Full House Take 2: Episode 7

by kaedejun

And so it begins! The cheese has begun, where our hero knows not what love or pounding hearts mean, and  our heroine feels she can save everything that belongs to her by simply lying for a short while. The dire circumstances revolving around Tae-ik’s reputation and sexuality force our bickering protagonists forge forth into a “land unknown” called “contractual relationships.”

Part 1

Tae-ik comes out the hero when he carries Man-ok out of the building and into the car. Though it ends up being a false alarm, his heroic action piques everyone’s curiosity as they wonder: “Who is that mysterious girl he saved?”

Wow – I guess no one recognized her as the stylist with the bad perm.

The press has a field day with the miraculous save, wondering if this recent act of heroism is a way of denying rumors of his sexuality. Turns out the fire alarm was pulled on purpose – by none other than Bum-soo. The manager’s reasoning was that he didn’t want Tae-ik getting hurt from the mob but Lee Joon is unforgiving towards Bum-soo’s recklessness in letting Tae-ik out of the house. “Tae-ik always had a clean image, without a single scandal for five years!” Lee Joon cries. Well, you pretty much broke that streak.

Since the truth won’t really work (who’d believe them?) Lee Joon instructs Bum-soo to choose the lesser of two evils: Tae-ik having a secret affair with his stylist, or Tae-ik having an affair with Kang-hwi. Bum-soo springs into action – he knows what he has to do. Likewise, Lee Joon meets with a reporter and hands over the pictures of Tae-ik with Man-ok inside the trailer during the commercial shoot; it’s an exclusive scoop.

Meanwhile, Man-ok is reliving a pretty tough time. As predicted, she lived through a traumatic event where a fire had filled up her apartment when she was younger. Her parents managed to get outside on the balcony with her, and the crowd below was telling them not to jump until the firemen arrived. There must be more to the memory, but Man-ok is startled awake when Tae-ik grasps her outstretched hand, asking if she’s ok.

Man-ok pulls herself up, hurting Tae-ik’s wrist further. (Because she was too heavy?) He scolds her for a bit for freezing up in the hallway but they get a nasty surprise: Go-dong comes rushing in with news that Tae-ik is engaged to Man-ok. Tae-ik’s shock can barely hide his disgust, but Man-ok’s equally annoyed: “What’s with your face (Tae-ik)? I’m offended too!”

Tae-ik is furious over who could have spread this rumor in the first place, and Go-dong points at him. He’s the one who carried Man-ok out princess-style. No one else to blame!

On his way to the hospital room, Lee Joon is already addressing to the reporters that Tae-ik’s been secretly dating Man-ok for three years, and that he wanted to protect the identity of his loved one until this whole fiasco occurred. He may seem good-natured and happy about it, but as soon as he enters the privacy of Man-ok’s room, he throws a fit over how Tae-ik could have acted so carelessly. Why couldn’t he just stay inside for once?! Now Lee Joon has to spin an insane love story out of thin air just to recover Tae-ik’s image.

No way they can back out of this now – they must get engaged. Jaws drop. Lee Joon blames it all on Man-ok as well; working with a star, shouldn’t she have had more discretion? She didn’t even pay them back for the negotiation fee and she’s already caused trouble for Tae-ik’s image. Tae-ik screams for Lee Joon to stop yelling at Man-ok, and demands a private chat between the two of them. Lee Joon goes, but not before he adds that if she agrees to play his fiancee for 3 months, he’ll let go of her debt to the company, and she can run her shopping site and gym again.

As for Tae-ik, Lee Joon’s condition is that he shut up and give him two more albums. Then he can take the entire estate of ‘Full House’ and do whatever he wants.

Poor Kang-hwi, who’s stuck at home starving, but he’s mindful of Man-ok’s warning not to eat any more of Tae-ik’s food. He texts asking why she’s so late, and she apologizes (without explaining that she’s in the hospital) that she can’t get him a burger. She did prepare some emergency food for him, though: chips and instant ramen.

Tae-ik and Man-ok are fuming over reports of them dating, but Go-dong tries to reason with Tae-ik. Man-ok is the only person who could save him even though he may hate her; if she disputes the romance reports, he’ll be seen as foolish. Tae-ik grudgingly agrees to return to the hospital to formally ask Man-ok to help him out this one time.

Man-ok’s room is dark, so thinking that she’s asleep, Tae-ik wishes her good night and tries to sneak off, but then Man-ok returns with a pitcher of tea. After giving each other a fright, Tae-ik gruffly tells her to not worry about what Lee Joon said earlier, and that he’ll take care of it. He leaves, and Go-dong rightfully suspects that Tae-ik just yelled at her rather than asked her for a favor.

Man-ok then gets another visitor – this time it’s Bum-soo. He peels some apples for her as an act of goodwill, because what he really wants is to ask her for a favor on Tae-ik’s behalf. He tells her that Tae-ik was surprisingly kind towards her, running back into the building to carry her out when he usually cares only about himself. This is news to her, since she didn’t know who brought her to the hospital. Bum-soo’s hoping that Man-ok can now come to Tae-ik’s “rescue” and pretend to be his girlfriend to help his image.

It’s some food for thought, and while Man-ok waffles for a while, the deciding factor comes in the form of Grandpa’s call. He informs her that because something came up, he’s going to have to stay abroad for three to four months. Man-ok realizes that’s after the engagement contract is over, so she’ll be safe from Grandpa’s wrath. (As long as he doesn’t follow K-pop news.)

The following day, Bum-soo disguises Man-ok as a man so that they can leave without being caught by the reporters waiting outside her room in the hospital. He then takes her to the studio where Go-dong and Tae-ik are waiting. This film shoot isn’t on their schedule because… it’s a shoot depicting Man-ok and Tae-ik’s romance!

As the photographer captures them doing couple things – like matching sweaters and smiling with teddy bears, Man-ok and Tae-ik complain bitterly to each other. Of course neither has feelings for each other, but neither is going to back down from this deal either. Man-ok is doing it so that she can get rid of her debt, while Tae-ik is doing it solely for the house. It’s so painfully awkward to see them grimace at each other then smile lovingly. According to Go-dong though, they looked absolutely adorable together.

PFFT.

Man-ok visits Kang-hwi later that day, who’s absolutely put off by the news of her engagement. He discovered it while surfing the web on Tae-ik’s tablet, and he accuses her of dating Tae-ik behind his back. (Does it even make sense?) Kang-hwi figures out quickly that Lee Joon may be behind it all, and marches up to visit Lee Joon’s small office in Full House. Damn that recorder that will prove his innocence – Kang-hwi wants to make sure Man-ok doesn’t get engaged.

To calm him down, Man-ok admits that she agreed to the deal, as it’s only for three months. It’s more important for Kang-hwi to get the recorder and reveal the truth. Poor Kang-hwi – he looks so brokenhearted.

The engagement day has arrived, and while waiting in their private room, Man-ok starts doing jumping jacks to relieve her anxiety. Tae-ik laughs at how ridiculous she looks (it’s the hair, isn’t it?), and warns her that the reporters outside could hear everything.

Frustrated, Man-ok sits down beside him: “I can’t do this. Let’s cancel the engagement.”

Part 2

The engagement party is already well underway outside, unaware of the turmoil Man-ok and Tae-ik are having in their private room. Tae-ik blames their situation on her: if only she didn’t faint in the building! Man-ok turns it on him: if only they didn’t wake up in the trailer together! Perhaps he brought her inside! Her idea is to punch him hard enough to send him to the hospital and thus end the engagement for today. Haha – that’ll work, sure.

Just before she can land a punch on Tae-ik’s flawless face, Go-dong walks in on them to tell them it’s time. Too late!

As they make their way to the reception room, Tae-ik squeezes her hand gently, assuring that things will be all right.

That evening, Man-ok (surprisingly!) manages to head back home to the gym on her little scooter, bumping into none other but Ga-ryung and No-ra waiting for her outside. Ga-ryung accuses Man-ok of betraying their friendship, never once revealing her three-year relationship with Tae-ik. No-ra is so dismayed at the fact that she is Tae-ik’s new fiancee that she faints outside the gym.

They carry No-ra inside, and Ga-ryung wonders if it’s because Man-ok is pregnant that they suddenly have this engagement. Nope! But Man-ok lies that because she loves Tae-ik soooooooooo much, she got this quickie engagement (without inviting Ga-ryung or Grandpa).

Depressed over the news, No-ra and Ga-ryung head to a pojangmacha to drink and eat away their sorrows. They make a ruckus, wailing over Man-ok’s betrayal, while Reporter So tries to cheer them up by saying he’ll be reopening a new magazine. The two gals are not the only ones pissed off; a bunch of fangirls start screaming outside Man-ok’s gym, and even throw rocks covered with paper through the windows. As Man-ok sadly cleans up the mess, she sees “Die!” written all over the paper, making the situation all the tougher on her. Bum-soo calls her up and orders her to head over to Full House.

Construction is being done to Full House to add another wing for her next to Tae-ik’s place, so Man-ok stays in the guest house for now. Tae-ik does not come out to greet Man-ok when she arrives, but it turns out he was sneakily watching her come home. Guess he didn’t want to give any indication to her that it was his idea she come live with him. Turns out, he had visited the gym late that night and saw the crowds of fangirls screaming. He called the cops to stop the chaos and had the company bring Man-ok to his home.

Man-ok’s first act after moving in is to visit Kang-hwi. He nearly chokes on snacks when he hears that Man-ok’s moved in: two grown adults should not be living together! Oh Kang-hwi… He promises to get her a studio outside, but then realizes he has no money. Ha! Man-ok assures him that this is the best way, because now she can visit him more often.

She leaves his place and screams in fright at the sight of Tae-ik in the kitchen, so close to Kang-hwi’s basement. He looks at her indifferently, wondering why she’s screaming if she’s doing nothing wrong. He nags her to not leave all the lights on, otherwise it increases their utility bill. He also doesn’t like her walking around the house as though it’s hers. Sheesh – girl barely stayed a full night and he’s already acting like a nagging housewife.

Tae-ik takes a shower and notices that his cream has been touched. Connecting the dots to the missing food and drinks, Tae-ik realizes there’s a robber in their midst, using all of his things. First person he suspects is Man-ok, whom he’s resorted to calling “Jang Man” because he can’t bother to say the last syllable, and he needs to call her something other than Stylist Jang. Once again, Man-ok takes the fall for Kang-hwi, but she also calls Tae-ik out on being pitifully cheap. She blames the missing and used items on the fact that she sleepwalks and has no sense of what she’s doing. Haha. She promises to clean his sauna and replace the drinks for him since he’s so cheap.

Tae-ik then notices that Man-ok has packed a lunch tray of food, and she makes up the excuse that she wants to eat in the garden. Instead, she brings it to Kang-hwi, and warns him to be a little more careful when venturing upstairs around Tae-ik’s home. Kang-hwi has no regrets; he actually purposely stole juice and used his items to get him mad. He didn’t like the fact that Tae-ik was happily engaged to Man-ok while he’s stuck in the basement with a broken foot. Hah – “happily” engaged…

Kang-hwi promises to not make the situation more awkward for Man-ok, but he does admit being bored all cooped up in the basement. He wishes he had a cat to keep him company, and just like *that*, Man-ok goes to purchase a kitten to keep him company.

She returns home with the kitten in a picnic basket, and sees Tae-ik putting up surveillance cameras because he’s so paranoid about who’s stealing his things. He starts sneezing around her, but Man-ok lies that she went for a picnic in the great weather, leaving him confused over why his allergies are acting up.

Kang-hwi is thrilled to have the kitten around, and gleefully pictures how angry Tae-ik would be if he discovered a cat in his midst. The kitten will help even more now, considering Kang-hwi may not be able to walk around with the cameras around.

Man-ok starts testing out the cameras later that night by waving to get Tae-ik’s attention. As expected, he’s already begun his watch to find out who’s the thief. She asks if he can see her now, and starts walking around the house to find out where the cameras’ blind spots are. At one point, Man-ok finds an unexpected camera and leans in to check it out. Her lips are magnified on the screen, and Tae-ik’s heart starts pounding loudly. Those luscious lips! Tae-ik looks nearly horrified at himself for having had thoughts about kissing her.

Using the information she’s found, she draws out a map for Tae-ik so that he can go around the house undetected.

The next day Man-ok tells Tae-ik that Go-dong’s arrived to take him to the studio. When he sees her, he becomes fixated on her lips and thinks back to that incredible close-up of her lips on the cameras. He’s confused as to why those are his first thoughts when seeing her, so he acts dismissive of her. His fascination with her affects him more than he expects, as his singing is pretty bad at the studio when practicing. Tae-ik wants to stop practicing, as he’s not feeling so well, and go home.

Go-dong: “But, you sang better than usual today!”

Gulp! Awkward. HA!

Back at home, Man-ok and Kang-hwi are playing with the kitten, named Chaton (kitten in French), who’s reeking of onion after eating a leftover sandwich. Since Tae-ik’s not home for a while, Man-ok goes to draw a bath for Chaton.

Suddenly the door opens; Tae-ik’s home early. Kang-hwi quickly grabs Chaton and his crutches and hides under the kitchen sink. Tae-ik doesn’t even notice him hiding there as he takes out water from the fridge. He drops the cap on the floor though, so before Tae-ik bends down to pick it up (and thus see Kang-hwi hiding), Kang-hwi lets Chaton go to run around.

Tae-ik freezes at the sight of the kitten, and Man-ok returns to the kitchen. The two of them scream as if they just saw each other naked. Kang-hwi just sits quietly under the sink: “Um… whoops?”

Man-ok defends the kitten’s presence in the house, saying that she’s been feeling lonely and she wanted to raise a cat to keep her company. Tae-ik wants her to throw it out, but Man-ok promises to keep Chaton in the basement. That way it’s out of Tae-ik’s sight and won’t affect his allergies so much. Tae-ik: “I’m going to check the cameras. Don’t let the cat out of the basement or she’s out of here!”

Man-ok later goes out shopping (still fulfilling her stylist duties) and gets approached by a couple women wondering if she’s Tae-ik’s fiancee. Awkwardly, she confirms. The questions and the mobbing have only begun…

When she gets home, Kang-hwi calls her for help. He’s breaking out so he needs some of the acne cream in Tae-ik’s bathroom. Man-ok makes a quick call to Go-dong to find out where Tae-ik is; Go-dong says that Tae-ik had something to do, which she interprets as “He’s out of the house.” She heads to his bathroom and automatically switches the light.

Tae-ik’s sitting in his bathtub… and he wonders why the light just flickered.

Man-ok searches for the cream, and that’s when Tae-ik steps out of the bathtub. This time, they both scream again, because they really saw each other naked! Man-ok apologizes, not having known he was home, and insists she didn’t see anything. (Oh yeah? Then what were you pointing at down there!?)

She quickly runs out, leaving him stunned to death that she saw everything. ‘Sokay… you two are getting married soon, right?

Man-ok can hardly un-see what she just saw, and gets mad about him taking a bath with the door unlocked. Suddenly a visitor enters the home, in high heels and with her small luggage. It’s Jin Se-ryung! Man-ok is star-struck and excited at meeting “international star Jin Se-ryung,” but she comes to her senses and quickly tells her not to walk around the wood floors in her heels. Unfortunately, they don’t have any extra slippers.

Se-ryung looks down at Man-ok’s feet: “There are. Right there.” Sheesh…

Man-ok quickly takes off her slippers and offers them up to Se-ryung. At that moment, Tae-ik comes barging into the living room wearing his robe, still demanding to know if she saw anything or not. He locks eyes with Se-ryung.

Se-ryung smiles. The love square is now complete. Let the games begin…

Comments:

Well things just got a little more juicy, didn’t they? Not that anything surprising or out of the ordinary came out into the open, but we finally get into the crux of the drama that makes it the “sequel” to Full House. I have to say, I’m already annoyed at Se-ryung’s character in how she addresses herself as “international star Jin Se Ryung.” Who on earth gave you that title?

I’m happy to leave the melodrama of the scandal aside, as the way Lee Joon was manipulating everyone back and forth with the pictures for his own benefit was giving me a headache. It shows what a masterful – and comedic – villain he is, because he blows everything out of proportion to get people to do things that he wants. I have to agree with gummimochi as in her last recap that there was a big discrepancy between the actors and the rest of the drama in its treatment of the angst and the scandal. The music and the storyline insist on being melodramatic; the actors treat the storyline a little too overdramatically, which then makes it silly. I had hoped it could really handle the dark side of the business, and thus be more impressed with the tonal shifts within the drama. But oh well – thank goodness we’ve moved on from that, and are moving towards full blown cheese.

Be still my beating heart, for what dost thou mean to do?!

It’s adorable how Kang-hwi is acting possessive over Man-ok without fully admitting, “Man-ok, I like you, you’re mine.” However, it’s absolutely ineffective because he’s in hiding and can’t do anything about it. I wish he’d come out of the basement soon so that we can have full on battles between the four leads. Zany hijinks included.

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