Plus Nine Boys: Episode 2

by LollyPip

Plus Nine Boys is just full of sweetness and heart, and I’m loving every minute of it. The boys all know the shape of their “plus nine” curse now and they each respond in different ways, giving us a bit more insight into the kind of men they are. I’m enjoying watching all four of them floundering as they try to figure out what happened to their previously-normal lives, though I can’t help but hope for their sakes that they find their curse-breakers soon. But not too soon, because the journey is just so endearing.

Track 2: “Suddenly one day”

After seeing the girl he loves kissing his best friend, Jin-gu heads home for a broody shower and realizes that this must be his “plus nine” fate his family warned him about. He wonders how his life went so wrong so quickly.

In the morning, Uncle Kwang-soo whines at breakfast about the healthy fare, but Mom (she’s his older sister, but we’ll just call her Mom) reminds him of his high blood pressure and tells him to get a wife if he wants to eat something different. She pushes vegetables that are good for stomach problems on Second Son Min-gu, who complains that he needs meat for athletics. A mopey Jin-gu leaves without breakfast, too upset to eat.

The new upstairs neighbors are making a lot of noise, so Min-gu holds Maknae Dong-gu up to bang on the ceiling in retaliation. Mom cheers them on, while Kwang-soo sarcastically congratulates her on her awesome parenting.

Jin-gu drags into work with a long face and has to steel himself when he sees Se-young, thinking back on her kiss with his best friend Jae-bum the night before. He ponders how you have to see some things to believe them – but even then, you may not want to believe.

When he sits at his desk she tells him to smile, but he’s in no mood to smile or even look at her. Finally Jin-gu gives her a fake grin and she laughs, saying that it’s true that if a man has a big smile and his eyes wrinkle when he laughs, it means he’s a player. She’s teasing him but the joke hurts, and Se-young asks what’s wrong but he refuses to talk about it.

Jae-bum gets to work and exchanges a few mysterious looks with Se-young. Jin-gu wonders when they became a couple and finds an article online detailing how you can tell if someone is in an office romance. He watches with increasing dismay as Se-young and Jae-bum do pretty much everything on the list, like using work as an excuse to be close, checking their phones at the same time, and leaving the room within minutes of each other.

While on a break, Jin-gu watches as Se-young is thanked for the Valentine’s chocolates by seemingly every male in the building, including the janitor. His face falls to realize that his box of chocolates from her really wasn’t anything special. He sees how she flirts with all the guys, which is another giveaway that she’s possibly dating a colleague.

Kwang-soo is approached by a work friend who complains about his unfair demotion, and Kwang-soo tells him that he’s been transferred to work on Sponge, an “infotainment” variety show about little-known trivia. It’s a decided step down from Music Camp, but he makes out like he’s only helping out temporarily over at Sponge.

A music producer comes to kiss up to Kwang-soo about his awesome broadcast last week, trying to get his band on the show, and it’s obvious he hasn’t seen the show or heard about the pantsless musician incident. Kwang-soo’s friend (cameo by Kim Jong-min as himself) tries to give him the universal sign for shut up, stop talking you idiot, but the guy misses the hint and just goes on and on until Jong-min finally tells him what happened.

Kwang-soo makes his way to the Sponge studio, thinking how he thought he’d be more settled by the time he was 39, but instead it’s like he’s going through a second puberty. He finds the Sponge writers in a room full of old props and junk (and is that a random live duck? HAHA), and it’s immediately obvious that they’re the dregs from the bottom of the writing barrel.

The writers present their ideas, like how rubbing your ears makes you resistant to tickling or rubbing a frog’s belly to make it sleep, and Kwang-soo rejects them all. The head writer says they can’t film their show if he shoots down all their ideas, but Kwang-soo just excuses himself before he can blow his top.

He talks with his friend Young-hoon, saying that he’d planned on working hard at this but the show is just so stupid. Young-hoon says variety is just weird like that (which is driven home when a couple of his own show’s comedians approach to ask which facial hair looks better on the woman) and that he should be glad to still have a producing job.

Young-hoon gives him the number of someone called the Telefairy, a sort of telephone psychic, and tells him to call her. He attributes the popularity of Grandpas Over Flowers to the Telefairy’s advice to use older actors instead of idols, and claims she’s even responsible for Crayon Pop’s famous helmets, hee. Kwang-soo understandably thinks this is all ridiculous.

Se-young has lunch with her friends and plays with her friend Da-in’s adorable daughter. Her coworker Go-eun sighs that Se-young is so popular with children and men, and gets suspicious of all her text messages lately, wondering if she’s dating someone at work. Jin-gu arrives just in time to hear Se-young deny that there’s anyone she likes. He doesn’t miss the look she throws towards Jae-bum as she says it, though.

He and Jae-bum join the ladies for lunch, and Jin-gu is uncharacteristically quiet as he watches Se-young while she plays with the little girl. Gah, the expression on his face just beams with love for her – he’s not even trying to hide it.

In a meeting that afternoon, Jin-gu frowns as Se-young and Jae-bum talk with their heads close together, and rolls his eyes when Jae-bum supports Se-young’s ideas against Director Jo’s criticism. After the meeting, Jo pulls Jin-gu aside to talk privately.

He starts by complimenting Jin-gu on being a such a hard worker and sooo very honest, and wonders if Jin-gu is upset that he never gives him credit. Jin-gu is mystified until Jo reveals that he got a low score on an anonymous employee evaluation, and strong-armed HR into telling him it was from Jin-gu.

Jo yells at him for giving him a bad review, while Jin-gu can only weakly mutter that it was supposed to be confidential. Jo says that he lost a promotion because of it, and tells Jin-gu to keep being so honest, and he’ll be honest too. Oh, this is going to be very bad. Then to make things worse, Jin-gu gets back to his desk to find Se-young and Jae-bum laughing together. He thinks to himself that at age 29, both his work and personal lives are in a shambles.

Kwang-soo pleads with his boss to take him off of Sponge, that it’s not fair since he gave everything to Music Camp and only made that one mistake, but he’s told that this was the best that could be done for him. He begs to be put back on a music show, but his boss says the order came from high in the ranks and there’s nothing he can do.

Kwang-soo sits alone (well, alone except for Random Duck) and reconsiders calling the Telefairy for advice. He gives in and calls, and is shocked when she immediately mentions a recent embarrassment involving a naked man. He hasn’t said a word, but she says his “plus nine” year will be very difficult and warns him to be careful. He asks when he’ll get married and the Telefairy says she doesn’t see any new connections in his future, so she advises him to search among his exes if he wants to get married.

Young-hoon finds Kwang-soo looking at the text receipt of the call and asks what the Telefairy said. When Kwang-soo tells him, he says that he should go find his exes — what could it hurt? He suggests Kwang-soo look up his first love Min-kyung, prompting memories of a young woman with lovely long hair, though Kwang-soo pretends disinterest.

Min-gu tells his judo coach that the doctor diagnosed him with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and had chastised him on his impatience and gave him a tip to massage a nerve in his hand when he feels nervous. Min-gu is a beast during practice, punishing his disloyal body and thinking to himself that 19 is a chaotic age both physically and emotionally.

Min-gu takes himself to a noraebang after school, and sings to work out his emotions (“Confession” by Lim Jae-bum, one of my favorite songs). Afterward he takes moody selcas on a bridge, but he’s snapped out of his self-involvement when he sees the pretty mystery girl doing the same thing right next to him. He watches her walk away, not noticing him at all, and rubs the nerve in his hand to soothe his jumpy stomach.

Mom drives Dong-gu to acting classes, even though he whines that classes are for bad actors and he’ll be embarrassed. Mom says they need to focus on his skills rather than relying on his face, telling him that if he works hard he can be a big star like Yoo Seung-ho. Ha.

Dong-gu holds hands in class with an adorable girl, JANG BAEK-JI (Lee Chae-mi) and pouts as the other children practice facial expressions and small scenes. When the teacher asks why they’re holding hands, Baek-ji chirps that they’ve been dating for three years now (that’s so adorable I can’t even) but Dong-gu cringes in embarrassment and pushes her hand away.

Dong-gu stands to read a scene and he’s even worse than before, if that’s possible, and even the teacher can’t keep the smile on her face. The kids all laugh at him and he tries to leave, but Baek-ji stops him. She’s curious why he’s so irritable lately, and pouts that he’s changed. These two are too cute. Dong-gu wanders the hallway and thinks that his mother is right, that something strange is happening to their family.

At the end of the work day, Director Jo brings Jin-gu some extra work to take care of before he can leave. He plays it off like it’s not much, but he’s to reply to an entire year’s worth of customer complaints, individually, without copy/pasting. He can do it because he’s so very honest, right? And so Jin-gu’s torment starts.

Jin-gu works late into the night, and Se-young calls to see if he’s eaten. He tells her to bring him something and her joking “No way, I’m not your girlfriend!” hits below the belt. She offers him the snacks in her desk, but everything he finds, she’s all, Not that, I still want that. Finally she cries frustratedly that he should just eat chicken, and he turns to see her standing in the doorway holding a bag of takeout. Awww.

He picks at his dinner while she stuffs her face as usual, just enjoying the time with her alone. That is, until Jae-bum shows up with coffee and Se-young asks why he’s so late. Ugh, my heart can’t take much more Sad Jin-gu Face.

Jin-gu tells them that Director Jo read his evaluation and that’s why he’s getting all the extra work, and it’s sweet how Se-young gets all indignant on his behalf. Jae-bum waxes nostalgic about a chicken place he and Jin-gu went to in high school, and the conversation turns to a time when Jin-gu and Jae-bum were younger and they tried to invent something to get rich. Their inventions were all flops, and also hilarious, and the three best friends laugh together.

Jae-bum gets misty over the old days (he may look stern-faced but it’s obvious he’s a big old softie), and Jin-gu says it was hard but they got through them together. Se-young comments on their beautiful bromance (hear hear) and she and Jae-bum leave Jin-gu to finish his work. He gets back to his desk and notices the thickly-falling snow, and runs out to take Se-young his umbrella. When he gets outside though, his face crumples as he sees Jae-bum and Se-young sharing an umbrella. He just sadly watches them go, remembering that he’s the third wheel now.

Jin-gu talks with his friend from the bar, who asks how he didn’t know Se-young and Jae-bum were dating since he’s always with them. He’s a good friend as he says that Jae-bum is too cold, and he doesn’t understand how any girl could like him over Jin-gu. Jin-gu gets a call from Jae-bum who asks him to meet him this weekend, because he has something to tell him.

His friend assumes Jae-bum is going to tell him he’s dating Se-young, and asks what Jin-gu will do once he officially knows. He counsels Jin-gu that not telling Se-young he likes her is the same as lying, and something crosses Jin-gu’s face as he processes this.

Dong-gu rehearses at home, to his uncle and brother Min-gu’s dismay, though Mom tries to stay positive. Min-gu finally addresses the elephant in the room and says Dong-gu sounds like a robot. The upstairs neighbor starts up their noise again, and Min-gu hooks up a fan with a weight on it to pound on the ceiling (Mom, on seeing his ingenuity: “You should have studied harder!”).

Kwang-soo stomps off to his room and thinks about his disappointing life, when Young-hoon calls to tell him he’s found his first love Min-kyung. She’s still single, works as a curator of an art museum, and there’s an exhibit this weekend. Kwang-soo says he won’t be going, though he can’t stop thinking of his first love affair with the beautiful Min-kyung.

That weekend Min-gu and Jin-gu head out to meet Jae-bum for some basketball, and they invite their uncle, but Kwang-soo looks downright depressed and he refuses to go anywhere. Mom runs the vacuum into Kwang-soo’s foot and tells him to go out, date, get some fresh air, something, but he only whines and ignores her.

Young-hoon calls Kwang-soo and tells him again to go to the exhibit and Kwang-soo again refuses, but Young-hoon hears his car’s GPS in the background and smirks. He teases Kwang-soo and asks for a report later, and gets hung up on.

Kwang-soo gets more nervous the closer he gets, and keeps checking his hair in the rearview mirror. Cute. He thinks how his life has been stable for ten years, just going to and from work, but today he’s starting an adventure. He smiles a tiny smile at the thought that anything could happen.

The boys play basketball, and Jin-gu can’t stop himself from playing a bit aggressively, then glaring when Jae-bum excuses himself to take a call (assuming it’s Se-young). The two take a break and Jae-bum asks Jin-gu what’s wrong, noticing that he’s been really down lately.

Jin-gu blames it on work and Jae-bum loyally offers to get Director Jo fired, which softens up Jin-gu. Jin-gu asks when Jae-bum will get promoted – it turns out that he’s the son of the company’s CEO (guess that offer to get Jo fired wasn’t entirely a joke). Jae-bum doesn’t want to succeed through contacts though, and wants it kept a secret.

Jin-gu nervously asks what it was that Jae-bum wanted to tell him, and Jae-bum swears him to secrecy before he admits that he confessed to Se-young. Jin-gu steels himself for the news that they’re dating, but Jae-bum says that he was rejected… WHAT?! This changes everything, and Jin-gu’s surprised-but-hope-filled face just gets me right here.

Jin-gu has a hard time hiding his shock, and asks if Jae-bum really liked Se-young. Jae-bum says that he moved too fast, and now he’s going to wait. Jin-gu thinks again about times he heard Se-young say she didn’t have anyone she liked, seeing her comments from a different angle now, and wonders what he should do.

Kwang-soo finds the art gallery and when he hears a woman’s voice from another room, he recognizes it immediately. An employee confirms that it’s Min-kyung but won’t let him enter the private area, so he waits. He smiles as he looks at the art and remembers his college sweetheart, until he hears her call to him from behind. He turns and sees her… but something in his face changes when he sees his first love for the first time in many years.

Min-gu tells his friend that he’s met the girl of his dreams, and that he doesn’t know who she is but he knows they’re destined to be together. His friend scoffs that he watches too many movies, as that very girl passes unseen behind them and enters a store.

Back home, a newly-hopeful Jin-gu gets a call from Se-young, and they talk about nothing in particular as he smiles a genuine smile for the first time in days. He narrates that if life suddenly becomes difficult, hope will come to you. Again we see Kwang-soo turn at the voice of his first love and see his face freeze at the sight of her.

Mom has lunch with the fortuneteller and brings him up to speed on her boys, and asks if a ritual would help. She says they’re all so depressed, but the fortuneteller tells her to have hope, that there will be a good relationship later this year. She asks who it will be, and he can only say that it won’t be the youngest, but one of the other three. It will be a tough relationship but a strong one… but only for one of them.

COMMENTS

This drama is just such a wonderful surprise for me, because it’s not at all what I expected but at the same time, it’s so much better. I was anticipating a bright and silly rom-com, but what we’re getting is more of a thoughtful and sweet introspective story on family and friendship. I absolutely love the relationships within the core family of guys and Mom, and the satellite relationships that spread out from them like Kwang-soo and Young-hoon, Dong-gu and his adorable little girlfriend Baek-ji, and most especially Jin-gu and his friendships with Se-young and Jae-bum.

I think my favorite relationship in the show so far is actually the friendship between Jin-gu and Jae-bum — these guys have been friends since at least high school, and they know each other inside and out. They’re loyal and they accept each other for who they are, even though on the outside they’re complete polar opposites. It’s going to be hard to watch them as they realize that they both love the same girl, and have to weigh their friendship against their hearts and make some difficult decisions. You could see that starting even in this episode, with Jin-gu struggling to hold his feelings inside so as not to let his friend know that he liked (what he thought was) his girlfriend. And the moment when Jae-bum tells Jin-gu that he got rejected, and Jin-gu had to fight to keep the hope off his face, was such a great foreshadowing of the emotional struggles on the horizon. Will he follow his heart and go after Se-young, or step back and let Jae-bum try for her? Does Jae-bum even have a claim on her just because he admitted his feelings first? Doesn’t Se-young have some say in all this? And if Jin-gu does go after the girl Jae-bum likes, how will he deal with his own feelings of guilt for betraying his friend?

The “plus nine” boy I’m most worried about right now is Kwang-soo. Yes, something happened that was out of his control and he got punished for it which is terribly unfair, but he seems much more down about it than the situation seems to justify. It’s clear that even before this year, Kwang-soo pretty much went to work and came home and did nothing else, and I worry that he’s not just upset about this situation but actually clinically depressed. Unlike Jin-gu who is pretty happy with his life except for his unrequited love, Kwang-soo seems to be perpetually stuck with nothing going on in his life other than his job. I doubt that just meeting a woman is enough to pull him out of the hole he’s sunk into, and I’m concerned that he’s putting all his hopes in that basket and will be let down horribly when it doesn’t change his whole life for the better.

I’m looking forward to seeing more about Min-gu and Dong-gu and their troubles, because I have a feeling that what’s come is just a preamble and that they’re both in for a big fat helping of Life Sucks. I would just love it if Min-gu’s “fated” love interest turns out to be a really difficult piece of work, because I have a feeling that he’s really used to things coming easily to him and could benefit from someone making him work for something he wants. And Dong-gu definitely needs a dose of reality, because all he’s ever known is that his looks got him fame, and he’s never had to actually work for it. He’ll need to think about whether it’s worth the humiliation of acting classes and a public fall from grace in order to get his celebrity status back, or if it’s easier to just give up and be a normal kid.

Plus Nine Boys is starting off on such a wonderful foot, and I find myself with really high hopes that it continues in this vein of focusing on the relationships between the characters. While I think the premise of four men at life’s crossroads is interesting, and would have enjoyed something sillier with more slapstick, the direction the show is going is so much better than if it had relied on cliched superstitions and silly pratfall-like humor. In that sense, the teasers certainly misled us, but I can’t be upset because I think that what we got is so much better than what it could have been. Instead of being fluffy and full of light humor, the show has buckets of heart and emotion, is thoughtful and smart, and I already find myself loving and rooting for all four of our guys and their loved ones. It’s absolutely fantastic to get something even better than you expected, and I look forward to more of the same as the story gets underway.

 
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