The Musical: Episode 13

by kaedejun

Not quite the “solid episode” I was looking for, but we finally did move forward with Eun Bi and Jae Hee. I started off thinking this episode (and the rest of the series) was going to be about Yoo Jin because they focused on him and his family so much. So thank goodness we turned back to something more “musical-centered” – such as Gu Jak, Eun Bi, and Jae Hee’s story lines. Not to mention – Sung Ha has reached the end of my patience. In three episodes! Who would have thought!?

The Yoo family rushes into the hospital to find Sun Hee unconscious, and in need of a surgery. She had run out onto the street and gotten into a car accident. She injured her head, and caused her brain to hemorrhage. The doctors quickly wheel her into the operating room, but are unable to do much – because of the tumor in her brain.

Yoo Jin – whose nerves are already quite on edge – snaps. He wants the truth from his father – what disease does his mother have exactly? It’s a malignant brain tumor, according to the father, and because it’s on the brain stem, there’s not much the doctors can do in removing it. She was given three years max to live.

Jin Young explains that they hid it from him so that he may live out his life burden-free. But what does “burden-free” mean exactly? Yoo Jin doesn’t really think that his life working at the company, doing whatever Grandpa asks, is “burden-free.” What do his parents know about preserving his future? What is this wonderful “future” they keep talking about? Yeah – I’d agree that he got the short end of the stick in this one, not being able to be with his mother at all and having to work for a company he probably didn’t intend to be in. He stalks off, pushing Ra Kyung away as well.

Late at night, Yoo Jin is in the mansion playing his mother’s large musical box. His grandfather wanders in, wondering where all the sound is coming from. Yoo Jin confronts him; Grandfather always taught him that once a goal is set, one must find the most efficient and lowest cost way to reach it. Is this how he used Yoo Jin? He wanted a successor for the company, and since Jin Young backed down, he took Yoo Jin instead, and made sure that Yoo Jin knew nothing about his mother’s illness to keep him by his side.

Grandpa can’t deny what he did, and answers bluntly: he did it for the corporation. He’s not going to live much longer, so he needs to make sure that the corporation will survive. A corporation is an entity that will outlive everyone, and it has an obligation to the people who work in it, to the consumers, to the government. It’s a bigger world than just the Yoo family, and Grandpa knows that sacrifices must be made; he can’t always just think about the family’s happiness over the bigger picture. Quite Machiavellian, his thinking.

Eun Bi returns to Seoul and gets a call from Kang Hee to meet up. Kang Hee is fishing for information – did Eun Bi know about Jae Hee’s new gig for the record company? Did she also know about Ahn Sung Ha? Eun Bi denies knowledge of any of them, as she hasn’t seen him in a while, and Kang Hee wonders how they broke apart. Eun Bi is unable to answer, losing herself in her own thoughts about how she rejected him over her passion for musicals, so Kang Hee backs off. She’s been there, done that.

Joon Hyuk arrives at Gu Jak’s restaurant early in the morning to find Gu Jak awake already. Or more like, still awake, having never slept. Gu Jak was rewriting the script for “Gumiho” so that the male lead is a playboy with trust issues, and the gumiho character is one who’s never known love. Joon Hyuk practically slaps Gu Jak in the head – why is he writing the story of Jae Hee and Eun Bi!? Does he miss them that much?!

Gu Jak heads over to Jae Hee’s home, trying to ring the doorbell but getting no reply. Sung Ha catches him at the front door, and she calls his cell, just to check to see if he really is Gu Jak. Taking him out for coffee, she explains that Jae Hee hasn’t completed the title song for the pop girl group’s album, and since he’s under contract, he won’t be able to do anything for Gu Jak for a few years. He can’t know about “Gumiho” getting back on his feet, for the consequences will be too great. This lady is shamelessly cutting off everyone from Jae Hee’s life!

When she returns to his home, she finds Jae Hee experimenting with the title song. Quickly, Sung Ha recognizes that he’s simply refashioned Do Hwa’s song in “Gumiho.” Jae Hee doesn’t like being called out that way – especially since he clearly misses musicals and Eun Bi. At least Eun Bi misses him and the “Gumiho” production as well. More flashbacks!

Ra Kyung visits the hospital and takes over the watch shift from Jin Young. She confides to a sleeping Sun Hee that she was jealous of her – she too had wanted that happy marriage to Jin, but she finds herself questioning if that’s even possible anymore.

The next morning, Yoo Jin is in Sun Hee’s room, working, when suddenly she wakes up. And she remembers Yoo Jin! She apologizes to him, and the mother and son embrace. Aww… The thing is though, the doctor can’t explain the miracle of how she got her memory back, and the MRI has shown no improvement. If anything, Yoo Jin and Jin Young will have to enjoy this precious moment while it lasts.

When Ra Kyung revisits the hospital, she comes upon Yoo Jin greeting Eun Bi and her grandmother. He had invited them because Sun Hee kept raving on and on about Grandma’s kimchi. However, Ra Kyung doesn’t know that, and so, feeling slighted, she walks away. Sun Hee thanks Grandma for everything, knowing that she doesn’t have much time left. She hopes that Grandma can look out for Jin as well.

Ra Kyung solves her depression by going out for drinks with her coworkers. They end up at Gu Jak’s restaurant, where they get treated to a show from the Acapella boys – and they’re joined by none other than Joon Hyuk! Dang he looks might slick too in his black get-up, and he rewrites a verse, singing “Ra Kyung! Angel! Everything that I’ve dreamed of!”

Yeah – how can a girl not fall for that? Once they’re sufficiently drunk, her coworkers tell her to ditch Yoo Jin and just go for Joon Hyuk. He’s not going to give up anyways, and he can sing and dance. Dreamy enough?

Yoo Jin takes his mother out for some fresh air outside. Over some coffee and a slice of chocolate chiffon cake, mother gives son some advice. He must try to be happy – figure out what it is, and then go for it. He should also apply the same philosphy towards marriage – marry someone for himself, someone he loves, and not because of outside forces. Hmm… guess Sun Hee wasn’t quite all that asleep when Ra Kyung confided in her…

As Yoo Jin steps away to get some tissues for his mother, Sun Hee lets out her final breath.

Yoo Jin returns to find his mother lifeless in her wheelchair. Poor guy is in denial from shock, and from behind her, he calls out to her: “Mom, I brought you tissues. Mom, if you’re done with your coffee, let’s go back upstairs?” And he breaks down in tears, clutching on to his mother.

Practice for “Count Monte” ends, and Sang Won advises everyone to take care of their health as the performance is in a few days. They all do a team cheer, but Eun Bi is the most lackluster at it. She contemplates visiting the folks practicing “Gumiho,” as Bok Ja had told her about restarting practice.

Eun Bi wanders to Jae Hee’s home, but refuses to go in. Yet Jae Hee catches her outside, having returned from a trip to the grocery store. She just wanted to tell him that Do Hwa’s song is great, and that if she ever were to get back on the “Gumiho” production… A phone call interrupts her thought. It’s Yoo Jin, calling to inform her that his mother died. Jae Hee leaves, perhaps feeling a little slighted that she’s worried about Yoo Jin over him.

When he gets inside his home, he is greeted by a freshly showered Sung Ha. Dang this girl is just… Anyways – she finally tells him that she met Gu Jak, but she sent him away so that Jae Hee wouldn’t waver and help him. She was just trying to help be the bad cop so that Jae Hee wouldn’t have to do it. But Jae Hee’s reached the limit of his patience, asking if getting involved in his personal life like this is part of the contract.

Sung Ha says no, she just wanted to do it for him, because she’s the one who’s chasing after him now. She wraps her arms around him, and leans in for a kiss, but Jae Hee pulls back. It’s the end of Aggressive Sung Ha! He leaves the house, and calls up Ra Kyung to find out where Yoo Jin is burying his mother. Heh – thing is, his mother’s death is news to her, and she isn’t too pleased to hear from Jae Hee that he found out through a call Eun Bi received. She sits in her office, stunned, while Jae Hee makes the trip to Daegu.

Eun Bi arrives at the hospital and finds Yoo Jin sitting outside, a funeral band around his arm. He’s mulling over his mother’s last words of being happy, and it’s clear he’s starting to rethink his position in his family and his relationship with Ra Kyung. When Eun Bi brings over his mother’s last meal – coffee and a chocolate chiffon cake – for Yoo Jin, he grabs hold of her hand. “Can you stay with me, just for a second?”

It is like this – hands held over coffee – that Ra Kyung catches the two of them in the hospital when she finally heads over. And when Jae Hee enters the hospital, he sees Ra Kyung looking at the pair. And then Eun Bi looks up and sees Ra Kyung walking away… and then sees Jae Hee! Oh my God – everyone just sees each other and stares, and does nothing. Ra Kyung just leaves the hospital as quietly as she came.

The sooner she and Yoo Jin acknowledge the end, the better.

Eun Bi finally returns home late, and none other with Jae Hee. He had given her a ride home so that she could pick up more clothes to stay overnight at Daegu. Bok Ja gets the hint and heads out to give the two of them some private time – hee. Eun Bi and Jae Hee sit in the couch quite awkwardly, until Jae Hee finally asks the important question. If it’s too hard for her to answer, she can just nod or shake her head.

“Do you love Yoo Jin?”

Eun Bi can’t answer, but Jae Hee feels he deserves one. So he rephrases the question: “Did you miss me?” Eun Bi nods. “Have you thought of me without thinking about musicals?” Eun Bi nods. “Have you ever thought that I missed you so much and got all the way here, even though I don’t understand why?”

Eun Bi: I thought you moved on.

Jae Hee: Do you love Yoo Jin?

Eun Bi: No… I just thought I could understand how he feels and how hurt he is.

Jae Hee: Do you love me then?

No answer – and Jae Hee sweeps in for a kiss on the lips.

Comments:

I will say that the last kiss is so awkward – it’s almost reminiscent of the Full House kiss – where the two leads just have their lips touch, and then freeze.

Moving on.

The drama with Yoo Jin and his family finally ends! While Yoo Jin is an awesome character, we’ve dwelled on him and his “romance” with Eun Bi long enough that it’s made me wonder what is going on with this drama. With the death of his mother, I hope Yoo Jin takes a more proactive approach to his life, and I hope Ra Kyung comes to terms about their relationship. Thankfully we’re getting put back on the right track. “Count Monte” is about to begin; “Gumiho” is coming together; Jae Hee and Eun Bi are reunited. Even I’m happy the two of them are together, because they’ve done enough angst-ing to last me a lifetime. In addition, I never expected to get so irritated with Sung Ha’s character. She started as a refreshing character – someone who knows Jae Hee well, is a confident young woman, and had the best qualities of Kang Hee and Eun Bi. But then, she got really pushy. She started to control Jae Hee’s life, and she was becoming a little arrogant with her “I know what’s best for you” attitude. She’s the girlfriend of nightmares.

Sung Ha did serve a purpose though. She acted as a catalyst for all the other characters to confront themselves. Eun Bi had to admit that she liked Jae Hee after seeing Sung Ha; Gu Jak had to realize just how badly he treated Jae Hee; Jae Hee had to come to terms that he’s not really cut out for pop music when his true passion is in musicals. It’s like, she was the nice breeze of fresh air through an open window… and then carried in the toxic car fumes right after that. So you just had to close the window and shut her out.

While slow, I do appreciate these last few episodes enough to realize that these characters needed to grow and realize what their individual dreams were. I think everyone’s been placed on their respective paths now, and so all they have to do is go forth! Three episodes left to impress me, but at least episode 14 looks promising.

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