Our hero finally works up his courage to share his feelings, but it comes during a bad time. There’s an old face back in our heroine’s life — and some secrets coming out in the open, too.
EPISODES 7-8
We pick up right during the moment the show rudely broke last week, and as Seung-hyo stares at Seok-ryu, it looks like he’s about to tell her what he means, and how he feels. But no, this beautiful moment is shattered by… Seok-ryu’s ex-fiancé SONG HYUN-JOON (Han Joon-woo). That’s right, Beanies, he turns up right on the street at that exact moment, and this rude punk pretty much continues to ruin our OTP’s vibe for the entire week’s episodes. I knew he was coming back (because K-drama), but I really didn’t expect him to be injected so forcefully into the story. I’m not a fan of this development.
And guess what? Neither is Seung-hyo. He’s all “Why on earth did you turn up here?” and “Why now of all times?” These are good questions, but the plot has no valid answer. To make the night even more chaotic, Seok-ryu’s parents also turn up then and there, and they are livid. How dare Hyun-joon approach their daughter! Both Mom and Dad are ready to tear him to bits the whole night for what he did to Seok-ryu. Wait, what? Do they know he cheated on her? It’s here that I actually paused the show and had to check that I didn’t miss an episode, because last I remember, Seok-ryu told everyone she cheated on him and called off the wedding. I’m confused, but we’ll just go with it for now.
In her defense, Seok-ryu is pretty consistent in being uninterested in Hyun-joon. It’s over for her, and she wants to keep it being over. But Mom (who’s suddenly changed her tune in the space of a night) is now playing match-maker again, and it’s in this episode that my dislike of both these parents has been cemented.
If Seok-ryu is trying to escape Hyun-joon’s omnipresence in her neighborhood, Seung-hyo is also trying to aid that, and he’s consistently telling the guy off, acting like he also knows Hyun-joon cheated (??), and even whisking Seok-ryu away on his bicycle one morning for a cherry-blossom-infused ride to work/school.
In truth, this whole turn of the plot with the return of the ex is quite disjointed. Hyun-joon is there to add tension to the Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu love line, but really, the story doesn’t need this. There’s enough drama already between their families and their history — and the internal emotions of this story are more worth investing in than the cheap plot arcs, but maybe that’s just me.
Outside of being overly protective of Seok-ryu (which I don’t mind but I think others will find him a little overbearing and territorial), I liked what we saw of Seung-hyo this week. Rather than hiding and burying, he’s much more open, and even points out the relationship pattern that he and Seok-ryu have of not being honest with each other and always squabbling and misunderstanding instead. Well, Seung-hyo plans to change that.
In one of several butterflies-filled scenes between Seung-hyo and Seok-ru this week, Seung-hyo tries to answer the question that he was unable to the other night. But Seok-ryu is starting to catch on, and she stops him, asking him to hold his answer. Though this isn’t The Confession Scene we are all waiting for, I think this midnight street-lamp-lit scene was one of my favorites between them on the mere merit of the emotions the actors are able to project into the night air. It brings out Seung-hyo’s honesty, too — he asks Seok-ryu if she intends to go back to Hyun-joon, to which she replies a firm no.
So, imagine his surprise when he’s going to a fancy lunch with “I want my old boyfriend back” Tae-hee, only to see Hyun-joon and Seok-ryu a table away. And damn that Hyun-joon, he eats Seok-ryu’s japchae when Seung-hyo never got to eat the dish she made for him the other day. We don’t learn anything we didn’t already know from this scene, but it’s still fun — Hyun-joon is laying it on, Seok-ryu is not into it, Seung-hyo is jealous, and Tae-hee is soaking in being in “her first love square” lol.
Thankfully, Seung-hyo finally hits the point where he can’t hold his feelings in anymore, and he rushes to Seok-ryu late at night at her father’s tteokbokki shop (where she’s secretly practicing cooking). Here we get the breathless, heartfelt clarification of his “you’re driving me crazy” statement — which was summed up beautifully with his confession, out of the bag at last: “I like you.”
Seok-ryu burns herself at her cooking she’s so startled (but is she really?), and Seung-hyo rushes over to help her run water over her hand. Oh drama, you shouldn’t have, but thank you for this moment.
Because this will-they-won’t-they is the meat and potatoes of our story, Seok-ryu can’t reply to his confession yet, and they both endure a sleepless night peeking out at the other’s room but always missing each other. The next day, they hilariously decide the “expiration” of Seung-hyo’s confession by choosing a perishable item on the shelf at their local convenience store. But the 3-year date on the canned goods is too far off, and Seung-hyo picks some milk and then teases Seok-ryu the rest of the episode, counting down the 11 days until she has to reply. They’re cute. They could get together next week and end the drama and I’d be okay with that.
As if dealing with Hyun-joon’s persistence and Seung-hyo’s ill-timed confession weren’t enough emotional load, Seok-ryu’s mom sees her coming out of her cooking class one day and is furious. At home, she upends Seok-ryu’s bag in the middle of the living room and confronts her when she sees the evil cookbook on the floor. Seok-ryu’s dad is equally horrified. They’re both about ready to disown her and a big brawl starts. I was over this scene before it even started. I know we’re neck-deep in a story where Mom and Dad are so buried in their insecurity and self-pity they can’t see past their own noses, but really, it this necessary? Seok-ryu launched right back at them about how Dong-jin can do no wrong, but she’s always held to impossible standards.
Like most of the high-emotion argument scenes in this drama, it’s a bit over-written, but the takeaways are clear. Mom and Dad want what they want for Seok-ryu. Seok-ryu wants what she wants, now that she finally found it. And Seung-hyo — who’s of course been in the middle of this scene the whole time — follows Seok-ryu out and comforts her, winning more hero points from me.
But that’s not all that Seok-ryu has on her very heavy heroine plate. Now that she can’t practice making meatballs at her dad’s shop, Seung-hyo offers up the swanky office kitchen after hours. She can’t not take him up on that, but their plans are interrupted by, yes, Hyun-joon, who suddenly wants Seung-hyo to design a retirement home for his parents. Ugh, can this guy just go away. He won’t let Seok-ryu make her meatballs in peace lol. Actually, both him and Seung-hyo sit on the sidelines waiting to test her dish. When she finally delivers it to the table, they barely get a sip of the broth in when she’s collapsed to the ground in agony clutching her stomach. Both men rush to her, but it’s Hyun-joon she asks to bring her to the hospital. Our little Seung-hyo is crushed, but it feels more like muscle memory on Seok-ryu’s behalf.
Annnnnd remember that convenient breadcrumb from a few weeks ago when Seok-ryu took a leave of absence from Greip? She tells the doctor three years ago she had stomach cancer and had 70% of her stomach removed plus chemotherapy. What the Queen of Tears is going on with this show!? And why the heck does Seok-ryu’s ex-fiancé walk around with a packet of her medical records. Oi.
Our episode leaves us there, and because that is too much makjang for any normal person, let’s talk about Mo-eum and Mudflat Man. One day when Dan-ho is out with Yeon-du, they run into Mo-eum. She has to spring into action when there’s a car accident in front of them, and both father and daughter have hearts in their eyes after she heroically saves a man’s life.
When Dan-ho later drives her home, they’re chatting and she mentions the guy that helped the ambulance get through the traffic jam a few weeks ago. Mo-eum openly fangirls and says he was her ideal man. Meanwhile, Dan-ho is sweating in the car and asks permission to take off his jacket… only to reveal the very same mudflat t-shirt. LOL! This scene was timed so hilariously, and they were both so awkward realizing what was going on at the same moment. It turns into a running gag between them, because later on when Dan-ho tags along on her paramedic team for a story, the two are embarrassed again over Mudflat Man. Now, Mo-eum isn’t the most engaging character for me, but I am all about this cute romance (and Yoon Ji-on in Clark Kent mode). We need a drama-free, feel-good relationship in this show.