Scent of a Woman: Episode 14
by javabeans
I think this episode may have dehydrated me, with all the tears I shed. But in contrast to the last several episodes, I loved all the tearful moments in this episode, which were peppered with warmth and tons of heart. It’s probably my favorite Scent episode in quite a while, maybe overall.
The reason I found the last few episodes duller than usual and trying to my patience was because they felt empty and manipulative — lots of strings being pulled but no emotion behind them. This episode, on the other hand, brings us back to what the drama had done so well: drawing out moments of connection between people, playing up a small detail that turns out to carry tremendous emotional impact, and doing it in a way that moves you.
SONG OF THE DAY
Yellow Monsters – “끝인사” (Goodbye) [ Download ]
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EPISODE 14 RECAP
Chairman Kang tells Yeon-jae he knows “everything,” so when Mom pops out and wonders who the visitor is, Yeon-jae hurriedly asks him to speak outside, before he gives away her condition.
He turns his scorn on her in full force — she’s shameless and selfish, and did she ever think about the people she’d be leaving behind? How could she leave Ji-wook to certain heartbreak? She’s tearful and apologetic, but doesn’t waver in her conviction as she tells him that she and Ji-wook can’t, and won’t, break up.
Yeon-jae sinks down to her knees right there on the sidewalk, but Dad is unmoved, telling her that Ji-wook quit the office to spend more time her. Yeon-jae says she’ll convince him to go back to work, and do what she can to make sure he can be happy after she dies. Dad tells her to return Ji-wook to the way things were, “or I won’t forgive you.” Oh, boo hoo. I’d say his forgiveness is a goal she can leave off her bucket list.
When she comes back home, Mom pounces, wanting the story. Yeon-jae lies that he’s just the company chairman asking about work, but Mom can be pretty sharp when she wants to be, and guesses that he’s Ji-wook’s father and opposes the match.
Mom tells Yeon-jae to not let his opposition cow her into giving up her man, and says that the children always win over their parents in this situation — it’s how she married Yeon-jae’s father despite fierce opposition. Ha, she really is opposite mom. She has a minor gripe of Ji-wook, though, saying he should’ve made sure to nip this in the bud before Dad came seeking out the girlfriend.
Sae-kyung drinks alone at a bar, thinking of Yeon-jae and her cancer, and shows up at Ji-wook’s door. He tells her sternly not to come by anymore, and she slaps him. (Again?! Now it just seems perverse that she got in such a snit over being slapped when it seems to be her response to everything.)
Sae-kyung accuses him of making a laughingstock of her, of letting her think she could work it out with him while he was off in his grand love with someone else. She scoffs that she can just wait, since it won’t be long till that woman dies. Yeeeeesh. Ji-wook orders her out, saying he’s disappointed in Sae-kyung.
Crying, Sae-kyung says, “I hate her.” She says it in the way that children say they hate mommy when they can’t have what they want — a helpless sort of frustration. Ji-wook sighs, more pitying than upset now.
Ji-wook takes Yeon-jae to see a house, announcing that he intends to move into it — with her. Seeing her nonplussed reaction, he asks if she doesn’t like it, and she replies that she doesn’t. (He says, “Uh-oh” in a way that makes me suspect he may have already bought it…)
She takes him somewhere else, and Ji-wook finds himself completely out of his element as Yeon-jae volunteers at a day care. He struggles to change a diaper, talking to himself to psych himself into doing it, and awkwardly comforts a crying baby.
Yeon-jae watches him with amusement at first, but seeing him ease into the role of caretaker gets her emotional. When the manager lady compliments them and says they look like a family, he sends her a big grin.
Mom nervously gets ready for her date and greets Teacher Kim shyly. Her cantankerous landlord yells at her as she’s leaving, griping about old folks going on ridiculous dates, and Teacher Kim steps in with a smile to smooth things over.
After day care duty is over, Ji-wook asks if she really disliked that house. She tells him that his father told her he quit his job, and although she assures him that Dad didn’t say anything terribly bad (“What do I have to be scared of?”) she urges him to go back to work.
He says time is precious. She agrees, but adds that there’s another person in her life: Mom. She wants to spend a little more time with her under normal circumstances, before having to live like a cancer patient. She asks him to spend his time “as normal” as well, because she’s happy right now.
Eun-seok is still raising Malbok, but with his transfer to M.D. Anderson looming, he asks his friend to take in the dog. When the friend figures it’ll be easy enough to keep the dog in the yard, Eun-seok hesitates, saying the dog’s used to being indoors, and it might get cold in the winter. Ha, he’s gotten attached despite himself.
Eun-seok runs into Hee-joo in the hallway, who introduces him to her mother, who promptly embarrasses her by commenting that he’s just as handsome as Hee-joo said. Ha. She cringes in mortification and ushers Mom away, but Eun-seok smiles.
Yeon-jae tells Mom that she’ll be bringing Ji-wook over tonight to meet her, which causes Mom to flip out at the lack of preparation time. Off to the supermarket it is.
Mom’s reception is surprisingly cool, though, which causes the couple to shoot puzzled looks at each other. The reason becomes clear when she asks Ji-wook whether he’ll be able to win over his father (implying their marriage), and he replies that he’ll work things out. He eats uneasily, as though expecting attack at any moment.
Yeon-jae finds Mom crying after Ji-wook leaves, but Mom explains that it’s because she’s happy that her daughter found such a great man. Yeon-jae asks why she treated him so coolly, and Mom says that if she acted too eager, “He might not realize how valuable you are.” Awwww, now that gets me right in that heartspace. For all the cliches this drama has piled on about meddling rich chaebols, it sure has a fascinating, unpredictable Mom.
Ji-wook goes home unsure of his standing with Mom, and asks a friend for advice on impressing her. So the next day, he shows up to the store where Mom works, saying he’s here to buy some clothes. Mom assists him with a smile, and he agrees to buy her recommendation — and asks for sizes to fit her and Yeon-jae.
Yeon-jae’s happy that her mother has met someone, and tells a photo of her father that after he died, she was there for Mom, but after she dies, she wants Mom to have someone else to be with her.
Mom shows Yeon-jae the jackets that “Ji-wook-ie” bought for them, thrilled at his lovely manners. Yeon-jae tells her mother that she has to go somewhere for a few days, lying that it’s for a work-related matter. Mom picks up on her awkwardness, but jumps to the other conclusion — that Yeon-jae is slipping away with Ji-wook, as she must have done all those other times she said she was away for work.
Ji-wook goes along with this story, picking Yeon-jae up on the day of her treatment, though he asks how much longer she’s going to keep this a secret. Yeon-jae tells him that Mom’s so happy, she’s loath to ruin that for her.
Chairman Im hears about “the ridiculous rumors” surrounding Ji-wook, and asks Sae-kyung about them. She wonders why after all this, she still can’t let go of Ji-wook. Isn’t that my line?
As Ji-wook drops Yeon-jae off at the hospital, she urges him to go back to the office. He tells her that she’s the most important person to him right now, above his job. She replies that she feels the same, but that he’s not the only person in her life — she has her mother, her friends, and things she wants to do. “I don’t want for me to be the only thing in your life. If you come to me after giving up your job and your father, I’ll be too uncomfortable with that.”
He leaves her with a hug, which goes witnessed by Eun-seok and Hee-joo, the latter of whom is shocked to realize that Yeon-jae has a boyfriend — and that Eun-seok likes her anyway.
So when Yeon-jae chats with her mother and offers them pastries as a gift, Hee-joo is uncharacteristically quiet and rejects the offering, leaving the room in a huff.
Yeon-jae finds her outside and prods her jokingly, asking, “Why has your love cooled?” Ha, it’s cute, and annoying in the way that older siblings don’t take younger siblings’ feelings totally seriously. Hee-joo says she’s mad about Yeon-jae hurting Eun-seok’s feelings, revealing that he likes her.
Startled, Yeon-jae says that’s not true, but can’t shake those words when she consults with Eun-seok about her treatment. It makes her distant with him, to his puzzlement.
Sae-kyung goes to the hospital and sees Yeon-jae sitting outside, hooked up to her IV. Despite intending to speak with her, she tears up and turns back — at least she has a tiny shred of decency not to inflict herself upon a terminal cancer patient during chemo. I’m not willing to concede much more, but I’ll give her that much.
Hee-joo loves having her mother with her in the hospital, and the two are affectionate and cuddly with each other — a sight that gives Yeon-jae a pang.
Meanwhile, Ji-wook thinks over Yeon-jae’s words, and returns to the office, telling his father that it’s what she wants him to do. Dad’s unimpressed, tossing out the “If she told you to die” question, to which Ji-wook replies that he would die, if she wanted: “But she wouldn’t want it, because she wants me to be happy.” Ah, touché.
Dad tells him to prepare to leave for the States, but Ji-wook replies firmly that he won’t leave her, and that Dad had best give in quickly, as they don’t have much time left.
The cancer team looks at scans of a patient’s tumor, startled at the rapid change in condition. Eun-seok takes Hee-joo’s mother aside, and despite his gentle smile, it tips Hee-joo off right away that news is bad.
Eun-seok tells Mom the news regretfully, and Hee-joo finds him sitting outside in a glum mood. She confides that she’s the reason Yeon-jae has cooled toward him, explaining that Yeon-jae must be feeling uncomfortable now that Hee-joo has told her of Eun-seok’s feelings.
Hee-joo winces, expecting him to blow up at her, but instead he just smiles ruefully: “That’s good. I feel lighter.” It had weighed on his mind, and he’d felt it was time to come clean anyway.
Hee-joo says that makes her feel worse, and that it would be better if he got angry at her. He teases, “If I got angry, you’d fall for me even more.” She giggles, and it’s sweet.
He tells her to put her webtoon back online if she wants, since it was her dream to be a manhwa writer. She asks him for one favor: a tango.
He can’t refuse her that, so they take their places right then and there, and he leads her in the steps.
Halfway through, she slips her hand out of his grasp and turns into his chest, and he holds her as she cries and smiles. It’s amazing how the tango scenes are even more moving than love scenes in this drama, saying so much in such a short sequence.
Yeon-jae chats with Hee-joo’s mother, who asks why she’s alone during treatments. Yeon-jae explains that while she has a mother, she hasn’t managed to tell her about her condition yet.
Hee-joo’s mother entreats her to consider it from her mother’s perspective, saying that it’ll be painful to know that her daughter was enduring all this alone without telling her.
Upon her discharge, Hee-joo says her goodbyes to Yeon-jae and boasts, “I danced with Dr. Eun-seok!” Yeon-jae says with mock disappointment that he was supposed to like her, and Hee-joo reminds Yeon-jae that she’s got her boyfriend: “Dr. Eun-seok is mine!” With that, they make up for their earlier tiff, and while Yeon-jae talks about seeing her for the next round of treatments, there’s a little extra meaning in Hee-joo’s words today, a finality to her goodbye.
Eun-seok drops in on Yeon-jae and returns her old book to her with a smile, telling her that he should have returned it years ago. Then he delivers Malbok to his friend and gives him instructions on how to take care of him. But a call sends him running back to the hospital, where Hee-joo suffers from hemoperitoneum, an accumulation of blood between the internal organs that requires surgery.
Hee-joo opens her eyes and holds out her hand, which he clutches tightly. But her vitals fail before she can get into surgery, and she dies right there in the emergency room bed. There’s a horrible moment between her death and Eun-seok’s realization of it, because he’s so caught up trying to revive her that it’s Mom who indicates that it’s over.
Eun-seok staggers dumbly through the halls and cries, collapsing in a darkened corridor.
Yeon-jae hears the news from a nurse, and finds Hee-joo’s mother in the mortuary section of the hospital. She finds Eun-seok some time later, still sitting in the hallway, and reaches out a comforting hand.
He breaks down in sobs as he asks her, “Please live. I don’t hope for anything else. But Yeon-jae-ah, I beg you to live.” Oh god, can’t type, tears are clouding my vision.
The next day, she finds Eun-seok’s office empty. His friend happens by and tells her that Eun-seok didn’t come to work today, and that he’s been acting strange lately, with his talk of regretting choosing his specialty and now Hee-joo’s death. He also tells her that Eun-seok was selected to go to M.D. Anderson, but is worried that he may let that opportunity slip by again.
Yeon-jae is discharged, and runs into Hee-joo’s mother on her way out, who tells her that she was told of Hee-joo’s worsened condition before her collapse. That gave her some time to prepare herself, and while she hadn’t told Hee-joo, she’d known anyway. Mom asks Yeon-jae to tell Eun-seok that Hee-joo had put her webtoon back online.
When Yeon-jae sees Ji-wook waiting for her by his car to pick her up, she’s overcome with emotion and hugs him tight. She asks him to take her somewhere, and arrives at Eun-seok’s door. He’s sitting inside amidst packed belongings, and ignores her for a several long moments before finally opening the door.
Yeon-jae tells him that Hee-joo’s webtoon is back up, and that her mother had asked him to take a look.
He opens up his laptop and reads her latest entry, which brings him to tears:
“I have happy news to share with all of you who have shown your love for my webtoon. Ah~! Today, I danced the tango with Dr. Eun-seok. My heart felt so warm and cozy. All the things I called him — king bastard, mean devil — cancel, cancel! Dr. Eun-seok smiling looked totally cool! Soooo touching. Hoping that he’ll smile lots to other patients, Hee-joo’s hospital days are, as of today, over. Hee-joo has been really, really happy all this time, and will be happy from here onward too. So, everybody, including Dr. Eun-seok, be happy!”
Yeon-jae’s especially quiet on the drive back, and Ji-wook guesses that something happened at the hospital. She tells him, “I’ll have to tell my mother. Will you cheer me on?” He nods and takes her hand.
Yeon-jae comes home to a chipper Mom, who declares that even though she’s terribly curious about her daughter’s getaway with Ji-wook, she will refrain from prying, because she’s a Mom who respects privacy.
Yeon-jae asks her mother what she would most like to do with her, and thus they end up on the Han River ferry. Yeon-jae’s surprised at this mundane activity, but Mom reminds her how she’d once said she wanted to ride it because she’d never been on it before. So they’d planned to ride the ferry, only Mom had gotten a stomachache and they’d had to go home, and Yeon-jae had been irritated. Mom had felt guilty and told herself to come back someday, and now feels light-hearted to have fulfilled that intention.
Afterward, they sit on the banks of the river (ack! The river of doom makes its reappearance) and Yeon-jae asks, “You know I love you a lot, right?” Mom’s smile fades, picking up on the shift in mood, and Yeon-jae works up to her confession: “I…I…have cancer. I’m sorry, Mom.”
COMMENTS
Ah, and Scent of a Woman is back. What I love about this episode is that all the emotional ups and downs resonated with me and made an impact, whereas all the Daddy chaebol and fiancee chaebol nonsense put the characters into all this turmoil but left me feeling nothing. Aside from annoyance, that is.
What’s doubly great is that the emotional throughlines worked through each story thread in an organic way, in a way that felt natural and realistic with the characters. Hee-joo dying was a surprise on one level in that we didn’t see it coming, but not a surprise in that all of the events leading to it, and then following it, paid off in ways that were true to everybody. Eun-seok has been feeling more in touch with his patients, and his own emotions, and been letting more of his true sensitive nature come out over the course of the series…so when his adoring puppy-dog patient dies, it’s absolutely devastating.
Perhaps the old Eun-seok would have thrown a few things in private and then repressed his sadness, but this Eun-seok is heartbreakingly vulnerable, and it plays into his fears for Yeon-jae as well. It was painful to watch Yeon-jae beg her doctor to save her life in a previous episode, but watching her doctor beg her to live? That gutted me.
I also appreciate the way that the stories have dovetailed to create the moment of Yeon-jae’s confession to her mother. Despite feeling that she ought to have told Mom way before, I can see how she’d been too scared to ruin their brief happiness, and loved seeing how all these things have finally given her the push she needed to confide in her. Now that we’ve seen her screw up the courage to tell her the truth, I’m vastly relieved that Mom didn’t find out the truth accidentally, or through somebody else’s hand. This is one thing Yeon-jae really needed to come to terms with, because although Yeon-jae has had time to deal with her diagnosis, I don’t think that she was ready to fully accept it until she was ready to tell Mom, either.
RELATED POSTS
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 13
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 12
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 11
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 10
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 9
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 8
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 7
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 6
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 5
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 4
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 3
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 2
- Scent of a Woman: Episode 1
Tags: Eom Ki-joon, featured, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Dong-wook, Scent of a Woman, Seo Hyo-rim
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51 craziluver
September 4, 2011 at 9:56 PM
i was already crying reading the recaps what more if i watch the episode. but i don't think this can beat how much i cried in One Litre of Tears "Why did this illness choose me?" and "Mom, will I be able to get married?"-Aya. i cried literally from episode 3 until the end, it was heart breaking, its like your heart is cut by a knife that one cannot explain the pain you are feeling. Since watching OLT, i never watch sad dramas again, it just gets me to the gut that's why i am now only reading the recaps.
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52 WellDamn24
September 4, 2011 at 9:56 PM
It's weird to write but I finally believed that she was going to die when she told her mother that she had cancer. It's kinda like the more people who find out the more real it is.
I know its blasphemy for me to say this but I don't think that Kim Sun Ah's acting is the best on this show. Yes she cries on cue and looks completely sorrowful. But, I do feel that she went completely from lively to lifeless without more peaks of happiness, especially now that she's in love. I know that she's ill but when she's supposed to be happy (like with the children) she's not very animated. It's like she's either pre-crying or post-crying.
I do love this show though.
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yumii
September 4, 2011 at 10:09 PM
I don't think is blasphemy.
Some of what you mention, I see also, but I interpret differently.
I think she is playing physical exhaustion, and the exhaustion mutes her emotional reactions.
There was a scene, it might have been the one where she tells her mother that her boyfriend was coming by, I noticed that when she came out of her room she stood by the entry way as if she was leaning against the opening for support. It was very subtle, but for me effective.
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lvsanchez
September 8, 2011 at 7:38 AM
I agree. And I loved the Hee Joo character, but her acting was not as believable to me for someone whose condition had gone from bad to worse. Her cheerful attitude I could believe... but there was no trace of physical exhaustion. I mean she didn't have to be falling over but she had perfect posture and was still bouncing around in heels. I think KSA is doing a great job.
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jastinel
September 4, 2011 at 10:38 PM
KSA can convey different emotion, she studied her role very well and delivered it to her viewers with passion to her craft.
She`s an amazing actress!
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sangay
September 5, 2011 at 2:47 AM
when she was with the kids, she looked kind of wistful to me. looking at how well ji wook's starting to handle the kids, thinking of how she'll never have a kid with ji wook, never be able to be there when he's to finally marry and have a family.
i really didn't expect her to be happy then.
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Orleanas
September 5, 2011 at 8:56 AM
I actually think she's doing a fantastic job. I, too, was put off by how morose she's gotten and that her responses have been muted, but I feel like it's because her character is beginning to mourn all that she will not have, especially now that she has fallen in love. In a way, the cancer and her inevitable death is no longer imagine but real--tangible. This shift, I think, occurred when she was told that the cancer had spread.
Yeon-Jae has been a downer lately, even in moments that should have been joyous (the karaoke scene, time with Ji-Wook, time with mother), but I think this response is a visual representation of Yeon-Jae's physical deterioration.
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53 yumii
September 4, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Of a lighter note, there was something about way Kim Sun-ah played the "introduce the boyfriend to Mom" scene that reminded me of her performance as Kim Sam Soon.
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teaelle
September 5, 2011 at 8:55 PM
I totally agree!! To me, everything about it screamed KSS.
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54 Lynn
September 4, 2011 at 10:00 PM
I love this drama and I watch it even though it's painful to watch. I lost my dad when I was 2. I was so fortunate that when I married my husband that not only did I gain an awesome father-in-law but the father I never had. Sadly, I had to watch him die of stage 4 stomach cancer and I closed his eyes (my husband is an only child and he was so distraught and had already lost his mother at 55 3 years prior). He was only 63. I am in my early 30s. It was the most painful thing I have ever witnessed. So, watching this drama is tough on me but it so beautiful. He didn't have the time that Yeon Jae has. It was quick and deadly. I am sorry for being a bit sad in my post, but I can say that if this wasn't so well done, I would think they were trivializing life and this situation. ....
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Tru2u
September 4, 2011 at 10:10 PM
i can understand why your sad. today was my friend father funeral he also died of cancer, that's why i was so sadden when Hee-joo died.
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55 missy_k
September 4, 2011 at 10:04 PM
Thanks for the recap! I haven't watched the episode yet (it's still d/l-ing, thanks to my super slow internet connection), but I can't wait for it! And I'm on team miracle! Come on writer, if CJW can live at the end of Beautiful Days, why can't YonJae???
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56 Fabmari
September 4, 2011 at 10:04 PM
"Afterward, they sit on the banks of the river (ack! The river of doom makes its reappearance)"
That was exactly my response too!
Han River, Oh NOOO!
If I ever visit Korea, I will never ever go to Han river. Too much kdrama tears in it. T__T
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trixicopper
September 4, 2011 at 10:33 PM
The river of doom and despair always gets me. I'm not even Korean and I know to stay away! :)
It's kind of like watching a slasher movie and yelling at the screen "don't go down in the basement!" It. never. ends. well. :)
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malta
September 5, 2011 at 12:36 PM
"Don't go down in the basement!" ahahaha XD
but really, never go to the Han River.
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57 super26
September 4, 2011 at 10:15 PM
I havent watch any of the episodes yet.. i keep reading all of stories from ur recaps~ thankx Javabeans for the recap~ when i read dis.. i already teared.. dis story are the most that i shed my tears when i read~ and if were to watch dis drama~ i would probably bawled my tears awayyyy~~ oh gosh~ c",).. TT.TT
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58 jastinel
September 4, 2011 at 10:26 PM
Thanks GF and JB for the recap!
I re watched last night episode and it made me cry again.
I read a lot and from viewers point of view, like me, they wanted YJ to live, for me for at least 2 years more.
If miracle can happen in real life, why it is not possible in this drama. I believe prayers are very powerful. So drama GOD, please let YJ live!
I`m so sad, this drama will end next week!
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59 anais
September 4, 2011 at 10:29 PM
Eun Seok owned this episode. Normally I'd say the actor owned this episode, but it's an even greater testament to Uhm Ki Joon that it was not he but his Eun Seok that owned the episode.
I'm sure a number of us have lost loved ones to cancer, so this episode was a toughie for that reason. (Crying break...) All the things I didn't get to say. Saying again things I've already said but wishing I could still say them. Called my parents. Thankful they're well.
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60 teaelle
September 4, 2011 at 10:43 PM
I have a feeling this drama will end on an open note. With HJ's death, they can't pile on YJ's death too.
It's like we already know she's going to pass, so the drama could end with YJ and JW living together, but just for now... then we'll have to come up with our own ending type of ordeal.
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anotheraddict
September 5, 2011 at 7:14 AM
I've been expecting that we'd see YJ die ever since she wrote her Bucket List and included wanting to die in the arms of her beloved as her last wish to be fulfilled.
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oi
September 5, 2011 at 10:47 AM
I think it will be an open ending too, meaning that we won't see YJ die
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61 misachan
September 4, 2011 at 10:44 PM
what the heck?!?!
see, I've been kinda refraining from actually watching this drama because the tears that I know will ensue....
And then the middle episodes before this one where the chaebols act like typical douchey chaebols really put me off (I really hate that as a plot device, SERIOUSLY PLEASE JUST GIVE ME A GOOD CHAEBOL FAMILY PLEASEEE)
But this episode.... I'm only READING it and tears are readily falling. And I don't mean just one tear either.
I need to watch this episode....
damn you javabeans for your good recapping skillz.
(and I say damn you with affection)
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anais
September 4, 2011 at 10:56 PM
SERIOUSLY PLEASE JUST GIVE ME A GOOD CHAEBOL FAMILY PLEASEEE
Protect the Boss!
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☂ iZzie ☂
September 5, 2011 at 8:17 AM
awesome chaebols in PTB! agree! :)
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ladida
September 5, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Hahaha, they are so ridiculous and lovely and cute on that show, even the second lead female is awesome. But, you know, I think Ji Wook *is* a good chaebol, certainly not at all like the one from Secret Garden. He stands up to his father without disrespecting him, and respects the boundaries Yeon Jae gives for their relationship. He's pretty sweet, actually, what with the taking notes to help her fulfill her bucket list and cooking her food that's good for cancer patients, and all. But Joo Won, man, he was prickly-douchey till the very end!
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missy_k
September 5, 2011 at 6:11 PM
KJW is a douche, but a very lovable (and cute) douche :D HB played him so well that KJW ended up being so loved, not hated.
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62 mecheko
September 4, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Have not seen this episode yet but the recap has made me teary already. even though a happy ending would be nice...i just have this feeling that it should not be one. it would just kill the logic in it for her to have this miraculous healing from cancer. but it would be nice if she had lived more than what had been expected of her from the medical expectation.
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63 mecheko
September 4, 2011 at 11:06 PM
@Fabmari - i went to Han River...and guess what? it made me cry...as the rainbow fountain show was cancelled due to rain and it was my last night at Seoul. Can you believe that? Hangang is really a place of sadness...hehehehe
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anotheraddict
September 5, 2011 at 7:33 AM
One of the reasons I wasn't prepared for the ending of 49 Days was that Kang Ahhhhh(!) was such a wonderful K-drama hero who had lost his love time and time again, and he became so selflessly devoted to her that I expected him to get a Happily Ever After ending. But given that his name was Han Kang (same as the Han River), and the opening shot was of the Han River, I guess we should have seen the writing on the wall. ♬Cry Me A River.....
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64 Carinne
September 4, 2011 at 11:31 PM
As Britney Spears will sing it...
"And they say..
She's so Lucky
She's a star
But she cry cry cries in her lonely heart
Thinking, if there's nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night?"
After watching E14 twice, I wanted to know which scene really gutted me like a suicidal samurai, and concluded being ES's and HJ's tango scene. When HJ shed tears in ES's warm embrace, I saw a strong woman knowing her hour glass is trickling the last few specks of sand. She wanted ES to think she was oblivious to her advanced condition. It's her body, she knows. Men really shouldn't speculate women intuition. Her face was priceless. His face was common. I liked this scene more than HJ's death bed scene, not 'cos it was cuter, just that her longing for his love to reciprocate in any way was shown in this tango. To her success, no one really cares about the ugly duckling, or the beautiful swan, we really want is element of surprise transitioning either directions of forms. My second favorite was the death bed scene though, more than JW/LDW man handling kids. I felt all the morbid emotions between HJ and ES, that I even felt HJ's flickering flame was fighting for life to get one LAST look at her Prince Charming.
I knew from the beginning why ES was stone cold to his patients 'cos the more he grows feelings for them the more easier his soul get strips away. I didn't expect Dr. Poopy-seok begging YS to live on, well I suppose karma does play a huge roll in this show, since she begged him first. He became Pudding M.D. 'cos of YJ, a softy true to heart he no longer suppresses. Aiyah, why do you listen to her? ES admired YJ since grade school, just look at their kid photo how much he looks up to her, that her advises really throw a conscience curve ball in his field of dreams. HJ and YJ knocked down ES's Berlin Walls, so this is what a human doctor looks like 'cos I was getting tired of robot doctor for a long while.
Gawd, I love this series. Pardon my rambles.
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65 mntnh
September 4, 2011 at 11:35 PM
SK is a sad, sad existence, isn't she? I actually pity her. Seriously, she needs a hobby or two. The chaebols in this show (minus the current Ji Wook) need to get their asses handed to them. What snobs.
I didn't tear up for this episode (because of all the spoilers and un-subbed clips I saw, DAMMIT BAIDU!) but I really love the warmth that permeated it, despite some bittersweetness. Someone said earlier that this show is more about the people around Yeon Jae, and less about her, and this episode really showed that. This is what the title means, doesn't it? That the lives of people around YJ are transformed in subtle ways because of her, and that memories of her and the change she's brought will linger on when she's gone.
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malta
September 5, 2011 at 12:42 PM
I don't understand what's going on with SK. How is she gonna act in the last 2 episodes? Is she gonna be obstinate till the end?... Seriously, who *hates* a terminally ill person. She could at least leave YJ alone out of pity. Maybe that's what she did this episode. I don't know.
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66 Daniela
September 5, 2011 at 12:00 AM
I couldn't watch this episode because I was immersed in homework (and Im still on it, this is a break) but OMG, Im crying. I have to prepare myself for tomorrow when I can watch it, because It's going to kill me.
The death of Hee-joo, breaks my heart,and Eun-seok crying and begging just twists the knife in the wound.
Thank you for the recap!
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67 Tearsinnmyeyes
September 5, 2011 at 12:02 AM
I haven't posted anything in a while but this episode was wonderfully executed that I could not help and stop by to thank JB for bringing everyone a wonderful and heartfelt recap.
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68 rambutan
September 5, 2011 at 12:11 AM
@ 143 Jomo & 342 yumi, if you are interested in watching Eun Seok's doctor friend in a leading role, look no further! He's a lead in the looong but veeery nice series called Landscape in My Heart.
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yumii
September 5, 2011 at 12:23 AM
Thanks.
I might check it out.
but looooooonnnnnnnnng sounds a little scary.
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jomo143
September 5, 2011 at 7:11 AM
THANKS!
I was going to look up his Dwiki, but it is so much better to get a recommendation.
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69 Jinji
September 5, 2011 at 12:15 AM
I wish the ending would be that Yeon Jae will be able to have a child before she dies...
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sulyn
September 5, 2011 at 9:17 PM
Oh, that would be nice. I would love to see JW holding a little YJ in the last scene - hopefully walking towards a healthy looking YJ. Would this happen?
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70 kacamata
September 5, 2011 at 12:31 AM
I just read the recap...READING it already put me to a bucket of tears...I wonder what would happen if I watch it tonight...
Just like 49 days all over again...except, well its 180 days for Yeon-jae
I'm still hoping for a happy ending though...a miracle perhaps...
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71 Auntiemame
September 5, 2011 at 12:35 AM
The character of SK is totally incomprehensible to me. She operates as if she was betrayed by JW? But, there was nothing to betray because JW has never had any affection for her.
And, how warped is her mind to think that she is entitled to JW's affection because she has all the necessary accoutrements! This character has gotten too psycho for me and has minimal value for this drama.
Actually, include the fathers into the minimal value category. They may have money. But, they certainly don't have the style of the refined or genteel. They operate more like the goons of the money-lenders or gangsters.
Enough on the psycho's.
The Hee Joo character and the actress playing the character are absolutely wonderful. I knew that Hee Joo would die first because the purpose of her death is to provide YJ with another perspective from which she can make the next move, i.e. telling her mother. Hee Joo was able of live and die without any regrets, which is a reminder of YJ.
Thank you so much for the recap.
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72 Ani
September 5, 2011 at 12:49 AM
Okay, the last couple of episodes were the ones in which I was thankful that mom wasn't as manipulating a mother as other mothers. For that I'm thankful. And because she cares for Yeon-jae so much like any mother would, I feel sorry for her for not only losing a husband, but now a daughter too. Sad day. Good episode, but sad day.
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73 well....
September 5, 2011 at 1:58 AM
Eun Seok ah !!! T______T
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74 TIMER
September 5, 2011 at 2:21 AM
life is just so unfair ...
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75 KIMCHI
September 5, 2011 at 2:31 AM
"Kim Sun-ah sure knows how to bring the best out of her leads."
I so agree with Orleanas. Sun-ah brought out the best in Gong Yoo (2 movies together) and Binny (My Name is Samsoon). She is now my all time fave K-actress, and she's not even fantastically pretty... but she's the best actress there is.
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missy_k
September 5, 2011 at 6:14 PM
As an ardent Binnie fan, I have to say Binnie shines in every dramas he's in despite the leading lady ;)
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76 KIMCHI
September 5, 2011 at 2:31 AM
"Kim Sun-ah sure knows how to bring the best out of her leads."
I so agree with Orleanas. Sun-ah brought out the best in Gong Yoo (2 movies together) and Binny (My Name is Samsoon). She is now my all time fave K-actress, and she's not even fantastically pretty... but she's the best actress there is.
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77 flowerpot
September 5, 2011 at 2:32 AM
I am beginning to gain an even greater appreciation for Jiwook lately because of how he treats Yeon Jae like she's just any other normal girlfriend rather than a girlfriend who is dying and who has only got a couple of months to live.
I know that it takes a lot of strength and willpower for him to not coddle her and to shelter her to make sure that nothing happens to her seeing how much he loves her but i really, really respect how he lets her become her own person and how he understands that there are just some things in her life that she has to do by herself.
He knows when to let go and when to push back and he understands when he has to be there for her or when he needs to stay away.
He can sense when to keep quiet or when she just needs a hug and he gave me an all new perspective in terms of how love sometimes really need not be said because even if he doesn't put it to words, you can see how he feels about her just by looking at his face.
You can sense his hesitation and sadness in letting her go by herself to her treatments but he puts her wishes first above his and he lets her go even if you can tell that his heart is telling him to insist that he be there beside her.
He doesn't badger her with medical questions of how treatments went or what the doctors said once she gets out of the hospital but rather he shows her a wide, excited smile to let her know how much he misses her and just a hug from her is enough to make his worries and fears subside although i know he's probably dying to know if she's better or if there's something else she's feeling.
He doesn't give her his opinions about not telling her mom about her illness but rather he just asks her what she plans to do and understands her decisions and when she asks for encouragement and support, he just squeezes her hand tightly to let her know that no matter what happens, he will just always be there.
Jiwook has proven to be such a pillar of strength to Yeonjae at this point.
Always selfless, always giving, loving her unconditionally and without boundaries to the best that he can and even if she's dying, i guess Yeonjae is still considered to be one of the lucky few because at least she's had the opportunity to love and be loved like that by somebody like Jiwook and not all of us are given that chance even once in our entire lifetime.
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YuKi
September 7, 2011 at 7:54 AM
Totally agree with you!!
I guess that's what makes KJW all the more attractive
:)
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78 crizzy
September 5, 2011 at 2:33 AM
*sighs* i just finished wiping the tear that rolled from my eyes after reading yeon jae's confession. i bet watching that episode would be heartbreaking. i love the turn of events of this episode. Each event is a set up for heavy or heartwarming scenes to follow. how hee joo is at her happiest before she dies, and eun seok is the reason; how eun seok finally showing his vulnerability due to his patient's death; and yeon jae finally having the courage to let her mother know her sickness after talking to hee joo's mother and knowing it's best for her mom to know the truth. Yay! After this episode, i guess bawling is the only option to go so i better have a box of tissue ready. :'(
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79 Barbie
September 5, 2011 at 2:58 AM
man oh man. the scenes with Dr. CES were wonderful. Hee Joo was always a refreshing character for me since she was always cheerful amidst the angst and tears.
Mom has really grown on me for the past couple of episodes and the last scene just made my heart break a little more (it will be in pieces once SoaW comes into its conclusion).
You pointed out how there was a reversal on their positions... of how YJ begged ES to save her & now ES pleads with YJ to live. i completely forgot about the former happening. When i read that... TEARS!
as far as the dad and the xfiance. i hate it when they come onto the scene. i literally groan out loud. there more of a hindrance to the drama for me.
i do agree that i want more happy. i want the old YJ back with that vigor for life. i know she's tired and everything but i just want her to live life the best she can with her remaining months.
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jomo143
September 5, 2011 at 7:25 AM
The values and respect for parents so different on these shows than from what I see on US TV and films.
Let me think this through. Parents, irl, cannot control their adult children. Because they are legally allowed to make career and marriage choices. The parents threaten using respect and honor to the family.
Where have I seen this? Oh, yes, The Godfather!
Even our past Presidents have not been able to make their children do things they didn't want.
But "you better do this or else I won't love you anymore!" Most adult kids would tell the parent to stick it. Most kids would rather start again with nothing than enter into a marriage with a soul crushing spouse. I guess we need to accept a reality where children are reluctant to disobey their parents out of respect, not fear.
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malta
September 5, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Rebellion is a rite-of-passage in American culture. It's not necessarily a negative thing but something ingrained in the values system especially with the Baby Boomers generation. I don't think it was so much before the Baby Boomers nor has it been IMO in the generations after the Baby Boomers.
I never rebelled in my teens or 20's. I wasn't afraid of my parents, I was just too concerned with a bunch of other things (what, I don't know, but...). There was even a time I wondered if I did something wrong growing up, because I never really rebelled against anything. hahaha pretty funny :D
When I first started watching kdramas I thought it was fascinating how the words "I'm sorry," and "I did wrong" were used. From my Western perspective it seemed like characters said they did wrong and were sorry when really IMO they hadn't done anything at all none-the-less something wrong. Fascinating. Like decoding a whole different values system.
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80 Minty V
September 5, 2011 at 3:22 AM
*sigh* another awesome tango scene...
i remember when this kdrama was being promoted, i read the title and saw the tango silhouette drawing beside it, i though "i hope this isnt an Al Pacino movie rip-off"... but to my delight, this drama uses tango scenes to evoke very poignant emotions... just wow...
after this drama is over, i'll be looking for compilations of tango scenes... i'm pretty sure some clever fan out there will upload some vid about it :D
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81 Jump
September 5, 2011 at 3:22 AM
Ugh, just reading the recap made me tear up T_T
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82 tweetiebird
September 5, 2011 at 3:33 AM
OMG first time to cry buckets on a recap T_T this was just so so sad, above the way that Makjang tear jerker's affect you, cause this didn't feel like they were throwing things at you to make you cry, it felt really real. I am officially depressed...
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83 K@T@M!
September 5, 2011 at 3:38 AM
OMG i cried my heart in this epi....it reminded me of a friend who died last week ...same conditions....thnx for the recap
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84 Jane Elena
September 5, 2011 at 3:51 AM
by reading this recap alone make me want to cry..
i cannot see Ji-wook cry..it makes me sad..this drama touch my heart
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85 Tinawu
September 5, 2011 at 4:25 AM
I love all these episodes and this part makes me sad..
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86 Carie
September 5, 2011 at 4:29 AM
This drama has been so amazing...beyond words. LYJ has affected so many people in the short period of time. She has made ES realize that he should not be so cold, uncaring and he has changed and is able to come out and show that he cares for HJ and dancing the tango with her was just so sweet and so touching. Of course, the best is still JW who has changed from a stone cold person to a caring and loving person. LYJ is really amazing and I love the way she pens out her bucket list and ensuring that she is able to fulfill it (with JW help of course).
I dread having to wait till next week and I dread that I will be crying buckets full of tears as I realize that the end may not be happy and that all the happy memories both LYJ and JW creates will only affect JW more in the near future.....this is so totally sad and heart wrenching.
Will next week be the end?
Withdrawal syndrome again.....firstly it was Lie To Me and now Scent of a Woman :(
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87 nazz
September 5, 2011 at 5:31 AM
i wonder if the writer will let them to get marry and have child before she left?? ...
or perhaps they just chose to let her die in his arms .. and left him with their memories and wishing him to find someone that can replace her and make him happy ...
... i want to see her in wedding dress and he holds her tight in his embrace .. *pray hard*
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88 My.Ning
September 5, 2011 at 6:38 AM
Cried, yes.
Deeply touched, yes.
Absolutely agree with a rabbler (your rabbling is appreciated!) that Hee-joo's tango with Eun-seok was the scene that captured and twisted my heart. And it is so beautiful in a simple way.
Really love HJ for her cheerful acceptance of what would have devastated the strongest man alive. She is such a bright cheery light shining in this dark world of pain and misery.We should all learn from her. And the actress is so cute and pretty.
Thanks javabeans for your hard work. But i guess enjoying the process makes it not like work at all right? =)
Cheers!
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89 My.Ning
September 5, 2011 at 6:40 AM
Oops! It's rambling not rabbling! haha... sorry...
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90 Memgyfan
September 5, 2011 at 7:00 AM
Thank you so much for your recaps. It was so sad, so heartbreaking. Might there be a miracle in two next eps?
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91 Elizabeth
September 5, 2011 at 7:19 AM
Oh my gosh! I love Dr.Eun-seok and his discovery that he has a heart. He was so reserved with his emotions that it made him look dark and cold. He was numbing up to this point. I felt this character has he realize love, the unselfish kind. The dance.... beautiful. His fight to save her.... speechless. My ability to stop crying.... shopping. Great review! *_~
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92 Syb
September 5, 2011 at 7:32 AM
I cried so much last night that I can believed it and now reading the recap made me cry again...
The whole Hee-Joo death scenes were the most touching so far...can´t imagine how many galons of tears we´ll be crying next week.
I guess I didn´t cry this much since Bad Love...
KSA is a GREAT actress, I guess she cry before the scenes to have her eyes puffed for crying...I mean, you can´t fake that with makeup.
2 boxes of kleenex for next week!
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jastinel
September 5, 2011 at 7:20 PM
I must say this is the most difficult role that she ever did in a drama, emotionally and physically draining.
She nailed it again, loving her character as YJ!
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93 Ellen
September 5, 2011 at 7:52 AM
This ep makes me cry just by reading the recap. I will get my tissue paper ready to watch it. Love Hee-joo, she's such a cute girl who brings happiness.
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94 Silly
September 5, 2011 at 8:58 AM
I cried just by reading your recaps...
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95 ☂ iZzie ☂
September 5, 2011 at 9:03 AM
Emotional investment. Curiosity. Engaging acting. Engaging storyline.
So no matter how it hurts, I still watch SoaW. Anyway, there are only two episodes left to make me cry. So, endure iZzie! And then there's the month-long withdrawal symptoms that would be barely alleviated by watching Protect The Boss. But I'll be fine, especially if Poseidon proves to be a good show. :)
As for this episode...
I love how Eun Sok took it all in and didn't make his emotional sufferings a major issue by throwing tantrums at everybody. (At such situations, some people unknowingly upstage those who are primarily afflicted with the disease.) But you can still feel his pain. And then he still has in him to make other people happy. He's the best character in this story.
Also love how the characters change the others in an "exchange of gifts" way - and that it wasn't all left to the main protagonist, YJ, to effect transformation to the others. YJ was instrumental to Eun Seok's improvement from being a stone-cold doctor. (How far he's gone is not only evident during that part where he desperately tried to revive Hee-joo and her mom had to tell him to stop, but also by how the situation with YJ was reversed: this time, it was the doctor who begged the patient to live.) Eun Seok, in turn, has a part in Ji Wook's change from being the bitter to the sweetest boyfriend. Hee-joo (sob, sob... oh sob!) touched the lives of the people around her. She's so damn happy that it's so sad to see her go. Even in SK, we're seeing some change already. And it's a good thing that she realized how monstrous it would be of her to confront and bother a dying person with her selfish issues, and refrained from doing something stupid. (I just hope she follows thru with that - and in the right direction.) Even YJ's mom pulls a surprisingly positive attitude every now and then that affects her daughter's frame of mind.
Those short, moving moments (e.g. the tango scenes) were given just the right length of time. Just the right dosage. Any longer, I think those scenes would be overindulging and would leave an unpleasant taste.
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jomo143
September 5, 2011 at 12:19 PM
I can almost hear the writers discuss what the heck to do with SK.
She was an important plot device early on. She has since become that extra ottoman in the room you keep stumbling over but can't seem to part with.
They can't make her good all of a sudden and they can't totally get rid of her. So she just shows up for as short a time as possible, doing less and less damage. Hopefully that last desperate visit to the hospital will be her character's last annoying appearance near the OTP.
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trixicopper
September 5, 2011 at 1:00 PM
More than an extra ottoman. SK reminds me of that container that you find waaay back in the fridge. The one so disgusting you throw the whole thing away rather than wash the dish. :)
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malta
September 5, 2011 at 1:06 PM
Wow. What an unusual, but appropriate and very evocative description of SK...
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jomo143
September 5, 2011 at 6:14 PM
LOL!
Mystery food, yes, know it well.
The thing that is so funny is the actress is very likeable.
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trixicopper
September 5, 2011 at 7:59 PM
I have absolutely nothing against the actress who plays SK. In fact I think she is doing an awesome job. But I admit I have a totally irrational hatred for SK the character. :)
mntnh
September 7, 2011 at 12:35 AM
What is even funnier is that the actress, in an interview during the press conference of this drama, told the audience not to hate her. LOL. And that's even clips before of her bratty ways came out, it's like she knows it's an extremely offensive character.
And it's something that's a change for her because she has always played the sweet, cheery, optimistic role. LOLOL. I think she should stick to those because her smile is lovely.
lvsanchez
September 8, 2011 at 7:58 AM
I really did think the character had a lot of potential... but it's like they wanted to make her more developed by introducing us to her backstory, and then it all went away. Now she's just this irrational B. I kept holding on for some reason, maybe because I do like the actress. But as soon as the words "I can wait. She only has a few months to live anyway" came out of her mouth I wanted to hurl something at the screen. If they do show her again, I hope it is just a brief flash of her doing something positive with her life... away from KJW of course.
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96 sup super supper
September 5, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Damn, just reading the recap and I'm in tears. I don't know if I'm actually going to be able to watch this one...
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97 dee
September 5, 2011 at 9:08 AM
Thanx for the recaps JB, this episode make me cry river....
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98 malta
September 5, 2011 at 11:31 AM
Hee joo!!!!! T.T x 1000
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99 malta
September 5, 2011 at 12:20 PM
This drama reminds me of December Fever with Uhm Jung-hwa. They are very different stories, but at times they have a similar bittersweet tone about them. The last episode of December Fever was the most memorable and heartbreaking final episode of a drama I've ever seen. The whole show was the most realistic portrayal of a cancer patient I've ever seen in a kdrama...
I'm preparing myself for next week.
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100 gingeranna
September 5, 2011 at 4:13 PM
I still don't get how an episode can be so heart warming and so sad in the same time.
I cried so much, and I don't know what I will do next week... Apart from being the last two episodes, I'll have PMS. ;__;
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