Our city lovers are given some tough questions this time around, unearthing not-so-pleasant memories and feelings. For the main couple in particular, there’s a lot of confusion in their past that’s travelled into the present: Was it real? Was it mutual? And, most importantly, is it still worth it?
EPISODES 2-3 WEECAP
Director-nim’s first question of the day is about sex, taking most of his subjects off guard. Architect Jae-won mentions that he likes initiating things with a kiss, but marketer Eun-oh and smiley Rin-yi say that there should be some discussion first.
The very straightforward Sun-young cooly states that all it takes is the look in her eyes. And though the subjects aren’t actually talking to each other, I like the effect of Sun-young’s gaze surprising Geon (who hasn’t had sex in a long time).
We then learn that Rin-yi and her boyfriend Kyung-joon have been dating for five years. And though their first sexual experience together wasn’t perfect, they were adorably awkward and sweet. That said, I still don’t know how I feel about these flashbacks…
We go into another flashback, with our main couple on their vacation. After the party at Bin and Lala’s, Jae-won and Eun-oh became inseparable. They helped around the restaurant, they played with the dog (literally named “Dog”) on the beach… But whenever they got to talking about going back to Seoul, Jae-won even wondering if they could meet up there, Eun-oh went silent.
One day, Eun-oh revealed that she wanted to try surfing even though she was afraid of water. Once she felt brave enough, she had Jae-won teach her, feeling safe with him next to her. She practiced over and over until she finally balanced herself on the board, only to knock into someone and fall into the water. Jae-won rushed over, concerned to see a cut on her forehead.
Back in the surf shack, as Jae-won tended to Eun-oh’s wound, Eun-oh teared up and admitted that she was proud of herself. She’d been so scared standing on her board, but at the same time, it felt like she was on top of the world.
Jae-won proceeded to towel dry Eun-oh’s hair, when his finger brushed against her lips. After a charged moment, he started to pull away, but she brought his hand back to her mouth. This led to a pretty intense makeout session — and though this isn’t part of the “docu,” the faux realness of it all makes me feel uncomfortable, like I should look away.
The couple eventually took their kissing to Jae-won’s camper, where things got more serious. Jae-won said “I love you” without thinking, knowing it was too early, but meant it. Eun-oh never said it back, and to this day, it bothers Jae-won. Especially because the next morning, after spending the night together, he saw her flirting with another guy.
In their interviews, Eun-oh says that it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and that they only had sex once. Hearing this from Director-nim, Jae-won correctly guesses that Eun-oh is a part of the docu. Eun-oh already knew about Jae-won participating, as well as where he is now. But she can’t do anything but take the blame for the breakup, since she didn’t show him the real her.
Director-nim’s follow-up question is about The Morning After and what that’s like. And I’ve gotta say, I’m really liking the indirect interactions between all the subjects. For instance, here, Jae-won and Geon start arguing about who knows better and it’s hilarious (Geon: “Why didn’t you think it could’ve been a one-night stand?” Jae-won: “Aren’t you that single guy who hasn’t dated in years?”).
The last of our connections is revealed, as we have a flashback to five years ago. It turns out that Geon and Sun-young slept together, though the next morning, Geon couldn’t remember a thing. To top it off, they didn’t even know each other’s names. But they were certainly attracted to each other.
Returning to our main couple’s flashback, we see that their next few days together were super awkward on Jae-won’s part. He felt like Eun-oh was ignoring him, even more so when he found out she’d learned a new surfing trick without him. They had an almost-conversation about it, but Jae-won just left frustrated.
However, Jae-won heard from Eun-oh’s friend Gyung-goo (yay, more Lee Sang-yoon~) that when he cancelled going to the movies, Eun-oh said she would go with Jae-won instead. So Jae-won had hope that Eun-oh did like him.
Jae-won held up handwritten notes to the window where Eun-oh was working, asking her to come over to his camper that night. Eun-oh smiled at the gesture, but his final note gave her pause: “If you don’t come by 6 p.m., I’ll take it as an ‘I don’t like you.’”
Eun-oh narrates that she fully intended to stand him up, to leave their relationship as a one-night stand, but she remembered why she left Seoul in the first place — because she hated herself. At the last minute, she ran out of work and caught Jae-won just in time, wanting to be with him even if she had to be Yoon Sun-ah.
This is an interesting twist, since I assumed Eun-oh would leave after their night together. But to know that she tried to ignore him, tried to leave him behind, and couldn’t… Gah, I want them to meet in the city so badly! Flashback Jae-won and Eun-oh looked so giddy in love, and it’s sad to see how lonely they are now.