Strong Woman Do Bong-soon: Episode 11

by murasakimi

Hey, are you having a bad day? Did you have a rough week? Well, that’s all about to change because this episode contains non-stop grinning and heart somersaults. If you’ve been sticking around mainly for the romance, then prepare yourself because I hear this episode has been the source of copious heart-skipping and high-pitched squealing, causing concern for dogs and doctors everywhere.

 
Episode 11: “Timing”

Bong-soon hurriedly retreats back into her house after receiving Min-hyuk’s confession, passing by Mom eavesdropping at the door. Mom follows Bong-soon around, pestering her for details but Bong-soon doesn’t want to talk about it and begs Mom to stop referring to Min-hyuk as “son-in-law,” because it’s humiliating.

As usual, Mom isn’t deterred by Bong-soon’s feelings of embarrassment and presses for some of Min-hyuk’s personal info (like his age and birth date) so she can chart his and Bong-soon’s compatibility. She floats the idea of asking for the information herself, but even she gets the sense that it might be too invasive. Bong-soon barks warningly for Mom not to before pushing her off to bed, only for Mom to pop back into the room immediately to ask Bong-soon if her heart is pounding after her meeting.

Bong-soon is tricked into nodding in agreement then catches herself, and groans at Mom to leave her alone.

Back at his house, Min-hyuk walks around in a daze, reflecting on his exchange with Bong-soon. He recalls telling Bong-soon that he thinks he likes her and the camera zooms in on Bong-soon’s face as if we are getting the view right from Min-hyuk’s eyes.

She’s taken aback and says that he’s the first person to confess his feelings to her, then asks for some time to think things over. He pulls her in closer and asks “How and what are you going to think about?” She replies (even more flustered) that she needs to organize her thoughts and figure out what she feels. Squeee!

She skitters away before Min-hyuk can ask any more questions, and in the present Min-hyuk grins widely to himself, wondering aloud what he is to do with her. He stares out the window and asks Bong-soon and the moon if she’s sleeping, then draws a heart on the glass after fogging it with his breath.

That night, Bong-soon can’t fall asleep, as the memory of Min-hyuk’s confession plays in her mind, we zoom in again to get Bong-soon’s POV of the situation. She tells Min-hyuk that she needs some time to sort out her thoughts and Min-hyuk accepts it, but adds that he can’t give her too much time. He says, “Hurry up and do what you need to do. And then keep your eyes only on me.” Gah, my heart.

As she tosses and turns, she gets two texts at the same time from Min-hyuk and Gook-doo, asking her to go watch a movie the next day. Bong-soon can’t believe their incredible timing.

She casts her phone aside in frustration, then falls back to asleep and returns to Verona…

Min-Romeo is there as always, but on this night they have a visitor to join them on the balcony: it’s another Romeo! A Gook-Romeo. Haha, they’re even dressed the same.

Gook-Romeo declares himself the true Romeo and announces that he’s the only one that Bong-Juliet loves. The Romeos argue back and forth, grabbing each other by the collars, when suddenly a modern-dressed Dong-pyung pops up onto the balcony and shrieks that he’ll “report” Bong-Juliet.

Dong-pyung notices the Romeos and starts attacking Gook-Romeo (after waving sweetly at Min-Romeo), growling at Gook-Romeo to back off.

The next morning, Dong-pyung repeats his threat from the dream to Bong-soon and demands an explanation for yesterday’s “incident.” Bong-soon plays innocent, and though Dong-pyung can’t figure out how, he’s certain that Bong-soon is to blame for the table incident the day before.

Bong-soon tries to aegyo Dong-pyung into being nice to her, but he vows the opposite then dismisses her to make him some coffee. She glares at him and he jumps up in a fit, ordering her to lower her gaze, then instructs her to make his coffee very sweet, like him.

Bong-soon loads Dong-pyung’s coffee up with copious amounts of sugar. She places it down in front of him, but he tells her to drink it first, suspecting that she spat into it.

She takes a tiiiny sip, and nearly gags from the sweetness. Dong-pyung tastes it himself, and is pleased with the sugar to coffee ratio, but warns Bong-soon not to think she’s gotten onto his good side.

He orders her to finish a report by tomorrow and bring ten boxes of paper to his office. Bong-soon argues that the boxes thing is busy work and tries to push it off, but Dong-pyung won’t reconsider.

Thus, Bong-soon piles up all ten boxes and brings them to Dong-pyung in one trip. Dong-pyung’s eyes nearly pop out, as he witnesses Bong-soon casually drop a tower of boxes to the ground then excuse herself. He examines the boxes for some kind of trick, as Bong-soon winks at him through the glass. When she’s out of sight, he screams bloody murder to himself, spooked.

Bong-soon stresses over what to say to Min-hyuk or how to act. Right then, and still in sync, both boys message her again with the exact same message, wanting to know why she hasn’t responded. Bong-soon: “Are they soulmates or something?”

At the hospital, Boss Tak wakes up from a fitful dream, and when he stands he’s astonished to find that the poop alcohol has cured him of all his pain.

In the car, Min-hyuk bellyaches about having to do work and go to meetings, and Secretary Gong encourages him to hang in there. He receives a reply from Bong-soon, informing him that she can’t go to the movie. If he’s disappointed, he doesn’t show it, instead he’s confused as to why she’s suddenly using banmal.

Meanwhile, Gook-doo receives a similar text from Bong-soon, but in jondaemal, haha. Min-hyuk’s imagination immediately starts running wild as he reads into Bong-soon’s mistake, wondering to Secretary Gong if this means Bong-soon is trying to become closer with him. His heart flutters, and he calls it a “provocative move.” Secretary Gong comments on how Min-hyuk must like being spoken to in banmal, as Min-hyuk reads the message again in excitement.

Oblivious, Bong-soon gets to work on her assignment and reviews the rejected game proposals to try and understand what was wrong with them. She flips through a couple before deciding that her “Super Bong-soon” game is waaay better.

She looks at her character design when suddenly her screen fills with an image of Min-hyuk who throws hearts and kisses at her, and she slams her laptop shut. She paces around the office trying to shake off the weird feelings creeping on.

Her mind bounces around and she complains about being holed up in the office when she’s supposed to be learning how to control her powers and devising a plan to take down Jang-hyun. She becomes thoughtful when she contemplates the possibility that Min-hyuk might have gotten scared by the stabbing, and realizes that Min-hyuk will continue to be hurt if he remains by her side.

She mulls over what to do, whether she should (1) go after the Bride Collector, or (2) live quietly and work on her game. Then she remembers an even more urgent matter, which is answering Min-hyuk’s confession, but is still conflicted over what to do with her feelings for Gook-doo.

Min-hyuk texts Bong-soon to see what she’s up to, and Bong-soon gasps as she notices her banmal mistake. Gook-doo calls as a follow-up to her reply and requests a short meeting at her building if she’s too busy for a movie.

Then Gook-doo advises Bong-soon not to meet with Min-hyuk outside company grounds, especially since she’s no longer his bodyguard. He adds meaningfully that he’s telling her this as a friend, but that today will be the last day that his advice will be as a friend. Who is this Gook-doo and why is he showing up only now?

He promises to call her later when he arrives at her company, then hangs up, leaving Bong-soon stunned.

Dong-pyung sees the large congratulatory flower wreath from Boss Tak, wishing her luck in her new position, complete with a large picture of the gangster. He asks Bong-soon if that’s her boyfriend. HA.

Dong-pyung is still disturbed by her box moving stunt and he’s convinced that she’s pulled something, so he screeches at her to tell him what she is. She replies, “I am Do Bong-soon who lives in the Do Bong neighborhood of the Do Bong district.” Her answer infuriates him further and so Bong-soon offers him another answer, “To tell you the truth… I’m an alien,” then leaves him alone to lose his mind.

Bong-soon makes her way to the bathroom just in time to overhear two employees discussing Min-hyuk’s love life, and the fact that he declared himself straight, and that he is in love with one of his female employees.

They wonder who it might be and remark on how the company suddenly seems very interested in women’s welfare, as they refer to the pack of complimentary pads by the sink. That’s so darn sweet. Bong-soon is so distracted by their conversation that she accidentally breaks the faucet.

Bong-soon walks out into the lobby right as Min-hyuk returns, and immediately upon seeing her, he calls out to her. He makes his way over to her, and the Min-hyuk in her eyes is different from the one she’s seen before, as a bright light illuminates him now.

He takes her hand, to the shock of Secretary Gong and the two female employees from the bathroom who watch on nearby. Bong-soon is uncomfortable and tries to wrestle her hand back, but he refuses and pulls her along.

Up in their office, Min-hyuk glances over her character design and gives her the green light to develop it under his supervision. He impresses upon her the importance of doing a good job so she can someday become part of the real planning and development team.

He suggests that they go for lunch, but she points out that he usually only eats one meal a day. He explains that he’ll eat three meals now, and when asked why, he replies that it’s because she eats three. He’s romantic in the most unusual and important ways. Swoon.

During lunch, Bong-soon stares at Min-hyuk a bit starry-eyed until Secretary Gong and Dong-pyung join their table. Secretary Gong asks Min-hyuk(ie) how his meal is in banmal, and although he’s startled, Min-hyuk plays along. It’s Dong-pyung who harasses Secretary Gong for being disrespectful.

Secretary Gong explains that Min-hyuk likes being spoken to in banmal, and though Min-hyuk now understands the confusion, he clarifies that he doesn’t like hearing it from Secretary Gong and he should stop, stabbing at his rice for emphasis. Dong-pyung then decides to take the opportunity to put Bong-soon on blast and tells the table and the entire dining hall about Bong-soon’s recent super feats.

Min-hyuk and Secretary Gong continue on with their meal as if no one is talking, and Dong-pyung admits that what he’s saying sounds unbelievable, but then drops his biggest bomb about Bong-soon calling herself an alien.

Min-hyuk couldn’t be less interested, and places a piece of tonkatsu on Bong-soon’s spoon, identifying it as her favorite food. Secretary Gong adorably covers his mouth in surprise and delight, while Dong-pyung continues cawing. Dong-pyung finally explodes and says that Bong-soon gets stronger every Friday and Saturday at 11 p.m. (i.e., the show’s airtime in Korea, ha) while Min-hyuk and Bong-soon make eyes at each other.

As the group leaves the cafeteria, Bong-soon pulls Dong-pyung aside to give him an “accessory.” He’s skeptical that Bong-soon understands anything about fashion, but puts out his hand when asked. Bong-soon holds a metal chopstick over his wrist and makes him a “bracelet,” leading to some distinctive Dong-pyung faces of disbelief and horror before he faints.

In his office, Bong-soon is momentarily distracted by Min-hyuk who is once again bathed in holy light. She shakes it off and goes back to her desk, but then peeks back at him, completely taken.

Meanwhile, Dong-pyung sobs to Secretary Gong after learning that Min-hyuk has announced himself as straight. He says that he really loved Min-hyuk, then accuses Secretary Gong of knowing all along that Min-hyuk wasn’t really into men. Secretary Gong replies that he assumed the rumor was true since Min-hyuk didn’t refute it. He then drops another bomb on Dong-pyung and posits that Min-hyuk is likely interested in Bong-soon. And Dong-pyung lets out a banshee wail of despair, cursing Bong-soon.

Hee-ji and Bong-ki make plans for their first official date, as Jang-hyun listens in, and Gook-doo’s team leader stays close on Jang-hyun’s trail all day long. A little later, Jang-hyun knocks on the team leader’s car window as he stakes out the junkyard. At first Jang-hyun is pleasant, but then he abruptly becomes hostile as he warns the detective not to follow him or he’ll report him to the police.

After lunch, Bong-soon sits in on a meeting with real planning and development team as Min-hyuk discusses the Chronicle of Albertan, whose main characters are brother and sister twins. The main storyline of the game is for the female twin to search for her missing younger brother and eventually rescue him. Min-hyuk explains that the theme of the game is about “love for your family.”

As he speaks, he looks back at Bong-soon often, checking to see if she’s paying attention and understands the double meaning. Meanwhile, Dong-pyung launches large paper balls at Bong-soon’s head, as he wipes his still wet eyes.

Gook-doo calls Bong-soon to let her know that he’s downstairs, but then is forced to leave after he receives disturbing news: The Bride Collector might be targeting Hee-ji. He curses to himself before rushing out as his calls to Hee-ji go unanswered.

Gook-doo speeds over to Hee-ji’s music studio, but when he arrives, instead of seeing a kidnapping in action, he’s shocked to see Bong-ki taking her out on their date. Gook-doo is a little thrown, but manages to tell Hee-ji that the Bride Collector may be after her.

Down at the coffee shop in Ainsoft, Bong-soon waits and waits for Gook-doo, who is a no-show. Min-hyuk comes by just as she gets up to leave. He reads the expression on her face and says, “You look like you got stood up by a so-so guy, but you’re impressed that a cooler guy showed up instead.” Then he adds, “I can see it all.”

He criticizes her company for making her so busy that she can’t even watch a movie with some cool guy. He tries again to make the movie date happen, but she refuses, and so he suggests they work together all night at his house. However, she’s determined to work alone on her project, and turns him down again.

Min-hyuk threatens to cancel her presentation and she grumbles that he’s being unfair. He then whines a little as he says her name, but then after a pause his voice gets soft and his gaze stills as he says, “Can you please like me?” I love the way he looks at her.

He’s dead serious, but then after she looks up at him with wide eyes, he tries to lighten the mood by stating that he doesn’t think she’ll be able to return to work now. And her expression seems to corroborate his claim. He pleads with her one more time, and says, “Stay with me today.”

Bong-soon breaks her gaze away and tells him that she isn’t a normal person, as he knows, and then asks if that’s okay with him. He asks her what that matters, as his hand remains held out and waiting for hers.

She looks up at him in conflict for a second, and then down at his hand, unsure, until he suddenly pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly in his embrace. She hesitates to reciprocate at first, but then soon she puts her hands around him.

Immediately following their public display of affection, Bong-soon scurries away as fast as her legs can take her, completely mortified. Min-hyuk trails her and returns to his regular, playful self, as he asks her if she’s scared that she might be fired.

She’s overwhelmed by the rapid advancement of their relationship and flees upstairs for her purse after convincing Min-hyuk not to follow. Then, when she’s in their office standing in the dark, suddenly the room lights up as if a tiny universe has suddenly expanded around her. She rejoins Min-hyuk downstairs in the lobby, and they walk together hand-in-hand like a real couple.

Gook-doo sprints into the cafe after dropping the ball (and not calling, or texting, or sending a raven, something man!) and surprise, surprise Bong-soon’s gone. He calls her as she rides in the car with Min-hyuk, but instead of answering she lets it go to voicemail.

Min-hyuk drops her off at home and they sweetly argue over who is going to be the first to leave. Eventually, Bong-soon withdraws, and as she walks away he calls out to her and warns, “Bong-soon, you can’t back out on your word tomorrow.” She answers back confused, so he continues, “I hope that the you and me of tomorrow will be different from you and me today,” and then they both smile. I can’t handle all this cuteness and honesty. It’s so wonderful.

Kyung-shim ambushes Bong-soon once Min-hyuk is gone, having seen them together, but Bong-soon is more upset that Kyung-shim is roaming the streets alone at night again. Kyung-shim protests that she felt suffocated indoors, and has on the beeper in case something happens. Her reaction to Kyung-shim’s carelessness makes Bong-soon realize why “that person” must’ve hated it so much when she walked around by herself all those times.

Inside, Kyung-shim nags Bong-soon to spill the beans about her relationship with Min-hyuk, because she felt a “weird air” around them, which she believes only happens when two people fall in love. She’s on the money, but Bong-soon wriggles out of confirming. Gook-doo calls Kyung-shim when he can’t get a hold of Bong-soon, and before Bong-soon can motion at her to cover for her, Kyung-shim tells Gook-doo that Bong-soon is at home.

He heads over immediately, and in his hands, he holds a box containing a necklace that he intends to give her. Gook-doo apologizes for making her wait today, then reveals what he heard about Hee-ji being the next target, which he suspects is Jang-hyun’s version of revenge against him.

Bong-soon is alarmed and urges Gook-do to go and be with Hee-ji to keep her safe. Gook-doo then has to awkwardly tell Bong-soon that Bong-ki has it covered.

When she doesn’t look surprised, Gook-doo figures out that she knew about the budding relationship. He confirms that he’s okay with it, before looking toward her, determined. Then he takes those missing steps forward toward Bong-soon.

He says, “Now I’ve finally learned how I truly feel. I don’t want us to be friends anymore. I–” But she cuts him off before he can say more and says heartbreakingly, “I liked that you were my friend. I don’t want to lose a precious friend.” Oh, puppy.

He knows what she’s trying to say and hides the gift box behind his back as they look up at each other, aware that they’ve missed their timing for good this time.

Gook-doo slowly walks home and the words he had told Hee-ji about being in love with Bong-soon all along play in his head as a montage of their many interactions, both recent and older. He sits at the top of some steps and hangs his head as the night grows cold.

Bong-soon also reflects on the exchange with a pained expression. She sits in bed with Kyung-shim and says with tears in her eyes, “I think one-sided love has an expiration date.”

Hee-ji visits Gook-doo the next day at the police station to get more information on the Jang-hyun situation. She asks why they can’t just arrest the guy, and Gook-doo explains about how another team is assigned to the case and that they don’t have the authority. Gook-doo shows her photos of what Jang-hyun looks like (why does one look like a headshot?) and tells her to beware, as Jang-hyun watches and listens from his lair.

Min-hyuk informs Bong-soon that he’s set the presentation date for Bong-soon’s game in two days, so they’ll need to buckle. They work diligently on their pitch, with Min-hyuk steering Bong-soon along, and both of them occasionally sneaking glances at each other.

Min-hyuk asks about the game’s storyline, and wonders who the Bong-soon character is supposed to rescue. She explains that the Bong-soon character saves a lonely prince who lives alone in a castle. Aw, they unknowingly made games about each other.

He makes the connection right away, and with renewed enthusiasm he throws himself into their brainstorming, suggesting that the prince must be rescued and they should switch the character’s weapon of choice from a sword to a walnut hammer so she can “smash everything up.”

They eat lunch in the cafeteria and the atmosphere is warm and lovely as they stare at each other, smitten. They’re lost in their own bubble and seem oblivious to the other employees making note of them, and also Dong-pyung who fires eye-daggers at Bong-soon.

At the hospital, a fully healed Boss Tak leaves his boys and a nearly empty jug of the poop alcohol. He hands Jaws a letter and a bank notebook (whose password is “1818,” a pun for a swear word in Korean) then leaves them all behind.

Jaws reads the farewell letter aloud, which includes some gems like, “Are we possibly better than poop, which everyone thinks is dirtiest?” and “We’re eventually nothing more than a piece of shit. We’re shit.” Meanwhile, after hearing of how Boss Tak and his gang attacked Bong-soon alone, her fan club hurries down to the hospital to enact revenge for their Noonim. The high school hoodlums confront the still-injured gangsters in their hospital room and chaos breaks out.

Armed with a new, brown-colored worldview, Boss Tak strolls the streets and muses, “The truth of life is poop.”

The high school hoodlums leave the hospital room with a few bloody noses and bruises, but it looks like they’ve come out on top. They also leave with a souvenir: the remainder of the poop alcohol. The lead hoodlums asserts that he read about a new drug that some gangsters drank in a science magazine, which he thinks looks exactly the same color as the poop alcohol. They then agree to hunt down Boss Tak and finish their revenge.

In the library, the new couple does some research on their new project, but it mainly seems like an opportunity for Min-hyuk to make more googly-eyes at Bong-soon. He glances around, and when he sees that the coast is clear, he holds her hand and hides it beneath the table all while wearing the most serious expression as he does it. That face. Hahaha.

She’s embarrassed and tries to wrestle her hand back but doesn’t use her super strength. Eventually, she escapes and hurries out of the library as he follows and begs for a dinner date before he takes her home. She plays coy like she’s not sure if she’s hungry, and Min-hyuk calls her out on it. He tries to take her hand again, but she resists, so he backs off and concedes before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and ushering her away.

Hee-ji walks home at night with the cops stationed in strategic positions around her. Two detectives stake out in front of the junkyard, but then after an evening of not seeing Jang-hyun leave, they figure out that there might be a secret exit out of the junkyard.

The detectives devise a plan to lure Jang-hyun to an alleyway using Hee-ji, where the cops will ambush him.

Their plan kicks off, and things seem to be going as predicted. Gook-doo gets word that Jang-hyun has appeared on the scene, and stalks after a knowing Hee-ji. Gook-doo sprints down the street after the two, and Hee-ji runs as a hooded man tails her. Hee-ji tries to make a run for it, but then Jang-hyun readies his attack and suddenly jumps out in front of her, as Hee-ji stumbles backward in shock.

Not far off, Min-hyuk walks Bong-soon home and police sirens wail nearby.

A man dressed in black carries a limp female body over his shoulder, stepping over her pink suitcase, and tossing aside her black wrist pager.

COMMENTS

He got Kyung-shim! Just when the police were starting to look almost competent; this guy is really slippery. You know, it seems like Hee-ji is perfect fodder to be a “bride” and while she could still be number five, targeting Kyung-shim brings the danger closer to our superhero and for the sake of those other captives, I hope Bong-soon brings him to justice soon. Overall though, the kidnapping storyline got a lot less attention today and allowed us to focus on our lovelines, which could not have been a better decision. Especially since we’ve been getting lots of gratuitous violence and creepiness instead of actual developments, which is frustrating as a viewer. I mean, we don’t even know that much more about Jang-hyun except that he’s scum, so I don’t know that the information we have on him justifies the amount of screen time he gets.

This episode was called “Timing,” but it could also have been called “No Cellular Service,” because that’s the only reason I can think of for why Gook-doo couldn’t give Bong-soon a heads up that something came up and say, “I like you, save some of your heart for me, okay?” It’s probably for the best though, because Bong-soon has shown signs of not being as receptive to his confessions as she once might have been. For all we know, she could’ve been waiting to turn him down anyway. I still feel bad for him even though he shot himself in the foot.

For our other Romeo, rather than good timing, I think Min-hyuk just understands himself and his feelings much better. I’m intrigued by the idea that Min-hyuk is so cagey and distant about his sadness, but in love, he’s earnest and vulnerable, and so ready to put everything he feels out there because it doesn’t want to stay inside. I really didn’t expect that, and I was so moved by it.

I worried that Min-hyuk hesitated to kiss Bong-soon last week because maybe he built her image up in his head, but that doesn’t look to be the case. Sometimes I feel very left out of what Min-hyuk is feeling or thinking so I’m thrilled to see him so honest today.

I spent so much of this episode feeling giddy and swooning at all the ways Min-hyuk looked at Bong-soon. I love the way he expresses his love and concern for her like making the lives of the women at his company better and eating three meals with her. It’s so thoughtful, mundane, and sweet. I love that he tells her that he sees what she’s feeling on her face, because she really can’t hide what she’s thinking, but also struggles to express herself fully with words. Like, she loved Gook-doo for so long, but never said anything. And even today, she didn’t tell Min-hyuk she liked him back, but he read her face and figured it out. So maybe that’s the missing step Gook-doo and Bong-soon lacked. Gook-doo could never understand what Bong-soon needed, because Bong-soon has trouble verbalizing those needs, but Min-hyuk is always paying attention.

 
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