Marriage Contract: Episode 13
by LollyPip
No man — or woman — is an island, and we all need someone to lean on in times of need. Hye-soo has gotten so used to being on her own that she’s grown fearful to trust anyone, so it’s Ji-hoon’s mission to convince her that he’s someone she can count on. If she won’t believe his words then he’ll just have to show her, and there’s nothing that says he can’t be completely adorable while doing it.
EPISODE 13 RECAP
Ji-hoon snatches the divorce papers from Hye-soo and runs outside to rip them to shreds and fling them away. Hye-soo asks what the hell is wrong with him, and he looks her in the eyes and says, “You. Let me save you. I’ll save your life.”
Hye-soo starts to back away in denial that he knows her secret, but Ji-hoon turns her back to face him. He yells at her to let go of her pride, and asks if she already knew about her illness when she signed that contract with him. She gives the tiniest of nods and confirms it, and Ji-hoon asks what she would have done if she’d died (while donating her liver).
He asks if she was really so desperate and again she nods, saying that it was the only way out of her situation, and asks him again to divorce her. “I have many other things I need besides you.” Oof.
Ji-hoon is willing to be used for his money, practically begs Hye-soo to use him. But Hye-soo just screams for him to divorce her, crying that this marriage is torture to her, and Ji-hoon finally relents in the face of her obvious pain. But agreeing to the divorce doesn’t mean he plans to give up on Hye-soo, so he asks for a promise from her — to do things his way from now on.
Hye-soo fights, silently and internally, until she finally gasps out a sob and collapses in Ji-hoon’s arms. She alternately hits him and clings to him, and Ji-hoon just holds her while she grieves.
The loan shark (and I have no clue what his name is, we’ll just call him “Shark”) shows up at Promise while talking to Jung-hoon on the phone, who is literally twitching in excited anticipation of the trouble this is going to cause. Shark saunters inside, loudly taunting the employees and demanding to see Hye-soo, but chef Soo-chang warns him off for now.
Ji-hoon shows up at Chairman Han’s office to tell his father that the divorce has been finalized. The chairman is practically giddy about it, and suggests they have dinner with Na-yoon’s family tonight. Ji-hoon goes along with it, but he’s a little too agreeable, which makes me suspicious.
So it’s no surprise when he asks his father to let him just date Hye-soo, and in return he’ll do whatever else his father wants. He can make up in ability what they lose by not marrying into Na-yoon’s family. He says that he’ll date Hye-soo even if Chairman Han doesn’t agree, and the chairman calls him crazy. But is it me, or is his father starting to look tired of fighting?
Joo-yeon brings home snacks for Hye-soo, and they talk about when they were kids and Joo-yeon used to always go to Hye-soo’s house after school. She notices that Hye-soo seems off and asks if she loved Ji-hoon very much, and wonders why she didn’t beg not to get divorced. Hye-soo sighs and admits that she should have, but her laughter has an edge and seems forced.
Ji-hoon gets copies of Hye-soo’s medical records from her doctor, and forwards them to a specialist. Meanwhile Hye-soo officially quits her job at Promise, and Soo-chang adorably grumbles that Ji-hoon better not have bullied her into leaving.
He asks about her debt, which she says is handled, and he doesn’t tell her that the loan shark was there. Hye-soo gives him a hug, which makes him so uncomfortable that he cringes and makes everyone laugh.
Ho-joon takes Hye-soo outside to talk privately, and says that in his twenty years of knowing Ji-hoon, this is his first time seeing him act the way he does because of her. He apologizes for not doing more to help them, but Hye-soo tells him it’s okay. He asks after Joo-yeon, and nervously tells Hye-soo to bring her around some time.
Jung-hoon is literally singing with happiness, though he tells his mother that he can’t believe Ji-hoon actually engaged in organ-selling. He claims to be sooo upset, though he’s almost bouncing with glee. The chairman comes home in a foul mood, not even bothering to nod to his family.
Another treatment leaves Hye-soo feeling weak, and when she sits to rest in the hospital hallway, Ji-hoon silently shows up to offer her a drink of water and the sweetest smile you ever saw. Too tired to object, she accepts the water, and Ji-hoon complains about how thin she’s getting.
He takes her to eat, but the food upsets her stomach, though Ji-hoon pretends not to notice. He cheerfully says that he may have good news soon, reminding her that he promised to save her life this time.
Hye-soo tells him not to come to the hospital anymore, but Ji-hoon argues that her doctor is too scary not to obey her orders to take better care of Hye-soo. He marvels at her strength, coming alone for her treatments, even though Hye-soo says it’s no big deal.
Ji-hoon grabs her phone to do something, and fusses at her when she addresses him formally again. He changes his name on her phone to “Ji-hoon Oppa” and makes himself her number one contact, and tells her to call him any time, for any reason, and he’ll answer. If she’s bored, hungry, or just needs a hug or kiss, he’s available. Hey, I saw that smile, Hye-soo.
Ji-hoon jokes that she should feel depressed — there are so many things she hasn’t gotten to do with him yet. He still feels bad that he nearly dumped her without knowing why, and when Hye-soo just says she wants to go home now, he tells her not to pretend she doesn’t like being with him.
He tells her that he plans to show up tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, and that he has no plans to let her go. He grandly announces that he’ll follow her around forever, though when Hye-soo quietly gets up from the table, his confident smile slips a little.
He follows her home, though she tries to lose him unsuccessfully. He reminds her that she made him a promise in return for their divorce, and when she says she doesn’t remember any such thing, he just breezes that he’ll follow her until she remembers. (Also, how can a grown man be so cute drinking a yogurt??)
Hye-soo loses her temper and yells at Ji-hoon to go away, but he just lights up that she just spoke banmal to him for the first time. She draws up and tells him (in jondae again) that he makes her uncomfortable, and that she feels free now that they’re divorced. Ji-hoon just scoots closer to her as she talks, looking about five years old, hee.
Hye-soo shoves him and walks away, but this time when he doesn’t follow her, she slows down a little and looks disappointed. Ji-hoon lets her go, for now.
Hye-soo finds herself blocked by Shark just as she’s arriving at Joo-yeon’s place, and she angrily tells him to buzz off, that their business is finished. He claims to miss her, making nasty insinuations about how she was able to raise the money to pay off her debt. He thinks she did sell her liver, and Hye-soo freezes — oh no, what does he want now?
He makes Hye-soo take him for coffee and gives her some papers to sign. It’s a statement swearing that Ji-hoon convinced her to sell her liver, claiming that he threatened her and gave her no choice. Hye-soo asks who’s behind this, and Shark claims he’s working on his own, and even offers to pay her a massive sum to sign the papers.
Hye-soo isn’t even a little bit tempted, and spits at Shark to go away and never come back. He tries one last time — it’s a lot of money and she wasn’t too shy to take money from Chairman Han, so signing this should be nothing.
For a moment it looks as if Hye-soo might sign, but instead she rips up the paper. When Shark produces a second copy, she pours her coffee over it and says that even if she is crazy about money, she’s not that crazy. Slow clap.
She tells Shark to call off whoever has hired him to do this, that Ji-hoon is not at fault. She says that this is beneath even him, and that he’ll regret this if he does it. Shark says he’ll come back tomorrow, but Hye-soo retorts with fire in her eyes that if he does, she’ll kill him.
Shark reports to Jung-hoon that he hasn’t convinced Hye-soo yet, and Jung-hoon belittles him and bounces food off his head. Shark allows it for now, but judging from the look in his eyes, Jung-hoon is going to regret that. And I’m going to love seeing it.
Joo-yeon notices that Hye-soo is distracted and asks if she’s gotten bad news from her doctor, but Hye-soo denies it. She says that she’s going on a trip tomorrow, alone, promising to take her medicine and that she’s not planning anything bad.
The next day she takes Eun-sung to stay with Young-hee, and tells her daughter that the nice ajumma is actually her grandmother. She explains that her grandmother loved her father so much that she was very upset when he died, and that’s why they haven’t seen her until she met Eun-sung, which helped heal their rift.
Young-hee is so happy to see Eun-sung that she nearly squishes her, and with the wisdom of childhood, Eun-sung tells her to laugh instead of cry, if she’s so happy. Eun-sung asks Young-hee to take care of Eun-sung for a little bit, and Young-hee is thrilled to get more time with her granddaughter.
Ji-hoon is climbing the ladder at work and proving that he’s more than capable on his own merits, regardless of being the chairman’s son. Jung-hoon corners him and tells him to resign, saying that there’s a rumor going around about him and Hye-soo and their contract.
Ji-hoon grows angry, demanding to know where Jung-hoon heard about this, and Jung-hoon warns him to resign and go to America before he brings the company down with him.
Mi-ran is given a new surgery date, and her doctor is pleased — the donor being her brother, the match is even better than it was with Hye-soo. But Mi-ran misses Hye-soo and asks Ji-hoon to bring her around after her surgery, and even asks after Eun-sung.
Ji-hoon runs into Na-yoon on his way out, who came to bring Mi-ran flowers. He updates her on the surgery, and lays down a kind but clear boundary — he’s not interested in her anymore. His feelings for her in school were sincere, but he doesn’t feel anything any longer, and he asks her to move on.
Later Ji-hoon tries repeatedly to reach Hye-soo, but she’s turned her phone off to avoid his calls and texts.
Chairman Han gets a physical, and learns from his doctor that Jung-hoon got a copy of his medical records recently. And despite having been asked to keep it secret, he tells the chairman that Ji-hoon asked him for a brain tumor specialist referral. The chairman gets ahold of Hye-soo’s medical records somehow, and learns that she’s the one with the brain tumor.
Shark has taken to hanging out at Promise, though nobody can (or will) tell him where Hye-soo is. Soo-chang refuses to serve him one bite of food, demanding to know why Shark is here when Hye-soo paid him. Shark just creates another loud scene and leaves, for now.
Jung-hoon calls him on his way out to berate him for not getting faster results, and Ji-hoon pulls up and overhears Shark’s end of their conversation. He remembers Shark from before and whaps him upside the head, neatly avoiding Shark’s wild swings and landing a few good ones of his own.
Soo-chang comes to help, pinning Shark to his car while Ji-hoon picks up his dropped phone. He sees that the last incoming call was his brother, and demands that Shark tell him what he’s being paid to do to Hye-soo.
Ji-hoon finds Jung-hoon when Shark won’t talk, asking what he said to Hye-soo and why he’s having Shark follow her around. Jung-hoon just snarks that Ji-hoon and Hye-soo are both low-quality people, and threatens to sue Hye-soo for extorting money from Chairman Han.
Ji-hoon yells at Jung-hoon to leave Hye-soo alone, and Jung-hoon hollers back for him to resign and disappear, then. He shoves Ji-hoon outside the gate and tells him never to come to the family home again, shutting the gates in his face.
Hye-soo walks the beach alone, remembering racing with Ji-hoon and how they’d watched the sunset together. She thinks of her dream of opening a small restaurant, wondering now if it will ever happen.
Ji-hoon asks Joo-yeon where Hye-soo is, and loyal Joo-yeon just tells him she’s away at her mother-in-law’s. She asks him, as a favor, not to mess with Hye-soo’s feelings — she’s going through enough without heartache on top. Ji-hoon just asks where her mother-in-law lives.
Young-hee and Eun-sung team up to get Hye-soo to call them, with Eun-sung leaving an adorably worried message for her mom. Young-hee goes in to make dinner, and Eun-sung lights up when Ji-hoon shows up, though she tells him that her mom isn’t here.
Young-hee isn’t happy to find Eun-sung draped all over Ji-hoon, and curtly orders him to leave. He asks where Hye-soo went but Young-hee snaps that they broke up and she’s not telling him.
Hye-soo, it turns out, has gone back to her old hometown. She passes a restaurant that still holds ghost of the past — she sees herself and Joo-yeon, young and happy, watching her grandmother cook. Hye-soo tells the memory of her grandmother that she’s an adult now, and apologizes for not being able to live a great life.
Ji-hoon tries calling Hye-soo again when he arrives home, leaving her a message asking where she is so that he knows she’s safe. Hye-soo wakes that night in her hotel room to take her medication, her head pounding. She sings Eun-sung’s tomato song to distract herself, though tears run down her face. She listens to Eun-sung’s message, soothed just to hear her daughter’s voice.
There’s a message from Shark, and next she nears Ji-hoon’s voice asking if she’s safe. As her headache worsens, she starts to wail in pain, unable to hold it inside. She reaches for the phone, and with a shaking hand, calls Ji-hoon.
He’s busy looking for the ring he threw away, but he abandons the search when he sees that Hye-soo is calling him. She’s in so much pain she can barely speak, but she manages to ask him a question: “I am ruined. I am ruined, and I will only get worse. I might look like someone you don’t know. The person you knew before won’t be the same anymore. Is it okay? Is it still okay?”
Ji-hoon rushes to her side and finds her curled into a ball, and she slowly raises her head to look at him. Ji-hoon crouches in front of her and takes her face in his hands, telling her, “It will be okay, it’s all okay. Even if you look ugly it’s okay. Even if you look one hundred or one thousand times more horrible, it’s okay. No matter how you look, I’m fine with it. No matter what, I like you as you are. You’re my Kang Hye-soo-yah.”
Hye-soo launches into his arms, clinging to him desperately. He whispers over and over as she cries, that it’s all going to be okay. And despite her upset and her illness, Ji-hoon smiles like the happiest man in the world.
COMMENTS
Oh finally, I can breathe. I don’t think I could take much more of Ji-hoon and his emotional bleeding. I just love that, for a man who’s kept his feelings under tight control probably for most of his life, something about Hye-soo has him practically falling over himself to show her how he feels, every time he sees her. I liked that we got a lighter side from him in this episode, though still just as intense and determined as ever, as he did his best to win over Hye-soo. And his determination finally convinced her to let him be there for her, which makes me wildly happy for them both. This won’t be an easy time for them, but it will be easier if they have each other.
I want to address Ji-hoon’s behavior last week, because I just can’t let that go without comment. I strongly agree with Saya, that Ji-hoon’s drunk attempted-kiss last week was hard to watch, and very nearly turned my opinion of him to the negative. He’s a hard guy to like anyway, his foremost redeeming feature being his love for Hye-soo — and because I love Hye-soo, I love anyone who loves her. Trying to force her to be physically affectionate was a low-down dirty thing to do at best, and a violent action at worst. But as I thought about it during the week, I came to understand a bit why he did it. I think that at that point he was still stuck in that one perfect moment between them, on that beach when she cried and kissed him back, and he knows that the passion he felt from Hye-soo wasn’t fake or a mistake.
So I believe that he was just drunk enough to believe that, if he could get her to kiss him again, she would feel what they felt that night and admit that she loves him back. I don’t think that intentions override actions, and I’m not in any way excusing what he did, but I do sort of understand why he broke down in that moment and tried to force that kiss. I also believe that he immediately regretted it, and that it truly was a one-time misstep on his part. Ji-hoon is in the process of a pretty wrenching and painful growth period in his life, and I’m willing to give him one pass. One.
I was so proud of Hye-soo in this episode, standing up to Shark the way she did. She’s got every reason to quake her her boots when she sees him, yet she has always stood up to him and fought back, and does so again now. I love how she looks at him like he’s something nasty stuck to her shoe, and speaks to him as if he’s barely worth the breath it takes to form the words. She just oozes disdain when she talks to him, and I love it.
I think her confrontation with Shark was a turning point for Hye-soo, and that when she said she’s not so desperate for money that she’d throw Ji-hoon under the bus, she was actually realizing it for the first time herself. She’s fighting her feelings so hard, but she can’t find it within herself to actually harm him to benefit herself.
I adore Hye-soo for her strength, but her core of steel just made it that much more meaningful when she finally broke down and reached out to Ji-hoon. That took more strength than anything else she’s done, to admit that she needs him and let herself be vulnerable. She’s spent so many years on her own, with nobody to help her, so it’s a relief to see her admit that she doesn’t want to do it on her own anymore. I’m also happy that now, finally, she has someone she trusts who she can lean on. I do think she trusts Joo-yeon, but having the support of your oldest friend is sort of a given, and gaining the love and support of a man who just wants to take care of you and help you for no other reason than that you deserve it, is entirely different. Hye-soo has never had that — her father died when she was young, her husband was (by her accounting) overly trusting and left her too early and in a bad, scary situation. I can understand, even without her illness, how terrifying it would be to let herself ask for and receive help from a man, especially one who matters so much. But Hye-soo is finally letting Ji-hoon matter, and finally letting him into her life and her illness, and no matter how things turn out for her, I’m happy that she has that now.
RELATED POSTS
- Marriage Contract: Episode 12
- Marriage Contract: Episode 11
- Marriage Contract: Episode 10
- Marriage Contract: Episode 9
- Marriage Contract: Episode 8
- Marriage Contract: Episode 7
- Marriage Contract: Episode 6
- Marriage Contract: Episode 5
- Marriage Contract: Episode 4
- Marriage Contract: Episode 3
- Marriage Contract: Episode 2
- Marriage Contract: Episode 1
Tags: Episode 13, featured, Lee Seo-jin, Marriage Contract, UEE
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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1 sfgirl
April 18, 2016 at 8:08 PM
The desperation in that hug at the end. I think I shed a tear..
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Jien
April 18, 2016 at 10:08 PM
I'm with you!
I also think the hug serves as the seal of Hye Soo's need and Ji Hoon's commitment where the first wants to be convinced that she'll be still loved and where the latter confirms that his feeling for her will remain the same regardless.
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miroufleur
April 18, 2016 at 11:41 PM
Yeeees ! that tight hug tops the kiss in term of emotions.
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gaeinalee
April 19, 2016 at 12:48 AM
Yeah, me too. Not only a tear though...
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nAEE
April 21, 2016 at 3:23 AM
Was crying when Ji Hoon cried during the phone conversation.. *teaaaaaars T__T
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2 Rach
April 18, 2016 at 8:13 PM
God, every time I see Jung Hoon's smug face I want someone to punch him. Like literally every time he does something vile (which is all the time), I'm literally just yelling at my screen for the person who he pissed off to punch him!!! PUNCH HIM!! Which is why, little spoiler alert!!, I'm so thankful for Shark/Suk Chul in CBA for doing that. Kisses for you, Shark :*
Also last recap I posted a comment asking about patient confidentiality laws, and I googled it! If anyone was as confused about them as I was, here's a link! It helped me get the gist of it! :) https://www.justlanded.com/english/South-Korea/South-Korea-Guide/Health/Health-care (under the doctor section)
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ju
April 19, 2016 at 2:03 AM
Thanks for the link. I was basically rolling my eyes with all this patient confidentiality thing. But even if it's cultural, I find it rather disturbing that someone can procure himself the reccord of a total stranger. I can understand it between members of a same family but for the chairman and Hye-soo...
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CZ
April 19, 2016 at 9:09 AM
I was frustrated with all the doctors sharing all their information (across dept - -across international - to random family members) with everyone... but legally speaking, and to their hospital staff, Hye-soo and the Chairman are in-laws.
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ju
April 20, 2016 at 12:41 AM
Not anymore, I think they divorced before he asked for it, didn't they?
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DD
April 19, 2016 at 7:34 AM
I noticed for the first time today that the actor who plays Shark is the same one who plays Na Seok Chul in CBA
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Miera
April 19, 2016 at 9:54 PM
Yes indeed...he is Na Seok chul...that gangster! but no scar his face lol ;)
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nomad
April 19, 2016 at 5:49 PM
I agree!! Jung Hoon is so incredibly unlikable!! He's a big LOSER!
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3 growingbeautifully
April 18, 2016 at 8:41 PM
Thanks LollyPip!
I'm so glad that Hye Soo has asked the right questions and Ji Hoon has given the right response: the assurance that he would not leave no matter how ugly things get with her. At one of the lowest points in her life, she is finally able to let go of her tight control over herself and to allow herself be cared for more completely in the way that she needs and probably wants. It was such a relief! (to me too LOL!).
It's such a joy to see Ji Hoon embrace his true self more and more, to stand firm for what he wants and knows to be right against a pitiless father (and uncaring family) and to let himself go on loving Eun Sung and Hye Soo. His letting go of control over his own feelings, was finally the trigger needed to bring Hye Soo into his arms. And what a wonderful embrace that is! :)
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knewbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:26 AM
Yup agree totally with you about the right questions and answers. I know some viewers think that the episodes with Hye-soo resisting Ji-hoon were pointless (see, for example, this guy's frequently wrong-headed reviews on hancinema.com: http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-drama-review-marriage-contract-episode-11-93312.html). But I find it quite realistic that she would prefer to rely on the tried and tested support of her friend, mother-in-law, etc than on this rich guy whom she's known only a few months. (Plus he has a spectacularly cynical and meddlesome dad who can block transplant operations. I'd give such a guy a wide berth myself.) We the viewers know he loves her and will stand firm, but how would she have known if his determination and devotion had not finally become clear to her in this episode?
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growingbeautifully
April 19, 2016 at 4:13 AM
Thanks @ Knewbie for that link.
Wow that reviewer is maybe looking for something else in the show as he's not getting how much more is being told by so much more than just the tears!!!
Yes, absolutely as you say, ... when we consider what really makes sense, rejecting Ji Hoon at that time (Episode 11, I think was being reviewed) was a logical thing to do. Just liking a person after a few short weeks and thinking him a good guy does not mean that one should lay so much responsibility on him all at once, just because he's so into the moment or into one that he's offering. Since there are other already known and in a sense 'safer' alternatives, any woman and mother would choose those.
Even though now they are 'together' in a way, I will not be surprised that Hye Soo does not immediately do stuff like move in with Ji Hoon or whatever. For one thing, if he's been disowned, does he even have a place to call his own anymore? Daddy Han is also not likely to just let matters settle smoothly since he has to manipulate the heck out of every situation to suit his own plans.
I expect Ep 15 to be really angsty, (since we have been spared the worst so far) and Ep 16 to have some kind of resolution that is logical (if it goes with the flow so far). If things go crazy in the last 2 episodes... I'll be jumping around in mad protest. :D
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gaeinalee
April 19, 2016 at 6:53 AM
..I expect Ep 15 to be really angsty, (since we have been spared the worst so far)..
Gawd. Nooo~~!!! Duh, heart.. be strong.
I'm anxiously dreading 15 already. Now that you mention it, guess I'll shed more than 1 liter of tears, GB... *stock-up tissues*
..If things go crazy in the last 2 episodes..
~ I'll join hand with you in mad protest.
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growingbeautifully
April 19, 2016 at 8:27 AM
@ Gaeina Lee
LOL!
Tissues (and empty waste paper basket) ... Check!
Pillow to scream into ... Check!
Companions to cry or go cray cray with ... Check!
:D
Hope you're having as much fun in tears as I am! ;)
nomad
April 19, 2016 at 5:51 PM
I'm as angsty as you...I'm telling myself the ending will be sad so I can at least be prepared mentally.
Miera
April 19, 2016 at 11:32 PM
dear all...please well prepared for the coming last 2 episode.
I dont know is there any unexpected for the finale..i hope will be happy ending...
more tissue needed perhaps (because of more tears up)...
~if things go crazy definitely I'll join hand with all of you in mad protest to~ hehehehe ;-)
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nomad
April 19, 2016 at 5:50 PM
+1 Knewbie!
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nAEE
April 21, 2016 at 3:26 AM
I'm preparing myself for a bittersweet ending
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4 autleaf
April 18, 2016 at 8:46 PM
Thank you for the recap, LollyPip! I love this drama for its every tiny pieces (well, except for pesky Daddy Dearest and Jung Hoon), I kept a lookout for your recap to read your insight even though I have watched the episode twice, raw and subbed.
And now, I'll keep vigil again waiting for either you and Saya to come up with the next episode's recap. No pressure...
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5 LW
April 18, 2016 at 9:02 PM
The last scene is so comforting. I let out a sigh and felt relieved for Hye soo. Girl, take that weight off of that frail shoulders!. It doesn't matter what happens to Hye Soo, there is still love and hope. The pain wont be so unbearable since she will have the most loving support to get though her ordeal (will she?). It is not a lonely battle any more. His words and her hug so awesomely done. Great job LSJ and UEE!
I loved the multi faces of LSJ. I could watch him marching back and forth forever :) He is such an adorable kid. The way he took a whack at the Shark, lol. That dude is is on a roll stealing hearts!
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6 Jig
April 18, 2016 at 9:02 PM
Yeeeees! Ji-hoon is the best. The worst part about noble idiocy is when the other person lets the idiot be an idiot. I completely understand why Hye-so was pushing him away, but I am so glad that Ji-hoon wouldn't let himself be pushed out.
I'm really cheering for this family. Forget science; I want a k-drama miracle!
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coby
April 18, 2016 at 10:04 PM
yeah.. I don't care if a spaceship or a fairy or a genie shows up next week and heal HS completely! I want them together forever so bad!
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 2:58 AM
Yeah, me too. Your spaceship, fairy, and genie really made my day. lol
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ju
April 19, 2016 at 2:17 AM
With this last scene, I was thinking that Hye-soo's behavior wasn't totally about noble idiocy. I think there was fear. She is a single mom, she made a trade with her liver for money and she has an illness that is ruining her feminity. Of course we know that Ji-hoon was in love with Eun-sung before loving her mother, we also know that the all liver thing lets him know how caring Hye-soo could be toward his mom but Hye-soo can still feel unsure about it. And here is this illness that is starting to slowly ruin her (the scene about her hair were quite strinking I think). So I find it really natural and human for her to doubt the fact that he will stay when she is going through such changes. It also proves us that she really likes him.
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Jig
April 19, 2016 at 10:25 AM
I completely agree with you. I understood where she's coming from. I think it is hard to remember that she really hasn't known him for that long even though it feels like she has. I just meant in other dramas where the woman pushes the man away (or vice versa) the man usually lets himself be pushed away, but it was nice to see that the man saw through the charade instead and continue to pursue her. I guess I shouldn't have used "noble idiocy", but that's usually the case. (I'm looking at you Prime Minister and I; I'm still bitter about that one)
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ju
April 20, 2016 at 12:57 AM
haha I guess we have all been disapointed with this theme at least once. You are right, we can't forget that Hye-soo and Ji-hoon haven't know each other for long. We know how much he likes her because we saw his pain more than once but that's not really the case for Hye-soo who can still doubt him.
For now, I am quite satisfied with this show because the characters aren't being too much of idiots. It seems to me that their reasons for acting are really, again, human and natural. They follow their way of being : Hye-soo is a very private person and she is used to deal with her problems alone and Ji-hoon, maybe still immature sometime, doesn't waver when he takes decisions. I hope it will remain because I like it better that they don't act out of their caracter
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CZ
April 19, 2016 at 9:12 AM
They've been noble (and foolhardy in starting this illegal contract in the first place) but none of them are idiots, not even Chairman and Madam wife, not even Na-yoon. Only flat-out idiot is Jung-hoon who is happy for all the wrong reasons, jealous for all the petty things and doesn't behave like an adult.
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7 lolalarue
April 18, 2016 at 9:05 PM
I keep getting struck again and again by how wonderful this cast is. This episode it was Eun Sung's voice message to her Mum. The child actress playing her is just wonderful. Not for a minute do I even think of her as 'acting'.
I was so glad that this ended with Hye Soo finally showing Ji Hoon that she cares. Only a kdrama lead would persist in the face of that much rejection. Hye Soo you amazing woman! I must admit I cracked up when the Chef reacted to the hug and when the manager avoided one. He's still holding out for Joo Yeon. As an aside I really hope that doesn't happen, JY is not interested, so I don't think they'll push it.
Again I just adore how much Eun Sung and Ji Hoon super duper love each other. It is the greatest.
Was a bit peeved with former MIL reaction to Ji Hoon but it was short lived as she redeems herself quickly.
I really wanted a scene with Hye Soo visiting JH mum after the surgery, maybe next week.
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8 Arawn
April 18, 2016 at 9:15 PM
I was actually pretty bothered by Ji-hoon's actions at the beginning of this episode, even more so than his attempt of forced kiss in the previous one. Thing is, Hye-soo clearly says "NO" but he keeps pushing disregarding her refusal. Yeah, we as an audience know that she really likes him and he suspects so much, too, but it does not give him right to override her so blatantly.
Problem here is, of course, that Korean drama seems to view these kinds of actions as swoony and romantic. This is the sole reason why I choose to overlook it here and pretend it did not really happen. :P
Because the ending of this episode... HOO BOY! That was perfect. Kang Hye-soo is my hero.
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blnmom
April 19, 2016 at 7:00 AM
I agree with you. What is the difference between Jihoon persistently chasing Hyesoo who clearly says no, and Nayoon persistently chasing Jihoon who clearly says no? I think this is one of those older kdrama cliches, along with wrist-grabs, that will hopefully soon go away.
I'll join you in pretending it didn't happen, as the rest of the drama is so fantastic. Denial to the rescue! :-)
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Loesea
April 19, 2016 at 7:38 PM
@blnmom
Of course it is different, Ji Hoon is persistently chasing Hye Soo because he knows that Hye Soo also has similar feelings to him but hiding something which make her hold back, but as a man he can feel it and he knows that there's something happened... And now that he has light on what is happening, he's even more persistent to be at her side... As he wants her to know that he loves her and wants to fully support her (I agree with one of the comment in previous episode recap, that saying "i'll save you" has the same meaning to i love you, hehehe, and that in this episode he continued "if you wants money, you can use me" it's even clearer that he loves her to the max)...
We know that the arm-grab is painful, but we can see that Ji Hoon in previous episodes was also in pain rejected by Hye Soo without knowing what happens...
While we can say Na Yoon chasing Ji Hoon is one sided love, we know that Ji Hoon will never return her love...
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Jig
April 19, 2016 at 10:40 AM
I'm not bothered by his actions because I don't think it's not just him trying to push his feelings onto her. He realizes that she genuinely needs him. Not romantically, but physically (to help her when she's weak from treatments) and emotionally (to help her when she's stressing about her daughter and the future). That is why he keeps pushing it. He agrees to the divorce because he realizes that she isn't in a position to reciprocate his love, but he knows she still needs him in her life for support. She hasn't even really let her best friend help her, so I think he sees that for her to get the support she needs he has to force her to realize that he will be there when she needs someone by taking her phone and changing the name, by being there at the hospital after her treatment, by just walking her home. Yes, he definitely wants her to return his feelings, but I think he does recognize her reasons for pushing him away and is trying to prove that those reasons aren't valid in his case.
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9 Beverly A
April 18, 2016 at 9:30 PM
That chef just slays me! What a good actor!
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Arawn
April 18, 2016 at 9:37 PM
Yes!! Chef is awesome! We need a Chef appreciation post here! ;)
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knewbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:15 AM
Chef/Ho-joon ftw! I notice that Hye-soo's hugging made Chef uncomfortable, and was simply dodged by Ho-joon… BUT Chef gave Ho-joon a back-hug when everyone at The Promise was waving good-bye to Hye-soo.
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LW
April 19, 2016 at 5:51 AM
I love him too. But he is married. It was somewhere after episode 5 or 6, he says he understands Hye Soo working, since he has working wife too. I thought dang! he wont be in a love triangle. Did I get it wrong?
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knewbie
April 20, 2016 at 3:28 AM
Heh, the writer missed a trick there!
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nAEE
April 21, 2016 at 3:32 AM
Chef!!! I'm writing here to appreciate how cool he is!!
I want him more in other drama! That scene stealer chef! ^^
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10 gadis
April 18, 2016 at 9:37 PM
Jihoon, you sly guy. What's with that 'Jihoon Oppa'? It's so cute when he just changed his name in Hyesoo's phone. He really wants Hyesoo to call him Oppa...
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Arawn
April 18, 2016 at 9:44 PM
Maybe it's just me but someone grabbing my phone after I've told them not to and then tampering it does not sound cute to me. Even if that other person would be my current boyfriend of 13 years...
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:08 AM
I think this is a scene only understandable in the Korean/Asian context. The whole Korean society is strictly hierarchic. You obey someone older, and it seems females still tend to obey men more than in a Western society esp. if the other one is meaning well.
How ever Ji Hoon behaves, he is most definitely not as pushy as Kim Eun Sook's characters tend to be and they are loved throughout the whole of Asia as we just recently were able to witness again.
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Arawn
April 19, 2016 at 2:32 AM
That is true which is why I am forgiving this behaviour from Ji-hoon. As you say, it's not on the level of Kim's leading men who are just... huh.
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knewbie
April 19, 2016 at 5:01 AM
Even when he was a bed-hopping, liver-buying, Eun-sung-scorning snob in the early episodes, Ji-hoon was practically a sensitive new age man compared to those gorillas.
Dramareader
April 19, 2016 at 6:33 AM
From what I observe here ( as a Korean living in Korea), it's more of a relationship(family/community) thing and proving intimacy than a hierachy thing. I often see girls tempering their boyfriends' phones. Never personally seen the opposite case. Also seen kids changing their parents' phone settings, nieces their uncles' (first hand experience). I do the same to my husband's phone but I never let him touch mine.
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Arawn
April 19, 2016 at 9:51 AM
Hmm. This is probably true, too. I guess this is partly because I am a Finn and we value our independence and privacy REALLY high here. I would be livid if my man touched my phone without permission and he would be angry, too, if I did the same. Well, ok, since we've been 13 years together, I don't think we would really go ballistic anymore but the whole idea seems very alien and weird. I do not handle my man's phone and would not do it unless there's a really dire need to do so.
But hey, if I was already bothered by Ji-hoon's pushiness here, imagine how I feel about Kim's heros. :D I just want to outright strangle them. Only Secret Garden gets a pass but only because it was my first Korean drama ever and I really like Hyun Bin. And even there I was often times very annoyd by Joo-won and found nothing romantic in him being a pushy d***head.
Enz
April 19, 2016 at 8:40 PM
I have to give an opinion on the matter of privacy here. I can tell you, Arawn, that it is much less a concept in Asia than in the west. Esp to the more traditional and older generation of folks, which I unfortunately (haha) fall under now. I understand the value of privacy but my parents would be baffled if I get upset with them reading my letters when I was younger and living with them or if they came into my room. It was a given that there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I share a private matter here, my mom threw away cards from an admirer when I had a boyfriend. So concepts of privacy is very different in Asia. NOW, many Asians are exposed to western ways and perhaps things have changed but I don't think it will be as the western world values it even then.
Enz
April 19, 2016 at 8:41 PM
I have to add old cards. I wasn't fooling around!!
11 coby
April 18, 2016 at 10:02 PM
I really like how this drama says a lot to the viewers even they are not speaking. That hug at the end tells a lot. sniff sniff. I replayed it a lot of time just like how many times I replayed their first kiss. I love also how we get the answer from JH on HS's question, in person and with that hug. If there is a term deeper than hug thats the very definition of it.
I'm preparing my emotions now for next week. I need help.
Thanks for the recap.
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12 bebeswtz
April 18, 2016 at 10:18 PM
Thanks again, Lollipip, for the recap!!
First off, is it heartless for me to say that I've actually stopped crying (RE: unable to cry anymore tears) at the whole "Hye Soo is sick and everyone around her, including herself, is freaking out" situation?? I think I've hit rock bottom with this part of the plot of the drama and seriously cannot cry anymore than I already have.
Now with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on this episode/the characters/scenes, etc.:First of all, I'm gonna backtrack a little bit to the end of Episode 12 and say this: How profound was the moment when Ji Hoon saw Hye Soo with her new hairdo? I mean, he nonchalantly commented on it, but in reality, those words hold a significance because Ji Hoon now knows that she is sick and that the possibility of her hair falling out, as a side effect of her treatment, is becoming a reality.
Now, onto Episode 13, this episode:
Ji Hoon's realization that Hye Soo already knew her prognosis even before they signed the contract just proves to Ji Hoon the severity of Hye Soo's desperation and why her priorities, actions, and thought processes are the way they are, I mean,“I have many other things I need besides you.” Oof. And then Ji Hoon just so easily, while being dead serious (no pun intended) about letting Hye Soo use him for money >.< Show:1, Me: 0. Chef, I luff you...that hug!!! Everyone altogether now: AWWWWW! Then, there's Ji Hoon trying to put up a good face and stay positive and strong for Hye Soo, and for everyone's sanity sake-- simple gestures like silently showing up to care for Hye Soo after her treatment ("That doctor is so scary!!" - Ji Hoon, hahaha), trying not to baby her too much even when she's having side effects from treatment (i.e. the food making her sick) because he knows she doesn't like it, putting himself as her #1 on speed dial and vice versa, basically offering to wait on her hand-and-foot WITHOUT BEING OVERBEARING ~swoon~ Lollipip is right: HOW CAN A GROWN MAN BE SO CUTE DRINKING A YOGURT? It shouldn't be allowed <3 Show: 2, Me: 0. Hye Soo truly is such a woman of class, honour, and strong principles, slow clap for her, indeed <3 It was so beautiful and so honourable of Hye Soo in the way how she explained the situation with Young Hee so that Eun Sung would understand and not dislike her own grandmother, and how she just REFUSED to throw Ji Hoon to the wolves in front of death threats from Shark =) Ji Hoon was such a gentleman and so kind in how he set clear lines and gently rejected Na Yoon and let her down ;) Hahahahaha That little petty fight that went on between Ji Hoon and Shark was a good comedic moment to an otherwise, but not unexpected, heavy episode ;) I am loving how Show is slowly bringing back things said in earlier episodes and not simply treating those earlier conversations as something in passing i.e. flashback to Hye Soo telling Ji Hoon her dream of opening a snack shop and previously wanting to study abroad and Ji...
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bebeswtz
April 18, 2016 at 10:19 PM
comment got cut off (probably going over the word count, oops!!) so continuing it here:
i.e. flashback to Hye Soo telling Ji Hoon her dream of opening a snack shop and previously wanting to study abroad and Ji Hoon telling her that she should still go and do so; I have a feeling that that these moments will become more significant in the latter episodes. OMG Ji Hoon and Eun Sung's mini reunion, 'nuff said. And how cute was it that Eun Sung walked back over to Ji Hoon on her own accord when Young Hee was trying to break them apart? MY HEART!! MY FEELS!!!!
That last scene when Hye Soo FINALLY let's herself call Ji Hoon and lean on him for support *SQUEEEEEEE* I need a moment..... *let's out a huge breath* I CAN FINALLY BREATHE ~!! <3 <3 <3 Ji Hoon simply just needs to know that Hye Soo is okay, as if her well-being is his lifeline, a parallel to Hye Soo & Mi Ran pre-surgery and how Hye Soo always thought that Mi Ran's well-being was her lifeline before. I can totally identify with Hye Soo when it comes to letting yourself be vulnerable and letting others in to come help you after being so independent and clinging to your own bearings all by yourself for so long. Joo Yeon is Hye Soo's BFF so it's natural that she's given unspoken permission to help and to be there for Hye Soo, but it takes a huge step and a huge leap of faith for Hye Soo to let Ji Hoon in, lean on him for support, and let him be with her, especially when he has so much capability (words by Ho Joon) and so much potential for a bright future--with or without Chairman Han and Na Yoon's family's backing--and does not have to let an ill Hye Soo burden him. But that's where the beauty of everything comes in, and where the source of all the beauty comes from: Hye Soo. Being the changed man that Hye Soo has made Ji Hoon to be, he doesn't think of Hye Soo and her illness as burdensome; what he truly takes issue with is being away from Hye Soo when he simply just needs to be with her, something that has come so natural for him, just like breathing; Something so simple and beautiful, that not a single person around Ji Hoon can even comprehend, because all those around him (except maybe Ho Joon) only know and do things with strings attached. At one point, I even think that Hye Soo might have also thought that Ji Hoon asking to be with her also came with strings attached, because that's how their relationship started out: the both of them giving something the other person needs-- liver vs. money-- until he basically poured his heart out to her at the end of Episode 11 and put an end to that thought process, for Hye Soo, but especially for himself, without even knowing it. Sometimes, the most beautiful things DO come in the simplest and most subtle ways, one of them being Ji Hoon and Hye Soo's love for each other <3
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13 damianna
April 18, 2016 at 11:02 PM
'It's okay' never sounded this reassuring. This drama had me holding my breath countless times.
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14 Flin
April 18, 2016 at 11:33 PM
Thank you for the recap, Lollypip!
It felt so right to see how Hye soo is finally give in to all the angst she has been holding up to that moment at the courthouse stairs. Her subtle expression when it dawned to her that Ji Hoon knew! Her taking half a step back. She finally allow herself to be mad, at everything. And Ji Hoon's affection and attention does take a while to get to her, that lunch, at the hospital. It felt to me that HS must have felt that it was rather unbelievable that even after knowing about her illness, JH is still there.
Some scenes from this episode hit home, when HS was saying goodbye to her colleagues at The Promise, Chef is so adorkable! Hye Soo and Eun Sung at the train station, the scene felt so private, simple yet very strong. The way she explained to ES what happened between her and Young Hee (appa oma-ya)
Now that all the cards are dealt, Hye Soo is able to face her true feelings with honesty. I love the scene towards the end of the episode when HS were asking JH if it is still okay when she is like that later. ...and there I was waiting for his answer ? but he only asked where she was! Oh what a build up of emotions this show has put me through to...!
After finding out where HS was, Ji Hoon just walked in, hold her tenderly, looked her squarely in the eye and said, 'it's okay, everything is okay, even if you are a mess, it is okay...' and then he smiled. ???whuaaaa.... Tissue, give me that damn tissue!
And Hye Soo literally throw herself to him, JH caught off balance a little, (.... but it only add to the real feeling of having someone throw him/herself to you,....)
So much fell from simple gestures, Hye Soo letting all burdens go, crying with ease, letting herself be vulnerable (and protected), be weak (but with someone to lean on). And the music CUE! So perfect.
So powerful is that scene that I think it is the essence of this episode : of Hye Soo letting go her burdens and accepting her feeling towards JH.
off to watch ep 14, be still my heart...
Now where is that tissue box... *sniff*
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15 wapz
April 18, 2016 at 11:43 PM
I believe this episode was UEE's episode. I haven't seen her act in anything but she is fabulous in this show. She does the crying scenes so well. I hope she does well in ither genres aswell after this show cause the girl does have acting potential.
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nomad
April 19, 2016 at 5:56 PM
Agreed. I've seen here before elsewhere, and thought she was pretty good at Hogu's love. However she really really shines in this one!
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16 newbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:00 AM
Damn is this show good. Pacing, subtle food for thoughts, in your face food for thoughts, acting, story, everything!
I'm grasping for straws here, as I NEED a happy ending. I need to see the little self-made family with a healthy mom and a healthy Hye Soo, a happy Ji Hoon (LSJ - you've got yourself a new fan with this show), a happy Eun Sung and a happy samchon and some happy friends.
Here is how I try to convince myself why they'll have this happy ending:
- the makers want to distinguish themselves from an other recent show with the same trope
- the restaurant's name is Promise and he promised to safe her at the stairs (I'm desperate, I know)
- in ep 1, when she is brought into the hospital she loses a shoe and he picks it up like Cinderella and her Prince Charming (as I said desperate)
- in a later ep we see another fairy tale 'The Beauty and the Beast' and like the 1946's original movie with Jean Marais and its even older book sample this must be a hint for a happy ending, mustn't it? Hye Soo already transformed the beast into a loving person, no only the happily ever after is missing
As a new Lee Seo Jin fan I'd really like to see his GoF episodes, but only a few are still online at mineememe's blog. Does anyone have an idea, where I could watch the missing ones, please? I don't have access to DF or Viki or Hulu as I'm in Europe. Tumblr maybe?
Or should I just go and rewatch everything this week to prepare for the HAPPY finale?
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 1:55 AM
Although I'm scared to death here about the ending, I still want to believe that this drama will have a happy one.
Your number one: Agree, the makers MUST want their show to be different.
Your number two: Oh, I didn't realize that. I always wondered why they chose the name, Promise, but I never really gave a deep thought on it. You (or your desperation, lol) must be good at semiotics.
The rest: Never came to my mind. Oh, where's my brain? Where's my brain?
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 2:14 AM
Your brain must be busy with the really important questions like 'How come Seo Jin-a looks so damn cute drinking jogurt?'. We should analyze this scene frame by frame.
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 3:07 AM
I'm afraid you're just.... right. :D
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Ager
April 19, 2016 at 5:08 AM
as a new LSJ fan myself I started to watch 3 meals a day with him, finished first season and started second. Somehow I just started with this show and I assumed that GoF eps are also there. Let me check and get back to you
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Miera
April 19, 2016 at 11:44 PM
it same with mine too..
I've started to know him (LSJ) from watching 3 meals a day...it's quiet interesting to get know about him...then when he being one of the guest for RunningMan too..there is a different side about this actor compared to others.. it's just my thought
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sundanese
April 19, 2016 at 6:48 AM
Try dramanice.to
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 9:00 AM
Thank you, I know they've got season 3 in Greece, but I'm looking for the lost ones of season 1 and 2 (Spain and France, I think).
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17 annflln
April 19, 2016 at 12:04 AM
Oof...that hug!!Ji-hoon (and all of us) finally can breath, for now. It was a huge leap taken by Hye-soo in this episode. She finally can have someone to share her burden.
I agree with other, one of this drama's best trait is how they portray a silent yet powerful scenes. And all of the actors are more than capable to deliver those scenes.
Btw, I ended up rolled my eyes up every time Na-yoon come up on the screen. I hate clinging-and-delusional second lead. I wish the drama will give proper ending for her character.
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:10 AM
As far as I am concerned Na-yoon doesn't need to reappear again after her scene in ep 14. Most unnecessary second female lead (is she even one?) ever.
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john
April 19, 2016 at 4:43 AM
Newbie ~
The whole "first love, ex-fling" thing needs to go away, for all dramas in general and definately in this case. It's over girl, move on.
I saddens me to see Kim Yoo-ri settling for this "2nd lead 1st love biotch " role. I really enjoyed her in The Full Sun.
Loving Uee & LSJ in this drama, Uee's performance here is on the money, glad she took this role.
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18 newbie
April 19, 2016 at 12:16 AM
Oh, and another thing. The second Hye Soo gives in and calls him, she's pleading with herself: Don't do it!
Umpf. So painful to see her trying to fight herself, but now even she has to admit, that she needs him and the help he can offer.
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19 nevi
April 19, 2016 at 12:23 AM
What a beautiful words... that jihoon said at the ending part... i'm crying right now...
I'm happy for them, thanks for recap?
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20 gaeinalee
April 19, 2016 at 12:57 AM
Guhhh, this drama successfully turned me into a watering pot indeed. I thought I've spent all my tears sometimes ago, but no, I'm mistaken. Episode after episode, I weep. A lot. For their love, their emotional turmoil, their challenges and their bond. The three of them, JH, HS and ES.
Please let them be a family and happy for a long time, drama God and make me smile after I shed so many tears for them..
Thanks for the recap, LollyPip~!
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21 turkey
April 19, 2016 at 2:34 AM
I need LSJ in a solid romcom after this. Jang Nara or GHJ pleaze!
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22 cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 2:52 AM
Thanks LollyPip.
I noticed the (very subtle) smile too when JH said whenever she needed a hug or a kiss. For me, that's brilliant.
Here's my note:
I CRIED A LOT WATCHING THIS EPISODE especially when HS said she's sorry to her ghost grandmother that she's not living a great life.
I love the way HS tore the paper handed by the Shark and poured her coffee on the other one although I was a bit impatient looking at him. I wanted to punch him right on his face.
I was wondering what made JH's father so insistent in marrying JH with a proper lady? He should have learned from himself that marrying one didn't guarantee of having a reliable child.
I never found a lead male drank yogurt (or milk?) from such a cute tiny bottle and even made that sound. Could anyone here suggest me a drama with this kind of scene? I'll definitely check it.
I love that main chef. He's bravely an independent person in everything he did. Someone with a knife, "I don't care who you are.
ES played JH's collar. Another detail.
Feeling so much pain like HS did, I understand that all she needed was being alone in a locked room without no one found her. Until...until she couldn't bear the pain.
JH spoke English pretty well.
I like it when JH said he wanted to speak first to NY, because he probably knew what she was going to say, telling her to forget him and confirming that his love when they were at school was sincere.
Oh no! I got A Walk to Remember vibe. She would ask him to marry her, live happily for short time, and pass away peacefully. BUT, I want to keep my hope high and I still want to believe in its fair ending. The drama team WILL NOT give us 16 episodes to only witness a person dying and dies at the end. Give us a MIRACLE. MIIIIRAAAACLEEEEEEEE. PLEAAAASEEEEE, I'm begging on my knees.
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 3:41 AM
Doesn't Park Yoo Chun drink yogurt in Rooftop Prince like his life depended on it? Not so sure about the sound though.
(And some trivia - LSJ went to school and college or university in the US. It's been a while, but he is the one actor who doesn't make me cringe speaking English in Kdrama.)
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Ruizhen
April 19, 2016 at 4:15 AM
Yes, he spent his highschool and college in the US thats why his english is perfect. What we see i the drama(educational background) when hs is reviewing jh profile is true. He graduated at NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 1:51 PM
Oh, Rooftop Prince? I remember one day I stayed at my friend's house, finding her marathoning the drama so I joined in. I hadn't started to watch k-drama again after years (the last one was Jewel in the Palace), but at least I read the title at that time. I must have slipped that scene because I didn't watch full episodes. So, what I remember the most is those three bodyguards. Thank you, @Newbie. I'll check it out.
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growingbeautifully
April 19, 2016 at 4:26 AM
In Sassy Go Go, Lee Won Geun's character looks at and buys one of those yoghurt drinks... another guy drinks it with the lead female, Jung Eun Ji... but don't remember the slurps or if Lee Won Geun actually put a straw in to drink.
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 1:53 PM
Hello @GB, yeah, I haven't watched Sassy Go Go. Thanks for the info.
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 5:43 AM
Oh, and I just remembered another man drinking milk. No subs needed. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK4k8ekcZ88
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cinnamon
April 19, 2016 at 2:02 PM
Oh, I didn't realize it until camera backed off, showing that she's taller than him.
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 10:57 PM
Yeah, that is the highlight. :D I'm dying to know what the last sentence is she says to me, because the rest I can grasp (what kind of milk is prefered by men, women etc.), but it is something that makes him instantly realize, that his love is futile. Poor baby.
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newbie
April 19, 2016 at 10:57 PM
*him
and me, the audience ;)
23 chi
April 19, 2016 at 3:12 AM
Thanks for including a link on where to watch the drama :D
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24 lunatic4kd
April 19, 2016 at 3:44 AM
@Lollypip - great recap - one disagreement...I don't think Hye Soo is worried about how she will LOOK as her illness progresses, which is how you interpreted his reaction...she knows she might go blind from that tumor - and worse, as her mental faculties start failing. She will become totally helpless, maybe won't even know people the people she loves. Hye soo is far too practical and strong to ultimately care about looks, she's afraid of becoming a burden to people around her - she has never allowed herself to be vulnerable. AHHHHHHHHH - that final surrender! Perfection. I breathe from week to week for this drama. Even if it ends with her passing, it will be magnificent. This is LOVE.
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growingbeautifully
April 19, 2016 at 4:28 AM
@ lunatic4kd
I agree. When the subs says 'mess' it encompasses many things. Being in pain, being uncomfortable to be around, bringing more pain to Ji Hoon, etc. It was much more than just her looks she was worried about.
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knewbie
April 19, 2016 at 4:50 AM
Yes I agree with your interpretations of the "mess" that Hye-soo is in, @lunatic4kd and @Growingbeautifully. It's also linked to the scene that @cinnamon mentioned above, the one where she apologises to her grandmother for not living an awesome life. Of course there're few people less culpable than HS, who is a model of goodness and integrity and plain good sense, but life really has been a mess for her, starting from the early death and debts of her husband, and continuing with the the organ selling disaster that Ji-hoon kind of got her involved in.
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25 eynay
April 19, 2016 at 4:36 AM
I watching this drama only starting from episode 8 & totally in love with this drama. For this episode, when Ji Hoon pickup Hye Soo call & he look teared up when he heard Hye Soo voice I really think its real. Not real acting but real feeling from Lee Seo Jin. Like this ever happened to him. ^_^
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26 WickedBiccie
April 19, 2016 at 3:05 PM
Wow! I have been happily enjoying all of this drama so far, but this last episode got me so hard in the feels!!!
I'll join in with the chorus praising UEE, her acting has been powerful and on point. I feel like she really had a turning point in the drama 'Hogu's Love' and has risen to a whole new level of excellence since then.
And Lee Seo Jin was wonderful!!! I have to agree with @Dramareader, some of the things that Ho Joon did in 'caring mode' might feel off and pushy to a western audience, but in a Korean context, it was all natural, and actually, I appreciated that Ho Joon knew Hye Sang well enough to know when to push her and when to back off. Oh! And when she called him and he was fighting to hold back his tears and sound normal on the phone, when he could hear how in pain she was. Gah!! That really got me!
I'm praying so so hard to the DramaGods right now for a happy ending! (Starts cutting up Korean Pears for an offering table!!)
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27 Miera
April 19, 2016 at 11:46 PM
i wish there will be MIRACLE for the ending! say NO to SAD ENDING!!
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28 AidaZen
April 20, 2016 at 12:39 AM
It's somehow a little annoying when someone ends ups doing what they should have just done earlier. Would have saved a lot of people a load of heartache. Like Eunsung and Ji-hoon could have suffered a lot less if Hye-soo had figured herself out a lot sooner. But I guess the drama has to drag out the conflict for all it was worth. Really almost turned me off the drama at that point.
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Enz
April 20, 2016 at 2:17 AM
I think most here feel her reservations about giving in to feelings (new ones at that were in keeping with her character and the situation she was/is in. If she had just thought "oh great someone loves me and wants to take care of me so everything is all better now" immediately and without reservation, it would have been unrealistic, unsatisfying and out of character. So, I'm happy that it finally happened but I don't think it was unnecessarily delayed.
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newbie
April 20, 2016 at 3:43 AM
Same here. This is about her travel, her way of coping with this more than complicated situation. She is used to handle everything alone and she has a child to care for. No responsible parent jumps into a new relationship without considering the child's well-being let alone a fatally ill mother. And she knows his weird family, who in his right mind would give one's child in their care?
She really needed all this time to accept him. I love the pacing because, to me at least, it is well-timed and logical.
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AidaZen
April 20, 2016 at 5:14 AM
I get the point guys. I just think she could easily have gone either way ie said yes to him back then. Or at least, asked for some time to think things over, instead of cutting all ties with him. It looked so hard for her to do, and painful to watch.
Let's face it, she's known about her illness way too long to act like she didn't know what choices to make. Ji-hoon had already shown to be a stable individual, worthy of trust. But no, she just had to play the "I'm better off without him" card. She should have just taken the chance then. That would have been the more grown thing to do. And just as "responsible" as turning him aside.
Just because she's e really shouldn't excuse away everything she does even when it smacks of silliness and 'noble idiocy' as the slang goes.
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AidaZen
April 20, 2016 at 5:19 AM
Typo...just because she's 'ill' really shouldn't excuse away...
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AidaZen
April 20, 2016 at 7:06 AM
Much as I wish I could agree with you both, something stops me just short of doing so. Our girl has acted too calculating so far, to seem as if it's "hard for her" to do anything, such as giving Jihoon the chance earlier on. That scene where he shows up with the ring and his heart on the line? She should have just told him the truth. About the illness, needing money, feeling conflicted about their romance, etc.
You see, one thing HyeSoo needed that I didn't see, was her HONESTY. That's why Jihoon felt like he never really knew her. She was just so closed up, yet quick to make deals, first with Jihoon for her liver, then with his father for some compensation money.
When Jihoon offered the ring etc, was her perfect chance to be open with him and then find a solution where they could baby-step things. But of course that only happens in real life, with a female who's emotionally grown and honest to her needs and inadequacies. Instead we get super-human heroines who rather go through self-torture and deprivation just to prove they don't need anyone....until they do.
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knewbie
April 20, 2016 at 10:30 AM
I agree that Hye-soo is calculating, but she is calculating precisely because she's painfully aware that she's NOT "superhuman". The stakes are so much higher for her. Ji-hoon could afford to be honest about his feelings for her -- at worst he'd be heartbroken. Not to mention he gave her up without much of a fight when his mum's op was in the balance. But if she'd taken a chance on him, been open with him, tried to discuss things with him, then discovered he was not up to it? Or if he'd insisted on defying his father, lost his job, etc, with neither of them able to afford her treatment or Eun-sung's upbringing? Could she have been able to take another blow like that? At least a deal is just a deal, and securing Eun-sung's future was one - in fact, the central big worry off her mind.
And I don't think she was trying to prove she didn't need anyone. She wasn't even trying to prove that she didn't need Ji-hoon; she just believed she couldn't have him. The fact remains that she has taken a huge risk, and there is no guarantee that having him in her life will be a good thing for her and Eun-sung. For a start she has broken her promise to Ji-hoon's dad, and Ji-hoon has left the company, so money will still be an issue. (Though I suspect that Jung-hoon will make such a mess of the business that Ji-hoon will be given the reins eventually.)
newbie
April 20, 2016 at 5:38 AM
When exactly did Ji Hoon show to her that he is a stable individual, worthy of trust?
To her he is the guy that buys someone's liver for his mom, that has several affairs under his belt (the employees are gossiping all the time, she knows), has an ex-lover returning into the picture and is openly toying with the idea to marry her for the sake of dad's money (think of the little almost engagement party at the restaurant she witnessed).
Such a guy suddenly declares his undying love for you? A single mom on a different social level just out of debt?
She liked him and felt something otherwise we wouldn't have seen the kiss, but to her it was just a moment of weakness, as she said a mistake, she doesn't play hard to get, she needed this time to be really convinced of his feelings and to understand that she can't be without him any longer either.
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knewbie
April 20, 2016 at 5:55 AM
"Or at least, asked for some time to think things over, instead of cutting all ties with him"
Time is exactly what she hasn't got. Also, she cut ties with him in order to get the money which she believed she and her daughter needed. (The show even mentions how much her treatment costs.) And she knows very well what the dad is capable of.
"Ji-hoon had already shown to be a stable individual, worthy of trust"
She knows that Ji-hoon is fundamentally a good guy, but she also knows that he tried to buy her liver, can be bad tempered, might not be in the best financial situation, has a problematic dad, had a dying mum, etc. Not that stable, no matter how good his intentions are.
"She should have just taken the chance then"
She's dying and her daughter is 7. It's hard for her to take chances. Also, while some may think she was an idiot for not taking a chance on love, she was certainly not being noble -- she chose hard cash over Ji-hoon.
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