Shopping King Louis: Episode 12

by LollyPip

Let go of your pet theories and suspicions, because this episode’s a shocker. Whatever you thought was happening, the reality is 180 degrees different. You’d think we’d know by now not to underestimate the cleverness of this show, yet it still manages to surprise me. One thing is certain, our Louis will never be predictable!

EPISODE 12: “A Dream Becomes Reality”

Joong-won narrates that there’s a Native American proverb that says that if you repeat a wish more than ten thousand times, it comes true. We see a young girl waiting anxiously, and when a handsome deliveryman walks up her street, she says, “I’ll marry that man.”

He walks right past her without looking at her, but she remains determined. That was Joong-won’s parents, and Young-ae’s often-repeated wish eventually got her the man she wanted.

In-sung tells the Gold Group team all about Louis and Bok-shil, how she found him with no memory and cared for him. He tells how Louis was robbed by a motorcycle gang, and that Bok-shil’s brother stole his car and died in a terrible accident. He says that’s why they broke up, because being together was too painful.

Louis lies in bed, wishing that Bok-shil and he could get back together. We hear Joong-won’s voice saying that Louis had never heard the Native American proverb, but his repeated wishes to be with Bok-shil again numbered over ten thousand. Joong-won tells us, “The wish that he repeated ten thousand times was about to come true.”

Down in Busan, while finishing up her business trip, Bok-shil sees a familiar figure sitting at the base of a staircase. It’s Louis, looking exactly as he did when they first met, grubby and wearing Bok-nam’s tracksuit. She runs to him and kneels, calling his name.

Louis looks at her blankly, and she asks why he’s here instead of in France. “Am I… Louis?” he asks haltingly. “Do you know me?”

Bok-shil nods, and tells him her name. His eyes well up as if something inside him recognizes it, and he looks away, saying his chest hurts. Bok-shil takes Louis’s face in her hands, and tears start to run down his face as he asks if they were close. Her answer is to hug him, and they both cry.

Bok-shil calls Butler Kim, who says that he’ll come meet them at the docks. Louis is clutching Bok-shil’s sleeve like he did when they first met, and she takes his hand in hers. She smiles at him and he smiles back, seeming comforted to have someone close.

Bok-shil takes Louis to meet with Butler Kim, and he asks for coffee. She tells him there’s another kind he likes better, and Louis asks if she knows him very well.

Before she can answer more than “of course,” Butler Kim shows up, screaming Louis’s name. Louis is startled and makes a run for it, with Butler Kim and Bok-shil hot on his heels, determined not to lose him again.

He flails down the dock and onto a yacht, and Bok-shil jumps aboard right behind him. Louis manages to sneak off the boat behind her back, and the yacht pulls away, stranding Bok-shik on board while Louis makes his escape. Oh no, they can’t lose him again!

Bok-shil runs up to the driver, but he says it’s too late to turn back. She calls Butler Kim, who says that he found Louis, thank goodness. Bok-shil sits to wait for the ride to end, mind reeling at the day’s surprises.

But they’re not over yet — Detective Joo-hyuk calls Bok-shil, and excitedly tells her that Bok-nam has been found alive. Not only is he not dead, but he’s in Busan, and Joo-hyuk asks where in Busan Bok-shil is right now. She says she’s on the ocean, near Gwangan Bridge, and Joo-hyuk asks if there’s another yacht near her.

There is, and Joo-hyuk says that Bok-nam is on that yacht right now. Bok-shil starts yelling Bok-nam’s name, frantic to see him again, and behind her, Bok-nam’s head pops up from the staircase. He calls, “Noona!” and she whirls around, and Bok-nam grabs her in a hug. But… how did he get on her boat?

Bok-shil doesn’t even care, she’s just so relieved and grateful that her little brother is alive. She asks why he didn’t come find her, and he says that he went to their old house but nobody was there. Bok-shil hugs him again, and they exchange apologies and happy tears.

Later, Bok-shil makes Bok-nam promise never to run away again, and he agrees. She finally thinks to ask how he got on the yacht, and he pulls her old phone from his pocket. On it is a video of Louis, asking, “Bok-shil, are you surprised?”

Wait, this was all a setup to bring Bok-nam back to Bok-shil? Louis, you little troll! On the video, Louis says that he promised he’d find Bok-nam, and now he’s keeping his word.

We’re taken back to three days ago, the day that Louis saw Bok-nam, and Bok-nam had run from him. Louis had been knocked over by a bike and hit his head, but he didn’t actually lose his memory — instead, he’d remembered everything that happened the night he first met Bok-nam.

Louis had been driving to his grandmother’s house from the airport, and had made a sudden turn, right into the path of Bok-nam’s motorcycle gang. They’d followed him, taunting him, and he’d nervously tried to change lanes. He’d accidentally bumped one rider, causing their leader to lose his temper and demand that Louis pull over.

One rider had popped a reverse wheelie in front of Louis’s car, and he’d jerked the wheel so hard he’d spin in a circle, causing another rider to hit his car and fall to the pavement. That had infuriated the leader, and he’d made Louis get out of the car and punched him, hard.

The leader had started to hit Louis again, but Bok-nam had stepped between them. He’d said he’d take care of this and catch up with them later, and the gang had left the two of them alone.

Bok-nam had made Louis give him his belongings, even his clothes, saying that the guys he hangs with will kill him if he doesn’t bring them everything. He’d given Louis his knockoff tracksuit to wear before driving away with his car.

Bok-nam had promised to come back for him in an hour, but when he hadn’t showed, Louis had started walking. While he was crossing a street, another motorcycle had swerved near him, and he’d tripped on the curb and smacked his head on a fire hydrant.

Louis sits up as he remembers this, and sees that Bok-nam hasn’t run far, having stayed to make sure Louis wasn’t hurt badly. Realizing that Bok-shil’s brother is the kid who saved him, Louis calls out to him. Bok-nam takes off, and the silly chase is on again.

Bok-nam jumps into a tram car, and Louis takes the stairs, racing to the top of the steep staircase. Louis tries to keep up but he has zero stamina, and has to stop and catch his breath. But he remembers all the times he climbed the stairs to his and Bok-shil’s rooftop apartment, and with a mighty battle squeak, rushes up to beat Bok-nam to the top.

Louis drags Bok-nam out of the car and hugs him, while Bok-nam apologizes for stealing his car and possessions. Louis waves all that away, gasping for breath, and hugs Bok-nam again. He thanks him for being alive, crying unashamedly, “Now I can see Bok-shil.” Awww, sweet thing.

Once everyone has calmed down, Louis tells Bok-nam that he doesn’t have to run from him. He says that he knows Bok-shil, even lived with her, and Bok-nam asks if they got married. Louis gets the cutest mischievous look on his face at the idea, and says they haven’t gotten married yet.

He asks how Bok-nam ended up in Busan, and Bok-nam tells him that he brought Louis’s car, clothes, and watch to the gang leader. It was the leader who’d been killed in the accident, and Bok-nam had been scared and gone home. When nobody was there, he decided to get as far from Seoul as possible, and came to Busan.

Louis understands, having come here for the same reason. He promises to protect Bok-nam from now on, and Bok-nam tentatively returns his hug this time. So freaking cute.

Louis had called In-sung to tell him that he found Bok-nam, and instructed him bring everyone to Busan. He sent a video of him and Bok-nam to Butler Kim, Jung-ran, Detective Joo-hyuk, and even Joong-won to give them the good news, and asked them all to come help him reunite the siblings. I love this so much.

It was Joong-won’s job to get Bok-shil to Busan, so he’d made up a fake business trip. Even his mentioning Louis at their lunch had been part of Louis’s plan, to get Bok-shil thinking about him. After, Joong-won had made sure Bok-shil walked past the building where Louis waited.

In-sung had watched from a short distance as Bok-shil saw Louis and approached him, and Louis had only betrayed a tiny hopeful smile when he’d first seen her. Awww, his tears when she’d said they were close had been real, as Louis realized that she still cared for him.

Butler Kim’s arranging to meet Bok-shil at the dock had been calculated to get her close to the yacht. Meanwhile, Jung-ran made sure Bok-nam got on the yacht and had hidden him belowdecks, then given the yacht captain his instructions to pull away as soon as Louis jumped off.

Louis had run to the yacht and deliberately left Bok-shil stranded there, and Joo-hyuk had called her to tell her that Bok-nam was alive just before he came out. He’d gotten so into his role that he drew stares from his fellow cops, hee.

We back up a bit again, to see the group planning out the operation. Joong-won had been the only one to argue, worried that Bok-shil will be too shocked. In-sung countered that it’s called a “surprise” for a reason, and this is an awesome double surprise for Bok-shil to see both Louis and Bok-nam.

Butler Kim had also objected on the grounds that Louis is too precious to pretend to be penniless, but Louis whined that he actually was penniless when he met Bok-shil. He’s trying to recreate the day they met, and by producing Bok-nam, he’s proving that it was a blessing that they met ( then he and In-sung both do Joong-won’s little “whoo!” motion, while Joong-won reflexively joins in looking surprised, hee).

Eventually everyone agrees, even grumpy Joong-won. After a couple of false starts, Louis records the message that Bok-nam shows her on the yacht, saying that he went to a lot of trouble to keep his word and find her brother. He adorably complains about all the stairs he had to climb, then shows her that he’s dressed warmly under the tracksuit.

In the video, Louis says that the day he met her was the luckiest day of his life. He thanks her for meeting him again today, and gives her a heartbreaking smile. Bok-shil also smiles, and hugs the phone to her chest.

When the yacht makes it back to shore, Bok-shil sees everyone standing there, waiting for her. They wave excitedly, but Bok-shil only has eyes for Louis. She remembers all the times he was there for her, protecting and supporting her. She steps off the boat and sees Louis holding his arms out wide, and she runs and leaps into them.

After huggint Bok-shil tightly, Louis leans back and says that he promised he’d find Bok-nam, and Bok-shil thanks him. She hugs him again, and their audience claps and cheers (all except Bok-nam, who rolls his eyes… little brothers).

Back in Seoul, Joong-won’s parents attempt to visit Bok-shil, who they’re convinced is their son’s girlfriend. Young-ae is determined to turn Bok-shil into an Oriental medicine doctor, but Dad just shakes his head at her.

They let themselves into Bok-shil’s place, but before they can take a look around, In-sung’s mom comes in (brandishing Louis’s light saber, hee) and demands to know who they are. Young-ae says they know Bok-shil, so everyone sits to talk.

In-sung’s mom fibs that she’s Bok-shil’s mother, then amends it to kinda-stepmother when Young-ae already knows Bok-shil’s mother died. Young-ae says she’s Bok-shil’s future mother-in-law, surprising In-sung’s mom, who knows that Louis’s parents are dead.

Young-ae says she’s Joong-won’s mother, not Louis’s, and In-sung’s mom is completely confused. She tells Joong-won’s parents that Bok-shil and Louis used to live together, scandalizing them both.

Ma-ri is also in Busan on a blind date, which her mother set up after pointing out that neither Joong-won nor Louis are interested in her. Her date is handsome, but he honestly tells Ma-ri that he already has a girlfriend, and she barely reins in her temper to ask why he didn’t say something before she came all the way from Seoul. She prepares to throw her water in his face, then remembers that he’s the son of her mother’s friend, and instead just takes the angriest drink of water ever.

In-sung decides to stay in Busan for a while longer, and he spots Ma-ri looking out at the ocean. He scares ten years off her life, and she smacks him when he tries to follow her, but he trails after as she stomps away, worried that she was crying. He cheerfully invites her to a movie, and though she’s not really interested, Ma-ri goes with him.

Louis pouts when Joong-won insists that Bok-nam ride in the backseat with Bok-shil on the ride back to Seoul (which Bok-shil finds hilarious). Louis needles him, calling him his driver, and the four set off back to the city.

Butler Kim and Jung-ran also stay in Busan for a bit, and they go to see a lighthouse shaped like a baby bottle. Butler Kim recalls a legend saying that women conceive babies after visiting the lighthouse, then ruins his groove when he tells Jung-ran she should have a baby before she’s too old. Oops. She screams at him for jumping straight to babies without even proposing marriage, especially since he’s got the romantic Louis as an example.

Ma-ri complains about her aching feet as she and In-sung walk, so he gallantly offers her his shoes. Ma-ri huffs that her heels match her outfit, but In-sung just bends down and stuffs her feet into his shoes. Then he steals her heels and trots off grinning in his socky feet, hee. Annoyed, Ma-ri is forced to clomp after him in his huge shoes.

He takes her to a movie showing on a rooftop, a really romantic setting, but she makes him stay several feet from her and squeals any time he comes close. In-sung tries to apologize for pooping his pants in Ma-ri’s car, but she stops him from discussing it, and keeps scooting further away every time In-sung tries to talk to her.

Finally the movie starts, and In-sung sits behind Ma-ri so he can smile at the back of her head. Her stomach starts to gurgle and she shifts uncomfortably, and In-sung thinks she’s cold and drapes his jacket over her shoulders. Ma-ri gasps and whispers at him to go away, but I notice she leaves his jacket on.

Her stomach is really bothering her by now, and she wonders if she should just “let it out.” She clears her throat and In-sung brings her a drink, startling her again, and again she tells him to go away. Her intestinal distress becomes too much to hold in, so Ma-ri stands to leave.

Unfortunately, as soon as she stands, she lets out a really loud, stinky fart. The other audience members grumble, and In-sung, realizing her problem, stands and loudly apologizing for passing gas. He grins at Ma-ri, who looks like she can’t decide whether to be embarrassed or grateful.

Bok-shil, Bok-nam, Louis, and In-sung’s mom sit to dinner at Bok-shil’s old place, and Bok-shil can’t stop grinning at her brother. In-sung’s mom tells Bok-nam to be good to Bok-shil after everything she went through for him, and he obediently agrees. In-sung’s mom marvels that not one, but two men in Bok-shil’s life have come back from the dead.

Louis angles for a sleepover invite, and Bok-nam wants his new hyung to stay. In-sung’s mom sends Louis back to his place for the night, reminding him that the siblings have a lot to catch up on, and Louis cutely tells Bok-shil that he’ll let Bok-nam have his place for tonight.

As they lay in bed later, Bok-shil tells Bok-nam that their grandmother passed away. He says that he heard, and Bok-shil says that she promised Grandmother’s spirit that she would find him. Bok-nam quickly nods off and Bok-shil tucks him in, as she thinks that their Grandmother needn’t worry about them anymore.

Alone at his house, Joong-won thinks to himself that, though Louis initially seemed gullible and inept, he turned out to be a man with a pure heart. His sincerity turned Bok-shil’s sadness into happiness, and made a miracle happen.

At the hospital, after being in a coma for about a month, Director Baek’s minion Scarface opens his eyes. Detective Joo-hyuk gets a call that he’s awake, and he and his partner rush over to question him. But on the way out, his partner stops and makes a call to Director Baek, alerting him that Scarface is awake. Is he a mole? Aww, don’t be a mole!

Director Baek worries that Scarface might tell them about him, but by the time the detectives make it to the hospital, Scarface is gone. Detective Joo-hyuk checks in with the chief, and his partner calls Director Baek again to report that Scarface has fled. Judging by Director Baek’s shock, it looks like he wasn’t involved in the escape.

Sure enough, Scarface calls Director Baek’s house later from a phone booth (they still have those?), and Jae-sook answers the office phone. Director Baek angrily grabs the phone and sends her out, then asks Scarface to meet him to talk.

Scarface knows that Louis went back to Gold Group while he was in a coma, and Director Baek interprets his evil laugh as a threat. Scarface says of course it’s not, since he didn’t even go see Grandma, and tells Director Baek to watch his defensive attitude before hanging up. Well, that’s worrisome.

The phone rings over at Grandma’s place, and Louis picks up just as Director Baek runs in the door. It’s Scarface on the other end of the line, and Louis looks at Director Baek curiously.

COMMENTS

I knew I could trust Louis, and my trust was not misplaced! I had a weird feeling that something just wasn’t right when I saw him sitting there looking exactly the way he did when he and Bok-shil met, but once again I dismissed what seemed a minor inconsistency and figured it wasn’t important when it was actually a big clue. I was assuming that Bok-nam took pity on him again or something. Louis is such a little brat! The best troll in the whole wide world.

Of all the possible scenarios that have run through my (very worried) mind in the past week, the idea that Louis’s apparent second round of amnesia was actually a huge romantic multi-person surprise plan to bring Bok-nam back to Bok-shil never even occurred to me. But leave it to Louis to turn his finding Bok-shil’s brother into a grand romantic gesture, and pull everyone they know into his plans. It was awesome, and brilliant, and perfect, and just so utterly Louis. Bok-shil is a very lucky girl.

Speaking of romantic, when did In-sung become such a ladykiller? I nearly swooned when he gave Ma-ri his shoes and refused to leave her alone wandering the city. It cracks me up how horrified Ma-ri is at In-sung just existing in her presence, but he’s got some smooth moves going on — I mean, who wouldn’t love a guy who takes the blame for your farts? Someone’s been taking a page from Louis’s book of tricks, and though I would never have imagined them together a few episodes ago, I suddenly find myself shipping In-sung and Ma-ri together pretty hard. He could use a bit of classing up, and Ma-ri would do well to find someone to help her relax and just enjoy life a little bit.

I’m so happy that we got so many questions answered in this episode — we’d already guessed much of what led to Louis’s head injury and amnesia, such as it being a different gang member who died in the car crash, though it’s nice to know for sure. But there are still so many mysteries, such as the significance of the penguin statue and the bookstore, why Louis named his childhood dog Koboshi (which sounds so much like “Go Bok-shil”), and why Butler Kim is so intent on finding Louis’s hidden treasure box.

I kept forgetting that Scarface would be waking up soon, and I think he’s the key to uncovering Director Baek’s involvement in Louis’s issues. I think it’s really strange that Scarface seems different than before he was attacked — before his coma, I thought he seemed like a relatively non-threatening guy other than the skulking around he did for Director Baek. I mean, obviously he’s not a good guy, but he never struck me as dangerous. He never actually harmed anyone, and I recall thinking that he was mostly just an informant willing to go to extreme levels for information. But in that call to Director Baek, Scarface seemed actually menacing for the first time, and now I’m scared about what he may do or say.

I have a feeling that Louis’s family secrets go way back, and that possibly his and Bok-shil’s parents’ deaths are somehow related to each other. Didn’t Louis’s parents also die in a car accident? Right now, my best guess is that both of their parents died in the same landslide, and that Louis and Bok-shil met that night at the accident site. It would explain the dog’s name, and why Louis seemed to be drawn to Bok-shil after seeing her on that documentary, if he somehow subconsciously recognized her. But that still doesn’t explain all the secrets that Butler Kim seems to be either hiding, or trying to discover. I have a feeling that the roller coaster of twists is just getting started.

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