Things are finally starting to turn around for our supposedly ill-fated couple. They’re able to experience a normal (well, their version of normal) life and romance. On top of that, they’ve got the big brother to complete their makeshift family. Nothing can knock them down… except, that is, a certain butterfly.
EPISODE 12: “Romeo and Juliet”
At the mansion, Kang-tae wakes up late and finds Moon-young and Sang-tae in the dining room, already hard at work on her next book. Kang-tae mentions that it’s his day off, wanting to spend time with them, but they’re too busy arguing over ideas to listen.
Kang-tae trudges back to his room and calls Jae-soo instead, asking if he wants to hang out. Jae-soo is still upset that Kang-tae called him his #3, and he rants that Kang-tae can’t just use him willy-nilly. But when Kang-tae insists that he likes Jae-soo more than Moon-young and Sang-tae, Jae-soo happily invites him to his restaurant.
At the apartment building, Sang-in’s about to leave to visit his parents. He tells Joo-ri that his father was hospitalized, and Seung-jae immediately calls him out on lying. He’s actually going because his father makes him go on blind dates every month. Either way, before leaving, he promises to call Joo-ri sometime.
Over at the pizza place, admiring women are gawking at Kang-tae. Seeing that Kang-tae is obviously bummed, Jae-soo snaps a photo and sends it to Moon-young, along with the message, “Dear Ms. Go Moon-young, just like how ants are drawn to sweets, lots of women are getting ready to hit on my lonesome friend Kang-tae.”
LOL, in no time, Moon-young is speeding down the highway and cursing that she’s going to kill those ants. She comes into the pizza place and claims her spot at Kang-tae’s table. And to make even more of a point, she drags a knife across a plate.
Meanwhile, at OK Hospital, Director Oh calls Nurse Park in to ask why she already cleared Ok-ran’s bed. Nurse Park says that they might as well since runaways rarely come back. Director Oh insists that they don’t do the same with Dae-hwan even though he’s terminally ill.
Back at the pizza place, there are little kids running around, making Moon-young huff that she hates kids. She doesn’t like that they’re unreasonable, that they whine, and that they beg for love. But Kang-tae likes them for those exact reasons; it makes them enduring, like her.
“I’m not having your kids,” she firmly states, making him choke on his drink. “I don’t want to be jealous of my child.” To that, he urges her to lean in, and when she does (expecting a kiss), he flicks her forehead. Not everyone can be a mother, he says.
Sang-tae returns to OK, and Director Oh is delighted to have him back. Sang-tae is still upset about the mural, though, so Director Oh stresses that he can’t keep running from the butterflies. Besides, he says, not all butterflies are scary; in Greek culture, butterflies even symbolize “cure.”
Director Oh suggests he and Sang-tae work together to get over this fear of butterflies. And though Sang-tae still seems unsure, he’s slightly reassured with the word “cure.”
In the car, Kang-tae asks Moon-young about her new story. She says that it centers around her and the brothers travelling in a camping car, and that they meet others even stranger than they are. She goes no further since she’d be going into spoilers. Kang-tae: “I’d like it if it had a happy ending.” Moon-young: “Me too.”
The couple stop by the supermarket for groceries, since Moon-young burned all their bread at breakfast. Having thought about it, Moon-young announces that she’d be okay with having a son as long as it looked like Kang-tae. She’s talking way too loud and embarrassing him, so he puts an end to that conversation.
At home, while they’re putting the food away, Moon-young puts her arms around Kang-tae and won’t let go. “When are we going to start using the same bedroom?” she says into his ear. (Rawr.) They hear Sang-tae coming in, so Kang-tae promises to talk about it later to make her let go.
Later that night, at the apartment, Joo-ri is trying and failing to read Moon-young’s book because she keeps glancing at her phone. Seung-jae comes in, faking a phone call with Sang-in, and she smiles mischievously to see that Joo-ri is clearly affected.
Kang-tae heads over to Moon-young’s room, and he opens the door to her lying on the bed in a sexy position. He just tells her to move it to the table so they can talk. They make a deal, for Kang-tae to drink whenever he brings up his brother and for Moon-young to drink whenever she swears.
Cut to: A red-cheeked Moon-young cursing on the floor. She pulls Kang-tae down and snuggles up to him, sighing that she’s sooo happy he and Sang-tae are here with her. Eventually, when she falls asleep, he gets her into bed and sweetly kisses her goodnight.
Kang-tae goes downstairs to leave Sang-tae’s new art supplies on his desk. That’s when something catches his eye… a letter tucked under the easel. Upon opening it, he’s so shocked that he falls into the chair. Inside is a butterfly, along with a note that reads, “I will come for you soon.”
We see that Ok-ran left the letter there when she was wandering around the mansion. And now, realizing that Ok-ran knows about the butterflies, Kang-tae is reeling. He goes upstairs, peeking into his room to see Sang-tae sleeping peacefully. And then he crushes the butterfly in his fist.
The next day, Pil-wong gets his day out, and Director Oh and Jung-tae see him off. Watching Pil-wong leave, they both figure he’s just going to ride the bus and come back. Jung-tae admits that he heard Pil-wong’s whole story, and he can’t believe that such a sweet man could’ve killed so many people in war.
Kang-tae is still in a daze that morning, until Sang-tae comes around and says that he’s nervous for today’s counseling. Sang-tae wants to believe that butterflies symbolize “cure,” but what if his butterfly returns? Then they’ll have to move again.
Kang-tae takes Sang-tae’s hand and says, “Hyung, let’s stop running away.” Even if the butterfly returns, Kang-tae will be sure to protect him. Sang-tae insists that the big brother shouldn’t hide behind the little brother, but Kang-tae says it’s okay — after all, Kang-tae’s been hiding behind Sang-tae his whole life.
At work, Kang-tae is approached by Nurse Park, who shows him a razor she found in the patients’ room. She tells him to do a thorough search for more dangerous items, since Cha-yong did so poorly. And the way she smiles at him is starting to creep me out; the fan theories are getting to me…
As Kang-tae is clearing out the room, finding multiple items, he finds a picture frame hidden inside one of the drawers. It’s a family portrait of young Moon-young and her parents, the glass broken where her mother’s face should be.
Nurse Park also gets to Joo-ri, who’s still waiting for Sang-in’s phone call, and tells her to take Dae-hwan out on a walk. Joo-ri guides Dae-hwan through the garden and then has him rest on a bench. There, he asks, mostly to himself, “Will I die soon? Have I been punished enough?”
When Pil-wong takes the bus back to the hospital (he really did just ride the bus for his day out), he bumps into Sang-tae. Pil-wong asks how the mural is going, and Sang-tae explains his butterfly problem. To that, Pil-wong encourages him by saying, “Don’t let the past trap you, or you’ll end up like me.” If he’s trapped, Sang-tae wonders, can’t he just open a door and get out? But no, Pil-wong says that he can never get out once he’s trapped.
They’re nearing the hospital, when the bus passes by a construction site. Hearing the harsh sounds of the jackhammer, Pil-wong is reminded of the sounds of gunshots during war. He starts having a panic attack, feeling as if he’s back in the warzone, and the other passengers have no idea how to react. Thankfully, Sang-tae comes to the rescue by wrapping his jacket around Pil-wong, holding him close, and telling him that he’s safe.
Pil-wong is taken back to the hospital, and Sang-tae lends him his copy of The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares. But Pil-wong is inconsolable, crying that he killed so many innocent people. He believes he shouldn’t be alive after everything he’s done.
Sang-tae later joins Director Oh in his office, along with Kang-tae. And Kang-tae is so proud to hear what his brother did on the bus. Kang-tae’s even more proud, but nervous, when his brother claims that he doesn’t want to run away anymore — he’s ready to talk about that memory.
Sang-tae squeezes his eyes shut and lets it all out: It was late, and Sang-tae and his mom were walking home. Sang-tae ran off to chase a cat, and when he returned, he witnessed a woman stabbing his mom’s throat with a fountain pen. The woman said, “I didn’t get to say this earlier. It’s me who will take care of my child.”
The woman noticed Sang-tae, making Mom grab for her ankle. But the woman simply shook her off and approached him. She caressed his hair, saying in a gentle yet menacing voice that she would kill him if he said anything. To his silence, she gripped his hair and yelled for him to answer. Shaking, he nodded and then ran away.
Sang-tae concludes that the woman was wearing a butterfly on her clothes, which is new information for Kang-tae. Sang-tae describes it as a baby butterfly over a mom butterfly… and Kang-tae’s heart sinks. Because in the family picture he found earlier, Moon-young’s mom was wearing a brooch exactly like that.
Kang-tae wanders off to an empty hallway, his conversations with Moon-young — about them being destiny, about wanting a happy ending — echoing in his head. It’s all too much for him, and he pounds his fist against the wall over and over.
Outside in the garden, Moon-young sits down with Joo-ri. Moon-young asks how long her father has, and Joo-ri sadly states that he could go tomorrow. Joo-ri suggests that when she has time, they take her father out for a walk.
“Joo-ri,” Moon-young says, absolutely no snark in her voice. “I don’t want to do that.” And, for the first time, Joo-ri looks at her with understanding.
Moon-young then heads inside, to the kitchen, and finds Sang-tae with Joo-ri’s mom. Soon, Moon-young and Sang-tae are bickering (as is their new routine), and Mom notes that they’re like a real family now.
Ever stubborn, Sang-tae argues that they’re not a real family since they don’t share the same surname. Moon-young retorts that the name doesn’t have to determine that; if they want to become a real family, the only proof they need is a family portrait.
Moon-young goes into the locker room to pick up Kang-tae, who’s currently bandaging his hand. She demands to know who hurt him, and he numbly says that he did it himself. Sensing something’s wrong, she asks if he’s mad at her, but he lies that he’s just tired. He tells her to go home without him, since he’s working the night shift.
But first, she wants to tell him about her plans for a family portrait. She badgers him to do it with her and Sang-tae tomorrow, unaware that she’s pushing him over the edge. He finally yells, “Leave!” and stuns her silent. He begs her again, quieter, to go, so without another word, she walks out. Only then does he break, crying his heart out.
Later, at home, an excited Sang-tae is practicing his smile for the photoshoot, while Moon-young is sulking over Kang-tae’s outburst. Moon-young calls Jae-soo over to see if he has any answers — he has to since he’s Kang-tae’s best friend.
But Jae-soo merely says that the reason he’s been able to be with Kang-tae for so long is because he never pried. Kang-tae was never the type to reveal his feelings, so all Jae-soo could do was comfort him quietly. How can they know what he’s feeling when even parents don’t know how their kids feel?
Long after Kang-tae’s shift is over, he sits in the hospital classroom in the dark. In front of him, on the chalkboard, the words “Romeo and Juliet” are still there from today’s class. He walks over and moves to erase it, remembering when Moon-young compared them to the fictional couple, but he can’t bring himself to.
Passing by, Director Oh sees Kang-tae and joins him inside. Eyes downcast, Kang-tae forces himself to say the words out loud — that he thinks the butterfly who killed his mom is Moon-young’s mom. He hopes it’s not true, but really, he just wishes he’d stayed in the dark.
Kang-tae: Isn’t it too cruel? I was beginning to feel like I could finally breathe a little. I was finally starting to get the urge to live just like everyone else. Because of that damn butterfly, I’ve had to crawl and suffer all these years. But how could that butterfly be her mom? I wanted to tear that butterfly to shreds if I ever met it, but I can’t even do that anymore.
Kang-tae breaks down crying, saying he feels so guilty when he thinks of his mom and brother. He told Sang-tae that he would fight the butterfly, that they wouldn’t run away… but right now, all he wants to do is run away.
Kang-tae falls to the ground, and Director Oh comes over to pat him on the back. Kang-tae then says that he hopes Moon-young never finds out, that she never has to suffer like this. He’d rather she not care about others’ feelings and live forever as an empty can.
Afterwards, Kang-tae comes home and watches Moon-young sleep, lightly touching her cheek. He thinks back to last night, when she was drunk and talking about how happy she was. What we didn’t hear was how much she hated the mansion before, because her mom died in it.
Moon-young admitted that her father went crazy and killed her mother, locked her up in the basement. But after that, she said, her mother’s body vanished, so she has no idea if she’s dead or alive.
Kang-tae asked how she would feel if her mother came back, and she murmured that she’d be terrified. “Even so,” she said, “she’s still my mom.”
Now, Kang-tae looks at the ripped family photo Moon-young left on her bedside table. He goes on to his room, where he picks up his own family photo. And looking at his mom, he sheds a tear.
In the morning, Moon-young and Sang-tae get ready for their photoshoot, but Kang-tae won’t even get out of bed. Moon-young doesn’t like seeing Sang-tae so disappointed, so she smiles and takes his hand, saying they can take the picture by themselves.
At the shoot, Sang-tae shows Moon-young the poses he practiced, but they all come out forced. She tells him not to try too hard, to just be the real Moon Sang-tae. With that, the two get in front of the camera, their expressions still somewhat sad.
But then someone walks in — Kang-tae, dressed in the suit they left him. “I’m not too late, am I?” he says, smiling softly. And just like that, Moon-young and Sang-tae smile genuinely. He joins them, and they’re able to take their picture as a whole family.
COMMENTS
*sigh* I’d say I have no more tears to cry, but that’s a bold-faced lie. I have plenty more tears for the next four episodes. I was getting used to our characters being happy, as I’m sure they were, with all the hope building and building. So when that hope was hit with the episode’s tragedy, it easily faltered and came crashing down. I just can’t keep my guard down. And that brings me to the realization as to why everything in this drama hits me so hard: it puts us in Kang-tae’s shoes. Jae-soo may not know how he’s feeling, and Moon-young may not know, but we do. The writing and acting are done in such a way that we are him. When he lets his guard down, I let mine down. When something breaks him, it breaks me. So even though we know certain things before he does, I’m right there with him when he eventually finds out, as if I’m experiencing it for the first time.
There was never a right time for Kang-tae to learn the truth, but man, what horrible timing. The murder itself just sounds so… freaking brutal. Like, how could someone take a person’s life over annoyance? We’re still only getting pieces to the story, but it seems like Kang-tae’s mother was worried for Moon-young, and Moon-young’s mother wasn’t having it. The worst murders, to me, are the ones that didn’t need to happen. The ones that are all about the wrong time with the wrong person. Our couple may be destiny, but why does their destiny have to be so sad? The Romeo and Juliet angle reminds me of another drama that had a couple in a similar situation. I’m not gonna name the drama since it’d be spoiling its story, but if you know it, one of its episodes was also titled “Romeo and Juliet.” (Hint: *hiccup*) The circumstances were different, but still, the female lead’s family did something to ruin the male lead and his brother’s lives. I love/hate this kind of storyline because it hurts, but it hurts so good.
What’s really sad is the fact that Kang-tae is experiencing two different kinds of pain here. He’s dealing with the loss of his mother, but he’s also dealing with the thought of what this could do to Moon-young. He hates what he’s feeling so much that he can’t bear the thought of Moon-young feeling it. That was when I cried the most, when he said that he wanted her to go on uncaring like an empty can. It’s just… arghhh… He’s gotta stop doing this. Again, he’s just absorbing all the pain so that no one else has to suffer, and it’s not healthy. Sometimes, I wanna shake him and say, “Kang-tae-yah, you’re not alone.” He has good people around him, and not just Moon-young. He has his hyung, Jae-soo, Joo-ri, Joo-ri’s mom, and countless other people. I’m at least glad that he had Director Oh with him that night. Honestly, as much as I love the director character and the actor playing him, he’s not the best doctor to be portrayed in a mental health drama. Still, Director Oh genuinely cares about people, and that care was very much needed.
In the end, even though it would’ve been easy, Kang-tae didn’t run away. And that’s what counts. I think he knows what he has with Moon-young, and with Sang-tae, and he refuses to give it up. Because they really are a family now. I was proud of so many people, now that I think about it: Kang-tae for being brave, Sang-tae for saving Pil-wong, Joo-ri for understanding Moon-young. It’s crazy how natural these arcs are. Moon-young, for instance. She treats Sang-tae like he’s really her oppa, and it’s so clear to me that she’s already fallen in love with him too. The truth about the two mothers is sure to hit her twice as hard, as she’s attached to the Moon brothers as well as her parents. (She says she doesn’t care about her mother and father, but they’re still her parents.) I’m not ready for the pain that’s about to come, but hey, I’ve gotten this far, haven’t I? As long as these characters keep holding on, I’ll keep holding on with them. Episode 13, I’ll be waiting.