City Hall: Episode 14

80 December 11, 2009January 24, 2016

by samsooki

(written by samsooki, intelligence and wisdom provided by 0timelost and cleown)

Episode 14 – The Kiss.

The buildup of this moment has encompassed more than a dozen episodes, and has included a ravishing but fake kiss outside of the Mexico and the Chicken Restaurant and the oh-so-close near-miss in a camping tent.

Jo Gook has finally got Mi Rae in a compromising position. And to top it off, he has pulled out his trump card, the so-called “Body Contract” whereby he was given the rights to Mi Rae’s various body parts. Mi Rae’s face says, “Samsooki was right all along! You ARE the guy that my mom warned me against!” (What did you expect? Maybe you thought Jo Gook was going to write you poems and make you a mix-tape of k-drama OST ballads to express his true feelings??)

But Jo Gook acts the tease, stating his intention was merely to see that she gets some sleep. Disappointed, plenty hot and bothered, Mi Rae doesn’t know what to believe. She tries to get up, her patience now testy as what she thought was going to happen, didn’t happen. Jo Gook responds by asking her an interesting question:

Jo Gook: By any chance, have you ever had the occasion to slap a guy at wee hours of the morning?

Mi Rae (confused): …What?

Jo Gook: Will a 36-year old woman cry and bawl if a man ravishes her?

His questions asked, Jo Gook attempts to find his own answers. He quickly kisses her lightly on the lips. Jo Gook recoils to await a slap, but Mi Rae just looks at Jo Gook with very wide eyes.

Jo Gook: Mmm… not enough to warrant a slap? Okay. I am going to do something now that will deserve a slap…

With all due apologies to Princess Bride, since the invention of the k-drama kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. It is time to talk about The Kiss, mostly because I can’t wait until the comments section.

The Kiss.

I’ve never seen a kiss like The Kiss in the k-drama world. Most k-drama kisses are weak, tongue-less and with less suction than a clogged handheld vacuum running low on battery power. K-drama kisses can often times be near-misnomers, because they are often more like grade school pecks on the cheek. Even more infuriating, sometimes the guy doing the kissing is awkwardly trying to hug a limp and flaccid girl who has her lips sealed tighter than radiator release valve in an overheated car stuck on 5 Freeway during rush hour in downtown LA. THIS, my friends, is how you do a kiss.

It helps that Jo Gook is a man’s man, not a mere boy pussy-footing his way around, and so an otherwise potentially awkward moment is turned into hot, steamy and romantic event. The Kiss goes on and on, and on and on, into the night.

Morning comes, and Mi Rae is still fast asleep in Jo Gook’s car; after what turned out to be a very exciting night, Mi Rae apparently needs the few hours of rest. The scene that follows, with Jo Gook watching Mi Rae sleep and keeping the sun off of her placid face (played entirely to the dulcet and heart-pulling notes of Park Sang Woo’s ballad, “Loving You, Loving You.” is just magical.

Park Wang Woo’s lyrics during the musical montage scene:

I must be in love with you,
Because I can see only you
And all day long you wander through my mind.

I must be in love with you,
But my heart is still not familiar with you.
Wherever am I, whatever I do,
Thoughts of you come to me
I don’t know why, but this is love.

When you laugh, I am also happy and begin to smile
Like a child lost in his dream, I adore you to my heart’s content.
When I see you sad, my world crashes around me,
But you don’t know these feelings of mine.

Ahh, love. Jo Gook loves Mi Rae. Mi Rae loves Jo Gook. Contented *sigh*

Not everybody has such a relationship, however. Jung Do figures out that it was his very shady wife, Joo Hwa, who leaked the news about the City Hall relocation project to the landowners. The landowners, thus incited, ended up going to City Hall to assault Mi Rae (can Joo Hwa do anything but commit felonies of varying levels of severity?) Jung Do has had enough. He drags her out of a meeting where she is trying to bribe another lawmaker and tells her that it is over. He will draw up the divorce papers, and all she has to do is sign them herself or send a lawyer to do it.

Back at Jo Gook’s passion-mobile, Mi Rae has awoken and it is time for her to get cleaned up for another day. Referring to her apparent path to victory with respect to the City Hall relocation, Jo Gook gives her another piece of advice seems straight from Sun Tzu’s playbook – allow your enemies to discover your Plan A, and while they are attempting to stop it, hit them with Plan B.

Mi Rae is impressed and more than a little touched by the care that Jo Gook has shown towards her, but she wouldn’t be Mi Rae if she didn’t do more than play the helpless damsel in distress. Mi Rae replies that actually, she is the one who is worried about Jo Gook.

Mi Rae: How can a person win all the time? “You should win on the righteous things, and you should lose on the unjust things.” That’s how I plan on living my life.

What a wonderful principle to live by, and not just for the political arena. But what is fascinating is that it is obvious that Jo Gook has never considered this principle before, and has lived his life assuming that it is better to be the winner than it is to be right. After all, if you are the winner, you can always change your mind later, but it only matters if you win first. In a post-modern world, where the ends justify the means, Mi Rae’s words just don’t seem relevant.

And yet, maybe Jo Gook is starting to learn that it is at least as important being right as it is being the winner. After all, we can see him doing and saying things that he has never said before. But “starting to learn” isn’t the same thing as knowing, and Jo Gook’s response to Mi Rae reveals that he isn’t quite there yet.

Jo Gook: And what if that opponent is me? If the opponent on a righteous issue is me, what would you do then?

If it were me, I would answer that with a question of my own: “What if Mi Rae is the opponent, on the side of what is decent, what is right. What would YOU, Jo Gook, man among boys, do then?”

Finally at City Hall, Mayor Shin “the Hammer” Mi Rae presents the evidence she found the night before to her last three opponents in City Hall: deputy Mayor, the secretariat and Council Member Min “the Nail” Joo Hwa.

The official documents that approved the relocation project were never signed by the Mayor, rather, the secretariat forged the last Mayor’s signature. The relocation project is now dead. Mi Rae plans a municipal hospital to take the place, and Joo Hwa looks like she might need to check into that hospital.

While Mi Rae has things locked up in City Hall, Candidate #5 Jo Gook is well on his way as well.

Jo Gook gives a rousing speech about improving the lives of the citizens, a speech that is steeped in getting people to change the way they think about their lives, to accept responsibility for what fate has thrown them – and to take the first step in betterment by voting for change, vote for Jo Gook! A vote for Jo Gook is a vote for change! Yes we can! Rawr!

Woah, who is that cutie in the audience?

Yes, that’s Mayor Mi Rae, going in cognito and keeping an eye on her secret boyfriend Candidate #5. Jo Gook has indeed spotted Mi Rae, and before Mi Rae can make a getaway, he meets her and grabs another smooch without permission. Mi Rae again looks surprised. Why is he so open with his affection toward her now. Are they really a couple now?

Jo Gook: Hey, that was not my fault!

Mi Rae: …

Jo Gook: What kind of a woman goes around turning men into jello just by being in front of them!

Mi Rae acknowledges the compliment from the Dashing One, but by the look on her face, she isn’t buying it completely. A person who has been put down all her life cannot so easily take compliments, and her awkwardness shows plainly.

And yet it is incredibly ironic that she acts this way. Mi Rae has in fact turned EVERY SINGLE man she has met so far into mush (one way or another), and she really has no idea how truly attractive and charming she really is. Jo Gook has figured it out though. He is living the dream. He has his very own jello-maker and gets to have his jello too.

Meanwhile, Jo Gook’s mom has been looking into purchasing a florist shop in Inju City to restart her life, and unexpectedly, she runs into a blast from the past.

How does she know the Chairman of the City Council of Inju City? It seems that the Chairman knows who she is, and knows that Jo Gook is her son. It would be a classic cliché if it turns out that the Chairman and Jo Gook’s mom were former lovers, but by the look of the Chairman, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Jo Gook’s mom: I had always thought that if I ever would get the chance to you again, I would tell you how thankful I was… but now my words seem a bit stale.

What could it be? Did he save her life? Does she have some dark secret and only the Chairman knows about it? Could Jo Gook have a happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care twin who was raised in an orphanage, and now in the fashion business, out there somewhere? Nah, that would be stupid…right?

Just on the other side of the park, three destitute bums lounge on a couple of park benches. Isn’t there a vagrancy law in Inju City?

It serves them right too. You guys remember this? I’ve not forgotten.

This kind of thing makes me so angry, but I am calm, calm, calm…. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, Mi Rae winning the election, Mi Rae and Jo Gook holding hands… okay, better.

Anyway, Mi Rae has reached out to these former Director bums, inviting them to come back and even taking them out to lunch. The Directors are overwhelmed by Mi Rae’s generosity and lack of malice. The size of Mi Rae’s heart must be as big as Inju City, to forgive those who have wronged her so, but an interesting side-effect is that this inherent characteristic is the only thing that works to change the hearts and minds of her former enemies. Maybe instead of City Hall, this drama should have been called “You’re Beautiful.” I digress…

Not only does Mi Rae mend fences, but she paints them too. And for her new boyfriend / National Assembly Candidate #5, she can also leave presents on fences. Mi Rae drops off a care package with a lovey-note to call for tips on how to win elections.

But even as Jo Gook grins on the outside, I wonder if he recognizes implicitly what he is holding. He is holding a set of juice boxes covered with more than dozen hearts. In other words, Jo Gook, if you haven’t figured it out yet – you just made a woman fall in love with you. And lest you forget, you still have a fiancé…

Jo Gook is smiling all the way to the election. His poll numbers have sky-rocketed as Inju City’s women have flocked to see this tall, dark and handsome candidate with the golden tongue. The papers have Jo Gook inching toward the top of the polls, despite not having a political party backing him.

Fresh from the campaign trail and taking a break for some lunch with his campaign volunteers, Jo Gook stares longingly at his favorite mayor’s picture on a wall.

Jo Gook’s campaign manager and former back-stabber Soo In gives his mentor and boss a knowing stare in return. This scene included for the sake of Soo In. It has been too long since he appeared in a recap.

Later that evening, Mi Rae and Jo Gook meet up at their hotel room to have dinner, to continue Mi Rae’s lessons with respect to municipal governance, and even for Jo Gook to pick up more things that he can use for his own campaign. In all respects, this is not a one-sided relationship but something that is based on respect and mutual affection for their respective attractive qualities. Still, Mi Rae has her concerns and raises them.

Mi Rae: You’re a player.

Jo Gook: Me?

Mi Rae: That’s what you have been.

Jo Gook: You think this is an affair we are having right now?

Mi Rae: Isn’t it?

Jo Gook: No, this is a typhoon I am in.

(Quick explanation: To have an affair, in Korean, is based off the word “breeze,” taking the fickle and wanton qualities of wind that blows neither steady or in the same direction all the time. Jo Gook is saying that he isn’t like a breeze, but in fact he is caught in a typhoon. It is an admission of love, and it stuns Mi Rae to hear it. As much as a person can hope and even believe that it is true, to hear the admission that another person loves you, can be shocking.)

Jo Gook: My house, my car, everything I own might end up being blown away. And I don’t even know whether I might also be blown away in the end. I should escape, I know it is dangerous, and I knew I should, but in the end I couldn’t. In front of a breeze, I can stand it, but in front of a typhoon, I am helpless. And I didn’t know it until now.

This look that Mi Rae is giving to Jo Gook, we’ve seen it before. It is the same look that she gives when she realizes she can help. Mi Rae is now saying, on the inside, “It’s okay. I am here now, and I will make it all better. Don’t be afraid, and just hang on to me. I will protect you.”

Mi Rae’s very nature is to protect and to nurture those who aren’t able to care for themselves, even if it costs her. If Jo Gook is playing her, then he just hit the jackpot. If Jo Gook is being honest, then he just won Mi Rae’s heart for sure.

At that moment, Jo Gook goes to answer the door, and a man with a camera storms the hotel room, snapping pictures as he goes. This is a nightmare for both Candidate Jo Gook and for Mayor Mi Rae.

This slimy reporter has got his hands on a bomb that can explode two careers and take Mi Rae down. Who sent this guy? Was it Joo Hwa trying to ruin Mi Rae? Was it one of the political candidates in the National Assembly race? Who is paying this slimeball? Jo Gook is unable to force it out of him and with the prospect of other pictures being leaked, Jo Gook has to let him go, warning the reporter though, that if the reporter messes with Mi Rae even a little bit, Jo Gook will kill him.

Jo Gook drives Mi Rae home, and now is the time to prepare possible damage control. Jo Gook tells Mi Rae that if anyone asks about their relationship, to answer, “there is no relationship between him and me.” Mi Rae is stunned for a second, before the realization of their predicament sinks in. She agrees.

Mi Rae: Have a safe trip home.

Then as Mi Rae leaves the car, heartbroken, Jo Gook rushes out of the car and grabs Mi Rae. But this time Mi Rae just stands there, with her arms at her sides. She simply cannot hug this man who denies there is anything between them.

Jo Gook: You must remember. “There is no relationship between him and me.”

Then something unexpected happens, even with Jo Gook continuing to remind Mi Rae that their relationship is likely to fail. Mi Rae drops her bag and hugs Jo Gook tightly. Overcoming her own sorrow and sense of worthlessless, all Mi Rae knows that Jo Gook is hurting, and even if it means that she hurts more, she must protect and nurture; it is who she is.

I’m not sure how I feel about Jo Gook. Really, this is all his fault, because of Jo Gook’s political ambitions. What exactly you are regretting? That you are too ambitious, that you fell in love with Mi Rae, or are you just regretting that you got caught?

The next day, we see who the reporter was angling for. Aha. Sleeze-ball reporter was “only” in it for the money, trying to shake-down the billionaire Go Go Hae with photos of her wayward fiancé. At least he aims high. I’m glad he’s not trying to give it to Joo Hwa.

But Go Hae looks bored and not impressed, even though the reporter looks like he is already counting his jackpot money. I LOVE the acting in this scene. Go Hae looks like she would rather eat second-hand food in a soup kitchen than be forced to have to deal with his kind of low class piece of turd. And the sleezy reporter is so slimy, after watching this episode, I had to use baby wipes to clean off the slime off my monitor.

Go Hae is no fool though. Expertly, brilliantly, magnificently, she handles the reporter. Ice-cold, without blinking and totally in control, she tells the reporter to continue taking pictures, and to talk again after the election. Why would she pay for pictures of a mere candidate who hasn’t won anything yet? It is so perfect. Out of his league, the reporter is put in his place with absolutely zero leverage on Go Hae. The reporter looks like someone stole his lunch money. The lesson to be learned – there is always someone smarter than you.

This reporter had his milkshake drank by Go Hae.

You really have to give Go Hae her props. She is one tough and beautiful and elegant lady. A winner-take-all battle between Go Hae and Mi Rae is looming, and with Go Hae’s diamond self-control and native intelligence, plus her billions, plus BB in her pocket, how can Mi Rae stand a chance?

Finally, the National Assembly election campaign’s end is approaching for all the candidates, and all of them are out in Inju City, rallying their troops and making speeches. In a strange confluence of events, Jo Gook’s campaign and the campaign of the other candidates seem to all run into one another, and it is a mass media event for all the candidates… until a certain BB shows up.

Jo Gook turns about as pale as he can get, as hew sees the king-maker himself walking on the streets of Inju City, walking toward him. You could knock Jo Gook over with a feather.

BB: It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I came here because of you. Let’s have a hug.

Facing the reporters, BB comes right out in support of Jo Gook, calling him good fortune for Inju City. The shock/dismay on all the other candidates’ faces is immediate, but Jo Gook isn’t the least bit happy with this powerful endorsement. You can see Jo Gook’s mind racing a mile a minute. Why now? Why come to Inju City now? What is BB’s plan?

BB and Jo Gook have their tête-à-tête at a tea house. The conversation is accusatory and pregnant with meaning.

BB: Did you receive what you wanted, after ditching me and coming down to Inju City? That is what I am asking.

Jo Gook: As a matter of fact, I did. This is the first time since I was born that you actually came down to see me.

BB: Why would you say that this is the first time? It seems you have forgotten, but a while back I came too.

Jo Gook: But that wasn’t to see me. You came so that you wouldn’t have to see me again.

BB: I guess you could see it that way… but what can I say, I really didn’t come here to see you today either.

Warning warning! I have warning bells ringing in my ears, and sure enough, there is a knock on the door, and a woman enters… Oh noes…. Jo Gook and Mi Rae are both absolutely floored in seeing the other.

Mi Rae, meet the most powerful (and cold-blooded) man in Korean politics…. BB!

Comments –

OMG, what a fantastic episode! I LOVE THE ENDING SEQUENCE. The dialogue between BB and Jo Gook was really great, and special props have to go to Choi Il Hwa, who played the role of BB. If you took a very intelligent human being, got rid of any semblance of morality or sense of goodness, then you would have BB. He isn’t evil per se, he is just so amoral, so centered on only his goals…. he just is soooo not what you would want in a father-in-law (the best I can do to describe him). This ending sequence is so perfect! It makes your heart flutter, it makes you sit uncomfortably in your chair and you shift back and forth. It makes you squeal in delight, groan in agony and scream mortal threats that the producers would dare leave you hanging like this.

I don’t have any more comments other than I LOVE THIS EPISODE.

I mean, what more can you ask out of a drama? Seriously. Ask yourselves this question: when you first saw this episode and gasped at the ending, did you want to knock yourself into a coma that lasted a week, so that you could wake up and immediately watch the next episode without any delay? What time was it when you finally calmed down enough to go to sleep? Was it 1 a.m. when you were ready to finally get off the computer, but still in awe of the most kick-ass ending for the most kick-ass episode of an already kick-ass drama series? Was it 2 a.m. when you found yourself still dreaming about The Kiss? What a wonderful episode!

What to watch for in this Episode?

What to watch for? Everything? But here are some notables:

1. The Kiss.
2. The best episode ending sequence of this series thus far.
3. A Soo-In sighting (yay).
4. Mi Rae forgiving and then recruiting her former enemies to her side.
5. Go Hae turning a slimeball reporter into a butterball.
6. Boo Mi giving waaaaay too much information about her nights of passion in the marital bed.
7. Jo Gook admitting his love for Mi Rae.
8. Jo Gook’s mom mysterious savior in the City Council Chairman.
9. Passion, hope, love, and then…. disaster.

From this point on, there is no point in trying to breathe. If you think these episodes were good, you’ve REALLY gotta see what is to come…

On To Episode 15!

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1 pat

December 11, 2009 at 9:39 PM

Loved it Loved it soooo much. Thanks for the memories.

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2 nixxochick

December 11, 2009 at 9:50 PM

although ive already watched CH and rewatched it a few times i totally love reading your summaries, thank you!

and yes that kiss was the kiss to top all kdrama kisses so far..super hot!

and the whole typhoon scene completely melted my heart...awwww i can only dream someone will actually say that to me

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3 Carrie

December 11, 2009 at 9:54 PM

Okay. Yes. The kiss. Holy smokin moly that kiss. It made all those "falling on lips" kisses worth it for that moment. I also love it because this whole drama depicts a serious adult relationship. Sure there's the fun cutsey stuff. And there's romance. And the melty hotness of the kiss.
*ahem*
But there are also choices in relationships. Difficult ones. And people, no matter how deep in love they are with someone, they can still be incredibly selfish. I appreciate that this drama depicts that in so many of the relationships here not just the main one.

I literally held my breath when BB showed up. And I think I forgot to breathe all the way through to the end when Mi-rae shows up. My jaw hit the ground. AND THE THE EP ENDED. Ugh.

So here are my fave parts of the recap:
1. (What did you expect? Maybe you thought Jo Gook was going to write you poems and make you a mix-tape of k-drama OST ballads to express his true feelings??) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The sad thing is Samsooki is that she probably did...
2. "Back at Jo Gook’s passion-mobile..." If I had been drinking something I would have spit it on my screen. As it was I just snorted with laughter really loudly.
3. "Jo Gook has figured it out though. He is living the dream. He has his very own jello-maker and gets to have his jello too." I want a male jello-maker and to have my jello too. (Although in typing that sentence male jello-maker sounds very close to male gigolo which would be what I don't want...)
4. And to your last paragraph... yes. Minus the coma part. In fact I'm pretty sure that I did stay up so that I could watch the kick ass kiss over and over aga- I mean hop right on to ep 15 to find out what happened next. Yes. Exactly what I did.

Kick ass review as usual team! You're all brilliant!

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carrie

November 11, 2010 at 1:25 AM

i am bright

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4 Norma

December 11, 2009 at 10:07 PM

I can't believe I chanced upon your analysis now! Yikes....this episode was totally AWESOME!!!! Talk about a roller coaster ride with psychological warfare going on.....

I checked the "behind the scenes" kiss.....dang....I agree totally that it was the most turn on kind of kissing EVER!!!! What they used in the drama was really mild compared to what they tossed!

And BB....his acting is off the chart! If you want to know what evil looks like ... that's him! I was totally mesmerized by his acting....a veteran actor for sure.

Gotta hand it to Mi Rae and Jo Gok.....they are heart throbs!

Love your analysis Samsooki.....and as we say here in hawaii....you're NO KA OI!
THE BEST!

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5 bumblexbee

December 11, 2009 at 10:08 PM

reading this recap reminds me how much i love this drama =]
they have awesome chemistry...
& theyre awesome actors.
on to ep15=]

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6 ockoala

December 11, 2009 at 10:15 PM

Hy-per-ven-ti-la-ting. I am serious having trouble breathing right now, because I just read the most awesome recap of the most awesome episode yet of CH, *without breathing*.

samsooki, your recap was.....you've rendered me (nearly )speechless. The eloquence, the clever double entendres, the perfect encapsulation of every meaningful moment of this episode - I'm gonna give you an ovation from my desk! (I'm saving the standing ovation for a few episodes later, or maybe you'll deserve it by episode 15, who knows?)

I *loved* every second of this episode, it was sheer drama heaven for me. Everything I ask for in a drama, CH episode 14 delivered in less than 60 minutes. Back to re-read the recap for the first of many times.

Btw, BB was gone from CH for so many episodes, you kinda forgot about him on a day to day basis, but his presence lurks and when he suddenly shows up and hugs JG, I felt the pit of my stomach drop and my gut wrench, and then he drags MR to lunch, and I'm like "Noooooooo....."

And I don't think I can say anything more about The Kiss that I haven't said before in like every OT since the dawn of my OT-ing (and samsooki said so much better in this recap). While I didn't immaculately conceive like belleza did with the LBH-KTH kiss, I did immediately force my husband to watch this and then practice with me. :-P I kid, I kid, or do I?

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7 robotmatsuri

December 11, 2009 at 10:17 PM

OMG Samsooki, you are AMAZING! Your lines had me laughing-out-loud. :D

Most k-drama kisses are weak, tongue-less and with less suction than a clogged handheld vacuum running low on battery power.

Could Jo Gook have a happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care twin who was raised in an orphanage, and now in the fashion business, out there somewhere? Nah, that would be stupid…right?

PUAHAHA! *cough* Anyway, I agree with you that this is the beginning of a series of really great episodes! 14-20 are the best in the entire series. Favorite points not included in the recap:

+ SMR: "Negayo? Yegayo?!"
+ SMR showing those landowners who's boss. RAWR!

And I think it was this episode that made me realize how freaking amazing JG's lines are. Writer Kim, *thumbs up*. ;)

P.S. 1000 points for Soo-In's incredulous look that screams, "Wipe that idiotic lovey-dovey look off of your face, man!"

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8 YABaddict

December 11, 2009 at 10:17 PM

I love all your comments!
I didn't watch City Hall, only been reading recaps on and off, this is my first time reading yours...and it made me laugh quite a bit! Thank you! As I am still suffering from you-know-what, thought I'd drop by on this recap and it was quite a nice surprise...will have to watch this drama from beginning to end...

Now, about the kiss (I'll have to watch this one!), I think the first and maybe the only kdrama kiss that ever moved me was...Kim Sun Ah and Hyun Bin in MNIKSS! Their first one by the piano, I don't know why, but it was really HOT and sexy...I always thought it was because Hyun Bin must be such a good kisser, or must have such sex appeal, but you're making me reevaluate my opinion...maybe it was also due to Kim Sun Ah, she too must be a great kisser... or is she just lucky to be kissed by good kissers? hmm...all this talk of kisses and kissers...I'm going to re-watch that scene...and then compare it to this one!
Great recaps Samsooki!

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9 langdon813

December 11, 2009 at 10:19 PM

Best one yet, samsooki!

You know what was so great about Ep 14 for me? The fact that it had already aired by the time I started watching CH! In fact, hearing so much about "The Kiss" is what made me start watching CH, so to say this is a pivotal episode is an understatement on about 100 different levels. I was hooked after Episode 1 and never looked back until I caught up...and joined the rest of the junkies, hot on the trail for my weekly fix.

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10 robotmatsuri

December 11, 2009 at 10:21 PM

@8 YABaddict

Ooh, it was definitely KSA in MNIKSS, IMO... Hyun Bin was too drunk/shy/embarrassed to function properly. lol. Check out her kisses with Gong Yoo in S Diary and She's On Duty! :D

@ Samsooki
"6. Boo Mi giving waaaaay too much information about her nights of passion in the marital bed."

LOL!!!! YES! I remember saying, "Ew, TMI!"

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11 kaota

December 11, 2009 at 10:31 PM

kim sun ah looks like she is well versed in the "lip action" from watching her in MNIKSS and this one movie with the guy from coffee prince. i've always liked her because her kiss scenes never made me cringe.

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12 kaota

December 11, 2009 at 10:34 PM

lol @ 10

didn't even see your post when i posted. the movie was She's on Duty! thanks for that. i would've been so bugged out if i couldn't remember the title.

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13 YABaddict

December 11, 2009 at 10:51 PM

@10 Robotmatsuri and
@11 kaota

You are so right!! I don't know why I didn't even notice it before, maybe my eyes were all on Hyun Bin :-) at the time, but re-watching that scene, KSA does seem to be doing all the work! Definitely see the "lip action" there kaota! Hyun Bin is actually not moving much, but I like their position and how he tightened his hold on her waist! Ok, really HOT still!
Now, on to watching The Kiss in this one! I watched She's on Duty a while back but don't remember being moved by that kiss...hmm...maybe will watch it again too! Ah, so many kisses to re-watch and re-evaluate now...

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14 YABaddict

December 11, 2009 at 10:55 PM

Oh, and re-watching even that small part of MNIKSS makes me want to eat cake too! There is that huge piece of cake on the piano... That was one of the many reasons it was such a good and addicting drama...cake and desserts leaving you hungry!

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15 robotmatsuri

December 11, 2009 at 11:20 PM

Some of KSA's kiss scenes... :x

KSA + CSW - CH 14 Kiss Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7OV71RGTuE

KSA + HB - My Name is Kim Sam-Soon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXbtb7BYNRg

KSA + GY - S Diary (Warning: NSFW!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHlI1UhkHoM

KSA + GY - She's On Duty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J59ArOmOtY

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16 sueyip

December 11, 2009 at 11:20 PM

My, my, my, this recap is brilliantly written, punctuated with witty remarks.. gosh, the description of THE KISS. Love that .... this is a real true kiss ..... he really kissed KSA full in the mouth and she responded as usual (as seen in her other dramas and movies), making THIS KISS so memorable and out of the ordinary. And I just love the way he went towards her lips ..... it was so tender .... so passionate .... so filled with love. Boy, how can we forget THIS KISS. Thank you Samsooki and team.

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17

December 11, 2009 at 11:21 PM

Apologies for the multiple posts, somehow nothing happened when I submitted...

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18 Houxx

December 11, 2009 at 11:45 PM

Thanx 4 the awesome recap!
I feel like rewatching CH again.
although i already watched it N times alredi....>.<

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19 Jae

December 12, 2009 at 12:24 AM

Thanks for the recap!

“Samsooki was right all along! You ARE the guy that my mom warned me against!” (What did you expect? Maybe you thought Jo Gook was going to write you poems and make you a mix-tape of k-drama OST ballads to express his true feelings??)

Just poking fun...did you do that woing the misus?...heheheh.

Same sentiment, love this episode too

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20 cleown

December 12, 2009 at 12:28 AM

^ Houxx, I'm with you there! I only skimmed through the first part of the recap but I'm like drooling on my keyboard (and this is not because I just got up and am hungry like the cookie monster!!)...
Ah, where in the world is my external HD?! >/////<

Will comment on your work later, Samsooki, hehe.

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21 all4movies

December 12, 2009 at 12:46 AM

Samsooki,

That recap was so worth the wait and so side splitting funny.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. My kudos to you and your team.

I think it's going to leave me in a swoon for awhile.

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22 epyc

December 12, 2009 at 1:24 AM

Life experience does change and enhance one's perspective. Fully understand Samsooki's "I had to use baby wipes to clean off the slime off my monitor." :)

What a BRILLIANT re-cap for a BRILLIANT episode, Samsooki! The rich layers of emotion and the pull/push tension of plot developments are fully 're-lived' here. I must say your re-cap is as great as Scriptwriter Kim's script - hat down to you!

This is one compact episode that you can't spare a moment to breathe. Who would forget:
* THE KISS of the kisses. I have been thinking for a while how Mr S would re-cap this scene, and what we read here MORE THAN exceeds expectation ;
* JG's towering and shading MR outside the car with Park Sang Woo’s “Loving You, Loving You" playing in the background;
* the heart-to-heart talk between JG and MR after their kiss-date. I always think JG represents the mind while MR, the heart. Here, their sphere are really in the cross road;
* MR's wit demolishing her enemies and heart winning friends;
* Soo-in back in the scene;
* Go Hae's got to be the most intelligent second female lead;
* the chance encounter of JG's mom and Inju Council Chairman that got us Hallers sitting on the chair edge pondering what their relationship was; and
* the final BB sequence.

And you even haven't left out Boo Mi's bedroom talk!!!

All these got me back to re-watch mode..... thankyou, thankyou Team Samsooki for re-living my CH craze days. You are so right - I didn't manage to get into sleep after watching this episode live and raw w/o sub!! A BIG TORTURE to wait for another week.

THE BEST EPISODE OF ALL KDRAMAS is coming up - can't wait to read your re-cap of Episode 15 of City Hall!

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23 kirst3n

December 12, 2009 at 2:11 AM

Even more infuriating, sometimes the guy doing the kissing is awkwardly trying to hug a limp and flaccid girl who has her lips sealed tighter than radiator release valve in an overheated car stuck on 5 Freeway during rush hour in downtown LA.

--->LOL, this is so true. Great episode recap Samsooki!

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24 blue_star

December 12, 2009 at 2:49 AM

omg, finally the recap on THE KISS!!!!! *hyperventilates n promptly falls off chair*

i've been reading n waiting for CH recaps n waiting anxiously to read how Great CH Recapper, samsooki will reacap this eps. hohoho! great writing, samsooki! thank you v.much to you n your team for delivering once again, another super fantastic CH recap! *giggles at passion-mobile n jello-maker choice of words* but yah, i wish you'd have written about the "Negayo? Yegayo?!" part, a throwback to an earlier eps (talk about sweet justice b/w JG n SMR, wahahah). but i understand that edits need to be done, bleh. =) thank you for your brief explaination regarding breeze n affair... having no understanding of the korean language, this explaination has increased my understanding of this scene (i never knew the underlying meaning b4 this, simply thought it's a heart-clutching moment b/w JG n typhoon SMR).

well, i innocently started watching CH after it has aired 14eps in korea (didn't noe about THE KISS then, just wanna watch new drama of my fav KSA). but lo n behold! was sucked into the action in inju city and started madly watching CH after a few eps, n that was when i found myself with abated breath at the cliffhanger in this eps, anxious to watch eps 15 BUT had to wait n wait for a few days for it to broadcast n subbed. as u can see, my marathron watching of the 1st 14eps ended before the broadcast of eps 15. (talk about a crazed fan! hah!) n so, started my very 1st stalking of a k-drama in real time, while it is concurrently broadcasting in korea. that's what CH has done to me, n i'm happy to say that i'm still suffering from CH withdrawal symptoms. imagine my joy when i discovered these recaps!!! l-o-v-e! *sheepish*

eps14 is truly a rollar coaster ride (actually i think it's e start of many rollar coaster rides for each of the remaining eps in this series) n it's really fab!!! hehe, i can't wax lyrical enough about KSA n CSW's acting so i shan't start. GGH n BB are really so good at being bad/ evil, i wanted to smack them on my laptop screen numerous times.

ahh... can't wait to read the recaps for the remaining eps. on to eps 15- 20 recaps!! ;) *continues to stalk this website*

many thanks to samsooki n team n javabeans!!! =)

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25 yoon13

December 12, 2009 at 3:03 AM

Thanks for the recap!
it was definitely the kiss.
although ive already watched CH i love them

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26 jastinel

December 12, 2009 at 4:08 AM

Thanks for this wonderful recap! I had a good laugh while reading through your words, This episode was not that funny at all, it was full of lovey-dovey scene that I`ve been dreaming since day one of the drama. I remember, we wrote our messages for the cast of CH and my message for CSW was...."When can I see JG kiss Mirae? Same question to the writer. Then episode 14
was broadcast and it was super-doper exciting to see how they`ve done the kiss scene.
I was not disappointed and it worth the wait. KSA has always been a good kisser, professional,
I remember, when she told Bi/Rain (During the rehearsal of Bi/Rain concert) that.... they should not pretend on doing it (faking a scene, something like that) She`s so real in portraying her character, that`s why even her kisses seems to be so real too.
I wasn`t able to forget this episode until now. Everyday, I do re watched episode of CH and most of the time I will start from episode 14 to 20 and the next day 13 to 6, the next day episode 1 to 5...
hehehe weird, right! Anyway, even how often I watched this episode, it`s always like watching it for the first time.
Honestly, Not only samsooki and team are amazing here, after the recap, I continue reading those wonderful comments from people who never get tired spreading CH love and those comments are so reach of good words that describe how great this drama has become.

Thanks for making this day a great one for me!
Thanks to samsooki and team, you guys are Angels of Inju City!

It`s so obvious that I`m so happy, right! I hope CH will win awards, cause if they wont get
any recognition, I will protest!
Sorry guys, I`m not so good in words!

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27 dee

December 12, 2009 at 4:23 AM

so tender....feel jeolus...wish CSW here...huahahahahahaha....

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28 Goldie

December 12, 2009 at 4:42 AM

Absolutely agree !!

This series is a must to see, That's all what i recommend. ^^
Of course. I finally fall in love with Cha Seung Won after i first saw him from this series.

couldn't believed how much i missed about his past works ..

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29 birdscout

December 12, 2009 at 5:18 AM

This is the most kick-ass recap of the most kick-ass episode of an already kick-ass drama, for sure! Thank you, samsooki!!! The highest praise I can think of is: your intelligent, hilarious, informative and creative recap has reached javabeans' proportions!

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30 Artemis

December 12, 2009 at 5:47 AM

OMG OMG OMG, that kiss - I do not know how many times I replayed it! And the BTS clip was really great too. Take notice k-actors and directors - that is how you kiss!

Thank you so much for a GREAT recap, once again, Samsooki!! ♥♥♥

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31 Draine

December 12, 2009 at 6:59 AM

Thanks! I've all ready watched this, but it really makes me want to watch it again. Plus, I love your reviews coz i am not korean and they are many things i don't get when I watch dramas. So thanks for korean info as well :)

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32 petirrojo

December 12, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Ah, how I loved this episode!

I've come to the conclusion that Kim Sun Ah makes all of her leading men much sexier because they get a real woman to kiss, a woman who has lips and knows what to do with them. When you pair her up with a manly man like Cha Seung Won, well, let's just say that the temperature in the room goes up 10 degrees when they look at each other and goes off the charts when they kiss!

As for that sequence in front of her house when he tells her that she has to disavow their relationship, I took it that there was a double meaning to his words, based on the translations that I saw. The captions for Jo Guk said, "There is nothing between us, remember that. There is nothing between us." But he's holding her tightly to him at this moment so that I took it to mean, "We are so close, so much at one with each other that you can't tell where I end and you begin. There is nothing that can come between us." So ostensibly he is telling her to deny things to the press and public and at the same time reassuring her that she does mean everything to him.

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33 Tarits

December 12, 2009 at 7:31 AM

Another superb recap by Samsooki and his team! We Cityhallers can throw in - excellent, wonderful, matchless, priceless, ultimate (!) and just about all adjectives we can think of and these words may not even be enough to describe recaps that Samsooki and Team do each time. I print each one (yes, print) all recaps, to compile into a book and let friends read it and see if they will not fall in love with CH just by reading all the recaps. When finished, I am sure this book will surpass all books endorsed by book clubs, Oprah and the like. Mine will be a book like no other! Why not? It is "The City Hall" book!

Samsooki and team, you guys are the best!

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34 niKai

December 12, 2009 at 8:06 AM

reading your awesome and witty recaps make me realize once again what a wonderful drama City Hall has been. This one is at the top of my all-time favorite k-dramas along with In-soon is pretty!

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35 diane

December 12, 2009 at 8:10 AM

Thank you so much for this great recap! You do have a way with words! I haven't watched CH yet, but plan on watching it now. Of course, I have to go to this episode and watch the kiss first.
I agree with previous posters, the kiss in MNIKSS made me do a double take. I remember yelling at the screen, you go girl!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a shame that so many Kdramas have the robotic kissing scenes. To me, a good kiss is totally erotic.

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36 Jessie B

December 12, 2009 at 9:10 AM

Samsooki Are You For Real????? Don't get me wrong, I love your writing to bits!!! I was at first disturbed by the little trivia I gather from here and there that you are... a guy, a lawyer?, a father of a newborn (btw, congrats), is in touch with your feminine side (i.e. that 'fangirl' in you!)...It's a case of the PROFILE doesn't fit the PROFILE....heh. Anyway, I am so glad that you are back and writing. It took me so long to get over City Hall...and I'm finally moving on to....'Smile, You' :) BUT, City Hall will always have a very, very, special place in my heart, especially reinforced by your wonderful writing.

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37

December 12, 2009 at 9:20 AM

Samsooki!!! Are You For Real? Don't get me wrong, I love your writing to bits!!!! But from what I have gathered from bits of trivia here and there, you are....a guy, a lawyer?, a father of a newborn (btw, congrats), in touch with your feminine side (i.e. that 'fangirl' in you), etc. It's a case of...The PROFILE doesn't fit the PROFILE! Hahaha, but I like...That said, it took me a looooooong time to get over City Hall....I'm finally moving on with 'Smile, You' :) But City Hall will always have a very, very special place in my heart, especially reinforced by your wonderful writing (and the feverish following of all the CityHallers in Soompi!)

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38 mzpakipot

December 12, 2009 at 9:39 AM

ahhh....the KISS. Who wouldn't forget that. The fact that the tension was there but they made us wait till episode 14 to witness their half full-blown romance! Definitely not your average Kdrama Kisses, even young ones nowadays kisses like GuMi couple!

re: MNIKSS kiss---I wasn't interested in watching this drama coz of the plot, and the heroine wasn't very attractive, until I saw the kiss. I check it out and to my surprise, the story was heartwarming, funny and KSS felt so real to me. I believe I did a marathon from 8am till 4am and I had to be at work by 7am. Imagine me, half-sleep driving to work and i have a smile like this ^___________________^ all day long! Kim Sun Ah played her role so well that her performance was unforgettable that i became one of her biggest fan and MNIKSS became one of my most favorite.

back to CH ep 14 recap.

Samsooki, I coudln't stop laughing at your "Jello" comment, vacuum not working, flaccid girl...

“Samsooki was right all along! You ARE the guy that my mom warned me against!” (What did you expect? Maybe you thought Jo Gook was going to write you poems and make you a mix-tape of k-drama OST ballads to express his true feelings??)

Funny as heck!!!! lol

The kiss is when all Hallers hyperventilated, died and gone to heaven! LOL

This is the episode where it's got everything-sweet,cute, romance, suspense. and It all balanced it out.

Thank you Samsooki and Team, and special thanks to JB!

can't wait for episode 15 recap and the comments afterwards regarding some certain candles! LOL

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39 mzpakipot

December 12, 2009 at 10:13 AM

btw, i'm still laughing.....lol

also, i like the fact that Jo Guk never uttered the word "I love You" in this episode and thank you for explaining more about the "Typhoon" per se confessing his love to Mi-rae. Now, I understand it more. Thank you Samsooki!

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40 Sherrie in HB

December 12, 2009 at 10:38 AM

OMG, Samsooki you are the best!! I too have been wondering how you were going to recap this eps. The very wording you used to discribed "THE KISS" was too much for me. I now need to rewatch that eps. This is the perfect day because it is rainingg cats-n-dogs here in So. Calif so I am planning to ship the kids and husband away so I can watch this eps again.

Again Samsooki, you are the best and can't wait to read the rest of your recap on CH.

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41 jtinma

December 12, 2009 at 10:51 AM

Great recap, Thank you. I also want to say thank you for explaining the "Typhoon", I didn't catch the whole meaning of it.

For some reason last night right I rewatched the ending to "She's on Duty" and I have to say Kim Sun Ah really is good at kissing scenes. For those of you that are also fan of Gong Yoo check out this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmF2Q1sW-yc&feature=PlayList&p=DEAB6D50B3563738&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=20 It is one of the funniest interview I have seen. It has more parts than that so keep watching the other parts. I especially love the part Gong Yoo was trying to save himself after calling Kim Sun Ah men crazy.

Back to CH. I loved loved this episod. The k i s s was of course awesome, but I also love how Jo Guk is more forthcoming in his feelings. The great thing about this episod is that while Jo Guk is starting to show his emotions the last part of the episod re-enforce again how hopeless their relationship is. As the viewer it makes you giddy over their relationship but also keeping a part of you wanting to cringe b/c of the train wreck you can see that's coming. When I was watching this the first time around I really was cringing the whole time b/c I just couldn't see how Jo Guk would give up his dream since that would go against his personality but I also couldn't see how the relationship would survive without him doing it.

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42 nycgrl

December 12, 2009 at 11:26 AM

Awesome recap Samsookie! My withdrawal for CH was long gone and you just resurrected it with this recap--perfect blend of humor, background and summary. Epsiode 9 and up was what made CH for me and this episode was one of the highlights and it is so intense from here to the end. I love KSA as the mayor, much more so than her country bumpkin, miss pageant days.

Now on to the Kiss. This is the best kiss I've ever seen in a kdarama and will be the kiss I compare all kdrama kisses to. You can see these two people have chemistry, are people who knows how to kiss and have some years of practice under their belt which takes me to the theme I love about CH which is a mature grown up love that is maybe not as pure as first love but more sure and deep because its maybe the 2nd or 3rd time around.

I was pretty disappointed in kiss in IRIS since LBH is known be a fine kisser but I blame that on the lack of chemistry with KTH.

While we are on the topic of kisses I was also disappointed in my 2009 favorite YB. Understanding that YB is targeted for wider/younger audience but look at GD grinding away during his concert performance in front of an even younger audience. I'm not saying we should feel like taking a shower after a kiss scene but just looking for some middle ground where it isn't the frozen pursed lip kiss samsookie described that I see in most kiss scenes. At this point I feel like the viewers in Cinema Paridiso craving to see a good kiss.

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43 samsooki

December 12, 2009 at 11:38 AM

@36 Jessie B -

Samsooki Are You For Real????? Don’t get me wrong, I love your writing to bits!!! I was at first disturbed by the little trivia I gather from here and there that you are… a guy, a lawyer?, a father of a newborn (btw, congrats), is in touch with your feminine side (i.e. that ‘fangirl’ in you!)…It’s a case of the PROFILE doesn’t fit the PROFILE….

lol.

Well, first, thanks? Hehe. I am for real, but like everybody else, there are different sides to me. If I wrote the way I write normally, well, here's how The Kiss would have read:

Jo Gook kissed Mi Rae in his car, which was parked by the seawall in the hours before daybreak. It was consensual.

Soooooo, that doesn't work as well. :D

re: feminine side... well, I would say that perhaps one possible reason is that I have spent the last year with a preggers wife who has (and still is) been pumping out estrogen like an Alaskan oil well pumps out liquid gold...lol.

seriously though, lawyers by training must be able to take the position of their client, to see things from their perspective. Writing is all about points of view, perspectives - the characters' and the readers'. Given the fact that the heroine and the majority of the recap readers are female, I think it is important that this perspective be examined. THAT, plus the fact that my entire recap team other than me is female, and my wife reads my stuff beforehand and comments....

with respect to The Kiss, actually, I thought that Jo Gook might have been a bit too wolfish, but my wife said that she respects a guy who knows what he wants, etc., which was a point of view that I really hadn't considered.

From a guy's point of view, bluntly, a girl about to be kissed is basically a piece of meat to be chewed. Rarely does a hungry guy wonder about whether the meat would like to be nibbled, chewed or licked. He just eats. When he is full, that's it.

Having an all-star recap team of three women debating and challenging and editing and re-writing what I write has helped tremendously to see other points of view. =)

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44 nea:notoriousnoona

December 12, 2009 at 1:38 PM

All I can say is "Thank you"
Your recap made me go back and watch the first 8 mins of the show. It reminded me that through the time I was watching CH, JG made my heart race, my cheeks burn and my mind a bundle of glue. I have never seen a male lead like him and don't know if I ever want someone to replace him. He's not my ideal but he is captivating to watch.

with respect to The Kiss, actually, I thought that Jo Gook might have been a bit too wolfish, but my wife said that she respects a guy who knows what he wants

I have to agree with Mrs. Samsooki.

I also have to agree that this drama is about adult relationships and like every kdrama it brings into play certain dilemmas that truly cause you to step back and assess yourself, your morals, your boundaries.

LOVED IT! Thanks again.

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45 Inluv_wid

December 12, 2009 at 1:40 PM

love your recaps esp this one :)
thanks for the 'typhoon' explanation, now i understand it better!
the kiss- you said it right on the dot like always, the most passionate, the most pure.
great job on the recap, thank you samsooki

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46 momosan

December 12, 2009 at 1:47 PM

@Norma - wait...what there is BTS extra nookie? Do tell!

And we are all now mentally rewinding to find the other op 5 kisses. I think we may all agree that MNIKSS at the piano rates up there.

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47 robotmatsuri

December 12, 2009 at 1:51 PM

@46 momosan

BTS of episode 14 kiss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grNY5y9MK1U

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48 skelly

December 12, 2009 at 1:56 PM

OK Samsooki, what are the other five kisses you mentioned? I quote:

since the invention of the k-drama kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.

I feel the need to verify this information myself, through intense research, to see if I share the same opinion. Purely an intellectual inquiry, you understand.

p.s. Thanks to robotmatsuri for those handy links to other relevant kisses. What fun! Who else had to check out every one...?

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49 celestialorigin

December 12, 2009 at 2:01 PM

Whoa! The world most brilliant recap ever! I'm way beyond being impressed! It makes me want to re-watch the episode right now at this second... Thank you so much, Samsooki!