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Secret Garden: Episode 9

With our leads back to “normal,” Episode 9 turns back to the romantic developments and dials down the wacky, which I suppose is necessary though I’ll admit to missing the zany physical comedy of the past few episodes, because some of those body-switch bits were truly hysterical. True, they were sometimes played more for the laugh than for character consistency, but when that gives us Hyun Bin demonstrating how to wear a bra, or Ha Ji-won smirking like a smug rich bastard, I’m game to go along for the ride.

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EPISODE 9 RECAP

Body switch! Ra-im does a dance of joy, and she and Joo-won confirm that they’re back to their original selves.

Joo-won holds up his handcuffs and asks her what she’s gonna do about it (pffft!), which I wish were half as kinky as it sounds. Ra-im responds with satisfaction, “Seeing that we were switched back in this type of situation, there really must be a God.” She throws his words back at him about leaving her sit in jail to suffer, and flounces out cheerily.

Joo-won is transferred to a jail cell, where he has to now contend with the consequences of having called his lawyer off the case back when he was Joo-wonda. Secretary Kim is baffled at his boss’s abrupt personality switch (again) and goes to call for help.

A snore from his cellmate draws Joo-won’s attention to the drunken man sleeping under a blanket… wearing clothes that cast a familiar sparkle.

Stunned to see HIS trademark look worn “so carelessly,” Joo-won tries to sneak a glimpse of a tag or a label, and asks the sleeping man where he bought these clothes. He gets no response, but the man rolls over, revealing the words stitched across the back: “Hyun Bin at the entrance.” He sleepily mumbles, “Come to… Secret Nightclub…” PFFFFT.

Joo-won falls back in horror to realize that his precious Italian tracksuit has been made into cheap knockoffs and is being worn by nightclub attendants as walking advertisements. (The message, combined with the guy’s sales pitch, means, “Come to Secret Nightclub and find the waiter Hyun Bin at the entrance.”)

Ra-im greets Ah-young enthusiastically at home, though her jaw drops to see the apartment transformed: Joo-won(ita) has upgraded the furnishings, decorating it with high-priced items and even installing a chandelier into the bedroom/living-room. The guy sure likes his things sparkly.

To the ladies, these are just nuisances that take up too much room. Ra-im is shocked to hear that she supposedly bought all this stuff, and says she’ll make sure to return them all.

Director Park is practically giddy as he informs Chairman Kim about Joo-won’s brush with the law, tsk-tsk-ing about the way he assaulted a VIP client. Grandpa wonders what has gotten into his grandson, but it’s his wife — the Madam Park so hated by Joo-won’s and Oska’s mothers — who speaks up. She chides Director Park (her brother), saying that it was right of Joo-won to step in to defend a woman who was being sexually harassed, and that puts an end to this conversation.

Innnnteresting. So the despised fourth wife and potential inheritance-grabber is actually a decent human being, and blocks her brother’s attempt to undermine her step-grandson?

With a few strings pulled, Joo-won is released from jail. He berates his secretary for not preparing the car or an umbrella, because there’s no way HE’s going out into the rain. Ra-Him’s thoughtfulness has lulled Secretary Kim into a false sense of security about his boss, and he cheerily offers his coat to hold over their heads.

Joo-won glowers and gives him his options: “Run into the rain. Buy a luxury umbrella. Or die.” Aw, poor eager-to-please Secretary Kim. And to think, if only Joo-won treated him right he could probably have his loyalty for life. (Well, he’s loyal right now, but that’s driven by fear; if the relationship were cultivated, I’d bet his secretary would take a bullet for him.)

Joo-won arrives at Ra-im’s place and has a brief, hilarious exchange with Ah-young. Since he has gotten to know her in their brief time as roommates, he talks to her in a familiar way, like he did when he was Joo-wonita. But coming out of his own mouth, his friendly words give Ah-young Other Ideas, especially since she already thinks he’s interested in her.

Ra-im has been considering Joo-won’s comment that she never thinks of things from his perspective, and now she apologizes for ditching him at the police station. She’d been so thrilled to be back to herself that she feared getting swapped again if she stuck nearby. (This raises an interesting potential conflict — Ra-im feels it’s best to stay away from each other, just so they don’t tempt the fates to swap ’em back.)

She asks him to take back everything he bought for the apartment, then apologizes for hitting the pervert, although she admits she’d do it again. Still, she’ll pay back the settlement fee.

Joo-won tells her he’s not here for his stuff, which begs the question, Then why?

Pulling her into a hug, Joo-won says, “I came to do this.”

He’s pleased with her decision to pay the settlement, as it demonstrates a responsible attitude, and tells her to come by the office tomorrow to settle the rest of their affairs.

After Oska’s team finds out that the leak of his plagiarized song came from Seul’s office, Tae-sun hangs around to find out whether they nabbed the culprit. Tae-sun (whom I’ve just realized is totally Jung Il-woo Lite) can read from Oska’s reaction that he must know the guilty party, but he points out that if Oska doesn’t produce a culprit, the issue can’t be resolved in the public’s eyes. Oska is resigned about the situation, and just tells Tae-sun to sleep over… since it’s raining. (Suuure.) Blame it on the rain. (Ye~ah, yeah.) Since we’re talking about plagiarism and all.

Despite what the tech guys said, Seul isn’t the culprit; at the moment, she is getting expert opinions on Oska’s song, which the producers judge to be a clear ripoff. But when they suggest that Oska may have known about the song’s origins, Seul is surprisingly vigorous in her defense, saying he’s not that kind of guy.

Joo-won finds that his home’s passcode has been changed, and when he reaches for his phone to call Ra-im, he realizes that they hadn’t swapped their phones back. Two things raise his hackles: her phone wallpaper is Oska’s face, and his own number is entered under the name “Crazy Mofo Kim.”

He calls to demand the new number, and Ra-im gets back at him by pulling the same stunt he pulled on her, pretending that the line is going dead. Serves you right, Mofo.

I love that Crazy Mofo’s immediate thought is that Ra-im changed the number to HER measurements, and he tries to approximate her body in his mind to guess that. (He guesses 32-27-32.)

Ra-im texts him a hint about a zodiac sign, which makes him think back to a comment she made to Oska. As he mutters, “If that’s it, you’re dead,” he enters what must be his cousin’s birthdate, 76-08-18.

At least that gets him inside. But as though that weren’t bad enough, Joo-won discovers with annoyance that he’s wearing… Oska socks.

Further humiliating is how Ra-Him had washed his boxers by hand and laid them out to dry, right out in the open. What, hand-stitching’s okay, but not hand-washing?

Ra-im exults to be back at home, and asks Ah-young cautiously if she’d done anything strange or untoward in the past few days. Ah-young glares at her with narrowed eyes, bursting out in indignation over all the things Joo-wonita had said and done to her, like forcing her to sleep on the floor after refusing to share the bed. Ra-im assures her friend that she doesn’t mean any of that stuff, but Ah-young settles down to sleep peevishly.

Intending to set the alarm clock, Ra-im takes out Joo-won’s phone, but finds to her surprise the photos he has saved of her.

By now it’s pretty clear that neither Seul nor Oska are over their breakup, so it isn’t such a surprise that he still keeps the engagement ring he’d offered her by his bed, which he takes out now as he remembers her hurtful rejection. And how, in Jeju, she had said they weren’t in love. And how she’d told him not to lie about acting to protect her, when he was really protecting himself.

Equally clear is that some big misunderstanding is keeping the pain bitter on both ends, because they both feel they were the hurt party. I don’t know; it almost feels like they’re both keeping themselves willfully in the dark because they both want to cling to their martyr complexes. I’d want to know for sure and move on, but I wonder if they’d both rather keep hating each other than confront the truth. Beats hating themselves?

Joo-won is pleased to announce to Oska that he is back to being himself now, and that he didn’t mean any of the nice stuff he’s done recently. Just in case big bro thought he was going soft.

This conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a text, from Ra-im to Oska. It’s a message of encouragement to cheer up, saying that his problems will work out, to which Oska sends a reply text. But curiously, the phone rings in Joo-won’s pocket. (Are we to ignore the fact that Ra-im wasn’t at her phone when she supposedly texted it? I suppose some fanwanking can explain that possibility of internet-based texting, but…)

In response, Joo-won can’t help mocking Oska for his socks — does he like the idea of his fans sweating all over his printed face? He adds that Ra-im only likes him as a casual fan: “If you ask her what celebrities she likes, you’re at the level where she’d take three seconds to think about it, then respond, ‘Os…ka?'”

The next day at the department store, the female employees gossip about how cool Joo-won was for punching the pervert VIP. Instantly he’s gone from abrasive boss to dreamboat, and Ah-young thinks knowingly to herself that perhaps his sudden change is prompted by “the power of love.”

So when he makes his morning entrance, the ladies eagerly line up… only to get the formerly cold, dismissive Joo-won instead. Ah-young in particular is disappointed, having anticipated that he’d look at her with some interest or affection. Or even just recognition.

Hearing that Joo-won is back to being cold, Director Park gnashes his teeth to unravel the hidden significance of this development. Is Joo-won messing with his mind somehow? What does this all MEAN? Well, I suppose it’s better to have your enemies barking up the wrong tree entirely, rather than guessing the truth.

Joo-won expects a mountain of paperwork to sign, but is told that he already took care of it. Grabbing open a folder, Joo-won sees in horror that Ra-im has signed his documents in her childish scrawl, replete with heart lettering. Joo-won berates Secretary Kim for not stopping him, and gets back the response that he had initially found it odd, but figured that Joo-won had just changed to a “pretty” new signature. Lol.

This also complicates matters with an upcoming Christmas event, which Director Park proposed and Ra-Him authorized. It’s a couples event awarding a prize if it snows on Christmas, but Joo-won counters that the promotion is only going to alienate the singles who’d rather be part of a couple. He changes a few details (like changing snow to rain, because rain is rarer on Christmas and therefore the prize bound to be harder to attain and therefore more desirable and blah blah blah), instructing Director Park to get busy with revisions.

Oska storms in to Seul’s office to confront her about leaking his plagiarized song online. She argues that she’s not that low, but he counters that she is — she’s low enough to betray him and then travel abroad with the guy he hated most, and low enough to plan on marrying his cousin to piss him off.

Seul is hurt to realize that he hasn’t come to ask if she did it; he’s already decided she’s guilty. Telling him that he won’t believe her anyway, she adds that he believed others over her in the past as well. Oska requests earnestly that they never see each other again, and leaves the office in a daze of hurt, while Seul breaks down in her office alone.

One of Seul’s employees realizes that the leak came from her co-worker, who’d inadvertently downloaded a video using Seul’s computer. It was a peer-to-peer sharing site, and she hadn’t realized that Oska’s new song was uploadable. Oops. Scared for themselves, they swear to keep this between them.

Ra-im literally bounces her way into the action school, thrilled to be back at work. The stunt guys are confused, since it was just the other day that she so haughtily declared she was done with this lifestyle, and that she must really have chosen to do physical work because she was too dumb for mental work.

Ra-im assures them that she doesn’t mean that, and bounds off to see Jong-soo, who poses for his requisite topless scene. All hunky guys do their brooding in the shower, don’tcha know?

Recalling how Ra-im (technically Joo-wonina) told him never to confess his feelings for her, he’s wary, although she seems as friendly and warm as before. She announces that she’s back, and that she won’t be acting strange anymore.

She also thanks him for the movie script and vows to work hard preparing for the stunts and filming a demo video. She confuses him a bit when she declares the English difficult, because he found hers surprisingly good, but she chalks it up to “momentary insanity.” Hee.

Joo-won’s sour-faced mother, still as nosy and meddling as ever, hires someone to follow Ra-im around, and looks over the most recent batch of photos. They’re from her (Joo-wanda’s) shopping spree for apartment furnishings, which even snooty mom understands is out of character for a stuntwoman. She orders her man to find out everything about her background and family.

More family meddling comes in the form of Hee-won, Joo-won’s younger sister, who arrives at the action school looking for Ra-im. The first person she talks to is Jong-soo, whom she eyes with some interest and even goes so far as to ask if he’s married. What, a consolation prize for Jong-soo already? He hasn’t even fought for Ra-im yet!

The women step out for a chat, where Hee-won asks Ra-im some questions about herself, then gets distracted by mention of Jong-soo. She’s thrilled to hear he’s a director (much more impressive than stuntman!), and you can practically hear her planning out her wedded bliss already.

Hee-won is curious about Ra-im’s relationship to Joo-won and Oska; at Ra-im’s blanket denial of any involvement, she wonders why Ra-im accepted her mother’s payoff, then. She heard Ra-im spent it all in one day, too. Hee-won describes herself as the “most normal” in her family — which, admittedly, isn’t much of a statement given her competition — and is here to tip Ra-im off about being investigated by her mother.

So when Ra-im meets Joo-won to swap phones back, she gives him a swift kick in the leg for good measure when he shows no qualms for having taken the money from Mummy Dearest. She’s mortified because taking the money strips her of her ability to stand on her pride, which she clings to in the absence of all else. But Joo-won replies that he’d hoped she’d win — that she’d show his mother that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, he sees it as fortunate that he was there to meet his mother instead of her, because Ra-im would’ve just bowed meekly and spewed a litany of apologies: “Whether you accept that money or not, the result would have been the same. We would have kept seeing each other.”

On the contrary, Ra-im declares that she never wants to see him again and vows to return the money to his mother, replete with apology and an assurance that they’re nothing to each other.

Furthermore, she’s been thinking over Joo-won’s comment about the Little Mermaid, and she has decided that she has no right to this whole comparison/scenario: “Because the Little Mermaid loved her man.” Implication: And I don’t love you.

It’s a pretty effective shutdown, and she turns to go, leaving Joo-won staring after her in shock and hurt. He comes chasing her into the hallway, and stops the elevator doors just as they’re closing.

He makes an attempt to step inside, but with his claustrophobia he can’t, and he orders her out instead. Ra-im shuts the door.

Joo-won beelines for the stairway and runs all the way to the ground level, where he looks around the department store for a sign of her. She’s gone.

At home, Ra-im packs up all of Joo-wonda’s expensive purchases, and only now sees that Joo-won has vandalized her Oska calendar (and Oska posters) by drawing all over his face. At least she gets him back (sorta), as Joo-won finds when he gets home:

Joo-won finds a map of his compound, which has been decorated with hearts surrounding Oska’s house; his own is marked by a skull and crossbones. On top of that, Ra-im has noted particular spots where she can steal glimpses of Oska without being seen.

Oska’s plagiarism controversy hits the newspapers, and in an attempt to mitigate the damage, his manager wants to organize his comeback. Oska balks, saying that it’ll just increase the noise around them, but he’s swayed when his manager insists that they’re going to be SOL if they don’t resume activities now.

So, Oska reluctantly gets to work promoting his next single, and I only regret not having this awesome pic for the best perm category in the Beanie Awards.

As predicted, his public appearances offer plenty of chances for the press to mob him and prod about the plagiarism scandal, which he tries to ignore. After one TV program performance, he spots Ra-im watching the scene from a distance, and they end up chatting at a cafe.

Ra-im wishes him luck on his comeback and compliments his performance. She says that since his fans are hanging in there, he should do the same. Then she comments in an inadvertently backhanded manner that Oska fans are pretty good at weathering negative situations, which implies that he’s always getting into trouble.

He wonders what she means by that, and she references all his “scandals with women.” He jokes, “Isn’t that better than scandals with men?” Are we foreshadowing?

Oska drives Seul home, and Ra-im tentatively asks a parting question about Seul. She doesn’t know what’s up with them, but she knows there’s something, given how he left her on the road that day. She says gently, “I know it’s not something I should butt into, but a man who makes a woman cry is a mean person.”

Oska sighs that despite his age (35), he still feels like a 10-year-old, and wonders why he’s still such a child. Her answer cheers him up; she says that real kids are always insisting they’re older.

That makes him smile, and he compliments her, saying she’s way cooler than he’d thought. It makes her smile bashfully and tap her toe on the ground… just as a third voice sounds:

“What a pretty picture.” It’s Joo-won, of course.

Wearing a brand-spankin’-new, magenta-and-black-lace-patterned tracksuit. I DIE.

Le tracksuit est mort, vive le tracksuit!

 
COMMENTS

With the body-swapping antics out of the way, this episode opens the door for some emotional developments… but I don’t think it really goes there. Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won are totally selling their characters and their chemistry is sparking like crazy, which makes their interactions a whole lotta fun to watch, but this episode seems sort of like more of the same, doesn’t it? He accuses her of not thinking of him, she accuses him of being a jackass, he actually IS a jackass, and lather-rinse-repeat. Director Park seethes behind the scenes and plot’s Joo-won’s demise, but doesn’t actually do anything other than jump to conclusions. Jong-soo broods.

On the upside, even when the plot treads water for a bit, a drama that is as strong as this one in witty dialogue and comic moments is still entirely engaging to watch, thanks to its sense of humor, high production values, strong acting, etc. I don’t mind that much that I’m not getting emotional depth in these recent episodes, although it would be nice — I mean, I don’t begrudge 30 Rock for not being heart-tugging. But I suspect this drama wants us to be a lot more invested than we are/I am. If we’re going to go there, I hope we can start getting there, already. Perhaps it’s time to up the narrative ante.

The one really nice moment was the expression on Joo-won’s face after Ra-im makes her Little Mermaid comment, when he seems not only stunned at the what she’s telling him but actually on the cusp of making a breakthrough, of realizing what where she’s coming from. It’s a great little beat that Hyun Bin plays so well, and I’d love to see more like that.

Oh god, did I just ask for more angst? But no, I don’t want Fate jerking us around for the hell of it, or outlandish villains swooping in to trip up our heroes. Just some emotional stakes. If we could have more plot than mere “Will they or won’t they?” back-and-forth, that would be dandy.

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i totally expect the next switch to be on Xmas when it will rain for sure...

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I think so too

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Excellent catch! I bet you are right!

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yeah. been predicting for it when i heard the word 'rain'

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second that!

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the writer will not be happy cuz you guessed it right already.

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lol, that is so funny.

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Thanks so much for the recaps!

I'm so relieved to be bale to understand some of the

goings on in the raws. I agree that this episode is just

them back at square one but I'm still enjoying it.

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0h! Alth0ugh we have black-out here, thankfully i have unlimited c0nnecti0n in internet in my ph0ne- FREE. Been waiting for ds recap,THANK YOU SO MUCH. I can n0w sleep well t0night. The hug s just en0ugh! BEANIE~

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Am I the only one that actually genuinely like that sparkly sequined track suit? =x I don't think it looks bad at all; Hyun Bin might even make it a stylish fad!

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I also love the sparkly blue track suit...but then again,

maybe it because it's him wearing it. I've fallen for

Hyun Bin...again!

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Woohoo~ have been waiting for this! Looooove your recaps :D

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I have to get this off my chest. I found that elevator thing the saddest scene I’ve ever witnessed in this series. :( And it went on soooooo loooonnnggg, as if to drag out every second Joo won was hoping he’d catch Raim before she made her escape only to be disappointed at the last moment. I kept screaming at my screeeennnn for Raim to Please just come out of hiding already and put JW (and us) out of misery. I loved Ra im’s reunion moments with Jong soo, her sunbaes and Ah Young. And as the episode wound to a close with JW interrupting Oska and Ra im’s tete a tete, I burst out laughing at the sight of JW leaning Casanova style (complete with “smoldering” facial expression!) on the railing. HAHAHAHAHAHAH How anyone could look dignified or sexy in a lacy purple and black TRACKSUIT is beyond me! I love this show.

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I’m glad Ra im’s dad didn’t keep getting featured EVERY episode, even though we’re all aware he’s the one behind all this. It’s in keeping with GF’s quip about fate with sprinkles on top. We know there’s magic and someone is actively manipulating these characters for unknown purposes but we don’t get our noses rubbed in it every episode. And JW and RI are happily oblivious, too. For them, aside from those crazy days of getting switched, life went on as usual.

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I appreciated that the two characters did separate, because, really if they didn’t just HAPPEN to get switched that early in their relationship, what valid reason is there to hang around each other? I’m glad after this separation it will now be up to them to decide whether they wish to continue the “relationship” (what there is of it now.) Fate can get you to a certain distance, but it’s people’s choices that determine their ultimate destinies when fate itself runs out of excuses for proximity.

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JW is the most awkward leading man ever. He really has no idea how to go about courting someone, does he? Even if he’s outstanding as the mall CEO, he doesn’t have a lot of side talents. Next to Jong soo and Oska, he looks almost frumpy. LOL I’m sure Ra im will fall for him because he’s so “pitiful” and he’s trying soooo hard to get noticed.

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First off, I liked episode 9! Their transition back into their original selves was seamless and, disregarding the understandable confusion of their families/friends, the writing/directing made it clear that the past few days and the entire story between Joo won and Ra im is a delicious story/interlude that will, for now, remain between JW, RI, RI’s dad and the viewers. ;) I’m happy with that. Also, the flow of the story emphasized that even with all the messes created by the switch, the lives of the rest of the cast moved forward. Only Joo won and Ra im were caught in a temporary whirlpool of confusion lasting two episodes while they tried to adapt to the ruckus caused by the soul swapping. I get the feeling that future soul swaps will come with smoother transitions, with the characters already more adept (or at least, resigned) to the swapping and the plot can finally move forward! Yay for that!

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Am I the only one who shouted, :Oh God, it's purple?"

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Am I the only one who shouted, "Oh God, it's purple?"

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that pink lacey tracksuit was such a fashion no-no. not on a guy at least!

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i sense coffee prince angst on the horizon . I think it's too early for my liking to already have angst . These two have learned NOTHING . which is a bit of a dissapointment but i think the writers are with holding that for a more suitable time . I will miss RA HIM and JOO WOONDA but i really love their crackling chemistry , make me want to make mashmellows on their heads . lol .
Like everyone mentioned the office/elevator scene was Daebak , loved it . i noticed also how Ra Im has started this whole childish games thing with Joo Woon as if she just knows how to play him which makes me wonder when will our girl face up to her bubbling feelings . I don't want this to be a poor girl meets rich guy story - i think this show can do better than that .
On the other hand give us Oska and Tae sun because him and seul are not only getting old but it's really tiring to watch this two go back and forth on there ' who really heart who ' game . get back together or date other people .
i seem to be the only person wishing Jong Soo would jump into the fight before they switch back again ( i presume they'll be another switch ) . dude , brooding in the shower is all good and well but what are you planning to do about it ? Lordy , i just hate to see all that hotness go to waste . FIGHT FOR YOUR WOMAN .

ps ; if joo woon didn't appear with another ridiculous track suit i would have been very dissapointed . I wonder what he has in store for us in the future .

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i'm sensing major angst, too. i feel the last 9 episodes were all...introductory and they're lulling us into some false sense of security. o.0

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Arrrrrrggggghhhhhhh it kills me to wait til tmz fr the next ep recap, but I gota say it will definately be worth it!!

Lves GF nd JB!!!!!

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Luv, luv, luv ya!

This little recap fixed me up properly enough to wait for the Subbed release!

Cheers!

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OMG! never thought of that, but how on earth can tracksuit be soooooooooooooooooo HILLARIOUS!!! and socks too! hahaha

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Does anyone notice that one of the commentators here was named him/herself 'tracksuit'? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA..

Anyway, i,too,found that little mermaid scene is the saddest scene so far :(( It bugged me that Ra-Im is nice to everyone (even to the person that was mean to her like Seul) but Joo-Won.. Why Ra-Im? Why??

and JB, as always, thanks for the recap! :)

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Maybe sometimes people being mean to hide their true own feelings so the other won't found out the real feelings?

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LOL

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ep.9 was sweet~ can't help but squealing in delight when JW hugs RI~ so damn sweet romantic! just finish watching ep.10. i died. over n over again! can't wait for JB to recaps it! it's the best episode so far~ SG fighting!

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"Oska is resigned about the situation, and just tells Tae-sun to sleep over… since it’s raining. "

so how many bedrooms are there in Oska's house?
what happened to Tae Sun during/after the sleepover?

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nice, nice one JB! Le tracksuit est mort, vive le tracksuit! HAHAHA!

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molly! guacamole! isn't there any tacky fabric that they can't turn into a tracksuit? first, it was a disco ball. and now it's from a curtain! (or was it from a lingerie?)

le tracksuit survit!
le tracksuit juste ne mourrait pas!
la tracksuit non morirebbe appena! argh!
andare uccidere chiunque fa quella tracksuit! jjjaaaaahhh!!!

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LOL at your description of the tracksuit-- disco ball and then curtain material! So true!

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How I've missed them back in their own bodies, loved the hug and of course the elevator scene.

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the way the story keeps straying near emotional territory only to back out of it, i've begun to wonder about hyun bin and ha ji won's ability to project heavier (emotionally) scenes. which is why i love jw's hurt look right after ra im walked out on him. it was one of the rare moments of sincerity? openness? i've seen him in. like...i can feel from that expression that ra im truly has weight in his heart.

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what i meant by sincerity/openness was that i felt Joo won (not HB) was conscious of the cameramen somehow. laughs maybe it's because jw always had these walls put up to protect his weaknesses that he's defensive even to himself. am i making sense? :c

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I don't know why but I'm happy Hee-won has a crush on Jong-soo...maybe it's a sign for a happy ending for all of the characters?
Joo-won & Ra-im, Oska & Seul (or Sun??), Ah-young & Secretary Kim, Jong-soo & Hee-won

I found Madam Park interesting too, she's the normal one in that family...

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Love this series...Haven't seen Ep 9 yet, but thanks for the witty recap.

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this beats having to wait for subs; i will watch it over and over again anyway so thanks! you're awesome....

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Thanks for the recap, javabeans!

I agree that they really need to up it ante a bit. However, everything else is so good, I don't notice all the narrative flaws until after the episode is over. And then when I do, I want to take a red marker and edit the script. I'm so glad they're back to themselves again. I hope they do more little magical things to rationalize that the idea of a body swap isn't so random. And it looks like the body swap didn't affect their worldviews much. By episode 9, it's back to how they were, pre-body-swap So the body swap was random in this sense too.

Anyways, so many great moments in this episode! THE HUG! And I'm glad that Ra-Im seems to have the upper hand this time, with letting Joo-won stay in jail and changing the passcode. AND THE OSKA SOCKS! OMG! YES!

And the mermaid scene. I can't say that Joo-won didn't deserve it. The way he took his mother's money for Ra-Im. His explanation makes sense rationally but all I could think of is "holy crap. you're sticking your foot so far into your mouth, it's coming out of your ass. Ra-Im is going to be pissed!" Maybe because I'm getting older....looking at this, how can Ra-Im share a future with someone who thinks that way about money and principles? How will they raise their kids? Where is the common ground? Hopefully this scene will wake Joo-won up from forcing Ra-Im into this relationship where he thinks he gets to call all the shots. She doesn't want to be in a relationship with you!

I'm really curious to know more abt the mermaid story. From episode 8, Oska said something abt it being one of Joo-won's favorite stories. I wonder why.

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WOW! JB you're fast!!! How on earth do you do it?! Are you like super k-drama recapper woman or what?!!! :-) (do you wear a cape? ;-) )
You and gf are doing a terrific job recapping this series! I'm enjoying them immensely!!!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

I have to say I am a Oska/Seul shipper! I so want them to get together and do it like now! This whole I hurt you because I love stuff is getting a little tiring now. Just man and woman up and get on with it!

Now if they are going to go the whole Oska is "gay/bi" thing I don't want it.
I could ship Oska/Taesun if he didn't love Seul and we all know he still loves her and vice versa.
Because Oska has some sizzling chemistry with Taesun too. It may not be sexual but it's something!

Love, love, loving the chemistry between Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin, CRACKLING, SIZZLING, COMBUSTING chemistry. I cannot wait for the "real kiss" to happen! Oh and that hug just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, absolutely turned me to mush.

Jong Soo and Hee Won I like it!!!

Oh the track suit!!! LOL!! too funny!

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I loved this episode :DDD
Okay, plot-wise not much happens...you're right on that.
And joo won's still kinda obsessed with Ra Im even THOUGH she treats him like dirt. (I mean, he's not always being the nicest person either, but at least he doesn't do this really hurtful stuff.)

And even though many people are starting to ask themselves:"When will they start getting closer already? We know Joo Won's obsessed with her and just can't leave her alone, so when will Ra Im FINALLY start to open up to him a little?" - in my opinion, she already did. Unconsciously.
We all know by now that Ra Im has her pride. And as contradicting as this may sound, but to give in to this "Rich-and-spoiled-guy-without-any-concer-for-other-people-whatsoever" will definitely damage this pride severely. Especially cause she was trying to get rid of him so hard in the beginning.
So, in my opinion, she just does self- protection by refusing to realize how much exactly he means to her. I mean, if someone sticks to your butt 24/7 no matter what you do, and then you end up being FORCED to communicate with each other cause you're in each other's bodies, and even though he's going on your nerves like HELL - if that kind of person was gone suddenly, from one second to the other, you'd definitely feel like something's missing.
To sum it up: I'm pretty much sure Ra Im DOES have feelings for him already, just that she doesn't know herself cause she surpresses the realization-process subconsciously. To protect her pride.
I mean, she didn't hug Joo Won back. Right. But did she push him away? Nope. Her expression was more like a startled and confused one, as if there were feelings welling up that she doesn't get - and I mean Joo Won like ALWAYS pulls off these stupid stuff before departing ("Get the umbrella, go go my lil Ra Im-doggie! :DD") that really piss her off, so she never even has the chance to give a thought to where that feeling came from.
PLUS, the elevator scene. Either it was me, or Ra Im didn't seem all too happy about what she did there. To me it looked more like she was on the edge of crying. XD

Now, what Ra Im really needs is some time without Joo Won. Some time to realize she's missing him and some time to think stuff over. Just that Joo Won NEVER leaves her alone. He even showed up like that at the end of this episode after what she did to him back in the depratment store. Like I said, sticking to her butt 24/7. She's just taking him for granted. IMO.
But in the end she somehow will have the time to reflect on things and realize her feelings for him and that he's always been by her side. He might be pissing her off rigth now, but a person is never concerned about someone if they don't really care.
Omo, I did start on analyzing the mental state of Drama Charas again. I always do this without even noticing. .___.

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I think it's good that Ra-Im is protecting herself. It's all abt self-respect. At the moment what Joo-won is offering her is "Let's just have a fling until *I* get tired of you. You're not good enough marriage material for *me* and *my* status". That's like the worst way to woo a woman. Granted, not many people enter a relationship with a clear plan to marry the person they're dating, but Joo-won has already planned to end the relationship before it has even started (and has already planned to be the one to end it).

As the audience, we know he will fall in love with her (and that he is already half in love with her) - so much that he won't be able to live without her- and we know he will want her to stand next to him as his wife. But for now, Ra-Im is just mistress, rather than wife, material for him. And Ra-Im has pretty strong principles. Will she happily enter a relationship that is half-sham? She is not the type of girl who will play around and won't mind getting played. (The only way I can see her accepting something like this is if she finds out that she only has a few months to live). I think the moment Joo-won tells Ra-Im he is open to a serious relationship, Ra-Im will accept her feelings and his.

I think the both of them need a break from each other. Joo-won to really think abt Ra-Im's situation and to really think whether he will be okay with Ra-Im disappearing like the Little Mermaid. And Ra-Im needs to be around some more normal guys and go on some blind dates. At the moment, she may only be liking Joo-won because he is the first to openly see her as a woman.

(I can't wait till Joo-won's sister get with Jong-soo. omg, the look on Joo-won's mom's face when both her kids marry beneath themselves!)

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I was not saying that it isn't good that she is protecting herself...
Cause really, even if Joo Won is in love with her halfway - he needs to get rid of his "I'm-better-than-you-cause-I'm-rich"-attitude first. (He's kinda stuck on that little mermaidthing too XD)
So yes, we'll have to wait and see where this will go, even though I bet the show will make a cut somewhere and go UBERLY dramatic. (And that'd feel unrealistic. D: But it's really what I fear.)
But seeing that this Drama is set to have 20 episodes, we're only about halfway there now, so if they take up speed again when it comes to plot-development, this might stay interesting :)

BTW...I've always wanted to say this but always forgot....How is it that supposedly POOR characters in like nearly EVERY drama do have effin SMARTPHONES? XDD I mean, they really set it up well: Small flat, broken stuff, old, damaged clothes...BUT a smartphone. XDD I mean those things are really expensive O_O *knows since she just bought herself one*
And if you think about it, it's really not just ONE Drama...it's Secret Garden, with Gil Ra Im living in a totally broken down flat (I mean...taped door-window? XDD), but OWNING A SMARTPHONE. It's those 3 brothers in "It's Okay, Daddy's Girl" - supposedly VERY poor BUT ALL OWNING SMARTPHONES. XDD Or Gaie In from "Personal taste"...she lost all her money and has a huge debt but OWNS A SMARTPHONE. XDDD
I mean....XDD dear Drama-Prodcuers, if - by any chance-you don't want to spend your budget on byung fitting mobiles for your "poor" charcters, get some old ones from the staff or something...cause seeing that all your "poor" characters use smartphones, I kinda get the idea the actors just use their own phones for the Drama, since it's the easiest way. XD
Either that, or you are not paying enough attention to the details >_>
Sorry, that was kinda off-topic, but I had to say that. XDD

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TOTALLY agree with you on the smartphone thing! I always thought that too: "If they're so poor, how can they afford such an EXPENSIVE phone??" (I can't even afford one and I'm not even poor =[)
Even the best dramas have that inconsistency. Poor girl, RICH ASS phone! Maybe your money problems wouldn't be so bad if you downgraded your phone!!!
Although I might just be bitter about not having a cool smartphone with something like moving lights on the front cover....

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XDDD the smartphone thing kills me too! Are phones just really cheap there and so are phone plans (it's really the plans that costs an arm and a leg)? I'm less poor than Ra-Im, but I have a really cheap phone and plan.

I remember this one drama where the girl is poor and is trying so hard to scrimp up money that every penny counted, yet she had an IPHONE. Sell the iphone, girl, and get 25,000 pennies. yes, it's that simple.

I wonder if it has anything to do with advertising...

maybe it's something we have to accept as part of tvland. Like how in US sitcoms, everyone is pulling a Joo-won and don't go to work most of the time.

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i think its coz the companies that make the phones provide phones for the characters to use in the drama in return for advertising. win-win situation i guess. plus the characters could be on a plan where they pay it off month by month i guess.

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LOL phew and I thought I was the only one.
But right, it might be cause of the sponsoring by the phone companies - but still, a Drama has like 35 characters average(due to all the family dramas XD) of which like at least 15 show off their mobile at least once during the show. XDD And how many characters are poor? 4? Common. PLUS you could always use an old mobile from that company! XD
(And I don't even see the brands of the phones most of the time...only the screen, and to be honest, menus always look kidna similar to me XD)
oh and @ thetracksuitthatrefusestodie :
LOL, I didn't have one till just recently, and I'm not poor either. They are just really expensive, I really had to save up money to buy mine. (And its price was low in comparison to other smartphones- "only" about 180$)
Well, maybe that's why it was a music palyer, WLAN, awesome quality cam, bluetooth, video playing ability(like srsly getting vids from your comp and they actually play in awesome quality) and many games and all that stuff but NO moving lights on the front cover. DDD:
*goes into corner and cries cause she bought such a cheap smartphone* ;__;
lol kidding XD

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Vive le tracksuit!!!

Thanks for the recap!

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Thanks for the recap, great work especially since you thought the episode was a 'rinse and repeat.'

I enjoyed the "Behind the Switch" It caught us up on how the switch reverberated through the characters' relationships. And it laid to rest some concerns.

1-Many people (including me) were concern about how the switch seemed to release the (uncharacteristic) horn-dog in Joowon. Now we know he went out of the way to protect (?) Ah Young from him. Actually he did everything RaIm wanted. He stopped Ah Young from walking around in her underwear, from sharing a bath or bed. [Which is very good, especially since Ah Young's sleep pattern would try a saint]. Of course that cause a rift in RaIm//Ah Young relationship.

2-He fought his mother on RaIm's behalf the best way he knew how. Instead having his wolf-mother think RaIm was a lamb, he made her think RaIm was a bobcat or some other fierce predator. The characterization hurt RaIm's pride, but Joowon knows that his Mom eats the pride of lambs for breakfast.

I'm was glad that RaIm stabs Joowon in the heart with the Little Mermaid retort. [Actors did impressive work on that scene]

I'm not against adults getting involved in relationship when BOTH adults agree will not lead to a permanent thing--but both adults have to know the score. The temporary 'good enough for now' relationship is not what RaIm wants. And it's only what Joowon THINKS he wants. And as much as he cares for her, those moments are mostly expressed when he is alone thinking of her. They are not expressed to her. What he offers her, is something only a masochist would accept, or someone so desperately in love they would accept crumbs.

I don't think RaIm is in love with him as yet. She is attracted (what straight woman wouldn't be on some level) and feels for him. But what he is offering now, if she were to love him, is a world full of pain. And no one with sense would accept his proposition assuming they will change him down the line. You can't change people, they grow or they don't.

On a "can't wait to see what develops note" I really like the idea of Jong Soo and Hee-won.

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"All hunky guys do their brooding in the shower, don’tcha know?"

Now I know...LOL.

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Joo-won's secretary is so damn funny!

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"Blame it on the rain..." -- I love it!

I'm always so happy to see your '80s/'90s pop culture references (loved "Duckie")... makes me feel like I'm maybe not quite so old. (Or, not so much older than everyone else on this site, anyway.)

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I do wonder if the body swapping has become old news, and not re-invent itself in further episodes.

And, I do wonder if these sparkly tracksuits will become a global trend setter soon enough. Keke~ This will be fun to find out.

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this is a 20 episode series right? and we're on episode 10 today... like you said, i feel like we're still basically where we were in the beginning of the series. still i'm enjoying the laughs. i feel like i'm venturing into this drama blindfolded. i can't really predict how the series will end or how it will progress from this point. will they swap bodies again, or was that really it?

on a shallow note, i love the dynamic between oska and his (smarter, more talented) mini-me lol

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By the way, tracksuit is survêtement in french.

P.S. : Big fan of your blog

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(I'm French too (like the French Snob lol), so I want to know, what do you mean by "The tracksuit est mort ?" ^^' Or maybe its in the drama, I haven't seen the episode yet...)

Thanks for the recap =)

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It refers to a ancient slogan people used to say when a king died : "Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi !" ( The King is dead, Hail to the king !) which means : ooh the king just died...hell with it, let's go to the next one...

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Exactly! So, "The purple sparkle tracksuit is dead, Long live the magenta-and-black-lace-patterned tracksuit!" ;)

As a guy, I can't say that the purple sparkly really works...on a guy(although I'm sure that there are exceptions). But it definitely works on a girl, and Ha Ji-won looked smokin' with it!

And, honestly, I liked the purple sparkly a LOT more than this new magenta-and-black-lace-patterned one. No matter who it'd be on. Just sayin'....

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Okay, thanks ! ^^

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LOL at the magenta-and-black-lace-patterned tracksuit. I just wanna grab that one!

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Another great recap, JB, thanks!! And thanks also to girlfriday for her great SG recaps!!

I actually really loved this episode, even if there wasn't as much forward movement as some might have wanted. I think that with Secret Garden, the progress of the love development between Joo-won and Ra-im has to be in baby steps...at least for now. Remember, this is supposed to be a 20 episode drama, and we're just up through ep 9 now. There's plenty of time and eps left to go.

With that said, I think the forward movement was definitely there, with baby steps in increased awareness. A lot of comments were made about the hug, but not many(if any yet) about how wonderfully tender the hug was, or how tender and genuinely loving Joo-won's expression was while he was embracing Ra-im. She didn't hug him back; she's not quite at that point, yet. But her look of surprise, initially, and then of gentle acceptance...said a lot to me.

Then, there was the elevator scene after Ra-im mentioned how the Little Mermaid reference didn't apply to her because, unlike their situation, the little mermaid actually loved her man. How Joo-won reacted to that was indeed a special moment in the episode. His hurt was palpable and touching. Then, as much as he desperately wanted to, he just could not enter the elevator to get to Ra-im.
For me, it not only showed how strong his claustrophobia is; it also showed that he still isn't quite ready to take that big step. To surmount all of his fears and uncertainty...not just the physical anxiety due to the claustrophobia, but also the fear of what he stands to lose for the love of a girl who's worlds apart from him in social class.

Joo-won is still wearing his armored jacket of assholery...but it's beginning to show chinks in it. And the same with Ra-im's armored sense of pride and resolve.

Baby steps.

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Yes, perfectly put, baby steps.

"if we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."

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that was brilliantly put, sukispop! I just wanted to add that the hug took up where they left-off when he requested a hug with RaIm at Jeju right before he brought up his "Little Mermaid" analogy. This hug was JW's way of assessing where he would go from here, I think. But the ensuing tenderness and warmth that he showed during the hug told me that he already knew where he was going - onward.
Contrary to most of the comments, I thought there was great forward movement in relationships - Oska and Seul finally "ended" their relationship when oska asked her never to see each other again; Joo Won and Ra Im are now proceeding with more understanding and deeper caring for each other.
I just love this series. The actors are truly killing it!

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The hug was epic, especially with the background music. I cried because of its sweetness.

Hyun Bin gives the best hugs; not only are they sweet, they make you feel like he's there to protect you. I'm looking back at some of his MNIKSS hugs and his SG hug here is similar.

A kiss is romantic but a hug gives you warmth.

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OMGGG love the tracksuit.
joo won is such a wacky character!! so fun to watch :DDD

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OMGGG the tracksuit!!!! LOLLLLLL
joo won is such a wacky character!! so fun to watch :DDD

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This ep. was so adorable. Hope it keeps getting better. Thanks for another awesome recap. Hwaiting ^.^

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VIVE LE TRACKSUIT!!!!! LMAO

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"All hunky guys do their brooding in the shower, don’tcha know?"
It's so you can't see them crying...

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i dont know what people have against the tracksuit. I LOVE HIS TRACKSUIT. It's trendy and chic!

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I love this drama! Also,about ji-won's craziness,i think he might have had an older brother and maybe that pyschiatrist doc was his girlfriend (whom mom might have tried to buy off too) and somehow,he died along with ra-im's dad in the fire or something and ji-won survived...hence all his fears...don't know but maybe something on those lines I guess...

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