So much squee! With boys pursuing her at every turn, our sweet heroine remains as meek as ever, and surprised by the attention. To her credit, she’s honest with herself, and others, about the hero that holds her heart. But with competition and misunderstandings abounding, will they ever have a chance?
EPISODES 7-8 WEECAP
I don’t know about you, but I almost didn’t make it through the two-week hiatus. But, we’re back this week, and the silver lining is that we get to enjoy the True Beauty live watch for just a little bit longer. And they make up for it this week — we’ve got more silly drama references, accidental couple shirts, lake dunks, sudden fevers, a handy lie detector game, and other good stuff. *rubs hands together gleefully*
We didn’t get to see the conclusion of the epic noraebang fight, but we open our episodes this week in their aftermath. School punishments are given, letters of apology are demanded, and our cast of characters is as full of group spirit (and cuteness) as ever. If there’s a consequence of the noraebang fiasco, though, it’s an increase in crush factors across the board.
There isn’t a reason on earth for Joo-kyung not to be falling for Soo-ho (could he be more perfect?!), but the flashback we see of Soo-ho offering a comforting handhold to Joo-kyung as he took her home in a taxi after the fight — that tender moment really sealed the deal. Or at least Joo-kyung thought so. Why does Soo-hoo seem so standoffish (and tired) all of a sudden? Turns out he’s been 24/7 stalking Joo-kyung’s “kidnapper,” eventually forcing him to apologize to her. Gotta love a knight in shining armor!
If Joo-kyung’s crush on Soo-ho is growing, his crush on her is doing the same — but neither of them know it yet. Every time Joo-kyung thinks she’s sure he likes her, another misunderstanding crops up, and most of them this week are due to Soo-jin.
I’m glad to see more of Soo-jin’s story this week, even if it means a bit of plot mayhem. Soo-jin’s long been Soo-ho’s only friend, but it’s becoming clear that she likes him quite a bit. Again, who can blame her? He’s protective of her, sensitive to her emotions, aware of her abusive father, and ready to give comfort. (See: Perfect K-drama Hero).
But poor Joo-kyung catches all the wrong moments between these two, and between misunderstanding, and not being able to believe that Soo-ho actually likes her, she does what many other girls in her situation would do: avoid him.
Speaking of massive crushes, star high school baseball player RYU HYUNG-JIN (Jung Geon-joo in another great bit of Extraordinary You meta) turns up this week, and is smitten with Joo-kyung at first sight. He’s got bravado, a sexy satoori accent, and he’s not shy about pursuing Joo-kyung in maximum heart-flutter mode.
It’s random, but it does the job in the plot: both Soo-ho and Seo-joon go nuts when they see this. Competing between each other was one thing, but this third party is unthinkable lol. Of course, theirs is the real rivalry, and their broken bromance is one for the books. I enjoy their interactions so much, whether it’s the moments of friendship that happen by accident, or the charged stare-downs. Or, you know, fighting it out in a fluffy field.
There’s nothing I’m not enjoying about this show, so it’s not a criticism when I say that the plot is quite loose, and often feels like it’s just there to further everyone’s crushes and confusion. In this sense, the drama does feel like it’s taken elements from the webtoon and then stitched them together into a drama with a slightly tighter narrative structure (and conclusion, unlike the ongoing webtoon).
However, True Beauty does this without feeling episodic (score!), so even though the events are a bit strung together — mall shopping, baseball games, studying sessions, and class trips — they still create a satisfying arc for our characters, and the wider story.
The aforementioned school trip takes up most of Episode 8, and like so many dramas before it (and I’m thinking of Extraordinary You again), take the kids out of the classroom, and all the hijinks go up a notch. This is also where the rivalry between Soo-ho and Seo-joon starts to hit the fan — because of all the crushes that intensify this week, we can’t forget Seo-joon’s. He realizes, confirms, and then confirms again, that he genuinely likes Joo-kyung — gasp! He’s adorably horrified at himself…and is totally head over heels.
All the competition makes Soo-ho determined to confess, and after a few failed attempts, Soo-ho finally lands the best confession scene around: rescuing the girl in a moment of distress, saying he likes her, and then leaning in for a kiss. Yay! Extra points because she’s makeup-less and discombobulated in this scene. In other words, the drama is really telling us that like the famous meme line, Soo-ho sees no difference.
This first kiss squee for Soo-ho and Joo-kyung, though, is balanced with some disappointment for Seo-joon. Even though he’s positioned as an equally viable suitor, and is just as good at caring for Joo-kyung as Soo-ho is, Joo-kyung doesn’t seem to see him like that. She treats him like a brother, makes him try on prospective lip color, and even bawls in his face that she like Soo-ho.
Boy, True Beauty really knows how to do rivalry and love triangles for maximum fun and entertainment. I’m enjoying the temperature of this triangle so much — it’s playful and light-handed enough that I can enjoy all sides of it.
When Soo-ho is shooting off his death/love stares, planning his confession, and generally acting like princecharming.com, I can’t help but swoon too. He’s so clearly got a heart of gold, and eyes only for Joo-kyung, that I’m surprised only Seo-joon and Tae-hoon have realized it.
And then there’s Seo-joon. Much like with Soo-ho, when he’s onscreen, I can’t help but squee over his teasing ways with Joo-kyung, his scruffy magnificence, and his textbook smitten boys moves (that bus scene, gah!).
But when both boys are onscreen together competing for her? It’s the stuff that dramas are made of — and this drama knows how it’s done. Who’s more grumpy? Who’s more swoony? Is it bad to have a foot on both ships? That’s how much fun I’m having.