Strong Woman Do Bong-soon: Episode 16 (Final)

by CandidClown

All good things must come to an end, and it’s time to say goodbye to our beloved Bong-bong and Min-min. Thankfully with most of the obstacles out of the way, we get a lovely, uninterrupted hour full of snuggles, cuddles, and giggles… and that’s just from Min-hyuk. If ever there was an episode that was designed to bring closure, it would be this one, and of course it’s for the one show that I don’t want to end. I’ve fought tooth and nail against time, but here we are, at the finale, and I’m not ready!

 
EPISODE 16: “Final”

After successfully caging Jang-hyun, Min-hyuk drives Bong-soon home. Happy that he can relax now that the culprit is caught, he starts reminiscing about the first time he and Bong-soon met at the police station. Min-hyuk mimics how she had yelled at him for lying and sighs, “I’m saying this now, but that time you were really–”

Bong-soon’s snore cuts through his words and Min-hyuk gapes to see his tiny heroine has been passed out hard the whole time. Heh, saving the day sure is tiring. Still, Min-hyuk smiles and pats his sleeping beauty, chuckling as more snores fill the car.

At the station, Gook-doo is having a decidedly less cute conversation with the captured Jang-hyun. The two glare across the table at one another until Gook-doo asks why he kidnapped those women. Jang-hyun smirks and answers, “It was fun.”

Looking truly unhinged, Jang-hyun laughs to remember how all the women begged him to save them. He continues, “They obeyed well. When I said to starve, they starved. When I said to crawl, they crawled.”

Gook-doo (and I) can’t take anymore, and he lunges across the table at him. Cap rushes in and pulls the younger detective off… only to start kicking the psycho himself. Good! Kick harder.

The next day, Min-hyuk and Bong-soon return to work as normal, and Bong-soon shows Secretary Gong her game’s bad guy (aka, the secretary’s animated doppelganger). Secretary Gong still hasn’t put it together and muses that the character seems familiar somehow. Heh, Min-hyuk smirks over his shoulder while he and Bong-soon grin at Secretary Gong’s obliviousness.

Bellowing out his trademark “Do INTEEEEERN!” Min-hyuk calls Bong-soon over for a meeting. In order to prepare her for her rescheduled game presentation, Min-hyuk and Secretary Gong put her through a mock interview. She answers the questions well and Secretary Gong even gives her a tiny thumbs up.

Secretary Gong inquires about the end goal of the game, and Min-hyuk listens raptly as Bong-soon explains that Super Bbong-ssoon saves Prince Min-min and they live happily ever after. (Hah! She named the Prince Min-min!)

Secretary Gong clarifies to ask if the two characters will get married and have children, and Min-hyuk—clearly identifying with his namesake character—bashfully giggles. Bong-soon says that maybe that will happen in the game’s sequel, and Min-hyuk again dissolves into a pile of squeals and says they should hurry up and launch the game so they can get to the sequel.

Min-hyuk and Bong-soon talk about how her father hasn’t come home for a few days now, after running away from Mom. Min-hyuk promises to take care of it, though he’s not exactly sure how he’ll bring her wayward father home. Bong-soon smiles at his assurance and sweetly ruffles his hair, calling him adorable. Her cuteness sets him off again and he swoops in for some snuggles.

Meanwhile, Mom grumps to her ladies about how she shouldn’t have to go looking for her husband when he’s the one who ran away. Mom’s friends try to delicately point out all of her past abuse towards Dad, but Mom scoffs, revealing that she never actually hit Dad: They had been pushing each other during an argument and he slipped and hit the corner of the counter. Mom yells that she hasn’t beat anyone up since she was 18, claiming that words are her only weapon.

Our crafty CEO manages to locate Dad’s camping grounds and the two crack open some soju bottles. Min-hyuk tries to steer Dad towards going back home, but Dad flat out refuses. He keeps pushing and when Dad asks what the hurry is, Min-hyuk answers, “I want to marry Bong-soon.” (Omo!) Dad chokes on his soju and Min-hyuk seriously asks Dad for permission to marry his daughter.

Min-hyuk devolves into pouting as he whines that he wants to marry Bong-soon as soon as possible and Dad’s camping adventure is preventing his future nuptials. “If your rebellion drags on, then my wedding will get pushed back!” Hah!

Dad calls him crazy and Min-hyuk agrees that he’s losing his mind without Bong-soon. Wiggling back and forth like a giant toddler, he cries, “I really like Bong-soon to death!” He even volunteers to go jump in the lake right now if Dad wants him to.

Dad can’t help but laugh at his fervor, but he seriously asks if Min-hyuk can promise to treat his daughter well. Min-hyuk giggles that that’s not a problem: “If I do something wrong, then I’d be the one who gets hit—” Dad glares, and Min-hyuk takes back the joke and earnestly swears that he will take care of Bong-soon.

Dad asks what it is that Min-hyuk likes so much about Bong-soon. He gets quiet, then softly responds, “Bong-soon is me. I feel like if she exists, I do too. And if she doesn’t, I don’t either.” Min-hyuk sincerely thanks Dad for raising Bong-soon with so much love and care, but promises that he’ll now take on that responsibility and make her happy.

Hee-ji meets with Bong-ki and reveals that she’ll be leaving for Vienna to play in an orchestra there. Bong-ki has already heard, but he doesn’t seem too torn up about it. He tells her that thanks to his sister, he’s started believing that everyone has someone they are fated to be with, and one day they’ll meet their destined person. Hee-ji’s face falls a bit and she asks if that means the two of them aren’t fated to be together. Bong-ki doesn’t say anything, but they both appear to accept that they’re not meant to be.

Later, Bong-soon strolls with Kyung-shim and tells her, “Do you know what happens when you’re fated? When you look into that person’s eyes, you can see yourself, and the me reflected in there is happy.” She calls it the power of fate and Kyung-shim jokes that she’s jealous of her and Min-hyuk. Heh, the two take a moment to note that the neighborhood has become really clean lately. Something tells me Bong-soon’s kiddos have been through there.

That night at the Do house, Bong-soon opens the door to find a slightly tipsy Min-hyuk delivering home a completely wasted Dad. After Dad gets deposited on the couch, Mom refuses to let Min-hyuk go straight home and not so subtly pushes the two young things upstairs. She glares a bit at her inebriated husband, but worries when she sees how dirty his hands are, wondering where he’s been.

Bong-soon brings Min-hyuk up to her room, and Min-hyuk grins to see her bed. He heads straight for it, asking if it’s the place where she called him Min-min for the first time, and plops down on the bed. Min-hyuk reminds Bong-soon that he brought Dad home like he promised, asking if he did a good job. She obliges him with some head pats and he gets a devilish glint in his eye.

Min-hyuk slowly pulls her towards him and says that surely Mom wouldn’t come up here and disturb them with fruits or anything, right? Of course, at exactly that moment Mom does in fact barge right in with fruit, putting a kink in their canoodling as they spring apart.

Mom grins at the pair and offers that Min-hyuk is welcome to stay the night, but a mortified Bong-soon shoos her out. Min-hyuk, on the other hand, is pleased as punch at the invitation and slinks towards his girlfriend once more. He reaches for her saying, “So now, no one will come in and bother us, right?” He leans in for a kiss… and the door bursts open as Bong-ki comes in to see his noona. Everyone freezes, then the thwarted couple awkwardly shuffles past the stunned little brother.

Heh, Bong-soon walks Min-hyuk out and he’s adorably pouty about the lack of smooches and having to go home alone. She gives him a quick cheek peck, and he giggles before kissing her back. She sweetly tells him to hurry up and go home so she can find him in her dreams and Min-hyuk pulls her in for a hug. They keep telling each other to leave first, but neither lets go of the embrace.

Oh boy, it seems that the mysterious monk Nizamuddin is actually a not-so-mystical Korean scam artist named Jo Dal-bong. Boss Tak loses his mind to learn that his beloved master was actually embezzling money from him. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.

Now that their perp has been caught, Gook-doo’s police team has returned to life as normal. As for the infamous Jang-hyun, he is sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole. He gets tossed into a tiny cell of his own and quickly loses what little sanity he has left, rolling on the floor and screaming like the crazed villain he is. Damn, that’s satisfying.

At the same time, Bong-soon folds her pink sweatshirt and puts it away in the strength cubby. She smiles and proudly thinks, “That guy, I caught him with my own hands.”

Hah! To cover for Bong-soon, Min-hyuk had to claim the credit for catching Jang-hyun, which is how he finds himself standing in front of the police station receiving a Citizen Hero award. He looks bewildered and decidedly uncomfortable as Gook-doo’s grinning station chief slings his arm around him, posing for reporters and gushing about the police force and common citizens working together.

Min-hyuk skulks away and goes over to grouch to Bong-soon about how embarrassing the whole thing is. She tuts sympathetically, but cheerfully notes, “You will have to receive a lot of rewards for me in the future, though…”

Gook-doo smirks at the frazzled CEO and patronizingly tells him to cooperate well with the police in the future, adding that he’s just been promoted to the Gangnam police station. Bong-soon gently coaxes her man away, and he pouts at his award again, stomping his feet in agitation.

The time has finally come for Bong-soon to present her video game to the Planning and Development Team. She starts out a bit rough, but in the end she does a great job and it’s well-received. As she presents, Min-hyuk gazes at her, remembering all their moments together and reliving their journey from strangers, to coworkers, then friends, and finally lovers.

At the walnut shop, Mom and Dad seem to have patched things up and happily work side-by-side behind the counter. Mom tells him that she looked up Bong-soon and Min-hyuk’s compatibility and it’s “really, really good.” (No surprise there.) Mi-hwa stops by the store and this time Mom doesn’t interfere as the two have a pleasant conversation — though she does glare. Baby steps.

Gook-doo and Bong-soon meet up and reminisce over the old days when they were still in school. He asks if she remembers the time in high school when he said he liked girls who were like flowers. Bong-soon good-naturedly scoffs and sighs that of course she remembers; because of those words, she lived trying to be delicate and fragile, hiding her strength.

Gook-doo watches her sadly then softly calls her an idiot. He tells her that he had been talking about her that day, muttering, “I purposely said it so you could her me.” Bong-soon smiles wistfully, saying she had no idea. Gook-doo turns to her and almost regretfully adds, “I would have liked every side of you.” Ooof! Where was this fifteen episodes ago?!

Taking a breath, he continues on to say that he’s glad he has someone as foolish and warm like her… as a friend. He sincerely asks her to be happy, and Bong-soon smiles back to say, “You too. Be happy, too.”

Gook-doo and Bong-ki meet up to play basketball and they have an athletic heart-to-heart, Bong-ki apologizing for everything with Hee-ji. Gook-doo lets it go, but he stops playing to ask why his friend never told him about Bong-soon’s crush. Bong-ki doesn’t understand, saying that Gook-doo had to have known about it since his sister was so obvious. (It’s what I’m sayin’!)

Gook-doo reveals that he never knew, dejectedly saying that he liked Bong-soon as well, but didn’t know it until too late. Bong-ki looks apologetic but asks, “If I’d have told you, would you two be any different now?” Gook-doo doesn’t have an answer, and Bong-ki calls for another round of play, both friends shaking off the dark mood.

Bong-soon, Min-hyuk, and Secretary Gong are all waiting on pins and needles when Dong-pyung strolls in and nonchalantly announces that he will allow Bong-soon to join the Product and Development team and create her game under his supervision. Dong-pyung jangles his wrist of silverware jewelry at Bong-soon and tells her, “Not bad,” then saunters out with a wave, leaving all three to celebrate.

As a farewell bid to Kwang-bok, we find him ranting and raving in a dentist office, irate at having to wait. Then a gorgeous dentist comes out and the toothless gangster gapes at the pretty, dropping his dentures and a considerable amount of drool. Last we see of him, he’s happily gazing up, gap-toothed and smiling at the lovely dentist.

Min-hyuk drives into the office, but nearly runs over Bong-soon’s kiddos who have come to confront the boyfriend of their noonim. The high-schoolers all gape to see Min-hyuk’s car park itself (ah, the magic of PPL) and Min-hyuk raises an eyebrow at the Bong-soon Noonim title.

He takes the boys out for food and listens in astonishment as they proclaim Bong-soon to be their leader and mentor: “She is our hope, our light, and hero! She is the eternal peace in our heart.” Pffft. The leader demands to know if Min-hyuk is serious about their noonim and wants him to promise not to hurt her. Min-hyuk just admonishes them to study hard rather than worrying about Bong-soon’s love life.

The leader tries to reassert that Min-hyuk has to promise not to hurt their Bong-soon, but the food arrives and they all dig in like the constantly hungry teenage boys they are. Min-hyuk just shakes his head at the group, at a loss for how to deal with Bong-soon’s acolytes.

Min-hyuk comes back to find that Bong-soon has vacated her playpen to move to the Planning and Development team room. He sighs sadly at the empty desk, but then he finds the note she left behind, cutely calling him Team Leader and thanking him for all he has done for her. She signs it “Do Intern.” Awww.

He looks in on the Planning and Development team and smiles too see Bong-soon happily reporting to Dong-pyung. He frowns a bit when Dong-pyung starts berating Bong-soon, but she takes it all with a smile, even fetching tossed pens and handing them back respectfully.

Min-hyuk gets called out by Gook-doo, who wastes no time in grabbing Min-hyuk by the collar and threatening him to treat Bong-soon right. (Goodness, isn’t anybody going to warn Bong-soon to treat Min-hyuk right?) Gook-doo states that Bong-soon is his friend, and while he really doesn’t like Min-hyuk, he’ll give him a chance to make her happy and watch how he does.

Min-hyuk has had enough and throws off Gook-doo’s arm and yells that Gook-doo will just drive himself crazy and die while watching. The words seem to hit home for Gook-doo and he turns away. Both boys are silent until Gook-doo, not looking at Min-hyuk, starts listing off things that Bong-soon likes, like spicy food and mountains, and how she’s allergic to peaches. Min-hyuk loses some of his smirk to realize that this is Gook-doo giving him permission and bowing out.

Gook-doo strides off, but stops to call back that if Bong-soon can’t sleep at night then he should make her read a book — that should put her out. He stalks away, leaving Min-hyuk stuttering at the punk who just gave him advice about how to put his own girlfriend to bed. He rants that he has no manners till the very end and shouts, “I can’t like him even if I tried!”

Sometime later, Bong-soon boards a bus and sees a grandpa and grandson playing her video game. As she watches them playing she thinks, “I finally accomplished my dream. Developing a game with a main character based on myself. Even though I hide as a strong woman, it was my dream to create a character based on how I lived.”

Bong-soon travels to work and continues to narrate that she can’t live like the Bbong-ssoon in her game. She comes across an injured cyclist trapped under a car and persuades the bystanders to help her lift the car, camouflaging how she actually lifts it up all on her own. Her rescue is caught on camera and the kiddos watch it online, singing the “super power girl” theme song in support of their noonim.

Unfortunately, saving innocents is time-consuming and Bong-soon ends up being late for work. She tries to sneak past Donh-pyung but fails miserably, getting shrieked at as he rages that his most strict rule is prompt attendance. Well, this could be a problem.

Min-hyuk joins the Do family for a camping adventure and everyone gets along like one big family (Kung-shim included). Min-hyuk sighs happily when Bong-soon feeds him a lettuce wrap, and even Mom and Dad get in on the cute with Mom feeding her husband.

Afterwards, Bong-soon and Min-hyuk go for a walk, and she wistfully says that she wants to protect the laughter of the people she loves. Min-hyuk cautions that her heart is in the right place, but she can’t save everybody. Luckily, Bong-soon has learned that she can’t save the world on her own, “But I really want to use this strength for good since it returned.”

Min-hyuk wonders how he managed to fall in love with such a great woman, and Bong-soon agrees, joking that she told him she was a “Femme hommtale.” He promises that he’s always on her side, and Bong-soon in turn says that she’s going to protect him too, just like the hooded girl in his painting.

Bong-soon continues to use her strength to anonymously help others… and continues to get caught by Dong-pyung for being late. She laments, “After I decided to use my strength for good things, 24 hours in a day was too short for me.” Still, she uses every spare moment to run off and save everyone, from grandmas pulling heavy carts to escaped elephants.

Her tardiness is finally too much for Dong-pyung and he complains to Min-hyuk about Bong-soon’s many unexplained absences, working himself into a tizzy while Min-hyuk just nods, already aware of the reasons behind her disappearances. Dong-pyung huffs that he can’t take it anymore and screams, “Because, I am a lady!” while leaping up to strike a dramatic pose for emphasis.

Having said (and acted out) his piece, Dong-pyung calmly states the he will kick Bong-soon off the Planning and Development Team. He sweeps out theatrically, leaving Min-hyuk hanging his head over his frustrating girlfriend.

Freshly fired from her dream team, Bong-soon shuffles into Min-hyuk’s office where he glowers at her. Secretary Gong asks if this means she’ll be working here again, and Bong-soon contritely answers that she’s returning to being an intern once again. Min-hyuk grumps that he doesn’t know if he should welcome her or comfort her right now, but Bong-soon answers that working here is much more comfortable for her and she fits in perfectly as an intern.

Grinning, Bong-soon hops up to her annoyed boyfriend and cheerfully reminds him of the last time she started as an intern and he wanted to throw a party — should they throw one now? Min-hyuk tries to stay angry, but Bong-soon pours on the cuteness, coyly asking what she should do if he’s mad at her. The guy doesn’t stand a chance and smiles against his will, wondering what’s with her today. She just keeps beaming up at him and Min-hyuk loses it, ecstatic to see his Bong-bong being so adorable.

The completely ignored Secretary Gong watches all of this and awkwardly calls out that he’ll just be leaving, then. The two are caught up in their lovey dovey moment and don’t even register his exit. Secretary Gong just shakes his head at the once stern CEO, who’s currently bouncing up and down with happiness.

Bong-soon and Min-hyuk head out together that night, keeping up a professional front as they formally bid each other a good night in the lobby. They head off in separate directions… for about five steps, then run right back to each other using their nicknames. The pair’s antics are observed by Dong-pyung and Secretary Gong, and even the office Crazy Bitch has to admit that the two are adorable, sighing that he’s jealous.

Bong-soon continues to write her story in her strength journal and Dad encourages her to keep writing and be careful as she uses her powers. Pulling her in for a hug, he tells her that he likes Min-hyuk. Dad says that even though he cherishes his daughter more than the world and he’s a little jealous that someone else out there loves her as much as he does, he’s decided to coolly approve of the two of them. Awww.

With tears in his eyes, he wonders when his girl grew up so much, admitting that it’s time to let her fly free. “Open up your heart. Live and do everything you want to do.” Both of them are tearing up as Bong-soon thanks her Dad for everything. He thanks her back and they hug again. Great, now I’m crying, too.

The next day, Min-hyuk asks Bong-soon out on a date (via a stuffy and sticky note left on her desk). They walk together under the falling cherry blossoms and Bong-soon asks when it was that Min-hyuk first started liking her. He smiles and answers that it was the first time he saw her, and then again at the police station.

Bong-soon wonders how he could have waited for her that long, but Min-hyuk responds, “I waited until your heart completely came to me. But… I was happy while waiting for you. Also, I had confidence, since we were fated to be together.” Bong-soon scrunches her nose at the cheesy line, but smiles anyways.

They walk on through the falling petals and Min-hyuk asks that they come back here next year, and the year after, and even ten years after that. The long timeframe makes Bong-soon pause and she reminds him of when they were on the rooftop and he had refused to leave her alone with the bomb. Min-hyuk had said he had to tell her something. Now, she asks him what it was wanted to say.

Min-hyuk gazes down at her and answers, “It seems like I can’t live without you for a single moment. Let’s be together forever.” He smiles slightly then takes a box out of his jacket pocket. (Omo!) He pulls out a ring and gently slides it onto Bong-soon’s finger. Holding her hand, he gives her a hopeful smile, and Bong-soon beams back, her answer in her eyes.

Min-hyuk leans down and the two kiss amidst the falling cherry blossoms. Kyaah! I am a puddle. A happy, squealing, heart-shaped puddle.

We cut to the happy couple’s wedding day, and Min-hyuk bursts into the prep room and stares at the Bong-soon in her beautiful dress, literally at a loss for words. He flutters around in typical Min-hyuk fashion, falling to his knees in front of her as she grins at him. The Do family joins them and Dad is crying happy tears to see his daughter in her wedding dress.

Boss Tak and his underlings stop by, shades on and an envelope of money for the happy couple in hand. (Jaws: “It’s clean money.”) Even Dong-pyung and Secretary Gong show up, Dong-pyung squealing and trying to take selfies with Min-hyuk. He actually punches Secretary Gong when he tries to edge in on the picture. Then Gook-doo comes in and calls Bong-soon pretty, and immediately Min-hyuk gets pissy, refusing to shake Gook-doo’s hand.

It’s time for the ceremony, and Dad walks Bong-soon down the aisle where Min-hyuk waits, looking like all his dreams have come true. Dad hugs Min-hyuk and hands off his precious daughter. The two stand before the altar, each looking like they’re trying to hold back tears of joy. Afterwards, they walk down the aisle, smiling happily at one another, husband and wife.

The post-ceremony pictures really take the cake, though: Mom whacks Dong-pyung for getting grabby with her son-in-law, Dong-pyung chucks flowers at the pair to stop Bong-soon from kissing his man, and the entire gathering reaches out in shock as Bong-soon lifts her husband up in a bridal carry (Min-hyuk grins like he couldn’t ask for more).

Time passes, and soon Mom is back at the temple, this time praying for Bong-soon to have a son, “So that our flower-like son-in-law can sleep peacefully.” Mom argues that there is no rule saying their family has to have daughters in every generation and asks that the couple have a boy so they can live tranquilly. The giant statue of Buddha (the same statue that Bong-soon spun around in her younger years) grins widely. Uh oh.

We cut to Min-hyuk racing down the hall in the hospital to join the Do family as Bong-soon is in labor. He frets like the nervous soon-to-be father he is, and Kyung-shim asks Mom again if she’s sure that Bong-soon will have a son. Mom looks anxious as she says that of course she is, then we hear the sound of a baby crying and everyone jumps for joy. Min-hyuk calls out, “Bong-soon-ah!”

As the baby crying echoes, we transition to Min-hyuk standing in his office afterwards, looking stunned as Secretary Gong asks him what’s so bad about having twin daughters. HAHAH! Two girls? That’s amazing. And Poor Min-hyuk. He ekes out that this is just his happy face, but he has the same look as when he was given the Hero Citizen award.

Min-hyuk calls Boss Tak — who is currently breaking ground for his redevelopment project — and cashes in a favor. Next thing we know, Jaws and his buddy are dressed up like wet-nurses and sporting matching black eyes as they dodge super baby fists and beg Bong-soon’s crying daughters to drink their bottles. It doesn’t go well.

The babies literally toss away their sitters, and Min-hyuk comes into the nursery to find the tough guys sobbing. He can barely get a word in before the two scram, and he’s left to face-palm in despair. Min-hyuk gingerly leans down to feed his daughters, cooing at his two “princesses,” but he lasts about two seconds before a tiny fist flings up and punches him right in the eye. Dang, they have good aim.

As Daddy Min-hyuk reels from his daughters, Mommy Bong-soon is busy lifting a giant water bin off a pinned construction worker. Min-hyuk, now sporting his own shiner, calls his wife and she exasperatedly reminds him not to call her when she’s working. Her frazzled husband whimpers, “What am I supposed to do when the babysitters ran away?” Bong-soon gasps to hear that they both bailed, and Min-hyuk sniffles into the phone, “What about me? What should I dooo?”

Bong-soon, wearing her pink hoodie, walks across a rooftop and surveys the city. She narrates, “The world still needs someone to fight the bad. So that our children can live in a better world.” A news screen on an opposite building reports that a terrorist has taken innocents hostage, and Bong-soon narrows her eyes.

She pulls down her hood and takes a mighty leap off the building, plunging dozens of stories and landing on the pavement like the superhero she is. She looks up and declares, “I will go. I am Strong Woman Do Bong-soon! Fighting!”

 
COMMENTS

It’s over! Oof, my heart. I feel like Min-hyuk: What do I dooo? To be fair, this was a wonderful episode that beautifully wrapped up all our main storylines and provided a copious amount of fan-service in the form of Bong-soon and Min-hyuk being constantly adorable. I suppose I couldn’t ask for more, except maybe for it to never end. Is that too greedy?

I think we can all agree that this show was far from perfect, and I acknowledge that there were several things that I could have done without, the main one being Boss Tak’s entire storyline. This really was a prime example of a character forced into a story simply because they were portrayed by a famous actor. There really was no point to him aside from providing comedic fodder, and while I can appreciate that he had potential early on in the series, he completely ceased to be interesting by the halfway point. Still, I was never that disappointed by him, simply because I never really cared about him.

On the other hand, I am frustrated that we never learned more about our villain. I found Jang-hyun to be incredibly well acted (especially given that this was the actor’s first drama), but the character itself wasn’t rounded out enough. A truly well done bad guy is one that has me relating and understanding, which should then make me freak out because I just related and understood (a la I Hear Your Voice). Even though it was really satisfying to see Jang-hyun going crazy in that cell, I still have a number of questions: Why was he so obsessed with that play? Whose house was it that he stashed Kyung-shim in? What about that music box sound that the first victim told Gook-doo about? How did he even go crazy in the first place? There was just no depth to the villain, so while he was terrifying, I was never as engaged as I would have liked. Which is a shame, because Jang Mi-kwan acted the heck out of what was essentially a 2D character.

Something I was surprised to have been so affected by was Gook-doo and Bong-soon’s “goodbye.” I fully support our main couple and truly believe that they are soulmates, fated, meant to be; all that good stuff. But, my heart does hurt for Gook-doo and what could have been had they not missed their chance. He really was a good guy and could have been a great match for Bong-soon, especially given his line, “I would have liked every side of you.” Their goodbye was also so well done; it really made me feel the poignancy of two people letting go of their first loves. Contrary to what dramas teach us, first loves rarely last a lifetime, and it was great to see the honesty of what happens when you outgrow that first person and transition from loving them, to loving the memory being in love.

Still, I maintain that whatever could have been between Bong-soon and Gook-doo could not have been as wonderful as what she shares with Min-hyuk. This show was certainly not without flaws, but it gave us what has easily become one of my top five drama couples of all time. I could gush on and on about these two (and have), but right now, I just can’t believe that I have to say goodbye to them. I’m so sad to leave this world and the beautiful couple it shared with us. At least there is some solace in knowing that whenever we miss them, we can start at the beginning and watch Strong Woman Bong-soon and her Prince Min-min fall in love all over again.

Do Bong-soon, fighting!

 
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