You're Beautiful: Episode 16 (Final) » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

492 November 26, 2009January 24, 2016

You’re Beautiful: Episode 16 (Final)

by javabeans

Well, here we are: the final episode.

I liked it quite a lot, and thought it tied up our ends nicely. I enjoyed the way the main conflict was resolved, and while it wasn’t perfect, I like its balance between hitting that dramatic climax and reminding us of its sense of fun.

SONG OF THE DAY

Wheesung – “사랑해” (I Love You) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 16 RECAP (FINAL)

Mi-nyeo stops to look at some stars on display in a storefront, and turns just as Tae-kyung spots her through the crowd. The music stops and the world goes silent as the two stare at each other… until Mi-nyeo breaks the moment by bowing in greeting.

Tae-kyung tries to find his way out of the crowd, but when he looks over at Mi-nyeo, she’s gone. The background song (“Without Words”) echoes his sentiments as he asks, “She went without a word? She just bows in greeting and leaves?”

He returns to the agency, feeling dissatisfied. When he encounters Sung-chan with the stylist, he asks to see Mi-nam, who is supposedly out with Hoon-yi.

He’s not actually with Hoon-yi, however, as the latter runs into Mi-nyeo in the street and the two stop to chat. Mi-nyeo hears that her brother is currently making an appearance in Jinju, and asks if it would be possible to meet him before she leaves. She’s headed to Africa to join a nun acquaintance in charity work. It turns out she’s leaving on the day of Mi-nam’s first concert.

Tentatively, Hoon-yi asks if she’s going to leave without seeing the others. Mi-nyeo answers that she’s always watching them from afar, and has been keeping up with all their news. Hoon-yi asks if something happened between her and Tae-kyung, because Tae-kyung never asks about her, nor does he talk to Mi-nam.

Prompted by Tae-kyung’s questioning, Sung-chan wonders where Mi-nam is; he was supposed to have returned from an event with Tae-kyung. Nervously, the stylist calls Hoon-yi to tip him off, and warns that Sung-chan can’t find out that Hoon-yi sent him to Jinju without his knowledge.

A colleague mentions seeing Mi-nam in Jinju, so Sung-chan looks at the stylist suspiciously. They’re not doing stuff behind his back, are they? He wants to see Mi-nam in 30 minutes.

In a panic, Hoon-yi wonders how to handle this, then looks to Mi-nyeo with pleading eyes. In a familiar gesture, he gets on his knees to beg her (as he did in Episode 1) to become Mi-nam for one last time. Just for a short while, to prove to Sung-chan that he’s still in Seoul.

Mi-nyeo vehemently says no — she’ll be discovered right away. In desperation, Hoon-yi reveals the reason he needed to send Mi-nam to Jinju in the first place. He’s about to become a father, and Mi-nam is helping him save up extra cash by doing side gigs in order to prepare the baby’s essentials. The mother… is stylist Wang! Things happened on the trip to Japan, and now she’s pregnant…

HAHAHA. Mi-nyeo is no match for such a pathetic story, so she reluctantly agrees.

Still mulling over their encounter in the street, Tae-kyung tries to understand why Mi-nyeo disappeared:

Tae-kyung: “She may have not seen me. No, she bowed in greeting, so there’s no way she didn’t see me. She saw me and just ignored me. Pig-Rabbit, why on earth did you do that?”

This segues into another fantasy sequence. In the first scenario, Mi-nyeo is dressed in her habit and decides to become a nun. So did she disappear because she has decided to take her vows? But no, she definitely gave that up, and it’s not a path someone could return to easily.

Then, did she decide to become a pharmacist’s wife? No, he recalls that Dong-joon is still in the army and was going to seek her out after he had been discharged.

Then did she decided to join the fan ranks instead, content to be a spectator cheering him on and writing him fan letters? But no, he mutters, “If she’s a fan, she should have at least come to me to ask for my autograph. Is she no longer a fan at all? Have I been dumped entirely?”

Mi-nyeo uncomfortably dons Mi-nam’s clothes to be presented to Sung-chan. This allays Sung-chan’s suspicions, and he apologizes for doubting Hoon-yi.

Hilariously, when the stylist starts to energetically hit Hoon-yi for the close call, Mi-nyeo cautions her to be careful for the baby’s sake. The stylist wonders, “Huh?” Hoon-yi hurriedly brushes this aside, tipping us off that he invented the story to appeal to Mi-nyeo’s sympathies.

An angry voice calls out Mi-nam’s name: Jeremy comes storming down the hall, demanding that Mi-nam confess where Mi-nyeo is. Hoon-yi intercepts him to avoid subjecting Mi-nyeo to a face-to-face confrontation.

(I only include this screencap at above left because it’s hilarious to see Hoon-yi dragging away a persistent Jeremy by the feet. Oh, Lee Hong-ki, you’re adorable.)

Shin-woo arrives from the other direction and confronts Mi-nyeo, about to say something. The stylist ushers her away quickly and detains Shin-woo. Mi-nyeo turns back with sad eyes to say, “Shin-woo hyung, I’m sorry.”

After thinking it over, Tae-kyung comes to a conclusion:

Tae-kyung: “I don’t want to admit it, but I’ve been dumped. Believing that she would come back when she was feeling better was my delusion. Pig-Rabbit looked totally fine. I was the only one hanging on. Before things get any worse, I’d better reply that I’m okay.”

Mi-nyeo trudges down the agency hall, stopping a few feet away when she spots Tae-kyung. She thinks, “Mother Superior, I have to leave my star far away, but why is it twinkling brightly before my eyes again?”

As she turns to go, Tae-kyung calls out to her, thinking it’s Mi-nam. His tone is cool and sarcastic:

Tae-kyung: “Tell your sister that I saw her message that she was okay. If I’d seen her in person, I would have felt bad, but now that things have ended cleanly, tell her thanks. I saw her briefly earlier, but because of the fans, we couldn’t meet properly. Make sure to tell her I’m fine and doing really well.”

His sardonic manner is a front to cover his true feelings, but the words hurt Mi-nyeo. She thinks sadly, “It’s a relief to hear that you’re doing fine. From now on, I will be fine too.” So when Hoon-yi asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want to see Tae-kyung, she answers that Tae-kyung is fine without seeing her. It’ll be better for both of them not to meet.

Her exit is thwarted by an oblivious Sung-chan. He has prepared a meeting that Mi-nam had requested of him, and is enthusiastic to be of service. He drags her off for the meeting, and Hoon-yi furtively makes baby sounds to remind her of his sob story.

When she arrives at the restaurant, she’s shocked to realize that the person Mi-nam has been begging to meet is Heyi. Apparently, he’d been very good to her in the aftermath of her breakup with Tae-kyung, and now wants to take things another step forward. As Sung-chan greets Heyi, Hoon-yi hurriedly advises Mi-nyeo to not engage with her. It’s too bad for the real Mi-nam, but she’d better ignore her as much as possible.

Mi-nyeo keeps her head down and her answers brief, while Heyi adopts an air of annoyance. Her words express displeasure that he’s been following her around, and she has told him that she’s not interested, but her attitude indicates that she’s actually enjoying playing this part. She calls his plan to reveal his feelings for her at the upcoming concert “immature,” and tells him not to do it.

She adds, “Does Hwang Tae-kyung know you like me and keep following me around? Doesn’t that bother him at all? Anyway, you haven’t told Tae-kyung about your sister, right? If she meets him again, I won’t see you anymore.”

Back at the studio, Tae-kyung broods about the message he had given for Mi-nyeo: “Will he have told her what I said? When she hears it, she’ll think I’m over her, and won’t want to see me again. What do I do?” He makes a decision and calls Hoon-yi, asking where Mi-nam is.

At the restaurant, Sung-chan doesn’t take Hoon-yi’s hints to leave and is determined to stick around for moral support. In fact, he also called Jeremy and Shin-woo.

Dreading the impending scene, Hoon-yi fortifies Mi-nyeo with soju. She says she won’t be sober if she drinks it, but that’s exactly the point — if she is herself, she’ll be recognized right away. If she drinks the soju and collapses, Hoon-yi will usher her out and handle everything. He overrides her last protests by reminding her that Sung-chan will suggest going to the sauna together afterward. Mi-nyeo is horrified at that thought and chugs.

By the time the others arrive, Mi-nyeo is passed out. Tae-kyung grumbles, “What’s with him?” Happy to have avoided potential trouble, Hoon-yi announces proudly, “He’s drunk!” Heyi fawns over Mi-nam to make Tae-kyung jealous, while Sung-chan invites everyone to sit for a drink. It’s been a while since they were all together.

A little while later, Mi-nyeo stirs in her sleep and ends up slumping over, onto Tae-kyung’s lap. At first he’s irritated and starts to move her — but he notices something odd. Touching her hand, he remembers how it felt to hold it and recognizes that this is Mi-nyeo. He keeps his surprise well under control, but Shin-woo notices his reaction and catches on.

Tae-kyng offers to take Mi-nam home, and when Hoon-yi returns to the table, they’re gone. Shin-woo tells him quietly, referring to Tae-kyung, “I think he knows who it is. The president hasn’t caught on yet, so it’ll be okay.”

Tae-kyung remains parked in the driveway for a while, until Mi-nyeo wakes up. She mumbles for Hoon-yi, but is shocked to find Tae-kyung beside her instead. Quickly, she tries to think how to act in this unexpected situation. She fumbles for the door, forgetting that she still has her seat belt on. He unbuckles her, and as she stumbles out of the car (still a little drunk), Tae-kyung says to himself, “I’ve caught a Go-Mi-nam-impersonating Pig-Rabbit.”

Mi-nyeo thinks she’ll have to confess her identity rather than trying to keep the lie going, but tummy troubles force her to make a quick decision: it’s too embarrassing to reveal her identity and then go to the bathroom, so she’ll have to go to the bathroom first. With that decision made, she hurries inside to use the facilities, rushing by Tae-kyung without saying anything.

When she comes out of the bathroom, she starts to tell Tae-kyung who she is… but is hit with thirst. Deciding to get a drink first, she ignores him and rummages in the refrigerator, trying to decide how to act.

From Tae-kyung’s point of view, this looks like she’s being rude, and he waits to see how she’ll act. Seeing her clumsiness, he tells her she’ll have to sober up first, and makes her some honey tea. He hands her the cup and holds up a hand, asking what it is. (This calls back an earlier moment, when she’d answered, “A palm.” He’d corrected her then, saying that the answer is five, as in fingers.) This time she answers, “Five,” and he replies that the correct answer is a palm.

At this, Mi-nyeo guesses that he knows the truth. He tells her, “Your hand has no scar, and your shoe size is a lot smaller than your brother’s. I know a lot more about you than that — did you think I wouldn’t recognize you?”

Curious to know if she got his message, he asks how long she’s been Mi-nam today — was she at the agency earlier? Mi-nyeo understands that he’s really asking whether she heard his message. She confirms that she did. Tae-kyung is uncomfortable and starts to explain, but she says, “I’m glad you are doing well.”

Having taken his statement at face value, she feels sorry that she messed things up — she had sung his mother’s song to make him feel better, because she was worried he’d still be feeling bad. If she’d known he was already over everything and feeling fine, she should have left things alone, but meeting again must be an inconvenience to him.

He asks if she’d intended to turn away earlier without seeing him. Tears start to fall as Mi-nyeo answers, a little drunk and sad:

Mi-nyeo: “I told myself I couldn’t see you, but you’re someone who draws the eye. But if I see you, it hurts and makes things tough for me. After only living at the convent, I came to live in this land of stars and was hit by electricity, and lost my senses. I flew up right into the heavens, and then crashed down to the ground. Fireworks exploded in my head, and in one moment a thundering rainstorm crashed down on me. Since I’ve left this star-land, I saw the path I am to live. I would have to leave the star-land and just watch it from afar. If I see the brightest-shining star close up, it’s so blinding to the eyes that it hurts. That is why I am going to go far away.”

After saying her piece, she falls asleep with tears on her face. Now he understands that she was only saying she was okay to make him feel better, not because it was true. He asks the sleeping Mi-nyeo, “Are you actually in pain, instead of being okay?” He wipes the tears from her face.

Tae-kyung: “Then I can’t hold on to you. I wanted to be able to see you well when you came back, so I was trying to see even in the dark. Every day, I even ate the carrots and spinach I hate, because I worried that I might lose you in the dark. Because I didn’t want to lose you. But I can’t even hold on to you when I can see you well.”

(Awwww……)

After this reminder that he’s still causing her pain, Tae-kyung tells Hoon-yi to take Mi-nyeo away. Hoon-yi says that if he lets her go now, it might be goodbye forever, since she’s going to Africa. But Tae-kyung is resolute.

In the car ride back, Hoon-yi gives Mi-nyeo a ticket to the concert. She’s not sure if she can make it because of her flight, but she’ll try.

Tae-kyung decides he can’t keep the Pig-Rabbit doll (now wearing the star necklace) in his room anymore. He thinks back to the times he had seen Mi-nyeo making the pig-nose, such as the time he had serenaded her. He retires Pig-Rabbit to the storeroom from whence it came, saying, “The Pig-Rabbit that only appeared in front of me is now extinct.”

Mi-nyeo has been living at the convent all this while, teaching at the orphanage. One of the girls gives her a book containing pictures of stars, because it’s one of Mi-nyeo’s daily habits to seek them out.

The little girl points up at the sun and says, “There’s a star in the sky in the daytime, too.” Mi-nyeo sees where she’s pointing, and corrects her: “That’s not a star, that’s the moon. The moon isn’t a star.” The girl wonders, “There’s no star in the daytime?” Mi-nyeo answers, “There is a bright, blinding star in the daytime. The bright sun is always in the sky.”

She continues to make her preparations to leave, meeting her aunt to say goodbye. Aunt Mi-ja says with dismay that the other boys will be disappointed if she doesn’t see them before going, because they’re always asking about her. And then she adds hesitantly: “There’s another person who wants to meet you, but I’m not sure whether you should. Mo Hwa-ran wants to meet you.”

It’s not an easy decision, but Mi-nyeo contacts Hwa-ran, who is grateful for the meeting. Hwa-ran gives her a CD containing songs that had been sung by her mother, Lee Su-jin. Hwa-ran had used her connections to ask around and collect them, explaining, “I felt I had to do this before I could say I’m sorry to you. When your father was with your mother, he never once came to me. As you said, he said my love wasn’t really love and didn’t accept it. Your mother would have known that the person he loved wasn’t me but herself.”

Because she hadn’t thought Mi-nyeo would want to see her, Hwa-ran says that it means a lot that Mi-nyeo called her. Mi-nyeo responds that this means a lot to her, too, because “You told me what I wanted to confirm. I’m glad to hear this before I left.”

Hwa-ran: “Are you really going far away? If you leave like this, Tae-kyung won’t forgive me. He won’t see me. This is the first time he’s been like this. Couldn’t you go and tell him you’ve forgiven me?”
Mi-nyeo: “Why don’t you go to him directly and ask forgiveness? The person you need to seek forgiveness from the most is Hwang Tae-kyung. Please ask his forgiveness, so you do not pain him any more. He has always yearned for his mother.”
Hwa-ran: “Why do you say this when he’s in your heart? If I’m with him, don’t you know that it will be more difficult for you to be with him?”
Mi-nyeo: “Because causing a precious person to leave you isn’t love.”

Concert day. Jeremy frets over whether Mi-nyeo will come and asks to borrow the Pig-Rabbit for luck, but Tae-kyung tells him that he got rid of it. Jeremy wonders, “Weren’t you waiting for her?”

Tae-kyung: “Why should I wait for someone who won’t come? It’s over.”
Jeremy: “Did you even say you waited?”
Tae-kyung: “Why would I say that?”
Jeremy: “Not saying that you waited is the same thing as not waiting, you arrogant butthole!”

(Hee.)

Next, Tae-kyung runs into Heyi in the hallway, who rubs it in his face that she’s here for Mi-nam, not him. She wonders if it’s really true that he got over Mi-nyeo as he insists, and guesses, “You’re faking that you’re over her, right?” Then she tosses his words back at him: “You aren’t embarrassed about being caught faking, but it’s embarrassing being caught for real, isn’t it?”

In the dressing room, Shin-woo also asks whether Mi-nyeo is coming; he can’t believe Tae-kyung just let her go the other night. Tae-kyung answers, “She said it hurt to be close by, so I let her go.”

Shin-woo: “I bet you didn’t let her go, you shoved her away. Letting go is only something you can say when you’ve held on till the end. Have you held on to her? What you saw in Japan was me holding on to her till the very end. It must have looked pathetic and laughable to you, but because I took it all the way, I could let her go. You didn’t do that, did you? You just stood there in your place, and didn’t think of following her when she said it was hard, didn’t you? Fine, keep preserving your pride and stand there until she runs far away, mighty Hwang Tae-kyung.”

Hwa-ran shows up at the concert, spurred by Mi-nyeo’s words. Even though he might not listen to her apology, she has to say it anyway, and for once her words sound sincere, not bitter:

Hwa-ran: “I’m sorry, Tae-kyung. I left you alone because I thought you were someone who would never abandon me. I only felt the pain of being abandoned myself, and hurt you. It’s natural that you wouldn’t call me mother.”
Tae-kyung: “Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
Hwa-ran: “I’ve become scared. You’ve decided to really abandon me now. I’m trying to hold on to my son.”
Tae-kyung: “How surprising. I thought you were someone who’d never beg.”
Hwa-ran: “That girl told me to come to you directly and beg for forgiveness.”

He’s surprised to hear that his mother met with Mi-nyeo.

Hwa-ran: “I thought if I apologized to her, you might meet with me. She’s going to go far away, do you know that? I have no right to say this to you, but I hope you don’t lose someone precious to you and regret it, like I did.”
Tae-kyung: “Why are you telling me this?”
Hwa-ran: “She said that making someone precious leave you is not love. Telling you this is the love I can show you as a mother.”

Tae-kyung starts to walk away, but pauses. Without turning back to face her, he says, “I can’t tell you now that I forgive you. I’ll hear out today’s apology someday later. Goodbye… Mother.”

After all this tough love from his friends, Tae-kyung is jolted out of his stubborn pride. He finds out Mi-nyeo’s location from Hoon-yi and speeds to the orphanage, where he asks a kid where her teacher went. Hearing that she has already left, he wonders where to go next. Then he spies the photos the girl is holding — they’re all pictures of stars. He looks around the room, which is plastered in similar pictures, remembering Mi-nyeo’s promise to think of him every time she sees stars — this is proof that she’s always thinking of him, and that she still loves him. The little girl notices him looking, and adds that there’s another “most handsome star,” which her teacher is going to see today.

She means, of course, the concert. Tae-kyung understands the implication and speeds back to the arena, where Mi-nyeo is one of a multitude of fans waiting for the concert to begin. She eyes her watch worriedly, sad that she may not able to see much — or anything at all — before she has to leave.

I love this shot, because we know that this comes from the filming event that opened its shoot to fans, and we know that the fan excitement in this scene is real, not just enacted for the sake of cameras.

When Tae-kyung comes back, he tells the others that Mi-nyeo is here, in the stands. But when he goes onstage, he can’t spot her among such a huge crowd. Trying to think of a solution, he changes their concert plan and decides to start things off with a solo.

Tae-kyung takes the stage, squinting at the fans to try to pick out Mi-nyeo as he sings “What Do I Do”:

As I let you walk another step away, it brings tears to my eyes
As you walk another step away, it brings tears to my eyes
I reach out my hand, but you go where I can’t approach
I can’t hold onto you, I can only cry

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me,
because I’m only crying out with my heart

All day, I try to erase you but I keep thinking of you
All day, I say goodbye but I think of you again
I reach out my hand, but you go where I can’t go
I can’t find you, I can only cry

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me,
because I’m only crying out with my heart

What should I do? What should I do?
You’re still the one for me
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me
What should I do? What should I do?
You’re leaving me and going away
I love you, I love you
I call out to you but you can’t hear me
because I’m only crying out with my heart.

As Tae-kyung wraps up the song, Mi-nyeo starts to leave, working her way toward the back of the audience. Tae-kyung finishes his song and says into the microphone, urgently:

Tae-kyung: “You’re listening now, aren’t you? It’s so bright here, and your side is so dark that I can’t see you. Please, don’t be where I can’t see you! Come to where I can see you. Give permission to let me see you.”

The crowd goes wild! Moved to tears, Mi-nyeo turns back around and slowly starts to make her way toward the front again. But Tae-kyung still can’t see her, shrouded in the dark as she is, so Shin-woo tells the producer to cut the stage lights and turn on the audience lights.

When the stage lights flick off, Tae-kyung, now standing on the dim stage, scans the audience intently. It’s nice imagery, as Mi-nyeo emerges from the dark into the light. Tae-kyung spots her.

Keeping his eyes fixed on her, Tae-kyung makes his way to the edge of the stage, and steps among the fans as they scream excitedly. The crowd parts ways to let him pass, until he comes to her.

He grabs her to him in a hug, and says:

Tae-kyung: “I’m going to keep telling you, so listen good every day. I love you.”

Now for our epilogue: A short while later, Mi-nyeo and Tae-kyung look up at the night sky, enjoying a relaxed mood. She’s still going to Africa (which he doesn’t love), but she’ll return soon enough and tells him to wait for her. Responding to her lighthearted tone, he says, “You’ve gotten arrogant. Aren’t you even sad to leave the brightest, most handsome star in the sky?” She reasons, “Still, I can’t take you with me.”

Tae-kyung makes a sudden plucking gesture in the air, and tells her, “You pick [the star] out like this.” He opens his fist to show her the star necklace, and tells her to wear it.

She accepts it happily, then comments on the romantic gesture by telling him he’s changed. “Do you like me that much, to pluck me a star from the sky?”

Tae-kyung: “You keep getting more arrogant. If you’re going to do that, give it back!”
Mi-nyeo: “No, you cannot! This is mine!”
Tae-kyung: “They have lots of diamonds in Africa. Give that back.”
Mi-nyeo: “I cannot make that! I have no skill.”
Tae-kyung: “So treat me nicely while I’m here.”

The playful bickering settles down as Tae-kyung pulls her toward him and puts an arm around her. They look up at the sky as a shooting star falls:

Mi-nyeo: “I will never, ever let go of the star I have finally grabbed!”
Tae-kyung: “Yeah, don’t ever let go. I’ll only shine in front of you.”

THE END

Jang Geun-seok – “말도 없이” (Without Words) [ Download ]

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COMMENTS

Phew! It’s finally over, and I still have so much to say! (Big surprise.)

As for this episode in particular…

I really liked the ending. I have some quibbles, which I’ll get into in a moment, but for the most part I was satisfied with the way the big separation was reconciled and how the conflicts were resolved.

Some people are disappointed that we didn’t see more Mi-nam, but I for one like it this way. We all know that it’s Park Shin-hye acting the part, and they’ve made sure to keep the glimpses of Mi-nam brief and mysterious. If we were to get entire scenes featuring him, we’d just get more reason to nitpick at the boyish image, and I’d rather be left wanting a little more than feeling dissatisfied for little things that would likely stand out — the voice, the girlish face, etc.

What I particularly appreciate is that we get our big dramatic moment, but we also get a lighter, cuter moment to go out on. The concert scene was done well, I thought, and also satisfies our desire for a grand climax. For instance, the song: I freaking love this bit, and not just because it’s a big romantic gesture and Jang Geun-seok is singing, ooh wow swoon, etc. In addition to all that, it’s just so appropriate on multiple thematic levels.

He chooses this song because it’s a message to Mi-nyeo, so even if the words meant something else entirely, it would still work to the same effect. But it carries a double meaning now, because the lyrics that her father used to beg her mother to return are also applicable to Tae-kyung as well.

Furthermore, when Mi-nyeo asked Tae-kyung in Episode 15 not to let his mother redo the song, he didn’t answer, “Yes, I’ll stop her” — the words he used were that he would “return” the song to Mi-nyeo (and her mother). He’s not only returning it symbolically by making sure his mother doesn’t claim the song again, he’s quite literally returning it with this performance.

And then, after they affirm their feelings for each other, I think we need a little bit of a denouement to give us time to come down from that high, which has the added benefit of showing us Tae-kyung and Mi-nyeo in a more “normal,” everyday interaction. Their dynamic isn’t as extreme as the fantasy wedding sequence from Episode 15, but it’s still amusingly offbeat. I don’t see why Mi-nyeo has to go to Africa because that’s just a throwaway line and they could have easily left that out, but I’m not going to nitpick that (much).

As I mentioned previously, I liked the separation in this drama, if only because it could have been a lot more drawn out and contrived than it was. I thought it made a lot of sense, because the obstacle wasn’t necessarily insurmountable, but it wasn’t something Tae-kyung (or Mi-nyeo) could fix merely by pushing for it. He needed to let her grieve for her mother and learn to accept him again without pain, and while their love is strong enough to overcome this, it’s not ready yet. The solution here is time, and he gave that to her.

But of course, the introduction of time into the relationship also opens up the chance for further miscommunications, as we saw here. The culprit wasn’t just mistiming or mixed message; it was Tae-kyung’s pride, like his friends pointed out. Like Heyi, throwing away one’s pride over something fake isn’t hard at all. But it’s much more difficult when you have to throw it away for something real, which would hurt more. For Hwa-ran, that is the difference between her manipulative love for Go Jae-hyun — which she went out of her way to claim — and her feelings for her son, whom she was afraid to approach.

On the other hand, both Jeremy and Shin-woo expressed themselves fully, so they are frustrated with Tae-kyung for stopping short of that. It’s also why they’re able to be happy for Mi-nyeo even after they’ve lost her, because they could give her up cleanly. Tae-kyung’s need to keep his pride is understandable, and I don’t blame him for it — with his upbringing and lack of maternal affection, all he had to cling to was his pride, since he sure as hell didn’t have love. He just needed a big push in the arse to realize that there things worth giving up that pride for, and now that he DOES have love, it’s worth the risk. Thankfully his friends are there to give him that push.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

A few criticisms:

The plot of a drama often drags about two-thirds of the way through. It’s inevitable, and is partly due to writing fatigue, and partly viewer fatigue. The Hong Sisters are better than most at avoiding this problem, and although they aren’t immune to it, at least the episodes with some drag still have a lot of funny moments to balance it out. In You’re Beautiful, those slower moments tended to be about the Hwa-ran storyline, because for the longest time she was out there on her own, drinking and moping and not really connecting to the main story. In the end, it came together nicely and I appreciated how this resolved with our main characters, as I mentioned in the previous recap. But for a long while, she was off on her own tangent, and whenever the story cut to her, I felt the energy drop. She was a fascinating character, to be sure, but only slightly connected to the main plot.

The song remake plotline was rather overwrought, and Hwa-ran’s manipulations in relation to that. In resolving the big mystery of the parents’ generation, we got an answer that works for the story and for our protagonists, but on the downside, it reduces the wrongdoing to one single person. I don’t love that.

The Hong Sisters are great with twisting funny beats out of dramatic and/or emotional moments, and they have a great sense for plot pacing. I think they’re so good at keeping our interest high with their fun-filled, energetic developments that they don’t NEED to rely on makjang elements like birth secrets, evil mothers, and other overly melodramatic devices. So when they do use those elements, I think it’s a waste to highlight moments that aren’t as fluid with the rest of their material. They don’t need those plots, because I think some of my favorite episodes were the ones that didn’t focus on them. And even in episodes where the melodrama came to the fore, my favorite moments were the funny scenes tucked in around them.

Furthermore, I think that they have done a great job creating new situations to keep audiences laughing, but sometimes their dramatic beats feel recycled from prior dramas. When a scene is tweaked and reused, the second time may lose a lot of its punch, because it no longer feels organic to this particular story — it feels like it was tweaked and reused to fit a square peg into a round hole. It fits very WELL, of course, but one can’t help notice that it wasn’t something that arose naturally from these circumstances.

(Mi-nyeo’s hairclip is one such device, as is the Hong Sisters’ tendency to drum in Significant Metaphors a bit too long. The stars, light, darkness, and seeing motifs are all excellent analogies that correspond to the emotional developments, but would pack as much — or more — punch if they were more judiciously applied. They don’t need to be in every scene for us to Get The Idea.)

But those are essentially quibbles in what has been an overwhelmingly enjoyable drama-watching experience.

Of course the Hong Sisters have flaws. Perhaps more than some less-famous writers of more well-regarded dramas. They don’t write the most polished or intellectual scripts around. They are sometimes clumsy and/or heavy-handed. Occasionally they take their humor too far; sometimes a gag is too obvious to be witty or sharp.

But they don’t condescend to their audience, either, and their dramas aren’t pretentious. I loved their comment in the interview post where they say that they each have IQs of 100, which makes their writing team a collective 200. While their dramas aren’t intellectual, that doesn’t mean they’re dumb — their brand of comedy can often be quite smart, actually. (And sometimes it’s silly, jokey, laugh-out-loud funny. That’s cool too.)

They approach writing with energy and joy. Their skill isn’t in creating perfect dramas, but in establishing heartfelt characters and situations that tug at the heart. They manage to tap into that source of giddy, youthful wonder that we may have thought faded well into our adulthoods, and for that I am not only pleased, but grateful.

492

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351 Abie Lee

November 30, 2009 at 7:43 PM

You are Beautiful is probably the only thing I was thankful for this Thanksgiving. I loved that line when he finally told Mi-Nyeo that he loves her. Hopefully I will find that song in the norebang when I go to Korea next month.

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352 sweetaddiction

November 30, 2009 at 8:34 PM

Here is a clip of the fanmeeting. This one was taken by another american. In the video, you can hear us shout "Jackpot!" and JGS chuckling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpX91EJiqS8&feature=related

Here's him singing "Without words"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw3aiaf-C7M

For the rest of the clips, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/anf322#p/u

350 yvhsien: Yes, that's the one I got from dvdheaven.

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353 sweetaddiction

November 30, 2009 at 8:50 PM

ummm, so I guess you can put of clips of fanmeetings. There's clips from two different people already. Maybe I should put mine up again? What do you guys think? I'm uncertain because this is my first time doing something like this, so I don't know much.

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354 Icyanne22

December 1, 2009 at 12:33 AM

Hey evryone,

I finally got hold of a program to rip the JGS song from the final ep. If anyone wants that version, its here: http://www.4shared.com/file/163267258/1b6e6342/Jang_Geun_Seuk_-_What_Should_I.html

ps: U can hear PSH speaking as it is in the episode.

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355 Rani

December 1, 2009 at 8:16 AM

I was a bit skeptic to watch the drama, but after reading the recaps, I gave it a go and I enjoyed it a lot. JGS' having a nice voice has contributed in my sticking to the watch...^7^.

I did have a good laugh.

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356 sweetaddiction

December 1, 2009 at 8:36 AM

Hello everyone,

Ok, after mulling over everything, I decided to put the clips back up. I also made a video of some 150 photos out of 600 and put that up too. I hope you enjoy it.

Here's my channel on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/meexiong

oh, I really miss YAB and JGS. Major YAB withdrawl :(

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357 crackaddict

December 1, 2009 at 8:54 AM

It's almost Wednesday and I have no YB to watch. What to do?

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358 sweetaddiction

December 1, 2009 at 9:07 AM

sorry for posting sooooo many times. I promise, last one for the night/morning? I'm still in the process of uploading the videos, so keep checking my channel. There should be two more videos coming. I'm done uploading for the night. I will upload the last one morning. I got go to sleep and get ready for work!

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359 Sutthida

December 1, 2009 at 4:31 PM

There's ANOTHER petition and their goal is 50,000 people...
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/YB2

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360 siaogai

December 1, 2009 at 8:17 PM

aw.......
i will miss all of the cast

348 snap
jia you !!

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361 missyoumuch

December 1, 2009 at 8:18 PM

@344 - Agree with you that the concert part was exactly like 'Star in my heart'. I immediately knew when i went through that part because i was big fan for 'Star in my heart' back then. In SIMH, the main lead also sang a song dedicated to the girl. The girl also stood amongst the fan and the main lead cannot locate him. Once he found him, he jumped down the stage and walked towards her. They ended it with a hug. The difference here is that HTK finished the song and asked for permission to see her instead.

Anyway, it is acceptable as the story did flow logically and naturally.

I found the ending was happy enough for my consumption. Anyway, like one of the comment above, i dislike the camera-freezing pose. It looks too comical. We saw that at many parts in the drama. Once was at the unintentional kiss....freeze.. camera circling around.... And then the separation in Japan. I found it kinda odd to freeze that way. ALso, in the separation scene, it seems funny that they stood in the middle of the grass field. WHere on earth that they dragged each other from the resort entrance to middle of no where to talk... It seems forceful. Anyway, i guess they want to have a better camera effect.

I love the part that the 3 boys was roaming the shopping center to find her. It just lovely!!!

Looking forward to the next addiction

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362 SingaporeFan

December 2, 2009 at 4:31 AM

Its Wednesday night and I am suffering from Post - YAB Depression! Help!!! Anyone else?

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363 Fan

December 2, 2009 at 3:47 PM

Thank you JB, I've been out for Thanksgiving at such a forsaken place that internet didn't exist so I came back yesterday and watched it in spite of my 17 hours of jetlag compounded by 30 hour trip home... and it was WORTH IT! Every last minute- I actually found the ending satisfying, but what I love most about the ending?

It leaves a wide-open space for a sequel!

#163
"P.S.does anyone know where the hong sisters live? i want to camp out on their doorstep, and sing “what can i do?”. by doing that, i’ll convince them to write season 2, lol!!!"

Lol! :) It's become a cliche to ask "What to do" but it's true... everyone needs to do _something_ to blunt cravings like this. And us poor several thousand fans spread world-wide going cold turkey all together at midnight Korean time last Friday morning... can we also sue the Hong sisters for cruelty?

We'll cut them a deal though, if they write us fan fic and promise to post a paragraph... nay, say even one line! every week, for us we'll settle out of court!

Please???!!!

Pretty please???!

(With increasing desperation....)

#301
Thanks for all your comments Serenpidity- love reading the comments almost as much as the blog- its been great to be part of the community here! :)

Okay, I'm tearing up now... YB has been such a fun community to be part of... I'm not ashamed to say while hiking in deep woods, part of my mind was humming the OST and wondering about what fellow YB posters were saying about episode 15 and what the preview for 16 was like, and finally what everyone thinks of the finale!

Thank you all for being such a great group to go ga-ga over our beloved AN Jells with... long live AN Jells! :)

PS I second the call for Fran to share her/his chinese website- I wanna know what all the deleted scenes say even before the director's cut comes out! :)
PPS I really should start calling myself "Hungry for more", or "Constant craving".... it's much more accurate a reflection of my desperate state of mind! :)

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364 serendipity

December 2, 2009 at 4:56 PM

@ 363 Fan

Cheers!

I've just re-watched ep16 and noticed that "What shall I do?" is uttered at least twice earlier in the episode. Once by TK as he broods in his studio, and again by MN as she flaps about the kitchen as TK watches her quizzically. I'm wondering whether this is just what happens in dialogue when we have a cast-full of people in confusion, or is deliberate reference to the song, and if the latter it's rather cool and shows that ep 16 is better conceived than I gave credit for.

And btw, since it's been days since I first watched ep 16 and I'm only re-watching now, I think it means my YAB-ardour has cooled off dramatically. I think that I have after all attained closure, notwithstanding the horribly rushed ending (Where's the missing 30min! We want the missing 30min!), and I'm sure that being able to analyse and vent here has helped me move on. Recovering Obsessors Unite!

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365 xiaoSxin

December 2, 2009 at 6:18 PM

this day is a sad day for me. this is the first Wednesday without YB, and I am feeling the emptiness already. I keep on thinking and hoping i would see A.N.JELL again or hear any news about them or any concert BTS.

I miss YB. I wish I can see them again. I feel like a real idol band has disbanded and for that I am very sad. I want to see them perform again. I want to hear them sing their songs.

How I wish A.N.JELL can perform a Goodbye Stage in Inkigayo. I feel like I needed more closure to let them go..

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366 Fan

December 2, 2009 at 7:56 PM

#364

Yes, YB anonymous recovers unite! :)

C.S. Lewis wrote many wonderful things, but my favorite line from him isn't even from Alice in Wonderland. "We read to know we are not alone." So yes, we're not quite alone even tearing our hair out in front of our individual laptop screens! (And I admit I did a lot of alternating, tearing my hair and jumping in "Yes!" joy at the last 2 episodes! ;) )

Okay a few responses to scattered comments about the resolution not being really logical (e.g., why would MN need TK to say he loved her before she would come back) or there not being space for a sequel.

I think the resolution is
1) reasonable,
2) as JB pointed out thematically sound (though lopsided- all TK and no MN), and
3) leaves open a lot of room to develope in a sequel! :)

1) I don’t think that the fact that TK finally overcame his pride to humble himself before MN is a final resolution as people have pointed out. It really _is_ just the start.

TK has, time and again, given MN the signal that he’s tolerating her, that he’s okay with her hanging onto him, but, push-come-to-shove, he would- like in the hilarious fantasy sequence that Manager Ma conjures up for us!- put himself first. He’s even told MN (via her ‘brother’) that he’s “fine” and “happy” and “adjusted” to the idea of not seeing her again.

MN knows there are issues, so does everyone really, but without TK acknowledging that he loves her, that he really, really, really wants to see her again, there’s no basis on which even to try to resolve any of the many issues. That’s why MN was so sad, that in the end, she really wasn’t that much to him to start with. So, while she’s happy for him that he can blithely go his own way, she’s personally rather devastated. She has no reason to come back.

2) I really like the ending because it brings closure to several big issues- the largest being TK’s persistently inability to put aside his pride, i.e., not being able to ‘see’ anyone else due, in part due to how bright his own super-star qualities are so much that they eclipse all else, and partly of course because it’s his only defense against a very cold childhood.

This whole series has been more or less the hilarity of TK’s struggle with his pride, and that he ends up, well, if not humble at least able to bend a knee now to MN, to see that other heavenly bodies can be bright too, then I’d say that the series closed thematically satisfying.

As part of that MN does acquire her own star-qualities (discovering her inner singer), he and his mom are beginning to show signs of potential recovery, he makes some sort of peace with Heyi, the real GMN returns and the charade of MN is at an end, the twins find out who their mother is, and the true, if dark, reasons behind their becoming orphans.

3) But the best thing about the ending to me is that it leaves plenty of uncovered ground for another season if the Gods-of-K-drama ever smile on You’re Beautiful!

The biggest of them for me is this: MN needs her story told!

True, in the last 2 episode leaps of development for MN- she stands sympathetic, affectionate, but firm against even Shinwoo’s touching revelations, she rejects the “everything is alright” sort of push-over way of resolving her relationship plight with TK choosing to leave, she makes some touching farewells to SW and Jeremy and Manager Ma acknowledging their importance in her life, and she plans to have her own life away from AN Jells for awhile going close to what was her old calling.

However, what _does_ MN want to do with her life? She’s discovered she can really really sing (I mean, a hit concert and a hit single in weeks? Why aren’t the Hong sisters playing up the fact that they’ve basically written their female lead as a musical genius? Sure TK is the composer, but the execution counts and they made a big point of how MN blossoms into her musical talent!)

Is _that_ what she wants to do? And if so, can she do it in the context of the AN Jells or would she do it some other way?

She also now has a CD full of music that her mother, as a budding singer recorded but presumably never got famous enough to push to a wide audience.

A LOT of space for the twins, now as consummate singers themselves, to give their mother the voice and fame she was potentially cheated of when she died young. This story has been very much TK’s story. Now I want more of MN’s story!

Other threads/tensions that we should be crying for a season 2 to resolve
• TK and MN still need to come to terms with their feelings toward HMR and how that affects their relationship
• HY clearly has not yet given up on TK, and is actually pulling the real GMN into the merry romantic confusion. Plus what happened to the public story of Shinwoo dating MN? Easily resolved perhaps with another convenient break-up, but isn’t it a weeeee bit of a scandal that a bandmate’s (i.e., the real GMN) twin sister first is secretly dating one other bandmate, and suddenly switches over to the band leader? Said band leader having just broken up with super-star girlfriend Korea’s Fairy, who, immediately goes on to be bandmate number 1 (GMN)’s girl? I smell fertile fodder for more fanfic hilarity and tabloid nosiness! 
• The real GMN is a deliciously and mysteriously sexy entity that could be explore a tad more (obviously not ever becoming a full character since that puts too much on PSH’s plate- can I say PSH really struts her stuff in her cocky real-GMN smiles? Awesome to see how different she can be as another character!)
• As pointed out before, we want more relationship development for MN and her ex-bandmates- come on, Jeremy and MN are a fun team, and what about MN coming to SW’s rescue now and then for a change?
• Manager Ma’s lie of a baby with Coordinator Wang begs for more funny scenes before it is resolved
• The President is none-the-wiser about the real/fake GMN story but clearly there’s some unnamed tension about who gets to call the shots on the real GMN’s schedule, more opportunities for real/fake MN switcher-roos?

Okay, that's all the nice logical stuff... but push come to shove, what I'm really crying for is more (as Serenpidity you say) of my beloved YB friends, more Jeremy, more SW, more TK, and more MN... please?

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367 Fan

December 2, 2009 at 11:06 PM

#288 & #277

Alas, I knew I should have carefully read all the analyses first- sorry, but here's a retake on my post based on these two!

Serenpidity: You're right, they gave TK the whole show... and the about-face of MN having to be fake MN again rang oddly for sure.

Though I would say the fact that MN takes TK at face value way too much isn't news- I think that's MN's own deficit: Being trusting, and (maybe more deeply) being insecure in her own worth. She's still the MN who isn't sure she's worthy of TK, her bright, shiny star... you'd think she can figure it out from the garden scene, but I beg to differ. Look SW's been pretty generous in his hints to MN for a LONG time, and it took SW coming right up and saying it for MN to get it.... alas girls, for better or for worse, much as we pick on Jeremy, MN is likely the least bright egg in this basket on reading inbetween lines! ;)

So, back to the storyline.

_That_ scene where TK told MN airily to tell 'his sister' had punch for me because I knew MN would take everything TK said at face value. Drunk MN later explains she felt stupid (I would add, "again" because recall last time being after TK Kissed her and then told HY that it didn't mean anything).

She went out of her way to reassure TK that she was alright on the belief that that would make TK feel better, when clearly TK didn't really give a lot of thought to how MN was doing. And that would have been TRUE of the old TK, the self-centered I-am-the-One-Sun-and-you-may-only-be-my-moon-reflection TK, who didn't think that MN was hurt over HMR and only saw his own betrayal.

(BTW, I think the ending two stars might be a subtle hint that TK thinks of MN as a star in her own right too now... not just a reflection of his splendor! ;) )

So MN's denseness is staggering, but consistent. And _if_ you accept that premise, then the public, no-misunderstanding, no-special-fan-stuff avowal in public makes all the difference!

Similarly, I agree the drunk scene was contrived, but I forgave it because I thought it wonderfully ironic, since we learn at the end of the scene, from TK himself that really we now have a new TK!

Even as he eats yucky veges in the desperate hope of seeing her again somehow, he finally gets the "I want to see her again but is seeing me what's best for MN?" concept (even if he doesn't yet have it in him to lower his pride all the way and ask her!! No... that step had to wait for the concert and a little being apart time!)

Okay, too much chatter not enough sleep! Thanks gals for the awesome banter and debate.... possibly Hong sisters should allow us to be her volunteer "proofs"!

(Some well-known Sci-fi writers have this- e.g., Orson Scott Card, who uses some of his most meticulous, die-hard, memorized-everything-he's-written fans to ensure that nothing new he writes contradicts anything else, e.g. time line wise, in all the old stuff he's written in his famous Ender's Game universe. Lucky fans get to proof his work in essense! :) )

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368 volcomstone

December 2, 2009 at 11:09 PM

Yes another season of You're Beautiful would be the answers to my prayers!!
But I don't see how both Go Mi Nam and Go Mi Nyu can have scenes with each other, considering that PSH is playing both roles. Sure they can do the Green Screen like they did in Lindsay Lohan's The Parent Trap. But The Parent Trap is a movie, whereas this is a drama, more scene time and money. So a movie or a 2 hour special would be better so they can end things on a more completed and satisfying note. But a whole new season-- where would the focus be? But don't get me wrong, I would love anything YB! I even sign the petition for a season 2. I just wanted someone to enlighten me about the whole Mi Nam/Mi Nyu ordeal. I just can't see that happening. I also seem to have contradict myself...LOL sorry just talking in circles here... xD I think being too YB deprived had made me think too much.

Personalty, I don't think I can ever watch another Kdrama without comparing it to this one. I'll always nit-pick another drama because I'll feel like it won't be able to live up to YB. *sigh* So sad that every good thing has to come to an end. I'm so thankful for the cast and the production team not to mention all the subbers and video uploaders and the interesting comments/analysis left by you guys! Also everyone else who had contributed to this amazing experience! And for giving me my "fix" each week. THANK YOU, I hope you guys all know that you're all very appreciated. :)

Going to go on a drama fast, and not watch another drama until something as good as YB pops up! LOL so I'm really hoping for a 2nd season. :D

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369 Fan

December 2, 2009 at 11:27 PM

#368

Yeah, I suspect _if_ we have season 2, the real MN would have to be made to disappear again, though I'd like to have more hints about him, and more examples on how he's as cool as TK, and funny as Jeremy and kind as SW! :) (And that can happen while his sister is in Africa! ;) )

One last post: Least I sound harsh on MN and TK... they are such ADORABLE idiots I love them to pieces... one so incapable of saying what he means, the other so incapable of seeing through the weird things he ends up saying.

Loads of classic examples! "Special fan?!" "I kissed you but it didn't mean anything??!" (Even TK thought that was ridiculous upon reflection) ... the list goes on for miles.

Lastest one I rewatched: Beautiful fish in the aquarium in Okinawa. TK, jarred by the sight of SW hugging MN earlier, and clearly stalling for time (you can see him roll his eyes around trying to find any excuse) goes "Well, if no one is waiting for you, why don't you stay a little and... er... look at all the pretty fishes?" Meaning, obviously, I want you to stay, don't leave.

And what is MN's entirely earnest response?

"Huh?"

(Her earlier one to TK's jealous "Well, you're busy, is someone waiting for you that you're in a hurry?" was another earnest "Well you said you didn't want to see me, so I'm in a hurry to leave." Flooring TK again with her literal-mindedness!)

Urrrgggg! Both so cute, and so talented, and such good people, but sooooo deficient in their beautifully complementary ways, you don't know whether you want to kiss them or hit them!

A pair made in heaven! :)

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370 volcomstone

December 3, 2009 at 12:05 AM

@ 369

LOL, I see where you're getting at. They could always cast another actor to place PSH but personally I think shes part of the "magic" of this drama and I also would like to see her act like a "bad boy", but also with Jeremy's and Shinwoo's qualities.

And I must also agree about JGS and PSH's portray of their characters. They are undoubtedly talented and still very young with already such solid fanbases! So true, I sometimes just want to smack one of the on the head and be like "GO AFTER HER YOU BUTTHEAD!!" (reference to Jeremy ;)) haha but majority of the time they simply Blow me away. This drama wouldn't be as addicting if it weren't for the cast. Super chemistry with every single actor, the Manger, President and the Stylist plus many more....Oh man I'm going to rewatch this again! :D

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371 heartYAB

December 3, 2009 at 5:35 AM

@362 SingaporeFan - Yes, I feel you. Hopefully, Channel U acquires this charming and fun drama so that more Singaporeans come to enjoy it too.

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372 rojin

December 3, 2009 at 6:27 AM

Wow...whatta nice drama recap and comments. The author of this article should tell the Hong sisters his/her views on the drama...coz I think it's constructive criticism for their benefit.

I agree with all that was said...and I do really like the drama because of the characters and the actors playing them. One can sense that they really poured their hearts unto the characters they are portraying. Such a chemistry!

Oh please..someone, everybody tell SBS to have season 2...

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373 rojin

December 3, 2009 at 6:32 AM

oh...i forgot to add that the OST of the drama surely helped a lot..even my younger bro who doesn't like anything kpop/kdrama said that their OST is good! (means it is so cool!)... Even the kids of our neighbors (aged 2 and 3) who heard Anjell's Promise danced when I played the song when they were with me.

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374 Xen

December 3, 2009 at 11:28 AM

Will someone tell me what Mi Nyeo was saying when Tae Kyung was singing at the last scene?

I'm sorry if it was already discussed, took me forever to skim all 300+ comments...

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375 chillipepper

December 3, 2009 at 7:33 PM

i had the best thanksgiving ever!
spent the whole weekend watching YAB from ep 1 to 16.
boy, how i love love, love it!
my first kdrama was Delightful Girl;
that sure got me hook on kdrama. (and Jae Hee!)
My Girl was next.
after couple shows, i took a break. (even BBF didn't interest me :0)
now, YAB..
i didn't know my favorite ones were all written by the hong sisters..
thanks DB for the insightful recaps and all the "lessons/news" on kpop/culture.

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376 sweetaddiction

December 4, 2009 at 8:01 AM

Hi Guys,
I don’t know if you know this, but on soompi, cecilia posted on how you can preorder a special fan only Director’s cut of YAB which will include some the the cut scenes like the ELEVATOR KISS that was supposed to be in episode 14. The preordering period starts Dec. 4 and goes until Jan. 5. After this period, they will no longer take preorders and you won’t be able to get your hand on this special DC’s DVD. She also confirmed that there will definitely be English subtitles. I’m not sure about the region code though, but most likely it’ll be region free since this is a special dvd for international fans as well as fans in Korea. Even though it’s $120, I’m definitely preordering one. We have to pay through credit card, since we are not from Korea and they charge you right there because they need to know exactly how many dvds to produce. here’s the website to go preorder. It’s in Chinese, but you can manage your way through it.

People residing in other countries
http://shop.innolife.com/shop/list.php?ac_id=26&ai_id=13502

Many people on Soompi has already preordered. It’s reliable, if you were wondering. I’m going to transfer money to my bank account and order one for myself. The DVD should be released some time in Feb.

Again the preorder date is from December 4, 2009- January 5, 2010.

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377 Fan

December 4, 2009 at 1:31 PM

One more cool thing: If you read chinese, there's a fan fic that's been very well received (in fact someone at soompi is translating) to be found here:

http://tieba.baidu.com/f?z=674854732&ct=335544320&lm=0&sc=0&rn=30&tn=baiduPostBrowser&word=%D4%AD%C0%B4%CA%C7%C3%C0%C4%D0%B0%A1&pn=30

Writing is good, but vocab challenging for the not-too-literate in Chinese like myself.

Quick set-up intro (spoilers):

Six months have passed and TK goes to the airport to pick up MN (quite a cute, very typical TK/MN interaction scene! :) ) but soon as he drops her off, he's summoned back for rehersals for a big event in a month by the President. When he gets there, he discovers an injured GMN.....

(I think even I can guess where this one is headed, though it sounds like a fun ride... and it does make me feel as if there is a Season 2 somehow, somewhere, and TK, MN, SW, & Jeremy party on in some parallel universe! :) I can't wait for Manager Ma to appear... Coord Wang already has! :) )

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378 Pig Rabbit

December 4, 2009 at 7:18 PM

I am so going to miss You're Beautiful. It was like my first k-drama to watch. exluding FullHouse coz it was like 5 years ago. I'll MISS all of the cast, but maybe not that evil girl, :L
I LOVE SHIN WUU. he is so kind and gentle.
Jeremy and his funess, i wish he was like my best friend.
TK, and his lips smiling, laughoutloud
AND KOMINAM with her clumsiness !!

HOPE THERES A SEASON 2, LOVE YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL FOREVER..! :)

xox

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379 stranger

December 4, 2009 at 7:56 PM

Thanks for all the wonderful recaps - they're almost as enjoyable as the drama itself. Oh, I'm going to miss this drama a lot....

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380 Keiji

December 5, 2009 at 6:04 PM

Thank you for all your hard works!!
Your comments are awesome and fun to read :) So are the music you add in some posts. It makes the reading more fun and it kind of gives a flash back feeling on the show :D
/Kei

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381 pabo ceo reom

December 6, 2009 at 12:16 AM

I'm finally finished! :)

Not much else to say other than it was a good ride. Plus, I wanted to leave my mark on this page.....wild guess but this must be the most commented post!

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382 strawberryfieldsforever

December 6, 2009 at 8:19 AM

wow! 380+ posts? there's just so much love for YB..and they deserve all the love! i came across this online petition for season 2 of YB..if there's anyone interested or would wanna sign up, here's the link http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/YB2

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383 Abdul

December 6, 2009 at 10:07 AM

Loved this drama. Thanks for the re-caps JB.

You can tell a drama is amazing when:

- You finish it and you feel like a big thing has left you
- You feel like "ahhhhhhhh~" when it ends
- Fans are just crazy for more more more! (me one of them x_x)

Ahh, now to wait for the next big drama.

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384 lenrasoon

December 6, 2009 at 12:07 PM

This is not one of my favorite dramas and i think i might not rewatch it BUT i seriously enjoyed watching "You're Beautiful" sfm! as you said it's fun and heart warming without being too pretentious.

Thanks for your recaps!

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385 serenademe

December 6, 2009 at 9:37 PM

I already missing this drama so much,,
back then, i told my sister about YAB, both of us always wait for it every week,
I also recommend this blog to her, and your blog help us to enjoy the story ASAP, coz we don't understand Korean
I hope Hong sister will always have nice storyline like YAB coffee prince ,, they are amazing!!.

thank you thank you thank you ^^

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386 sephora

December 7, 2009 at 5:59 AM

the overall review ('Overall Thoughts') was a nicely written.. i always love your reviews and moreso agree to the reviews.

thank you for the recaps & review! i loved this drama. it was truly light & giddy :)

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387 Yurinaa

December 7, 2009 at 8:11 AM

thank you guys so much for this amzing drama we really like it alot this is 1 of the best korean drama and it's for teen that's why alot of people have watch it hopefly they fall in love with from the first ep that's why i love it alot hope it gets the highest rating in Korea ... lets spport this AZMING drama & actors ... they did an amazing job in it ... and of couse we won't forget SBS what a great work u have done thank u alot for every 1 how worked on this drama u guys really made us laugh and smile thank u ... for briging an amzing wok like this keep it up ...

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388 Norma

December 7, 2009 at 1:16 PM

@307 Yvhsien

I'm so sorry I didn't find your question sooner!!!! YES....the title is HE'S BEAUTIFUL.....started airing Dec. 2nd in Hawaii Tues/Wed. at 7:45 p.m. which is PRIME TIME!!!! It re-airs the next day at 2:30 p.m.!!! So talk about getting the YAB fix once again!!!!

I do have to say something that made me really smile.....the Etude lipstick commercial which was filmed BEFORE YAB filmed......showed a very mature Park Shin Hye being kissed by JGS!!!! What a kiss!!!! They do make a cute couple!

Have a safe rest of 2009 everyone!

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389 Norma

December 7, 2009 at 5:48 PM

I had to put this thought out there.....as addictive as YAB was and will be....we're still trying to manipulate the script!!!! I'm listening to the music and I tell ya....that good feeling about a moving drama is what makes the world go round! It's like walking in the rain and enjoying every minute of it!!!!!

I hope all those beautiful people who participated in putting out YAB are walking around with big smiles cause they pulled it off BIG TIME! :)

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390 sunbae

December 7, 2009 at 6:44 PM

I can't stay on the sidelines any longer. I have to leave my final mark on this wonderful series. I have read numerous after-thoughts, and the consensus is obvious... IT IS AN AMAZING DRAMA and the CAST DID AN AMAZING JOB! Nothing far from the truth, they say. After watching and re-watching from the beginning to the end, I have to conclude that I am more than satisfied with the whole cast and story line. Cheers to the HONG SISTERS!...
I loved every minute of the drama, and I do so miss all the characters so much. As you can see I am not the only ones. I find that it is unbelievable that this thread still grows after its final episode aired. I can't imagine the love that this drama got, and I certainly understand it. Scenes that I truly love and still enjoy watching:
1- MN spitting in TK's room.
2- TK saying MN after Jeremy asked who is better than HY.
3- Jeremy shooting water at MN and then got sprayed by SW.
4- TK saving MN and got drown in the process.
5- TK kicking HY's shoes.
6- The whole hairpin thing as well as the star talks.
7- MN singing her heart out for TK (who was oblivious to her feelings at the time).
8- The whole Dwaegi- Toki thing.
9- TK's jealousy.
10- MN's cuteness whenever she was around TK.
11- The interactions between the whole A.N.Jell members.
12- The awkward kiss between TK-MN.
13- The cooking scene between the boys and HY.
14- The Best Goodbye in episode 15. (So sad, yet so amazingly done.)
15- The Get together in the end.

There are so many others that I just can't name it all. Overall, it is pretty much the whole entire series. I have never had a strong impression on any previous Drama including Coffee Prince, Boys over Flowers, or Shining Inheritance. However, this one takes the cake.
I would like to thank Dramabeans for the amazing recap that was part of my daily routine for the last two months. And, I hope to encounter part 2 of YB in the future. I just hope that the Hong Sisters will be inspired once again to continue with the story of A.N.Jell with GMNyu, as well as the ORIGINAL CASTS to come back for a second round. If it never come again, I will still be satisfied with this amazing... wonderful... lovely... over the top... DRAMA!!!
And that is my two cents on this series as a whole.... STAY STRONG AND KEEP FIGHTING!!! You are TRULY BEAUTIFUL!

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391 lexx

December 8, 2009 at 12:27 PM

SERIOUSLY? is this the final episode???? awwwww.....
it hurts to know that there's nothing to be excited about next week. TT.TT
This episode left me hanging in a way... I was kind of disappointed, is this what they call the Finale? oh em gee....
I really enjoyed this drama. Though I kind of hesitated at first since when I first saw the few part on episode 1, none of the boys caught my attention. Maybe because of their style, I'm not into the edgy style so I was not really impressed [To tell you honestly, I'm more into Jun Pyo's wardrobe ^^]. But oh well, I watched it anyway since everybody was going wacko over it. And well, at the end of the first episode, I started to actually like it... and the next thing I knew was it was already 8 in the morning, [time for me to wrap it up since school was waiting..]. And with the boys' style, I actually got used to it, and as time passed by, I actually appreciated it... shhoocking! kekekeke.

I♥TK
One thing that added up to YAB's success was TK. I swear to God, I've never had a crush on weirdos before, [well except for Johnny Depp with his Edward Scissorhands and Jack Sparrow role, love him for that.] but I should say that TK is the hottest weirdo alive! Seriously! He is actually weird but manages to be sexy at the same time cute. How the hell does JGS do that?... Hands Down to JANG GEUN SUK. really brilliant actor... I love the angst of his character, i love how he portrayed HWANG TAE KYUNG. It's really cute whenever he "subcontiously'" gets jealous whenever Mi Nam is with another guy, especially if she's with Shin woo... and he always tries to figure out his "unknown" feelings towards MN by drawing circles and stuff on a paper, it's really cute. ^^

I love the story and the directing.
Unlike BoF which i ♥, YAB had no dull moments actually, if there were, it would probably last up to like 5 minutes. Unlike BoF, the Ji Hoo-Grandfather parts really dragged the whole series, I mean, it bored me to death and annoyed me at the same time. [sorry for the comparisons]. well, lets get back to YAB... I love how every ending of the Thursday episodes get really exciting that I could not wait for Wednesday to come.

THE CAST
It was a brilliant casting. I love every person in YAB's cast. From TK, MN, SW, Jeremy [sooo cute!], even UEE... oooh, Manager Ma and President Ahn [jackpot! :D] They have such hilarious sides of their characters. Well, except for Shinwoo... I don't know, his character never really touched me. Well, it was much better than Ji Hoo's [sorry for the comaprison again...] but then, I think he was really a coward for not confessing to Mi Nam earlier that he liked her and knew she was a girl... maybe if he did that, he's have a high chance of Mi Nam falling inlove with him, rather than with Hwang Tae Kyung. But I have a few scenes of that I like... One is when MN went shopping and SW was just following her around... and when, he finally told MN to look back, he totally missed his chance! Also, when he sang a song to MN, i love that song. kekekekeke. For Hong Ki, he's just so cute. Really, I want to be his friend. The most memorable part for me with Jeremy in it was the bus, oh the bus... it broke my heart. Hong-ki nailed that scene! UEE, as much as people hate her becauseof her character, because honestly she was really a one hell of a BEEYATCH. but which is great right? it only shows that UEE made a job well done. And fot TK, TK my love... As I've said, Love him... favorite scene? hmmm... there were alot. But one thing that made my tears fall, was when it was his birthday, he confornted his mother.... I actually cried with him. I felt his pain. and I looove JGS for that. ^^ Also PSH, how can I forget? love her... super cute. hope to see her soon, hopefully with LEE MIN HO, since he needs a partner that would really be suited for him.

well, like i said, I'd miss this series and hopefully [fingers crossed] SEASON 2 is on it's way up!

well anyway,

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392 Norma

December 8, 2009 at 10:38 PM

@391....lexx

Love your comments and I had to giggle about JGS being "weird"...but in a very good way! He's different....he's a LEO!

I've been watching episode 16 over and over and it never fails to make me teary and smile.....especially when TK goes to the school and realizes that MN never stopped loving him....when he saw all the stars...he looked like he was going to cry.

I'm still wondering though....didn't she miss her flight to Africa? I mean...if they were out on the deck looking at the stars...wouldn't that have been after the concert?

Oh well....TK got his girl and MN got her star! All's well that ends well!

Aloha everyone!!!

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393 Kriyn

December 9, 2009 at 7:58 AM

Was any of the fan-made gifts used in these last 2 episodes of YB?

THERE ARE THESE 2 SUSPICIOUS LOOKING STAR CUSHIONS
that look like they have 2 faces in the middle. One star cushion is slightly bigger than the other.

Hm... they first appeared in Min Nyu's room in Okinawa and they are perched quaintly on the shelf in the kindergarden that Min Nyu teaches. If you go to the part where Tae Kyung bursts into the kindgergarden to look for her to see them there.

My hunch tells me those are fan made merchandise!!!!

I just think that the bunch of people from DC Gallery who organised the gifts and the overseas fan project did such a fantastic job that it would have been great if some of their gifts were used on the actual episode =D And I thought I did remember reading on the http://yabfighting.wordpress.com/ that Park Shin Hye suggested that they use some of the gifts in the final episode.

Although it is already fantastic to see the fan power displayed in the fan concert seen in Episode 16

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394 Shori

December 12, 2009 at 10:32 PM

this was a good one. it seemed a little like bbf and coffee prince in the beginning but it really played out, and it seemed that the casting was flawless!! thanks for the recaps, i couldnt have understood the drama as well without :)

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395 Cecilia Tuhsaii

December 14, 2009 at 6:48 PM

OMGUHHH I WISH IT HAD A 4 YRS LATER LIKE BOYS OVER FLOWERS DID. THIS IS MY 2ND FACE DRAMA.

1. BOYS OVER FLOWERS
2. THIS
3. GOONG

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396 Kelly

December 15, 2009 at 10:41 PM

this has to got to be one of my favorite dramas ever along with My Girl. i love the Hong sisters- can't wait to see what they're gonna come out with next. bet its going to be GREAT.

if you guys need another drama to watch i would recommend the japanese version of Boys over Flowers, called Hana Yori Dango. i really liked it. ^^