Superdaddy Yeol: Episode 5

by purplecow

Mi-rae continues her scheme to turn Yeol into a good father, though she’ll have to drag him kicking and screaming every step of the way. Thanks to Mi-rae’s stubborn insistence, Yeol makes some positive changes in the way he approaches his job and his private life. He also looks for ways to win Sa-rang’s approval, but it won’t be easy. It seems they don’t have anything in common, except perhaps their experience in keeping others at arm’s length.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

Mi-rae tells us in voiceover that one of her favorite activities as a child was playing catch with her father. But he died in an accident when she was only nine, and after that Mi-rae was alone until she had Sa-rang. Then Sa-rang was alone even though she had a family, because Mi-rae was always busy working.

We see Sa-rang running along the track, picking herself up and continuing despite falling down. Mi-rae laments how difficult it must have been for Sa-rang, how lonely. Then we see Sa-rang playing catch with Yeol, and Mi-rae watching from afar. Sa-rang is laughing freely, as is Yeol. “My last gift to you,” Mi-rae says, “is a father.”

We’re back in the rain just outside the hospital, where Mi-rae kisses Yeol. He wakes up, catching her in the act and responding enthusiastically. They break into the hospital, with lots of flailing and ardent declarations of love (or maybe lust), until Yeol’s dad appears out of nowhere.

They scream and run outside, where all the coaches and rehab staff are dressed up and carrying instruments. Chief Hwang gives the signal and they break into Mendelssohn’s ‘Wedding March,’ while Sa-rang strews flowers left and right. “I don’t like classical music!!” Yeol screams…

…and wakes up. Wait, was it all a dream?! Even that first kiss? Yeol gathers himself, then looks under his covers. “What the…” he says, and the camera pans significantly to a box of tissues on the drawer. Real classy, show.

As Mi-rae prepares breakfast, we see from a flashback that she did kiss Yeol; he just didn’t wake up, and nothing happened after. Mi-rae cringes in shame, oblivious to the soup boiling away on the burner. “I must be crazy,” she says.

There’s an awkward vibe at breakfast, as both Yeol and Mi-rae urge each other to eat more while trying not to think dirty thoughts. Yeol isn’t particularly successful, and starts imagining Mi-rae making kissy lips at him before snapping back to reality.

Yeol asks if anything happened last night, because when he woke up in front of the hospital there was an umbrella next to him. Mi-rae is a little too quick to reply, practically yelling that he came straight home and slept. They try to give each other the last egg roll, until practical Sa-rang solves the dilemma by eating it herself.

In the other room, Mi-rae takes Yeol to task for ‘helping’ Sa-rang with her homework and making her into a laughingstock. She says he has “two outs” now, because he made Sa-rang cry and lost their dog, even if he found him again. One more out and he’s gone. Yeol cheekily replies that while there are only three outs per inning, every baseball game has nine innings—he’s still got a lot of time left to play.

Mi-rae brings out a pair of tickets to the coaches’ interview scheduled for that night, which Yeol doesn’t want to go to. He thinks a coach should only have to coach well, but Mi-rae understands that it’s events like these that help you in your career. Social skills and connections are essential in society, no matter what you do for a living. Mi-rae gets quite worked up at Yeol’s casual attitude, while Yeol stomps off in a huff when he hears that Mi-rae threw out his ‘number one treasure’ (the USB cable with his porn collection).

While driving Sa-rang to school, Yeol needles her for telling Mi-rae about the homework. He says that he knows how to keep secrets, like how Sa-rang confessed to Class President and got rejected. He offers to help Sa-rang steal him back from Bo-mi, but Sa-rang insists that she’ll do it herself—and it’s not “stealing him,” but “taking him back.”

Sa-rang tells Yeol that she prefers to do things alone, because only having to look forward is quicker and easier. Alone in the car, Yeol wonders if she overheard him before when he complained to Mi-rae that Sa-rang wasn’t even his biological daughter. He starts to feel guilty, and then he sees that Sa-rang has left her bag in the car.

Walking to the school entrance, Yeol spies Bo-mi and her mother having a secretive chat. Bo-mi’s mom reminds her that the election for new PTA members is in a week, and gives Bo-mi baseball tickets and pizza coupons for her to distribute to the class. Yeol snorts that a school is no place to be lobbying.

Then Yeol sees Class President (his name is MIN-WOO, which I guess I should start using), carrying a cake that his mother sent to the class. Seeing all the gifts from sneaky parents gives Yeol an idea; he asks Min-woo what the teacher and the students like the most.

Bo-mi confronts Sa-rang in class and asks what she talked about with Min-woo during her birthday. Sa-rang won’t tell, and reminds Bo-mi that she was desk partners with Min-woo first. Bo-mi offers to tell Sa-rang why they grew farther apart and why Min-woo broke up with her (ah, youth), but then Min-woo arrives with a parade of delivery-people behind him.

Yeol has sent enough food for ten classes, and a season ticket for Teacher along with an offer to play catch with the kids during gym class. The teacher is tickled pink and wonders about Yeol’s intentions, at least until Bo-mi clarifies that Yeol isn’t really her uncle—he’s Sa-rang’s dad now. The class erupts with cheers while Sa-rang goes to the window and sees Yeol waving from the field. She snorts that there’s no stopping him.

Mi-rae checks on the injured Hyun-woo, who has been skipping rehab sessions. He recognizes Mi-rae as the doctor who dumped Yeol ten years ago, and wonders why she’s back with him. When Hyun-woo says he has no family to come visit him, Mi-rae recommends he make one—just like Yeol.

Just then the cheerleader Mi-rae met before enters the room, eager to look after her oppa. Mi-rae smirks and observes that it looks like he has someone there for him after all.

At the rehab clinic, an injured swimmer named KIM HA-NA is pushing her limits in the weight room. Meanwhile, Ji-hye and Mi-rae argue about what is the best course of treatment—Mi-rae recommends surgery, but that would keep the athlete from being able to compete in international competitions or the Olympics.

In the weight room, assistants try to keep Ha-na from overexerting herself. Yeol comes along and cheerfully recommends three more reps, even joking that she can choose between Hyun Bin and Won Bin for a date if she finishes her set.

The other doctors arrive, and Mi-rae scolds Yeol for encouraging an athlete to endanger herself. But Ha-na thanks Yeol, saying this was the first time she felt alive and determined since her injury. She knows surgery is inevitable, but she wants to take things as far as she can before the end.

But Yeol shows Ha-na his arm, which bears the marks of a ligament tear that almost ended his career as a pitcher. Yeol says that Mi-rae was the doctor who helped him recover—and she did it without surgery. Meanwhile, in his own hospital room, Hyun-woo thinks about the coach’s invitation to the team interview—if he doesn’t go, reporters will assume his rehabilitation has failed and it will reflect poorly on Yeol.

In her office, Mi-rae asks Yeol not to act like he’s a doctor from now on. He should take responsibility, and only do what he’s good at. She starts to change jackets, revealing her bare arms, and Yeol says of course he’ll take take responsibility—but is it okay to do it in here? Yeesh. Mi-rae clarifies that she’s changing jackets for the interview, and mutters under her breath about Yeol’s perverted ways.

On the way to the interview, Mi-rae reminds Yeol to keep his temper in check. He has no patience with things he thinks are a waste of time, but to Mi-rae winning means keeping control of yourself. The interview will be good practice for being a father, since parents have to endure a lot for the sake of their children.

The baseball team is lined up in a conference room full of reporters, while the coaches sit with their spouses around tables in the back. Sang-tae is there with his wife, MIN MANG-HAE (played by Kim Hye-na), who seems to have a close relationship with her husband in spite of her muttered accusations about lipstick stains and late nights.

Sang-tae is astounded to see Yeol arrive, since he never attends these events. He introduces his wife to Mi-rae, who has a tough time keeping a straight face (Mang-hae’s full name means ‘embarrassed’). A gaggle of reporters surrounds Yeol and begins firing questions about his scuffle with Hyun-woo, and Mi-rae grips his arm to remind him to keep his cool.

That only gets harder when Ki-tae walks over, supposedly defending Yeol but really only delivering barely-veiled insults. He goads Yeol into grabbing his collar, then laughs that the rumors about Yeol’s violent attitude must be true. The reporters smell blood in the water, asking if Yeol isn’t lying about Hyun-woo.

Yeol is about to walk away, when Mi-rae announces to everyone that she is Hyun-woo’s attending physician and he is recovering nicely. She promises that he will return to the team soon, and Coach Yeol will take full responsibility if he doesn’t.

Yeol is not happy with Mi-rae’s promise to the reporters, because Hyun-woo only has a 30 percent chance of a complete recovery. He accuses Mi-rae of ignoring his wishes and settling everything her own way.

Yeol suggests that it’s because Mi-rae is like that that Sa-rang is a loner at a school, and bam! She kicks him in the family jewels, and he retorts by calling her a bad word. Mi-rae snarls that he should become a good father if he doesn’t want to die, and Yeol spits back that she should act like a wife if she wants the fake marriage to continue.

Then Coach Bang comes out, and the feuding spouses turn their grudge match into a loving embrace in the nick of time. Coach Bang addresses Mi-rae with the honorific for the wife of a close friend, and invites them both out drinking with the coaches and their families. Mi-rae is quick to accept.

Everyone gathers at the bar, where the manager introduces Mi-rae and comments that Yeol is a lucky man. Ki-tae’s wife arrives, saying she just came from a very special event reserved for popular news anchors.

The catty comments start to fly (most from Yeol and Ki-tae, actually), and there’s only one way to work out the new pecking order without openly offending anyone: copious amounts of competitive drinking.

While the coaches’ gathering is going on, Sa-rang calls Dr. Shin to hang out. They talk about Yeol, and how he’s doing so far. Sa-rang sees how he and her mom keep going back and forth, and thinks he may work out as long as he stops making mistakes like the one he made earlier that day (with the food) that got her called into the principal’s office. Aww, she’s not going to tell Mom about it—she’s already covering for him!

Mi-rae draws on the skills she picked up from three years of hospital gatherings to impress the others with her drinking. She and Ki-tae’s wife go head to head, with Mi-rae gaining the edge for sheer style.

By the end of the night, the coaches and their wives stagger out of the bar both trashed and exhausted. Yeol, Mi-rae, Coach Bang and the manager are the last ones on the sidewalk, and Mi-rae shows her skill by sending off the higher-ups in a taxi with a pre-prepared tip for the driver.

The manager is obviously impressed with Mi-rae, because he invites Yeol to the team fan signing the next day. Mi-rae bows as the taxi leaves, and Yeol remarks in astonishment that she can really hold her liquor. Then Mi-rae collapses against him, gasping that she feels like death.

Yeol carries Mi-rae home. Thinking she’s asleep, he promises to fix himself and become the father she wants him to be. Mi-rae mumbles that he needs to do that, because he’s the father she chose for Sa-rang. Yeol asks if she sees him only as a father, and not a man.

Dr. Shin is still waiting outside the apartment when they arrive, and he rushes over in dismay at seeing Mi-rae being piggybacked. Yeol is annoyed and makes no effort to hide it, so Dr. Shin has no choice but to leave after dropping off the tools Mi-rae will need for an upcoming surgery.

In the apartment, they find Sa-rang together with Yeol’s father. She has fallen asleep next to him, and the two of them are adorable. Mi-rae greets her sort-of father-in-law, still three sheets to the wind. She apologizes for being drunk and says “I love you,” and Yeol’s father responds by making a heart sign over his head.

Dad chatters happily about how Sa-rang resembles him. Yeol scoffs that they’re not even blood-related, but Dad only replies that Yeol is just jealous because she doesn’t take after him. Yeol sends Dad off with some money for a taxi, right after Dad mentions that Sa-rang was talking about playing catch before she fell asleep.

Mi-rae says good night to Sa-rang, accidentally waking her with alcohol breath. Foggy with sleep, Sa-rang asks her not to scold Yeol too much. Sa-rang may not think much of him, but Mom does. “If you like him, I like him,” she says.

Sa-rang rolls over as if to go back to sleep. She says that even though Yeol can be embarrassing, living with him is better than being alone. Yeol stands outside the door, looking pensive.

Mi-rae wakes up with a killer hangover, and finds that Yeol already cooked her breakfast. He left a note informing her that the PTA meeting is at the same time as the baseball fan meeting, so Mi-rae may have to go to school alone.

While driving to the rehab clinic, Yeol thinks about Sa-rang and why she wants to quit track. He checked with school track coach about her injury, and the coach said that he only knows why Sa-rang likes running: It’s something she can do alone. Making friends has never been easy for her, and when she runs she doesn’t look behind or to the side. In the present, Yeol remarks that even if going straight ahead is easier and faster, it’s worthless in the end because you’re alone.

Hyun-woo is training in the rehab clinic (and honestly, do they only have the one machine?) when Yeol arrives. Hyun-woo declares that he will keep fighting, because he can’t bear to lose to Yeol. “I’ll help you win,” Yeol promises. He will take responsibility for Hyun-woo’s recover and be with him every step of the way. In return, Yeol asks for a favor.

The team manager, coaches and the club owner talk at the fan signing, where Hyun-woo has yet to arrive. But he comes into view a moment later, swarmed by his fans, and Sang-tae smirks that Yeol came through on his promise.

Ki-tae whispers to Hyun-woo, obviously upset at this turn of events, and Hyun-woo calmly replies that he came out at the request of his rehab coach. Yeol wasn’t able to make it, Hyun-woo says, because he’s stopping by an elementary school. He brought a bunch of signed baseballs and is going to play catch with the kids. Ki-tae rushes off immediately.

At the school, Yeol and Sa-rang pass out gloves to the kids and bicker comfortably. Sa-rang is surprised Yeol remembered to show up, and goads him by saying that Dr. Shin would have filled in if he hadn’t.

The students throw back and forth, and Yeol gives Sa-rang some pointers on her pitching form. An errant throw gets past Yeol, and is stopped by Mi-rae. She’s skeptical of Yeol’s intentions, but he promises he’s there to be a good father by teaching the kids what he knows best: baseball. Dr. Shin pops out of nowhere, having tagged along as a pinch hitter in case Yeol didn’t show.

Just then, Ki-tae’s car comes roaring onto the track and pulls to a stop in the middle of the soccer field (is he trying to run them over?!). He and his wife unload boxes of baseball bats from the car, completely upstaging Yeol’s simple game of catch.

Mi-rae and Ki-tae’s wife head for the PTA meeting, while Ki-tae begins passing out bats to the students. Yeol is annoyed that he’s using such a cheap trick to steal the limelight, and Ki-tae challenges him to a batting competition. Just like the old days, Ki-tae promises with a glint in his eye. Just the two of them, man to man and no excuses.

In the PTA meeting, Ki-tae’s wife fishes for information about Mi-rae’s relationship with Yeol. She sniffs that her husband is Yeol’s superior at work, so he shouldn’t act so uppity in public. Mi-rae glares and gets right up, causing Ki-tae’s wife to shrink back, but Mi-rae only walks out of the meeting.

On the field, Ki-tae throws the first pitch while Yeol is still talking to the teacher, getting his first strike. Yeol swings and misses on the next pitch, leaving just one more chance. He remembers what Sa-rang said about running, and how she doesn’t need to look around to know how fast or slow her competitors are running. Yeol closes his eyes and swings… and the ball goes sailing off into the distance.

Mi-rae comes running out onto the field just as Yeol hits Ki-tae’s pitch. The kids start cheering like crazy (with the exception of Bo-mi), and Yeol yells right along with them. Mi-rae joins the pileup with Yeol and Sa-rang, while Ki-tae hunches in bewilderment.

In voiceover, Mi-rae tells us how happy she was to play catch once with her father, all those years ago in the park—but it was the last time they played catch, because he died so soon after that and left her alone. She will do her best so that Sa-rang won’t go through the same thing. She will leave Yeol behind in her place.

In the park, Yeol and Sa-rang play catch while the dog runs back and forth. Mi-rae takes pictures off to the side, enjoying the sight of her daughter smiling so brightly. “This will be my last gift to you,” Mi-rae says. “A father.”

 
COMMENTS

I’m not entirely sure where I stand on this show. For a while I was firmly behind it, even Mi-rae’s seemingly cold-hearted decision to make Yeol into a father regardless of his own feelings. Mi-rae is sure as heck not perfect, but I found her compelling. I still do, but I’m starting to feel that Superdaddy as a whole hasn’t really found itself yet. There are moments where I am totally invested in the emotions or the comedy, and then something will happen that just makes me scratch my head—like the car crash that ended Episode 4, which has yet to be explained.

The style of the show is deliberately exaggerated, almost like a comic book, which makes sense when you think of the webtoon source material. But unlike adaptations like Misaeng, Superdaddy doesn’t seem interested in superimposing a layer of realism. There are exaggerated blink noises, over-the-top dream-sequence acting, and adults doing things that make no rational sense (like driving a car onto a track and swerving dangerously around two dozen children). Sometimes I appreciate the effect, but sometimes I find certain stylistic choices off-putting or heavy-handed.

Although I may be in the minority, I like Yeol and Mi-rae together a lot, if only because I think Yeol needs her. At his worst, Yeol is honestly a complete idiot. He isn’t motivated to save his own job without her, and he doesn’t understand the importance of putting in effort outside of the narrow scope of his job as a rehabilitator.

He also gets angry at the drop of a hat, as in the scene in front of the reporters, even when it’s obvious he’s being provoked. Yeol said that his hopes and dreams froze ten years ago, but I suspect his emotional maturity stopped there too—he acts like an overgrown child, and only Mi-rae so far has managed to get him to act his age.

The bar scene was a little bizarre, partly because of the ridiculous passive-aggressive bickering and partly because of the amount of alcohol that these supposedly professional, employed adults drank on a work-night. I mean seriously, drinking whiskey out of the bottle through a straw?! I can only shake my head at such irresponsible behavior—and hope they invite me to their next get-together…

In any case, Yeol is growing accustomed little by little to the idea that he could be a father and not just a husband, and it’s good to see. Sa-rang also seems to be warming up to him a bit, although there’s a long way to go. But when we see this makeshift family forgetting their issues for a while and having fun together, it’s clear that they have something worth fighting for. I mean, look how cute they are!

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