The Musical: Episode 9

by kaedejun

Isn’t Joon Hyuk cute when he’s so happy? But this episode was all about Eun Bi. While it was great, what annoyed me the most was how self-sacrificing she is. I wish she could have stood her ground and trusted the people around her a little more. I wish that she didn’t worry so much about the people around her and think that she needs to give up her dreams for other people’s sakes.

And let’s not get into another fight about Gu Hye Sun’s acting! Because this time – it’s all the writing’s fault for creating such a character.

It’s drinking time for Gu Jak and Jae Hee. Why? Because they’re now saddled with a total ditz of a performer in Jessie – the idiotic pop idol that Chairman Investor wants them to have in the musical. At least Gu Jak gets some good news from Joon Hyuk – they got a $500,000 investment upfront, which Gu Jak spends immediately on booking a nice theater.

Meanwhile, Sang Won discusses with other production managers about “Count Monte” as Ra Kyung takes photos to log the entire process. She’s pretty much ignored, so she takes a break outside the office. There, she overhears two actors arguing: one of them, Ho Young, is telling the other that he’s quitting Count Monte and will pay back the contract fee. The other actor is suspicious as to why people are dropping off like flies. Ra Kyung brings this odd occurrence to Sang Won later on, who then tells Kang Hee.

Kang Hee’s already got her suspicions, as when the choreographer comes to her private studio for practice, he accidentally puts in a CD for “Chungdamdong Gumiho” instead of a jazz CD. His excuse is that he was toting around his old bag, and the CD must have been left inside. The truth is, he’s also choreographing the “Gumiho” team at Gu Jak’s restaurant.

I LOVE that he’s double dipping right now. It’s just further proof that you can’t replace passion with money and prestige.

Eun Bi gets a call later that evening from none other than Kang Hee. She wants to meet. Dun dun dun!

The next morning, Eun Bi sees her at Kang Hee’s private studio, which is inside her mansion. In this private studio, Kang Hee admits that she would have gone for “Gumiho” but because Frank’s condition was that she appear in “Count Monte,” she chose “Count Monte,” and thus influenced Yoo Jin and Sang Won’s decision to drop “Gumiho.” She would have done “Gumiho” for the sole reason that it was Jae Hee’s work, but a role like “Count Monte” won’t come often. She’s an actress who is getting older, and like in film, she will only be offered a wide range of roles up to a certain age.

Kang Hee tells Eun Bi to get out of Jae Hee’s shadow, and to truly start from the very bottom. Just because she has the main role now doesn’t mean she’ll have another act lined up. She wants Eun Bi to be her understudy for Count Monte.

Whoaaa! That’s a big offer, and major sabotage right there!

Eun Bi is smart – she wants to know if Kang Hee is sincerely proposing this for her benefit, or if it’s because she wants to get Eun Bi away from Jae Hee. Kang Hee laughs; Jae Hee doesn’t matter in this at all. However, she should keep in mind that if Jae Hee changes his mind, he won’t always be there for her to support her. Eun Bi: “Your heart can change too.” If Kang Hee suddenly dislikes her, she might make Eun Bi’s life a living hell. Therefore, at this point, Eun Bi is only going to trust in herself, and she rejects the understudy position.

As she leaves, she sees all the milk cartons thrown out to the trash – all of the cartons that had her messages written on it, all of them thrown away carelessly. Eun Bi bows at the closed door, for what may be the last time, and walks off. Yes! Cut ties with Kang Hee!

Gu Jak meets with a CG animation representative and gets overly excited over all the possible effects that could occur (even if they have nothing to do with the musical). Luckily Joon Hyuk is there to rein him in and asks for an estimate on the cost before signing a contract. Even Jae Hee thinks that Gu Jak is being overly excessive.

Yoo Jin’s assistant comes in with the contract for “Gumiho,” stating that no one can put the show up anywhere without his permission. This statement – or loophole, if you want to look at it that way – could potentially squash down the production again, but Yoo Jin doesn’t even want to use it. He’d rather “talk to Jae Hee” first.

Meanwhile, Ra Kyung’s publicity firm is taking on the project of publicizing a top star and a chaebol’s wedding.That only makes Ra Kyung think about her own wedding and when it would happen, if it happens at all. On top of that, her boss makes her the head of this project, instead of a coworker who’s better at weddings, because she wants Ra Kyung to view it as a “practice run.”

Later in the evening, Gu Jak goes to Jessie’s studio to see her and the Chairman. All Jessie is worried about is whether he kicked out Eun Bi just yet. Gu Jak tries to convince her that the system of “alternates” is really good, because it allows Jessie to work on her other stuff and have days off, and they get to keep Eun Bi. But Jessie wants someone who’s of the “same level” as her (i.e. another top star). Gu Jak has a hard time convincing both her and Chairman of letting Eun Bi stay.

It doesn’t help that Eun Bi has also just informed Jae Hee that she’s quitting. He’s so angry that she keeps on quitting just when things get hard, and aren’t smooth sailing. On top of that, he created the role for her. He wanted to see her on stage. He wanted her to help create this role he had written. And Eun Bi’s argument is merely, “If I stay, Jessie goes. And if Jessie goes, the investor goes.” It’s a valid statement, and the production does need the money. She’s also doing it so that her fellow cast members’ dreams won’t be dashed away again.

However, it’s a weak argument because it’s unfair for the two men who are actually fighting for her to stay, and it’s just so weak-minded of her. I thought all she ever wanted was to be in a musical, and she was going to do whatever it takes to star in one! She feels that she’s not talented or popular enough, and is willing to let an idol star step all over her. How disheartening.

Jae Hee does his best to keep her, to hold on to her, but Eun Bi wants nothing to do with him. She leaves his home, tears streaming down her face, but resolves to just get over it. Ha – like feelings can be flipped on and off like a switch.

And then who should she see, but Yoo Jin! He had come to Jae Hee’s home for a talk, but luckily he saw the person he really wanted to talk to: Eun Bi.

They go to a nearby park, watching some boys breakdance. Yoo Jin notes that they must be happy, but Eun Bi thinks he means they look foolish, doing something that’s purely self-satisfying but unproductive. Yoo Jin admits that he would have thought that way once, but not anymore!!! He knows that he made a selfish decision with Count Monte because he would benefit from it. Asking people to understand why he made the decision would be doubly selfish.

He really wanted to put up “Gumiho,” and he knows that they’re going to continue with it. He could stop it legally, which stuns Eun Bi speechless, but he’s not going to. “The desire for you to do well is greater than the desire for me to produce it myself,” he says. He actually really wants to see someone put it onstage earlier, and he wants her to work on it and cheer her on. He even pats her on the shoulder!!

Too bad she quit. Though she doesn’t tell him that.

She wonders if Yoo Jin is under that much pressure from his family that he can’t even do something he desperately wants to do. He just waves goodbye with a smile.

In the car, he makes a phone call – to his mother!!! After promising to not contact his parents, he’s actually doing it! Unfortunately, her number is no longer in service, so he calls up his father. Jin Young is surprised to hear his son’s voice, and he makes up the excuse that his mother is actually away on a trip. He gets distracted when he hears Sun Hee thrashing about in the bedroom, and Yoo Jin himself nearly gets into a car accident by talking to his father.

Jin Young rushes upstairs to stop Sun Hee from smashing herself against the wall, and she screams and passes out in his arms. Grandpa also hasn’t completely cut off his son, as he keeps tabs on him and Sun Hee. He hears about Sun Hee’s deteriorating state, and grumbles about how Jin Young was so stubborn for staying with a sickly wife.

When Ra Kyung goes to check out a wedding hall for her clients, she gets a call from Joon Hyuk. He needs her to hurry outside to her car, or else she’ll get a ticket. Ra Kyung dashes out to see Joon Hyuk fielding off a cop and protecting the car of “his angel.” She comes out in time and pulls the car away.

To repay Joon Hyuk, she takes him to an expensive restaurant and asks him to order as much as he wants so that the bill equates to the price of a ticket. He opts for coffee instead – that way, she will need to meet him for coffee ten times to fully repay it. He admits to liking her, and that it was complete coincidence that he saw her and her car.  Ra Kyung is a little nervous around him because he’s so intense, and she bluntly tells him that she has someone to marry. But Joon Hyuk interrupts: “First coffee of 10!”

Eun Bi sees Bok Ja during her day job working at a shoe store, and they both notice one of the customers with callouses and bumps on her feet because of bad shoes. Eun Bi thinks it must be painful, and sad, for people to wear shoes that don’t really fit them, and Yoo Jin comes to mind.

Rehearsal time for Count Monte – and Kang Hee begins her solo song. She then takes some steps forward, and the foreigner director stops her in her tracks. She may have walked in a 15 degree angle this time, but now her steps are too wide. The rest of the cast mutters behind her; sure the director is being insanely picky, but most importantly, what is the diva Kang Hee going to do?

She merely shuts up, and does it over again. Yoo Jin is impressed with her professionalism – no matter how embarrassing it might be, she will practice until she gets it right, even practicing the steps in her private studio with the steps taped out.

To help her make a decision about what she should do with her life, Eun Bi escapes to watching one of her favorite musicals (which is, Aladdin?). Jae Hee waits for her outside of the theater (having found out about her whereabouts through Bok Ja), in his car, in the rain. However, he’s in for a surprise when Yoo Jin shows up behind Eun Bi. She had asked for his help in getting the tickets to the show!

This was her “go-to” musical for whenever she needed help in putting her mind at peace. Yoo Jin is just happy that she chose to ask him for the tickets, when she could have gone to Jae Hee because he had written this musical. He offers to give her a ride – he’d like it if she can repay him by buying him a cup of coffee. He then uses his coat, and they dash through the rain to his car.

Jae Hee merely watches quietly in his car. Sulking? Hurt? Betrayed? Definitely not happy.

At the coffee shop, Yoo Jin tells her he knows about Kang Hee offering Eun Bi the understudy role. However, his real preference would be to see her as Do Hwa.

Gu Jak tries for a second time to convince Jessie about sharing the role with Eun Bi, but is completely unsuccessful. So Eun Bi tells him that she’ll tell everyone she’s going to quit “Gumiho” for herself, not because of Jessie. That way, no one can argue to her about staying. I love that she tells him this as they’re getting foot massages, so Gu Jak is so distracted by the pain he can’t even respond properly.

The next morning, Gu Jak brings Jessie to Jae Hee’s place so that she can get some lessons on singing. Jae Hee ain’t too pleased, so Gu Jak has to break the news that it was Eun Bi’s decision to leave. Of course she wasn’t forced out by Jessie – oh no!

Yeah – Jae Hee ain’t fooled by that.

Eun Bi really is walking her own path though – she goes to see Kang Hee at her private studio. She’d like to accept the role of being the understudy.

Comments:

Like I said before, this episode was all about Eun Bi. However, I’m so sad that she hasn’t taken a more active role in being Do Hwa. She just let Jessie come in and walk all over her. It was similar to how she let Kang Hee come in and dictate how the role of Do Hwa should be for “Gumiho.” I do think she hears Jae Hee say that he created the role specifically for her, and yet she’s not truly hearing him. She’s not understanding that she needs to trust him and that he doesn’t want to produce the musical with anyone but her. It’s like she has no faith in him. Rather, she’d just take the responsibility all upon herself and quit for the sake of the team, when there is no need for her to do so.

I don’t think she should have quit just because of Jessie – despite the investment money. Yes, they need the $4 million, and yes, Gu Jak is an idiot for spending so much already. However, I thought Eun Bi’s goal was to be on a musical no matter what. In a way, I sometimes wish she were a little more selfish and not so self-sacrificing for other people’s dreams, especially when the producers of the play (Gu Jak and Jae Hee) are letting her be selfish. They don’t want her to leave!

But aside from Eun Bi, I’m really glad that Yoo Jin has stepped up. Not only has he finally touched her (in real life! not imaginary!), but he’s become human and is encouraging her. I enjoy watching how his character changed from being cold and decisive, to someone who wants to cheer a friend on. He’s still objective about everyone around him (for example, he still views Kang Hee in a positive light despite being aware of her manipulations on making him drop “Gumiho” for “Count Monte”), and it’s this ability to be clear-headed and yet human makes him quite an ideal guy.

Let the ship-battles begin! Because honestly, though I didn’t care before who the OTP was, I have to admit – Yoo Jin and Eun Bi are good for each other. They don’t have to be romantic, but they certainly do help the other become a better person.

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