My Name Is Kim Sam Soon: Episode 4

by samsooki

‘Over The Rainbow,’ made famous by the 1939 film Wizard of Oz, is a song about a child whose sweet dream is to find some faraway magical place where there is no more pain, somewhere over the rainbow. What the singer probably doesn’t know, however, is that even if one makes it over the rainbow, at some point, grown-ups have to return. They have to go back and face the reasons why they left in the first place. And Yoo Hee Jin, the girl whose very name brings dark storm clouds to Jin Heon’s face, has returned.

SONG OF THE DAY

Byul – “단꿈” (Sweet dream) [ Download ]

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Episode 4 – Over The Rainbow.

Hee Jin walks through the restaurant like she’s in a dream and Sam Soon finds herself caught in that dream. Hee Jin doesn’t seem to hear when Sam Soon tells her that the restaurant is closed. Hee Jin is looking for Jin Heon, but he’s away for another day. Though asked by Sam Soon, Hee Jin doesn’t even reveal herself except to say that she shares the same name as Sam Soon (whose name tag says Hee Jin). Sam Soon, whose curiousity probably spurs her generosity, shares cake and coffee with this stranger.

Sam Soon finds herself being the target of a wait-staff beatdown for stealing the wait-staff’s shot at Jin Heonnie. And it’s betrayal!! Et tu, In Hye?! Sam Soon’s own protege In Hye is the leader of this coup de cuistôt. Still, you have to agree right? Sam Soon should have waited in line, but she didn’t. She cut right to the front without asking the other girls who were there first if it would be okay. Sam Soon is beat up… until she wakes up again. Hehe, guilty conscience much?

Sam Soon wakes up to find the stranger has left, and in an epiphany realizes that this stranger is likely to be Jin Heon’s reason for being upset whenever the name Hee Jin is brought up.

Jin Heon appears the next day, thoughtfully bringing Jeju pastries back for Sam Soon. Sam Soon relates that a girl named Hee Jin had dropped by and Jin Heon turns from thoughtful to nasty in a heartbeat. Jin Heon’s indignity raises Sam Soon’s ire, which makes a bad situation worse. Jin Heon’s anger finally snaps and he punches the wall next to Sam Soon’s head before storming off. I think it is safe to assume that Sam Soon had no idea the depths of Jin Heon’s anger over this Hee Jin person.

A few days later at lunch, Jin Heon appears with a gigantic bouquet of roses and recites a really cheesy poem of love:

Jin Heon (deadpans): In this vast universe, you and I met on this tiny speck of a planet. Counting the days since we came to be, today is our hundredth day. Thank you for coming to me.

Sam Soon is dying of embarrassment and annoyance, even as a tiny part of her is touched.

I gotta say though, it’s a pretty slick move by Jin Heon. He is able to (1) annoy the crap out of Sam Soon, in keeping with his personality, (2) keep up the charade to fool his mom’s spies, in keeping with his master plan, and (3) apologize sub-rosa to Sam Soon for nearly striking her, in keeping with his concealed respect for her.

Back at CIA headquarters, Chairwoman Na gets the intelligence briefing on the poem and flowers. Not only is Chairwoman Na not really fooled, but she knows that Jin Heon knows that Chairwoman Na is not fooled. Summarized aptly by Assistant Yoon, “So in the end, you guys are all playing this game together.”

Well, not everyone is playing the game. Sam Soon has no idea of the level of gamesmanship that is going on, and of course, Hee Jin has yet to find out.

On civil terms again, Jin Heon and Sam Soon head out for research at a pastry shop, and by coincidence, Chae Ri and Hyun Woo show up as well. Hyun Woo again pretends that he doesn’t know Sam Soon.

Suddenly very self-conscious, Sam Soon excuses herself to go to the bathroom. An oblivious Chae Ri quizzes Jin Heon about the rumors that he’s dating finally after so long.

Finally, Jin Heon finally realizes why Hyun Woo looks familiar – Hyun Woo was the blackheart from Christmas Eve who tore Sam Soon’s heart to shreds! Bastard! His eyes blazing, Jin Heon does something that maybe he wasn’t going to do. Jin Heon admits to the truth in the rumors, and while staring at Hyun Woo, Jin Heon starts proudly describing his new girlfriend. Hyun Woo is shocked to find that Jin Heon is describing Sam Soon.

Sure enough, when Sam Soon re-appears, Jin Heon introduces her as his new girlfriend. Chae Ri’s head nearly explodes and she drags Sam Soon out of the shop to get more details. How did you do it! Bitch! Chae Ri simply cannot believe it, and Sam Soon is a riot in spoofing Chae Ri’s mannerisms.

You could say this moment makes up for a lot of poor memories. And many years from now, on a cold winter’s night when howling winds steal the very breath from lungs and biting flecks of snow sting the last bit of feeling from near-frozen flesh, Sam Soon will not care a whit, since she will have this delicious memory to keep her warm.

On the way back, Jin Heon apologizes to Sam Soon for not recognizing Hyun Woo sooner, for it would have saved Sam Soon a lot of grief. Jin Heon wondering about what Sam Soon could see in Hyun Woo, that Sam Soon would date him for three years. Sam Soon asks the more crucial question though, which is, why is Jin Heon so curious?

And on a crowded subway platform filled with scores of people passing around them, Jin Heon can see and hear only Sam Soon, and vice versa. Their voices are clear to each other despite all the busy noises around them.

Jin Heon: Rather than Hyun Woo, the person I can’t understand is you.

Sam Soon: And why is that?

Jin Heon: Even though you KNOW how ridiculous and superficial love can be, too easily do you try to fall in love again.

Sam Soon: When have I ever done anything easily? I have never once fell into love easily. I agonize over it before I start, and when it ends, I agonize again. Whether it was hormones or chemicals, my heart remained sincere to my love. I remained true.

The look on Jin Heon’s face is so open and wide. It is the face of a person who cannot believe that he is starting to see in Sam Soon what he has always sought in another person.

See, this is why “I Promise Not To Fall In Love” contracts don’t work! The potentially romantic moment is broken as quickly as it began, however, when Jin Heon suddenly feels stabbing pain in his leg. He has been on his feet for too long. Sam Soon feels a bit repsonsible and takes Jin Heon to a video-bang (like a noh-reh-bang (karaoke room) but you just watch movies rather than sing songs) where he can rest his leg before they head back to Bon Appetit.

Jin Heon reveals that his leg hurts because of artificial implants that came as a result of a terrible car accident. Ahh, and Hee Jin was the girl who dumped him after the accident, which is why he won’t date other women… or maybe he likes men? Or maybe… Sam Soon peers at Jin Heon’s mid-section. Jin Heon follows Sam Soon’s line of sight and is immediately defensive. He curtly responds that he is quite sufficient in that category. Sam Soon snarks one too many times though, and Jin Heon grabs Sam Soon to teach her a lesson. He leans in for a manly kiss. Sam Soon doesn’t fight back but holds her breath and closes her eyes… But then, nothing?

Hehe! Out comes the razor sharp Slightly-Bored-British-Tinged-Korean accent from Jin Heon again, and it is game-over for Sam Soon. And… the final score is Samsoonites 3, Jinheonnies 24. Please check that you have all your belongings before finding the proper gate, and have a safe ride home!

That night Sam Soon is appalled to find that she’s so affected by Jin Heon, as her heart is still beating fast. As is her habit whenever she feels the pangs in her heart, Sam Soon gets up at dawn to bake. Sam Soon starts down the road to figuring out why she feels certain pangs in heart, but Jin Heon appears wearing a slick European style tracksuit that is the apparent prototype for the flashier tracksuits he will wear 6 years later, and Sam Soon’s questions of the heart are buried for now.

Dinner time comes and Sam Soon is making yet another Marquis Au Chocolat for the same cheating cheater who cheats, who is with his girlfriend this time. Sam Soon is disgusted with this cheater’s methods but keeps it to herself this time around. But there’s trouble brewing. The cheater’s wife appears with a tank filled with kerosene. From the girlfriend’s lack of shock, it is obvious that the girlfriend has been a knowing party to this tryst. As a commotion erupts as the wife sprays kerosene everywhere.

Luckily, Jin Heon appears before the husband can strike the wife. And just like he promised to Sam Soon, Jin Heon throws the husband to the ground. The wife is a wailing mess and they help her off the floor as both the floozy girlfriend and the husband flee the scene.

The woman is inconsolate but Sam Soon appears with free chocolate, free wine and free advice. Plus, tonight is the first night where guests with broken hearts get chocolate and wine to make them feel better. And President Jin Heon will take piano requests. The jilted wife requests, “Over The Rainbow.” Hee.

After a long pause, Jin Heon starts playing. Sam Soon watches intently, as she had also requested this song from Jin Heon. Maybe Sam Soon wants to believe that Jin Heon is playing for her?

But that’s not true, is it. And as if the Drama Gods needed to spell it out any further, Hee Jin appears at the restaurant and immediately recognizes the song. It’s THEIR song, after all. From across the restaurant, Jin Heon and Hee Jin give each other thousand-mile stares, and Sam Soon is right there, caught in the middle.

Sam Soon’s face alights with recognition and then as her chest heaves twice… sadness? Something. She looks one way at Jin Heon and then again towards Hee Jin.

God, it sucks being in the middle.

Jin Heon and Hee Jin have their face to face. Hee Jin admits that Jin Heon has a right to be mad at her for three years, and urges Jin Heon to just let out his anger. But Jin Heon is not about to let it all go. He relates that while Hee Jin used “studies” as an excuse to leave Korea after the car accident, Jin Heon had to endure five leg surgeries and the torture of rehab just to walk again, and still built this restaurant from scratch. Angry at Hee Jin for the last three years? Sorry, but he just didn’t have the time.

Hee Jin’s sole reply is that she thought that since she said for him to wait for her, that he would have enough faith in her, and so that would be enough. I don’t know, Heej, I gotta say, that’s kinda weak-sauce.

After a late night of prepping pastry dough for the next day, Sam Soon is shutting down the restaurant when she sees that Jin Heon hasn’t left yet and is drinking by himself at the bar. Sam Soon sits by Jin Heon and shares a drink with him.

Sam Soon pulls Jin Heon a little bit out of his darkness by asking about his niece Mi Joo, and that puts a smile on Jin Heon’s face. Then Sam Soon asks about Hee Jin, but while Jin Heon doesn’t respond, he doesn’t get mad either. Sam Soon asks about Hee Jin’s last name, which for a person who is only pretend-dating Jin Heon, is a bit presumptuous. But Jin Heon, probably for the first time in nearly three years, obliges and calls out the full name of his former love:

Jin Heon: Yoo Hee Jin.

A wasted Jin Heon then passes out on top of Sam Soon!

Comments:

The boundaries of a nascent love triangle are now traced. But this thing is not yet fully drawn. Sam Soon might have started to have feelings for Jin Heon, but I’m not sure if she can really identify what those feelings are. And what about Jin Heon? A few episodes ago, a drunk Sam Soon tells Jin Heon that the kind of man she would like to have is the kind that would not hide her away but tell his friends, peers and family all about her. And isn’t it interesting, but Jin Heon has already done all of that:

1. he’s brought her to his family,
2. he’s announced their relationship at work,
3. he’s brought her flowers in front of all her co-workers, and
4. he even proudly introduced her before his peers, Chae Ri and Hyun Woo.

While the first two weren’t real or even for Sam Soon’s benefit, a reasonable argument can be made that #3 was Jin Heon’s way of apologizing to Sam Soon without anyone else knowing, and #4 was certainly both real and in Sam Soon’s defense. But what does this mean?

Koreans have this idiomatic expression that doesn’t quite have an equivalent phrase in English – to see an individual as a man/woman. As dramabeans fans know, seeing a person as a man or a woman is the litmus test as to whether said person can ever be date-able. I don’t know if Jin Heon likes Sam Soon yet, but I think it is clear that he does see her as a woman.

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