This week, the plot picks up for our couple as they have to shoulder a bunch of misunderstandings and mishaps. But while our OTP might be struggling, our secondary couple goes from a few limited yet sweet interactions to full-blown drama. Let’s see where this week’s episodes take us, shall we?
EPISODES 5-6
Poor Hong-do has convinced herself that this surprise guest of Yoon-bok’s has to be his ex-girlfriend. Dear oh dear. The identity of said over-familiar intruder is in fact SHIN YI-BOK (Jo In) —Yoon-bok’s long lost sister — who has made it very clear she will not leave. However, this just makes our hero build the walls around his heart even higher and tell her to stay out of his sight and to leave quickly and quietly. Ouch!
Now for our endearing couple. Hong-do tries to ask Yoon-bok outright who his guest is. But our hero just brushes her off thinking he doesn’t want to make her worry again. But Hong-do’s curiosity is killing her, so she decides to buy “Hong-hak” some chicken. When the chicken arrives she collects most of it, leaving the scraps for Hong-hak, and uses the excuse to go over to Yoon-bok’s – haha. She soon wishes she hadn’t! Seeing Yi-bok through the window throwing her wet hair back like a shampoo commercial has her imagination going everywhere it shouldn’t!
Hong-do can’t seem to concentrate on anything the next day; her heart is literally aching over Yoon-bok. (The gunshot she hears when seeing another couple. The hearts in the clouds!) Do you still not get it Hong-do? I did snicker to myself when she googled what her symptoms were and came to the conclusion of arrhythmia haha.
That night, Hong-do tries to buy her favorite beer and for the second time it’s been sold out. She marches to the counter only to find Yi-bok buying every last can of her beer. (Is that steam I see coming out of her ears?) Finally, Yi-bok puts Hong-do out of her misery and tells her she’s Yoon-bok’s sister. Hong-do’s demeanor changes so dramatically it’s hard not to laugh. The girls get on like a house on fire, which is lovely to see. Yi-bok tells Hong-do that she thinks her brother relies on her a lot — and that he’s different around Hong-do. He seems happy.
On his way home, Yoon-bok is thinking about Hong-do and remembering their non date whilst passing an ice cream parlor. He takes some over to Hong-do’s… just as she flings open the door, knocks him flat on his back, and then falls directly on top of him. Cue our Titanic music and me chanting “kiss-kiss-kiss!” (Yes, I am aware I’m getting ahead of myself). But after this interlude, Hong-do does come to an important conclusion: she likes Yoon-bok. How didn’t she know this already?
The next day, Hong-do is telling herself she can just control her emotions — she’s an adult. This “car accident” of a crush won’t go any further. Oh ye of little faith!! As soon as Hong-do comes out and sees Yoon-bok, she tries to flirt with him. (Side note: Hong-do is horrible at flirting to the point that Yoon-bok asks if she’s sick haha.)
Yoon-bok decides to help Hong-do try and convince Grandad Shin about the fashion show, since he has rejected Camille’s attempt. Hong-do feels shameless asking for help again, but Yoon-bok tells her that she isn’t just anyone to him so of course he should help her achieve her dream. Oh this is just so gooey and cute and I love it!
At Seongsan Village our couple try to convince the locals to come on board with the fashion show. Hong-do is downcast and dejected after the villagers all say they’re against it. So, Yoon-bok takes her for his favorite pick-me-up snack and tells her if today is a salty day something good will follow tomorrow to make it a sweet day. This is all kinds of adorable.
The conversation also harks back to what they talked about on their on their non-date, and Hong-do is touched. Yoon-bok tells her, “I will always cheer you up by your side. Do not be upset.” Hong-do thinks to herself: How can my heart not race at this? I wholeheartedly agree with you, Hong-do!
Se-ryeong hears that Hong-do is back in the village and makes an appearance to mark her territory, calling herself Yoon-bok’s fiancee (I think not, sister!). Thankfully, Hong-do sides with me on this, telling Se-ryeong that’s not what Yoon-bok said. Se-ryeong is startled by Yoon-bok’s voice behind her and knocks the food all over Hong-do’s white clothes. Accidentally? On purpose? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t really matter as I’m pretty sure the reaction coming was not what Se-ryeong wanted to see. Our little white knight dusts off his armor and wastes no time in taking off his overcoat to put over Hong-do. Cue the Titanic music again with slow motion to enhance the swoon factor.
The next day, Yoon-bok sends Hong-do the shoes she was admiring in the village (while he was admiring her, hah), and Hong-do can barely contain herself. Later that night when she’s having some beer with her brother, they both decide to write letters to their crushes, which we know isn’t going to end well. Indeed, Hong-do accidentally delivers Hong-hak’s letter to Yoon-bok instead of hers. Not only does she fail to retrieve it from his mailbox, but rather than the sweet and well-written note she wrote, Hong-hak’s letter says “I love you!” and looks more like the back page of my textbook in high school lol.
Failing to retrieve the letter, Hong-do is instead whisked off to a press conference with Camille. She announces Hong-do as her new designer, and says they will go to Paris after their show at Seongsan Village. Oh, the look on poor Yoon-bok’s face — he looks devastated. Hong-do follows him outside afterwards, and he asks if this was her dream. To leave. Hong-do innocently says yes (she wants to be a designer in Paris) and asks why he looks so upset. She assumes it’s the letter and starts trying to explain. But Yoon-bok looks crushed, and cuts her off. He tells Hong-do: “This is it. Don’t contact me again.” And then he coldly walks away leaving our heroine shocked, and a sad cliffhanger on our hands.
Until this moment, our hero and heroine had been making strides with each other this week. I was silly enough to get excited that things were progressing until *bam* we’re all hit with our hero’s abandonment issues. Although unwelcome, it dovetails well with Yi-bok’s arrival into the story, and Yoon-bok’s harsh reaction to her. Well, he might act coldly, but we know it’s just because he’s been so deeply hurt.
As for Yi-bok, I kind of feel for her. She has many secrets and not many friends. What’s the reason she and her mother left Yoon-bok alone as a child? What does their leaving have to do with Joon-ho? What is wrong with hospitalized mum-bok? There’s also a nice twist with Yi-bok: she is a cop! She’ll be going undercover at Seongsan Hall, and has asked Detective Park not to tell Yoon-bok. There’s a lot to unpack with this character, and I really want to find out how this will all tie together.
While all this is going on we have some drama for our second pairing: Hong-hak and Yoon-ah have some major developments this week. Yoon-ah is having a hard time with Yoon-bok acting all strange and secretive now that he is hiding Yi-bok in his house. Yoon-ah sees this as him drawing another line between them when all she wants to do is be of help to him.
As for Hong-hak, he’s in the dumps over his cancelled webtoon. He is told that his drawing skills aren’t that good, the company has no faith in him, his style is outdated. Yoon-ah happens to overhear and follows Hong-hak out suggesting they go for a drink, so they drown their sorrows and complain about their woes. Cut to: Yoon-ah’s face the next morning when she wakes up in bed with Hong-hak! I’m sorry, did that just happen…? I can’t believe my eyes! But I am liking that they didn’t dance around each other for too long.
After Yoon-ah sneaks away and ignores his calls, Hong-hak descends into self-doubt and angst. He finally got close to Yoon-ah and she rejected him. He is questioning if he is good enough at a lot of things in life haha. Yoon-ah, however, is mortified and avoids any and all contact with him until he runs into her by accident. She knocks him to the ground and pretty much draws a huge line herself telling him never to mention it again. He has such a puppy dog expression, how can you do that to him?
And as for our over loveline — the grown up children in their sixties — there’s a childish bickering going on between the two about the fashion show. Grandad Shin won’t budge, so Camille delivers her “final blow” which may or may not be to destroy the Seongsan Village trade by switching out their products with cheap overseas products and exposing them as a “scam.” It seems to me that there are some lingering feelings between Grandad Shin and Camille, and I hope they can come to some middle ground before things get worse.