Me Too, Flower: Episode 15 (Final)

by orangy911

All in all, a very satisfying ending. Some strings were tied a little too tightly but I enjoyed the whopping 76 minutes of this finale. I’m left with a warm, sweet feeling, like I had a cup of peppermint tea with ginger snap cookies on the side. I find myself missing the characters already because they were some of the most endearing friends and pitiful enemies that I’ve come across in K-dramaland. Adieu, Me Too, Flower! We’ve had fun.

Disclaimer: this is also very long. I apologize for the blurry eyes and tired fingers from scrolling down in advance.

Episode 15

Bong Sun is rushed to the emergency room and the doctor notes that it may take a while before she regains consciousness. He also advises that Bong Sun should be kept as warm as possible. He leaves and Jae Hee puts his coat over Bong Sun. After a moment’s hesitation, he gets into Bong Sun’s bed and holds her, trying to keep her warm.

Maru visits Bong Sun and sees the couple together. He blushes and goes outside to give them some privacy. He calls the station to let the chief know that Bong Sun is okay when Dal and Mom run up to him. He stammers that visiting hours are over and tries to prevent them from going inside Bong Sun’s room, but Dal slips past him.

They see Jae Hee and Bong Sun holding hands and sleeping and Mom drags a jealous Dal back into the hallway. Dal heads to Dr. Park’s office and comes in uninvited. She plops herself down and asks him to love her. He ignores her request so she repeats her question. If he loves her, then she’ll love him twice as much.

He snaps that she probably doesn’t even know what love is. She makes her way next to him and replies that love is…touching. LOL. He blubbers that shit will go down if she touches him and she pouts. She asks him to love her again and he takes her face in his hands, saying that love doesn’t come with conditions. She grins like a Chesire cat and pounces on him. Whoa.

Bong Sun wakes up and touches Jae Hee’s face, which causes him to wake up. She wonders if she’s alive and he replies that she is. She asks him not to leave her side and he assures her that he won’t. She informs him that she saw him in a dream, to which he says that he also heard her voice. She smiles; of course he did. She called out to him.

She asks him to sing her a song and “pays” him with a kiss. He embraces her, but before he sings, Dad walks in. Oh crap. Dad predictably grabs Jae Hee by the collar and demands to know why he’s with his daughter. He tries to pull Jae Hee outside but Jae Hee calls him “Father-in-Law.” Dad’s eyes widen in surprise and he looks to Bong Sun.

Thus begins a grilling session between Jae Hee and Dad. Dad asks him what he does for a living and Jae Hee responds that he’s currently looking to open up a new business. Dad scoffs that running a business isn’t for children. He also asks if Jae Hee’s parents are alive and what his education level is. Ack. I cringe with Bong Sun as Jae Hee answers that he’s an orphan and he doesn’t have a high school diploma.

Gorilla Dad kicks Jae Hee out and scolds Bong Sun for meeting such a worthless man. She asks him to listen to her but he tells her to sleep. Later that night, Bong Sun slips out as Dad snores like a pig. She finds Jae Hee in the waiting room and asks him what he means about starting a new business.

He tells her that he’s going to give up everything for her. He gave up all his shares in the company, sold his car, and put his apartment in another person’s care. She calls him crazy and immature and he assures her that everything will be okay.

She responds that he can’t throw away his life’s work. All his sweat and tears are about to go to waste. He reminds her of his ten-year plan and says that there’s no need to feel any guilt as he pulls her into a hug. This is his choice.

Hwa Young arrives at Perche and the parking manager wonders if she’s still upset about the press conference. She steps on his food with her heel, saying that she didn’t see him. She turns to go inside and slightly trips, but keeps her nose in the air. Kek.

Jae Hee and Mr. Bae interview three high school students for a study abroad scholarship program sponsored by Perche in Europe. Mr. Bae notes that they have manicured nails and the girls reply that they have to maintain appearances. He grumbles that those pretty nails will get ruined if they work for this company. Later, various other people, including two parking attendants, talk about their life experiences and Jae Hee smiles at their enthusiasm.

Bong Sun gets a surprise party when she comes to the station. The supervisor exclaims that she gave them quite the scare and Maru mumbles that she shouldn’t have gone off on her own. She stands up and simultaneously apologizes and thanks her colleagues.

The chief tells her there’s a certain saying about their occupation. If you work as a civil servant for three days, that quickly becomes three months, which turns into three years. Soon, thirty years have passed by in a blink of an eye.

He tells Bong Sun that she’s worked here for three years and that he looks forward to seeing her continue this job for the next thirty years. She nods and the chief tells her to work hard for a promotion next year.

The supervisor later pulls her aside and hands her a gift. He asks her to give it to her dad, who is a great sunbae to him. He comments that her dad was so dedicated to his work that he didn’t eat or sleep for days on end until a crime was solved. He must have felt like he was suffocating when he was demoted to working in the administrative offices.

She thinks about the supervisor’s words and flashes back to a birthday when she and Mom waited for Dad to come home so they could eat dinner.

Dal shows up at a movie theater but can’t find Dr. Park. She calls to ask where he is, and he responds that he’s at a museum. He only waits ten minutes past the meeting time and she was thirty minutes late. She eventually shows up to the museum and complains that her feet hurt from wearing heels. He retorts that she should wear sneakers next time and she glares.

He tells her to take off her shoes so he can massage her feet and she happily complies. Dr. Park grabs her shoes and tells her to walk barefoot. She pouts but he ignores her and heads to the next room, leaving her no choice but to follow. Haha. Okay, so the fact that they’re going out is a little creepy and their relationship is underdeveloped, but it strangely works.

Jae Hee surprises Bong Sun with earmuffs and declares that they’re going to eat the most expensive meal in the world. She scoffs that he’s poor now and he responds that when there’s a will, there’s a way. She laughs but stops in her tracks when she spots Dr. Park and Dal together, who are discussing what to eat for dinner.

Bong Sun takes Dal aside and Jae Hee asks Dr. Park for a talk. Dr. Park agrees, but asks him to take off his earmuffs. They’re so childish. Haha. In Dr. Park’s office, Bong Sun reminds Dal of her warning: don’t mess with Dr. Park. Dal asks why she’s so concerned and Bong Sun responds that she’s his fan. Dal shouldn’t just screw around with someone’s feelings and Dal retorts that she’s not. She has serious feelings for him.

Dal confesses that Dr. Park accepts her for who she is. He doesn’t care if she wears expensive clothes or a sweatshirt and he’s seen her without make-up. He takes in the good and bad without question. Isn’t that also why Bong Sun and Jae Hee love each other?

At the same time, Jae Hee reprimands Dr. Park for acting so immaturely. Is he really going to date Dal? Dr. Park nods and explains that Dal doesn’t try to hide her faults because she’s honest. She asks someone to love her unconditionally, which makes her no different from Bong Sun. They make not be blood-related, but they’re definitely sisters. Aw. That is so cute.

Jae Hee and Bong Sun take the bus and she reflects on Dal’s request for her to help their relationship. She puts her head on Jae Hee’s shoulder and they silently reach for each other’s hands. Back in Dr. Park’s office, Tae Hwa asks if Dal wants to know something about him. She readily nods and he confesses that he has a daughter who’s in middle school.

Dal murmurs that she and his daughter might not get along (hah) and she asks him what his ex-wife is like. He responds that she’s a good person who forgave him for breaking apart their family. Dal nods her head in understanding and announces that she’s going to start studying to become someone that he won’t be embarrassed of around his friends. He replies that he’s not embarrassed of her right now either. Oh man. I can only say “that’s so cute” so many times… but that’s adorable.

Jae Hee drops Bong Sun off at her home and she asks if he wants to greet her mother. They step inside and Jae Hee bows to Mom, who holds back tears. She thanks him for being in Bong Sun’s life and grasps both of their hands. Bong Sun starts to tear up and looks lovingly at Mom.

In Bong Sun’s room, Jae Hee orders her to take down the poster of Pink. She responds that it’s been up there for years and he replies that she should put up a picture of him instead. If she doesn’t take it down, he will. She retorts that she’s had a longer history with Pink Chicken than she has with him. LOL.

His eyes widen and he demands to know what relationship she has with Pink. She responds that he comforted her when Jae Hee made her cry. They also slept together (HAHA) and he yells at her to take the poster down right away. She adamantly refuses; whenever Jae Hee upsets her, Pink has to console her. This causes Jae Hee to rip the poster down and Bong Sun pulls him down.

She gets up on top of him as he struggles to push her away, which leaves them in a suggestive position. Right then, Mom opens the door with cups of tea and gasps. Bwahaha. First Dad, now Mom. Bong Sun stuffs a tangerine into Jae Hee’s mouth and commands him to leave the poster alone.

Bong Sun visits Dad at work and witnesses him getting told off by a younger supervisor for not understanding how to work the computer. She glares at the supervisor as he walks by and walks up to Dad, declaring that she’ll teach him how to use the program.

They go out to eat and she presents him with gifts for his birthday. She pours him a glass of soju and he returns the favor. He tells her that he’s putting the house under her name and she responds that she wants him to meet Jae Hee one more time instead. He reproaches her for being so foolish; she needs someone stable and educated, whatever that means. He tells her to put back the “we’re in love” card because he won’t accept Jae Hee.

She takes a swig of soju and informs him that she doesn’t know how to love because she’s never received any from Dad. She asks why he doesn’t love her and starts shoving food down her throat. He gently advises her to eat slowly.

Hwa Young, Ah In, and Jae Hee visit Ah In’s father and Hwa Young tells Ah In to greet his dad. Ah In hides his face in Jae Hee’s coat and Jae Hee pushes him forward. Ah In takes a deep breath and announces that he’ll be 8 soon, just like his dad in heaven.

He eats kimchi now and tells him that he loves him. Then he shyly hides behind Jae Hee again. Gah. Who is this kid? I want to steal him away, furry red coat and all. Jae Hee leads Ah In to Hwa Young and he steps forward to inform his hyung that he’s leaving Hwa Young’s side. He put his apartment under Ah In’s name too.

Movers pack up Jae Hee’s belongings as Hwa Young begs Jae Hee to change his mind. Is this because of Bong Sun? Is she mad? Hwa Young tells him that she’ll apologize to Bong Sun if she has to. Uh. You can’t just apologize…to apologize? It has to be for your own benefit too, huh. He tells her that he wants to start over. He has a lot of things he wants to do and fulfill different dreams. He reminds her that Perche was created by her as well. She has the skills to lead it without his help. Right now, he has an important task to do.

Jae Hee meets Bong Sun, who admits that she’s a bad daughter to her parents. He leads her inside and comforts her by talking about Mr. Bae. Mr. Bae’s grandfather was a loving, gentle man to Mr. Bae’s father, who passed that love to Mr. Bae. That’s probably why Mr. Bae is a great man now. Jae Hee explains that maybe her father doesn’t know how to love because he didn’t receive any from his father either. She quietly reflects on his words and responds that Jae Hee is always full of surprises.

Ah In’s father visits Earth and tells Ah In to eat a lot of kimchi to get as big and strong as his dad. He moves to Hwa Young’s room and wakes her up. He embraces her and informs her that she’s still beautiful. He apologizes for making her so lonely and she cries on his shoulder.

In the factory, Jae Hee looks over leather patches until his hyung visits. He thanks Jae Hee for looking after his family and tells him that he needs to pave his own road now. Jae Hee asks for reassurance that he’s doing the right thing and his hyung hugs him. He explains that the accident was never Jae Hee’s fault; his luck just ran out at that time. He absolves Jae Hee of his guilt and Jae Hee lets his tears flow.

The next day, Bong Sun’s colleagues watch a report about the bike thief’s capture. The supervisor proudly claims that it’s all because of Bong Sun, who’s currently meeting a general. He thanks her for her hard work and gives her a packet of letters from the lonely grandpa, who addressed them to “strawberry milk.” Kek. Aw. She’s also informed that she has been suggested for a promotion to sergeant and that good news should come her way soon.

She comes back to the station to announce that she’s on the verge of being getting a promotion. Her smile fades when she realizes Hwa Young’s presence. She gives Bong Sun documents to Jae Hee’s apartment, but Bong Sun returns that Jae Hee won’t accept them even if they’re from her.

Hwa Young nods and assures Bong Sun that she won’t bother her or Jae Hee anymore. With that, she gets up and heads to Dr. Park’s office. What, no apology? Figures. She looks for Tae Hwa, but another man’s voice answers her calls. It’s Tae Hwa’s colleague, who looks exactly like her late husband. He announces himself as her psychiatrist and puts his hand, saying that he looks forward to working with her.

Hwa Young sneers that she doesn’t have any problems, but the psychiatrist thinks otherwise. She raises her voice but quickly calms herself down. He notes that he has a run in her stocking and hands her a blanket. Omg. This is overkill. Blegh. Not to mention I kind of don’t want her to have a happy ending…

Jae Hee cooks kimchi fried rice as Bong Sun marvels at his designs. He tells her that South Korea has a long way to go before catching up to Europe in terms of fashion, but he has some ideas that might jumpstart the Asian handbag revolution. He also admits that he was envious of the interviewees for the scholarship program.

He points out that a scholarship program would have helped him study design more and Bong Sun tells him to go to Europe then. He responds that the program is three years, to which she states that she can wait. It’ll give her a chance to visit him and explore Europe too.

Jae Hee wonders if she’s serious and she nods. He always tells her not to overthink, which is what she’s doing now. The faster he goes, the faster he comes back. He smiles at her cheek and replies that he’ll think about it.

They pray before they eat and Jae Hee asks God, Allah, Buddha, and anyone else in the heavens to keep Bong Sun from crying in front of other men. He asks them to help her take down the poster of Pink and to make criminals quiver at her feet as she handcuffs them.

Lastly, he makes them a promise. He will remind the woman in front of him how special she is to him all the time. He also promises that he will become her “house” and support her whenever she needs him.

He opens his eyes to find Bong Sun still praying. He looks at her in confusion as she thinks about Jae Hee’s words. In a voiceover, she explains that everyone has a memory of a mother who cook warm food and a father who protects the family like a house. However, some families become broken, leaving the house empty and the food cold. The children that live in those homes grow up to become adults who don’t know how to love.

She confesses that she thinks she’s finally become an adult now as she takes the poster of Pink down. Later, we see Jae Hee bowing to Dad and Bong Sun mentally expresses her gratitude to him. She also states that Dad fulfilled another request, which is for him and Mom to attend a consultation with Dr. Park.

She continues, saying people love in order to be loved while people who want to fall in love eventually find that one person. People with scars need love to avoid future hurtful experiences, because love is unconditional and healing.

Even if romantic feelings fade, there should be no regrets. After all, being loved and giving love are both blessings that not everyone experiences. She closes by saying that she’s genuinely happy and warm right now because she knows how to love and receive love.

Comments:

Something that Me Too, Flower! did really well at first was balancing the cute with the dramatic, and this episode is a testament to that. Somewhere down the line we got caught up with redundant plot points and forced metaphors, which muddied up my attraction to the drama and left me a little cold. Fortunately, the last episode makes up for most of my gripes with the past…5ish episodes because it’s just so darn heartwarming.

After all, I can bitch and moan about how the writing went down the crapper all I want but I can’t do anything about it now. There are plenty of drama trainwrecks that I’ve plowed through because I wanted to see my favorite actors, and Me Too, Flower! is certainly one of the less offensive. I am a little upset that we lost precious character development time because of crazy Hwa Young but I also can’t forget that this drama still provided me with laughs and tears.

So, lots of cover with only so much time, space, and patience. First, I admit that I have become a fan of Lee Ji Ah. She’s not the strongest actress but she breathed life into Bong Sun, who is now one of my favorite heroines. Bong Sun is a complex character and Lee Ji Ah did a nice job handling her prickly, bipolar personality by adding flashes of vulnerability. Bong Sun pulled me into the drama and her happiness is the one that I rooted for the most. She’s an independent woman who learned how to love with the help of an immature manchild.

Yoon Shi Yoon entered this drama amidst doubts about his acting ability to take on an older character. His baby face certainly detracted from the drama and Kim Jae Won would have been a better fit age-wise to juggle scenes with Hwa Young, Bong Sun, and Dal. But Yoon Shi Yoon acted his little heart out and he essentially became Jae Hee. Now, I watched him in Tak Gu last year and I wondered how I’d ever see him as anyone different…and I’m happy to report that all thoughts of Tak Gu are gone.

Jae Hee was often ridiculously frustrating to watch because of his inability to stand up to Hwa Young. It didn’t help that he believed that he killed her husband (I still don’t fully understand how the accident happened btw) and he felt an enormous amount of guilt that kept him from opening up to anyone. He hurt Bong Sun consistently and physically dragged her around like she was a rag doll. Still, I found him interesting because of how different he was from the standard chaebol hero.

This is a guy who worked his ass off to build up a successful, million-dollar company and I half-admire, half-hate his decision to start from scratch. I don’t think it was necessary to give up everything to be with Bong Sun because, as I’ve mentioned before, she was scared to re-kindle the fire for reasons other than that the fact that he was wealthy. If anything, I still feel a slight dissatisfaction at his lack of honesty about what Hwa Young did. But maybe he still has trouble with fully trusting Bong Sun, which is a problem they’ll have to work at.

Dal and Tae Hwa’s romance was rushed and cramped into one episode, but I really enjoyed their dynamic throughout the drama. I can understand some people disliking them as a couple. He is, after all, Bong Sun’s therapist (who also had a crush on her). In addition, Dal and Dr. Park are almost twenty years apart, which some people might think is super creepy. Personally, I buy Dr. Park and Dal’s romance because they fit each other well.

She provides a burst of energy into his lonely, boring life while he grounds her with his gentle but firm demeanor. He accepts her, ill manners and all, while she finds the need to become a better person. It’s a wonderful parallel and his presence helps Dal mature into a woman. As bratty as Dal is, you can’t deny how straightforward and refreshing she is about her flaws. Seo Hyo Rim made Dal likeable and I found her cutely amusing for most of the drama. Dal and Tae Hwa are also really cute together.They have an unconventional romance that fits the slightly off-center beat of the drama. Plus, I want to see my quirky Tae Hwa ahjusshi happy.

On the other hand, Hwa Young’s ending was sickeningly sweet for me. I felt like I ate a burnt ginger snap topped with whip cream, jelly, and sprinkles. I just don’t think it was necessary to slap her together with a look-alike of her dead husband who’s going to “heal her pain.” Sure, she needs treatment for her problems but that doesn’t excuse her past actions at all.

I can’t absolve her from all the crap that she’s pulled, especially now because she never apologized sincerely to Bong Sun, who suffered the worse burns from Hwa Young’s evil game. She’s haughty until the very end and I loathe that nobody stepped on her feet with high heels. Jae Hee might have let her go untouched because she was his first love but I wanted Bong Sun to get in a good smack or something. She probably wouldn’t have done it if given the chance but I would have been happy…

From a narrative point of view, I understand that the author wanted to cast a larger theme about love and how it doesn’t discriminate against people. If I liked Hwa Young, I would accept that she needs someone to love her and help her realize what an amazing person she is. Unfortunately, I don’t but what’s done is done. I did, however, like the “visit from dead husband” scenes because they provided closure. I felt a teaspoon’s worth of pity when she broke down on her husband’s shoulder, but I refuse to give her anything more. Hmph. I do love Han Go Eun though and she did a great job making me hate her. (Not to mention, she is so gorgeous…)

This may be a stretch but the roses above felt like a new beginning, free from the deranged Hwa Young and the constant unpacking of secrets. They’ve accepted each other for who they are and they make up for each other’s shortcomings. Jae Hee helps Bong Sun understand why her dad has such a hard time showcasing his affection and Bong Sun puts Jae Hee above her own selfish desires by asking him to go to Europe. I mean, seriously, what kind of girlfriend urges her boyfriend to go study abroad in Europe so sincerely? (The answer: a great one). I’m going to miss this couple a lot and I thank them for touching my heart.

Lastly (I know…she’s finally shutting up), I would like to provide my immense gratitude to dramabeans and girlfriday for helping me navigate this wonderful site and letting me use precious space to unleash my wordy ramblings. Recaps are hard to write, as I have experienced, and they continue to provide this community with thoughtful interpretations of dramas and I have a deep respect for their dedication. I apologize again for churning the recaps out so late and I’ll miss reading the discussions that people had in the comments section. With that, I shall take my leave. 2012, bring it on.

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