The Liar and His Lover: Episode 7

by SailorJumun

I didn’t think it was possible, but this show just keeps getting better and better. The cute fluff makes a strong comeback in this episode, but as usual, we still get plenty of heart to leave us extra satisfied. While one of Han-gyul’s relationships continues to blossom, another is compromised. All I know is that if there were ever two misunderstood people capable of at least understanding each other, it’d be Crude Play’s own songwriter and bassist.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Everyone is anticipating So-rim’s band to perform – Teacher Bong’s class watches from the school while Grandma and friends watch at home – when they realize there’s no sound coming from their TVs. At the studio, the crew runs around in a panic trying to figure out what’s wrong, unaware that Jin-hyuk pulled the plug.

Things are going according to plan, but the heavy silence scares So-rim, and she can’t seem to find her voice. Just as Han-gyul quietly says, “Sing,” from where he stands, So-rim faces the audience and opens her mouth. The crew is still confused though – no one can hear her. Ack, the microphone isn’t on! Jin-hyuk orders the technician to turn it on, and finally, everyone is able to hear So-rim’s voice.

She starts off a little shaky, but taking in the encouraging smiles from Han-gyul and Chan-young, she sheds her fear and grabs the mic with intent.

Her friends – as well as Han-gyul and Chan-young – follow her lead, and as the music swells, So-rim completely falls into it and just lets loose, jumping about the stage as she sings. CEO Yoo watches from afar, shocked that the rookie Jin-hyuk had downplayed is the same girl on stage.

The band finishes their song successfully (with So-rim’s classmates and neighbors rejoicing in their respective spots). So-rim’s eyes automatically find Han-gyul’s and they beam at each other, which Chan-young takes notice of.

Once they all reconvene backstage, So-rim apologizes to Jin-hyuk for losing. Jin-hyuk tells her not to worry about it since there was a fixed winner from the beginning. They all decide to go out for dinner to celebrate a job well done, though Chan-young has to leave for shoots. He makes sure to lean in and pat So-rim on the head before leaving, ruffling Han-gyul’s (and, of course, Jin-woo’s) feathers a bit.

Later that night, Han-gyul takes So-rim and friends back to their neighborhood by taxi. Gyu-sun makes a point to drag Jin-woo away and urges Han-gyul to walk So-rim the rest of the way to her house. Hee.

Once they’re alone, Han-gyul tells her that she performed well, especially since he knows she was nervous. So-rim insists that she wasn’t nervous because she remembered how much Han-gyul trusted his music, and she chose to trust in that. With that said, Han-gyul sincerely apologizes for lying about his identity and promises to repay her by telling her anything and everything she wants to know.

And while So-rim does want to know everything about him, like the kind of girls he dated, a part of her fears his answers. So she only has one question for him tonight: Do the lyrics to “I’m Okay” represent his current feelings? She asks this remembering that he’d written the song with Yoo-na in mind.

Understanding what she’s getting at, Han-gyul smiles warmly and responds, “No. They don’t.” So-rim returns the smile, pleased with his answer. They part on a good note.

Back at Sole Music, Jin-hyuk is reprimanded by the head technician for causing chaos during the broadcast. But when CEO Yoo saunters in and asks why he’s overreacting, the tech leaves them alone. CEO Yoo turns to Jin-hyuk, wanting to know who arranged their elaborate plan. Jin-hyuk doesn’t say anything, so she assumes it was all Chan-young’s doing. And now she’s curious to find out more about the relationship between Chan-young and So-rim.

Han-gyul literally skips home after dropping So-rim off, but before he can head inside, the Crude Play boys pull up in their van and kidnap him so they can have their own little party at their bar. And, boy, do they party hard. (I see you having fun there, Chan-young!)

Shi-hyun asks Han-gyul if he won the war with So-rim, to which he responds that there are no winners or losers here. “The other person has no desire to win,” Han-gyul slurs, thoughtful. “When the other person has no desire to win, I can’t win either.” Shi-hyun figures he’s just spewing nonsense because he’s drunk, but an eavesdropping Chan-young seems to think differently.

At school the next day, the entire class fawns over our trio, gushing that they totally killed it on stage. Even Teacher Jerkface comes in to compliment So-rim and ask for a picture. Later, Se-jung keeps the compliments going as she walks with So-rim. She sneaks in a question about Chan-young (I guess we know who her bias is), wondering how close they are.

So-rim’s phone starts ringing before she can answer, and Se-jung excitedly grabs it out of her hand, thinking it’s Chan-young. When she sees it’s just So-rim’s grandmother, she pouts and stalks off, leaving So-rim confused.

Jin-hyuk is very happy to hear that the video of So-rim’s group performing is gaining popularity and tells his team to get them prepared for debut before all the hype dies down. Soo-yeon asks if they should let the public know that “K” arranged the group’s song, but Jin-hyuk hesitates, recalling CEO Yoo’s assumption that it was Chan-young.

However, it turns out that CEO Yoo has already done her research and discovered that it was Han-gyul who made the arrangement. Though she’s taken aback when her assistant informs her that despite this, the staff still listed Chan-young as the one responsible.

Jin-hyuk stops by Crude Play’s place – where nearly all of them are still hungover, lol – and pulls Han-gyul and Chan-young aside. He tells them that they’re planning on releasing the song So-rim’s band performed with Chan-young’s name attached to it. Jin-hyuk insists that it’d cover up the mishap backstage, as well as excite Crude Play’s fans.

Chan-young turns to Han-gyul, hoping he’ll reject to the idea, but on the contrary, Han-gyul’s fine with it – he never wanted to be credited anyway. Still, Chan-young says that he’d feel dirty stealing a song he didn’t arrange. Han-gyul’s face falls. To make matters worse, Jin-hyuk makes a snide comment that Chan-young should be happy to get a song from the Kang Han-gyul he so dearly admires.

Jin-hyuk’s joking, but Chan-young can see that he came to inform him, not ask for his opinion. He tells Jin-hyuk to do what he wants and gets up to leave. Han-gyul quickly goes after him, telling him to pay Jin-hyuk no attention.

Han-gyul: “He’s not like that because he looks down on you. It’s because it’s better if you—…” Chan-young: “I know. I know that I’m easy to take advantage of. So stop talking.” Han-gyul sighs in frustration as Chan-young takes off in his car.

Han-gyul rejoins the other boys, who figure that it’s Jin-hyuk who always makes things complicated for them. Shi-hyun asks why Han-gyul didn’t just reject the idea. He says it’s because he’s really okay with it, since it could be a big benefit for So-rim’s band. “When it comes to Yoon So-rim, I want to be a better person outside of just music.” The boys stare after him, realizing that their friend is far gone at this point.

At home, So-rim is all smiles as she thinks back to Han-gyul’s face at the performance. She gets the urge to call him and, to her delight, he answers almost instantly. They both light up to hear each other’s voice, with So-rim even saying that she’s come to a realization: “I can’t stop my feelings just because I want to. So I’ve decided to nurture those feelings well.”

She’s about to ask if he has any time, but he jumps in to ask first, suggesting they meet up this weekend. “Why?” she asks eagerly. Han-gyul can barely contain his smile as he replies, “Just… because I want to see you.” They agree to meet up and then playfully argue over who should hang up first. When Han-gyul finally does, they both have their own separate squee sessions. Oh, you adorable puppies, you.

The weekend arrives, and Jin-hyuk and Yoo-na start it off with a meeting with a separate company to discuss their promotion for an anniversary special. The company’s representative clearly has no interest in re-signing Yoo-na, so she speaks up to suggest a collaboration with Crude Play. That definitely piques their interest, but Jin-hyuk is more upset at the fact that this company plans on signing groups from Who Entertainment instead.

Jin-hyuk marches straight to CEO Yoo’s office to confront her about this, but she won’t be moved. Instead, she offers him a proposition: She’ll take care of Yoo-na if he hands over So-rim. Jin-hyuk starts to argue, but CEO Yoo hits him with the fact that it was really Han-gyul who helped So-rim’s band out. And after noticing so many people jump to take care of this girl, she wants to have her.

But Jin-hyuk isn’t willing to let So-rim go so easily; he asks if So-rim would still be able to debut. CEO Yoo chides him for even worrying about a rookie when he should be concentrating on saving Yoo-na’s career.

Meanwhile, So-rim is fussing over what to wear and recruits Grandma to help her choose. So-rim sighs that she wants to look nice for Han-gyul, but Grandma scoffs that if he has a problem with what she wears, she should just bring him home so Grandma can properly punish him.

She settles on an outfit and heads out to their meeting place, where she spots Han-gyul peering into a window as he fixes his hair. She smiles and stands beside him to copy his actions until he notices her.

She’s excited to spend the day with him, but he just now realizes that he didn’t come with a plan; he’d just wanted to see her. So-rim suggests they do something special and asks what he likes to do.

Next thing we know, the two are sitting in a bus. So-rim wonders what it is he wants to do, and Han-gyul bashfully admits that riding the bus is what he wanted to do – it’s his favorite activity since he can listen to people’s voices. After so many years songwriting for Crude Play, he’d gotten used to Shi-hyun’s voice, so he enjoys doing his research this way when writing for a different voice.

So-rim notes that besides them, the bus is completely empty. (Ha.) Either way, she says, she likes it better that way.

Deciding to take advantage of the moment, So-rim hesitantly rests her head on Han-gyul’s shoulder. He asks what she’s doing, though when she lifts her head, he not-so-subtly inches closer. But to make things more clear, he tells her to continue what she was doing. He doesn’t have to tell her twice – she goes right back to nestling her head against his shoulder.

Crude Play holds a press conference for their new album. It’s going relatively well until one smug reporter asks if they really played their instruments for this album, pointing out that they must’ve been too busy to get in any practice time. Shi-hyun answers around this question, which the reporter calls him out on. So Chan-young looks this reporter in the eye and says, “Yes, the recording is really us playing.”

Chan-young continues that the only reason they hesitated was because it seemed like such an obvious question. That gets the press laughing, but the rest of the boys shift uncomfortably in their seats.

As Han-gyul and So-rim have dinner, the TV behind them starts advertising Crude Play. So-rim gasps at how cool Chan-young looks, which inevitably brings out Han-gyul’s jealousy. He stretches his arms out to block her view but completely fails since she ends up pushing him aside anyway, heh. He scowls at the fact that she still fangirls when she’s practically co-workers with Chan-young now.

Han-gyul says that the boys aren’t how they’re perceived anyway – in fact, they named themselves Crude Play to make a point that they weren’t a glamorous band.

Hearing this makes So-rim curious as to what it was like when Han-gyul was in the band. When she says that she’d like to see him play with them, he gets fidgety and reminds her that they have Chan-young now. “You and Chan-young Oppa can just play together,” she suggests. Han-gyul smiles sadly and wonders if a day like that could ever come. Well, that just hurts my heart.

On their walk back, a cyclist nearly runs into So-rim, and Han-gyul instinctively holds her out of the way. They both get flustered by his sudden embrace, but Han-gyul keeps the clichés going – he notices So-rim’s shoelace is untied and bends down to tie it.

It’s all very sweet and romantic until Han-gyul glances up, his face right in So-rim’s skirt. She panics and kicks him in his misters, sending him flying to the ground in pain. Ha! Omg, I’m dying. And apparently, so is he, because when So-rim runs off in embarrassment, he can barely stand and his voice cracks as he calls out her name.

CEO Yoo happily chats with her company’s chairman – who also happens to be her father – though her smile disappears when Jin-hyuk shows up to join them. Jin-hyuk tells the chairman all about the new band he’s working with, earning him a few glares from CEO Yoo.

Yoo-na calls Han-gyul out to propose the collaboration with her and Crude Play. She asks that they let go of their personal issues and work together. Han-gyul flatly refuses, saying that she can work with Crude Play, but she shouldn’t expect a song from him.

Offended, Yoo-na wonders if it’s because he dislikes her voice now. Han-gyul thinks back to So-rim’s performance and says no: “It’s because there’s only one girl I want to sing my songs.” Yoon-na asks who this girl is, but Han-gyul merely apologizes and takes his leave.

After meeting with her father, CEO Yoo commends Jin-hyuk for hamming it up at dinner. Even so, she says, she plans on managing So-rim and adds that another one of his girls will be left heartbroken. Jin-hyuk turns to her in surprise.

Back at home, So-rim smiles at her tied shoelace only to cry out in horror when she remembers the aftermath. Grandma finds her on the floor whimpering that she must’ve been crazy to do that. In his own home, Han-gyul has a burst of inspiration and gets back to working on his song for So-rim.

The next day, So-rim and her friends present Jin-hyuk with their decided stage name: Mush & Co. They explain that the ‘mush’ is for So-rim’s mushroom-like hair. Jin-hyuk laughs, but he thinks the randomness of the name does fit their group. Soo-yeon pulls Jin-hyuk aside and asks if they should really post the article about their debut without telling them, but he just shrugs and says that it’s more fun that way.

When Chan-young stops by the company and takes So-rim to an empty concert hall to catch up, So-rim wonders why she feels lonely and scared when in a crowded hall, yet completely fine when it’s empty like right now. Chan-young looks at her all too knowingly and states that if you don’t have anyone by your side in a sea of people, it can be the scariest feeling. He surprises So-rim by elaborating that he feels this way on stage.

In flashback, we that the boys were, in fact, upset to discover that Chan-young would be replacing Han-gyul in the band. Though they eventually accepted, when they came to debut, Chan-young noticed the boys smiling and waving to Han-gyul in the crowd. The four friends were in their own little world while Chan-young was off to the side, alone. That’s why, he tells So-rim now, that he’s always wanted to have his own band – his own place.

He needed someone who could believe in him, which is why he’s so glad to have So-rim by his side. He hopes that they can continue to believe in each other and holds out his hand. So-rim hesitates, but sensing Chan-young’s sincerity, she takes it.

Meanwhile, the rest of Crude Play films their next video. But In-ho’s head is swarming with thoughts from the press junket, causing him to drop his drum sticks. He tells the others that they should just stop now. Though Shi-hyun sadly agrees, he still thinks they should at least master “I’m Okay,” if only for themselves.

Afterward, Shi-hyun finds Soo-yeon, needing someone to confide in. He tells her how embarrassed he was before, since everything but the band’s appearance is fake. Soo-yeon assures him that she’s always leaving behind nice comments on their secret page, and he smiles, saying he already knows. Aw.

Han-gyul pulled an all-nighter finishing “Waiting for You,” and that morning, he gets a text from Jin-hyuk telling him to do an online search for Mush & Co. So-rim gets the same text and discovers that her group is all over the news with a surprise debut. While her classmates freak out, So-rim looks rather uneasy. After seeing the same news articles, Han-gyul immediately calls Jin-hyuk, angered that he rushed the group’s debut.

Jin-hyuk optimistically says that the group doesn’t have to worry – they just have to meet expectations. Han-gyul asks if he really believes that. He says that he does… if a certain songwriter takes care of them. (You sneaky fox.) Fuming, Han-gyul grits his teeth and hangs up.

Jin-hyuk’s really got him trapped now. After contemplating his newly finished song, he comes to a decision and heads out to meet with So-rim.

As he suspected, So-rim is a bit apprehensive with her sudden debut. She wonders if she’s truly capable of singing an album that people would actually buy. Han-gyul assures her that she’s fully capable and that he’s willing to help by providing her debut song. He whips out his earphones so she can give it a listen.

But barely two seconds into the song, So-rim pulls the earphones out, uncomfortable listening when she already promised she’d work with Chan-young for the next three years. Han-gyul points out that it was a promise and not a contractual agreement, but So-rim insists that Chan-young was serious about it. She can’t break that promise.

We see that Se-jung is a contributor to the nasty comments on Crude Play’s secret video account – she furiously types one out as she eats with Gyu-sun.

Se-jung’s eyes gravitate toward Chan-young in the restaurant’s TV and, after a moment of thinking, she turns to Gyu-sun and asks if he wants to date. Oh, come on, don’t mess with Gyu-sunnie’s heart!

CEO Yoo comes barging into Jin-hyuk’s office and tosses a pile of papers his direction. He picks them up, his eyes widening to see news articles speculating that the “fake” Crude Play videos are actually Crude Play. “What are you going to do now?” CEO Yoo asks menacingly.

A dejected Han-gyul walks home, but the sound of music snaps him out of his dazed state. Sitting right across from his front door is a man quietly strumming his guitar. Han-gyul can hardly believe his eyes as the man looks up and smiles at him. “Father?” Han-gyul gets out.

 
COMMENTS

Another great cliffhanger. I’ve been anticipating this father-son reunion ever since So-rim first encountered In-woo singing on the street. The guy seemed so hesitant at any mention of Han-gyul – even saying he was afraid of him – so I’m extremely curious to see what’s been holding him back all this time. Is he ashamed of what happened in the past with his music? We might’ve seen Han-gyul hurt and angry about this in his childhood flashbacks, but clearly, the boy does miss his father.

I’ll be looking forward to how his father’s presence mixes things up because it could very well be exactly what Han-gyul needs. He looked like such a lost puppy in that last scene and it reminded me that before all the chaos that entered his life with Crude Play’s debut, he was already a lonely kid living without his parents most of the time. I’m sure somewhere along the way, the absence of his folks caused him to lose his way, giving us the songwriter we know today.

But it does seem like Han-gyul is slowly finding his way again, with So-rim as his guide. I love that the two are finally in the same place because now we get to see Han-gyul act as giddy as So-rim, and it’s twice as sweet. It’s so sweet that I swear I’m going to have a mouthful of cavities before we reach the finale. The show really does crank up the romance to an eleven when it matters, but it’s not afraid to send us back to reality. Because, yeah, the cliché of bending down to tie your lover’s shoe would be awkward, especially if she was wearing a skirt. I know it was comedic relief, but I still appreciated the slight realism there.

Things may seem all hunky-dory on the surface, but with so much conflict engraved into this story, I think we’re in for another bumpy ride. On top of Crude Play’s secret being discovered and our newly named Mush & Co. being debuted out of nowhere, the tension between Han-gyul and Chan-young is only getting tighter. It’s strange because the deeper we get inside Chan-young’s head, the more he starts to feel like your average first lead type – the troubled, misunderstood loner. Han-gyul is obviously that first lead type too, but in a very different way.

Despite their differences, their individual feelings of loneliness both root back to Crude Play. Han-gyul was traumatized by his separation from the band, while Chan-young was traumatized by his separation from the friendship. I really wish Chan-young would just open himself up to the boys and release the years-worth of anger and resentment, but I can see why he’d rather keep to himself. He craves the companionship, but he came into the band knowing there was already a strong bond between the four boys, and a bond like that is hard to just waltz into. If only he stopped to think that maybe Han-gyul is going through similar suffering.

But then again, perhaps So-rim can be that bridge that brings them together. It feels like Han-gyul is already halfway there, but with Chan-young’s inferiority complex in full swing, I fear that he’ll only run farther away. I’ll just have to wait until that day when the two can stand as the two bassists for Crude Play, just as So-rim imagined.

RELATED POSTS

• The Liar and His Lover: Episode 1
• Misunderstanding leads to inspiration in The Liar and His Lover
• Detectives, spies, liars, and new hires in poster parade for spring dramas
• Busking with the boyfriend’s father in The Liar and His Lover
• Joy enchants Lee Hyun-woo with her voice in the Liar and His Lover
• Dashing to meet Lee Hyun-woo in The Liar and His Lover
• Smiling shyly and hiding feelings in The Liar and His Lover
• Lee Jung-jin joins tvN youth romance The Liar and His Lover
• Lee Hyun-woo, Red Velvet’s Joy confirmed to play The Liar and His Lover
• tvN remakes popular Japanese manga The Liar and His Lover