This episode really doesn't do much to move the plot forward. But you know what? I don't mind that at all, because what we do get is a healthy dose of our OTP realizing their OTP-ness. I think that rainbows and unicorns were liberally sprinkled throughout, but I just didn't notice them with all the adorableness here. Tae Sung, you're winning over my heart.
Warning: Because of all the sweet moments, this is an especially long recap. I just can't help myself in wanting to capture everything.
So Ra wakes up in a fancy bed and tries to figure out where she is and what happened. She has flashbacks of the night before, and gasps when she remembers the kiss. She tries to convince herself it was a dream, but then remembers drinking a whole bottle of champagne.
Tae Sung stopped her from drinking more, but she said she was just trying to sterilize the inside of her mouth. (Yeah, we all believe you.)
Tae Sung fed her some food, then wiped the sauce off her mouth before licking it off his finger. (Is it hot in here, or is it just me?) So Ra creeps out of the bedroom and is amazed by the gorgeous suite. Tae Sung comes out from behind a wall and asks if she slept well. She looks for the kettle, but he says he's already made coffee—or does she just want soju instead? He's already ordered breakfast, "smelly" Korean for her and American for him. She tells him that at least now he won't have to worry about smells that don't suit him.
He tells her to come sit down by him, and she nervously sits waay over in the corner. He brings up last night, and she hurriedly interrupts that drunken kisses don't count. (Nice try, honey, but you didn't drink anything until after the kiss.) He asks why, and she says you can't control yourself when you're drunk. He retorts that either of them may have been born after a drunken night, so are they invalid?
He tells her their contract starts today—for 2 months they have to convince everyone they're married, so they can do the research and win the hotel at the stockholders' meeting. She insists that they sleep in separate rooms and no physical contact is allowed. Tae Sung answers that it's okay with him, "but what if you want. . ." and pulls down the collar of his robe. Rawr. So Ra quickly reassures him that will never happen.
Dad finally gets to realize his lifelong dream of going back to kindergarten. The uncles instruct the teacher that he likes Pororo, and there's a Pikachu doll if things really get rough. Also, this is a lifetime enrollment—there will be no graduation. She agrees and hurriedly gets in the bus. They talk about how lucky Dad is to not have to worry about the fact that So Ra never came home last night.
A black towncar pulls up and some thugs get out, demanding the uncles come with them. They hold out So Ra's boots and explain that they'll take them to where the owner is. The uncles grab them, demanding to know where she is and what they've done to her.
They walk in on So Ra and Tae Sung enjoying breakfast—he's even still in his bathrobe. They immediately go after Tae Sung, who tries to hold them off by reminding them of the punishment for assault. They chase after him until So Ra manages to get their attention by banging pots together. So Ra takes the uncles aside and explains the situation in fast-forward.
Tae Sung waits in his room, and Bandanna comes in to ask him an important question: nothing happened last night, right? "Well, something did happen, but So Ra insisted nothing happened, so in the end we agreed nothing happened." This is confusing enough that Bandanna decides to just keep thinking that nothing happened, but warns him that he'll aaalways be watching.
The next step of the plan is for the uncles to work undercover at the hotel. (Yeah, cuz nobody there knows them.) 2nd Uncle is still unwilling to trust Tae Sung willy-nilly, and stomps out. So Ra wants to chase him down, but Maknae and Bandanna stop her.
Tae Sung goes to Joon Hyuk's office, but he's not there. Joo Hee comes in hoping for some personal time, but he sends her out for coffee. As soon as the door closes behind her, James Bond music starts and Tae Sung starts searching for The List. He sees a nice guitar and decides that Joon Hyuk is too thick for music, so it must be used as a dumbbell. Sadly, Tae Sung doesn't try to use it to discover a hidden talent of his own. :( He finds some files in the desk and photographs them.
Maknae acts as the most suspicious bellhop ever, and his spy uniform comes complete with an earpiece. Bandanna cleans, ducking his head so the thugs won't recognize him.
Tae Sung shows up at the predetermined meeting place, excitedly bragging that he found The List—only to realize that nobody's there. He calls So Ra and the two uncles show up, but So Ra doesn't answer her phone. He tells the uncles that the one shareholder they know has a weakness—his son.
So Ra's left her phone in the truck and is busy hanging a sign on the fish shop explaining that they're closed "due to some circumstances." Could you be any vaguer? (Spell-check says it's a word, I promise.) Joon Hyuk pulls up and asks if they can go talk.
He asks if something's wrong, since they're closing the shop, and she explains that she's moved into the hotel with Tae Sung. However Joon Hyuk perceives their marriage, it's become something real. He rebukes her for standing him up last night—"I waited a really long time." She asks that they be more comfortable with one another, since they'll be seeing each other more often at the hotel.
He sits in stony silence until she asks what's wrong. He says that he thinks Tae Sung gave her an offer she couldn't refuse, but she insists they just decided to try to make things work. She asks what he wanted to talk about, and he says he was going to confess, but Tae Sung beat him to the punch. Tae Sung calls, and she answers by saying she's with Joon Hyuk.
"WHAT? Why are you with that plain lump? You're a married woman! A MARRIED WOMAN!" She hangs up on him, since it doesn't seem like an urgent call. Joon Hyuk tells So Ra that his confession was that he's come to Korea to take over Haeundae Hotel and merge it with his father's chain. If she'll join him, he'll give it over to her (I'm pretty sure there's an implication that she has to marry him too.) He can give her what Tae Sung won't manage in 2 months. She says that she takes her promise to Tae Sung very seriously and leaves.
The two uncles escort a man from the casino, and Tae Sung instructs the casino manager never to let that man back in. Stockholder man is getting a report about his business and finds out that his son has taken more money from the store. Suddenly, his son lands at his feet, and the uncles and Tae Sung tell Stockholder that they'll keep him from gambling. He asks why they're helping him, and So Ra runs up to tell him that she'll be getting rid of the casino. She wants a hotel that builds families, not one that tears them apart. She asks for his help with the other shareholders.
Joon Hyuk sees Se Na struggling on the side of the road and stops. Her heel is stuck in a grate, and he tries to help her, but breaks the heel off in the process. He gives her a ride to buy new shoes and finds out she's a designer. He analyzes her personality based on her shoes and says she'd look good in flats, too. She points out that he's wearing wing tips, and he looks baffled. Apparently he only knows women's shoes. (Maybe he's a drag queen in his free time. But, I guess that would be asking a lot from a kdrama. Haha!) He asks what to buy a woman who wears boots all day and if she'd ever have an opportunity to wear heels, and Se Na tells him that he needs to create the occasion and she'll help with the shoes.
The newly reformed White Sands gang has a run-in with Tam Hee at the hotel. She finally realizes they might be up to something.
Tae Sung drives So Ra around in his new SUV. He mentions that despite her ugliness, her greatest beauty is in her hands. They can massage and acupuncture so people can sleep, they can help comfort someone who gets a shot, and they can help someone without memories by holding tight. Awww, Tae Sung can be romantic! And sweet!
He also presents his shiny new driver's license, complete with his birthday. So Ra notices that the photo came out nice, and he snickers loudly to himself. "I even fall for myself sometimes when I see my picture." Hahaha! He also points out Gwangan Bridge to So Ra, who says it's so pretty she could wear it as a necklace. He asks what that's supposed to mean, and she says it's a figure of speech. What did he do in Korean class? "Well, if I could remember that, I wouldn't be in this situation, rock head." He then wonders what ever happened to 2nd Uncle.
He's at a beauty salon, looking for a job. A customer is complaining about her cut, and he rushes over and offers to restyle for her—to the tune of "Gangnam Style", natch. After a montage of spinning scissors and flying hair, the whole salon bursts into applause at his creation.
So Ra gets a call, and Tae Sung accuses her of liking another man. But it's not Joon Hyuk this time, it's Se Na (still with Joon Hyuk), who wants to meet the groom. (Omo! Does this mean things are going to get crazy up in here? *Sigh* It's probably just another fake-out.) Does this also mean that Joon Hyuk has suspicions about Tae Sung being Se Na's Tae Sung?! Did he have her call?
Tae Sung refuses to go. He asks why So Ra is so doting on this Se Na, and she explains the tragedy of her honeymoon. He decides that she must be really ugly if her husband couldn't be bothered to spend their wedding day together. "It must be 100% true." If you only knew your own story, dude. So Ra insists that she's pretty, so Tae Sung decides her husband wouldn't be able to go to heaven comfortably, then. Lucky for her next man, even if it's not him. This scene is hilarious!
Se Na takes a call and goes into the bathroom just as Tae Sung and So Ra walk in. They sit next to Joon Hyuk, and Tae Sung makes sure to sit between him and So Ra. Joon Hyuk pours them tequilas, and Tae Sung scoff that to him, tequila is like a pale liquor, hardly alcohol at all. He stops So Ra from having any, due to her bad drinking habits. Joon Hyuk tells them about an upcoming yacht party for the hotel (which Tam Hee has kept secret from them), and Tae Sung gets a call from Bandanna. He has to leave, and warns Joon Hyuk to stay away from So Ra, and that she needs to stay away from alcohol.
As he walks out, he passes the restroom as Se Na comes out, and she glimpses him from behind. She pauses momentarily, but tries to brush it off. She sits where he had been and notices the salt "Nam Hae" had crushed for his tequila. "Tae Sung used to do that too, because he doesn't like when the salt is too thick." Joon Hyuk mentions that the name Tae Sung has been coming up a lot lately. (So, I guess no connection yet.)
Se Na notices So Ra's shoes—not boots today—and jokes that she's a shoe addict, since it's all she notices. So Ra says she only notices sashimi places. They ask Joon Hyuk, who pauses before saying So Ra. . .godung (which means conch shell), clams, etc. So Ra isn't convinced.
Tae Sung meets Bandanna and Maknae, who are waiting for one of the shareholders to come out of a building with his newest (and fifth) wife. Just as he comes out and they guys head over, 3 ahjummas run up and attack the couple. I guess you don't mess with ex-wives. The uncles extract the shareholder, leaving his wife in the fray.
The girls get drunk, and Se Na confides that Tae Sung never loved her—it was an arranged marriage. They never went on any trips together, and only watched 2 movies. "But, you know what? When the movie starts, there are two of you, but when it's over, you're alone." (So sad!) Because Tae Sung chased after gangsters all day, Se Na considered becoming one, just to get him to chase her! Joon Hyuk comments that the two women are a lot alike. So Ra says she knows a man like Tae Sung (wow, imagine that!), who's rude, picky, and difficult to get along with. Joo Hee shows up to take Se Na away and asks where Nam Hae is. So Ra revives enough to yell "Tell him not to come! Jerk!" Joon Hyuk takes responsibility for her.
Tae Sung heads back to the bar, but sees a makeup shop and stops (presumably to buy a gift for So Ra). He gets to the bar to see the employees cleaning up. (Wait, a makeup store was still open, but a bar is closed? Is that normal in Korea?) He realizes who So Ra must be with.
So Ra is drunkenly singing and skipping down the street. Joon Hyuk admits that he first saw her when he was in high school on a family vacation to Korea. He supports her until Tae Sung yells at him to remove his hand. Tae Sung grabs So Ra and goes to leave, but Joon Hyuk tells him that he needs to end their fake marriage now, before she gets hurt more. In 2 months, they'll have to end it no matter what, but it's better to do it now.
So Ra wanders off, and Tae Sung chases after her. She talks to an imaginary Tae Sung (he just looks like a cement flowerpot)—from back when he first came to Busan. She says it's the first time she's felt like that too, but he can't like someone like her. She's pitiful, and he will be too, if they're together. She says she met her mother for the first time when she was 17.
He sneaks around the pot and asks in a very deep voice why it was then. She doesn't know, but her mom told her that she hadn't given birth to any such person.
She changes the subject to her hands—they're manly. Joo Hee has beautiful hands, and Se Na's are small and white. But hers are just embarrassing. Tae Sung gets this hurt look on his face when she says that. He catches her on his shoulder as she passes out. "You've taken out a lease on my shoulder, haven't you? What am I supposed to do with you?" He grabs her purse and piggybacks her, but can only find one shoe. Joon Hyuk picks up the other as he watches them leave.
Tae Sung puts unconscious So Ra in her bed and warns her not to drink with that plain lump again. But then he smiles and says that he'll just piggyback her again next time if she does.
She murmurs "mom" and he touches her cheek, but she brushes his hand away. He notices her hand, and paints her fingernails. As she tries to roll over, he grabs tighter so she doesn't smudge her manicure and lies down "to fan you. Don't misunderstand. Go So Ra. Your hands aren't ugly." He repeats what he said earlier about how beautiful her hands are, while fanning and blowing on her nails. The camera pans away to a gorgeous shot of their reflections in the window overlooking Gwangan Bridge.
Joon Hyuk takes So Ra's shoe to Se Na, but refuses to explain anything. She's hesitant to help him out, since she recognizes the shoe, but he tells her that in 2 months everything will be clear.
A nosy maid calls Tam Hee and tells her that she's sure So Ra and Tae Sung use different rooms. They have separate bathrooms and use different toothbrushes and toothpaste. (They should use separate toothbrushes, and I don't see anything wrong with liking different flavors of toothpaste, but whatever. Also, the maid gets a stalkery smile on her face when sniffing Tae Sung's toothbrush. Gross.)
Tam Hee gives Tae Sung and So Ra their daily job—this time it's getting up all the sand from the lobby floor. With tape. It's the bane of the hotel's existence, so it needs to be handled properly. Tae Sung asks why she's bossing his wife around, and she says that they're in this together. So Ra grabs a roll and starts working. He tells her that she'll ruin her hands, but she smiles and says he can just polish them again. They giggle together and adorably
flirt-punch one another. They're like real newlyweds! So cute!
Joo Hee comes and cattily tells So Ra that she needs to be more careful when drinking. Joon Hyuk had to carry her out, and what if hotel employees saw? "It looks to me like you have a lot of problems. Do your best, whether you tough out this marriage or not!" So Ra explains to Tae Sung that she doesn't remember, and anything that happened after she was drunk is invalid, but he only hears "carried by Joon Hyuk" and drags her away to a boutique. He tells the store clerk "I know it's difficult, but make this woman look like a 4 palms length, not a 3. With a high class style." (4 palm lenths is the ideal proportion for a Korean woman.) He takes her to 2nd Uncle's salon and asks for the same treatment.
Tae Sung decides that the way to make So Ra not want to be carried by another man is to give her the biggest necklace in the world. He waits for Gwangan Bridge to light up, then takes a gazillion photos of it. He heads back to the salon, just in time for So Ra to step out all glamified. He can't stop smiling like a fool at how gorgeous she is (honestly, I don't see much difference, because she's always gorgeous, but hey, it fits with the narrative. And his personality.)
They pull up to the marina for the yacht party, and he beams a photo of the bridge to her phone, saying "Look. It's the necklace that lights up the world's biggest and prettiest heart." (Tae Sung, you're earning some serious swoon points this episode.) He warns her not to try to put it on, or she'll break her neck.
They walk into the party, and Joon Hyuk can't keep his jaw off the floor. Tae Sung tries some small talk on him, but his attention and eyes are glued to So Ra. Tam Hee freaks out when she sees them and wonders who told them about this party. Tae Sung answers that it's the perfect opportunity to meet the shareholders and thanks her before going to find them. He warns So Ra that she has 3 minutes to get them food and drinks before joining him. (Not if Joon Hyuk has anything to do with it.)
Joon Hyuk teases a very confused So Ra about her singing the night before, and Se Na walks in. The yacht captain (Christian?) comes to say they'll ship out, and Se Na holds out a giftbox to Joon Hyuk, who awkwardly indicates she should give it to So Ra. I love that he does the whole point-with-your-thumb-behind-your-hand routine to get his message across! Se Na backpedals and explains that she specially made these shoes as a thank you. Joo Hee rolls her eyes through the whole exchange.
Tae Sung's favorite stockholder introduces him to all the other shareholders. Tam Hee throws a tantrum in the background.
Joon Hyuk follows So Ra to the buffet table. He tries to flirt with her by telling her he likes it when she eats a lot and she's so pretty, etc., but she keeps mentioning Nam Hae. She remembers out loud that he can't have shrimp (bad move!), and Joon Hyuk complains that all she talks about is Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! I mean, Nam Hae. He asks her to stop calling him Vice President, and to use his name, and she runs away. Graciously.
Tae Sung pitches his plans for the hotel to the stockholders, and one wife is particularly on board (see what I did there?). He tells them that these are all the ideas of his wife, and they ask him to bring her.
Joon Hyuk follows So Ra out on deck and says that he's not trying to spoil her fake marriage, but his heart keeps going to her. She answers that he needs to stop, and he corners her against the railing, begging her to please just SEE him, the man beside her, behind her, who can't stand watching her fake marriage any more! She's stomping all over his heart with her new heels.
Tae Sung comes out on the deck above theirs and overhears part of their conversation. He comes downstairs in time to see Joon Hyuk try to force So Ra into a kiss.
Comments:
Okay, they had better not try to play this out as Tae Sung feeling betrayed! It's glaringly obvious that So Ra was fighting desperately to get away from Joon Hyuk, but Tae Sung's lack of angry Get Away From My Wife face concerns me that this will be blown out of proportion. He also heard a significant part of their conversation, and So Ra's intentions were pretty clear, there, too.
I love that we got to see the dangerous side of Joon Hyuk. Let's see more of that darkness! But less of the creepy aspect, please. Channel your obsession elsewhere, buddy, because you're barking up the wrong tree.
I wonder if having everyone on the yacht will finally bring on the big reveal. I mean, the yacht may be big, but it's still an enclosed space out in the ocean, so there are great possibilities there. But it's also a great opportunity for more fake-outs, especially if Joo Hee gets involved in keeping Se Na and Tae Sung apart. Also, I'm pretty sure they're setting it up for Joon Hyuk to figure everything out.
This episode didn't really have much going on in the way of plot or revelations—except some insight into So Ra's relationship with her mom—but, boy, was it overflowing with the Cute. Also, there was a glimpse of potential for Se Na and Joon Hyuk to become the secondary couple at the end. Especially since he thinks she's so similar to So Ra. Hopefully, this won't be done in a creepy way.
Anyway, I know all the sweet moments in this episode are only a prelude to greater angst, but I love them all anyway. Tae Sung proved himself to be such a romantic, and really does know how to woo a girl. What a sad contrast to Se Na's stories about their relationship. But let's focus on the good here. I love how drawn he is to So Ra's hands. His moments of focusing on them were so tender. I also love that he is allowing her to open up to him at her own speed, while drawing her in further and further by showing his tenderness.
This Tae Sung is not the one we saw in the first 6 episodes. And it's not Nam Hae, either. Really, it's the man he could have been if he had grown up with a loving and nurturing mother. And I love how So Ra has been able to bring those softer aspects of his character to the forefront, without knowing she was doing that. I enjoy watching characters grow and develop through relationships. Not because their partner wants them or forces them to, or because it's what they think is expected of them, but because it's a natural extension of a healthy relationship. And it comes from each person's own choices, spurred on by their love for their partner and the love and acceptance they feel in return. I think this is so rarely portrayed well in television and movies and books, so I especially love it here. Good job, writers, director, and actors. You are amazing!
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