Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 7

by girlfriday

Finally, some DRAMA up in this drama! It’s certainly about time, I tell ya. Things finally come to a head, punches are thrown, lips get kissed, and everyone gets spun around due to the overabundance of those pesky feelings. The last episode sincerely had me believing the two boys were more into each other than Mary (thanks jb), but in this episode they finally come around and start to fall for our girl. (Not that we’re not…keeping that other option open…)

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Mu-gyul makes his declaration that Mary is his woman (more specifically, his wife) in front of Seo-jun and the whole party, dragging Mary out. Seo-jun stands agape as the band members behind her mutter that Mu-gyul went and outed himself, when he told them to keep it under wraps. She confirms with one look from Jung-in that she was the only one who didn’t know, throwing her glass down in anger.

Mary pulls free from Mu-gyul, shouting at his rash behavior. They start arguing, but Jung-in comes to split them up…by decking Mu-gyul in the face. Mu-gyul responds in kind, and the two end up in a round of fisticuffs, with Mary struggling to get the two hot boys to stop fighting over her. Hm. Sounds a lot like this dream I had…

Jung-in shouts that Mu-gyul isn’t thinking about things from Mary’s point of view (and breaking the terms of the contract), which is exactly when the struggle sends Mary to the ground, clutching her forehead in pain. Yeah doofuses. Stop groping each other and pay attention to the girl. Remember her?

Mary takes Mu-gyul to her house to treat his wound, wondering what on earth made him blurt out that they were married. He doesn’t know either; it just came out. It’s called jealousy, dear. He peers tenderly at the bruise on her forehead, making her feel awkward again at his touch.

She yells at him for breaking the contract, worried what her dad will say, and to his credit, he apologizes. She says an apology isn’t going to cut it, but he reminds her that she dragged him into this charade for weeks with nothing but an “I’m sorry.” She acknowledges as much, but isn’t about to let him off the hook for being irresponsible, adding that he simply used her to one-up Jung-in. Hurt, she spits out, “What do you really think of me?!” and goes to her room in a huff.

Mu-gyul goes home and gets blocked trying to write, and re-reads Mary’s note about their made-up backstory, “Love’s Traffic Accident.” He smiles to himself as he remembers their early encounters. Aw, feelings. Welcome to the party. He thinks about her words that he just always does what he likes, with no sense of responsibility for his actions.

So…he shows up to work early the next morning, to greet Mary with public displays of cuteness, declaring that he’s got to work hard to feed his wife. This just pisses off an already wounded Jung-in, who is hilariously sporting a side-bang sweep, to cover up his bruise. Haha. I swear, the boys in this drama and their hair.

They get interrupted by the shouting entrance of Jung-seok, yelling about the announcement that the drama would be pre-produced. Mary sees him and grabs Mu-gyul to run away…running smack dab into her father, who’s just arrived.

Everyone sits down for a pow-wow, and the dads of course freak out (Dad is especially pissed about Mu-gyul’s hair. Listen, you’re the one who believed that ridiculous wig was real. It’s not like the Great Hair Con of 2010, or something.) Mary decides that she’ll quit the company, so that Mu-gyul can stay. Huh? Why? I don’t see why it’s any different to have the two boys working together without you…unless you’re bowing out to let ’em have sexy fun times in the office. Just sayin’.

Mu-gyul doesn’t want her to quit (because she loves dramas) but Jung-in assures him that she’ll still be working for the screenwriter, outside of the office. He acknowledges that Mu-gyul has won Round 1. The boys have a stare-off as they prepare for Round 2. Okay, drama queens. Mary just sighs.

She schleps over to Mu-gyul’s place, only to find his mom lounging on the couch, suitcase in tow for a lengthy stay. Funny how your lengthy stays usually last less than twelve hours. She drags Mary along to the grocery store, for some ice cream. There, she gets the bright idea to have Mary make some more kimchi, so they return and Mary slaves over another batch, all the while leaving Mu-gyul voicemails to hurry home.

Work goes well at the studio, and Jung-in is pleased with Mu-gyul’s work on the OST. Seo-jun arrives, after having been MIA for a few days, and asks to speak to Mu-gyul alone. She asks angrily how he could do this, when he swore up and down that he’d never get married. She’s upset that they lied to her, and slaps Mu-gyul across the face, calling him the one thing he hates to hear: an unlucky bastard.

Back at home, Mary hears Mu-gyul’s mom saying the phrase, and she asks her why Mu-gyul hates to be called that. She answers that it’s because she had him at seventeen, so he was unplanned, and it was the one thing he heard all his life, growing up. (Because the phrase itself means something closer to “unfortunate mistake.”)

Jung-in tries to talk Seo-jun down, as she angsts over Mu-gyul and threatens to quit the drama. Oh, where’s your devotion to the project NOW? Jung-in is surprised that she’s so upset over it, and she plants a seed of doubt in his mind: Mu-gyul would never marry, and never someone like Mary, at that. She’s not his style. Says the EX-girlfriend.

Mu-gyul arrives home to find Mary slaving over yet another batch of kimchi, and this time, he adorably sits down to help her. They have another typical married couple conversation, her complaining about the mother-in-law, and him apologizing and being sweet to make up for it. Aw. Seriously, the cuteness of these two is just ridiculous. Mom notes their adorableness as well, saying that they really seem like newlyweds.

But by the time she runs out for a snack and returns, Mary’s dad has shown up to yell at Mu-gyul for making Mary make all this kimchi. She tries to intervene, and then the two parents start a yelling match, ending in Dad grabbing Mu-gyul by the collar, and Mom biting Dad’s hand in retaliation. Mary finally manages to drag Dad away, but not before he takes a load of kimchi as recompense. Heh.

The next day, Mary and Mu-gyul apologize to each other yet again for their parents. She’s calling from Jung-in’s house, where she’s brought her friends as social buffers to keep from being awkward with Jung-in. While she’s on the phone, Jung-in takes the opportunity to ask about Mary not wearing a wedding ring, which her friends say was skipped because the wedding was rushed, but they do have couple rings—14-karat gold ones.

Her friends leave, and Jung-in asks Mary herself about the rings, and gets the same response, except she says that the couple rings are silver. That’s enough for Jung-in to ask plainly if Mary and Mu-gyul really got married for love. She gets flustered, and takes off, to avoid getting caught in another lie.

Mary heads over to Mu-gyul’s place in the rain, only to run into Seo-jun outside. She asks Mary who wanted to get married first, and Mary replies truthfully that she did. She also adds that there are extenuating circumstances, and that she can’t explain, but that Mu-gyul was just following her request to keep it all a secret. She runs off, leaving Seo-jun stewing in anger.

When Mu-gyul shows up, Seo-jun lays into him for lying to her, even though she does apologize for calling him the one thing she shouldn’t have. When she mentions that he’s being evasive just like Mary, he worries what she might have said to Mary, just angering her more. She notes the mittens, sourly realizing that back when she had first seen the yarn there, he did in fact have a girl—it was Mary.

She gets up, announcing that her pride is wounded (oh, geez, people who care more about their pride than their hearts) and turns her back to him, as tears start to fall. I in no way feel sorry for this girl, but Mu-gyul seems to feel bad for wounding her.

Mary runs away to the bookstore, and Jung-in follows her there (having come to Mu-gyul’s to bring her an umbrella), and they have a bonding moment over their love of books and poems and bookstores. Finally, some cuteness for the other couple. They adorably sit amongst the books and read together, stealing glances. Yay, for dorky cute.

Seo-jun and Mu-gyul sit on the couch, staring at each other silently. She reaches over to feel his forehead, since he’s shivering from getting rained on all day. She asks what his real feelings are for Mary, and he answers truthfully that it began as a joke, but it didn’t end up that way.

Mu-gyul: She’s…like family to me.
Seo-jun: Isn’t family something annoying and burdensome to you?
Mu-gyul: It was. But now, when I think of Mary, I feel like…this is what family is supposed to be.

She jumps to the conclusion that he was able to be with her over a month because she’s like family…and therefore not a woman in his eyes. Mu-gyul tells her that Mary is loyal, but she tells him that he’ll end up doing what he always does: bail when things get tough.

She leaves to go grill his bandmates over Mu-gyul’s relationship with Mary, asking how and when they got married. They stumble through the details, but essentially cover for them.

Mary and Jung-in continue their date, going to the local open market. She warms to him, and Jung-in marvels at the cuteness of Mary. Over dinner she asks what he meant by calling his father a god. He tells her that when he was younger, he was kidnapped and his father rescued him, and raised him this way to make him stronger.

Uh….what now? Seriously, Show? First of all, didn’t you get kidnapped BECAUSE of your father’s shady business dealings? And what kind of father wouldn’t rescue his son? Is that somehow supposed to make you any more beholden than a regular son, especially when Daddy is still making threats to you that you’ll have no home to return to, if you don’t succeed at both business and love? Weird ass family.

Mu-gyul lies in bed, getting sicker by the minute, and finally caves. He calls Mom, begging for her to pick up, but she doesn’t. Aw, puppy. He calls Mary next, who answers in front of Jung-in. She notices right away that he sounds sick, and starts yelling into the phone about running around in the rain and letting himself get sick.

It’s that tone that you involuntarily take on, when you’re worried about someone you care about. The nagging mom voice just comes out. Jung-in notes it with a pang of jealousy, as Mary tells Mu-gyul to stay put while she gets him some medicine.

So what does the stupid boy do? He WAITS OUTSIDE. Gah, Drama, I know you need him to be outside, but that’s just dumb. Sickie, go back to bed! He decides he can’t wait any longer, and goes to get some medicine himself.

Mary and Jung-in arrive, and she gives him the fluffy socks she bought at the market. She thanks him for opening up to her, and tells him to share his feelings more often, and to not be so afraid of his father. She adorably tells him that if he wears the socks to sleep, he won’t have any more nightmares (Aw) and he smiles.

She turns to leave, but he calls her name, and grabs her in a sudden kiss. Aw, yeah.

Of course Mu-gyul arrives just at that moment, and in a flash of anger, he decks Jung-in. Mary rushes between them and Jung-in stands there in shock, as Mu-gyul angrily takes her inside.

He yells at her for bringing Jung-in there, and Mary rushes him to bed to keep him warm. There shivering under the covers, Mu-gyul tells her, “Let’s stop.” She agrees to quit arguing, but he says it again, this time with a tear.

Mu-gyul: I don’t know if it’s just that I want to win, or if it’s because I like you. I can’t figure out if it’s fake, or real. I’m tired. Let’s end it.

Her eyes fill with the most tears any eyes could possibly hold (seriously, they’re like two-gallon capacity) as she agrees. She says it’s been hard on her too, and apologizes.

She hides in the corner to let her tears out, not wanting to cry in front of Mu-gyul, but then decides that she can’t go like that. She rushes back to take care of him while he’s sick, and puts a towel to his forehead. He throws it down in anger, yelling at her to stop, and she yells back that she knows the contract is over, but that she’ll just take care of him while he’s sick, and then go. Aw, Mary, you’re killing me.

She makes him soup and feeds him, melting his anger.

Seo-jun doesn’t get what she wants from Mu-gyul’s friends and declares that she’ll never see them again, so one of them finally caves and promises to tell her everything. Ugh. Of course you would.

Meanwhile, Jung-seok finally finds out about what happened at the party and throws a fit. He decides to go to Hongdae, and pick up Mary’s dad on the way. Oh dear. Why do I smell a congregation of most awkward proportions, headed our way?

Jung-in still stands outside of Mu-gyul’s place in the rain, stunned by his own surge of feelings and this whole mess of a situation. Seo-jun arrives, and he stops her from going in.

Mu-gyul wakes up to find Mary asleep on the floor next to the bed, and he puts the blanket over her, sighing because, well, girl won’t help him NOT love her.

The dads arrive to have another screamfest at Mu-gyul’s expense, until Mary’s dad finally crumples in tears over how this kid has ruined his only daughter, who he raised with such care. OH REALLY, Dad? Mary’s mother is turning over in her grave to hear you claim such things.

Mary tries to stop him from hurting Mu-gyul, who’s barely standing in his state. She finally decides to put an end to it once and for all. Of course, since this is a Major Declaration, all parties must be present, so Jung-in and Seo-jun arrive to the party, just as Mary declares:

“It’s all a lie. Mu-gyul and I aren’t married.”

 
COMMENTS

Well, it’s certainly better than what we’ve been getting so far, since there was actual conflict in this episode, and lots of feelings rising to the surface, from every corner of the love-square. I particularly liked both boys’ realization of their feelings for Mary, as they seemed within character for each. Mu-gyul finds himself attached to Mary despite his abhorrence for…attachments, and Jung-in finds himself taken with Mary’s warmth when he had these grandiose plans of being detached from the whole love-in-marriage thing.

While both of them are spurred forward by jealousy and competition, it’s the little moments with Mary that make them actually fall for her—her love of poems, her knitting mittens, her gift of socks, her soup-making. She’s just so genuinely sweet (which Moon Geun-young sells to a tee) that they can’t help but love her.

I especially love the warmth of her character as a motif. She’s a kind of emotional warmth that neither of the men have had in their lives, and it’s echoed in the mittens that she knits for Mu-gyul, which he holds to his face while he thinks of her, and then again in the socks she buys for Jung-in, which he touches to his face, and then breaks into a rare smile.

I’m not going to pin my hopes on this plot shift, say, making any more sense than the previous road we were on, or getting rid of the clunky use of clichés and reliance on coincidence. But perhaps with the fake marriage out of the way, we’ll get some true admission of feelings without the contract to fall back on as an excuse. Let’s see Mary and Mu-gyul make an effort to stay in orbit when nothing dictates that they have to.

I have a feeling I might be happier with this shift in the dynamic, because for one, I’m getting tired of the we’re-married-I-swear runaround, and I feel like we’ve been going in circles for some time now. Let’s get this bus moving in a new direction, shall we?

On a superficial note, my biggest disappointment in this episode is the dearth of Mu-gyul-onstage scenes. No “Please Take Care, Oh Bus, My Bus” for me? Not that I don’t love angsty Jang Geun-seok, but he’s 30% less hot than Jang-Geun-seok-on-stage. Trust me. I crunched the numbers.

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