Incarnation of Money: Episode 20

69 April 10, 2013January 24, 2016

by gummimochi

A skilled huntsman lies in wait for his prey to come to him, and a confident marksman needs only one bullet to take down his target. Armed with knowledge and money for ammunition, both sides wait to ambush the other. But even the best disguise isn’t enough to camouflage the truth. It’s time for the masks to finally come off and march into battle with heads held high.

EPISODE 20 RECAP

Cha-don musters the last ounce of his strength to eject himself from the car just before the truck driver keeps to Rule #2 in Zombieland: Double Tap. All Prosecutor Kwon can see from his angle in the aftermath is the totaled car and he drives off at the sound of sirens approaching.

Shortly afterwards, Jae-in arrives at the scene and gasps at the wreckage. She finds Cha-don lying unconscious in a nearby ditch and stays by his side in the ambulance, pleading for him to stay alive.

Grasping his hand in hers, she buries her face in her hands. Cha-don’s eyes open to a slit and at the sight of Jae-in, he breaks into a faint smile.

As soon as Prosecutor Kwon takes a seat at the bar, Se-kwang immediately asks if the job is done. He’s pleased to hear that Cha-don is dead, despite Prosecutor Kwon’s initial uneasy answer: “He’s probably dead.”

The thought of how Cha-don pulled their strings like a marionette still angers him and now it’s their time to act. They’ll hold off seizing the savings bank for themselves and instead let the prey wander into their clutches.

Meaning, Prosecutor Kwon’s alliance with Boss Bok will still be of some use to them.

Jae-in keeps vigil by Cha-don’s bedside, meticulously cleaning his cuts while holding back tears. Cha-don smiles at this when he sneaks a peek and then feigns sleep at the sound of the door.

It’s Team Shudal, who laments over their team leader’s injured and unconscious state. Jae-in runs out in tears when she relays to her mother over the phone that there’s no telling how severe his injuries are until he wakes, leaving Team Shudal alone in the hospital room.

Cha-don finally speaks, alerting his teammates that he’s awake. Placing a finger to his lips to shush them, he whispers that though his memory is fuzzy, he can’t accept the accident as pure coincidence.

Figuring that he’ll have to flex his acting muscles for the time being, he beckons them forward and outlines the rest of his plan in a hushed whisper.

Well, Se-kwang is enraged to hear that supposedly dead Cha-don isn’t quite so dead after all. Tip: Make sure your enemy is deader than dead before you put your worries to rest.

It looks like Prosecutor Kwon could use a lesson on learning the difference between mostly dead and all dead. ‘Cause mostly dead is slightly alive. He fires back in rage, You know how hard it is to kill someone?! There, there. Not everyone is cut out for assassin-atin’.

What’s worse is that poor Hyuk overhears the conversation from the other side of the door. He walks away in a daze.

The baddies are told that Cha-don is indeed alive but has sustained a serious head injury. Cha-don sticks to that story with Jae-in as well, allowing her to feed him food with a dull expression on his face.

Ha, his hospital garb down to the neck guard looks exactly like the one he once wore as a teen. Jae-in promises to do everything in her power to see Cha-don better again. He gives her this big, goofy grin that makes me smile.

He does the same with Se-kwang when he visits to confirm the extent of Cha-don’s injuries. Thankfully, he buys the act – for now.

Now it’s just a matter of delivering Prosecutor Kwon’s bribery ledger. They can’t risk the documents falling into the wrong hands, so Chief Yang suggests they ask Jae-in, whom their enemies will never suspect.

After Jae-in is filled in, she’s still fuming at the coffee shop when Chief Prosecutor Jo walks in. It cracks me up that his initial impression of her is her muttering curses about Prosecutor Kwon, heh.

Chief Prosecutor Jo confirms that the ledger is solid evidence to bring Prosecutor Kwon to trial and reassures her that justice still exists in the Korean legal system. Jae-in’s not about to make Cha-don’s current condition publicly known anytime soon, and downplays his absence for a cold.

Back in the prosecutor’s office, Chief Prosecutor Jo holds off on making an immediate arrest on Prosecutor Kwon. He gives Ji-hoo a word of advice: All it takes it one bullet to take down a lion.

That one bullet is used to leak the bribery story to various news agencies. Prosecutor Kwon belatedly catches wind about the matter soon after he hands over his Yellow Sea Savings Bank shares to Boss Bok, much to his chagrin.

He’s plenty drunk by the time Hyuk arrives home and asks his father, “Why did you do it?” Prosecutor Kwon misinterprets this question and wonders if his son is doubting him over a few measly headlines that will blow over by morning.

We know that Hyuk is referring to the attempted murder on Cha-don’s head. A single tear falls from his cheek as his father vows that he’ll overcome this hurdle. “A weak man just does what’s required of him. But strong men are different.”

Boss Bok watches the news coverage at home and is left impressed by Cha-don’s plans yet again. She sends Assistant Kim to get her meds and she sighs that she needs to see Cha-don and Jae-in get married before her condition worsens.

The media has a field day covering the juicy story and they pelt Prosecutor Kwon with questions. Chief Prosecutor Jo approaches the man to officially arrest him and Prosecutor Kwon offers his hands up to be handcuffed right then and there.

Declaring that a few pieces of paper aren’t enough to incriminate him, he insists on his innocence. “You’ll be the ones who will be handcuffed,” he warns.

But Ji-hoo isn’t afraid to follow procedure in front of an audience and she goes ahead to cuff him. Where were you all this time, badass Ji-hoo? Prosecutor Kwon shows off to the crowd, smiling to the crowd that the truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.

Cha-don watches the aforementioned scene covered in the news from his hospital room. Little does he know that Se-kwang is just outside the door and has now seen him in his perfectly healthy state.

Se-kwang seethes, but his exit is caught by Assistant Hong. So Cha-don immediately calls Se-kwang and suggests that they meet.

Cha-don attributes his fast recovery to nothing short of a miracle. With the Elite Four out of candidates, he tells Se-kwang that he’s currently trying to persuade the elusive benefactor to consider him again.

Se-kwang turns to leave and in voiceover, both men send the other a scathing message. Cha-don: “You won’t be able to slip away next time.” Se-kwang: “No matter what you’re planning, it won’t work.”

As expected, things don’t go very smoothly during interrogation since Prosecutor Kwon flatly denies the bribery allegations made against him. There are plenty of skilled copywriters who can mimic his handwriting and no one on the list will admit to bribery.

So Ji-hoo is forced to let the man go for now and Prosecutor Kwon finds Se-kwang waiting for him in his car. He’s furious to hear that Cha-don behind his arrest, but he’s got bigger problems on his hands since Cha-don has caught on that Prosecutor Kwon orchestrated the deliberate attempt on his life.

Prosecutor Kwon says that he’ll take care of it – he struck a deal with the driver to exchange money for some prison time.

Cha-don is over the moon with all the attention he’s been getting from Jae-in lately, like how she feeds and grooms him. But speak of the devil and he gets caught by Jae-in with a piece of pizza hanging from his mouth.

He momentarily forgets himself and starts, “Jae-in ah…” Uh oh, somebody gonna get a hurt real bad. Jae-in grabs him by the shirtfront as he hollers that he’s a patient.

“A patient?!” She shrills before she jumps on top of the bed, wrestling and beating him. Boss Bok remains hands-off, deciding that it’s better that the lovebirds work it out themselves.

But just then, they’re interrupted by the police with the alleged truck driver in tow. The man begs for forgiveness on his knees, saying that he did it because of his impoverished state. Boss Bok instructs Assistant Kim to perform a background check on his story.

Assistant Kim gets all riled up when Cha-don cuts him off, telling the man to get up. Everyone thinks Cha-don has actually gone insane when he tells the man to live an honest life and to come find him if he needs a job. Jae-in has never seen this kind of gratitude from Cha-don before and she lashes out, “Are you Gandhi? Or Mother Theresa?”

Cha-don knows that the driver only acted on the Traitagon’s orders. The only way they’ll get to the truth is to draw a confession out of him by bringing him to their side.

But then Jae-in undercuts this moment, releasing her anger on Cha-don again.

Turns out that there’s still corruption going on inside the Yellow Sea Savings Bank as Se-kwang is debriefed about a well-respected investment director, Director Yoo, who has embezzled close to 3 billion won (about 3 million USD) in funds. Naturally, the man makes a fuss about being apprehended so Se-kwang cuts to the chase and clocks him with a right hook. Ouch.

Now that he has his attention, Se-kwang tells him, “A doctor is considered a king to a patient. And a prosecutor is considered a king to a criminal.” Director Yoo fesses up to his crimes.

We see Director Yoo return to the bank later that night, though he’s noticeably nervous. A flashback teaches us that Se-kwang instructed him to embezzle a large amount (over 40 billion won or 40 million USD) that was sure to set off a red flag for the bank.

Director Yoo worried that the paper trail would lead back to him but Se-kwang reassured him that all he would need to do is to point the blame to someone else who would take the fall.

Se-kwang then approaches Prosecutor Kwon for an advance to use as ammunition for battle. He’ll distribute the funds to their recruits, who then in turn will go to the savings bank by the droves to create accounts.

Their recruits will withdraw their funds when the embezzlement scandal makes headlines which will start a domino effect among the other account holders.

The bank will unfortunately have to declare bankruptcy and best of all, they’ll pin Cha-don as the man behind the embezzlement.

Elsewhere, Jae-in is in high spirits as she drinks with Cha-don who would no more like to be resting in bed than anything else. He amuses her by listening to her repeated stories about the bank’s recent booming business and whenever he doesn’t, she guilt-trips him about how she was his personal caretaker while he was “sick.”

To make matters worse, Jae-in is a loud drunk and Cha-don is forced to wheel her down the street in his own wheelchair. She admits in her drunken ramblings about how scared she was when she thought he might have died.

Cha-don smiles at this and stumbles over his words, trying to muster the courage to confess his feelings. He starts, “Jae-in, I…”

But he looks down and laughs when he sees that she’s fallen asleep. He painfully gets on his knees and covers her with his jacket.

He tells her, “If you date me, I won’t let you smile at another guy or let you wear revealing clothes. You’ll have to go home early every night and I’ll make you look only at me.” Then he slowly leans in and kisses her.

Back at the Bok estate, Boss Bok can’t believe her eyes or ears, pointing to the man on screen. “Isn’t that Jae-in’s father?!” She listens as Dad recounts how his wife didn’t recognize her when they ran into each other at Cha-don’s apartment. Chief Yang hilariously responds, “Did you get plastic surgery?”

Dad admits that he was a horrible husband who drank, gambled, and cheated on his wife. “The reason why she caught that awful disease is because of me. Because I hurt her so much.” Right now, he’s happy with playing saxophone for her in the vicinity at night.

Boss Bok shoots down the question whether she’ll go to talk to Dad or not, using the excuse that she’s still too angry. What about after she calms down? Boss Bok stares at the screens and tries to curse her husband. And when she can’t, she breaks down crying.

Bi-ryung looks like she’s gone through the mill in this angelic place. Seeing as she’s handcuffed to the bed, I can only guess that she’s tried to escape her quarters numerous times.

She doesn’t believe Se-kwang when he tells her that she’s better off here than in prison. Constantly haunted by nightmares, she accuses him of hiding her in some hellish place. She scoffs at his apology – if Se-kwang truly sorry then he’ll call for Cha-don to come and collect her this instant.

But Se-kwang answers in a firm voice that they’ve merely been pawns in Cha-don’s game of chess. He was the one behind all of Se-kwang’s misdeeds against her.

It’s no surprise that Bi-ryung can hardly believe a word of this. She scoffs, “You must really think I’m crazy, don’t you?” Se-kwang tell her that this is her final chance – he won’t extend his help anymore from here on out.

Her voice drips with deep loathing and she seethes, “Go to hell.”

At the savings bank, Cha-don notices something amiss in the audit records: a large sum headed by Director Yoo. Problem is, he’s nowhere to be found and the company on file is no more than a paper company. Jae-in starts to panic: “Where did all that money go?”

News of the alleged embezzlement of public funds makes headlines and they rush over to the bank to find that the prosecution already there. Hyuk looks legitimately sorry for leading the investigation and is about to lead her out himself when Cha-don steps in as his lawyer. Certain that someone is deliberately trying to frame Jae-in, he vows to get to the bottom of the matter.

Boss Bok is outraged at the ridiculous situation but before she can order a plan of action, she suddenly collapses.

(In other news, Ji-hoo gets the go-ahead to arrest Prosecutor Kwon but he takes the wind out of her sails and hands himself over to be taken into custody. Though, I should note that he doesn’t admit to his crime.)

Cha-don takes the lead in the interrogation room, telling Hyuk that they’re better off asking Prosecutor Kwon about the case. As for the embezzled amount, the prosecution should focus their efforts on catching Director Yoo first. Then he advises Jae-in to exercise her right to remain silent.

Who should walk in but Director Yoo himself and Hyuk is dismissed from the room. Se-kwang clarifies that the investment director has turned himself in and admits that Jae-in is not at fault.

Then Director Yoo names someone else as the man behind the embezzlement curtain: Cha-don.

Only Se-kwang and Cha-don are left in the room and the latter chooses his words with extreme caution. “You don’t believe him do you?” Se-kwang: “Have you ever seen a prosecutor believe the words of a suspect?”

He instructs Cha-don to wait while they “interrogate the suspect.” Instead, Se-kwang sits on the other side of the glass, biding his time until Cha-don breaks.

Staring directly at the glass, Cha-don rises from his seat and steps towards the two-way mirror. In a calm voice, Cha-don says: “Why don’t we both take off our masks. Just because I’m here and you’re there doesn’t change our relationship. I’m Lee Cha-don. You’re Ji Se-kwang. We’ve been tied until now.”

Se-kwang talks into the mic and asks point-blank: “You’re Lee Kang-seok, aren’t you?” Cha-don raises his hand, momentarily covering his reflection before bringing it back down.

Kang-seok greets him with a devilish smile, “It’s been a long time, Se-kwang-ie hyung.”

COMMENTS

Now that’s what we call a sharpshooter. Even though we knew and knew that Se-kwang already knew, hearing the truth from the horse’s mouth cuts a little deeper. You can almost see the cogs turning in Cha-don’s head as the pieces slowly fall together and realizes that this time, he’s the one who’s been had. But interestingly enough, it’s these very moments where our hero and baddie shine the brightest. Instead of throwing in the towel in the face of their enemy, they use their vulnerability to their advantage to come out ahead.

Equally-matched in intellect, cunningness, and finesse, I’ve enjoyed watching these two hand off their small victories to the other after each round. But now that the masks are off and they’re both aware of the truth, we’re entering unknown and unmarked territory. In the words of our sage of corruption, Prosecutor Kwon: “A weak man just does what’s required of him. But strong men are different.”

Both of these men carry a fierce pride and determination to carry out their personal vendetta for the name of justice. And as the series continues, we see just how different their perspectives are about what it means for justice to be served. For Se-kwang, this means that the bad guy gets punished for his iniquities; but whether he knows it or not, the bad guy is anyone who gets in his way.

Conversely, for Cha-don, he serves justice for the betterment of the people and to rid the world of corruption. But one should keep in mind that we’re dealing with complex, intriguing characters who skirt that boundary line between good and evil that it’s almost blurred during the execution. That hazy reflection sums this up perfectly; their figures superimposed on each other. A mirror typically reflects what we see in ourselves, flaws included. But in this confrontation, that mirror choose to see through the reflection and stands as a window that can peer straight into one’s soul.

It’s what makes this war of revenge so fascinating to watch and this rivalry is what solidly anchors this series down. Can one ship enemies who actually loathe each other to the core?

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1 Addylovesbwood

April 10, 2013 at 10:09 AM

THANK YOU!!!!! BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!!

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2 YT629

April 10, 2013 at 10:18 AM

"Mostly dead" and "all dead." Was that a Princess Bride reference? Hahaha, love it! Who says we can't love kdramas as well as 80s cult classic movies?

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Moko

April 11, 2013 at 11:06 AM

is it a cult classic really? ... well, I fell for it at first sight

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YT629

April 11, 2013 at 11:34 AM

Yep, apparently it wasn't thaaaat popular when it first came out. But it quickly developed a cult following over the years, and now I would unreservedly say it's a classic.

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3 Kokare

April 10, 2013 at 10:24 AM

Whoa what a good episode. Lots of movement, you can't figure out the outcome, just yet.

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4 MsB

April 10, 2013 at 10:33 AM

I swear, reading your recaps sometimes are just poetic, gummimochi! I'll comment on the comments! Loved this episode!!

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TS

April 11, 2013 at 9:50 AM

I agree. The recaps are awesome.

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5 snow_white

April 10, 2013 at 11:04 AM

thanks for the recap.....haven't seen the episode yet and so I'm wondering about the main photo....

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Dol

April 10, 2013 at 12:10 PM

Poor Hyuk overhearing his father and Se Kwang discussing the attempted murder of Cha Don.

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delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 1:31 PM

yeah... he was so shocked and subsequently heartbroken!! He cried ... boo-hoo... my little cutie pie.

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Macaron

April 10, 2013 at 5:23 PM

I feel like he will end up helping out Cha Don, he seems like a good guy :)

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snow_white

April 14, 2013 at 11:39 AM

just completed the episode.....now what will happen next???

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6 howforwardsale

April 10, 2013 at 11:06 AM

I have been staying away from this drama because I was going to save it for later but I had to check out this recap because of Won Bin's little brother at the top of the post. Thanks gummimochi! I will promptly start watching this show.

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queenofcam

April 10, 2013 at 11:31 AM

WHAT. The actor who plays Hyuk is Won-Bin's brother?! THE Won-Bin?!!!! Well....no wonder he's so good looking. I need to get myself some of those genes....

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queenofcam

April 10, 2013 at 11:37 AM

Oops, nevermind. Just checked it out, they're not related at all. =/ I guess you meant something else?

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KDaddict

April 10, 2013 at 6:07 PM

That's Won Bin's little brother? I didn't know that. He's only debuting now?
Wait a min. @picklemonster just said he isn't. You shouldn't scare us like that.

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Claudine

April 10, 2013 at 8:55 PM

I really don't know what you mean by "Won Bin's little brother" because his profile never said anything about them being related. But I'll admit I can see some similarity, so okay.

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DeeDee

April 11, 2013 at 11:39 AM

I feel the same way ! Why didn't you put up Hyuk as the main picture before this ?! Now I have to catch up on 20 episodes. (20 ENJOYABLE episodes) hahahaha

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7 marid

April 10, 2013 at 11:23 AM

How I love this show..I just can't wait till Sek-Kwang & his band of merry bad men go down!!! Plus it's really fun to watch two equally intelligent men battle it out. Glad to see Jihoo back, I hate the whiny, mopey, lovesick girl they turn her into. I understand that the writers created done great male characters in Cha-Don & Sek-Kwang, I wish they also made the females badass all the time.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:08 PM

I'm thinking in the end that the women's badassery will show up. Ji Hoo and Jae In will be on fire as much as the men. Fingers crossed.

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delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 6:56 PM

I am with you there. Would be so much fun if the women in the show take Se Kwang and Prosecutor Kwon down. Reporter Go is a non-issue and a mousy character - he will fold when the big guys are taken down.

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Reka

April 10, 2013 at 7:29 PM

I think Jae-in will be going after Prosecutor Kwon after what he did this episode. The handing over the ledger part kind of hinted on that but I might be over thinking things.

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8 queenofcam

April 10, 2013 at 11:29 AM

ME LIKEY DIS DRAMA!!!!

That last scene was so satisfying, I've been waiting 20 episodes for that epic line! And that menacing smirk that went along with it? PERFECT.

Also, as always, I'm gonna comment on the kisses! SQUEAAL~ I really want to know what Jae-In said when she was cutting Cha-Don's toenails....why oh why did he have to whisper it in his assistant's ear?!

I bet he said: When cutting my toenails, Jae-In actually said "Cha-Don-ah...even your feet smell nice".

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delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 1:36 PM

Finally he kissed her! She took the initiative when they were kids. I would have loved it better if she is sober and able to reciprocate.

I loved the fact that he was so boastful to Chief Yang that he has tamed the terrible temper of Jae In and the next minute she was throwing her temper and he is at the receiving end!! LOL - that was so funny.... she is certainly the boss of her own feelings and temper!! Can't be tamed.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:14 PM

Wow!!! That is sooo true about Jae In being the boss of her own temper. The other younger women are pretty much letting the men give them mood swings. (Of course the man who seems to be causing all the mood swings is one guy but still...)

At least Jae In is an example of a woman who isn't letting a man play her.

As for Boss, right now I want her to let a man's emotion affect her. About time. She's old, she needs to let her feminine weaker side come out more. Glad she's writing poetry to get connected with that side. She's been a gentleman much too long.

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KDaddict

April 10, 2013 at 6:09 PM

Ya, I was wondering what on earth she said while she was cutting his toenails. Your guess sounds abt rt. lol

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9 Mish

April 10, 2013 at 12:11 PM

Haven't even finished reading the recap but just couldn't hold back from saying I LOVE THE PRINCESS BRIDE REFERENCE.

Favourite movie of all time. Thanks so much for that. :)

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10 kellie

April 10, 2013 at 12:21 PM

"Can one ship enemies who actually loathe each other to the core?" Yes - yes - yes! when one of 'em is Park Sang-min. I have gone whoopie-daebak-nuts for this guy. Give me choco acting over choco abs any day.

I've been noticing how much he slimmed down for this part. Thanks, Dramabeans, for all the nice pics of him in those 3-piece suits. PSM joins my select circle of fascinating ahjussi actors. It used to be a trio -- Jeong Bo-seok, Jeon Kwang-ryul, Jung Sung-mo. Now there're four to follow from drama to drama. Yay.

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11 Arhazivory

April 10, 2013 at 12:52 PM

This show just keeps delivering and I love that. Truly daebak.

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12 delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 1:07 PM

THE MASKS ARE OFF (like the gloves are off!!) - having the masks off meant that there is no guessing game anymore as to whether the Se Kwang and Prosecutor Kwong are fully convinced that Lee Cha Don is Lee Kang Seok. I find it very interesting that the masking is done through a mirror (i thought that the mirror in police interrogation rooms in a one-way mirror not two-way, i may be wrong) and not actual face-to-face. The mirror, in my opinion, presents a layer to mask their inner thoughts and also a reflection to themselves of what they are, as gummimochi has indicated in her comments.

My poor poor Hyuk - he is so depressed and extremely disappointed to learn of the evil ways of his father and his much respected Chief Se Kwang. I am looking forward to him having a greater role in bringing down his father and bringing honour to his own name.

I cannot wait for the last four episodes to see the continuation of the battle of wits between these two men. They are evenly matched and both have the required resources to bring the other down. How is Lee Cha Don going to respond to the trap that Se Kwang has set up for him, for which he is now in custody?

I am so worried for Boss Bok - i hope that nothing serious happened to her. I hope that she will not deteriorate too much as this would be a bummer .... i loved her total badass attitude...

I think that Jae In will play a more prominent and hopefully a badass role.

An incredible episode. Thank you very much gummimochi for the recaps and i love your comments.

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gummimochi

April 10, 2013 at 1:22 PM

See you tomorrow...? :)

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delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 1:37 PM

Yes i will be there - looking forward to meeting you!!

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Dominique

April 10, 2013 at 11:03 PM

"THE MASKS ARE OFF":

In that crucial scene, why did Lee Cha Don keep repeating that line? Once was more than sufficient, in case some viewers needed editorializing.

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13 CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 2:24 PM

Ah me!

Boss: Sadness at her failing. Makes me think of older friends and me in twenty years.

Hyuk: Sadness. Poor sweet soul. I wish I was there to cuddle you and make it all better. First he had to join in with getting the woman he loves in trouble with the law. Next, he will have to betray his dad. A double whammy! Can he do it? This is the only character in the entire story who has no one to confide the sorrows of his soul to. Heck, even pseudo-Jingojae Gentleman can tell his heart to someone. I feel sorry about that.

Angelina: oh gee. Well it's understandable that she doesn't believe Se Kwang. Cha Don is the only one around who treats her like a human being. But -- again, is it me?-- did SeKwang seem a bit teary-eyed when he left Angelina in her room? I TOTALLY believe he loves her and he just can't/won't admit it to himself or to her. To admit his love for her would be to grasp back at his humanity and his younger idealistic self. K-drama love just doesn't go away that easily. I feel he might just admit it at the end of the drama somehow, but then again, I might be little miss idealistic here.

Jae In and Prosecutor Jeon: They have to do something incredibly wonderful in the upcoming episodes. I like Jae In a lot and I've accepted her as romantic diversion from revenge main plot. But it's time she got some info on what's really going on now. And it's time she get a chance to do something about it.

I love Prosecutor Kwon. I've loved him since the beginning. I'm expecting something really wonderfully devious from him. Not sure what but...

Cha Don: Wow! I loved that last line! Love and hate and anger intermixed. (We were bro's once, don't you remember?) NICE!!!!!!

Thanks so much for the recap...and the Princess Bride reference.

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delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 3:02 PM

Oh right i forgot about Angelina - she is the exact image of Park Gi Soon right now - looked kind of "insane", abandoned and totally deflated. I saw the tears in Se Kwang eyes and i thought he is human after all - did he loved her? or was he just sorry that he has to put her in the situation or is it just a sad goodbye to a former lover? Perhaps, just perhaps, he was in touch with his inner self then.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:02 PM

okay. so i wasn't seeing things. Poor Angelina. Although she isn't exactly in Park Gi Soon's situation cause no one's slipping her stuff to make her get loopy and she knows her son is safe. But it's close enough. Revenge, alas, can never be too exact.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:05 PM

BTW! Have fun at the meet-up. (if that's what the above reference was about.) Wish I could join you guys but &:00 is waaaaay past my bedtime and I don't like the long trip back to the boonies. Take lotza pictures.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:06 PM

Aagh... meant 7:00

delicatecloud

April 10, 2013 at 6:58 PM

thanks - l am so looking forward to the meet-up. At the same time i may feel a bit intimidated as i am a newbie when it comes to kdrama and voicing my views/opinions on any drama.

TS

April 11, 2013 at 9:56 AM

I thought he looked sad too. But I hope she gets some revenge on SeKwang along with the rest.

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DayDreamer

April 10, 2013 at 4:22 PM

"But it’s time she got some info on what’s really going on now. And it’s time she get a chance to do something about it."

Seriously. She has been totally useless as far as the central plot is concerned. All along she has been on the sidelines that I can't even take her seriously.

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14 maakopla

April 10, 2013 at 3:27 PM

No matter how much I want to ship this drama to the fullest it's still impossible to ignore all the childishly stupid lame details. Sigh, the acting is pretty good though. (except the older man who works for Cha Don, forgot his name)

I'm growing annoyed by the fact that every time something happens someone is behind a corner watching.

Another thing, dunno if it's just me but it took Cha Don several episodes to plot everything and then Se Kwang needs only 15 minutes to solve the whole mystery... I so wish prosecutor Kwon has something up his sleeve, please dear writers don't disappointment me and make Kwon do something Se Kwang wouldn't ever expect! PLEASE!

I always forget to mention this but Jae In looks like a mushroom with her short hair. Why? WHY?!

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Reka

April 10, 2013 at 3:43 PM

Why are you focusing on her hair? We are almost at the end of the drama! If you notice with the writers' other dramas (Giant and Salaryman) they don't really care about making fashion statements. They are all about focusing on the writing and making powerful scenes.

There are a lot of looks for women, not only long hair. She looks nice and mature with that hairstyle. If you really care about looks, try watching a drama that has fashion and "nice" hairstyles.

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Dominique

April 10, 2013 at 11:20 PM

Jae In may or may not look mature with the "mushroom" hair, but she sure does not behave mature. Becoming elected CEO/Chairwoman of the savings association was a good moment for her to dump that shrew act and adopt a new persona. Well, that did not happen. And now, she - or her hands-off management and frolicking outside the office - has all but delivered Lee Cha Don to Ji Se Gwang on a silver platter.

If the writer is as deliberate as you say, then perhaps the writer placed the "mushroom" hair on Jae In's head to signal to viewers just how ditsy she is.

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maakopla

April 11, 2013 at 10:20 AM

Why are you taking my comment so personally? Ever since Jae In got that mushroom hair it's been bugging me. I don't like it and I think it doesn't suit her one bit. So what? Why can't I say that out loud?

"They are all about focusing on the writing and making powerful scenes."

And that's why, even though this drama has an extremely good feel about, I often feel like it's been written by 10 years old kids who know nothing about life, law or anything else.

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DayDreamer

April 10, 2013 at 4:19 PM

"No matter how much I want to ship this drama to the fullest it’s still impossible to ignore all the childishly stupid lame details."

This, exactly, is what makes this drama so frustrating for me too. I can see that this drama has so much great potential and that it can be really awesome but the accumulation of so many illogical and annoying things really dampens the mood.

And yeah, I was also kinda pissed off when Se Kwang received confirmation that Cha Don was Kang Seok when he could've done that frigging thing the moment Cha Don started instant messaging him. It's like, if he had such a bright idea and was always suspicious of Cha Don, why wait till now?? These details definitely bother me....

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15 KDR

April 10, 2013 at 3:59 PM

Bahaha.. love this review! The Princress Bride allusion and "Uh oh, somebody gonna get a hurt real bad" from Russell Peters just made my day! =P

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16 Anduril

April 10, 2013 at 4:08 PM

So, Hyuk was the he heartbreaker in episode. Gummimochi's header picture gave me sympathy pangs all over again. Actually Hyuk has a lot of First Lead characteristics. A slightly different drama, and he would be getting the girl and Cha-don would be the fool who missed his change. Alas, it looks like the first-love-rule will win.

Did anybody else wonder about the cab driver? From the dent in the car, I would assume that the cab driver died on the first truck hit. So then the police couldn't just let him off with Cha-don's forgiveness. And shouldn't Cha-don be experiencing guilt that some innocent bystander died because of his revenge battle. I guess I'll just pretend Kdrama-miracle. But it was very distracting the first quarter of the episode wondering what happened to that poor neglected cabbie.

Ja-in's attack on the hospital bed was hilarious. Usually I grit my teeth through the obvious physical comic relief. But maybe her frustration seemed more real, or I don't know why, but I was definitely rolling-on-the-couch-laughing-out-loud.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:15 PM

LOL Oh geee. yeah, what did happen to the cabbie?

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ar

April 10, 2013 at 11:47 PM

I've been wondering about cabbie since the end of episode 19. Either he vanished during the accident or everyone is mean and doesn't care about the cabbie, who, if he was there during the accident, should have received worse injuries than Cha-Don, given that the truck was hitting the driver's side of the car, while Cha-Don was sitting passenger side. I'm surprised that Prosecutor Kwon and the trucker thought this was the best way to kill Cha-Don. They should have studied his habits to see where he likes to sit in a taxi and hit the taxi from that side or run him over when he's not inside a vehicle. This is, after all, the kid who ran into the middle of the street, got hit by a car, and survived! No kidding, Cha Don's one tough person to kill!

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17 DayDreamer

April 10, 2013 at 4:10 PM

Judging from all commentary, I may be the only minority who found this episode lackluster because the show continues to emphasize its weaknesses more. When it is progressively headplunged into the revenge plot, that's when it's better. But when it gives way to the subplots, then it loses steam. This epi's scenes had more Jae In which made me groan because I didn't like her. She's the most childish/immature heroine I've ever seen in all kdramaland (more experienced watchers may have seen worse, who knows). I seriously wanted to smack her for her brash actions when she was throttling a patient with serious injuries. That was, in no way, funny at all. So much for keeping knowledge of Mom's disease from her to make her tough....no immature person can ever be tough in my books. I also fast-forwarded that "romantic" scene between her and Cha Don because frankly, I can still see no chemistry between them nor understand how Cha Don could've fallen for her. It was just a stretched out five minutes of boring.

Then there's Jae In's dad....he was obviously brought in as a convenient plot point and I can only see him as such so when we get longer moments of his pitiful back story, I can only yawn in boredom because the writer has brought him so late into the game for other purposes that I could care less about his rueful feelings towards Boss Bok and her pity towards him. There just isn't enough heart for me to feel anything about this.

Cha Don finally outs himself as Kang Seok. I get that the show was trying to make it look epic but I didn't feel it because the situation wasn't epic enough. I had been actually hoping that Cha Don would out himself in a moment when his enemy was in a frantic situation, trying to pull himself out between two hard places and gloatingly, Cha Don would say he was Kang Seok. But with Cha Don lacking the upper hand, this declaration seemed weak and less epic.

The only scene that I probably liked the most was Angelina's scene. She is the only character that has been through the most logical progression of events and emotions so my bias remains with her. I love how completely disenamoured she is of Se Kwang and nothing he says gets through to her, even when he is completely honest. I'm still waiting for her redemption arc but it doesn't seem likely that the writers will deliver it.

Anyways, thanks for the recap, Gummimochi. Alas, living in NYC, I wish I could meet you tomorrow in person to express my gratitude but this will have to do.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 10, 2013 at 4:27 PM

LOL! Daydreamer, you are a hard woman to please!

I'll just say that when it comes to stories, the main plot always carries the action and the subplots always carry the theme.

It's necessary that Jae In was immature, that she was being taught how to deal in a world of currency and power, that she is truly herself no matter what. Most of the other folks are play acting, scheming, utterly unreal. She is the only person so far who is totally working from the heart. She needs to not work from the heart, of course. But if she were to find out about Mom's Alzhemimers...she might not need that extra push into dealing with the real world.

Returning wayward dad is also good because he is full of regrets. He's the only one in this whole drama who is regretting his action for the right reason.

Angelina is regretting her actions because she is suffering. It's the kind of weeping one sees from bad guys on crime shows. She is crying because she got caught, not because she identifies with her victim. This is not true regret although it is pitiful.

The show definitely has a talent for great cliffhanger endings but this one really joined the main plot's action to the subplot's theme: Were we not --in some ways-- like family? Are we not -- in some ways-- sons of the same father? Why did you abandon me? Who is the real you? What do we owe those we love?

So, although it might seem a bit lackluster, it was a needed episode in many ways because it's hitting the theme. What does Hyuk now owe his dad? What does wayward dad owe his wife? If one is lucky enough to grow out of one's immaturity, how can one rectify the harm one has done? And do we forgive those who have harmed us?

I really think the episode worked. So that's kinda what matters to me. Not how exciting it is, but if something gets pulled together neatly.

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DayDreamer

April 10, 2013 at 4:52 PM

Hey Carole! A hard woman to please I am actually not!! I can totally stomach a lot of things and be tons more forgiving. For some reason, this show doesn't make me do that which even I would find weird because truthfully, I love me revenge stories. But I guess this one is too addled with stuff that seems unreasonable to me and I detest the heroine so the stuff I dislike outweighs the stuff I like. It's all a matter of taste. I would only say this: although I may not agree with you on some parts, I still respect your opinion. I'm glad that you're enjoying the show. :)

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 11, 2013 at 5:51 AM

Know what it is? I like Jae In because she's normal and imperfect. The writers took a big chance with that. They don't push us to like her. Honestly, I tried sitting through Jang Ok Jung and the amount of stomach-churning I got from the writers extremely over-the-top attempts to reinvent her and to make me like her...fashionista extraordinaire, sufferer, etc...it turned me off.

I guess one has to be careful when writing heroines. They have to be accessible and real yet likable to most viewers.

So I like Jae In because she is like the typical viewer. The world is mean and she has to learn that. Unlike Ji Hoo who is practical, cynical and worldly enough to get her man through her dad's power. Jae In is a sea of normality in a world of scheming. And her family is a place of unity and love in a very money-controlled world. So I see how the story would be lopsided and unbalanced without her being the way she is.

Oh, BTW, I'm pretty hard to please myself. Am not liking Lives for Love at all at all at all. Not sure if i will continue it.

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DayDreamer

April 11, 2013 at 9:20 PM

Carole, the most perfect example of an ordinary and imperfect heroine for me is Lee Soon Shin from the weekend drama. Unlike Jae In, she shows great sensibility and all her actions are relateable or, at the very least, understandable. This is one character who is not obnoxious at all.

As for your mention of Ji Hoo, I find her a better character than Jae In simply because I can understand her despite her coldness. She doesn't appear obnoxious and even if I may not agree with some of the things she says or does, I can at least respect the character for what she is.

I'm not watching the other drama you've mentioned because the premise didn't interest me.

CaroleMcDonnell

April 12, 2013 at 3:39 AM

Ah gee, Daydreamer, now I'm thinking that my little joke hurt your feelings. It wasn't meant cruelly at all. I apologize.

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So3

April 10, 2013 at 8:07 PM

About Cha Don outing his real identity when he's in the upper hand - yes that would look more epic and I would expect that's the "normal" way to write the plots BUT because the writer chose this interesting timing for Cha Don to out himself (i.e. He and Se-kwang was at a tie at the moment) I actually found it intriguing and surprising.

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ar

April 11, 2013 at 12:10 AM

Yeah, this episode was not as exciting as I wanted it to be. It feels more like a transition episode and the kind of episode that should take place on a Saturday to set everything up and then ramp up with some satisfying smack-downs on a Sunday. Or maybe they're going with the calm-before-the-storm sort of thing.

I find that I like the Jae-In character a lot better once I've changed my expectations of her and of this drama. I stopped the kdrama mindset that there is one hero and one heroine, that they are the OTP, and that both parties of the kdrama OTP are main characters....and start viewing this as an ensemble drama with Cha-Don leading it. Then you'd rank Se-kwang, Prosecutor Kwon, Angelina, and Boss Bok next. Jae-In is a tertiary character at best (ranked along with Cha-Don's assistants, Ji Hoo, and the prosecutor who is Ji Hoo's boss). She is just the eye-candy that provides comic relief and just so happens to be tied up in the main story.

And her character works better when you think of the drama as dramedy that commentaries on greed and corruption rather than a straight-forward narrative about one man's revenge (like City Hunter) where our focus is more on the characters than on the commentary their characters' actions is trying to relate. I'm also not too surprised that she isn't up to snuff or well characterized. Love interests always seem to dangle about in revenge stories to satisfy the kdrama requirement that there must be a love interest thrown in there.

I do think she'll contribute to the final showdown somehow. She can lead when she needs to.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 11, 2013 at 5:54 AM

Wow so true about the ensemble. Hadn't thought of that, but yes!

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DayDreamer

April 11, 2013 at 9:24 PM

Asianromance, I think you're definitely right in that I need to change my mindset where Jae In is concerned. I was expecting heroine material but I got far less than that so maybe a chunk of my disappointment in the character stems from that too.

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18 KDaddict

April 10, 2013 at 6:30 PM

I find the latter part of this show tons better than the first 8 eps. That is preferred to most shows which r better in the beginning but lose steam n flounder in the 2nd half.
Given the lack of good shows lately, this is an enjoyable watch. There is usually some truth in what ppl dislike certain shows for. I suppose: Jae In has been a weak heroine for way too many eps, such that by this time, at ep 20, viewers' hearts r mostly closed to her, even tho she is learning n growing up. Her attack of CD on the bed is hilarious, but then she is relegated to comic relief. Her hair is a minor issue, but her overall image is not. Prosecutor Jeon rode in on a motor-bike, ALL kickassery, but then hasn't lived up to the personality that entrance promised. Boss Bok's mind is addled. Angelina was sickened by her love for SK most of the series until he put her in prison. LCD's mother was a victim thru and thru. So the womenfolk certainly haven't been written in ways to make them shine.
This is a menfolk's world and drama. This shows does give us a protagonist-antagonist pair that r awesome. I do love it for that.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 11, 2013 at 6:03 AM

Poor Jae In. I'm so glad you defend her as well. I will add that it is very hard to be a strong heroine when one is completely in the dark about stuff. That's really important to remember. All she is doing is setting records straight at a bank. She is clueless, not because she is stupid but because she really has not been told anything.

She didn't know who Cha Don was until her mom told her he was the same little Dummy she loved.

She didn't know Cha Don liked her.

She didn't know Cha Don and her mom were working against Angelina

She doesn't know Cha Don is Kang Seok

She doesn't know anything about Kang Seok and his war against the Traitagon.

She doesn't know her mom's body and brain are failing.

She doesn't know the guy's her dad.

Hyuk was a little bit more clued in than she was but not too much so. And HE cried when he realized what was going on. I suspect Jae In will be incredibly pi**ed when she realizes what all has been going on around her (which will be one of the few times in k-drama where a woman has the right to get all huffy when she's lied to.)

Upshot: it's hard to be kick ass, bad-ass, heroine, when you haven't been given any information and you tend to think life is merely about bank fraud. I can't remember a drama which dared to have a heroine be so wholly in the dark about so many things. If she had known... perhaps she would have been stronger...or perhaps she would have been weakened. Only her mom knows for sure.

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delicatecloud

April 11, 2013 at 8:58 AM

Completely in your camp regarding Jae In and loved your views!!

However, i do agree with some of the comments regarding the less than stellar character script for our females in this drama. I lament the continued keeping Jae In in the dark scenario - which, as you have indicated, limited her in what she can do. On the other hand, if the writers put in a little effort, then the female characters can be bright, smart and badass and able to figure things out with their own brand of smarts and intuition. What happened to female intuition? - a little was shown when Assistant Hong intuitively noted that Cha Don is more interested in checking out Jae In then the other camp.

Not one to cry over what should have ben - i am still hoping that there will be redemption and the writers will come up with something amazing for our two female leads. I am very sure that Jae In will find out about her mother's illness in the next episode and she will step up when she finds out everything that was kept from her.

Ji-hoo - hopefully the badass and smart prosecutor will return and will triump over her short-loved (?) romance with Se Kwang.... there are better fish in the sea Ji-hoo.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 11, 2013 at 10:57 AM

True, the writers could've found a way to work with intuition etc. Poor Angelina could've been more than a one-note character but as KDaddict mentioned earlier it's a man's world in this particular drama. And as you just said, we can't go crying over what might have been. If we do that, we'll be arguing with every drama we see. For what they're aiming for...the writers are doing fairly well.

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19 -eina-

April 10, 2013 at 7:48 PM

hohoh~~ the real war is begin... seriously anticipated how cha don will counterattack se kwang's game..

the other thing.. i hope hyuk will not turn to baddies like his father..

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20 sugarpunch

April 10, 2013 at 8:10 PM

Good progress as per usual, but there has been one scene that I couldn't get out of my mind since I watched this ep...

It was Angelina's scene where Se Kwang visited her to inform her that Kang Seok was Cha Don. When she told him to go to hell, he had some tears in his eyes and when he left her room, for once he looked a little defeated and sad.

It made me realise that through all his pretense, and despite his inability to love, he still cares for Angelina because he also kept saying he's going to get her out of the asylum. This may be the romantic in me talking, what do you guys think?

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delicatecloud

April 11, 2013 at 5:01 AM

I think that Se Kwang did mean to get her out of the asylum that he put her there (excuse being that Cha Don will not be able to get in touch with her); however, if he is successful in getting rid of Cha Don and Boss Bok and with his political ambitions he will certainly go the whole nine yards and marry Ji-hoo in order to have the backing of her father. Moreover, who wants a past like Angelina who is so volatile and can cause him harm if he "releases" her from the asylum. My bet is that she will be kept there for the rest of her life - forgotten and sacrificed by him for his lofty ambitions.

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CaroleMcDonnell

April 11, 2013 at 6:12 AM

I'm thinking that he really does love her but she is something that is too connected with who he really is. To be with Angelina is to remind him of his days of innocence and of his guilt. He doesn't want the guilt and regret he feels to rise up and I feel he's stuffing it down. He SEEMS contained but he really could crack from guilt anytime. So he has to continue with the new persona he's created for himself... A villain has to protect himself from his conscience.

Since guilt, regret, true friendship and family (As Daddy Lee said: No one is your friend and it's all about money) I suspect all these will collide in SeKwang's conscience toward the end. It doesn't seem to be aiming for a real typical Korean drama vengeful showdown. The aim of the hero is Sekwang's destruction but the writers' aim is for SeKwang to see what he has lost of himself and his heart and his friend. Not exactly a redemption arc but a realization that will be like a two-edged sword -- destructive and healing to Sekwang simultaneously.

At least, that's where I think they're heading.

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21 gaeinalee

April 10, 2013 at 8:11 PM

“..Can one ship enemies who actually loathe each other to the core?”

Of course we can!
I did it twice before, Mawang (The Devil) and Equator Man.. This drama is my 3rd time in shipping 'equally-matched in intellect, cunningness, and finesse' arch enemies.

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