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Personal Taste: Episode 10

It’s “Game Over” this week, as our four leads stake their claims and advance into battle. New alliances are formed, old enemies make backdoor deals, and the innocent are lambs to the slaughter. It’s gettin’ good, but it’s also reaching the height of what it can be while still maintaining the initial premise, so I think this episode will catapult us into some revelations and new directions…or so I hope.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Jin-ho has just popped Chang-ryul to the ground, and he gets back up to go another round. But this time In-hee steps in between them, taking Jin-ho’s side and defending him very pointedly to Chang-ryul. She even goes so far as to take some of the blame: think of what you and I did to Kae-in, and consider that Jin-ho is the friend she needs right now. Oh, the NERVE of this girl. This is of course all a ruse as she just doesn’t want Chang-ryul blurting out that Jin-ho’s straight, thinking that’ll send Kae-in right into his arms.

She sends the two of them in, pretending to be the loyal friend, and remains outside with Chang-ryul. He’s still in hysterics about Jin-ho living with Kae-in, but In-hee shuts him up: “Are you stupid?” Do you want me to answer alphabetically, or in chronological order?

Once inside, Kae-in asks if Jin-ho’s face is okay, and he brushes off her concern, saying she should tend to her boyfriend instead, since she seemed SO concerned. Heh, you’re cute when you’re petty. She realizes her mistake and insists she was just acting, as Jin-ho taught her to, so that she could pull Chang-ryul’s strings. Jin-ho isn’t buying that, since he knows that she’s no actress. Clearly there’s no winning this argument, as what he’s really upset about is built upon layers of lies that you aren’t even aware of.

She starts to walk away to get him an icepack, but he grabs her wrist (no!), making her squirm. Kae-in: “That hurts.” Well, at least someone acknowledged that it hurts. Is it too much to ask to go through one kdrama without a wrist grab? Just one? I thought we were in the clear what with all the cute hand-holding in this drama.

Jin-ho asks her, “Can you really do it? If I say ‘Game Over,’ can you really dump Chang-ryul and walk away?” Kae-in: “Yes. I can. What about you? Can you keep your promise that your best friend in the world will be me?” Jin-ho: “I said I would.” Kae-in confesses to being nervous when she saw In-hee jump to Jin-ho’s defense in front of her, voicing again her concern that In-hee will steal him from her. Jin-ho assures her it won’t happen.

Kae-in: “People’s hearts change. And In-hee is someone who always gets whatever she wants.” Jin-ho looks back at her, tears brimming in his eyes, “I’ll guard my heart. You just safeguard yours.” Aw. You two really need to just cut the wordplay and start making out.

Across town Tweedle Evil and Tweedle Dumb have coffee while discussing the really awkward love quadrangle they’re in. Chang-ryul just wants to out Jin-ho and be done with it (not enjoying the quality time with In-hee either), but In-hee is quick to stop him. Kae-in is only rooming with Jin-ho because she believes him to be gay. How would they benefit if she knew he were straight? Well, he sees the logic in that. She adds for good measure that Jin-ho as sweet best friend is much more appealing than Chang-ryul as backstabbing ex-boyfriend, which he should feel threatened by. She tells him that they’re in the same boat now, since she’s started to love Jin-ho. Do you even know the definition of the word? In your dictionary, is it: to suck the blood of, then take to fancy parties as accessory?

Jin-ho broods in the bathroom, thinking back to Kae-in’s reaction when he punched Chang-ryul, and doubting her claim that it was all an act. Kae-in tries to give him an icepack, but he pushes it away saying that Chang-ryul’s fists aren’t strong enough to do any damage to his face. Ha. So funny that he’s still posturing when Chang-ryul’s not around, and that he won’t even take an icepack because her concern for him comes too late (that is, AFTER her concern for Chang-ryul).

But they’re interrupted, as In-hee strolls her ass RIGHT IN the house. Can we set up some sort of security measures against this? How is one to sleep at night? Can Willow come over and do a de-vamping spell on Sang-go-jae?

Kae-in and Jin-ho stand warily by as In-hee approaches, and Kae-in asks what she’s doing here. In-hee sets down a bag of beer and tells them to drink and feel better about the day’s events. She adds that she would like to join them, but she’s sure that Kae-in wouldn’t like that, so she’s just going to go. OH, okay then. In-hee: “Kae-in, I’m just glad that you’re here for my Jin-ho-sshi.” OH. NO. YOU DI’N’T! Bitch, I will spork your eye out and wear it as a trophy!

She leaves, and Kae-in shoves the icepack in Jin-ho’s gut as a response. Ha. Kae-in goes in her room and thinks evil thoughts of how she will wear In-hee’s intestines as a necklace (oh wait…that’s me). Also a note here on In-hee’s use of “my Jin-ho-sshi”: The word she uses is “our,” but it’s not ours like yours and mine. It’s the plural form of mine, which is just the Korean way to say things like “my baby” and “my husband”; in direct translation it’s “our baby,” “our husband,” “our sweetiepie honeyface,” etc, etc, gag.

Kae-in gets a call from Chang-ryul who insists on waiting outside until she comes out to talk to him. She heads out, as Jin-ho watches, knowing full well where she’s going and who’s out there. She meets Chang-ryul, who says he hates that that jerk Jin-ho lives here with her, gay or no gay, but he’ll try to understand. He says he’ll put her wishes first and try to accept it if Jin-ho is the friend she needs right now.

Kae-in looks to be slightly moved by Chang-ryul’s understanding position, but I sincerely hope she doesn’t start to be too sympathetic to his I’m-going-to-put-you-first thing, since now we know that he’s complicit in In-hee’s scheme. I do have to say though, I find him compelling, even as a sad sack who will never deserve our heroine, because he does seem genuinely sorry and trying so desperately to win her back, on whatever terms she sets.

Back inside, Kae-in finds In-hee’s witches’ brew sitting on the stoop, so she decides to get on the passive-aggressive merry-go-round with Jin-ho. She knocks on his door and tells him to drink it, since In-hee brought it for “my Jin-ho-sshi.” He tells her to throw it away, but she insists he not pretend for her sake, and befriend In-hee if he likes—it’s no matter to her, since she doesn’t concern herself with all his comings and goings. Jin-ho takes that to mean she’s implying that HE shouldn’t be concerned with her affairs. Wasn’t she just going out to meet Chang-ryul? Why didn’t she ask him for his advice? Ha. Kae-in stutters an excuse that she didn’t want to bother him. He tells her to do it all on her own then.

Back in her room, Kae-in thinks to herself in voiceover: “More than when I saw In-hee standing at the altar with Chang-ryul, when she called you ‘my Jin-ho-sshi,’ I was scared.”

The next day at work, Jin-ho wants to call Kae-in, and practices what to say: “I don’t know why I’m like this either. If I was narrow-minded, I’m sorry.” But he can’t bring himself to make the call. Meanwhile, Kae-in thinks of what she’ll say when she calls: “Should I just quit? If I don’t get revenge, then we won’t have anything to fight about…” But she doesn’t call either. So in sync but blocked by so much inhibition.

Sang-jun comes into Jin-ho’s office to give him a little nudge—their design deadline is not too far ahead, and he needs to lock down the Sang-go-jae concept soon. Jin-ho sighs and says he’ll take care of it.

After work he stops by the grocery store, and as he buys up supplies, he says to himself, “Why am I going to these lengths…” Um, because you love her? Silly. He comes home to find that she’s not there yet, and then it starts to rain.

Kae-in gets off the bus and sits for a minute, contemplating what to do, then decides to just walk home in the rain, and leaves her diary behind. Jin-ho shows up just after she’s gone, (looking mighty fine in that trenchcoat, might I add), and waits for her. He looks down and sees her diary, and knows she’s already been there. By the time Kae-in realizes she left it behind and turns around to get it, Jin-ho has appeared, umbrella in hand, to shield her from the rain.

They walk home, and Jin-ho chastises her for being unprepared, and Kae-in wonders what he did with his car if he took the bus. He says he went home, which she realizes means he came here to get her, making her light up instantly. He says he doesn’t know why they’re fighting, but they’re both feeling crappy, so he came out as a gesture to clear the air. Kae-in asks why he didn’t bring two umbrellas, since he’s getting all wet, and he simply says, “then we’ll just have to stick close together.” Cheeky! And then he puts his arm around her the rest of the way home.

Turns out Hye-mi and Tae-hoon are stalking them, so they see the two of them in this very couple-like moment, and decide it’s suspicious, but stow it away for future use.

At home, Kae-in presents Jin-ho with a wooden apple, saying, “Accept my apple,” a pun in Korean for “Accept my apology.” (This inside joke has the delightful cache of being the only intentionally funny moment in BOF that had me laughing like a fool.)

She adds that she’s sorry for being “narrow-minded” about In-hee, and Jin-ho perks up at the use of the same word he was thinking of in his practiced apology to his phone earlier. He just asks if she knew it was narrow-minded, taking the low road. Heh. Kae-in touts her apology as awesome, but then Jin-ho trumps her: he’s gone grocery shopping to make her dinner. Kae-in becomes a puddle of goo right into his chest, making him smile his thousand-watt smile at her undiscerning love of food.

Oh, puppy, your love for her is just written all over your face, and I think I may never recover.

Young-sun and Sang-jun meet for mani-pedis, where Young-sun asks Sang-jun to model for her, making his entire year.

Back at Sang-go-jae, someone peels an apple, and I’m about to launch into another diatribe—you guys know how I feel about plates of fruit—but then it’s revealed to be Jin-ho! Well I’ll be damned. It’s nice to see a guy peeling an apple for once. Kae-in watches in awe as he peels the apple in his trademark perfectionist manner, and marvels, “You even peel apples well. You can cook, you clean, you peel apples…is there anything you don’t do well?” Jin-ho replies in earnest, “No.” Heh. Kae-in decides he’s lacking in one thing: modesty.

They discuss plans for tomorrow, and Jin-ho wants to clean and catch up on work, while Kae-in wants to go see the Spring blossoms. But instead, they get roped into doing this…

HA. But Sang-jun turns out not to be so good at the modeling, so Young-sun has Jin-ho do some shots too. This one in particular had my coffee coming out my nose:

Kae-in sneaks over to Young-sun at some point and asks if she’s really using Sang-jun as a model for skincare products, and Young-sun fesses up that he’s the Before picture, while Jin-ho is the After. Haha. That’s just mean.

Kae-in gets a call from Chang-ryul, prompting Young-sun to take out her claws, but she denies him a date for today, saying she’ll see him tomorrow. When Jin-ho comes up, she asks him to do another training session with her, and the two of them go off arm in arm. Young-sun and Sang-jun watch them go, and Young-sun picks up on the weirdness. Sang-jun comments that they’re a well-matched couple, and then has to pretend he’s talking about birds.

Jin-ho and Kae-in walk in the park, and Jin-ho asks when the revenge scheme will end. Kae-in throws around some options: when Chang-ryul proposes, she could throw the ring and stomp on it. Or she could just not show up on the day of their wedding. Maybe Jin-ho could come and whisk her away in front of him—she likes that one. Jin-ho doesn’t see why he should do such a thing, but then after a pause he decides he’ll do it. “If it happens like that, I’ll run away with you…because we’re friends.” Listen, you two…this is getting complicated with the fantasy/revenge plot threatening to take over your actual romance, and that’s not even factoring in the gay issue.

They’re almost home, and Kae-in asks if he’ll take her hand like so…and run off with her in front of Chang-ryul. She asks him to promise, and they walk home holding hands, interlocking fingers in the height of adorableness. Only that’s exactly when Hye-mi, Mom, and Tae-hoon pop out of Sang-go-jae. (Do we not have locks on this super-secret house??) Oh, crap. Mom is the fainting kind.

Inside, Jin-ho tries to comfort Mom, but she can’t believe he’d live! With a woman! Kae-in tries to explain that it’s not like THAT, but Hye-mi freaks out in her shrill manner that SHE is Jin-ho’s fiancée. Kae-in’s look of: “you’re who’s what, in the what now?” is enough to get Jin-ho out to her room for a private chat.

Kae-in tries to convince Jin-ho to come out to his mother (oh dear), and to that poor girl Hye-mi (that might work to your advantage, dude). He says this isn’t the time for that, but Kae-in takes it as a sign of reluctance to traumatize his mother by outing himself. She insists that all moms are on their children’s sides and that she’ll understand and accept him. (I sincerely wish this to be true, even for one mom or future mom in the audience—then this show will have done something right.)

But Jin-ho thinks that’s ludicrous (obviously, the most important reason being that he’s NOT actually gay): “You want me to tell my mother that I’m GAY? Are you in your right mind?” And then the doors swing open, and Mom, Hye-mi, and Tae-hoon are standing right outside. Haha. Paper wall is definitely one for the Cons column in my “To Live in a Han-ok House: Pros and Cons” list.

Mom faints, again, but Jin-ho catches her and insists he’s not gay. To prove it, he puts his arm around Kae-in, and says: “I love this woman. I want to marry her.” Oh my goodness! Everyone including me freaks out, and Jin-ho tells Kae-in to formally introduce herself to his mom, which she does, in a stupor. Are we going to get into a contract relationship on top of everything else? My head is going to burst from Too! Many! Plot! Devices!

That confession threw me for a loop. It’s kind of heartbreaking, even in the midst of being shocking and crazy, because it’s what he really wants but can’t have.

Mom asks if Kae-in loves Jin-ho. He can’t believe this is being asked (because he assumes the answer is no). Kae-in doesn’t know what to say (because she thinks this is all a ruse, since he’s gay). She looks up at him and he eyeballs her to say yes, so she does: “Yes, I love him.” Oh, what a tangled web we weave, Jeon Jin-ho.

Later that night, Kae-in wonders how on earth Jin-ho could have said such a lie to his mother’s face, with no regard for how to follow through on it. Young-sun comes over to try and talk some sense into her about Jin-ho. She’s thought about it all day, and has come to the conclusion that Kae-in is in dangerous territory. To her eyes, it looks like Kae-in is seeking revenge on Chang-ryul just so that she has a project to do with Jin-ho, and not the other way around. Astute, good friend.

Young-sun, ever the loyal one, tries to talk Kae-in out of her feelings for Jin-ho, before she falls any deeper: “Even if there’s no goalkeeper, that’s not a goal you can make.” Haha. Kae-in knows this (it’s not like she’s wanting to change Jin-ho), but she says things just got more complicated….Jin-ho wants to marry her.

Jin-ho, meanwhile, has to run down to the river to…keep Hye-mi from throwing herself in. Pffft. She hasn’t gotten very far, what with all the flailing about and screaming, letting Tae-hoon hold her off until Jin-ho gets there. Jin-ho turns her around: “Hye-mi, listen closely. I have never loved you.” Hye-mi says she can love enough for the both of them. Jin-ho: “Love is not something you do by yourself. The person who loves you…is right here.” He grabs Tae-hoon and puts the two of them face to face. Hye-mi: “I don’t love him.” Jin-ho: “Then what? You’re going to die because of me, who doesn’t love you? Go ahead.” Tae-hoon rushes to her side. Jin-ho tells her to look at Tae-hoon, and she’ll fall in love. He leaves, and Tae-hoon finally gets to step up and hug her.

Back at home, Young-sun can’t believe what Kae-in is telling her. “What are you going to do, if Jin-ho’s mother comes and tells you to marry him?” Kae-in: “Couldn’t I…do it?” Young-sun thinks she’s gone insane. Kae-in: “He can’t bring himself to tell her the truth. If I can be his shelter from the wind…couldn’t I do that?” Young-sun properly flips out: “You’re going to spend the rest of your life being his shelter from the wind…when he can’t even hold you as a woman?” Kae-in: “Couldn’t we…live as friends?”

And then Young-sun puts her finger right on the nose: “That’s just all an excuse! You just want to keep Jin-ho by your side, isn’t that it?” Young-sun wonders why she ever made Kae-in put the room up for rent, thinking she did this to her. It’s a really sad moment, actually, despite the crazy, because between these two friends, Jin-ho is gay, and Kae-in’s gotten to the point that she’s willing to throw her life away just to stay close to someone who can never love her back. Tragic.

Jin-ho comes home, and Kae-in tells him that if he really doesn’t have the courage to tell his mom the truth, if he really wants her to see him live like an “ordinary” man (cringing at the use of “ordinary” or “normal” in this context), then she’ll marry him. “If I can be your shield, then you can live your life without judgment or persecution from other people.” Okay, I get that this sentiment is very above-and-beyond for her, but can we please not advocate the ruse of heterosexual marriage-as-beard by making it some grand romantic gesture? If you really loved him, you would be fighting for his right to live the rest of his life as himself—in front of his mother and the rest of the world.

Jin-ho can’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. He practically shouts at her: “Don’t you have the basic common sense to know that marriage is supposed to be between two people who are in love? How many times do I need to tell you to love yourself more, for you to understand me?!” It’s sweet because it’s so heartfelt—for him, the fact that she’s willing to sacrifice her happiness (not knowing she really loves him), is frustrating because he wants her to be stronger than that. He wants what’s best for her, without even considering that it might be him.

Kae-in gets up, tears in her eyes, saying: “But you’re someone who can’t marry the person you love.” Aw, tear my heart and serve it to the birds, why don’t you. She adds, “Even though you can’t love me as a woman, I think I could go forever…with you.” Jin-ho drops the formalities and speaks to her in banmal: “This is why you’re always a victim. Because you say stupid things like you’ll marry your gay best friend.” Kae-in admits she may do stupid things, but Jin-ho thinks of her as his best friend in the world, and for that friend—she could do anything.

Then Jin-ho drops a bomb: “Let’s not be friends anymore. I’m so weary; I can’t do this.” He leaves Kae-in stunned, lost as to how she went from future beard-wife to ex-friend. It’s the same phrase he had said to Eun-soo in flashback, when he wanted to be more than friends…but this time he means it as goodbye.

Jin-ho goes to his room and broods aloud: “You should have asked if I could love you as a woman…stupid girl.” Dude, are we really going to brood that semantics was the reason you didn’t tell her that you’re not gay? Really? Do you think that just because you’re cute and teary-eyed that you’re going to sneak that one by me?

The next day, Young-sun goes to Do-bin’s office to do a little matchmaking. She invites him to Sang-go-jae for dinner, using his kindness to Kae-in as an excuse. Do-bin’s really awkward sense of humor comes to the fore, as he and Young-sun chat, and mostly it’s cute because he really does seem like someone who’s lonely at the top.

Chang-ryul gets blown off once again by Kae-in, and goes to see his father, who happens to be on the phone with Kae-in’s dad. He tries to invite himself over to see the professor, using the kids’ marriage as an excuse, but that doesn’t fly, as the professor is busy, and planning to come back to Korea soon anyway. Chang-ryul gets mad that his father keeps getting involved in his love life, but Dad doesn’t care, since they’re running out of time.

MS Group has turned over all the decision-making to Do-bin, so Dad wants some assurance they’ll beat out Jin-ho, and Kae-in’s father is the key. Chang-ryul doesn’t see why they can’t just come up with a better design and win the contract; Dad is like, why on earth would we skip a shortcut and go the long way around? Haha. That says everything we need to know about a character in one statement, doesn’t it?

Chang-ryul goes to find Kae-in at the museum to talk. He knows they’re just friends, but does she have to live with Jin-ho? She comes to Jin-ho’s defense, saying that the only way she got through the last rough patch (ahem, that means YOU) was because of Jin-ho. She tells him that she’s not ready to open her heart yet, and right now, her friend Jin-ho is more important to her than Chang-ryul. That’s a serious blow to Chang-ryul, who can’t even stand Jin-ho being near Kae-in, let alone being her first priority above himself. He slinks away, feeling defeated.

He runs into In-hee, and asks her if she’s confident. Um…I’m pretty sure she had her heart surgically removed and replaced it with more confidence. She replies yes, she’s confident that she can make Jin-ho hers. Chang-ryul shares his fears about Kae-in and Jin-ho, and tells her that this time, he doesn’t want to fail at love.

Young-sun calls Jin-ho to make sure he’ll be home for dinner. Sang-jun gets upset that unni didn’t invite him, but they get interrupted by a call from Chang-ryul. Jin-ho goes down to the river, under a bridge, to meet him. Under a bridge? Are you going to kill him for the blood money?

Chang-ryul says that this is the first time he’s ever waited for Kae-in, and now he knows what it felt like for her. He tells Jin-ho that he did a background check on him and knows that he’s not gay. Yeah…how does one do that kind of background check, exactly? Anyway, Jin-ho knows he’s caught.

Chang-ryul says he was going to tell Kae-in that Jin-ho is a bastard who’s pretending to be gay to use Do-bin, but he couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to hurt her, and make her lose her friend, who she really needs right now. (Well, it says something that he’d rather protect Kae-in than just out Jin-ho to get what he wants.) He demands that Jin-ho move out of the house, right this second, friendship in tact, making a clean break from Kae-in.

Young-sun has prepared a nice spread for her debut at matchmaking, and Do-bin arrives, spiffed up and basket of flowers in hand. Your mother raised you right. Kae-in is surprised to see him, and then Jin-ho walks in…

Commence most awkward dinner ever, where two parties of the love triangle are under the impression the man they both love is gay. It’s beyond awkward, especially when Young-sun pulls the old phone call—”something BAD happened?”—move, dragging Kae-in out to find her missing son. Kae-in, being dull as a nub, thinks they’re really in an emergency, which Young-sun is quick to disabuse her of, once they’re outside. She tells her it’s the only way she’ll let go of Jin-ho and move on.

Inside, the two men completely freeze, as Do-bin realizes that Jin-ho wasn’t complicit in this dinner and feels cornered. He graciously offers to leave, but does betray his deep affection and vulnerability in a slip, calling him “my Jin-ho-sshi,” using the same words that In-hee did earlier. He blushes, embarrassed, and it’s so sweet, this boyish crush he has, that I’m going to cry when he gets his heart broken. Bad Jin-ho!

He paces in the yard, waiting for Kae-in to come home. She finally arrives, and he tears into her. “You said you would even marry me, but I guess you got scared? Did you think your life would become a joke that way? Did you think that you could solve the problem easily by pushing me off onto Director Choi?” Uh-oh. Them’s fightin’ words. Kae-in tries to explain that’s not what this is, but there’s no use. You’re not allowed to be upset at mistakes she’s making when you’re playing with a full deck and she isn’t! I’m talking here about levels of knowledge, not sanity.

Jin-ho declares that he’s moving his stuff out this weekend…and he’s leaving right now. And thus, the separation begins.

At the office, Sang-jun tries to talk some sense into Jin-ho who has been sleeping there the last two nights and not eating anything. He thinks back to Chang-ryul’s ultimatum to leave Kae-in’s side, and says to himself, “Are you satisfied? Not even leaving her as a friend?”

Just then, In-hee slithers into his office, inviting him to a musical, adding that Kae-in and Chang-ryul will be in attendance. Jin-ho says it has nothing to do with him, but In-hee tells him that Kae-in is thinking of going back to Chang-ryul. Won’t he be a true blue friend and show her that it’s okay for her to move on by accompanying In-hee to the play? Aargh….please see through her plan, please see through her plan. Damnit. I hate it when the smartest person in the room is also the evilest.

The four of them run into each other at the musical, of course as planned by In-hee and Chang-ryul. And their seats are right next to each other. The whole date is played out with no dialogue, but you can tell exactly what’s going on with each character in every little moment.


During the musical, In-hee steps up her game, whispering in Jin-ho’s ear, and then fondling his hand for Kae-in to see. Aaack! Get your grubby paws off of him! Jin-ho squirms, but he lets it happen, taking In-hee’s advice hook, line, and sinker.

Finally Kae-in can’t take it anymore and runs out of the theater, and Chang-ryul follows after her. Jin-ho and In-hee catch up to them, in earshot but in the background. Kae-in tells him, “I can’t do this anymore. I was going to get revenge. Just as you threw me away, I wanted to do the same to you. But…I’m not going to. I can’t do it anymore.”

That’s the thing Jin-ho’s been waiting to hear, all this time. Chang-ryul says it’s okay, that they’ll start over, no matter how it began. Kae-in: “You can’t change me. You don’t know…to whom…my heart has gone.”

Jin-ho hears this and walks right over to them, grabbing Kae-in by the arm and turning her around. He says, full of meaning, “Game over.”

And then? Omo. He lays a kiss on her…that is so EPIC that it kills me dead. No punches pulled, no sneaky angles—just a full-on, no-one-else-exists-right-now-but-you-and-me kind of kiss—that makes me think I fell asleep and dreamed it into existence. Gah. Can squee be an understatement? Cause it kind of feels like one now. Will someone please peel me off the floor?

I’ll be honest—that kiss saved this episode, because it was starting to feel too heavy for its own britches at a certain point. I was begging for some levity in the latter half, hoping against hope that we wouldn’t end on some angsty run-in schemed up by the exes. We did end up in In-hee’s trap, only the result was delightfully and unexpectedly smoochy, and in In-hee’s smug little face to top it off. Points for that.

So far the romance is progressing nicely, although I’m starting to get Coffee-Prince-anxiety. Early on, the gay was a misunderstanding that devolved…but now Jin-ho is a LYING LIAR WHO LIES…and it’s going to take some time to redeem him, if we want any satisfaction in their eventual togetherness. I’m going to be watching the next few with my hands over my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable doom and gloom of the Not Gay. Good thing that kiss is seared into my brain…

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Thank you both JB & GF for an awesome recaps of this awesome drama. Your recaps made me more understand the story. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LMH & SYJ, they truly portray their respective roles genuinely. And the KISS was unexpected, I was like......WAaaaaahhhhhhh, this man can really kiss passionately. Now I can hardly wait for the next 2 episodes this week.

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Thanks for the awesome recap Girlfriday! :)

Ok, I confess I watched that kiss many times over... and your screen cap definitely captures it for me.... voyeuristic thrills? Guilty in the first degree! ;)

LMH and SYJ lip magic? So hot we need plasma-proof screens, or at least radioactive shiedling!

But somehow, in some evil part of me, I'm with the camp that agrees the best part of the kiss is to come... when we get to see EP (Evil princess)'s response. (YES!)

When it comes to the choice between passionate fire and vengeful ice- I'm with R. Frost. "... for destruction ice, is also great, and will suffice"

Loved your "Tweedle evil and Tweedle dumb"! ;)

But poor CR, I do feel from the fellow. Weak, not-too-smart, but there's a grain of heart and genuine feeling in that one we don't see in EP or weird-laughter-with-silly-facial-scar (aka CR's father).

(BTW sorry Javabeans, you're right- the even's are better. ;) )

I'm ready for Wed... now the question is if Wed's are ready for us rabid fans. (Game on!)

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i'm felling happy about the kiss, but i'm geting a felling that maybe the kiss was just Jh thinking about it! could be? *nooo, hope not*

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girlfriday!you are absolutely amazing!!!

my heart still fluctuates even now just by your melting recaps..

i love it..is wednesday ready for us?

#53 you are right it is game on!!!!!!!!!

i love it!!!

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Does anyone know what is going on in the episode 11 preview in youtube? There were no subs and im dying to find out what happens after the game over episode....

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@56 Babes

WARNING SPOILERS!!!!

After the kiss Jinho tells Gaein that he is not gay, and tears start streaming from Gaein's eyes. Gaein cannot seem to forgive Jinho so easily, and so Jinho works extra hard to soften this Gaein. Revealing to Gaein what she means to him Jinho tightly hugs Gaein and tells her that he loves her.

Sangjun is surprised to hear from Youngsun that Gaein and Jinho have started to date, and Inhee gives Jinho an invitation to an architectural seminar in Jeju Island. Jinho's mother who has been worrying over Gaein and Jinho living together goes to Sanggojae and sees President Han [Changryul's dad] giving Gaein a gift. Gaein who is worried about Jinho who left after a fight leaves for Jeju Island with Youngsun.

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@57 Adriana
Thank you so much!!!you made my day as i've been holding my breath for the next episode hoping that the super hot kiss was'nt just Jinho's dream...

And Javabeans, can't thank u enough for providing this amazing website where kdrama addicts unite to read,rant and rave about these awesome dramas. I don't know what i'll b doing without these recaps and blogs...maybe i'll be pestering my husband to watch it with me so i'll have someone to talk to about it...hmm.

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The apology scene is so cute;
the way Kaein rests her head against his chest;
the way he smiles when she does that;
the way they interact with each other;
I am going to get diabetic real soon!!!

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thank you for the recap. i was really looking forward to reading the recap for ep10 after i saw all the screencaps and spoilers on soompi. what can i say about the kiss that hasn't been said before? lol. the kiss was, passionate, tender, hot, romantic, might run out of adjectives soon. haha. dangggg... i'm not a fan of BOF so i wasn't expecting much from LMH but i lovvvvvvvvvve SYJ so i tuned in to this drama. i'm so glad that i did. i can watch the episodes multiple times and not get tired of it. i love this drama as much as i love MNIKSS and LIP.. it's now on my top 5 all time kdrama series! GI-JH couple are jjang! ^^

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@ Sukispop: You're a DAD? That makes you even cooler for being the kind of man who would teach your daughter to be a slayerific woman. Seriously, mad respect.

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No offence meant to girlfriday and all the fans out there.

I loved ep 10 and the excellent recap. However, I was wondering whether we are confusing the awesomeness of the recap with the awesomeness of the ep itself.

For me, the recaps by both javabeans and girlfriday are fantastic pieces. In the earlier days, when episodes with subs were slow in coming up, the recaps were like a lifetime to me while anxiously waiting for the ep. Now, I watch the episode first, then wait anxiously for the recap which always give that extra something! The value added and the insight would be their comments plus explanation for little details which are peculiar to korean culture or something which was not subbed; eg the store manager being GJP - inside joke. After that I would rewatch the episode for better enjoyment bearing in mind the comments made.

Many many thanks, JB and GF for taking the time and the passion to write such wonderful recaps and indulging us.

JB, I am now anxiously waiting for your recap of episode 11!

Please keep up the good work, Both of you.

p.s. Girlfriday - I was just telling my husband this morning about the dad who watched PT with his girls and how close the family must be. Such happy bonding because of a drama! Isn't that a testament to the power of the drama. My daughter and I are watching the drama now but my husband will wait for the DVD, if it comes out cleared by censors because of the "gay" issue.

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Sorry, in my earlier comment, I meant the recaps were like a "lifeline" not lifetime, though come to think of it, waiting for the ep was like a lifetime.

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Thanks JB and GF for the wonderful recap and for not letting us wait for 2 long for your recaps. Thanx a million times.

I love every part of episode 10 even the smallest and tiniest part. Keep up the good work PT.

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Thanks for the wonderful recaps. I agree that the kiss was epic!

I guess after getting over the gay lie, he still has to explain the reason why he stayed at the Sang Go Jae. I'm sure this will hurt KI even more than the gay thingy.

I hope they don't add more episodes. Hate it when they try to milk it for all it's worth after they decide it's successful.

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@97 Jewels

I appreciate all the subbers at Viikii. In fact, I've subbed some dramas myself. The issue isn't not appreciating Viikii or its subbers, but my qualms about installing a pluggin I don't know much about. We never needed it before so i'm just a bit cautious.

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Dear writers and bloggers of Javabeans for this blog

I can’t thank you enough for the LOL and insightful comments to the recaps. I have never had so much fun laughing out loud while reading them. Please, please do continue with your admirable effort because I have benefited a great deal from reading the detailed, witty and hilariously funny writing, as I am not Korean and as I have been having difficulty accessing the episodes on-line, I depend greatly on your effort in giving such valuable recaps on the episodes I have not been able to view. :(

I agree totally with you and the comments from the public regarding the characters in Personal Taste right from the 1st episode. All your comments are just spot-on and highly entertaining that any comment from me would simply be superfluous. I am so looking forward to the rest of the episodes and your take on them. Please, please continue with your wonderful contributions. ('',)

Thanks also to the kind folks out there who have contributed to making this outlet such a joy to behold through your entertaining words and insight. Do continue with your great effort. God bless all your kind souls for your invaluable contribution to numerous people’s lives. (”,)

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Sorry, folks.
But I just ~ CAN'T ~ go along with all of the "the kiss was great"
party propaganda line of comments.

Somebody must have asked for "artistic advice" from the dopes
who added full-face sunlight in order to mess up the traffic jam kiss
from "Boys Over Flowers." :(

Think about it..........
How distracting was it, and how much "smooch time" was wasted,
because the two actors wer surrounded by a circular "dolly track"
(I think it's called) during what should have been - A SIMPLE KISS?

I'm really reassured that the back of Lee Min-ho's jacket fits him so well. :(
And I was impressed with the back of Sohn Ye-jin's hairdo. :(

That kiss would have been really something, and we viewers wouldn't
have gotten so dizzy, if that scene had been filmed with less of an artistic
approach, and just filmed...........HONESTLY.

Just my two cents.

*

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My two cents' worth to the comment by
grace, the one from Jersey, USA . ('',)

Thank you for giving your 2 cents' worth because I agree totally with you that the tendency of certain directors to use the circular track to capture the action on the ground should be thrown out the window of drama and film director's school.

I believe capturing the actors' smooch by alternating the view of the cameras trained from both actors' perspectives would have made the kiss that much more AWESOME and HONEST, as you have put it.

On top of that, the presence of the 2 'villains' during the dizzying smooch merry-go-round was simply annoying because they effectively blocked the view of the whole fascinating, and much anticipated and long-awaited smooch!!! Exasperation!!!

MY 2 cents' worth ('',)

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I think the shocked faces in the background was a bit... too shocked?

the 1st time i saw the kiss, i concentrated on the kiss
i replayed and watched it the 2nd time, i was still concentrating on the kiss
the 3rd time, i saw the shocked faces, and i really laughed out loud

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YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..........FINALLY...They kiss for real.... I've watched that kissed million times...LOL...cant wait what happen next...thanx JG for such a good recap

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I know the kiss basically blew my mind and everyone else's, and I would rave and rant about it, but seeing as everyone else has, maybe I won't exhaust that vein anymore lol.

BUT AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO GOT THE ****SHADY**** VIBE FROM DO-BIN?!
Seriously, the way that he offered his handkerchief again?! It reminded me too much of his previous offer to Jinho (which we all know he took). For a moment there, my mind did a fast forward and I thought she was going to say yes, and he mention that the hanky was a dear memento from someone. So now I'm thinking, is Do-bin perhaps bisexual and is just looking for someone, anyone to have something of a relationship with? I know he's characterized so far as a stoic, respectable character, but what if there's more? His excuse of having a bizzare sense of humor just rankles and does not fit his established character. It's just... odd. That, or he was just really thoughtful, but his expression there tells me more somehow.

That's just my two cents anyway.

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#69 ~ koreandramalover

Thanks for agreeing with me about "the merry-go-round kiss."
When I first started to read your reply, I was worried that you might say
that my opinion was only worth......2 cents. Ha, ha. :)

I guess that whoever the people are who plan these things,
never heard of the phrase......less is more.

*

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Totally agree with you again, Grace on "less is More".

Keep it at 16 episodes!

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#73 Grace, the one from Jersey, USA
and
#74 Christine

How wonderful to see the words 'Less is more' from both your kind souls. You hit the nail right on the head. :) I have always believed in that adage but alas, I keep seeing the manifestations of 'Less IS Less', so just pile them all up, why don't you, cos the viewers are none the wiser, anyway.

Hello? Apparently, words like subtlety, refinement and grace, like your name, Grace of Jersey, are just not in the vocabulary of certain directors/producers, or not given more attention to. I believe today's drama viewers are far more discerning and well-versed in the art of telling a story than many directors give credit for, and thus our expectations are that much higher. Gone are the days where the viewers WERE none the wiser, and consequently their expectations cannot be at the level that we are at now.

Now, if only our comments can reach the producers and directors of Personal Taste!! Wouldn't that be great? Hehe... :)

Thanks for your wonderful comments Grace and Christine! Looking forward to your take on the subsequent episodes of PT. Enjoy watching and reading the recaps from the fabulous javabeans' group of writers such as girlfriday!! I can't hardly wait!! ('',)

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Just to clarify and add on to what I said in my earlier comment, about the lack of 'subtlety, refinement and grace' in the direction of dramas, in particular Korean dramas, that I have been watching so far.

An example of that lacking is in the 'wrist-grabbing-pulling-hauling', whatever you can call it, that I see in almost every drama, that begs the question - do all Korean men do that in real life? So far, I have seen Jin Ho doing it to Gae In at least twice, once when Gae In was furiously running in circles to try to shake off her unhappy musings and another time in episode 10 when Jin Ho asked Gae In if she could really leave Chang Ryul if and when he says 'Game Over'.

Somehow I get the impression that the act is simply acceptable and right, such that a director would not dream of omitting it from his drama, or incur the wrath of the viewers for not inserting some form of violence in the dramas to portray the 'macho'ness of Korean men, for that is what it is essentially - violence towards women. Or am I the only person who sees it as a form of violence?

I have never liked the act and I will never tolerate it being done to me, and I believe not many women would disagree with me, so I have been wondering, how in the world does it get the OK in Korean dramas, that are, I am sure, viewed by most families in Korea?

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I think that this kiss scene will win the best kiss scene award...200% sure ahahahah cant it be more hot?

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#75 ~ koreandramalover

Before you go out to buy me a gigundo trophy for having so much
~ couth ~
don't forget that MY FIRST OPTION is for an extension for PT of up to
187 episodes. Scripts,directing, acting, lighting, sets, all have their place.
But I could watch an oil painting of LMH for 187 episodes. :)

And I really do think that he's a brilliant actor.

*

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KISS SCENE. KISS SCENE. KISS SCENE.

AHH.

SO. GOOD. CAN'T. WRITE. PAPERS. AND STUDY FOR FINALS. WHEN LMH IS KISSING PEOPLE LIKE THAT.

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#78 - grace, the one from Jersey, USA

Hehe...not only does just staring at Lee Min Ho's mind-blowingly dreamy/expressive eyes and melt-right-at-his-feet-swoon-inducing smile cause me to smile like some lunatic on a sugar rush, now with THAT EPIC smooch scene...hmmm...I thnk I can totally understand how you can just stare at an oil painting of him in all his glory for 187 episodes. Hehehe :)

And I TOTALLY AGREE with you that Lee Min Ho is a truly talented actor, a rare gem, perhaps even a legend-in-the-making, whom the directors, producers and writers in Korea need to pay attention to. For someone so young, he has been able to portray just about every human emotion there is with just his eyes and facial expressions - that is the mark of a truly talented actor. I have seen him in BOF and now PT and I am so heartened to know that another person thinks that he is a diamond in the rough - waiting to shine ever brightly.

Go, Lee Min Ho!!

PS : How do I join the support group for LeeMinHo fanatics? I think I need to prepare myself for withdrawal symptoms once PT is over and the support group may really help. Hehe

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omg! omg! omg! Lee Min Ho is so freaking hot -
And the stills of the kiss... makes me just "sigh..."
thank you for the recap! :D

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I don't even care about Kae-in, I just feel so bad for Do-bin!

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omg. ur writing is awesome. it's almost as good as the dramas themselves...

i love reading them while i watch. :)

thank you.

gosh that kiss was yummy!!!! :) *jealous*

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good recap as always!

i was already sleepy but decided to watch this one last episode before i sleep. both of my feet were propped up on my desk next to my laptop while i was watching it and i almost fell asleep through the episode (maybe a bit too much angst which added to my sleepiness). suffice to say, the moment THE KISS came, i was so surprised that almost fell out of my computer chair and my feet knocked down almost all the stuff on my desk. being a kdrama viewer for ten years, my reaction is true testament to LMH's "skills" hehehe.

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Hey Girlfriday,

I am going to assume that most if not all of the people who are commenting here are female. Speaking as a guy who started to watch kdrama's with his wifie not to long ago really appreciate the hard work you put into assembling the play by play recaps.

Now, as a guy I don't usually watch drama's of any sort but kdaram's are so very entertaining at times. Now let's get to the KISS by Jinho - it floored me as a guy - I was whooping it up so much so that the wifie had to come over to see what the heck was going on. Needless to say we both watched the KISS scene a couple of times - it got pretty steamy to say the least just to make sure it was another of Jinho's dream sequence.

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just watched this scene on my dvd. I really enjoy the recap on the drama episodes. Great work there.

However, I have to state that since the drama is based in korea (with the whole asian aspect), the fact that Gae In stood up to Chang Rul speaks volumes.

and also, willling to tell Jin Ho (who she assumes is gay) is definitely sacrificial on her aspect.

Sure in australia, (i'm here) we have the whole gay rights thing pat down, with equal rights for both defacto partners, and gay people...

However, with the drama based in korea, its not possible for anyone to fight for a gay person, not to mention de-facto partner rights.

So, try not to impose a western ideal in an asian country, especially since Korea is of the conservative kind. it is never going to happen any time soon.

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sorry, i meant to say that in the scene where Gae-In is telling Jin Ho that she is willing to marry him, is he ever needed to "live normally".

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This episode was getting more and more intense, I mean, their feelings for one another was definitely getting stronger and moving beyond the ideas of being just "friends". and that kiss made me scream and squeal so loud, omg <3 [Honestly, I had no idea that it was coming just yet!] The whole time Kae-in was in the theater and watching her ex-friend making her move on Jin-Ho, I wanted to stab that evil chick's fingers and i was telling Ka-in to get up and leave, and thank god she did!

As for the other scenes, the rain scene and how they spend their days together was so cute ^^ gahh I love their chemistry, it makes me smile so much that it hurts. Especially when Ka-in was willing to marry Jin-ho just so that he live a normal life [though he's not really..yeah xD] was sweet..but heartbreaking for both when they secretly loved each other but, Ka-in still thinks he's gay and well...Jin-ho loves her..but when the truth comes out about the real reason why he stayed with her in the first place..sigh~ xDD

But anyways...
Personal Taste just keeps getting better and better :D

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I think my heart exploded when that kiss happened. Out of sheer unadulterated 'SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!'

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I never forget that kissing scene..
I love them... over.. over... the top....
good chemistry...

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Rewatching. Oh my god. This kiss.

I wish Lee Min-ho was doing another romantic comedy, I don't know about this City Hunter drama..

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the buffy reference. was. just. amazing.

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HOW I WISHHHHHH.. it was me whom Jin-Ho kissed,,, it was very intimate and hot i guess...

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I love your comments, at sometimes I feel like rather reading your recap than actually watching the episode =D "tweedle evil & tweedle dumb" almost cracked up with laughing ^^

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My best friend and I where watching this episode, one afternoon, and when the kiss arrive we scream so loudly, her mother entered the room to see if we got injured or something xD

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So the devil went back to hell, but he ran out screaming his head off. Know why? Because In-Hee was there. Balloon lips is on my last nerve!

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Okay. Obvi...I don't know who or what you think you are. But what I do know is that you have AAAAMAZING skills as a blogger/commentator/who[what]ever. Seriously, I was laughing myself into stupor, saying things like, "fo' real gurl!!" and "das so truuueee!!" I loved reading this almost as much as I loved watching. Keep up the good work.
BTDubs, I'm late in the KDrama world, but like a vortex, it's completely sucked me in. If you happen to find my life, which I lost about 2 months ago, please send it to my mother, she's concerned about it.

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Still catching up with all these awesome dramas two years after being sucked in the Kdrama Land! I read a not so positive review on Personal Taste somewhere and so it wasn't amongst my Top Ten past dramas to watch. So this drama is turning out to be a pleasant surprise. ;)

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i like very much perfect match... also the a sun go jae house ....... lol

:]

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Aww, HELL YEAH, now that kiss is the kind of thing I be watching for! Bring it on and don't spare any of the steam! *VBG*

"Bitch, I will spork your eye out and wear it as a trophy!"

*G* Is it too late to call dibs on the other eye? ;D

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Love the serius but love your recqp MORE!

That kiss is so darn sexy..and man Jin Ho is so stamina hot ?

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