear that though some of her lines are motivated through "i'm thinking what's best for MN" - she's so annoying in that she has to agree to everything heyi says. she's only interesting when interacting with hoonyi - i'd rather see that more.
i do love the spitfire dialogue that JGS and PSH would have at the end of episodes or at critical points in the drama - i sometimes feel like the camera/editor can't catch up with them!! and the hong sisters really need to give JGS more lines when he's angry - i want to see his wonderfully expressive face more!!!! *best expressive face* was when he realized that MN was looking at him and after he found the pin in her bag.
BRILLIANT!
this was a good ending - less heart-wrenching for me, because the last week was PAINFUL!!! i just HAD to know what happened! but now - i feel a little more settled and satisfied.
in regards to Hwa Ran - i always wondered how she was going to take the news about TK and MN being together - and I always thought that she'd be happy with it. i mean, her biological son would be marrying her "adopted" daughter. but then, i wondered if TK would be mad or betrayed that MN was the daughter that stole his mom away from him. that question really stood out a lot to me in ep 12. i'm HOPING that TK will direct his anger at his mom and not at MN. that he knows it's not MN's fault, or that he won't be irrational or something.
in that vein, i am also hoping that MN will be mad at Hwa Ran. although, i don't know what Hwa Ran did that "killed" her mother - i'd think she'd be really depressed about the fact that someone so close to her - TK's mom - actually caused the death of her mother. then again - who knows how the mother REALLY died. was it childbirth? or was it heartbreak? or was it suicide? because if it was childbirth, no one's at fault really. if it was heartbreak or suicide, it was her father and Hwa Ran's fault, in a way.
GAH - I REALLY HOPE THE PARENT-DRAMA GETS TIED UP NEATLY. i am in NO MOOD to go through more angst just because of their parents.
heyi NEEDS TO BE DUMPED!!!
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279 reluctantbutaddicted
November 13, 2009 at 10:20 PM
@ 266 Serendipity :
“Shirt collar good, cowl neck bad”.
Repeat 50 times before you go to sleep and when you wake up.
OK, I'm in for that shopping trip. But I have the sneaking suspicion that I won't like the real life JGS half as much (a fraction as much) as I like HTK. All that stuff about preferring feminine demure women, as if he couldn't take much competition for attention, that didn't go over big with me. ANYWAY, I'm still willing to help him find some shirts that cover up the cleavage. And some shoes that don't make him walk like a granny.
I am praying we can go the last 4 episodes without any new trenchcoats.
TK doesn't seem to really crave the camera, I have to say; he accepts it as part of his duties as a celebrity, but he doesn't come across as particularly happy about it. So I take it that he is wearing selections from a wardrobe that has been purchased for him, just as MN's wardrobe seems to have just appeared. He just doesn't seem to select all that well. What motivates JGS I couldn't possibly speculate about... but I've crossed Itaewon Murder thingy off my list (thanks for the heads-up) until he's redubbed his lines after completing our intensive English language intervention.
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280 Jo
November 13, 2009 at 10:46 PM
I love how human shinwoo appeared in this episode. thus my heart exploded with joy at the end of ep. 12, but at the same time I felt so sad for shinwoo-like weeping.
Gosh, this cast is like awesome. No one i hate or prefer...well..shinwoo is up there by a thin thin ultra miniscule hair.
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281 amy
November 13, 2009 at 10:46 PM
I liked Shin-woo better in this episode too. And the last line.. I don't think it's the problem with the translation... I thought that line's not romantic at all even in Korean.
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282 serendipity
November 13, 2009 at 11:17 PM
@ reluctantbutaddicted
Oh, I dunno. I think it might be real fun to date real-life JGS. In fact, I think he would be a lot more fun than TK. TK would sneer at us, I fear. Or at least, be painfully polite. JGS would play along and enjoy our attention. Better yet, we'll bring along a video camera which will guarantee winsome exuberance.
And yes, the trenchcoats must go. As must the granny heels. I'm still in two minds about the cowl necks. When they are not too revealing they can be kind of, er, alluring.
They do say that if your man has more skincare products in the bathroom than you, you have a problem. How can anyone cope with a man who pours so much energy into his appearance? (And gets it so wrong?) Maybe that's why showbiz types seldom marry "civilians" - not because they are too good for the likes of us, but because their self-absorption is hard to live with?
At college I knew a young man who shortly after went into showbiz. He was the life of every party, and at the same time quite a nice person. I had a minor crush on him, like every other girl in the vicinity. I'll never forget a day I spent with him - he helped me move stuff, I took him to tea, the day was warm and sunny, and he was at his most chatty and charming. But... everything revolved around him. He was a lovely young man. But, oh my word -- High Maintenance.
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283 Kriyn
November 13, 2009 at 11:30 PM
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
(Sorry emotions on overdrive. Will contribute intelligently into the conversations later. All I can manage out at this ponit is. Pig-Rabbit + Blind Freak = LOVE)
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284 Judy
November 14, 2009 at 12:02 AM
I am feeling empty and down after finishing ep 11 and ep 12. So I am filling the gap by watching JGS and PSH's other videos.
Really like the JGS and PSH pair. Their Etude House advertisement is cuter than LMH/PHS pair.
Enjoy the video here....
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/pFbwe-oYWrU/
Hope that YB can show us an even better kiss scene.
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285 Norma
November 14, 2009 at 12:16 AM
I finally got to watch episode 12!!!! Oh my gosh....this must have been the best episode....and if the next episode doesn't start off with Tae Kung kissing Go Min Nam "properly".....darn, I'll be so disappointed!!!!!
She's beautiful....so beautiful!
this is definitely a fun journey!!!!
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286 LongLive!
November 14, 2009 at 12:45 AM
I was hoping for KSW to try harder. I know he has indicated through his song that he's there for his love and not expecting anything (very noble) and also that he feels that she is not ready (when will she be ever ready??? especially if not trying hard enough).... one of the moments of lost opportunity I thought was when he found her crying alone in the dark.... (he could have given her a 'comfort' hug then that may not necessarily mean to much, surely he remembered seeing HTK do the same at the end of episode 4 when GMN was teary); also the 'petting' on the head continues even after KSW is supposed to know GMN's female identity. I don't interpret this like petting a pet animal, but seems to just re-inforce more of a sibling kind of relationship, like the cute younger sister. Although, there is an improvement there..... KSW is squeezing her shoulder..... (and HTK's the meticulously clean character who is not used to physical contact, so if HTK can do that, please try harder KSW)....
[maybe I expected too much, I must confess that I did really hope that in the early part of Episode 11, KSW, after leading GMN into the studio room and removing the coat over her head would be honest and say something like "no, I am not angry, because I need to apologise too..... I knew you were a girl and have liked you all along" and maybe do the Jeremy forehead-kiss] yes, I know that KSW was probably the true romantic in that he would prefer a romantic restaurant meal complete with music and flowers for the true feelings reveal.... sigh, bad timing again and again..... KSW’s missed the boat, the train, the plane......
I think HTK’s mother became pregnant after an ‘accidental’ affair. Given that she was so in love with GMN’s father and was already probably quite successful (and single) at that time, I don’t think she would have willingly engaged in any activity to jeopardise her relationship (or her career). Rather she may have been intoxicated / drugged (and I certainly hope that she was not raped). This may explain that HTK was ‘unwanted’ in her eyes and she may have transferred all the horrible feelings she had for HTK’s father onto HTK, who is his father’s son. Also, I thought the C-section was a great idea to help explain the lack of emotional attachment between mother and son. Her belly enlarged gradually over months, and then with an operation, it was as though her belly had returned to original form (minus baby), so no motherly bond.
GREAT WORK and THANK YOU to Dramabeans as always..... and I hope for more SQUEEEEEE factor in next episodes.....
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287 alert
November 14, 2009 at 1:21 AM
On question how TK find MN there... I hope they solve that very early in the next ep. Hopefully they'd show how TK finds her there. Deep in my heart I hope MN would ask the same question TK asked her in episode 7 - "How did you find me" and TK would answer back.. "I was able to find you by thinking of you" which is the same answer MN gave him after the pig scene. If that ever happened, I would melt there and then. But again, let's not put your hope up high (pat on own back). And stop making fanfic.
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288 jacq
November 14, 2009 at 1:50 AM
Ok, I decided I'm going to order the adorable pig-rabbit! It is really the cutest thing! I love it, I want it, I need it, I ought to have it!!!
Can't wait for next week's episodes and find out what happens after TK gave MN permission to like him! ***Faint......***
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289 serendipity
November 14, 2009 at 2:01 AM
The more I think about it, and re-watch the last part of this episode, the more I am so over my initial disgruntlement. The conversation improves upon examination.
It mirrors their fraught shouting match at the end of the last episode, when they are both extremely wound up; but while they said words which were designed to stake a position, they couldn't stop themselves from spitting out truth.
MN is still more-or-less in the same place, and if anything even more determined that she should push him away and insist that he not look at her (meaning: her love is so great, she can't cope anymore with the pain, and just needs to run away -- once you crack the code, what she is saying is clear). TK in both instances is highly strung out of concern, previously because he thought she was going to shred her heart for ShinWoo, and now because he realises that she has been shredding her heart for him. In both cases, he responds to her pushing him away with a forceful pulling in of her - previously with the subconscious-driven kiss and now with his carefully chosen words.
He is of course continuing the "can I like that star?" conversation - so he acknowledges he realises that was about him. He is also responding to what she spat out before the kiss: "you don't see anything!". He's saying: "Yes, I didn't see before, but now I do, very clearly". TK says "I keep seeing you" in both instances. Before it just burst out in exasperation. Now it's a confession. He's saying "I know how you feel. And I can't walk away. I can't turn away from you."
TK makes up plenty for lost time. In a few short sentences he comes straight to the point and covers all bases: Establishes he knows she has feelings for him, confesses he wants her to continue feeling for him, declares he can't turn away from her, admits that he hasn't until now realised that she has been looking at him, explains that he hasn't been able to respond to her simply because he didn't know she cared and not because he was rejecting her, and demands that she embrace whatever is happening between them. He's saying that what she has thought can not be, is actually something that he badly wants. Oooh. Tres romantic. Imagine what this means to her. From thinking that she is nothing to him, all at once she is hearing "I know you care. It's ok. In fact, I want you to care. I insist upon it. I don't want you to look at anyone except me. I need you to care about me." On the surface it sounded pretty it's-all-about-me arrogant. But on reflection, it's actually I-need-you humble. Oooh, my stars.
And this is why we love TK. And this is why for all TK's childishness, selfishness and dysfunctionalities, there's no way we are going to give MN to SW. Because once the penny drops with TK (admittedly, taking a while) he goes straight to the point with MN.
My prediction is that having reach this emotional pitch, we'll be in for some lighter moments next week. TK and MN gingerly negotiating a new relationship, verbally sparring as usual but secretly crazy happy in love. Whether they reveal all to SW and Jeremy (oh, I wouldn't put TK past it: "These are the new house rules: she belongs to me, so you two, no touching without my permission"), or whether they carry on in secret for a while, it's going to result in tons of hilarity in the Boy Band Den. I reckon that those who are wanting a classic date will be disappointed. But I think we are going to be treated to some very cute TK & MN moments - rough on the surface but tender in sub-text; just before the next wave of angst hits us.
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290
November 14, 2009 at 2:11 AM
@ 287
LOL I wish that would happen. I think he was able to find her by asking the manager, since he did say earlier in the ep that they're near the convent. But but, if that happens, omg... I melt too =D
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291 mizuki
November 14, 2009 at 2:26 AM
Oh yeah, the conversation between Mother Superior & MN in this ep has hidden meaning I think. The title of the drama "You're Beautiful" ties in with what Mother Superior says.
[Mi-nyeo: “He’s like a bright, shining star. When I receive that light, I feel brighter and also darker. When it’s bright I get my hopes up, and when it darkens I feel disappointment. I hate myself for this and feel ashamed.”
Mother Superior: “As you have come to know this love, you are quite beautiful.”]
So not only the title is a pun on Mi Nam's name, it's actually implied that Mi Nyeo who lived and was raised in the convent all her life, she didn't know what path to follow other than becoming a nun. However, life is unexpected and now she knows how it feels like to be in love. Because of this realization of love, she now knows being a nun is not for her. So yeah from a nun, she has come to know love and therefore she's beautiful (coz love is a beautiful thing) -> You're Beautiful =D
Okay, that doesn't make sense ><
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292 Crazy over YAB
November 14, 2009 at 2:32 AM
Somehow, I got the feeling that perhaps TK will not actually confess his love for MN yet in the coming episode ( though he lets on that it's okay for MN to love him). They might have their sweet moments of hanging out together etc..but he might not say 'sarang hae yo " to MN yet. He still has to deal with his inner insecurities of losing someone he loves (his mum) so his wall of ice has to take time to melt.
So MN might still be insecure regarding where she stands in his life. As for TK, it's only when MN leaves (I 'm sure the Hong sisters has it scripted already), then will he fully realize his love for MN, hence the sad song "good bye' -where he asks the question "what should I do? "in the Part 2 OST.
Though I know that everything will end well, I can't help feeling the trepidation that something bad will happen to drive MN away from TK before the final happy ending. 4 more days to go before the next episode.....can't wait....can't wait..
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293 yvhsien
November 14, 2009 at 2:39 AM
Wow....almost 290 posts! I normally don't read the recaps until I've watched the episode (s'thing in the line of spoilers) but today I was really tempted because of lack of Internet connection and of course, difficulty in getting onto one site.
I haven't had the chance to read all the posts yet but since it's almost 2:30am, I figured I need to quickly 'unload' and get some sleep.
This episode is great because we have several previously unresolved situations resolved:
i) TK realizing his feelings and telling MN it's okay she likes him
ii) We know for sure MN and TK are not siblings
iii) SW finally realizing MN likes TK and he'll have to settle his own feelings
Just some comments - When SW sang that song to MN, I think MN was thinking of her one-sided love for TK too. That's why in the greenhouse, after TK left, MN referenced the song when she said she told herself not to be embarassed but now she feels really foolish. If SW caught that, he'll know that there's no hope for him.
I also agree with several others that the writers found a great way to have her feelings for him come out in the open (for TK). The pig-nose and hair pin says it all. I wish they get to spend some sweet moments together as a couple. As someone mentioned, maybe they'll go to an amusement park. TK mentioned in an earlier episode that you go with your gf/bf to an amusement park. I think that would be fun. Whatever it is, TK has lots to make up to. He has hurt MN too much, cut her deep several times with his words like the last one when he said she looked funny.
I'm glad the story of the twins and TK are finally out in the open. I can breathe a little easier knowing they are not really related. I think because MHR caused MN's mum to die, TK will be able to forgive MN because she too had lost a parent because of her father and his mother's love. We know MHR had TK out of wedlock so she must have had an affair with TK's dad or did it to advance her career. When Mr. Go found out, he got mad and left her to marry MN's mum. MHR after giving birth to TK was not going to give in so easily and somehow caused MN's mum to die. We know MN will forgive but will her brother??
Someone mentioned that there seems to be so many more loose ends - the real MN, the parents situation, HY and her fake relationship with TK, recording of MHR's song, the reporter, and of course, revealing of MNyeo as a girl. Can they possibly fit all these in 4 episodes without hurting the flow?? Can they be shooting for an extension, knowing now how much support they really are getting but are not telling the viewers yet?? Of course I wish.
By the way, looking at the preview for Ep 12, there was a scene where Jeremy asked MN if she wanted to go to England. Did that get cut out? Or is it just in the version I was watching?
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294 alert
November 14, 2009 at 2:45 AM
#289 Serendipity,
Seriously, I had goosebumps all over reading your observation. And being too absorbed with the drama (as we all are,) I'm on the verge of crying just. by. reading. a critical. analysis. of. a. scene. *Sigh* I know, this is so over the top emotions, but when you decipher the codes, I had this newly found emotions for the last scene. Thank you, THANK YOU so much for decoding the conversation! You put that so perfectly.
*Oh for crying out loud, stop being so emotional over a drama*
And I didn't expect all cutesy romantic scenes coming up too. I don't know, but I have a hunch that they'd be a bit awkward with each other, but cutesy awkward that is. And can't help imagining TK being all cocky, egoistical, and hysterically adorable trying to adapt to the new relationship.
#290 Anonymous
We can dream, can't we. If it really happens, let's all die of excitement! LOL.
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295 2m2i4k1i
November 14, 2009 at 3:39 AM
thank you JB!!! I'M SPEECHLESS.....
AWWW!!! THINGS ARE STARTING TO GET SOOOO EXCITING!!!
GYABU!!!
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296 anjell
November 14, 2009 at 3:44 AM
JB
i agree with you about shin woo... ;) I've been blinded by my adoration for tae kyung that I barely noticed him in previous episodes... but in this episode, he finally caught my eyes! I liked the part when he got angry with mi nam and when he turned the lights on, his expression softened because he saw how she was in deep hurt...
the last part was just okay for me... i was actually hoping tae kyung would show a softer part of him when he finally realized his true feelings for mi nam...
but i am still extremely happy and satisfied with the ending of ep. 12 and i still ADORE tae kyung! :)
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297 heejung
November 14, 2009 at 4:37 AM
@291 mizuki: That would be really cute :) But from my knowledge of korean, 미남이시네요 literally means 'you are a good looking guy'. 아름다워요 is the type of beautiful that can connotate inner beauty, while minamishineyo is more about the superficial aspect.
i cannot wait for next wednesday!!!!! i can't believe it's gonna end in two weeks. ㅠㅠ
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298 bumpkin
November 14, 2009 at 4:38 AM
Forgot to mention how I loved the fact that TK finally admitted that it 'hurts' (I don't know much about this but I guess he means his heart hurts? Jealousy hurts). It's like after so much time denying feeling anything, he raises a white flag surrendering/ admitting that he's jealous. It's sooooo against his character because he never admits mistakes or defeat. But as they say, love makes you do the weirdest things.
I hope they still give HY her 'moment'. By this I mean I hope she gets to tell her feelings to TK. I don't mean anything by this but I just want her to just get to tell him about how she feels. I hope SW gets to tell his feelings to MN as well. That way there is 'closure' and I would feel bad if the 2nd leads never get to confess how they feel.
I hope the next episode won't dissapoint. C'mon Hong Sisters. Give us TK-MN scenes that will make us squeeze our cheeks due to happiness. :)
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299 Fan
November 14, 2009 at 5:09 AM
@250/251
Sequel! (Squeeeal!) Sequel! (Squeeeal!) Sequel! (Squeeeeeeaaaaal!)
Great thinking guys! As with the J-dorama this resembles if they do well enough they get special episodes and even sequel seasons!
Sigh... right, back to reality- 11% was already the series best- a far cry from what it takes to extend the series, and even further cry from what it would take likely to film a sequel.
(Though a weeeee voice in my head says- but the leads here aren't the mega-million won demanding stars, they're newbies who aren't too expensive, the settings here are pretty modest- 3-4 sets, and 3-4 on-location shots, special effects are minimal, and for heavens sakes, we've even seen them recycle costumes from other serials, sooo.... if this turns in a halfway decent profit in CDs, DVDs, advertising and sales of overseas rights, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps....)
Though I admit I have no idea how they would develop a sequel from this, whose central premise is a secret, whose secret is bound to be up by the time the story ends.
I know, I've been full of bravado and agreeing that its a good decision not to extend the serial, and that it's better to quit while the going is good... but on the other hand, there's a part of me that's already starting to pine and whine ("But mommy, four more is too few.... wwhyyyyy can't we have more? Huh mommy?")
(In the style of a YB fantasy sequence, I see myself in a bizarrely psychedelic background, in a manager-style tie, grovelling at the feet of the Hong sisters "Please, please, please")
Back to real life-
My brain tells me it's for the best, but my errant heart begs to disagree.
I know... why wear your welcome out? Why out-drink the sweet and drain the cup to the bitter dredges? Brief and beautiful is the key!
Clever YB, to finish laurelled and celebrated and loved, like Housman's "Athlete Dying Young"...
"Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man....
...And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's."
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300 birdscout
November 14, 2009 at 5:20 AM
I was getting so annoyed at work yesterday because it was so busy and I couldn't read this recap and comments properly. Dang! Don't you guys hate it when real-life work interferes with your kdrama obsession? lol
I
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