Reunited Worlds: Episodes 17-18

by LollyPip

Hae-sung has so much to do, and so little time to do it. Yet he still manages to make time for the important things like making new friends and showing the girl he likes how much he cares, as well as just taking the time to be with his family. He’ll be forced to step up his game if he wants to accomplish everything in the time he has left — but if there’s one thing Hae-sung does know, it’s that he has nothing left to lose.

 
EPISODE 17 RECAP

Hae-sung almost runs into CEO Cha in the restaurant, but he drops his boxes and has to stop to pick them up. At the same time, Min-joon stops his father at the door and orders him to leave his restaurant, and although CEO Cha grumbles that Min-joon will regret this one day, he agrees to go.

The waiters report that the customers love the new dish that Hae-sung invented, and he beams happily at Jung-won. But she’s still upset after overhearing the rumor that she was responsible for his death, and she doesn’t return his smile.

She’s so distracted that she cuts her finger, which earns her a tongue-lashing from the mean sous chef. Even Min-joon tells her to get herself together, so she slinks away to bandage the cut, embarrassed. When she comes back, Hae-sung asks if she’s okay, but she just gives him a curt nod.

Jung-won skips the welcome party for Hae-sung after work to meet with Jin-ju instead. The kitchen employees are all getting drunk and singing in a noraebang, and though they agree that something seems to be missing, they decide to just have fun.

Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication, because Min-joon and Hae-sung wait awkwardly in a restaurant, wondering why nobody else is showing up for the party. The owner brings a hilariously huge mountain of pork belly for the grill, and Min-joon has to ask for just two portions, hee.

Jung-won admits to Jin-ju that she feels uncomfortable around Hae-sung, telling her about the girl from their school who said that it was her fault Hae-sung died. She says that she’d forgotten about that in her happiness to see Hae-sung again, and that she feels guilty.

She laments that if he hadn’t died, Hae-sung would be her age with a job and a life, and he wouldn’t be blaming himself for his siblings’ unhappiness. Jin-ju says that Hae-sung has a job and a life now, and that this is just Hae-sung’s fate. Jung-won starts to cry and says that it’s her fault that he’s living with this fate in the first place.

Hae-sung and Min-joon relocate to a pojangmacha, where they work their way through several bottles of soju. Min-joon congratulates Hae-sung on his new job, making Hae-sung joke that he’s heard that a thousand times today, so Min-joon offers to tell him something new.

He confesses that he likes Jung-won, which sobers Hae-sung right up. Hae-sung asks why Min-joon likes her, and Min-joon says that she’s the prettiest woman he’s ever seen. Hae-sung disagrees that she’s that pretty and pushes for more information, asking what’s so pretty about her. Min-joon says, all starry-eyed, that everything she does makes her look pretty.

Hae-sung slams his shot and walks away, but Min-joon follows him to ask if he’s okay. Min-joon says he seems tired and they should go home as he lectures Hae-sung on drinking too much, though it’s obvious that he’s the one who’s drunk as a skunk. He’s even walking around barefoot, hee.

Min-joon is cheerful as they walk, saying that he’s just happy to be with Hae-sung. Awww, that’s so sweet. Hae-sung says he’s just drunk, but Min-joon refutes this and stands on one leg like a scarecrow to prove it. A passing man walks into his outstretched arm and gets aggressive, even though Min-joon apologizes.

Min-joon doesn’t help the situation when he objects to the men using banmal, so Hae-sung urges him to just walk away. But Min-joon is super confident after recently punching someone for the first time in his life, so he pushes Hae-sung to a safe distance and starts waving his fists around in the guys’ faces.

He looks hilarious, and the guys bursts into laughter, but Hae-sung can see that Min-joon is determined to punch someone. He picks up a motorcycle behind Min-joon’s back, one-handed, and makes “go away” faces at the rude guys until they suddenly decide to be somewhere else.

Hae-sung quickly puts down the motorcycle before Min-joon sees him. Min-joon slings an arm around his shoulders and says that from now on, outside of work, he’ll think of Hae-sung as his dongsaeng, and Hae-sung can think of him as his hyung. Hae-sung doesn’t look too thrilled, but he’s forced to agree.

Min-joon takes Hae-sung to his place and gives him some fruit salad to stave off a hangover. He asks where Hae-sung learned to cook, and when Hae-sung says he just picked it up, Min-joon is impressed by his genuine talent.

He leaves the room to get something, and Hae-sung checks out the pictures on his fridge. They’re all pictures of Min-joon with his employees at company outings, and when Min-joon comes back, he says that he started taking pictures three years ago when Jung-won came to work for him.

He gives Hae-sung an apron with “HS” embroidered on it, promising to buy him a proper set of knives when he becomes a chef. Touched, Hae-sung thanks him gratefully.

Hae-sung stops at Jung-won’s door when he arrives home, wondering if she’s home yet and where she went tonight. She’s still out with Jin-ju, who notices that she doesn’t look well. Jung-won says she’s okay and apologizes for venting before they head home.

But in the morning, Jung-won wakes up truly sick, so she texts Jin-ju to ask her to pick up some medicine. But Jin-ju rings Ho-bang’s doorbell instead, and he’s over the moon to see her. But she’s here to see Hae-sung and she asks Ho-bang to leave, which he does like the obedient puppy that he is.

Jin-ju gives Hae-sung the medicine for Jung-won and tells him that she’s sick. He asks if something happened, so she tells him that Jung-won overheard that people blame her for his death, and that she blames herself more than anyone. She says that his death devastated Jung-won, and that since then, she sometimes becomes bedridden for days at a time.

Hae-sung guesses that this is why Jung-won has been so closed off, so he goes to her apartment and checks her for a fever. He gently fusses at her for not telling him that she’s sick, then he helps her take her medicine and makes sure she gets some rest.

Jung-won wakes that evening feeling better, and she finds Hae-sung keeping vigil outside her door. He suggests they take a walk, and they end up sitting on an overlook admiring the city lights. Jung-won finally opens up, saying that she’s felt sorry for so many things since he died, but that she’d forgotten about them when he came back.

Hae-sung just says that he is back, so she can forget those things now. He tells Jung-won, “I’m happy because of you. Back then, and even now, that’s what you are to me. So forget about all of them now. You can do that, right?”

With tears in her eyes, Jung-won agrees, and Hae-sung slowly starts to lean towards her. She closes her eyes, and he kisses her.

 
EPISODE 18 RECAP

Jung-won feels a little awkward after their first kiss, and their walk home is full of adorable side glances and happy grins. Jung-won objects every time Hae-sung tries to walk beside her, so she keeps walking faster until she breaks into a run, and Hae-sung chases her all the way home.

In the morning, Young-in takes special care with her hair and makeup, and Soo-ji teases her sister that she must have a date. Young-in insists that it’s not a date, but Soo-ji doesn’t believe her as she jokes that she has a date, too.

Tae-hoon does have a date with Seo-won, Young-joon’s fiancee. They’re both honest about the fact that they’re not interested, and Tae-hoon agrees to say that he rejected Seo-won in order to save her from her mother’s wrath. She tells him that she’s seeing the doctor he met at the hospital, prompting him to remember that it was Young-joon.

Seo-won leaves, which is when Tae-hoon sees Young-joon outside waiting for her. The two men spot each other through the window, so Young-joon goes inside to talk. He apologizes for pretending not to know Tae-hoon at the hospital, then admits that he’s been lying to Seo-won about his family.

Tae-hoon politely says not to worry about him, so Young-joon asks if he’s seen Hae-sung. Tae-hoon says that he sees him often, and when Young-joon starts to leave, he stops himself from saying anything else.

Outside her apartment, Jung-won frowns to see a high school girl fawning all over Hae-sung. She doesn’t recognize Soo-ji and goes straight into jealousy mode. Hae-sung runs inside for a second and Jung-won confronts Soo-ji (who doesn’t recognize her either), lecturing her that she should be studying instead of flirting.

Jung-won snaps that the guy Soo-ji was flirting with is hers, telling her to get lost. Hae-chul shows up and calls Soo-ji by name, which is when Jung-won realizes that she’s Hae-sung’s sister. (Ack, that’s so embarrassing!) Jung-won blames her accusations on the heat and Soo-ji says she couldn’t hear her anyway, hee.

At work, Young-in carries a mannequin to a different department and finds herself on the same elevator as Tae-hoon. He insists on carrying the mannequin for her, then when she says she may be late for their dinner, he pouts that he may have to pull some strings.

Young-in tries to take her mannequin back, Tae-hoon cutely refuses, and they end up having a tug-of-war over it. When the doors open, Tae-hoon’s mother is standing there, shocked to see her son all tangled up with an employee.

In Tae-hoon’s office, his mother demands an explanation, then tells him not to be too nice and give the girl the wrong idea. She asks about Seo-won and wails when Tae-hoon says he’s not interested, and when the CEO arrives, she complains that neither of them have any respect for her.

Hae-sung instructs Jung-won to get some things together and meet him on the landing, though he doesn’t tell her why. All he says is that they’re going to do some embarrassing things today, then he takes her to a botanical garden and says, “This is Spring!”

He says that today they’re going to take pictures of a whole year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. He says, “I need to have photos of you and me from all four seasons, too,” referring to the pictures in Min-joon’s kitchen, but when Jung-won asks what he means, he backpedals hard.

Jung-won plays along despite her embarrassment, but soon, she’s having as much fun as Hae-sung. They get dressed up in clothing from all four seasons and take pictures in different locations, creating a year’s worth of dates in one fell swoop.

When they get home, Hae-sung gives Jung-won the best pictures, admitting that they were for her all along and telling her to put them on her refrigerator. She does just that, then she goes out to take care of a difficult task.

She goes to Min-joon’s house and calls him outside. He knows this is about his confession and tells Jung-won that he doesn’t expect an answer. She says that she wants to be honest too, and she tells Min-joon that she likes someone else. He smiles bravely and says it’s okay, but after she leaves, he wonders if she just needs more time.

Over breakfast, Ho-bang tells Hae-sung that soon there will be an event for the bigwigs of Chungho Foundation, CEO Cha’s company. They think the killer might be at the event, and Hae-sung says he needs to go and find the culprit before the pain in his chest disappears, but Ho-bang is worried about how they’ll get into the invitation-only party.

Getting a brilliant idea, Hae-sung goes to Tae-hoon for a favor. Tae-hoon finds out that a caterer hasn’t been chosen for the party yet, and suggests that they hire Min-joon’s restaurant.

As Hae-sung is leaving the department store, CEO Cha spots him from across the mall. He goes to Security and has them print a picture of Hae-sung from the CCTV camera. He takes it to his office and finds an old yearbook of Tae-hoon’s, and he matches the picture of Hae-sung today to one of Hae-sung twelve years ago.

Min-joon isn’t happy about accepting the catering job, but he doesn’t turn it down, either. The sous chef can’t decide whether to send Hae-sung or Jung-won to the event, so he very professionally suggests they settle it with a chicken fight.

Hae-sung takes the chicken fight very seriously, rushing at Jung-won on one leg with a loud battle cry. He knocks her down on the first try, then freezes in place when everyone stares at him for being so aggressive. LOL.

He reports back to Ho-bang that the plan to find his killer is going perfectly. Ho-bang has two free movie tickets, but when the guys try to leave, they find a very angry Jung-won on the landing. She asks Hae-sung if he’s proud of himself for pushing her over and winning, and when she finds out they’re going to a movie, she gets her revenge by telling them the twist ending. HA.

Preparations for the event proceed well, and Jung-won notices Hae-sung’s nervousness and assumes it’s because it’s his first catering event. She gets over her annoyance at Hae-sung to reassure him that he’ll do well, though she jokes that she’s going to hold her grudge for a month.

Unfortunately, CEO Cha is called to Singapore for an emergency as he’s on his way to the event. He orders his driver to turn around and head for the airport.

Hae-sung psychs himself up before the party, knowing that as his chest pain gets weaker, his chances for catching his killer diminish. The party begins and Hae-sung scans the party-goers nervously, and after a few minutes he feels a slight twinge of pain.

He walks among the guests, but nobody triggers the pain to worsen. He uses his super hearing to listen to the crowd, then something about a particular door convinces him to go through it. Tae-hoon watches curiously as Hae-sung clutches his chest and leaves the room.

Hae-sung follows the twinges of pain to the VIP room down the hall, and he instinctively feels that his killer is on the other side of the door. He braces himself, and when he steps inside, he’s surprised to see CEO Cha, Tae-hoon’s father.

Hae-sung’s pain intensifies as CEO Cha turns around, and now he knows that this is the man he’s been looking for. He steps forward to look CEO Cha right in the eyes as he asks him, “Do you remember me? June 14, 2005. I’m Sung Hae-sung from Class One in 12th grade. Why did you kill me?!”

 
COMMENTS

Go, Hae-sung! I love how he confronted CEO Cha with no fear and no hesitation. He doesn’t have time to mess around and needs answers now, so that he can set things right before he has to leave again. At least this time it’s not a fake-out, and hopefully we’ll start to get some answers about what really happened the night Hae-sung died. I don’t expect to learn everything quickly, since CEO Cha hasn’t gotten this far without being sly and cagey, and besides, we still have several more weeks’ worth of shows in which to tell Hae-sung’s story. But I hope we learn at least a little bit about the events of that night, because Hae-sung’s time is growing short.

I think my favorite thing about this episode was Hae-sung and Min-joon’s budding bromance, which is just about the cutest thing ever. You can tell that Min-joon just really wants to be someone’s hyung and takes the role seriously, but Hae-sung is used to being the hyung and keeps ending up taking care of Min-joon instead. It’s so sweet how he chased those thugs away and let Min-joon think that his tiny little fists scared them off, not to mention that time that he took care of Min-joon when he hurt his wrist (Hae-sung buttoning up Min-joon’s pajamas nearly killed me dead).

It makes me sad that their feelings for Jung-won keep coming between them and cutting short any real friendship before it starts, because while Hae-sung has lots of friends and family, Min-joon has nobody. I don’t even think he really likes Jung-won, since when asked why he likes her, all he could say is that she’s pretty. Nothing about her as a person, because he doesn’t really know her as a person. Min-joon is so lonely and so eager to connect with someone, and my heart hurts every time he gets rejected by his father or Jung-won. I can’t help but wish that Hae-sung would introduce Min-joon to his friends. Even if nothing ever happens with Jung-won after Hae-sung leaves, I want Hae-sung to make sure Min-joon is taken care of after he’s gone, the same way he’s taking care of Jung-won and his brothers and sisters.

And then there was the kiss, which was every bit as sweet and innocent as I expected it to be. Normally I would be annoyed by a woman in her thirties reacting so primly to a simple kiss, but in Jung-won’s case, I found her shy response to be very in-character. Besides the fact that this is the boy she thought dead for twelve years, I think that Jung-won was emotionally stunted by Hae-sung’s death and that she hasn’t really progressed much beyond that point in her past. In fact, I’d be surprised if she’s dated at all — she’s never mentioned dating, so I wouldn’t be at all shocked if that was her first kiss as well as Hae-sung’s. And their love was always very pure and innocent, so I thought it was fitting that their first kiss was, too. It wasn’t meant to convey passion, but to confirm that they both feel the same as they did back in school. The kiss was appropriately simple and sweet, and I thought it was perfect.

Hae-sung’s four seasons date was similarly adorable and sweet, but it also made me sad, because he’s obviously anticipating that he won’t be around for long. Mr. Mystery said that the longest anyone had been back was himself, and that was less than a year. Though the idea was sparked by jealousy over Min-joon having pictures of Jung-won in all four seasons, taking those pictures was Hae-sung’s way of giving Jung-won memories of himself even in the seasons after he’s gone. So as cute as it was, it was also bittersweet, and so very like Hae-sung to think of things like that to make Jung-won happy when he’s not there with her anymore.

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