249

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 8

I know I say this every time, but Best. Episode. Ever. Why so awesome, Show? Is it ’cause you’re made with love and garnished with hotties? Or because you’re filled with nutritious hearty goodness? Whatever it is, it rocks my world, and I’d like to order another helping, please.

 
EPISODE 8: “A Universal Song”

Eun-bi and Jae-ho sit down for a cup of coffee, and he asks why she didn’t call when her father passed away. She reminds him that they’re over, and he says that they’re over romantically, but not over as people. If you weren’t such a cheating bastard, that sentiment would be nice.

To her horror, she sees the nametag hanging on his neck. It indicates that he is now an employee at Cha Sung, which is two times the proximity – right across the street, and of course its connection to Chi-soo. He says he’s just an intern, but she’s clearly a little jealous at how well he’s doing, even at intern status.

He asks if she’s really living with her boyfriend, and she evades an answer by saying it’s not really his business anymore.

The four live-in members of the ramyun shop sit around the tv that night, like a cozy little family. Kang-hyuk directs what they’ll watch like the dad (also choosing who they’ll vote for since they’re watching one of those Korea Wants to Be a K-Pop Star Miracle Audition shows), and Hyun-woo… cuts the fruit? OH MY GOD. Is a boy cutting the fruit in this house? I knew I loved this drama. I officially want to be Eun-bi when I grow up.

Ba-wool is still reeling from the news that Eun-bi and Chi-soo have something fishy going on, and he demands to know why, WHY, of all people, it has to be Cha Chi-soo, and most of all, why she took him back at the shop. “Or did something… actually happen between you two?”

Eun-bi stares at him, horrified, and Kang-hyuk pretends not to be paying attention, but waits for her response. She stammers, “That… that…” And then on the tv: “…we’ll find out in sixty seconds.” The boys all groan in frustration. Ha.

Ba-wool asks if it’s because of that ex-boyfriend of hers, and wanting to look good in front of him, and she smacks him upside the head, insisting that that would be ridiculous for someone her age. Yes, sooooo immature. You would never.

She tells Dong-joo about the events of the day and gets a good talking-to, with the very important question: why do you still care what this guy thinks? Are you still in love with him? Eun-bi swears up and down that she’s not, and Dong-joo just tells her not to do anything else that’s pathetic, like secretly reading his blog…

…Which is course exactly what she does next. The title on his homepage: “I’m still…” She wonders what it could mean, not noticing that Kang-hyuk has snuck up behind her. She jumps up to hide the monitor, asking why he doesn’t knock when entering other people’s rooms.

Kang-hyuk: “If it’s someone else’s room, what’s the fun of knocking? Isn’t that what you’re doing – stealing a peek?” Touché. He sighs, “My wife’s ex-boyfriend… to what point should I be forgiving?”

She turns back to the blog, and recognizes the song that’s playing. It’s Broccoli You Too’s A Universal Song. It flashes her back to the old days, when the song was playing in a café, and she had asked Jae-ho what she meant to him. He answered, “You’re ramyun. You’re always around when I want to see you, and you’re universal. Just like this song.”

It’s certainly not the most romantic declaration ever, but young Eun-bi was convinced when he took her hands and added that it means that he always sees her. I love that this can be interpreted two ways: either she’s always around, always available, and in front of his eyes, or that she’s swimming around in this thoughts and appearing even when he tries not to think of her (which is the ailment Chi-soo suffers from). My guess is that Jae-ho is the former, but she took it to mean the latter.

The next morning Chi-soo wakes up in good spirits, and Dad asks if he’s going to work at the ramyun shop again today (because work is optional for these people, natch). Chi-soo grins and declares that the shop is helpless without him, so he needs to go.

Daddy grins from ear to ear after his conversation with Chi-soo, beaming to his secretary that Chi-soo called him “Dad” twice. “I’ve got that other guy beat now. You know… with the pointy face and big round glasses.” The secretary declares that he is indeed the winner in the Daddy vs. Pororo race for affection.

Chi-soo goes shopping for a new bag with So-yi in tow, and she laughs at how hard he’s working to keep up the Dating Intern Façade. He asks if she’s concerned, secretly wanting her to get a little jealous, not because he cares about So-yi, but because it would mean Eun-bi was good enough to be considered competition. Yeah, it’s warped, but it’s Chi-soo.

She scoffs at the absurdity, and he asks if Intern is really that bad, in a girl’s eyes. So-yi says that she’s not bad, it’s just she’s the type you get sick of. The wording brings Chi-soo back to Eun-bi’s outburst at him the first night at the ramyun shop, when she said those exact words to him: “I’m sick of you.”

Eun-bi gets a call from “Dog Chi-soo” and reluctantly answers, remembering the terms of their contract. He whines that she took too long to answer, and then stops to gape when he sees a sexy pair of legs just up ahead of him.

He follows the legs all the way up… to reveal Eun-bi in her volleyball uniform, turning back to wink at him. Hahaha. He screams into his phone: “I have to see you RIGHT NOW!”

He shows up in front of the shop and waves at her to hurry up, and she groans at him in annoyance… and then suddenly dashes to his side, yelling, “Jagi-yaaaaaaaa~!” She whispers to him that they’re in Eebbeunie Mode, and they turn around to face Jae-ho, standing right behind him.

They sit down inside the ramyun shop, and Jae-ho stammers, “He’s younger? And in high school?” Crap. He asks if things were really tough for Eun-bi. She’s stuck now, because he’s clearly sitting there in his high school uniform, so she just goes with it. Jae-ho doesn’t understand, and Chi-soo counters that age doesn’t matter between a man and a woman, and wonders how he got hired at Cha Sung with such a narrow-minded point of view. Heh.

Jae-ho asks how it happened that she’s dating a high schooler, and how they met. Chi-soo tells him that they met in a women’s bathroom. She cringes. He swoons as he tells the tale of how Eun-bi wrapped toilet paper with her name on it around his neck and seduced him.

Jae-ho asks how long they’ve been dating. Chi-soo says they just celebrated their two-two (22nd day together) at the club, where Eun-bi wore her volleyball uniform and danced for him. Ha. I love how all these stories are just a slight twist of reality for Chi-soo.

Jae-ho stutters, “V-volleyball uniform? W-wave?” Chi-soo is enjoying this way too much. Eun-bi squirms, totally at his storytelling mercy. Chi-soo adds pointedly: “You didn’t know? Our noona likes that kind of stuff.” Omg, I’m dying. He licks his lips… “Hard. Core.” Hahahaha.

Eun-bi chases him into the house, asking why he’s turned her into a cougar, and he breezes that he was just telling the truth, and if she doesn’t like it she can end their contract. She has nothing to say to that, and asks why he’s coming into her home.

He reminds her of their terms – that he gets to see her anytime, anywhere, as much as he wants. I love that this idea of the Universal Eun-bi is so different to Jae-ho and Chi-soo. She was completely available for Jae-ho and that was convenient and enough. But for Chi-soo, she’s never around enough to satisfy him. It’s adorable… and hot.

Of course he doesn’t know it, since he gets a good look (he drinks it in, like his daily dose of Eun-bi) and declares that he really has to see her in person… in order to get his head on straight. The funny thing is, he means it like seeing her is the antidote to his feeling feelings (like seeing her face reminds him of how ridiculous it is to like her), but doesn’t fully grasp that it’s not working the way he wants it to.

Chi-soo walks away, self-satisfied, and Kang-hyuk makes his entrance… skip-hopping with his hands behind his back. He then proceeds to old-school dance at her while saying that he’s dying of jealousy because she danced with “Jung Chi-soo.” I… can’t even begin to describe how strange and hilarious this guy is.

Ba-wool sits in the dance studio watching So-yi practice, but hardly even noticing that she’s there. She asks what’s got him so distracted, and he stews over Chi-soo “playing around” with his noona. Gah, I love this kid.

He asks how she can be so fine about it, when Chi-soo is “dating” someone else. She knows it’s pretend and doesn’t care, and besides, the thing she likes about Chi-soo is that he goes where the wind takes him.

Ba-wool can’t believe her, and asks how she’d feel if he dated someone else then. She thinks about it and doesn’t think he’d do that, which infuriates him. He asks why it’s okay for Chi-soo and not for him. She thinks about it and says that if Chi-soo is her left arm, then Ba-wool is her right arm. Er, what now?

She nicknames them Right Ba-wool and Left Chi-soo. She puts her arms around his neck and he melts, and she goes back to practice with this little nugget: “I’m right-handed.” Ba-wool leaves in a foul mood, but finds solace in being the right hand rather than the left. Oh, chicken.

Dong-joo and the coach ask Eun-bi if she’s ever gone to a club wearing her volleyball uniform, and Eun-bi squirms. They confirm that the rumor has already spread all over school. I am mortified for her.

Dong-joo chastises her for sneaking a peek at her ex’s blog, and for having such a hard time getting over her first love. Eun-bi gets a text from Chi-soo and runs off, and Coach tells Dong-joo that first loves can be hard to forget, so she shouldn’t be too hard on her.

Dong-joo counters, waving her hand between the two of them, “Getting over first love is this easy!” *Gasp* Was the coach her first love when she was in high school? So cute! He’s too dense to know what she means though, and they move on to another round of drinks.

Chi-soo waits up on the roof for Eun-bi, all moony-eyed at the moon. It’s because he sees her in it, of course, this time as the rabbit in the moon, wearing bunny ears and churning rice cakes.

Eun-bi grumbles on her way up to the store, and finds Jae-ho waiting there for her instead. He grabs her in a hug, saying that he doesn’t want to see her get messed up any further, and that he knows she’s dating that high schooler because of him.

He asks her to start over with him, and she pushes him away, reminding him that he’s the one who said he was sick and tired of her always looking at one place, at him. He hangs his head, “I know. And I regret it. Every day.”

He hands her a gift bag, and she looks up at him. The camera pans up to show Chi-soo, hanging on their every word.

She heads inside and opens up the bag to find a scrapbook of her happier times with Jae-ho. Inside is an… engagement ring? Not sure, but it looks like it has a rock in it. She finds another jewelry box inside, this one with a tiny mp3 player. She listens, and it’s “A Universal Song.”

It flashes her back to the day he professed his feelings, on his way in to the army. He asked her come visit alone instead of with all their friends, and when she asked why, he kissed her.

She sits in her room, listening to the song, when suddenly someone appears behind her and yanks her headphones out. She whirls around to find Chi-soo, throwing another tantrum. He throws the mp3 player on the ground, calling it poop.

She rushes to pick it up. He demands to know why she didn’t answer his calls, and if she’s swayed because her ex hugged her once.

To his horror, she confirms it without hesitating – yes, she’s swayed. He shouts at her, asking how she could have feelings again after what she endured. “Are you really able to listen to this stupid song?”

Eun-bi: Because this isn’t a song. It’s not just a song. It’s when I was twenty… twenty-one… twenty-two… It’s six years together of him, and me. I thought I forgot too. But when I hear this song, that time, that air, comes back, so what can I do? Even as I’m walking down the street, it stops me, so what can I do? This song is already no longer a song, so what can I do about that?

She says this with tears brimming, and Chi-soo holds back his own angry tears, warning her not to dare cry. He throws the player back down on the ground, shouting, “If you’ve taken a dump, you have to FLUSH!” I know the words sound comical, but the moment is entirely serious. It’s an extension of their poop metaphor that’s actually rather poignant, yunno, minus the toilet connotations.

He storms out, and Kang-hyuk stirs, awake for once and having heard their argument. Eun-bi goes downstairs to the shop, and finds Kang-hyuk already there and cooking something up for her. Aw.

She immediately turns back when she sees him, but he calls out, “You’re still pretty when you’re bloated,” which is so cute because she’s Eun-bi Ramyun, and she’s actually bloated from crying.

He gives her a bottle of soju and a dish that he made because he heard her arguing with “Hwa Chi-soo” [Angry Chi-soo]. Heh. He turns on the radio and they both freeze when they hear the song. Eun-bi: “My dad…” Kang-hyuk: “That’s my mom’s song…” They look at each other.

Chi-soo drives home, angsting over Eun-bi’s words. He walks past Dad in the hot tub, and then stops when he hears that same song coming out of Dad’s radio. “That song…” Dad asks if he remembers it, “This song is your mom.”

Aw, that look of heartbreak on his face. I love that his is how he learns what Eun-bi means.

Back at the ramyun shop, Eun-bi downs a shot and complains that she was born in the wrong generation, totally unable to keep up with this “cool dating” Chi-soo’s always talking about. Kang-hyuk sighs that she sure does seem to care a lot about what Chi-soo says, and she balks that it’s because he keeps running around calling her Poop.

He sighs to confirm it – that her temper flares at everything Chi-soo. “It makes me jealous.” Aw. He takes a shot and then leans in close, “Wife, poop can be someone’s heart too. Like Wife’s pretty heart.”

In a nice contemplative moment, Chi-soo holds Eun-bi’s nametag, Eun-bi holds the broken mp3 player and sheds a tear, and Kang-hyuk runs his fingers over “Eun-bi Ramyun” etched into the table. The lights go off, and the Flower Boy Ramyun Shop closes for the night.

Chi-soo sits in the coffee shop the next day, and Hyun-woo asks why he didn’t go to school. Chi-soo says he feels off somehow, and uses the word for “dirty,” like when you can’t quite get clean enough.

Hyun-woo takes it literally and asks if he got something on his clothes, and Chi-soo says no, but he got something on something else, he thinks. I love all the ways that Chi-soo expresses his love without knowing it – this time like something stained his heart and he can’t quite clean it off. Could it be… poop?

He hears his mom’s song again on the radio and asks Hyun-woo what the name of it is. Hyun-woo gapes, since it’s the first time Chi-soo’s shown any interest in a song… with lyrics. Heh.

Eun-bi hears the song again too while she’s out buying groceries. It makes her wander into the record store to look for it, and finds Jae-ho there, looking for her. He puts on their song and places the headphones over her ears.

Her memories of that first kiss come flooding back. She looks up at him, “Jae-ho-ya,” and puts out her hand. He extends his, and she puts the ring in his hand. “I can’t bring myself to accept this. There’s something shiny embedded in it. But the album, and… this song, I’ll take those. Because poop is… my precious memories.” Heh, and aw. Isn’t it great how this show could do an entire series of comic strips called “Poop is…”?

But their poignant moment is harshly interrupted by… another woman? Oh, no. Pffft. THIS guy. Scared, Jae-ho calls her noona, and she wonders if he’s cheating on her with this little girl. He declares that this is the girl he’s going to marry, since they broke up… a week ago. LOL.

The noona flips out, insulting her for having zero style, and grabs Eun-bi to drag her out for a brawl. But then Chi-soo shows up to grab the arm that’s grabbing HIS noona’s arm. God, I love this. It’s so ridiculous. Jae-ho’s noona asks who the hell this guy is, and Chi-soo declares that he’s “My noona’s Pororo.” HAHAHAHAHA. I’m… dying…

Having overheard Jae-ho make a remark about Eun-bi being able to wear whatever she wants (in the way of, she could wear shorty shorts and it wouldn’t matter because she’d look plain), he punches Jae-ho in the face, and then shouts, “What? Did you really date this woman? When that woman wears hotpants and flies around in the air, it spins a person’s eyes around! What? The woman you’re going to marry? Are you kidding? Do you know how dangerous and hot* that woman is?!”

What he doesn’t realize is that Eun-bi has disappeared during his outburst, and he runs off to find her. Jae-ho’s noona in turn goes googly-eyed over Chi-soo, asking if Jae-ho has his number. HA.

He runs into the women’s bathroom to find her, breaking open the stall door to drag her out of there. He yells at her to stop running away, asking what happened to the Eun-bi who launched a spike at his head.

He tells her to do the same to that bastard. “Clean up your crap!” She asks if she should throw CDs this time, and do that all over again? Does she have no pride? Isn’t she a woman too? Trembling through her tears, she admits, “I was happy. Because he saw me as a woman again… truthfully I was disgustingly happy. But this time I’m not a woman either. I’m cold rice [a metaphor for leftovers, second best]. Not pasta, but ramyun!”

Chi-soo pushes her against the wall in frustration. “Don’t cry. I TOLD you NOT. TO. CRY. Don’t you ever cry in front of me because of another man AGAIN!”

*THUNK* Oh my god, did he just say that?

She’s shaken by his words, and so is he. He holds her face in his hands, the both of them trembling. He starts to lean closer. Hearts beat in their throats.

He inches closer, their lips a millimeter apart

And then BAM! Out of nowhere, Kang-hyuk punches Chi-soo away. “I know how hot* this woman is, but that doesn’t mean she’s a woman you can do this to, in a bathroom.”

Goddamn, how can they be so hot, just one right after the other like that? A girl needs a minute.

He tells Eun-bi they’re going, and drags her out, leaving Chi-soo with a bloody lip and fire in his eyes.

 
COMMENTS

*A note – they use the word “hot” in this episode, and though it can mean what we mean, it’s also one of those mistranslated words, like “cool.” Hot is used more often in colloquial language to mean “in demand,” like a hot-ticket item. So it’s not that Chi-soo doesn’t mean that she’s hot in the sexy way (’cause clearly, he’s got it bad in that sense), but he means more like she’s a hot commodity, and wanted by many.

What an awesome way to wrap up the ex-boyfriend storyline in two episodes flat – he appears, he proposes, he sways her… and then turns out to be the same old dirtbag. But what’s important is the thing that the ex represents for her, and when she speaks of the song and what it reminds her of, she speaks more about herself than of Jae-ho. It’s about who she was when she loved him, not the object of her love, but the person she once was, when she felt that way.

Her having to tell Chi-soo about song associations is just another example of how he has yet to actually connect with anyone on a level deep enough to make memories. But it’s when he hears his mom’s song that we see a glimpse – that maybe Cha Chi-soo the human being is there, just buried deep.

The song metaphor works in a number of ways in this episode, to highlight how a song can be exclusive and meaningful to two people who share a romantic past, or universal in how it reminds many people of loved ones, and connects them to one another. Each of the characters’ memories of Mom/Dad/Mom with that one song highlights their sameness, that the kind of loneliness they feel is exactly alike.

What really kills me is the way Chi-soo’s insistence that he hates to see girls cry gets turned upside-down. What used to be the thing he shouted in annoyance, “Don’t you dare cry!” because he didn’t want to see or deal with someone else’s emotions (god forbid), becomes something else entirely. Now he says the same words, but he means that he doesn’t ever want to see Eun-bi cry, because she’s hurt, because he can’t stand it, and because she’s shedding tears over another man.

I love when something like this is layered in from the beginning, and how constantly this drama turns a phrase to go from one meaning to its direct opposite. Everything, from poop to pororo, becomes a metaphor-laden remark used for a joke, a character moment, and then a twist. It feels very Hong-Sisters-esque, and that’s really the best compliment I could give to a rom-com.

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , ,

249

Required fields are marked *

Thank you GF and JB! Hehehe! This show is great. Nice pace, awsome acting and sizzling chemistry between the leads. Oh goodness, the writer better have chi soo and EB kissing sooon! I so not like the teasing! I mean, from episode 1 to 8, at least have one hot kiss! LOL
Aren't we like half-way through the drama already??!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yay! Thanks for the recap! This is the second drama (after Best Love) that I'm really anticipating! Love it very x10000 much! Though this drama is on cable tv, I'm sure it will be a hot cakes for overseas viewers!!

It was hilarious to see Daddy Cha competing himself with Pororo. Cute + Fatherly love...I wish my dad is like him. Hahaha....

And I love the 'foursome' living together under one roof. They are so natural and Hyun Woo cut the fruits...Hahaha.....

I CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT WEEK! I Wish Doraemon is by my side now

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sooooo much..

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woah, this episode was AWESOME!

Just so punny funny! lol

I loved everything about this episode from Chi-Soo's fantasy spun from reality, the punching of the Ex (now, somebody HAD to do that! ;) was totally gunning for that. I wouldn't mind if the Ex had a more fried up either by Kang-hyuk ;)), Chi-Soo declaring his "passion" for Eun-Bi-right into the bathroom again (LOL, what's with koreans and bathrooms?), and finally, the lazy chilly Kang-hyuk punching Chi-Soo.
He did deserve that punch after everything. :P Maybe it will straighten his head out, ya think?

Another thing, I loved was how the writers introduced the "triangle".
Usually, the kind of angst found in triangles (quadruple, if including the little jerk bag ex) gets rather tiring at times but this is is turning out to be one happy angst! haha, and I love, erm* "hate" how Chicken's ex girlfriend is positively dripping in the innocence of evilness. Usually the "other woman" is clingy and annoying but she's just ladened with that sweet surgery syrup that's horrible for health but hard to get rid off due to its stickiness. talk about passive aggressive!

my my, the ramyun is getting mighty delicious! :D

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

hahha.. i totaly agree...

i guess when you two met in a bathroom it should follow a confession of love in a bathroom.. just like MNIKSS... ^_^

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love this drama. I don't want to wait for another week! I wish it was a daily drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the fast recap.

I hope that the ex is gone for good. Hopefully they won't bring him back to try to sweet talk Eun-bi into selling the shop to Cha Sung (you know, since he works for them and all...)

Anyway, I have second lead syndrome. Kang-hyuk is so sweet and respectful to Eun-bi (and that's why he will never get the girl). I so don't want him to get his feelings hurt. Kdrama gods, why can't the good guy win the girl, for once?

Also, Ba-wool is such a cute overprotective little brother, love him to pieces.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

okay i know this is kinda late.... i mean very late!!! but i f'ing love your recap!!! super fast and super everything!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

where can i watch the preview of next week episode? I NEED IT..haha.. anyone can give me link?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

soompi has one subbed on the FBRS thread.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap!!
Definitely must watch drama... ;)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Finally, the gauntlet is thrown, and we have the love triangle. So Yi doesn't count in this equation.

I'm glad they cast Lee Ki Woo who is just as hot as Jung Il Woo and can go head to head with him. If it were someone else, it wouldn't be an equal challenge.

It's driving me crazy about the near missed kisses that Eun Bi and Chi Soo almost gotten together. I hope the writers will finally plant a LONG HOT kiss between those two? Kang hyuk maybe before Chi Soo?

Watching this delightful drama is very funny and fast pace, but it is just too long a wait between new weekly episodes.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I Love this drama ,...Best for the ep7,..so cute,..and in this episode make me more excited,..don't know this story will be go through,..

nice to be eun bi,..=))

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well...actually there is a comic book explaining about poop originated from Korea......might be the source of the MUSE for the writer???

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love it that Eun Bi's ringtone is Loving You when Chi Soo called her. I wonder if it's assigned only to Chi Soo? Lol. Because when other people call her, for example, Dong Joo, the ringtone is different. :)) No complaints!

La la la la la, la la la la la... Doo bi doo bi doo doo... Ahhh <3

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wondered the same thing. I would be tickled if it's his ringtone alone.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG I love this drama, one of my faves by far. I ended up watching it before subs come out so I'm really thankful for the recap. Lol. I just wanted to mention how SHINee's replay was playing in the background when Jaeho finds out that she's his noona lol. Noona nomu yehpuhsuh ... ahaha. I seriously can't wait for him to discover himself on a deeper level & for her to fall for him.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Does anyone know the song where Kang-Hyuk dances to?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you so much for this recap!
Yes - I agree that it is Hongish, and that is a good thing.

I love this couple!
It makes so sense whatsoever that they would get together except chemistry.
Not only because of the difference in social class, which usually is the big deal with K OTPs, and not just because she is older, or that she was/is his teacher! Despite all of these things, they are drawn to each other. Or despite the odds that they would come in contact with each other, they meet, and discover this awesome breathtaking, hearthumping, blush causing pull between them.
I think this happens a lot in this world, and people ignore it because of the differences, and go their separate ways.

JIW is making me laugh and breaking my heart. He's so smart in this role, getting not only the big emotions right, but the edges,too, if that makes any sense. There is not one millesecond of screen time wasted - you always knows exactly what he is thinking. He is beautiful without really being perfectly handsome. This is what we saw in Iljimae, remember?

And these near-miss kisses! They have been like the weather reports of their relationship. At first, CCS coldly manipulated EB, but as they progressed, each subsequent encounter shows things are getting hotter between them. This last one, finally, both closed their eyes. They both needed it to happen.

I found this quote online, and it sums nicely how good romances use the kiss in storytelling.
The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender.
-Emil Ludwig (1881-1948)

The 45 minute episodes are perfect for the pace of this show. They are not filling up time with stares and dumbed up dialog. I don't see how this one will fail. It will be perfect if they can avoid the time jump. I will kill the writers if they give us a time jump. I swear to god, I will.

(BTW, I am gunning for a bittersweet ending of this one - not a happy happy one. For EB to be CCS first love, for him to learn love from her is a wonderful way for them to be important to each other for the rest of their lives. I don't see, however, them ending up with each other...)

0
8
reply

Required fields are marked *

Lovely quote! Though I really want CS and EB to be together in the end. I'm all for a happy ending with this one :)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

yes, CS and and EB are so adorable together. I want to see they get married, and have kids and live happily ever after , 16 episodes are not enough for me, hope they can extend it to like 100 episodes or something....I love this drama!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

like!

And your last paragraph, yeah I was thinking the same too. Most of the time your first love was there to make you learn about many things. And Kang-hyuk is more suitable ( if there is such thing in wuv) for Eun-bi, he fills the empty spot that her father has left, she has many regrets, KH can fix that. This part of drama makes me think of Goo Yoon-shik and Hwang Tae Hee.

But if a first love should meant to be..please let it be Chi-soo’s

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I totally agree, Jomo. I too am hoping that CCS will be a part of her life for a season, but ultimately for her to end up with Kang-hyuk. He seems the most suitable, and mature match.

***Sometimes the person who ends up being your true love/soulmate is not the person that you had the most chemistry with, because many times things that started with just sparks flying everywhere end up as bittersweet cold ashes of a love/lust that once was. Whereas the person that was consistently there, (as I’m hoping Kang-hyuk will end up being her man) ends up being a love that may have come as a surprise and completely unexpected but slowly develops into a love that you can count on, and will be there for the rest of your life.

Man I love FBRS!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Up until Ep 7 I wouldn't have minded if EB had gotten together with either of the two leads as I was really enjoying their journey rather than the ending but Ep 8 has me totally squeeing, and fawning over JIW--how the boy does it is beyond me?! This is my first JIW kdrama. Yes, i've been living under a rock, heh.

So, now i am shipping CS and EB together....i guess for that to happen there may need to be a time jump. I don't have any qualms about a time jump, per se, as I haven't watched those early 2000's whiplashy melo-kdramas, so yeah as CS says I have 'No Problem' with the time jump! :D While I think KH is adorable and sexy all mashed up together I find his lackadaisical ways rather strange.....he never once outright asked about the faux-dating between EB-CS...i guess he'll up the ante from next episode onwards but I am really enjoying CS growing up, his theatrical dramatizations about his rather boring life, and his growing fixation-turned-love with the intern's "childish, obvious, and shining" face! HAA!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"(BTW, I am gunning for a bittersweet ending of this one – not a happy happy one. For EB to be CCS first love, for him to learn love from her is a wonderful way for them to be important to each other for the rest of their lives. I don’t see, however, them ending up with each other…)"

i see a separation and a happy reunion. :) :) :)

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I sense that too. I predict a "After ___ years..." ending. :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

it can be.. And CCS will be calling KH Hyung and EB Noona. And by then, KH and EB will be married and CCS is gonna be ready to LOVE again. I'll be waiting. ^^

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Perfect ending would be that she finished with the two guys! Happy polygamist ending wouhou (well If I were her ...this is what I would do KEKEKE)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i love reading your recaps, thanks!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This series is driving me insane. I wish I could watch the next episode tomorrow.This series is so good the wait is killing me.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

my head is going to crack open because of this drama!!! and my heart ripped into pieces!!!

How can both Chi-soo and Kang-hyuk be a man-child one moment then a total man on the next?

The dad really is serious with his competition with Pororo!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I got the Hong-Sisters-esque feeling since episode 7. It’s a good feeling to know that we have another great kdrama writer, I hope she sticks to romcom. And write one drama per year just like HS. So we get two great romcom per year (greedy me I know) Yoon Nan Joong Writer-Nim cheers to you.

Btw I know there’s one girl agrees with Kang-hyuk’s sentiment that public bathroom is not a good place for kissing, her name is Kim Sam-soon. And yay! for Kang-hyuk’s back on the game. I was starting to doubt him, that he will put up a good fight, he proved me wrong literally. Loved love triangle with two good solid legs. This also brings back memory to Dokko Jin and Pill-joo. Too many awesomeness, I agree with you GF. And Crazy Chicken and the-quite/broken home/bb cream/cutting-fruit BFF are saucing the show with more toothsomeness.

Best episode ever. Another yummy recap GF. Your recap and comments are like the bowl to Kang-hyuk’s delicious ramyum. This kdrama addict whose Korean limited to oppa and jagii-ya is nothing without it.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG, i really want to see the past life story of Kang Hyuk. i always see him in happy mood and now finally i can see that he can be angry too in this ending of its episode !.
I want to see the sad face expession on his face too, like Cha Chi Soo ever did. (>_<). ( haha...btw, i'm a KH & EB's shipper ). ;)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks Javabeans! Love, love, love this drama!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Did it make anyone wonder about the fact that Eunbi's dad, Kang Hyuk's mom, and Chi Soo's mom all loved the same song, so much so that people would refer to the song as dad's/mom's song?

And what the heck happened to Kang Hyuk's and Chi Soo's moms?

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

When I read that, my mind jumped to: THEY'RE HALF SIBLINGS?! Haha.

Ironically, none of the kdramas I've watched so far have dealt with incest/faux-cest, so let's hope this one doesn't go there either. No idea, what happened to both of Kang-hyuk's parents, actually?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I have a feeling that CS and KH are half-siblings like they have the same mothers. I remember KH telling EB at ep 5 that he's mom ran away and his father died. Maybe, KH's mother ran away and married CCS father. I had this feeling when I saw KH flinch or maybe froze for a moment when CCS told him what his name IS and when KH asked CCS if he's happy being CCS. I might be wrong.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe they all went to the same school together, and happen to join the same music appreciation club and found their IT song.

Let's all focus on the now, the ramyun boys and v-ball girl, and hope there will be no further connection between the parents.

I just hope this episode is about the coming of age where each person finds their own song, and we all can agree Cha Chi-soo hasn't found his song yet, but it seems his frustration realizing he's fallen way behind the rest of the grown-ups in this dept. is torturing him immensely.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

second that. no makjang convention please.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wondered if Kang-hyuk and Chi-soo are somehow brothers. Maybe she remarried, or something. I find that to be a huge coincidence.

Plus, the fact that Eun-bi's Snack Shop is across the street from the school connected to Chi-soo's mom... Maybe she left Eun-bi's dad, or was his first love or something? I don't know, it's a shot in the dark. I hope there's no parental angst; that's always kind of a cheesy fall-back, especially after You're Beautiful and Heartstrings (although I haven't finished Heartstrings yet- that "melodrama") in the genre scares me muchly.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Love the " full blown skipping heartbeat CHISOO-EUNBI KISS!" comments hahaa... YES we DESERVE THAT !!

this is one of the shows that you want to skip wednesday to sunday to have a Monday episode again haha..
Thanks for the recaps..will watch the video now!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Goddamn, how can they be so hot, just one right after the other like that? A girl needs a minute." HAHA love your comment. I need 5 minutes :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

O.M.G. now i know what i want for Christmas :).... can i be Eunbi? even for a day, heck, even for an hour! To have two hot/cute/charming/*insert desirable adjectives here* fighting over you is so *sigh* <3

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Two hot guys..are you sure an hour is enough?? ;)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

totally LOVEd this episode too! yes, may i request for an extra helping too...please....

and i think there are some Hong sister's storytelling technique that's similar here too...it's the parody and how the writer's making us connect the dots as a metaphor...

love it!!! now we have to wait another week!

thank you for the recap!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I totally agree, Jomo. I too am hoping that CCS will be a part of her life for a season, but ultimately for her to end up with Kang-hyuk. He seems the most suitable, and mature match.

***Sometimes the person who ends up being your true love/soulmate is not the person that you had the most chemistry with, because many times things that started with just sparks flying everywhere end up as bittersweet cold ashes of a love/lust that once was. Whereas the person that was consistently there, (as I'm hoping Kang-hyuk will end up being her man) ends up being a love that may have come as a surprise and completely unexpected but slowly develops into a love that you can count on, and will be there for the rest of your life.

Man I love FBRS!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't know why, but if i analyze, i think that Kang Hyuk and Chi Soo actually have a same mother, but different father.
KH ever said that her mother run away/left him & his dad, and CS's mother ever cried because of "another man" ( i think, it is KH's father ).
Anyway, here in this episode's played A SONG that KH's mother and CS's mother loves ( but i haven't watched this video yet, so i can't listen to the song, but it is played at the same timing ! ).
So, i think they are actually "brothers from different father". hahaha. it's just my guess ! CMIMW. :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It totally feels like a manga. I adore it.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The song on the MP3 player was Eun-bi’s father's song and it was also Kang-hyuk mother's song. I wonder if they were romantically involved at some point because I still don't understand why the Father left the restaurant to Kang-hyuk and not his own daughter.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think I'll be the only one who will be happy if EUN-BI and BA-WOOL stays forever as noona and dongseng...it doesn't matter if she gets kang hyuk or chisoo just as long as she stays with bawool...they are sooo cuteee!

she wrinkles her nose for him! OW ME GADDDD.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ahhhh....very satisfied after reading the synopsis. Going with this episode's theme, the satisfaction felt like taking a dump after constipated for days...:P

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you again for the recap!

I'm glad to see in the comments I'm another one who really wants to see Kang-hyuk move away from his constant passive actions around Eunbi, even when I think it's pretty late for him to do so now. So happy to see he should be revving things up now! I want more hot wife puns and interactions!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Am I the only one who can't stand lee chung ah's acting?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ep. 8 was stupendous! To me the pièce de resístance was
the supporting characters. The expressions on CSS' schoolmates' faces were priceless when CSS was explaining how he met EB (hardcore!). Also, the "family" watching TV and BW's tantrum (just as in ep. 8 in the supermarket). OMG, and DJ and coach being the voice of
reason for EB.

There is so much beauty in the writing, the interaction of
characters, the simile of EB's first love past and CSS' first love present is beautiful. First loves rarely last, yet they make us stronger to love again. It's just part of the game.

The age/maturation difference between EB and CSS is impossible to surmount because, even though she is sometimes as immature as him, he has to walk the path she has already tread.

Oh yes, and we still have to experiment President Cha's intent to take over the shop. Pororo to the rescue please! :-)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

My head spinning .. the background song by Late Kim Kwang-Seok - 잊어야 한다는 마음으로 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlxemcnCi0U&feature=related )

i heard that he wrote this song while he remembering a girl that has crush over. In a same room, by the window he wrote a word I love you (saranghae) however he wipe it out ... ouch .. a love that he 'afraid' to show ...

i found it similar to Cha Chi-Soo's feelings towards her, he failed to acknowledge it and that's where the pain keep taunted him.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

omg the episodes for this drama... why are they so short!?!?!?!?

but it's done sooo well!
thanks so much for doing the recaps so fast so I can read and watch the raws at the same time.

gah... so torn! although personally i love the lazy kang hyuk a bit more... he's just... so good at taking care of her.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What a way to end an episode!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I never thought I would look forward to Mondays and tue! EB and CS are do hot together:)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love your recap. I always run here to look for ur recap every Monday n Tuesday. Can I say I love ur insight on every character. Hope u continue to give us this very insightful recap on this drama n on to the next interesting one also...Love, love, love ur recap....have I said it before?

anyway, keep up the good work

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sorry, I should have said every Tuesday n Wednesday

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You're right! I was thinking about the Hong sisters as well when I started watching this drama. It's got its incredible quality, too, and the fact that there is a theme or a meme in each episode (the Pororo episode, the Shinhwa episode, etc.) is just a plus to all the symbolic. Thumbs up high! Who is the screenwriter?
Thanks Girlfriday :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

... I just Google'd it. Her name's 윤난중 - she seems to be a newbie? Or would you happen to know if she's written other dramas before?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

love this drama very much......Jung Il Woo how you can so awesome n adorable.............? can't wait until the end..so long..........!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i feel the same way with the Hong Sisters reference... it's like The Greatest Love all over again with it's metaphors :)... loved that show... and i love this show too...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dear Episode 08,

You are seriously killing me. And I haven't even watched you. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?

P.S. I commented on the previous recap about Kang Hyuk. That if he's not gonna do something by the next episode, I will totally hate him forever. BUT LOOK AT THAT! /brbeatingmywords

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh, but I'm aboard the Chi Soo-Eun Bi Ship. Can't help it. :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kang-HYuk I love you!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This show makes me want to fall madly in love again.

This almost kiss. The hubby punch.

Ahhh...JIW and LKW!!!

And add a little PMW. *sigh*

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna scream really loud!!!!!!!!! ilove this drama!!!!!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *