1% of Anything: Episode 16 (Final)

by HappilyEverAfter

We’re in for a treat after enduring a painful separation, with Jae-in and Da-hyun discovering a newfound determination to be together again, against all odds. There are a few issues still left standing in the way of our favorite couple, but we all know just as well that there’s no stopping Jae-in when he’s got his mind stubbornly set on something. And there’s no stopping a determined Da-hyun, either.

 
EPISODE 16: “The person who completes me”

Jae-in visits his mother to ask for her blessing, and she asks what he would do if she refused. Jae-in responds that he and Da-hyun would wait until she relented, getting older and older in the process, and adds that he felt like dying without having Da-hyun by his side — anything would be better than that. His mother sighs, conflicted.

Later that day, Jae-in brings Da-hyun to Grandpa’s house to formally meet his family. Da-hyun frets over her appearance, but Jae-in lovingly reassures her that she looks pretty. His mother enters the room then, jokingly chiding Jae-in for being so lovey-dovey as she welcomes Da-hyun in. Grandpa makes his way down the stairs and greets Da-hyun, commenting that it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other.

Confused, Da-hyun says that this is the first time they’ve met, but Jae-in looks at her in surprise, asking if she still doesn’t recognize him. Grandpa calls Da-hyun his savior and hands her a small envelope; she opens it, revealing the hospital bill receipt that she had paid for Grandpa.

It takes a few moments before Da-hyun finally realizes that Grandpa is the man she saved all those months ago, and she gasps in delight at the discovery. Grandpa jokes that it’s only fair for his savior to receive his entire inheritance — a rude little rascal like Jae-in doesn’t deserve any part of it. Grandpa urges the two of them to get married soon so that he can be there to see it, and Jae-in’s mother quips that Jae-in is probably in more of a rush than Grandpa is.

In the car, Jae-in pouts when he hears that Da-hyun’s parents want an herbalist to be their son-in-law, and says that the only son-in-law they’ll be having is SH Group’s Lee Jae-in. Da-hyun laughs at his grumpiness, but things get serious when the couple meets with Da-hyun’s parents, who adamantly refuse to give their blessing.

“Everyone starts out liking one another in the beginning,” says Da-hyun’s mother, “but that isn’t the case anymore when you start living with one another!” She insists that Jae-in and Da-hyun are too different from one another in terms of status to be compatible, and her father says tersely that he doesn’t want Jae-in to make Da-hyun suffer. Declaring that he’ll never give his blessings, he gets up and leaves the room.

Outside, Da-hyun worries about what to do and wonders if they should just take things slowly, since there’s no need to rush the marriage. Jae-in responds that he’s in a hurry and adds that he’ll take care of everything as long as Da-hyun doesn’t change her mind.

The next day, Jae-in makes the trip to her parents’ house again, though Da-hyun’s mom refuses to meet with him and asks him to leave. He comes back the next day, and the next, and the next, trying to wear them down in a game of persistence. Da-hyun’s parents wonder how he’s traveling so much every day when he’s supposed to be such a busy man, and concerned about the rumors going around the neighborhood about “Da-hyun’s man,” Da-hyun’s dad finally agrees to let Jae-in in.

Jae-in immediately acknowledges her parents’ concerns, but points out that Da-hyun herself wouldn’t be happy marrying someone else. He adds that they’ve tried to break up already but couldn’t forget each other, and Da-hyun’s dad asks if Jae-in is asking for a fight. Jae-in just asks, “Will you give me Da-hyun if I win, then?”

Cut to: Da-hyun running up the stairs to her parents’ house in a panic. She bursts inside, looking for Jae-in, and at that moment, he stumbles out of the master bedroom, reeking of alcohol. He slurs to Da-hyun that he received her father’s blessing, and nearly falls over in the process. Da-hyun pulls him away, and through the opened bedroom door, we see her father lying on the floor, passed out drunk.

Having relocated to another room, Da-hyun peers carefully at Jae-in as he sleeps, and laughs before gently stroking his head. She tucks him in and resumes blissfully watching him.

The next day, Jae-in visits Da-hyun at school after she finishes dancing with her students. He informs her that the media will be reporting on their marriage soon, and wonders if she should just quit her job. But Da-hyun gives him a look for even trying to mention it.

She brings up signing a prenup, and Jae-in agrees that everything will be very official — their new contract will have a special clause that forbids divorce under any circumstance. Da-hyun jokes that they should add in an alimony clause, but Jae-in retorts that they don’t need things like that since they won’t be getting divorced anyway. Leaning in, he rephrases his demand into a request, asking her sweetly not to leave him and to please live with him forever.

Da-hyun smiles, and Jae-in sits her down before getting on one knee. He pulls out a small box and opens it to reveal the ring inside, formally proposing: “Kim Da-hyun. Will you marry me?” She giggles and answers yes, and Jae-in slides the ring onto her finger.

They leave the school arm in arm, and after some discussion, they agree to have their honeymoon in Canada where Jae-in’s biological mother lives. Touched, Jae-in asks if Da-hyun is really all right with that, and she responds that she’s fine with anything as long as she has him by her side.

At the wedding hall, Hyun-jin readies her video-camera before walking into the waiting room to record Da-hyun. She squeals over how pretty Da-hyun looks and sincerely wishes for her friend to be happy. Jae-in, handsomely suited up, enters the room as well, and he and Da-hyun spend a long moment just looking at one another in complete bliss.

Jae-in walks up to Da-hyun, and she giggles over the irony that she’s the one marrying him, considering that she had wondered who would be the poor soul that would end up married to a devil like him when they first met. Jae-in laughs, and Hyun-jin urges them to kiss for the camera.

The scene cuts to Da-hyun and Jae-in in their home, watching Hyun-jin’s video. After the wedding, Hyun-jin had filmed a special message for Da-hyun from her store, wishing the couple a happy, long life together. Hyun-jin had then trailed off, muttering about her hope for her own prince to come, which is when they see that Tae-ha walked into the store, doubled back out, and then walked back in.

Da-hyun and Jae-in note it with surprise, and crack up as they watch how Tae-ha nervously stammered in front of Hyun-jin, unable to come up with a good explanation for why he was randomly at her store. Finally, he worked up the nerve to ask her if she was available for a date, and Hyun-jin had grinned to herself as she shut off the camcorder.

In the following weeks, Da-hyun and Jae-in continue to go about their lives busily, though it seems that becoming Jae-in’s wife has added a ton of duties onto Da-hyun’s plate. She attends a social gathering for classical music appreciation with Jae-in’s mother, and the other elites snicker when Da-hyun mentions that she likes listening to Ji-soo’s pop songs.

One especially snobby woman comments that someone from SH Group ought to have better taste in music, and Da-hyun looks away in embarrassment. Noticing Da-hyun’s discomfort, Jae-in’s mother comes to her defense and remarks that whether it’s pop music or classical music, the most important part is the sincerity behind it.

“Besides,” she adds, giving a pointed look to the woman’s equally snobby daughter, “SH Group doesn’t let just anyone into the family just because she knows a thing or two about music.” That puts them in their place. Jae-in’s mother smiles warmly at Da-hyun, and Da-hyun gives her a grateful look in return.

At Jae-in’s house (now adorned with the couple’s wedding photos), Da-hyun dozes off on Jae-in’s shoulder as he’s working, and he laughs at how she could fall asleep at a time like this. He suggests that they go to bed and cups her face, grinning as he says that he’ll be good to her.

The next day, Jae-in worries that Da-hyun’s overworking herself as he helps her load a few boxes into the car, but Da-hyun insists that she’ll be fine. She’s about to get into the car when she suddenly runs back to Jae-in and envelops him into a hug. He gives her a kiss, and they bid each other goodbye.

Da-hyun works busily at the orphanage’s fundraiser event, and Jae-in stops by to check in on her. When she cutely pushes Jae-in to buy the remaining items to support the orphanage, he easily relents, excited to whisk her away from the event and spend more time with her.

Meanwhile, Hyun-jin stalks out of Tae-ha’s office at SH Mall, wondering why he called her over to talk about nothing. Tae-ha insists that he needs to know why she hates him so much, and Hyun-jin responds that she doesn’t hate him, but that doesn’t mean she likes him either.

Hyun-jin offers to just sleep together once if Tae-ha’s that obsessed with her, but Tae-ha is utterly scandalized by the thought as he says that she’d have to marry him if that were the case. Shocked, Hyun-jin tells him that she’s not okay with that in the slightest and walks away, leaving Tae-ha to huffily comment that she’s really charismatic. Ha.

The next day, Employee Kang excitedly reports to Jae-in that Da-hyun’s all over the news for participating in the fundraising event, and the media outlets are dying to interview her. At home, Da-hyun sighs over her newfound fame, and Jae-in notes that Da-hyun looks really tired lately.

He reminds her to take things easy, and she gets up to go to her room for some rest. But suddenly, she stumbles and falls back down onto the couch. She mumbles that she feels dizzy, causing Jae-in to fret over her.

He brings her to the hospital, where the doctor asks if Da-hyun’s been feeling stressed out lately. Da-hyun starts to answer that no, she hasn’t, but Jae-in cuts in, pointing out her overflowing schedule. He suggests that she stop her cooking lessons because he doesn’t care what they eat, and that’s when the doctor steps in to say that Da-hyun needs to eat well, because she’s pregnant. Simultaneously shocked and excited, Da-hyun and Jae-in hug one another, grateful for the good news.

At a formal SH Group event with Tae-ha, Hyun-jin can’t hide her smile when he tells her that he really does like her. Hyun-jin agrees to date him, but there’s a catch — she won’t get married to him. Tae-ha just responds defiantly that he’s going to marry her, and Hyun-jin jokingly bemoans her popularity.

Everyone else from the company is there too, and Grandpa is on the podium, ready to give a speech about the ups and downs he’s experienced during his journey with SH Group. He notes that while some people had ulterior motives when approaching him, there are a few altruistic people out there, and it’s thanks to them that life is worth living. “I’ve come to realize now that someone’s one percent of uniqueness can become someone else’s ninety-nine percent of luck,” he says.

Scenes of Jae-in and Da-hyun progressing through their relationship are interspersed with a reminder of Hyun-jin’s words to Da-hyun: “Even when ninety-nine percent of a guy’s traits are good, if you end up noticing that one bad trait, you’ll grow to dislike him no matter how good he is to you. And even if ninety-nine percent of a guy’s traits are terrible, as soon as you notice that one percent of goodness in him, you’ll end up falling for him. That’s the man’s charm.”

Grandpa concludes his speech by saying that he plans to become someone who gives back to others, and adds that he wishes for everyone to find their “one percent of anything.” The entire room gives him a standing ovation.

After the event, Da-hyun wonders if Jae-in is disappointed that Grandpa donated his entire fortune instead of giving it to him. Jae-in says that he wanted to build his own wealth anyway, and asks Da-hyun if she’s disappointed. Da-hyun turns to Jae-in and smiles brightly, saying that she got the greatest gift from Grandpa already: Jae-in.

She notes that the chances of them meeting were just one percent, but thanks to Grandpa, her life has been changed forever. Jae-in tells her that it was ninety-nine percent destiny, and adds that it looks like he’s found his “one percent of anything” already. Da-hyun agrees, and they kiss.

 
COMMENTS

Although I’m not entirely convinced by how easily Jae-in and Da-hyun got back together, my love for cute couples and happy endings is doing a lot to repress any lingering questions I have about the ending. Thanks to the adorable chemistry between Jeon So-min and Ha Suk-jin, I’m coming away largely satisfied, though I do think there’s just that one percent missing (pun fully intended).

For one, Jae-in’s biggest concern was that he wouldn’t be able to be there for Da-hyun if she married him because he’d be too busy handling company matters. It’s clear in this episode that he did manage to find time to be with Da-hyun after they got married, but how did he do it? It feels like we’ve just arrived at the desired end result without knowing how we got there.

I felt similarly about the issue of getting their parents’ blessings — everything was wrapped up in a bow, but I don’t know how it happened. I appreciate that Jae-in’s mother was far from the stereotypical mother-in-law, and considering that she has been a gracious, reasonable woman throughout the drama, I’m not particularly surprised that all it really took to get her blessing was a simple conversation. Besides, we had already known that she had some misgivings about forcing them to break up, so it makes perfect sense when we see her accepting and even defending Da-hyun as her daughter-in-law.

On the other hand, the parental opposition starts to feel a little contrived when we realize that the bulk of it is coming from Da-hyun’s parents and not Jae-in’s mother. We had that one scene where Da-hyun’s mom was scandalized when Da-hyun admitted to being in a contract relationship, but for the most part, Da-hyun’s parents were largely absent from the drama, and their sudden reappearance in the final episode feels a lot like filler — especially if you consider that Jae-in’s solution was to out-drink Da-hyun’s dad. Sure, superior alcohol tolerance might be a measure of “manliness,” but how is it any indication of whether Jae-in will treat Da-hyun right?

I’m just glad for all parties involved that Jae-in really is a good person deep down inside, and it’s been a pleasure watching him progress from being an overbearing, petty man-child into a sweet, loving boyfriend/husband. I do get the sense that Jae-in was never really a jerk to begin with (despite how often he mistreated Da-hyun in the beginning), but that he just showed different sides of himself to different people. After all, he was always kind and respectful to his mother even before he met Da-hyun; it’s just that he learned how to express his love in different ways (giving his mother a gift, calling her on his birthday, etc.) after meeting Da-hyun.

Speaking of mothers, I’m still a little curious about what happened between Jae-in and his biological mother — why did Jae-in have to be adopted? Why couldn’t he move to Canada, especially considering that he doesn’t seem to have a particularly bad relationship with his family there? I suppose the issue isn’t something that’s necessary for the plot to keep moving, but it just feels like a detail that got thrown away and forgotten.

Nevertheless, perhaps it’s better that we didn’t get bogged down in the family background drama, and got a bunch of cute couple scenes instead. Jae-in always touches Da-hyun’s face so adoringly — whether it’s pinching her cheeks or cupping her face or caressing it softly — that you can practically see the hearts coming out of his eyes as he looks at her. The way that Da-hyun ran back to give Jae-in a hug before getting into her car is yet another indication of how much they love each other; they’re married, and they live together, but they still can’t get enough of one another.

Although 1% of Anything had a very strong old-school vibe to it in its initial episodes, I think the remake managed to do a great job in keeping it modern enough to escape most of the old-school clichés. I appreciated that Da-hyun’s character never really changed just because she started dating a guy (she’s as sassy and as cute as ever), and that our couple had real, believable reasons for separating. Things got a little crazy when Joo-hee was around, but I’m just thrilled to have everything end on such a positive note.

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