Bad Guy: Episode 2
by javabeans
I thought Episode 2 was mostly better than Episode 1… except for one particular aspect of it that almost lost me. I was all ready to dive headfirst into Bad Guy until that scene gave me pause. I’m still interested because everything else is so intriguing, but it pinged my earlier misgivings about story contrivances. Will discuss more later. But also:
Hot damn, when did Kim Jae-wook learn to act?? Oh, he always had tons of charisma — and a ridiculously beautiful face — and by all reports he was pretty good in Antique Bakery. But he’s just never shown this kind of depth.
SONG OF THE DAY
Dynamic Duo – “죽일 놈” (Guilty) [ Download ]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
EPISODE 2 RECAP
After the skydive goes awry, actress Hye-joo is taken to the hospital (though not for serious injuries) while Gun-wook, who’s more used to physical traumas, is fine. The action director asks what went wrong, since Gun-wook was responsible for checking the gear. Gun-wook casts a look back at Da-rim but merely says that the string must have frayed.
Da-rim apologizes for her sabotage, but when he asks if she feels better at having gotten back at the hateful Hye-joo, she admits that she did. However, she adds that she felt like crying when she saw them falling, and thanks him for being understanding.
Da-rim’s teary bashfulness turns indignant when he gives her a box to give to Hye-joo — so he’s still going to pursue her? She’d felt like they were on the same page, and this makes her peevish (plus, it seems Da-rim is harboring a crush on him). She peeks inside the box to see a folded paper crane.
Here’s what I’m confused about, though it’s a minor point — why did Gun-wook go up in the air with faulty parachutes? Even if he didn’t directly see Da-rim cutting the cord, he knew she was messing around, and maintaining safety was his duty. Was he testing Da-rim to see if she’d go through with it? Was he trying to see if she’d rise above it? Did he want to give Hye-joo a scare? It seems careless of him, regardless. Gun-wook may exude a reckless air, but he’s quite calculated about his risks, and he isn’t actually self-destructive — he’s got too much vengeance to wreak to treat his life so lightly.
Meanwhile, the Hong family gathers for Mo-nae’s birthday party, except the guest of honor hasn’t arrived yet. She drives to the hotel from the yacht, but takes a time-out before joining the party, feeling bitter about her cheating fiancé and people in general.
Gun-wook comes upon Mo-nae sitting outside and joins her. At any other time she’d be thrilled to see him, but today she can barely muster a small smile. She asks if he went skydiving today and with whom, and he — not betraying that he knows why she’s asking — answers that he went with the actress. Mo-nae sighs that she hates “the adults” who have spoiled her birthday — her disillusionment with her fiancé has spilled over into other aspects her life. (It’s not like she was forced kicking and screaming into the engagement, but she was never given a choice, either.)
Gun-wook gets up and plucks a couple of flower stems from the foliage and presents them to Mo-nae. A little bashfully, he says he doesn’t know how old she is — will two “candles” do? Mo-nae smiles at his silly gesture and pretends to blow out the candles.
And then, a brash intruder: It’s her older brother, prodigal son Hong Tae-sung (Kim Jae-wook). He treats Gun-wook with suspicion, addresses him rudely, and leads his sister away.
Gun-wook, understanding who this is, stares intensely at Tae-sung and crumples the forgotten flower stem, then drops it.
He watches the family gathering from outside their banquet hall, staring through the glass. From the outside, it looks much more pleasant than it is on the inside, where tensions mount with the increasing churlishness of Tae-sung, who clearly has issues with his family.
The event starts off civil enough, though Mo-nae is subdued. President Hong gently chides his son for showing up unannounced, to which his wife says that she called him here — why she shouldn’t she? Everyone knows Tae-sung is the bastard half-brother, but Madam Shin is the one who tries to pretend that it makes no difference.
When fiancé Se-joong introduces himself, Tae-sung mocks his father’s choice in engaging Mo-nae to such an ajusshi. His voice is right on that cutting edge between a laugh and a sneer, like a rebellious teenager who can’t resist stirring up fights to get out his misplaced aggressions. Tae-ra mutters for him to stop it; his father tells him to eat or leave, to which Tae-sung gets up and stalks out. Mo-nae, also upset with her family, follows him out.
His identity has obviously been a huge factor in the way Tae-sung has seen the world. Although his childhood wasn’t as traumatic as Gun-wook’s, it’s no surprise that Tae-sung, who came to the Hong family when he was old enough to understand that he was the black sheep, would have grown up slightly less than perfectly adjusted. His family chooses to think of Tae-sung as a reckless troublemaker, but it seems more likely that he’s acting out against them.
As for the murder/suicide case: It seems we were supposed to suspect Gun-wook as the dead girl’s boyfriend, although hawk-eyed viewers may have picked up on the fact that the crane left at her point of impact was a folded photograph of Tae-sung, who turns out to be the real boyfriend. The two investigators intercept him at the airport and take him in for questioning.
Gun-wook, not one to miss out on this small triumph, is there to witness the encounter.
After all, he has been working for quite some time to orchestrate his Grand Revenge. A back room of his apartment houses sprawling research on the Hong clan like the bunker of a serial killer mastermind, which I admit takes a bit off the luster from the whole Sexy Bastard Kim Nam-gil appeal. Not entirely, but just a bit.
This pretty much confirms that every encounter Gun-wook has had with the Hongs has been premeditated, including the yacht landing and the gradual romancing of Mo-nae. He’d pretended not to know her age, but it’s likely he knows not only her age but every detail of her life since birth.
This deal with birthdays spins Gun-wook off into another painful flashback, which features his first birthday celebrated with the Hongs. First and last — it was on that day that his father received word that they’d gotten the wrong Tae-sung. How were they fooled? Did that deaf-mute swindle them? Without bothering to work out the details, all that matters is that this Tae-sung is not their Tae-sung, and the family kicks him out calling him an impostor. As though the boy could have schemed this all up on his own.
He’d cried and begged for them to let him in, but they had left him outside in the rain, and he, not knowing what else to do, had huddled out in the cold outside their gate.
Tae-sung is interrogated about his dead ex Sun-young, joined at the station by his current girlfriend. He remains silent throughout, mentally elsewhere. New Cop shows amusement at the girlfriend’s alibi for Tae-sung on the night in question; she retorts, “Do you thing we were in there studying?” She recognizes the woman in the photo as the girl who had once stormed in on them angrily and pleaded with Tae-sung — he had broken things off suddenly and she hadn’t accepted it.
This leads us into another flashback, which is the memory upon which Tae-sung has fixated his thoughts. He recalls the time he had brought Sun-young to a lunch with his parents, presenting her as the woman he would marry.
As we have already seen, his relationship with his family is complicated and tense, and he can’t get through a simple conversation without making snarky digs — at his family, yes, but also at his girlfriend. His derision is directed at his parents, but Sun-young is a casualty — he knew before bringing her here that she would not meet with their approval, but he highlights her situation in the worst possible way. She’s older than him, she has no family. Tae-ra warns him to cut it out and apologizes to Sun-young, but he says flippantly that it’s okay because his girlfriend has no pride.
Everyone mutters for him to stop it, but Madam Shin smiles and invites him to continue, like she’s challenging him to do his worst. So he gets back at her by bringing up that sore topic: “She resembles Mother.” But, “Not you, the mother who gave birth to me.” Madam Shin taunts back, “Where is she? Does she even exist?” He counters, “Then did I fall from the sky?”
The parents leave the table early, and the sisters leave to give the couple some space. Tae-sung says that this is how he’s treated in his family, but when Sun-young talks to him sympathetically, he turns his scorn to her. How can she still want to marry him? Her kindness just makes him angry and he yells at her, saying she should have gotten his point. He orders her never to show herself in front of him again.
I’m sensing that underneath the spoiled brat facade is a self-destructive, angry man, and underneath that layer is a lonely boy who just wants some love and acceptance. Sun-young probably sees that in him and I suspect that he connects with her on one level, but that rich-boy shell is so strong that it also makes him act out against her, which is why he so easily cut her off.
Now Tae-sung finds the spot where she fell from the roof and stares blankly down at it. The security guard assumes that he finds the chalk outline unseemly and starts to erase it, but Tae-sung tells him not to. He falls to his knees, wracked with sobs, reaching out to touch the space within the outline. His hand shakes as it hovers above the space as though wanting to touch the person to whom it belongs, but unable to. He cries, “This isn’t how it was supposed to be.”
Watching nearby with utterly no sympathy — no reaction, even — is Gun-wook, playing with his flame again.
We’ve been given plenty of reason for his vendetta against the Haeshin Group family, but another flashback shows us even more. We resume where we left off, and young Tae-sung/Gun-wook is waiting in the rain when the Hongs return home with the current Tae-sung. They’re startled to see the boy still here — his other parents were supposed to come to pick him up.
They’re on their way, infuriated with this treatment — didn’t those rich people promise to take good care of Tae-sung? If they were just going to send him back, they should never have taken him away in the first place! Overcome with righteous anger, Mom urges Deaf Dad to hurry.
All the while, the dog has been wandering around pathetically in the rain and finally runs off, his leash slipping from the boy’s hand. It races into traffic, right as the parents’ truck comes along… and swerves… into oncoming traffic… and skids in the rain…
…and OH GOOD LORD you have gotta fucking be kidding me. The truck overturns and kill the parents, but Gun-wook doesn’t realize this — he’s fixated on the dog, which lies in a soggy mess beside him. He urges the dog to get up, asking why it won’t respond, and then — TO KILL YOU MORE — he takes out his hearing aid, meant for now-dead Dad, and holds it up to the dog’s ear. All while bleeding from the huge gash in his back.
Arrrrghhhhh#@#$asdfjkl;%^&*(^@$%^&*()(*&.
Sorry, but this makes me lose my mind just a little. This scene almost made me give up entirely on this drama — not because I can’t stand to see an animal die (although there is that), but the fact that they could go for such a cheap sob story with his childhood. I actually think this detracts from Adult Gun-wook’s vendetta, but I’ll get more into that in the comments section. And after that we will speak of this no more.
Sisters Jae-in and Won-in go out for a snack, and watch a TV report of the lady who committed suicide after being dumped by her rich boyfriend. Won-in jokingly warns Jae-in not to pursue her Catch A Chaebol scheme, because she could wind up like that woman. If she knew that she was Tae-sung’s ex, perhaps she’d actually reconsider.
Jae-in realizes that the suicide occurred near the intersection where she hit that guy with her car, but she dismisses Little Sis’s musings that he might be connected with the dead woman. Jae-in fiddles with the paper crane and ponders, “That guy had a scar on his back. But for some strange reason, it wasn’t scary.”
In the wee morning hours, Won-in walks up to the bus stop only to realize she has left her wallet at home. She turns to the other person on the bench — Gun-wook — to ask to borrow a dollar (1,000 won), but his gaze is firmly fixed on something in the distance and he doesn’t register her at all. Won-in starts searching his pockets for some cash, even reaching into his pants — bold girl! — and retrieves a bill, promising to pay him back. He remains unresponsive.
When she gets on the bus, she looks up curiously, wondering what the heck he’s so fixated on. All she can see is a plain ol’ office building marked Haeshin.
Hye-joo thinks that Gun-wook’s gift of the paper crane is an overture and flirtatiously calls him romantic. He indicates that there was actually more of a meaning to his gesture, leaving her confused — the vain movie star hasn’t bothered to actually look at it.
Upon opening the paper, she angrily confronts Da-rim, accusing her of swapping out his message. Then she figures that’s unlikely of her poor, stupid assistant and storms into the action school in high dudgeon, not caring that it’s the men’s locker room.
Hye-joo finds Gun-wook in the shower and shuts off his water, demanding to know what he means by this. (And I’m sure I’m not the only one who was just waiting for her to look down, lol. She doesn’t, which just confirms that she’s an idiot.) The crane was folded from the check that her date gave him to shut up about the accident. Gun-wook drawls that she should know what he meant by it, which pisses her off even more.
Mightily miffed, she rips up the check and drops it on the ground. Unperturbed, Gun-wook turns on the shower, washing the pieces toward the drain.
Another stuntman witnesses the exchange and later sneaks in to grab the pieces of the check. The action director finds the last crucial piece and argues for a cut of the total.
Tae-sung dozes on the couch, and wakes up to the voice of his dead girlfriend calling him to eat. He sees Sun-young standing there in the kitchen, just like normal, and stares in disbelief. But it’s all in his head, and he has imagined it all.
I wondered if this was a sign that he was losing a hold on reality due to guilt, but the next day he walks into the Haeshin building looking as assured as ever. He strides in full of purpose, but is stopped by the guards, who don’t recognize him and laugh when he insists he’s President Hong’s son. Everyone “in the know” is aware of Tae-sung’s identity, but the outside world only knows of one son (his elder brother, who also works for the company).
Tae-sung pretends to give up, then dashes past security and races inside, locking himself in the announcement booth. His voice booms in on the PA system throughout the entire building:
Tae-sung: “Father, are you listening? You know who I am, right? Your son Hong Tae-sung. But all these damned employees don’t know who I am, so I’m here to tell them, I’M THE SON OF THIS COMPANY!”
He adds that he’s going to Japan for good, so “have a nice life.” Jae-in looks up in interest when the announcement comes on, while President Hong chuckles in amusement, saying, “That’s my son!”
Mo-nae drives along, and while she’s paused at a stop light, a stranger opens the passenger door and surprises the bejeezus out of her — until she sees that it’s Gun-wook and is excited to see him.
Jae-in pulls up to the light by their car and recognizes Mo-nae, but stops from calling out a greeting when she registers Mo-nae’s unfamiliar companion. He’s not her fiancé, so who could it be?
Jae-in delivers a new art acquisition to Madam Shin, who is thrilled at the find. Tae-ra asks about Jae-in’s friendship with Mo-nae, and it turns out that Jae-in was hired to teach Mo-nae about art. Madam Shin had sent the two on a six-week trip through Europe the past year, with Jae-in acting as governess-companion.
Tae-ra finds Jae-in’s polite and respectful demeanor pleasing, and after Jae-in leaves she asks her mother to whose family she belongs. That’s rich people code for “Is she someone important?” and Madam Shin says her family is nobody to speak of — but she likes her too, because Jae-in is smart and “knows her place.” This means that Madam Shin (and therefore all rich people) can rest easy that she will never overreach and press her inferior presence upon them. Or at least that’s her gist.
Hearing that Mo-nae is at her music/dance studio, Jae-in drops by, curious to know who her companion was. Her excuse for the visit is to present her with a more appropriate birthday present, and then she asks about the guy in the car. Mo-nae is taken aback and fumbles for an excuse, not ready to share about her relationship with Gun-wook, and says that it was just her oppa. As she is keen to learn more about Tae-sung, Jae-in interprets this to mean that the guy was Tae-sung, and Mo-nae doesn’t correct her.
While Jae-in muses lightly that she envies Mo-nae — she’s rich, she has so many opportunities — Mon-ae responds that she’s actually envious of Jae-in. That idea is so surprising that Jae-in laughs — nobody’s ever envied the poor girl who worked her way up, but Mo-nae probably wishes she had Jae-in’s freedom as an independent adult.
Mo-nae is expecting a visitor so Jae-in leaves, but notices upon her exit that Gun-wook is arriving. Since she believes him to be Tae-sung, she watches with particular interest.
Gun-wook comes upon Mo-nae as she’s rehearsing, and she eagerly draws him into the studio, engaging him in a silly dance with her.
However, the doorbell marks the arrival of two unexpected visitors, and Mo-nae looks around nervously. She pushes Gun-wook into another room and shuts the door just as Tae-ra enters with Se-joong in tow.
Mo-nae tries to act (very unsuccessfully) like nothing’s the matter. She’s distracted and jittery, and spills juice all over the table. Just as she bursts out that they should go outside, a noise sounds from the other room. Mo-nae can’t even think of a way to explain, and stands in shock as Tae-ra goes to check on the sound. In her nervousness she drops a glass, which shatters on the ground, and a shard cuts her finger.
Tae-ra looks around for the source of the sound — and comes face to face with Gun-wook, who slides open the door and steps out.
He’s hardly one to sit in the dark hiding from someone, and now Gun-wook looks at a stunned Tae-ra and says smoothly, “We meet again.” He tells Mo-nae that she doesn’t have a harmonica, so they’ll have to put off their “lesson.” It’s a lame excuse, but Se-joong accepts the explanation that he’s one of her music teachers easily enough.
Tae-ra excuses herself to talk to the “teacher,” and catches up to Gun-wook at the elevators. She demands to know why he is here and why he keeps showing up around Mo-nae.
This next exchange is rife with double meanings, which add a nervous tension to the air and keep Tae-ra on edge. For instance, he starts by saying, “I wanted to see you.” (He means it literally and casually, but the phrase can also be interpreted to mean “I missed you,” which is the effect it has on Tae-ra.) Gun-wook adds, “Because it’s not easy to forget the person who hurt you.” Again he’s being literal — he’s referring to the injury she inflicted upon his face — but this also has a more ominous undertone given his revenge plot.
Tae-ra is generally a bit high-strung, but in conjunction with her shock at seeing Gun-wook, she’s particularly jumpy now. She hears his words in their more poetic light, until he clarifies himself, laughing that she didn’t “misunderstand” his meaning, did she? His comment mocks her for thinking exactly what he was misleading her to think. Tae-ra lashes out to slap him, but he grabs her wrist, noting idly, “It’s warm.”
Mo-nae comes running up and tells her sister not to misunderstand. Flinging off Tae-ra’s grasp, she runs into the elevator to join Gun-wook, doors sliding shut on her sister’s face. Anxiously, Tae-ra looks up at the lit panel, waiting to see where the elevator stops.
Mo-nae starts to apologize for her sister, while Gun-wook asks about Se-joong — he’s an exec director for a large company, right? Mo-nae says she’s sorry, as though she hurt him by being with another man. He replies that it doesn’t matter, since it’s not like they’re dating.
And here he makes his exit; instead of waiting for the elevator to hit the ground floor, he gets off on the 10th. He pauses to tell her in a gentle voice, “Mo-nae, meet a good man. Someone who only looks at you.” The implication is that Se-joong is not that guy, and that Gun-wook wants better for her.
The affection in his voice makes Mo-nae step toward him, and he looks at her bleeding finger, lifting it up as though he wants to suck the blood like you do when you’ve cut yourself. But then he stops, remembering, “I shouldn’t do this. Sorry. Ask that man to bandage it for you.”
Ah, so crafty of him — this is all a calculated move designed to win over Mo-nae’s heart, and Gun-wook is playing the part of the concerned, unworthy oppa to the hilt. Everything he does is to give off the impression that he’d take better care of her than her cheating fiancé, except that he’s not worthy of such a refined girl and therefore won’t press his suit on her.
But for Mo-nae, being young and inexperienced and fast falling in love, this is the encouragement she needs to convince her that he reciprocates her feelings. Growing bold, she steps forward and turns into his chest for an embrace.
Just then, Tae-ra emerges to see her sister holding on to Gun-wook. And as she takes in the sight, upset, Gun-wook stares straight at her as he raises his arm to cradle Mo-nae, as though in challenge.
Angrily, Tae-ra grabs her sister and takes her back up.
Meanwhile, Jae-in waits in a nearby cafe for sign of Gun-wook. When he emerges, she gets her own scheme into motion — she orders a cup of coffee to go, then hurries around the corner so that she’ll run into Gun-wook from the opposite direction.
And run into him she does — literally, so that the contents of the cup and its deliberately loosened lid spill all over his shirt.
Apologizing profusely, she uses this as an opening to pretend she recognizes him — he’s Hong Tae-sung, right? That is so out of left field that he stares back at her in confusion, and she explains that she saw him in the car with Mo-nae, who had identified him as her brother Tae-sung.
Jae-in gives them her card and introduces herself, trying for that lightly flirting air. But Gun-wook dismisses her and walks away.
COMMENTS
First off, this drama has a fabulous soundtrack and score. We’ll see if I still think that at the end — dramas have a tendency to overuse their music selections — but for now, everything is used wonderfully and draws out the emotions of the scenes, without being overpowering.
The reason I hated — haaaated — the backstory reveal is because it (in my opinion) cheapens Gun-wook’s basis for revenge. Yeah it’s tragic, but it’s also so overwrought and obvious. His dog is the cause for his parents’ death, and he loses them all as well as his identity in one night? Oh, sob. This drama was doing so well, but you know how someone can be telling a lie and it’s all very interesting and believable until they push it one step too far, and then you feel like a dupe for falling for it? They pushed it about a mile too far with this. As a story point I can make myself swallow this and move on — but this does make me worry that we’ll see more of this kind of overdone melodrama resurface later in the series, which worries me. (Also: If there were TWO accidents, I hate it even more. Seriously? Two accidents, coincidentally on the same night, coincidentally at the same time when Gun-wook is waiting for his parents? Arghaksjdf;laksjd;faj;dkajf; going a little crazy again.)
Plus, I feel like this tragic turn lightens the misdeeds of the Hongs — it makes the situation sad, but sorta not their fault anymore. You know what I would have loved? If the Hongs had let Gun-wook go back to his old parents, but then accused Deaf Dad of fraud (President Hong tosses out that comment in his initial outburst), and sued the family. Or he could have sent Dad off to prison. Or both. The lawsuit would have ruined them financially and Mom would have worked her ass off to make money to pay for their legal debts, and maybe died in an accident. Dad dies in prison, or some other way. Even if the Hongs didn’t kill them directly, that scenario makes them a lot more culpable, in my mind, because they’d be doing it purely to be punitive assholes. And then when Gun-wook sheds his identity as Tae-sung (which was the name he was born with), we would know exactly what the Hongs deserved.
I’m not saying that SHOULD be the way the drama did it. I’m just giving an example of a scenario that would keep the Hongs on the hook, that wouldn’t feel so cheesy with the dead dog and the rain and the car wreck and the hearing aid. Something that makes the Hongs more than just the first link in a tragic chain of events. With this reveal, I feel like the Hongs are snooty, but not murderers. What’s so wrong about wanting to claim their real son over one that is proven to be unrelated?
Maybe this is a lot of virtual ink on a relatively minor point (though I’d argue it’s not so minor), especially since aspects of this drama are so well-done. But I feel like Bad Guy has such potential to be awesome that I want everything about it to be awesome.
Kim Jae-wook is a welcome surprise, isn’t he? Like I said, he’s never been bad — but for a guy who got his start modeling and was cast in Coffee Prince because he fit the image of a pretty boy, he’s shown a lot of growth in the acting department.
One thing I like about this drama is that Gun-wook is the bad guy of the title, and his adult character is unapologetic about all the stuff he’s pulling. Which is why I think there’s a limited effectiveness to the tragic childhood, which needs to avoid being overworked. If you overdo the backstory in an attempt to humanize him, what’s the point of making him a vengeful bad guy in the first place, right?
I also like that this drama makes the chaebol feel real. We’ve seen so many dramas feature the chaebol character but he’s really just shorthand for Prince Charming. A lot of those guys don’t need to be chaebols, but they are made chaebols because it’s an appealing stock character. Here, however, the chaebols are ruthless, snooty, condescending, and realistic. Even when they can be nice, that’s just one bad day away from being utterly hateful (see: Tae-ra). And while Mo-nae is sweet and kind (and I actually really love the character, which is helped by Jung So-min’s naturalistic portrayal), she’s also ridiculously privileged. There’s an undercurrent in the story that makes me think that the drama is an indictment of the rich, which is a thread I’m interested in following.
SPECULATION AND THEORIES
First off, I just love the fact that I can even have a “Speculation and Theories” subsection. As I was writing my comments I realized I would prefer to keep my personal theories apart from the rest of the commentary, since they are merely speculation and will likely change as the drama continues.
Random thought: Is every single woman in this drama going to fall for Gun-wook? Because as sexy as I find Kim Nam-gil, I think that’s going to get mighty old.
I’m not sure if some might find discussion of the relationship charts on the website to be spoilery, so I’ll put up a [POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT]. The site identifies the relationship between Jae-in and Tae-sung to be romantic interest on his part, while her line indicates she’s using him. Jae-in and Gun-wook are set up as mutual love interests. This is pretty classic stuff — two people using one family for their own reasons, who end up falling for each other. I worry a bit for Han Ga-in, though, because as much as I think she’s improved, she’s not yet operating at full intensity levels, and I fear that she won’t be able to adequately portray Jae-in’s angsty love with Gun-wook. He’ll knock it out of the ballpark, I’m certain, but unless they’re on equal footing the romance won’t ring true. It doesn’t help that I find Jae-in to be the least interesting character, regardless of acting ability. [/END POTENTIAL SPOILER]
As for Gun-wook: He’s being pretty free and loose with the paper cranes, which puzzles me. You could argue that he WANTS his victims to know, like a serial killer marking his victims, but now that he has linked a crane to a murder scene, it just seems foolish.
There was a brief moment where I wondered if Gun-wook actually felt warmth for Mo-nae, since she’s much nicer than the rest of her family. But the Serial Killer Lair in his apartment — and the way he manipulates her in the elevator scene — are proof that he’s gunning for them all. Take no prisoners. Or maybe scorched earth is a better analogy. So he’s going to infiltrate Haeshin on multiple levels and destroy it from the inside out, right? And somewhere along the way he’ll fall for Jae-in, which will add complications, since she’s trying to seduce Tae-sung.
At first, I thought the drama was laying it on a little thick with Tae-ra’s reaction to Gun-wook — yeah, she can sense he’s a bad boy who’s not good for her innocent sister, but her immediate, extreme agitation seemed a little much. Then I thought, but what if she already knows him? And then things started to get more interesting. What if they already had an affair — or at least a flirtation — that she’d desperately like to forget? That makes his reach-into-her-shirt-to-extract-a-hair move much more intriguing — like she was afraid he would give away their prior acquaintance — and his challenging smirk as he courts Mo-nae takes on added meaning. Just a theory in progress…
RELATED POSTS
Tags: Bad Guy, Han Ga-in, Jung So-min, Kim Jae-wook, Kim Nam-gil, Oh Yeon-soo
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
![[2022 Year in Review] The Bean Count](https://www.dramabeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/beancount_2022.png)
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
51 Leona
May 31, 2010 at 4:18 AM
our school held last year's Origami festival and I've worked my ass with origami cranes... so now when I see them gives me shivers(yeah I heard the story of 1000 cranes 1000 times)
Bad Guy is like an Alexandre Dumas(father) novel and Geon-uk is a lil bit like The Count of Monte Cristo, except for the jail years
JB in 1st ep review you overlooked the fact that Geon-uk knew that the lil' girl is following him, in the 2nd ep....dogs play dead really well (I don't think that they tranquilized the dog ), and this scene was to hyperbolyze the fact that he lost everything, personally I was bored about it...both Alexandre Dumas used hyperbolics just to touch us more than it should
I can't feel KNG like a player/playboy although he is so handsome, I can't see him like one(I knew a few in my life and I know how impressive they can be and the hormonal overload is instant even if you don't want to...Lee Jun Ki in My Girl looked like real one), but my jaw hit the floor when I saw KJW acting(yes I saw Coffee prince and Antique) and he really owned the episode(Second Lead Syndrome on the horizon)
btw Mo-nae is pretty good... made Jae In looking insignificant
I loved the "rape" that Woo-In gave to Geon-uk...c'mon girl THAT is the most sensitive area ...the front pocket
Operration Gold Digger will be just to have the male Leads in a love triangle... after 30 kdramas love triangles started to bother me(they could stop it at the brother who want to protect his sisters)c'mon ppl fall in love and fight and divorce without another one's nose poking...or they made me suffer from Second Lead Syndrome just for nothing
btw who's brother of who? in some chart Geon-uk is Tae-Sung brother...or it was a misinterpretation from me?
Required fields are marked *
52 Nancy
May 31, 2010 at 6:05 AM
Awesome recap Javabeans! I'm also enjoying this drama but there is one thing that bothers me: if he is indeed the real son of the Hongs, it's a little disturbing that he is using his sisters for his revenge. What's even disturbing is that he is engaging them in a "romantic" way, especially with Mo-Nae and I have a feeling Tae-ra is next. I guess I will give a try this week and see how it goes.
And yes, it's unfortunate that Ga-In's character has the least importance. It's almost like she's been pushed back. If she is going to be the love interest with KNG, I really hope they spice up her character soon.
Thanks!
Required fields are marked *
53 maez
May 31, 2010 at 6:07 AM
I wish Jae-in would end up with Tae-sung but obviously that wont happen :(
Required fields are marked *
54 HoneyCo
May 31, 2010 at 6:07 AM
Honestly, all that matters to me is that Kim Nam Gil is in it, he stars the lead role and he’s damn sexy. But I have some points here after reading your comments….
ACCIDENTS: The two accidents were 2 different accidents. I don’t think his parents and his dog died at the same place…. Maybe the writer wants to emphasize that he lost everything that night… Moving on, after that night, what happened to him? How did he grow up alone? Bcoz he lost his parents at an early age, sure, he grew up unfortunate. That for me is enough reason for revenge… (Yes, I’m a selfish person over all.)
Sue Gun Wook’s parents, let the father die in jail, mother working her ass of until she dies in sickness, that I think would be a typical drama… I have seen it all in Filipino dramas… and it’s over used… but that doesn’t make his one night lost new… I just don’t like his childhood story long…
CRANES: I think Gun Wook wants it to spell it out loud with the Hongs that he plotted all these schemes when he already stepped on them. Like, “Hey, it’s me, the boy you threw out.” Remember his line in episode 1: You know what’s harder than killing someone? Stepping on Choi Hye-joo as you rise above her. And making sure nobody ever steps on you again.” I don’t know it just makes sense to me.
TAE RA and GUN WOOK: Did I hear Gun Wook right when he said Tae Ra on next episode teaser “I don’t think your husband is your first love.”? My wild guess is that Gun Wook was her first love during the days that he was with them as Tae Sung. She’s at her early teens at that time.
GUN WOOK and MO NAE: I think Gun Wook is just using Mo Nae to draw even closer to the target, the whole family.
JAE IN: I’m totally not interested with her. Her sister is way better than her. She has no angst, she has no depth… Now I know why others are calling her dead-pan actress… I hope she improves in the next episodes coz as of now everyone’s eating her alive…. Sure her character will be relevant in the next episodes… I think she’ll be the heart Gun Wook has lost. As of now, Gun Wook doesn’t really care about Tae Sung but it will be interesting when he finds out Jae In mistaken him as Tae Sung. Like, “You got everything. Now, Jae in???”
Required fields are marked *
55 belva
May 31, 2010 at 6:11 AM
Thank you for the recap! Love reading your thoughts on it :)
Regarding humanizing GW while making him a vengeful bad guy, the director did say something like wanting to express GW in a raw bad fashion (instead of beautifying him like he did with his previous works), but that since it's a drama for broadcast "No matter how villainous the main character is, it would be difficult if the females don’t like him".
So i guess he's trying to make the lead more likable by allowing us to pity him? Actually I'm not sure, maybe I'm just blabbering, anyway here's the link to the interview which I think will be helpful to you since you're recapping this:
http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=333274&view=findpost&p=15980266
As for the paper cranes, I was re watching and realize the crane from the suicide was not folded by GW, the girl had it folded in her hands before GW appear, So I don't think GW is marking his victim.
I'm guessing the girl folded JW's photo in hopes that JW would enjoy happiness, longevity and peace since that's what paper crane symbolizes.
And with the girl's reaction, she definitely knows GW before that scene, so with their paper crane history/relationship, there must be more than meets the eye.
Also, I too think that GW is only indirectly involve in the girl's death, yes the scream might be of discovery of the body BUT there was also a "Tump" sound effect before the scream.
Like many speculated, I too believe there's more twist to guarantee GW's scale of revenge than just the adopted parent's death. Here's mine:
- GW is the real TS and the DNA results was manipulated. 1) By the manager, and the current TS is his own son or 2) The president's wife has an affair with manager and he helps her to switch the child so she could later somehow proclaim that he is not a heir.
The basis of this is in part due to the preview which had a woman mentioning that she wonder how the little child who was mistaken as TS is doing.
- GW's REAL parents might play a part in this whole revenge plot, so far we only know about the adopted parent, the mistaken parents, it leads me to wonder then where is his biological parents? Did he bother or manage to track them down? Are they also related to the Hongs in anyway?
-@ 15: This might be the other case too.
-@34: GW might have been taken in by the manager and allowed him access to all the Hong's information.
Ha, I'm pointing all of it to the manager cause from how often the camera was on him, it somehow feels like he's not just another minor role in the drama.
Anyway, I think GW knows all about the truth and whatever twist there is that's not been shown yet, and thus the scale of his revenge, or maybe I'm just desperate for some sort of twist.
Though I don't hate the childhood part, well I think they had it for viewers like me, it's so sad that I just want to hug and comfort the little GW esp when he place the earpiece on the dog, I was tearing away in that scene. But I do think it lessen his cause for revenge thus, there should be some other reasons for his vengeance...
Required fields are marked *
56 Star
May 31, 2010 at 6:39 AM
HEY!!!!
YOU ALL GOT IT ALL WORNG!!!!
The DOG and the PARENTS DIED IN DIFFERENT LOCATION AND MAYBE DIFFERENT TIME!!! They just edited both accident together to let us audience feel the impact on the trauma that child was feeling at that time. But true, the rain is excessively over....
But you are right to say it is not the Hong family fault for their death. But they shouldn't separate the child from the happy family right from the start which they already did, they should just return him back to original to where he should be after finding him the wrong child they are looking for. Dun they have cars? They are so stingy on fuel or what? Can't they just send him back or whatever? Dun they have feeling on that poor child that lived with them for dun-know-how-long period of time? Human can even develop feeling for people who just stay overnight in their house, aren't they human then?
Sorry if I sound crazy but I'm just feel angry at the Hong family even though my heart told me they are are not so hateful.
For Jae in, I also find a boring character and blend is a good word to describe her.
For a prediction, I think the following plot will happen.
Firstly, Tae Sung will fall in love with Jae In due to her similarities with his Ex. Gun Wook who hated Tae Sung so much for "stealing" whatever he had in the past, will try to revenge by "stealing" his love which is Jae In. So, if the first secene in ep1 is truly Gun Wook, then he will probably do the same thing to Jae In hwich is trying to kill her. But little did he know that he will fall truly in love with that honest and pure character of Jae In. So he will stuck in his revenge plan and maybe Jae In will heal his heart and stop him from revenge.
This will be the stroy plot that I totall hate!!!! Let me pray that this won't happen!!!!
Let more BAD THINGS happen in the plot!!!
Totally in love Tara-Gun Wook pairing! They have chemistry acting togeher. Comaring to KJW acting, I find Tara acting better and more on an equal footing with KNG.
Hope for more in EP3!
Waiting for JB next week too! ~ ^^
Required fields are marked *
57 Leona
May 31, 2010 at 7:05 AM
no one thought that the first girlfriend (the dead girl) could be the one that plotted with Gun-wook to destroy HonG Tae Sung(KJW), and when Gun-wook appeared at her home demanding her to do as planned...she is already in love with Tae Sung so she just want to escape from Gun-wook and that's why she had the accident...we didn't saw Gun-wook pushing her with his own hands... he was just persisting with his idea... he is not a killer and after that he is really impressed that a"person is very easy to be killed"
Required fields are marked *
58 kdramafantastic
May 31, 2010 at 7:41 AM
I love how the storyline is going, and I can't wait to see what happens next. Bad Guy fighting!!!
Required fields are marked *
59 Star
May 31, 2010 at 8:01 AM
Oh!
KNG can tear on one eye! That the highest level of tearing!
Required fields are marked *
60 elle200
May 31, 2010 at 8:44 AM
I honestly have no idea why Jae-in is so fixated on this idea of seducing Hong Tae-sung. She falls so flat for me because I have zero insight into her character and I cringe a bit when she's onscreen.
Agree with everyone that the backstory was clumsy, cheap, manipulative, overdone and maudlin. I hate dead dogs! I also thought the two accidents were separate, which explains the kid Gun-wook's non-reaction to his parents' death.
Required fields are marked *
61 anais
May 31, 2010 at 10:20 AM
@Javabeans - absolutely you're right that it was Gun-wook on the rooftop at the start of the series. But again, there's a huge THUD followed immediately by a scream while Jae-in is trying to call for help after she hits Gun-wook. And even when I saw it the first time (yeah, I've been rewatching these scenes as if I can actually solve this mystery, right) I found his walk unsteady as if in disbelief or a haze. While it could have been the haze of having murdered someone, I got the sense that it was otherwise.
@56 Belva - yes, I also noted that Tae-sung's ex already was toying with a paper crane before Gun-wook approached her. However, that could still go either way. She could have made it, gotten it from Gun-wook, or was led to believe it was from someone else. She was obviously waiting for someone she wanted to see.
This is totally like an Agatha Christie - it's dropping enough puzzles that everyone will want to try to piece them together, even though it'll be futile since the final pieces will be withheld til the very end. Prosecutor Princess, which I enjoyed, aimed to do the same but did not drive me at all to obsessive compulsion the way this one is nearly doing (probably because the former was a rom-com dressed as a suspense thriller). Looking forward to Wed.
Thanks Javabeans for recapping this series.
Required fields are marked *
62 oxa
May 31, 2010 at 10:31 AM
JB
i also think that GW and TR know each other
when they first met on the yacht
i thought she recognised him and was really nervous
Required fields are marked *
63 eclipse
May 31, 2010 at 10:46 AM
@anais & belva,
I`m with you both, i think Gun Wook is not the one who killed Tae Sung girl friend. Is not the scream that matter, but the loud "tump" sound before the scream. But if that is the case, so who the real killer is??I still have no clue on this one...
And about the background story, the parents and the dog accident is a different scene. Because the car who hit the dog (black sedan) is different from the car involved in the parents accidents (both are white trucks).
And Jae In, i`m still optimistic on her in the first eps. But now, i think her character is dull, and it didn`t help by the acting of the actress. It would be more interesting if her character didn`t plan the whole accidently-bump-in-with-my-coffee-on-your-shirt-thingy. If it infact just pure accident. She`s NOT really inclined to pursue Tae Sung, but because the opportunity came to her, so she used that to her advantage.
Required fields are marked *
64 dramalover123
May 31, 2010 at 10:52 AM
love this recap javabeans! I read the episode 1 recap and thought I might want to check it out, since your 'Story of a Man' recaps made me almost want to watch the drama myself (if i was not going through testing at that time >.<) So I watched ep 2. Like you, I thought of the uselessness of the parents dying. I feel perhaps they could have put a mix-up where the incompetent assistant or whatever messes up contacting the parents or something. Then he would feel really abandoned... But I'm not a writer so...
Thanks for all your hard work!
Required fields are marked *
65 LadyIgraine
May 31, 2010 at 11:05 AM
As long as Kim Nam Gil acts the way he acts, then its all good! Furthermore, as long as the pds and the writers don't sway from the storyline, then this will be a sleeper hit ^_^
Required fields are marked *
66 BASUHA
May 31, 2010 at 11:47 AM
I love Mae-No character I would love to see them play on the chemistry between Wook and Mae-No, I want too see no hold barred. I want to see him destroy her innocent and doing so realizing he destroyed himself. I would love to see Mae Na having some of her sister personality and turn the table on Wook it would be so exciting to watch her pull him in, I know this my own screenplay but a girl can dream...
I still don't see the purpose of Jae In character, for them to fall for each change the whole bad guy demeanor I don't see where they would have enough screen time together to make me feel any real sincerity, unless his feeling is base on the fact he want to take what Tae Sung have and Jae In base on what ever female in this drama and viewer think when they in Wook presence (Lust).
Side note: During the shower scene I looked down pissed that only film too his waist (why didn't this premiere CTN)
Required fields are marked *
67 shizniz00
May 31, 2010 at 11:50 AM
this story so far reminds me a little bit of i'm sorry i love you with so ji sub in it. gun wook with his 'stache kinda looks like him too...
Required fields are marked *
68 supah
May 31, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Thanks for recapping, JB!!
I agree about the backstory portion, it just doesn't seem to meld into the current running story. Are we supposed to pity GW? Is it supposed to give us some kind of insight and understanding as to why GW is doing what he's doing? 'Cus I wish they'd stop now, it's out of sync.
But at the same time, it's not bothering me too much.
It seems I'm in the minority here but I heart Jae-in, the character and Han Ga-in looks great. It's all very Alice being lured towards the rabbit-hole. And I really appreciate her character in contrast to the frostiness of the Hongs.
Not too fond of Mo Nae, sorry.
And I know I'm repeating myself but just like Kim Nam-gil incorporated shades of Capt. Jack Sparrow in his Bidam, I love, love, love! how his GW has shades of the late Leslie Cheung. How exciting!
Really, incredibly impressed with Kim Jae-wook. Hong Tae-sung has such a hostile, sinister air. Even when he broke down on the roadside, he was still scary. And I don't feel an ounce of pity towards him -- now he can have a caring, loving girl's suicide on his conscience. Pah!
Required fields are marked *
69 Taber
May 31, 2010 at 1:31 PM
I don't see where Jae- in is innocent and pure, I think that best describe Mae-Na. Jae-in is not a bad person but she like a square "have more then one side". It's obvious that Tae Sung loved his girlfriend so for Wook to go after Jae- In just because she pursuing him is not going to bring pain. It's appear that Mae-Na and Tae Sung are close, similar to (Man story sister and brother) so it make sense for him to pursue Mae-na if vengeance is what he really after.
I'm all over the place with this one, I was hoping for a bit (A Man Story and Queen of the Game) but it seem like I'm getting a remake of (Dr. Kang)
Required fields are marked *
70 kaedejun
May 31, 2010 at 1:44 PM
i don't know if this was already mentioned but: i would love it if not only gun wook was REALLY the biological son, but he KNEW he was the biological son. and everyone else is just in the dark about it because the wife hid the evidence.
that would make his revenge against the family more justified rather than him blaming them for ruining his life in one night.
Required fields are marked *
71 Fiona
May 31, 2010 at 3:39 PM
Thank you so much for the recap, love them!! I've been coming back to this site everyday to see if it's up :) Hope you'll recap the remaining episodes when the come out :D
I have a feeling my hurt will burn for Mo Nae's character! I hope Gun Wook won't hurt her too much however inevitable the pain will be. I agree with you, I really hope they develop Gun Wook's childhood story, I hope what we've seen so far isn't the only reason he's taking revenge.
Required fields are marked *
72 zodd
May 31, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Yeah about people mentioning the car accident. I agree there not the same accident with the dog getting run over. Two different car accidents happened, one with the dog and one with the parents. The parents didn't die because of the dog.
Hope javabeans mentions this in the next blog ep.
Required fields are marked *
73 loveydovey
May 31, 2010 at 8:53 PM
oh wow just watched the first episode. you can definitely tell it's the same pd, it's almost the same drama and with the same amazing soundtrack. (sigh), brings back so many good yet sad memories. i know it's gonna end badly, but now that I've started I'm gonna watch it til the end.
Required fields are marked *
74 xalsix3
May 31, 2010 at 9:11 PM
i dont really like jae in... :/
she s just so... well a gold digger and not intriguing enough to be a main char
i dont think its the actress that has any problems but the character is written as boring
mo ne is someone i expected to be really annoying but she is surprisingly one of my fav chars.... i kinda hope she ends up with gun wook but thats never gonna happen :'(
ho hum gun wook s sob story... they should hav cut the cheesy stuff and just shown him as a coldhearted person... the drama is called bad guy for a reason...
Required fields are marked *
75 zynn
May 31, 2010 at 9:52 PM
Before anything else, I want to give JB a really big THANK YOU! for all the recaps. I always look forward to it. I salute you, girl!!!!
I believe there is more to GW's childhood story than is being revealed right now. He was too young then to feel all this hatred to mount such a full-scale revenge, gauging from the amount of information he is collecting, including information from the US. There should be something more that happened to him while he was growing up that were caused by the Hongs. Mama Hong and the manager sure have more involvement in this. I kinda like the speculation laid out by @25 - that Mama Hong did a switcheroo as revenge for the infidelity of Papa Hong. It could really be that GW is indeed Hong Tae Sung and he already knows it. As almost everyone said, all these calculated risks are part of the grand plan. There should also be a relation to fire,as GW constantly plays with it.
Tae-ra seems agitated by GW's presence. It's another sub-plot that I look forward to seeing as it unfolds. Could be that she is attracted to the bad boy image since she has lived a very boring and staid life since young. She could be harboring a wild streak that she has learned to bury because of her family and feels that it resurfacing when she met GW.
The Gun Wook - Jae In - Tae Sung love triangle is another thing to look forward to when it begins. Hopefully Han Ga-in will be able to deliver. I am still hopeful that her characterization will improve as the drama moves along. Her "marry into a rich family" plan isn't sticking at the moment. No real motivation there, as far as I can see. The push and pull and the struggle that will ensue between GW and TS will be fantastic (crossing fingers)!
Mo-ne may be a catalyst. There is something about this character that's hard to pinpoint right now that seems waiting to be released. Just hoping...
Anyway, that's my $0.02 worth...until Episode 3.
Thanks again, JB.
Required fields are marked *
76 Valerie
May 31, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Thanks for your recap.
I find the scene about Gun-wook's past tragedy quite alright though i'm not fond of the death of the poor dog.
As for the death of Tae-sung's ex, i really think that Gun-wook is behind it as javabeans has already pointed out that the person Sun-young was talking to was wearing the same brown shoes, though we don't know yet if he directly caused her death or not.
Though most people here find Jae-in's character bland and boring, i quite like Jae-in. Of all the characters, i think Jae-in's closest to human being. She was born into a poor family, working to feed herself and her little sister so you can't really expect her to be out of ordinary. She was described as smart and ambitous in SBS's main site which explains why she's pursuing Tae-sung. In the first episode, Jae-in first appeared driving all teary-eyed as she remembered the humiliation she went through when her supposed-to-be-mother-in-law gave her money and regarded her as "charity" after telling Jae-in how much she hated woman who have nothing but their smart head. Some said that they didn't buy Han Ga In's acting in this crying scene, I think she did fairly well in this scene. I find her half-crying-half-ironically-mocking-herself quite believable as in the following episode Tae-Ra's mother regarded Jae-in as "know-her-place". As some said already i also think the ulterior motive of Jae-in pursuing Tae-sung is to get back at her ex, which is not that hard to understand after receiving such treatment from the ex-mother-in-law. As for the method, she's a smart girl, she'll figure it out. In epsiode 2, the scene where Jae-in laughed at the idea of Mo-nae being envious of her, I absolutely love Han Ga In's acting there. Right now i'm torn between Gun-wook-Jae-in paring and Tae-Sung-Jae-In paring. I think Han Ga in looks great with both. We have yet to see any Tae-Sung-Jae-In interactions and much Gun-Wook-Jae-In interactions but judging from the MV, i'm liking it already.
The other actors/actresses did great. For now I adore the guy's acting and Oh So Yeon's acting. I don't quite like Mo-nae, I find her boring. Oh, I almost forgot Shim Eun The preview for this week's episode seems pretty interesting. Can't wait. Wednesday seems so far away.
Required fields are marked *
77 grace
June 1, 2010 at 5:20 AM
i am loving all this intensity. it's been such a long time since...anyone's really been hyped up about a kdrama with a twisted plot! this reminds me of Green Rose and
i definitely feel the I'm Sorry I love you reference, with a mix of Resurrection and A Love to Kill.
hot damn is right. ty JB! these men know how to act, brava!!! :) i am sooo loving this drama because of these main leads. i've never actually thought of han ga in as a lacking actress but i kinda felt detached from her character. it makes no sense as of right now, hopefully everything will piece itself together! i really admire her beauty and charm though :)
as for my thoughts, i find that whole, GW is the real son but the horrible witch jae bol mother hid it and GW knows, seems to be the one most promising to happen. actually, hehe i think i may be wishing for it because then, this drama is just the best schnanagans ever.
thank you JB!!! <3
Required fields are marked *
78 Ana
June 1, 2010 at 7:46 AM
I don't know if its just me but whenever Kim Jae-wook comes on screen,everything else just pales in comparison.:-) This is my first time watching anything with KNG but I must say charisma wise KJW is miles ahead.:-)
The back story is just too silly to be taken seriously and I was wondering how could the writers even have put it in a 'thriller' like this.It's something that you see in a B grade revenge movie. I hope this drama won't be like another PT where lead actors' acting and chemistry is what is going to keep the show from falling to pieces.Writing really matters in this genre.
Required fields are marked *
79 fei
June 1, 2010 at 8:27 PM
ahww.. han ga in.. still not getting good comments huh.. hope her character would truly evolve as the episodes go by..
Required fields are marked *
80 mia
June 3, 2010 at 4:19 PM
okay, as for the backstory goes, it does seems a bit over the top, but i can get used to it. we are watching a korean drama, right? also, even though the Hongs aren't the direct murderes they did cause him a great deal of pain.imo, that much is a good reason for revenge. he wants to break the whole Hongs cuz he was left with a bitter taste of what a true family unit is.
as far as the lead ladies, i found Tae-ra acting the best. however, i have hopes in Jae-in. i'm sure she will also play a key puzzle in his revenge ,later in the drama. she still did not have any chance to fully portray herself yet. for me, among the three ladies, Jae-in seems to be the most compatible with Gun-wook. i think her wish to upgrade her social status was triggered after her confrontation with ex bf's mom, who looked down on her for being poor. yeah, so she wants to hit on a guy with money.big deal. what this drama does is showing good and bad sides of the characters. Tae-ra has a lot of issues in her life already and i do not see how she can warm Gun-wook's heart, other than licking each others' wounds. i do not like Mo Nae at all, she is so naive and childish, and she gives me this 'i'm a selfish rich girl' feeling.
as for Tae-sung, i'm waiting for more on screen time with him and can't wait for the love triangle to start. i like the mistery here but i'm also keen on romance XD
i really like this drama and the guys are just eye candy. Kim Jae-wook is a great actor!!! fighting oppa!!
Required fields are marked *
81 nhk3
June 3, 2010 at 9:31 PM
After watching it, I'm glad that the puppy didn't really cause the parents' accident... but it was a nice parallel.
Required fields are marked *
82 jem (phil.)
June 4, 2010 at 8:07 AM
ana...i won't agree with you on that one for as far as charisma is concern, NO ONE will ever surpass Kim Nam Gil (no effense meant just the sentiment of a die-hard KNG fan lol)^_^
Required fields are marked *
83 badguyfan
June 4, 2010 at 11:33 PM
I think the plot is pretty good. And the main actor is pure passion and oooh....
The actress that plays Mo Nae is so striking. She is so pretty. I love that she doesn't have double eyelid surgery...it's nice to look at a really natural face on screen.
Required fields are marked *
84 Jenny
June 4, 2010 at 11:33 PM
1000% agree with jem... NO ONE will ever surpass KIM NAM GIL charisma. But more importantly his superb acting that captivates me! So far episode 1 is good, ep 2 is better and ep 3 is the best. Hoping Bad Guy will get better and better.
With the reason behind his revenge, I'm suspecting it's just more than just his tragic childhood. It could be partly something to do with the suicidal lady (Tae Sung ex) at the beginning of the show. Also he does looked very empty after he stood up from the first car accident.
Required fields are marked *
85 scarlet pimpernel
June 7, 2010 at 1:40 AM
@78
well it's understandable since as you have mentioned, this is your first time watching anything with KNG on it...therefore i suggest you to watch Queen Seon Deok to see for yourself his amazing portrayal of Bidam and then we'll see if you wont change your mind and understand why and how he stole our hearts^_^
Required fields are marked *
86 HANCHUL4EVAAAA
June 7, 2010 at 2:43 AM
i love this drama! thank you for the recapps =D
because your recaps were so wonderful i've actually started to watch this drama and now am totally hooked...can't wait until ep 4 comes out!
thanks n great job =)
Required fields are marked *
87 87
June 7, 2010 at 11:08 AM
this episode was good, hope the recap for episode 3 will be out very soon
Required fields are marked *
88 Kim
June 9, 2010 at 10:21 PM
I actually thought the death of the dog is better than the usual intuition k-drama characters get when someone close to them dies. Like when a family member dies, the main character would suddenly drop a cup, or get an ill feeling and stomach ache, or the most common, mishears a sound and turns their head dramatically (and end scene, enter music and preview).
Required fields are marked *
89 yap
June 16, 2010 at 1:42 AM
YEA.. i too thinks that the backstory abit too much~~i lov ur version better!!
although it's a similar plot to prosector princess.... at least we felt more NEED for a revenge~~
but for this drama it's tragic but it's not ALL the hong family faulth
it's pretty sexy how a man could deal with so many ladies in a drama.. i'm lookin forward to it!!
Required fields are marked *
90 CoffeeLove
June 17, 2010 at 2:05 AM
huh, i guess i'll have to rewatch that scene with the dog and the accident. The way I saw it, the dog's death and the parents' deaths weren't connected (i.e. they weren't one accident). I figured they juxtaposed the two deaths to show the mourning of a child for a loved one who didn't yet realize what he had just truly lost. Anyways, I thought it was a poignant scene that way.
If it was one accident, though, I'd have to agree with javabeans. Bit too much altogether.
Required fields are marked *
91 FreakBliss
June 18, 2010 at 11:15 PM
This is a late comment but I just finished watching Ep 2 last night. And I really enjoy reading your recap. It was precise and the analyzing and speculating were joyful to read. Thanks!
About the 2 accidents happening to him which were too cliche and lame for this awesome drama as a background story, I kind of think of it the same way but then it's also an acceptable reason for Gun-wook's revenge. Although yes, the putting of the hearing aid was like, "What? Sooo cheesy", I guess that for a kid as young as him, I only have to blame the reason why I'm outside and bleeding in the first place which is the Haeshin family. (Of course, this is coming from the POV that kids can't think on the wider scheme of things, justifying who should be blamed or not which is possible for some kids but I think young Gun-wook does not belong to this group).
All in all, I'm still loving the drama. And yes, I'm also hoping for a Tae-ra and Gun-wook previous affair. :)
Required fields are marked *
92 crzycpl
June 27, 2010 at 8:29 AM
I'm not sure about ep 2. There was so much bad editing ... again. Whilst my heart strings were pulled when the little Gun-wook was kicked out of the house like trash, I didn't know what to think when there was the double death.
KJW though, was another thing. This role is so different to the others I've seen him in .. albeit that was only Coffee Prince and Antique Bakery. But when he broke down ... I was like .. OMG, I'm not sure I liked it or not. It was such a weird emotion for him to display and so I was a little uncomfortable.
As for the whole back story, I'm hoping (like you) that there is more than just the revenge for the child being thrown out and the double deaths.
On to ep 3.
Required fields are marked *
93 TS
November 23, 2012 at 6:06 AM
I'm really enjoying this drama - and Kim Nam Gil despite his mostly ridiculous outfits (oh for Lord Bidam!) - but I do not understand this hidden second son being brought to the house and then hidden again thing.
Why? Either acknowledge him or leave him with mum/ deaf parents and do visitation.
Required fields are marked *
94 IO
February 5, 2014 at 8:28 AM
in shower scene, was he without under pant ? I think it wasn't necessary the actor played all naked , I saw some BTS pic I'm not sure about shower scene.
Required fields are marked *