Oh boy, I’ve been waiting for the day when our dinner mates admit that it’s about more than food, and that day is finally here! These two are so cute, as they try to figure out what their new relationship means and how to act around each other, not to mention how to work together. Meanwhile, there’s danger looming closer by the day, so our protagonists are going to need each other to lean on more than they can imagine.
EPISODE 19
Hae-kyung tells Do-hee that he knows her, name or not, which makes her quietly cry. He gently wipes away her tears, then pulls her head to his shoulder to comfort her. He says he’s the kind of person who’s true to their feelings, “So I hope you won’t think of anyone but me.”
Surprised, Do-hee pops up and yelps that he should be telling her to think about herself. Hae-kyung says he’s decided to be a good son, explaining that his mother advised him to live boldly. Do-hee says that she probably meant to be bold and loyal to his desires… then realizes that oops, that is what it means.
Hae-kyung holds out a hand and asks Do-hee if she can just say yes, and only think of him. Slowly taking his hand, Do-hee admits that she crossed this line a long time ago. Hae-kyung says he knows, joking that it was hard to pretend to be clueless, referring to her slip during their camping trip.
Hae-kyung tells her cheekily that it was cute, making Do-hee gulp her wine in self-defense. He asks if she really wants to get drunk, leaning in veeeery close to get across his meaning. Do-hee stammers about the stew he made and asks for more, and because Hae-kyung knows she’s a giant ball of nerves, he gets her seconds.
While Hae-kyung cleans up, Do-hee asks if food therapy really works. He says that for some people, it’s comforting to have someone cook a delicious meal just for them. Do-hee says he’s good at his job (Hae-kyung preens adorably) and tells him that today could have been awful.
Meanwhile, Jae-hyuk sits in his car after Do-hee’s firm rejection, punching his steering wheel in fury. When he gets a call from No-eul, he pulls himself together and meets her at the studio. No-eul asks how Jae-hyuk knows Geon-woo, so he fibs that they’re close friends.
He changes the subject to Do-hee, saying that she’s upset because of a misunderstanding. No-eul asks how he’s so sure of how Do-hee feels, and he says darkly, “I know Do-hee best.” No-eul seems a bit unsettled, but she says that she thinks she knows Hae-kyung best, too, and that she believes he genuinely likes Do-hee.
Jae-hyuk asks if she’s going to give up, but she says that she’s still fighting and that it’s a fair game where she and Do-hee are on the same level. Jae-hyuk wonders which is more important: to play fair, or to win.
Hae-kyung and Do-hee go for a walk, and Hae-kyung boldly takes Do-hee’s hand, then grins like the cutest of all the cute things. Do-hee asks why he’s giggling and he says he feels shy, and Do-hee admits that she does, too. She thinks to herself that Hae-kyung has always felt comforting, from the very beginning.
In bed that night, Do-hee flips through her pictures of the meals they’ve shared together, laughing at her memories of “Jeju Granny.” She had thought that she had to eat alone to have a perfect meal, but now she thinks she may have been wrong, as she shows her pictures to Penguin.
While No-eul stays up late pacing, distressed by Jae-hyuk’s words, Jae-hyuk himself looks up Hae-kyung’s clinic online. He seems upset, pounding the keyboard and muttering that this is all “that jerk’s” fault.
In the morning, Do-hee notices that Ajusshi/Keanu isn’t at the convenience store like usual. An employee tells her that he hasn’t been there in a while, though his little table set-up (he’s got his own office chair, hee) is still there.
When Hae-kyung gets to work, Byung-jin is waiting to pepper him with questions about Do-hee — specifically, why he trash-talked her then left the gathering alone with her last night. He demands to know what kind of relationship they have, and Hae-kyung looks through the clinic’s kitchen for the pointiest knife to poke him with.
Ah-young also goes to the convenience store looking for Keanu, with no luck. We see that he’s hiding behind a tree, deliberately avoiding her and looking unhappy about it.
At 2N Box, No-eul hints on-air about a special guest for tomorrow’s show. Afterward, Do-hee summons So-ra, Jung-hwan, and Jin-kyu to the meeting room to tell them that their show, Have My Heart, won’t happen because she might kill Jae-hyuk if she has to do a show with him.
Ah-young sticks her head in and barks at Do-hee to come to her office. As soon as she gets there, Ah-young orders her out again, ha. Do-hee asks if something happened, then whines that she’ll make another show with a great theme.
Ah-young starts ranting randomly, then admits to Do-hee, “I think I got dumped by the homeless guy.” Do-hee muses that confessing to a homeless guy might be even worse than getting dumped by one, then tells Ah-young that it’s not like her to give up after one failure.
No-eul interrupts them, having heard about Do-hee’s plan to cancel Have My Heart. She argues that she’s already dropped breadcrumbs about it for her viewers, and she says she’s fine with doing it without Jae-hyuk because she’s there for Hae-kyung.
She adds that she doesn’t want to spoil her work over personal feelings, an obvious jab at Do-hee. Ah-young agrees that the show must go on, and tells No-eul that they’ll let her know later whether Jae-hyuk will be involved. No-eul tells Do-hee that she should be able to work with Jae-hyuk if she truly has no feelings for him, and oooooooh, if looks could kill.
Byung-jin is confronted by an angry former patient who wants his records altered to show that he’s not crazy (as he holds Byung-jin over his head and threatens to burn the place down). Byung-jin reminds Hae-kyung about the guy, Jin-seob, who he treated five years ago after he consumed pesticide in a suicide attempt.
Now he’s trying to get married through an international service, but he was denied because of his medical history. Calmer now, Jin-seob tells Hae-kyung that his mother almost died when he tried to kill himself. Hae-kyung says that it was Jin-seob’s courage that saved both himself and his mother, but he also explains that mental issues can relapse like any other illness, which is why he was denied.
He assures Jin-seob that this doesn’t mean he’ll be single forever, and he promises to help however he can, though he can’t change Jin-seob’s counseling history or claim that he’s cured. He asks for some time to think of a plan, and Jin-seob nearly topples Hae-kyung over when he grabs onto his legs in gratitude, awww.
Geon-woo watches incredulously as Jae-hyuk slams shot after shot of soju at a pojangmacha, distraught that Do-hee discovered his lies about his family. Geon-woo asks why Jae-hyuk lied to someone he loved, and Jae-hyuk slurs that he didn’t want to lie.
He asks Geon-woo if it’s his fault he got kicked out of his house without a penny, and he says that Do-hee was his only hope when he wanted to die. In flashback, we see a college-aged Jae-hyuk on the phone (with his father?) being ordered not to come home. Just then, Do-hee had approached him with an invitation to lunch, and Jae-hyuk had latched onto her as some sort of savior.
Geon-woo says gently that people’s feelings change and Do-hee doesn’t love him anymore, so it’s time to move on. He tells Jae-hyuk, “Unwanted love isn’t real love, it’s violence.” Jae-hyuk lunges across the table to grab his collar, but luckily Geon-woo is bigger and sober, and he easily waves Jae-hyuk away.
Jae-hyuk starts sobbing pitifully about how much he loves Do-hee, and he admits that he knows she doesn’t love him anymore. He sniffs that he needs to come back to his senses, and he asks Geon-woo for one last favor. I… don’t trust this.
Geon-woo calls Hae-kyung to join him and Jae-hyuk, who is passed out cold. Jae-hyuk rouses and Hae-kyung tells him to come to the office if he wants counseling. Jae-hyuk asks belligerently if Hae-kyung can cure his broken heart, but he calms down and whines, “My Do-hee… my Do-hee… don’t hurt her. She’s already gone through so much because of me.”
Hae-kyung sits and he and Jae-hyuk start racing shots. Finally Geon-woo snaps at them to just have a fistfight and get it over with, and Jae-hyuk is up for it, except that he loses his balance from one feeble swing and falls to the pavement. Hae-kyung leaves Geon-woo to deal with him.
EPISODE 20
The next day, 2N Box gets ready for Have My Heart. Geon-woo asks Do-hee to speak privately, and she barks that it better not be about Jae-hyuk, which it totally is. Geon-woo asks her to have pity on him, because she was his only hope when he wanted to die. He says that Jae-hyuk wants to get over her but needs some time, but Do-hee retorts that it’s too late.
Do-hee is all business when Hae-kyung arrives at the office, which makes him feel a bit awkward around her. He texts her from the green room and she says they should keep their relationship lowkey for now. He asks if he’s an embarrassment to her, and she replies that it’s just that her personal issues affect the company. He sends back a pouty, “I’ll think about it,” so Do-hee saunters to the green room to cheer him up with some flirty winks.
As soon as the show starts, comments start flooding in with questions about the handsome man next to No-eul. She takes advantage and asks him on a date on-air, so he politely says he’s seeing someone, and No-eul notices the grin he sends Do-hee’s way.
While giving advice to a viewer, Hae-kyung says that cooking for someone is the most selfless act of love, and No-eul gets annoyed when he smiles at Do-hee again. She retorts that she recalls him saying that eating together is the most selfless act of love, and there’s an awkward pause as he remembers saying that to her in a moment of intimacy.
The viewers pick up on it and No-eul reads their comments about how they seem like a couple in a fight. Hae-kyung stammers that it’s not true, but No-eul interrupts, saying that they used to be in love. Everyone but No-eul squirms uncomfortably, but the shows viewer number skyrockets, and comments flood in about how this makes the show more interesting.
The show is a raving success, earning over ten million hearts by the end of the episode. Hae-kyung abruptly excuses himself and No-eul follows to ask him out to eat to celebrate, but as soon as he sees Do-hee, he walks away from No-eul without another thought.
He tells Do-hee that he’ll have to take her home after dinner because he’s going to the hospital to see Writer Lee. Hesitantly, Do-hee asks if she can accompany him, and he seems pleased that she wants to go. The elevator door opens, and Jae-hyuk is standing there (there’s nothing about his manner that’s threatening, in fact he looks very meek, but it’s somehow still scary).
He asks Do-hee for a few minutes, and he apologizes and promises not to bother Do-hee anymore. He tells her that he’s going back to the U.S. when this project is over and asks for a chance to end things nicely, and since Geon-woo already vouched for Jae-hyuk wanting to let her go, she agrees. Jae-hyuk watches her walk away, then quirks this slow, creepy smile ~shudder~
Later when Hae-kyung and Do-hee go to the hospital, No-eul is already in Writer Lee’s room. Hae-kyung introduces Do-hee as the producer of his and No-eul’s show, and Do-hee recalls at the last second that when she first met Writer Lee, when she was drunk, she’d claimed that her name was Lee Moon-jung.
But she tells Writer Lee her real name, and Writer Lee only says she’s been curious about Do-hee since Hae-kyung said she was his girlfriend. Do-hee gives Writer Lee the flowers she brought, and No-eul tells her that “Mother” prefers roses. Wow, that was snarky even for you, No-eul.
Do-hee lets Writer Lee know that she’s a big fan, then she and Hae-kyung leave. Hae-kyung stops in the doorway to say to No-eul, “We need to talk,” and she replies defensively, “I told you I was selfish.” She goes back to Writer Lee, who says that she’s only making things harder, and repeats that she doesn’t like No-eul because they’re too similar.
When they pull up to Do-hee’s building, she invites Hae-kyung for some ramyun (RAWR! No literally, we actually hear a wolf howling, ha). His anticipation turns into a sulk when he finds himself sitting at the convenience store with a bowl of instant ramyun.
They spot Keanu back at his table, and Hae-kyung is surprised that Do-hee knows him. They watch, riveted, as Ah-young rushes to Keanu, and he says dramatically that he can’t tell her where he’s been. Keanu explains that he’s not in a position to be dating, so Ah-young holds out a hand for him to shake, then pulls him into her arms.
She tells him not to make excuses, but he says that she’ll be disappointed when she learns who he truly is. Undaunted, Ah-young pulls Keanu in for a kiss… only to break apart at the sound of Do-hee’s applause, lol.
Hae-kyung drags Keanu away and asks how he knows Do-hee, specifically about Do-hee and Jae-hyuk, so Keanu confesses that Jae-hyuk used to be his patient. He says that Jae-hyuk was denied affection as a child, causing him to grow up needy and obsessive, especially about Do-hee.
Keanu says that he already knew Do-hee, but he didn’t realize that she’s the girl Jae-hyuk talked about until he saw Jae-hyuk in the neighborhood. Hae-kyung asks what else he knows, but Keanu insists that that’s all.
Meanwhile, Do-hee teases Ah-young about her relationship with Keanu. Ah-young tells Do-hee that she plans to take Keanu to her place tonight for “ramyun.” The guys rejoin them and Hae-kyung invites everyone for a drink, but Do-hee says she wants to be alone with him and Ah-young leads Keanu to her car, not giving him a choice, hee.
Hae-kyung walks Do-hee to her building and sarcastically thanks her for the actual ramyun (this joke will never get old!). Do-hee asks if that’s all, so he goes in for a hug, and he admits that he thought about insisting on coming inside. He jokes that his doctorate in psychology is useless, then he steps close again, and Do-hee closes her eyes in anticipation.
Aaand… he kisses her on the forehead. Seriously?? He laughs at Do-hee’s flustered reaction, making her pout at him and run inside in embarrassment. Look at the way he smiles with his eyes as he watches her go — he’s a complete goner.
Do-hee draws a cute little cartoon of the two of them on her calendar to mark their first day of dating. She sends a picture of it to Hae-kyung, who grins like a doofus and makes it his phone wallpaper. They need to stop, I can’t handle all this cute!
The next day, Jae-hyuk joins Hae-kyung and No-eul on camera for the second episode of Have My Heart. No-eul continues to behave towards Hae-kyung in a way that seems overly familiar, which of course makes the viewers wonder if this is a show about a love triangle, and she keeps flicking her eyes at Do-hee to make sure she’s seeing it.
This episode is about desserts and how they make you feel. Jae-hyuk says that he likes cake because the woman he used to love liked cake. He sends Do-hee the saddest puppydog eyes as he digs into a piece of strawberry shortcake with his fork.
He puts it in his mouth, and Do-hee screams, “NO!” She runs to him, ignoring the fact that the show is still on air, and grabs his wrist. They lock eyes as everyone stares at them in shock.
COMMENTS
So, it’s not a huge leap to assume that Jae-hyuk is allergic to strawberries, which is why Do-hee had such a strong reaction to his eating the cake. I am also allergic to strawberries, and let me tell you, it’s nothing to mess with. Even a small bite can send someone with an allergy to the hospital, so if this is the case, Do-hee’s reaction is entirely understandable. Jae-hyuk may be a stalker or worse, but that doesn’t mean she wants to see him risking his life.
Having said that, I still don’t believe for a second that this new, meek-and-repentant Jae-hyuk is genuine… it’s all just another tactic to get Do-hee back (go look up “Cycle of Abuse” if you have a minute, it’s all there). This is just more of Jae-hyuk using manipulation to get what he wants. Geon-woo said that “unwanted love isn’t real love, it’s violence,” and because Jae-hyuk seems sick, it’s getting more and more likely that his emotional violence is turning to physical violence. He’s already put No-eul in harm’s way (it would have taken very little to foil his plan to “rescue” her from the falling fixture), and now he’s performing self-harm in order to gain Do-hee’s sympathy and guilt. If Jae-hyuk isn’t stopped, it won’t be long before he does something to Hae-kyung, and when that doesn’t work and Do-hee still doesn’t want him, she’ll become his target.
Whatever happened to Jae-hyuk to make him disappear for five years, he’s still stuck in the past while Do-hee has moved on. What Jae-hyuk feels now isn’t real love, and can’t be, because Do-hee is five years older, five years more experienced at dating, and five years more mature than the person he knew. She’s outgrown him, so his insistence that he still loves her truly isn’t love, as Geon-woo says, but unwanted attacks from someone that Do-hee wants to forget. His whole act about how he’s going to let her go and just needs time is just that — an act.
I still find No-eul pretty boring, and I’ve decided that it’s not because of Sohn Na-eun’s acting. She’s actually doing fine, it’s just that No-eul as a character is boring. All she does is lurk around making bitchy comments and imposing her presence on people who don’t want her around, as if all she has to do is stand around long enough and Hae-kyung will suddenly want her back. At least Jae-hyuk takes action! But No-eul doesn’t even do anything so that I can at least hate her, other than repeating over and over again that she’s selfish. In fact, can she stop saying that now? WE GET IT. And anyway, selfishness is no excuse for throwing yourself at someone who’s dating someone else. You don’t just get to do whatever you want with no consequences because you admit to being selfish. I’m just tired of her… she needs to either fade away into the background, or step up and DO something to make herself interesting.
On a lighter note, I didn’t think anything could be cuter than Hae-kyung and Do-hee pretending not to like each other, but I was wrong. They’re even more adorable now that it’s out in the open. I love when they get so shy with each other, then admit that they’re shy, then act goofy together — it’s just so relatable! And I love how the show handles the usual rom-com awkward moments by calling them out, like when Hae-kyung kissed Do-hee on the forehead, and instead of pretending like this is normal behavior for two grown-ass adults who are dating, they hang a lantern on it and make jokes about it.
I also like that the show has seemed to switch the tropes for Hae-kyung and Do-hee. It’s refreshing the way Hae-kyung always seems a little off-balance around Do-hee, since that’s how I’m used to seeing the rom-com heroine behave. But Do-hee is the calm-but-damaged alpha who tries to keep some distance, while Hae-kyung is all twitterpated and never seems to know quite what to do with himself. I know they’ll eventually settle into something more comfortable, but watching them try to figure out how all the corners fit together is just the cutest thing, and it makes all of the other annoying and scary stuff worth it.