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Falling for Innocence: Episode 12

This hour is all about confronting the past, whether that means just learning how to let go or learning how to embrace and reconcile it with the present. Both Min-ho and Soon-jung find themselves tied to the ghosts of what came before in similarly eerie ways, but the result is all heart. Well, mostly heart. I’m not sure what’s beating inside Joon-hee’s chest, but I’m almost positive it can’t be human. An ant farm filled with perpetually pissed off ants, perhaps, but not a heart.

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EPISODE 12 RECAP

Min-ho’s face lights up when he asks Soon-jung if she maybe, just maybe has come to like him a little, but her response is to give no response.

Still, he’s undeterred, happy with just the thought that her feelings toward him might be changing. She warns him not to put stock in her words so that he won’t misunderstand her and get hurt in the end, but he simply answers that he’s used to getting hurt. Even feelings like pain and sorrow remind him that he’s alive.

After enjoying a villainously maniacal laugh over the discovery that Min-ho’s new heart once belonged to Dong-wook, Joon-hee has his man look into the details of the transplant process with a triumphant smile.

Things start spiraling downward for Min-ho and Hermia now that Joon-hee’s intervening, starting with them being unable to obtain the ingredients needed for the New Product to facing angry CEOs of their affiliate companies who’ve suddenly found their accounts frozen.

In fact, Gold Partners has frozen all of Hermia’s accounts, making them unable to even pay their own employees. To make matters worse, the central factory has all its assets seized, causing its unpaid employees to turn to looting supplies to make up for their lost salaries.

Min-ho has to find a way to pay back the investments or risk going bankrupt, prompting Soon-jung to confront Joon-hee about his underhanded methods. For some insane reason, Joon-hee doesn’t seem to understand why she’s not throwing herself into his arms the more she sees Min-ho suffer, and his only answer to that is to promise her that Min-ho will suffer even more.

Naturally, Soon-jung says that her own pain is directly tied to the pain Min-ho is in, and asks what Joon-hee wants to be satisfied. He tells her to look forward to tomorrow, when she’ll be able to see a whole new side of Min-ho after he’s hit rock bottom. Ugh, Joon-hee. Do you still not get how this whole thing called “life” works?

She finds Min-ho feeling defeated, and all but picks him up by his bootstraps. There’s no time for a pity party with so much to do, and his only job is to try, try, and try again.

In order to help, she’s collected a list of wealthy individuals who might be interested in investing—it’s just up to Min-ho to step up to the plate and go for it. Secretary Oh, the other Hermia secretaries, and herself all devote themselves to the cause as well.

While Ok-hyun (or more precisely, her detective buddy who does all the actual work) finds the designer of the fish watch as well as intel proving that Dong-wook once bought the watch for an acquaintance, Joon-hee hears from his minion that Min-ho might have been looking into his donor’s family because of the personality changes he’s been suffering since the transplant.

Joon-hee does some research into cellular memory, now thinking back to the mannerisms Min-ho seemed to have carbon copied from Dong-wook. Along with memories of Min-ho saying how unsettled he felt looking at him, Joon-hee wonders if it’s possible that Min-ho inherited some of Dong-wook’s traits and memories.

After being denied by every possible investor on the list save for one, Soon-jung stresses that they can’t lose this last chance. Min-ho’s dubious since the last possible investor is an old grandma, but looks can be deceiving—she’s known as Madam Jang, and though she owns a humble red bean soup restaurant and has a son with special needs, she’s one of the wealthiest people in the country.

Unfortunately for them, Madam Jang is a wise old crone and rejects Min-ho before he can even get a word in edgewise. He doesn’t budge and stresses that she’s his last hope, and hilariously switches from calling her “Grandmother” to trying more familiar terms like mother, aunt, and even the more flattering noona. But he’s thrown out regardless.

They return to Hermia defeated, and Joon-hee catches Min-ho in time to invite him for a cup of tea. He all but gloats, seeing as Min-ho has less than a day to come up with funds they both know he doesn’t have.

When Min-ho muses about how their positions have switched, Joon-hee remembers that it’s Dong-wook’s heart that now beats in his chest as he murmurs, “What kind of ill fate is this?”

But then it’s back to business as he tells Min-ho that he’s suffering under a system that he himself initially created—now he can’t be angry at Joon-hee for flourishing under the same system. Besides, now that he’s been given the all-clear from Gold Partners to oversee the sale of Hermia, he’s just taken over the job that Min-ho was once in charge of.

Min-ho doesn’t understand why Joon-hee’s going after Hermia with such malicious fervor, though he doesn’t get an answer. Instead, Joon-hee mentions how his father once knelt and begged to save the company—maybe if Min-ho were to do the same right here, right now, he’d give him more time to accrue the funds.

Alone, Min-ho is painfully reminded of the truth in Joon-hee’s words about him being a victim of a system that he once perpetuated. All the evil that he did to bring Hermia down initially is now coming back to him, he knows, but he still asks Soon-jung in a lost voice whether there’s something, anything, they can do.

She says nothing as Min-ho starts spiraling down into a pit of despair, wondering how his father must’ve felt when he had to kneel, and whether he was just so desperate that he had to. “The strange thing is,” he begins, tears and emotion welling up in his voice, “I don’t feel like I’m fighting against Gold Partners. I feel like I’m being attacked by my own past.”

That idea is so frustrating to him that he can only let it out in an angry yell as he continues to beat himself up over the things he did in the past that are coming back to haunt him. “What can I possibly say? What right do I even have to say… that it’s hard on me?”

Soon-jung can only reach out to give him support, and says nothing as Min-ho breaks down into sobs.

And while Joon-hee celebrates his nearly assured victory that evening, Madam Jang comes across the business card Min-ho dropped while she cleans up her restaurant that night. Something about the card gives her pause, like she recognizes the name.

During the next day’s meeting, Joon-hee tries his best to act surprised when Min-ho reveals that he doesn’t have the funds to repay him. “Oh my,” he says in a comically flat tone. “What shall we do?” Well, there’s only one option—Min-ho can either sign over the New Product to Gold Partners or get on his knees and beg for more time.

Joon-hee seems to want the latter more than the former, and Min-ho’s face turns into a mask of determination as he slowly rises, as if readying himself… Don’t do it, Min-ho! Not to this prick!

Just then Soon-jung receives a call to the office, while Joon-hee goads Min-ho to kneel and sits like a lazy king about to receive tribute. No sooner does Min-ho begin to bend his knees that Soon-jung comes flying into the office to announce that Madam Jang is on her way.

Her first order of business when she arrives is to shut Ji-hyun up in the way that only the old and powerful can, before she asks Min-ho how much he owes. He shows her the figure, and she makes a bank call to transfer five billion won (roughly five million dollars) over to him like it’s nothing.

Joon-hee can’t even get a word in, since Madam Jang announces that she’s now taking over the New Product project. He and Ji-hyun make it their new job to find out why Madam Jang is helping Min-ho and how they can put a stop to it.

Min-ho is so thankful he’s nearly speechless, as Madam Jang takes him back to her restaurant to feed him red bean soup. When asked why she helped him, she admits that she would never have thrown him out if she knew he was from Hermia.

He’s surprised to hear that she knew his father, who was a regular at her restaurant. Cooking red bean soup was the only way she had to support her mentally disabled son after her husband died, but she’d lost all hope after her real estate agent swindled her out of the restaurant.

With nothing left to live for, she attempted to poison her son with pesticide-laden soup, planning to follow shortly after. That’s when Min-ho’s father had walked in, figured out what was happening after seeing the pesticide bottle, and ordered fifty bowls of soup for the next day.

He knew that the order would give her something to do and keep her and her son alive, and he was successful. But when he’d picked up the order the next day, he paid her with the deed to her restaurant, citing his own son’s love for her red bean soup as the reason she’d have to keep making it for a long time.

That explains why she still runs the decrepit little restaurant, and why she gave Min-ho a heaping bowl of soup like she’d promised his father that day. She explains all this to Min-ho in the present, adding that she was able to build her bank account to what it is today because his father saved her and her son.

“Now I have to pay him back,” Madam Jang says emphatically. “You have to live. You have to live so you can become a businessman like your father.” Min-ho agrees, of course, but can’t help thinking of all the terrible things he’d said of his father over a bowl of red bean soup later.

“What are you doing?” a voice asks, causing Min-ho to look up suddenly. His father sits next to him with a smile on his face, and starts asking his son questions like any father would. Does he have a girlfriend? Why is he so thin? Does he drink alcohol well?

Min-ho replies that he has someone he likes, and fortunately, she can drink well in his stead. They both have a laugh at this before Min-ho adds more thoughtfully that it’s strange how his father will always look frozen in time to him, and will always appear the age he was when he died. “Even when I become a grandfather, you’ll always look like this, won’t you?”

His father jokes that at least he can observe his son getting old, but adds that a child is always a baby to his parents. “Life goes by quicker than you think,” he cautions his son sagely. Min-ho begins to say something else only to look up and find the memory of his father gone. Aww.

Noh Hyungnim appears in front of Joon-hee to demand that he make good on all the promises he made the night Dong-wook died, or else he’ll go to the police with the truth. Joon-hee all but dares him to, confident that the police won’t re-investigate the case when his father already paid the ultimate price to close it.

But Noh Hyungnim plays a recording of Joon-hee’s voice from that night thanks to the black box in his car, implicating him in Dong-wook’s death directly. He wants Joon-hee to pay for his wife’s kidney transplant as of tomorrow, and should be a lot more worried when threatening someone like him.

Production at the central factory resumes thanks to Madam Jang, and now that things aren’t so dire, Min-ho sneaks an opportunity to grab Soon-jung’s hand. She freaks out on him and asks what he’d do if any of the employees saw, only for him to openly admit that he’s just hitting on her, sheesh.

They bicker cutely over his actions, with him professing that he’ll deal with her rejection as long as she deals with him showing his affection. He does wonder when her feelings will grow like his already have, both of them unaware that Papa Ma is watching them.

Joon-hee gives Noh Hyungnim cash for now, but refuses to be threatened just because he can’t make his wife’s surgery happen. He reminds Noh what kind of man he is and what he’s done, insinuating that if pushed hard enough, he won’t be able to control what he does.

Min-ho and Papa Ma bump heads at the factory, and go back and forth like a father and son while holding cold compresses to their heads after. Papa Ma uses the opportunity to ask Min-ho if he likes Soon-jung, since seeing the two of them together reminded him of how it felt to see his son and her together.

“Yes, I do,” Min-ho answers. “I keep expressing my feelings to her, but she’s not opening her heart easily to me.” Papa Ma says it’s because she has high standards, which Min-ho doesn’t refute, even though he mumbles something about how hard it is to be in a love triangle with someone who’s in Soon-jung’s heart.

Plus, he adds, he’d brought her out here hoping for a date, but she only did the work she was supposed to do before returning to Seoul. Papa Ma asks half-jokingly if Min-ho doesn’t feel bad for saying all this in front of her late fiancé’s father, but Min-ho answers innocently, “Why would I be sorry? Love isn’t something to be sorry about.”

Something in his words or actions unsettles Papa Ma, perhaps because he reminds him so much of his own son when he kneels down to tie Ma’s shoelaces for him. I love these two.

Under the pretext of asking her for ramyun, Min-ho invites Soon-jung into a room he’s decorated for a celebratory party. They’re celebrating the finished product at last, which he gives to her as a gift.

Min-ho: “Even in this exciting moment, all I could think about was you. Strange, isn’t it? When I wake up in the morning, when the sun is out, when I eat something nice, when I listen to good music, and before I fall asleep… having a certain someone to think about during every good moment of my day is strangely fascinating.”

Soon-jung looks vaguely uncomfortable as she voices her concerns to him, which he already took into account. He’ll keep waiting for her to come around, as long as she doesn’t run away.

But he asks her out on a fishing and ramyun date first, since it was an activity he used to do with his dad and he was reminded of it when he saw him recently. I love that he doesn’t give Soon-jung too long to question that before he adds that he just wants her to take a small step closer to him. They’ll start as slowly as she’s comfortable with.

Joon-hee and Min-ho exchange some passive aggressive fighting words about his good luck in the bathroom, but the atmosphere changes completely when Min-ho recognizes the fish watch he’s wearing and seizes his arm. “Was it you?” he asks incredulously. “You killed Ma Dong-wook, didn’t you?”

Now his vision of that fateful night becomes clearer, as he sees Joon-hee’s face there at the crime scene the way Dong-wook must’ve that night. He accuses Joon-hee of hitting Dong-wook with his car and even getting out to confirm what happened.

What’s most appalling to Min-ho now is how Joon-hee could’ve done what he did and still stayed next to Soon-jung’s side. Joon-hee keeps insisting that Min-ho’s lost his mind, but Min-ho won’t be deterred now that he knows the truth, and promises to uncover it for all to see.

Papa Ma continues his well-meaning meddling streak by asking Soon-jung directly whether she likes Min-ho or not. She starts to do her normal routine of shutting down, but Papa Ma is persistent, since he’s known her long enough to know that she must feel something for him.

She waves the idea away, saying she’d be embarrassed to face Dong-wook, but Papa Ma says it’s his son who should be ashamed of leaving such a beautiful woman behind. Then he adds, “There’s something that Dong-wook always told me: ‘Love isn’t something to be sorry about.’” Ahhh, so that’s why Min-ho saying that unsettled him so much.

He’s all for Soon-jung moving on and wants her to see it that way too, since she can’t live feeling chained to someone who’s passed on. Besides, he’s given his stamp of approval to Min-ho, even if he’s less handsome and more childish than his own son was.

More importantly, he doesn’t want her to waste her youth being stuck in the past. He’s talking to her like her own father because he loves her as if he were, and Soon-jung is so overcome that she can’t help but cry.

Min-ho goes to Ok-hyun/Wendy to tell her that Joon-hee is most definitely the murderer, because he caught him wearing the fish watch. Ok-hyun is actually skeptical for once, and mostly because they’d investigated his car already and came up with nothing.

He doesn’t have a way to explain that away, but he tries to convince her of how sure he is Joon-hee was at least at the scene even if he can’t reveal how he knows. At one point he does put her hand on his chest and say that Dong-wook is inside of him, but can’t risk Soon-jung finding out and leaving him. Ok-hyun must reinvestigate, no matter what.

Soon-jung thinks back to what Papa Ma said to her while looking at pictures of Dong-wook. “Will it be okay?” she asks the photo. “For me to be happy… without you?”

“Of course it is, my lady,” says Dong-wook in his usual style. Since everyone can apparently communicate with the dead this hour, Soon-jung looks up to see him sitting right in front of her. Even he wants her to move on, which she can’t do if she’s always thinking of him.

“My only wish is for you to be happy,” he says. “Just that.” Soon-jung cries at those words, but by the time she looks up again, he’s gone. Meanwhile, Joon-hee calls a prosecutor buddy to look into the donor coordinator who had to have been paid to share Dong-wook’s information with Min-ho.

Soon-jung and Min-ho are both getting ready for the fishing trip they’d planned when Min-ho is suddenly summoned by the police. Soon-jung goes outside to find Joon-hee waiting, and he doesn’t mince words when he asks how she came to like Min-ho so quickly after Dong-wook’s death, considering how she used to hate his guts.

He claims to know exactly why, and tells her she can find out by going to the police station. She does, and walks in just in time to hear one of the officers accuse Min-ho of paying someone to find out information about his heart donor, Ma Dong-wook.

 
COMMENTS

Man, Joon-hee has some nerve. I wonder if making him a carbon copy of Old Min-ho has also brought with it Min-ho’s more ambiguous characterizations of the past, most notably with regard to having no sense of self-awareness. Because really, what does Joon-hee expect to happen here?

Even if he can’t see his own actions as being wrong, surely something must go off in his brain every time Soon-jung gives him the cold shoulder whenever he tries to woo her by being the absolute worst, right? Wrong—that’s what a sane person would do. It isn’t like drama villains can’t be crazy and fun, since recent(-ish) examples like Liar Game have proven just the opposite. It’s the simple fact that you can’t use crazy as a catch-all motivator rather than actual motivations, because you’re effectively sapping your own dramatic tension out when you have a character behaving erratically for reasons that are beyond anyone’s realm of understanding.

As it stands, the show would have us believe that Joon-hee is just misguided in his affections, and that he somehow thinks that making Soon-jung miserable is the key to winning her heart. Compare that to when he prepared a grand romantic gesture for her in the wake of killing her fiancé, back when we could point to his feelings as being somewhat sincere. Maybe he’s just so jealous that he can’t see reason, or maybe he never could. Maybe he still doesn’t see it, because a reasonable person would have a hundred reasons not to wear a watch their victim tore off them at the scene of the crime—and if he’s wearing it simply because he finds it fashionable, then he needs more help than I thought.

So while Joon-hee’s regressed, Min-ho keeps progressing further and further, even if it means facing some hard truths from his past. The fact that he’s facing them at all is amazing in and of itself, since it speaks so much to his change of heart (har) that he’s able to look back on the life he’s lived and see exactly where he went wrong. Not only that, he felt so guilty for the way he behaved that he would’ve just shut down had it not been for Soon-jung’s encouragement, so convinced was he that he was on the receiving end of some karmic comeuppance.

The convenience of Madam Jang’s last minute save may not have exactly woven itself into the fabric of the plot as much as it stuck out like a glued-on patch, but it’s easier to forgive when the emotional undercurrent was so moving. Poor as far as deus ex machinas go, I came to accept that it was less about the pickle she got Min-ho out of and more about the revelations she shared regarding his father. Finally, Min-ho was able to reconcile the harsh and unforgiving view he always held of his dad with the reality that he was a good man before he was a good businessman, even if the two didn’t always coincide.

And he wasn’t the only one undergoing some serious soul-searching this hour, even if Soon-jung’s inner turmoil was much more subdued. As much as Min-ho was having to face the past in a very real way, Soon-jung was having to do the same, even if she had to be pushed along by both Min-ho and Papa Ma to do it. She’s the sort of person that needs the meddling though, since she likely would’ve just wallowed in guilt if left up to her own devices. But at the point where both her late fiancé’s father and her late fiancé are telling her to go with her heart, what’s there to stop her? Oh, right—finding out that your new crush never told you he had your late fiancé’s heart would probably do the trick. Darn.

 
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this story is so convoluted... i love it.
: D

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i lovve this episode. The scene with Minho's dad made me cry

hopefully the episodes to come wouldn't be too painful for our couple. cause i still want to see minho's cheekiness and funny lines in the final 4 episodes!

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Ditto!! I think I bawled when Min Ho was with his dad and cried when Papa Ma spoke with Soon Jung.. what great father figures..

Love the way Min Ho is taking baby steps in getting Soon Jung to like him - so adorable! Unlike Joon Hee.. I felt bad for him given his past and that he lost his dad but all that pity is now GONE!!

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Can someone explain why Soon Jung finding out Min Ho having Dong Wook's heart in him is an obstacle to their relationship?

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It'd make Soon Jung sceptical about Min Ho's feelings for her, and hers for him, i.e. what they are feeling now are just residual feelings between her and Dong Wook. If she believes that to be true, it'd make her relationship w MH meaningless.

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@Ahn Yo Na
First, got to say I love ur name. KMHM lives on. Anyway, I'm with u there. Although I see the brewing conflict, I still don't see how this wud be big enough to separate these two. Hopefully, Soo-jung will move past it. But I gues that'll be hard when the guy u like has the heart of the one u loved. She'll always be reminded of Dong-wook's death that way. Still don't see this as that big of an obstacle. Its like a mild obstacle. The show pretends its huge but I don't believe it is.

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@Ahn Yo Na: Agree with KDaddictJCW about SJ-MH relationship...and Camille W about your name... :)

JH told SJ to come to the police station hoping SJ would find the fact that MH owned her fiance's heart and then started to doubt her feelings for MH. But, I do hope that no matter what JH did, it would lead to something he had never expected, i.e. SJ would love MH even more...

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Joon Hee might think Min Ho having Dong Wook's heart is too painful a reminder of Soon Jung's loss and make her being around Min Ho impossible. Joon Hee might think it analogous to her not wanting to see him because his father killed Dong Wook.

But Joon Hee is most often wrong when it comes to predicting Soon Jung's response. It might make her more attached to Min Ho. The conflict might arise because Min Ho feels that the attachment is less about him and more about Dong Wook and feels too insecure to embrace it.

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I really don't think it should be, based on everything I have seen in this drama so far, Soon-Jung has been dealing with everything in a really level, rational way, including coming to terms with the fact that Dong-wook is gone forever, and that she should still lead a happy life, loving Min-ho this time. Furthermore, Min-ho has long come to terms that the heart beating inside him is his heart, and that he is the one who loves Soo-jung, both in his hear and mind.

So I hope that the drama won't make it an obstacle in their relationship, and instead turn the tables on Joon-Hee instead for trying to halt the growing affection between Soon-Jung and Min-ho.

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Love the acting of our 3 leads.

Also like the idea that MH's dad's good deed comes back to save his son. There is a saying:
When forefathers plant trees, descendants get to enjoy the shade.

I've often, almost always, failed to understand the motivation of baddies in K drama. I've come to the conclusion that you have to be that kind of person to understand Why they do what they do. For instance, does anyone understand Min Joon Guk killed that restaurant lady who gave him a job and fed him? Or why sb like Chef Kwan Jae Hee, who is handsome, debonair, famous and rich would want to kill his wife, his gf, and others? And then carve a barcode on their v dead wrists? Could it be that, If we understand, we'd be in trouble? ;)

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As a lover of great villains in fiction, by this line of argument we'd be unequipped to understand any character whose lives we haven't lived. Do we have to be a cross-dressing nun to understand why a cross-dressing nun would join a boy band? Do we have to be a top star in love with an alien to understand why she's in love with an alien? If we did, storytelling would be a dead medium.

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No, we don't have to be a cross dresser etc. to understand one, or to have done sthg in order to understand it. That's the very basic principle in storytelling.

But then when it comes to villains on the order of murderers, I surrender. How do we understand those who are cruel enough to think nothing of taking lives?

BTW, do u or others out there understand Min Joon Guk or Chef Kwon? I'd love to be enlightened.

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Min Joon-Guk is a character from the 2014 drama 'I hear your voice' with Lee Bo Young and Lee Jong Suk. Chef Kwon is a serial killer "the barcode murderer" from "The Girl Who Sees Smells" with Mickey/Yoochun, Shin Se-Kyung and (veteran actor aka the hottie of the show) Namgung Min. Check these dramas out tho. They're pretty good. TGWSS is still airing too.

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I misinterpreted this question lol. Disregard my response below/above (wherever it is). In any case, their actions are justifiable in their minds but murder will never be 'a-okay' in my book so the answer wud be no. Besides, the shows makes it clear that these characters are beyond the point of no return.

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@KDaddictJCW

I'm afraid I have to be an academia prick to answer the question of why people kill and why don't they think of anything but killing and harming others.

I'm a Sociologist with an interest in criminology, but I'm only a beginner regarding the latter. However, I will try to answer your question. According to criminologist Lonnie Athens in Richard Rhodes' book "Why They Kill", people undergo what he calls "violentization", which is basically the stages of becoming violent. So theoretically, what pushed Min Joon Gook and Lee Joon Hee to kill is because all their actions in the past years before they killed, the norms and values they were socialized to, gradually shaped them to be more and more violent until they 'snap' and kill.

On the other hand, the theory also recognizes that some people are essentially well... bad seeds. That whatever they are socialized to, they will always be violent, and that someday they will kill.

I must add, nevertheless, that I disagree with you that every fictitious villain must be provided with a motive. Why must they, when in reality some of the cruelest killers knownin humankind history were brought up "prim and proper"?

I'm not sure, but perhaps you remember how I brought up the topic of a serial killer from my country with a stable job in one of this drama's recaps. This serial killer buried 11 people in his backyard and nobody knew, because he was one of the kindest people in his neighborhood. Asians--including myself-- are socialized by their parents to always be polite, humble and kind. Why can't this simply be taken as the reason why the writers of IHYV and FFI respectively write Min Joon-gook and Lee Joon-hee as bizarre and unpredictable characters?

In short, if life itself is stranger than fiction, why can't fiction be strange?

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@Selenette,

It is HeadsNo2 who is looking for Joon Hee's motivation in what he's doing, and bothered by it not being apparent. (See 2nd paragraph in her Comment Section.)

Not Me. I say the criminal mind isn't always comprehensible to sensible minds. (See 4.1.3--last paragraph.)

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@Selenette,
Actually Joon Hee's motivation is clear enough for me. I said so in ep 11, and also here in 19.1

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and that's the FUN of fiction, right? just enjoy the fictional ride, people... cuz it doesn't actually happen in real life... well, i hope not.
; )

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but to answer your question regarding "how do we understand those who are cruel enough to think nothing of taking lives?"...

ummm, in the US, remember charles manson... it happens, right? how about jeffrey dahmer... *chills*

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After I saw your comment I search the names and I am at a loss for words. Dahmer is a smart serial killer. I cant believe people like him do exist. If only he used his brain to help others.

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Looked up Jeffrey Dahmer, *sigh* I should have done it later in the day,not 10 minutes after waking up, and all I can say is that only Jesus can save us from the works of the devil.

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I think we'd all be happier if most KDs could give us well drawn chars w clear motivations, and a logic that is at least internally consistent. But we know how their live-shoot system and writing on the fly operate. So what we often get is writing that sag or go down the toilet about 1/3 from the end.

After watching KDs for 12+ years (starting w Winter Sonata), I don't take it seriously anymore. To me, it's akin to a buffet at a 3-star hotel--much is less than desired on acct of the budget, but there r some things on offer that u like, so u keep sitting at the table.

There is much irrational behavior in the real world that is incomprehensible to more sensible minds and healthy psyches. So I don't hold KD scriptwriters responsible for making "severe" villains comprehensible to me. It's a huge bonus if they do.

Here's wishing Heads better luck in future shows to recap.

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Hahaha love your buffet analogy which is right on point!!

Keep writing!!!

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"Starting with Winter Sonata..." Same here. That's my first KD. Sigh, it's been years... (OMG, oh no! Am I that old??? lol). WS was aired on one of free TV channels in my country the same year (but different months) as it was aired in Korea. That's just surprising since internet connection wasn't like today (hey, am I from the middle of nowhere?) and it's the era of stupid phone (haha) instead of smart one (so that you wouldn't be able to watch shows from your gadget), so that having the-same-year-aired drama on TV was a kind of luxury...

I didn't watch KDs much later on due to the lack of chances (but I was still lucky--I watched Jewel in the Palace aired two years after its release. There are no many dramas which can attract males, females, young and old folks to leave their important business for a while). So, I actually don't really have a clue on today's drama development...

I started watching KDs last year. Then, when I was enjoying Marriage Not Dating, I found this web, loved the recaps and comments, and decided to participate in the comment section...

Thus, I'd like to say 'hi' to all of you here. Love you all. Actually, I watched Healer but after all the episodes were complete so that I couldn't write comments although I once checked the recaps here. It would be ridiculous if I did.

Hope there would be a good drama soon after FFI to be commented upon...

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i think, there's distinction of being the antagonist or psychopath or sociopath.. :)

but in Junhee's case.. i came to understand the reason why he turned to be a monster.. something (always) happen for a reason, right? :)

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Well for Min Joon Guk, we r told that he killed the ahjumma for revenge. I mean, her daughter was the witness that put him in jail afterall. Tho its kind of irrational but villains have never been praised for being rational, right? For chef Kwon, the show has yet to fill us in but its keeping its cards til the end. All these dead ppl probably have sum connection with each other. Some of the ppl he killed knew who he was or was a witness so its no wonder he'd go after them. In that way MJG and chef K are similar.

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Min Joon-guk from IHYV:
For him, family is the only thing that matters. A very Korean thing to believe, btw. By extension, he also believes in kin liability. When his own family got attacked by the family of Park Soo-ha, and a third family represented by Jang Hye-sung intervenes in his rightful punishment of the Park family, Jang's family has to be punished too.

That's actually very reasonable, once I apply the moral framework of a few centuries ago.

Kwon Jae-hee from Smelly Girl:
I got nothing. Wild guess: He is just a psychopath without a cause.

Joon-hee, well, that's simple. He knows all K-drama female leads want bad boys, and he got that base covered really well. Now all he needs to understand is that they want bad boys so they can change them. That part might be a bit of a problem, though.

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Hee, That's funny.
I couldn't understand Min Joon Guk cos I thought he should/would be grateful to the lady who gave him a job, a roof over his head, and food when he was down and out. And of course I forgot about dialling the moral compass back a few centuries. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Now if only Joon Hee could read your post, and acting accordingly, then he did have to be banging his head, and Heads wouldn't be scratching hers bat his behavior. ;)

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with only 4 episodes left, i really hope it would be a happy ending even the genre for this drama is romance, no additional 'comedy', but i found this drama is a comedy romantic story.. where almost in every episode, there were some hilarious scenes.. not to mention how dorky and playful minho with his buddy woo shik, lols..

junhee is a good friend who turns to be the worse enemy.. i couldn't imagine being soonjung..

i hope, SJ could accept it as brave as minho.. im glad, minho could handle it well.. no more misunderstanding.. it's only 4 eps left.. :)

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Show! Life is supposed to be a bit simple and quiet unless it's in a k-drama - and that's probably one of the reasons we watch them...yet, can we please have a simple and happy ending here for MH and SJ?

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+1 I need this drama to end well ... MH-SJ together, alive !

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A show with these flaws shouldn't steal my heart but it just does. The shows greatest appeal is its cast. The plotline is not original but who cares when you've got Min-ho? :)

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I agree with u.

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Falling for Kang Min Ho?

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Flaws aside, this is a drama that I would watch for the fun of it, without overthinking why this is such and such. Thanks, Jung Kyung Ho for an awesome performance, as always:)

If we try to rationalize Joon Hee's actions, I doubt we'd come to a consensus. I understand, to a certain point, his side (you know, his inferiority complex getting the best of him, and greed, and all that). Heck, even his murder of Dong Wook was probably at the height of his fear of his plans of taking over Hermia getting thwarted. Not that murder is excusable at all, but I see why he would resort to that. But after that, (especially with his Father's sacrifice to cover up for him), he just lost me. If he continued on with the pretext to might as well continue with taking over Hermia for personal greed, I might even give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe, it's his inner greed working. But all of these evilness because Soon Jung won't go to him? LOL, ridiculous. Soon Jung never gave him any reason to think he has a chance with her, and after killing Dong Wook, you'd think he'd back off even just out of the tiniest guilt he might have (obviously none).

Zero brownie points minus another 100 points for being a murderer for you, Joon Hee.

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Four episodes left... Since we have already found that JH hit DW (whether it's on purpose or not), this show shouldn't be about finding who the murderer was anymore or how to make him turn himself in, but more on the characters' progression in perceiving their lives... And, because I believe I will regret watching this show if the ending is sad, let me write the plot: JH ends up in asylum, being mentally cracked. As for the couple, oh please writer-nim, give them a happy ending.... (or, I will never believe in light-hearted posters, cute titles, and beautiful pictures anymore. Just...don't break my heart...).

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though I am loving this drama, but I have to say it that Angry Mom and FFI ditched me with it's funny teasers, I liked Angry Mom too... I find GWSS a little lighter though it is thriller :) ...

well I liked all the three... but I hope Warm and Cozy wont do that, after that plz dont turn into melo :P

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It's stupid since it will erase what we are watching, but I keep thinking that Min Ho's father should've just contacted Red Bean Grandma instead of kneeling and failed! Right now, I'd rather be wondering about Secretary Oh - Wendy loveline than how Joon Hee will get arrested for Dong Wook's murder... Anyway, love the last screencap.

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Might be because back then red bean grandma was not as rich as she is now? It was around 20 years ago anyway.

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25 years since Minho's father died.

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Uh yeah, my bad, i thot it's something like 10-15 years ago, and my reasoning is if she currently own most of the area she's living, she'll be quite rich already back then, hehe...

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Can someone here tell me please the rating of this drama? Just wonder since I read that it is not aired on free channel TV.

The initials episodes just made me crazy because it took about three days for the subs to be available. Of course I wasn't a fortune-teller or something who could predict what the dialogue was about. Although English is not my language, let alone Korean, but the former is my only hope to understand the show since it comes earlier than the language of my own. Sigh, it's about to end now... Despite its flaws, I'm sure I will miss the details on this show, e.g. how MH kneeled playing his slippered feet while talking to SJ in giving-her-the first-product scene. If I were the film director, I wouldn't be able to think of such act... cute...

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The rating of this drama has been perfectly decent, starting out at 1.2, steadily going up to 1.65. On JTBC, that's a win.

We really have to applaud the director and writer for coming up w these little touches each ep to put smiles on our faces and keep us hooked.

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@KDaddictJCW
Thank you... :) "On JTBC, that's a win". That's a relief. I just want this drama to be noticed... It seemed it initially didn't get much attention. I thought the subber(s) were not really interested or at least they thought people would not be interested in this show... or, is it just my perception?

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As much as I love Jung Kyung Ho's performance here, and Yoon Hyun Min's as well, in all fairness, I suspect that if there were bigger names attached to this project, the initial anticipation or reception might have been better. If this show HAD some hype, it'd have been a case where the show could live up to it. I believe that after this show, both guys' status will be bumped up a notch.

You get the feeling that subbers think there wouldn't be much interest in this show? Chinese subs come out about 6 hours after broadcast. Super fast.

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The subber team who complete in 6 hours recently was not able to release the sub after as long as 2 days for the first few episodes and this team is known for speed but not quality. The other team that is the most famous and reliable for subbing kdramas did not even pick up this drama at first. They started from Episode 6 only because the word of mouth reception from c-netizens is so great. Even so, they are not subbing it as fast as other popular shows.

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I love the last screencap. ^^

Thank you so much Madam Jang! I was so angry when MH was about to kneel in front of JH. And like HN2, I don't get why JH would still use the watch when he has extra ones to use. Doesn't he feel guilty or scared seeing the watch?

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Don't understand why Min Ho had to go to police station. Is it illegal to pay someone to find out who was your heart donor?

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Yes, the show told us that it's illegal; that's why Min Ho asked Sec Oh to do it secretly and cautiously.
Add to that Joon Hee has connections to some Congressman or Assemblyman; He is stirring the pot behind the scene to make it an even bigger deal than it should be, by pointing out that sb is taking bribes to release classified information. That fits the politician's agenda and Min Ho becomes toast, for a small transgression.

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Thanks for the clarification ?

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woww....this show is full heart...i do love every scenes...OMG...how adorable min ho...and his conversation with his dad...and papa Ma..its soo heartbreaking...this show is beautiful..i like the colour and how they execute everyscene..its just perfect worth watching for me...4 eps left...i'll gonna miss it soo much...better happy ending writernim or i'll cry out until my eyes pop out...

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+1000000

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loving this drama <3 go go go KMH & SJ!

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I have to admit that I was a mess when Min-ho almost knelt before Joon-hee. I hate that trope and I'm glad it was diverted. Gosh, everywhere in my body was tense in that scene. Joon-hee is really just irredeemable scum at this point.

The inner conflict with Min-ho and his past bad-guy is so heart-wrenching. But I love the encounters with his father, and the testimony of how his father's selfless and thoughtful heart is reaping good for his son.

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OK Korean script writers would have us believe that poor people come in only two persuasions ridiculously altruistic or homicidal. That's K drama for you. I was so hoping that Joon hee hadn't run his best friend down but alas they've turned him into uber villain. Gap Dong was more sympathetic than this guy. Speaking of Gap Dong, that's the kind of bad guy portrayed by Kwon Jae hee in Sensory Couple, he's a sociopath. His motives don't matter because they're part of a pathology. Please, I do hope the writers aren't going to try and give us some reason that normal people can understand.

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To be honest, I think Joon-Hee's development into a villain has been well grounded since the beginning. We knew he had a dark streak all along, trying to clamour out of his lowly position in life.

The thing is, the people who really mattered (Dad, Dongwook and Soon Jung) saw Joon-hee for the kind, brilliant person that he was. But Joon-hee's obsession with his lowly birth led him to act in really regrettable ways. I think this episode really showed the emptiness of it all. Now that Joon-hee is at the peak of career, everyone he loved has left him, and it is really all his fault.

His father died trying to cover up for him, and Soon-jung is so disgusted by what he has become that she could never be his friend again. So I do find him sympathetic, because he's been so wrong about his values his whole life.

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There is a saying:
One wrong step, and the whole game is blown.

Joon Hee's wrong step took place many years ago, when he made up his mind to succeed and be a big wig at all cost. Life is Path-dependent. One step in the wrong direction early on, then you put one foot in front of the other, and it all goes to hell. So I agree w you that JH's villainy has not sprung up out of the blue.

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If I had a dollar for the number of times I wanted to punch Joo hee in this episode, I would be rich.
You know that fist clenching thing they do in dramas, I was doing that. Shocking to me coz I hate that move because it always looks so forced and repetitive but now joon hee has made me realise fist clench =freaking pissed.

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That last pic though.... @_@

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Lol I kno so cute

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The feels in this episode. Yes the madam Jang story line was convoluted but it had me tearing up anyway. Aww man and when Min ho broke down and all Sung Joon could do was hug him, I was sniffling too.

As for Joon hee, I think he is poorly written. He's meant to be a direct foil to Minho' s change and progress but he' s moved from a misguided, ambitious unlucky in love guy to someone with an undiagnosed psychosis. Yoon Hyunmin is trying his darndest though and he is still very nice to look at.

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"For some insane reason, Joon-hee doesn’t seem to understand why she’s not throwing herself into his arms the more she sees Min-ho suffer"

I've got a baseball bat that can be used to beat that out of him.

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Thanks for the recap HeadsNo2! :)
Man, I'm so happy that I'm watching this show.
I cried when Min-ho was talking to his dad.
Although this show isn't perfect and it's plot has been done before, it has heart (heh) & it draws me in. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised and I look forward for it every week.
Min-ho is such a cutie pie, I love everything he does. Jung Kyung-ho is amazing here. I must watch more of his work. This is the second time I 've seen him. I first saw him in the movie 'Fasten Your Seatbelt' & that was a fun movie. I really enjoyed it.
Four more episodes to go. Falling for innocence, Fighting!

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The first time I watched Jung Kyung-ho on Princess Ja Myung Go. Jung Kyung Ho stole my attention. I loved the romance between Prince Hodong and Puku.

Another thing I loved from the FFI drama, the ways the scriptwriter built the characters through the conversations. I mean, when Min-ho asked Soon-jung about his look, which Soon Jung replied a little bit feminine. Later, on this episode we know that Min-ho's face look alike his mom.

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Wow, good point!

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I replayed ep 11 and 12 only to understand the dialogues more because previously I watched them when the episodes were only 97 or something % subbed so that some dialogues were missing. But, I've found that some of the lines have been corrected as well from the previous translation which gives me different perception on the content of the dialogues. After watching the two episodes for the second time, I have a hope that it would end happily ever after. Hooray!

These two eps also lead me to finally understand why MH had his haircut style. It was a bit dorky at first and we might think that it didn't suit him well compared to the previous one, but I come to realize that aside from DW's heart effect on him, the new style gives him more cuteness side; childish, adorable, likable. If he had kept his before surgery haircut, it wouldn't have helped add a point plus to his character..

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Yes, I fully agree about the new hairstyle! I think Jung Kyung Ho looks really really cute, I think it is his best look compared to his hairstyle in early episodes as well as to the Heartless City (which I am now watching). Some people say the first was better, but now he is really like an adorable puppy)

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I used a boatload of tissues this episode. Wheeew it was worth the watch though, definitely. Loved the part when Madame Jang calls up her bank like a boss - and describes Min ho as that feminine looking guy that looks just like an anchovy.. Oooh but his face that moment... Priceless!!

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Glad to see Dong Wook once again in this episode. All moment between DW and SJ so touching. Kim So Yeon superbly done in dramatic scene as always.

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4 episodes left...
hope there will be more romantic scences between kang min ho n soon jung...
oh..i'm curious how soon jung reacts after knowing that her fiance's heart in min hoo...
Love it..
hope the writer will add 2 epsd so that i can see jung kyung ho oppa n kim so yeon unni longer

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It's so touching when min hoo meets his father...
i like how min ho tries to save the company n soon jung helps min ho...
so romantic...
Love their love story...

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omo i just realized he got a new bumper.

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