Our delightful duo find themselves in a bit of a predicament this week, with unemployment woes posing a threat to their homeownership. The crisis may cause quite the headache, but it also brings about much-needed change, along with a side of caring, compassion, and cuteness.
EPISODES 5-6
We pick up where we left off last week, with Woo-hyul calling In-hae by Hae-sun’s name. Weirded out by his sudden approach, In-hae panics and whips out her pepper spray. HAHAHA, poor Woo-hyul. After weeping all the capsaicin out, Woo-hyul recounts his past to In-hae, explaining how he felt Hae-sun in her blood. Needless to say, In-hae finds that last part incredulous. Reincarnation? Past lives? She doesn’t believe in any of that.
Still, Woo-hyul must get In-hae falling in love. Thus begins Woo-hyul’s courtship ritual, which entails leaving anonymous flower bouquets on In-hae’s doorstep. Unfortunately for him, In-hae finds the gesture more creepy than cute, and she very nearly files a police report. Oops. Woo-hyul’s next plan is watching a romantic movie together (at 2PM, of course), which ends up becoming nap time for In-hae. Double oops?
Operation Romance soon reaches an abrupt pause when the nasty power-tripping principal informs In-hae that the school won’t be renewing their contract with her. Downtrodden and dazed, In-hae ends up wandering back to Do-shik’s wine bar, where she drowns her sorrows.
Coincidentally, Do-shik happens to pass by, and he instantly clocks how she’s overfilling her wine glass. Wanting to offer her a little comfort, he quickly writes out coupons and creates a sure-win lucky draw event on the spot. When In-hae hears from the staff that her meal is on the house, she smiles giddily, pleased by her luck. Aww, that’s adorably sweet of Do-shik.
Recognizing that In-hae needs time to herself, Do-shik doesn’t approach her. Instead, he follows her home from afar to make sure she’s safe, only going to help when she trips over herself. She brushes off her unfair dismissal, but Do-shik astutely points out that she’s always quick to claim that she’s okay, even when she’s not.
Back in the mansion, In-hae cracks open a can of beer for round two, and she ends up drunkenly confiding in Woo-hyul. Losing her job — the one thing that gave her stability after her father’s disappearance and her mother’s death — is hitting her a lot harder than she’d thought.
Realizing that In-hae is much lonelier than she lets on, Woo-hyul reaches out to gently stroke her hair, reassuring her that she’s done well fending for herself. The contact makes In-hae sober up, seemingly flustered, and she excuses herself to bed.
The next morning, In-hae comes down with a high fever, which leads to Nurse Woo-hyul time. Pulling up a dusty old tome, Woo-hyul’s about to start brewing a traditional tonic in their backyard when Do-shik shows up with cold medicine from the pharmacy. (Woo-hyul fibs to In-hae that he made it himself, ha.)
Woo-hyul is a man of many talents, which means we also get Revenge Mode Woo-hyul. When he overhears the school principal bragging about how he kicked In-hae out to make way for his friend, he unceremoniously dumps a bucket of water on the awful man right as he’s taking a dump. The tale sends In-hae into a fit of giggles, but it does also mean they’re both jobless now.
After a string of failed interviews, In-hae’s running out of options when Do-shik suggests converting her mansion into a guesthouse. However, Woo-hyul isn’t enthused, until In-hae points out that turning the mansion into a popular spot may increase the chances of Hae-sun showing up. With that, Woo-hyul is convinced, and In-hae says yes to the business proposal. Aww, it makes Do-shik so happy that he can barely contain his grin.
Do-shik’s enthusiastic generosity gives Woo-hyul the realization that Do-shik’s carrying a torch for In-hae — which means he just needs to play wingman for them. Yessss, matchmaker Woo-hyul! When Do-shik visits for a house tour, Woo-hyul takes the chance to ask him for his thoughts on In-hae. Do-shik admits that their cohabitation bothers him, since In-hae is “a woman he wishes to protect,” and Woo-hyul looks simultaneously satisfied yet miffed by the answer. Hee, do I smell a whiff of jealousy?
Meanwhile, Hae-won has her sights on the mansion, musing that something about it keeps drawing her in. Since In-hae isn’t selling the property, Hae-won offers to invest in the guesthouse. That leads to Hae-won paying the mansion a visit, right as In-hae and Woo-hyul return home from a neighborhood night patrol. Woo-hyul instantly recognizes Hae-won/Hae-sun, and he stops short in his tracks, utterly stricken. Then he’s rushing forward, centuries of longing surging forth as he envelops her in a hug.
Oh no, that’s going to be difficult to explain, and even harder to work through. Woo-hyul has carried his love and his grief for so long, centering all his decisions around Hae-sun. With their relationship forming such a significant part of his identity, it won’t be easy for him to separate his memory of Hae-sun from the present Hae-won.
For now, Hae-won remains an enigma, but her fascination with the mansion seems to hint at a connection to the past. Does it feel familiar to her because she was Hae-sun, or did she play some other role in Woo-hyul’s history? Either way, I’m inclined to be wary of her in the present, given that she’s supposedly business partners with the impudent vampire Man-hwi.
Also, two weeks ago I thought I was safe from second lead syndrome, but I think I’m about to eat my words. Do-shik is so respectful and considerate, and it’s so heartwarming to see him always putting In-hae first and respecting her boundaries. “I want you to be happier than anyone else, because you deserve it” — if that is everything to him, how can I not swoon?
If this were any other drama, Do-shik would be a perfect male lead, but unfortunately the competition of a suave yet bumbling vampire is a little too stiff here. Do-shik may be the umbrella that shields In-hae from the rain, but Woo-hyul is like the warm chicken soup she didn’t even realize she needed. As much as In-hae and Woo-hyul may bicker and butt heads, their actions clearly show that they care for each other. Proximity makes the heart grow fonder, right?