Haeundae Lovers Episode 9 Recap

  This episode has some more great moments. Joo Hee's character begins to show more, and we get some glimpses into her possible motives. Joon Hyuk may not be so nice as he's seemed up until now. And Tae Sung cries some more. Plus, the OTP finally makes some actual (and fake) progress.

  Tae Sung yells who said they'll get divorced? He reminds So Ra why they got married in the first place and says it's not over till he says it's over. She says it looks over to her. He asks "What if I decide not to be the son?" Tam Hee scoffs that that's not likely when Haeundae Hotel is right in front of them. "Do I look like an idiot to you?" Tae Sung says yes, yes she does. 

  Joon Hyuk points out that they can do a DNA test in 2 months, but Tae Sung tells them that if he's not really the son, in two months he loses everything—he'll have lost his wife and his hotel, so in the end he'll only get screwed over. So Ra says it doesn't matter if it's now or in two months, she wants a divorce. She doesn't need alimony or consolation money, and he got what he wanted—his real family. She leaves, and he chases after her, but is held up by the thugs.

  Grandma and Tam Hee insist he go visit President's remains at the charnel house. Joo Hee has been acting funny the whole time. She tells herself that the divorce will take care of things on So Ra's end, but the problem is Se Na. (Seriously, what is her deal?! I wanna know, show!)

  Se Na sits in the lobby of a hotel designing shoes (on her Samsung Galaxy tablet, of course. Way to throw that sponsorship in there.) "Secretary Kim" comes to bring her back to her father, and she asks how he knew she was there. She turns and see Joo Hee and smiles, until she realizes it was Joo Hee who outed her. Joo Hee tells her that her mother is sick in the hospital, and sends her off. As she leaves, Se Na apologizes for almost misunderstanding her —you didn't, but you're too nice to realize that—and thanks her. "Thanks to me? I met Tae Sung through Se Na." *Evil smirk* (Wait, so is her plan to seduce Tae Sung and get everything?! Omo omo omo!)

  At the charnel house, Grandma introduces Tae Sung to his father's ashes. Tae Sung recognizes him as his neighbor in the hospital, and realizes that he was the son President was so desperately calling for. Grandma drags Tam Hee outside to give Tae Sung some privacy.

  He tells his father that he knows he's supposed to be happy right now—he's rich, and he finally found his family, who really was searching for him. But he just can't smile and his heart is heavy, now that he's So Ra's enemy. Why did President have to ruin So Ra's Dad like that? He's more distressed now than he was when he lost his memory.

  So Ra emotionlessly packs up Tae Sung's things—until she gets to the Dooly plate they bought him, which triggers a flood of sweet memories. The uncles come in to help, and she gruffly continues packing. 2nd Uncle asks if they can keep the Dooly plate, since Tae Sung now has plenty. Maknae asks if he wants to eat of their enemy's plate, and 2nd Uncle huffs that he has pride, you know.

  Maknae says that he's been having an idea growing on him. There's no way they'll ever make enough money to buy the hotel, so this is a great opportunity for them. Since So Ra's already married to Tae Sung, they can use that to their advantage. 2nd Uncle yells at him for spewing nonsense, but he explains that So Ra can live as his wife, and down the road they can "bury him." So Ra quietly finishes packing and leaves the room, Bandanna and 2nd Uncle get after Maknae. So Ra keeps having flashbacks of Tae Sung.

  Joon Hyuk gets Tae Sung fitted in a suit for an executive meeting. Tae Sung complains about having to wear a suit (it's funny, cuz he seems to have practically lived in a suit before. Haha!) and says he'll do things his way. He starts interviewing the thugs/"executives", and noting down all their pertinent information. Joon Hyuk asks why he's acting like a prosecutor.

  Tam Hee is outside trying unsuccessfully to eavesdrop. Joon Hyuk comes out unexpectedly, and she falls against him, leaving a kiss print on his shirt. She says all this is foolish, since Tae Sung is out in 2 months anyway. Joon Hyuk asks why she's so confident he's not the son, and she spouts some nonsense about dreams coming true. She hurriedly changes the subject by saying he's lucky he's not married, or he wouldn't hear the end of the lipstick stain from his wife. He responds that girlfriends would have a hard time with it, too. "Ah, Oppa New York style!" (But no horsey dance. *Pout*) 
  Tae Sung proves to all 22 "executives" that he has already memorized their names and stats and tells them to get to work. They stop him from leaving and tell him that they have business with him, too.

  Tae Sung is on a terrace, surrounded by thugs, drinking tea with a hard-core biker-type chick, all leather and chains, and toying with a lighter. She's the daughter of one of the men the thugs want as allies, and they have 30 women they want him to choose from to find a more "suitable" wife. This scene is hilarious! I love that their idea of suitable wife material is one that would fit a more traditional family's idea of the most unsuitable type of woman imaginable! 

  Joo Hee looks on and makes a phone call, at the same time Tae Sung tries to call. She asks So Ra if she's here already and to come on up. She walks off just as So Ra steps off the elevator. So Ra gets a call from "Smile, Nam Hee", but ignores it as Joo Hee lurks malevolently. So Ra sees Tae Sung and Biker Chick laughing, and misunderstands. Of course. Biker Chick asks to smoke, and Tae Sung tells her absolutely not. She tells him the only reason she's here is because her motorcycle would get taken away otherwise. Plus, she has a boyfriend.

  Tae Sung tells her that she's probably the man in her relationship. He likes innocent and lively women, not psychotic and lively ones. He calls the head thug and tells him to make sure his next date has XX chromosomes. (Okay, that's really insulting, but I guess that's the point, right? Still, maybe don't cross that line in the future, mmmkay, writers?) He shakes hands with her "man to man", offering to go their separate ways.

  As he leaves, he sees So Ra, and stumbles back in surprise. He stammers out an explanation, which doesn't sound very plausible, even though it's true. He says he did this so they would leave her alone, and she replies that he should keep doing it if it's for her sake. He asks if she's mad and pinches her cheeks teasingly, but she bitingly tells him that they aren't in that type of relationship.  She leaves, and he tries to follow, but the thugs stop him. Biker Chick bumps his shoulder in disgust as she passes, spinning him and almost knocking him over.

  The head thug tells him he's prepared an "innocent and lovely ballerina" for his next blind date, and they escort him out. He stares at So Ra the whole way, and she stares back. Joo Hee lurks up, and then puts on a happy face to talk to So Ra, asking how she's doing with all this. Joo Hee keeps up the gratingly fake Concerned Friend act, and tells her about the thugs' plan for Tae Sung. "It's best if you end things before he does." So Ra thanks her and leaves. 

  Joon Hyuk pulls out the picture of his mom and asks what he should do about So Ra. At that moment, his dad calls, and Joon Hyuk reassures him that Haeundae Hotel will become Prestige's next hotel soon. He tells him about the Tae Sung situation and says it will make the takeover easier, since the board and the shares will be split. Ah, so you do have ulterior motives. I could love a dark Joon Hyuk.

  Tae Sung enjoys the best food the hotel has to offer, but something is missing, so he calls So Ra, hoping she'll come eat with him. She only picks up to hang up on him, though, and he yells at the phone "What did I do?! Huh? What?" He calls in some thugs and when they ask if he doesn't like the food, he describes his first day on the fishing boat. "You're seasick for 3 hours, but then you catch an octopus, cut it up, put it in ramen, and let that ramen bloat so it looks like udon, but you can still eat it deliciously. I'm going to eat that ramen."

  Bandanna and 2nd Uncle are lying in the street, blocking Tam Hee's backhoe. She sends her thugs to move them, and Bandanna Mike Tysons a guy's ear, while 2nd Uncle jumps into the claw of the backhoe. Dad comes to Tam Hee to ask if her boyfriend's going to sing at the nightclub. He shows her a picture that looks just like Penguin and talks about Penguin's dad being a grrreeeaat singer! (I was right, Penguin isn't President's son!) She shuts him up and wonders how he can still remember that stuff. Then shrugs it off; nobody would believe that crazy old man anyway.

  The thugs finally manage to move the uncles, and Tam Hee orders the construction crew to turn the place into dust, mimicking the claw of the backhoe. Jjjuust before the claw hits the store, a voice calls out asking what they're doing. It's Joon Hyuk! Come to save the day again! He tells her that he was going to sue, but she forced his hand. He knows that she bought the land with hotel funds, and not her own as she's claimed. She tells him to go ahead—civil suits take a long time, plus she did it all for the hotel.
  Tae Sung pulls up and uses his vast knowledge of the law to back Tam Hee into a corner. He teams up with Joon Hyuk—he'll sue her in two months if he's the heir, if Joon Hyuk will keep the current lawsuit active until then. If he's not really the heir, he'll leave on his own. Joon Hyuk asks if he's really a strongman, and he answers that since he was told he was, he is. Joon Hyuk remarks that he's never heard the Korean language construed so strangely.

  Just then, So Ra pulls in and after one death-glare at Tae Sung, ignores him while she thanks Joon Hyuk for saving the store and her family. "If you had been here sooner, you could have seen me in action!" He asks if the awkwardness is forgotten between them, but is met with an awkward silence. So. . . no. Tae Sung gets mad that his rival gets all the credit, but Joon Hyuk scores an invite from So Ra to eat some grilled clams.

  Tae Sung tries to follow them, but the uncles stop him from entering their property. They can't accept President's son. Period. He argues that there's no real evidence he is the heir until they do the DNA test. Bandanna asks if a star just fell from the sky then (onto his but? Bwahahaha!). Somehow Tae Sung convinces them and warns his new thugs to stay away.

  2nd Uncle goes to get Tae Sung's belongings and a whole bowl of salt to throw at him. Joon Hyuk offers So Ra the list of shareholders, but she refuses, since she's always suspicious if things come too easily. He asks her to forget about their relationship as step-siblings and reminds her that he doesn't bring up her sham marriage (at which point she baaarely glances Tae Sung's way), and Tae Sung looks startled and upset. Joon Hyuk leaves.

  So Ra asks Tae Sung why he came, and 2nd Uncle slams his backpack on the table. "Take this. And this too" as he grudgingly adds the Dooly plate he loves so much. So Ra asks Tae Sung to leave.
  Tae Sung tells her that he has stuck around until now because of her. As her legal husband, he should take care of her dad and uncles, but she just wants him to leave. He must be crazy, because at the wedding, he felt nervous. He can't do anything about his parentage, but if that's what she really wants, he'll go. He gets all the way back to the hotel without a call from her, and is excited when his phone rings, but it's just the head thug.

  His father wanted him to learn about the hotel from the bottom up, so they're putting him in the boiler room to learn some life lessons. He's given a task to complete within 3 hours, and does it. But he realizes a problem. He runs to tell Tam Hee and Joon Hyuk that this work experience is basically exploiting him for 2 months before they kick him out. Joon Hyuk tells him there is a loophole, but he rejects that and insists that he'll do manual labor, as long as he can live and socialize as the President's heir. Also, the will didn't say anything about his personal life, so they have to butt out of his marriage to So Ra. Joo Hee, in the background, gets really nervous about that part.

  He goes and takes a bubble bath (sadly not like this one), and realizes that he's wanted this kind of luxury. He laments that So Ra didn't get a honeymoon, with luxuries like this, but shuts that line of thinking right down. He pours himself a glass of wine, wonders why it feels so familiar, then stares out the window. Oh, he's in his bathrobe now. Keke.

  He stares at Gwangan Bridge and remembers how much So Ra loves it. He rebukes himself for always talking about her, but then decides he should apologize to her. She must be sensitive about how he spoke earlier. So, he calls, and calls, and calls, but she doesn't answer. 
  At the fish shop, she's serving customers, and gets lost in thought. She notices that Tae Sung is calling, but ignores it. Later, she sees that he's called 10 times, and seems to feel a little sorry, but doesn't do anything about it. Tae Sung watches a very blurry episode of the Smurfs, and realizes that the way to get to So Ra is by getting the list of stockholders.
  So Ra explains their need to learn who the stockholders are to the uncles, and Bandanna decides that Grandma can help them.

  Tae Sung is working in the spa today. A kid leaves his Transformer, and he tries to give it back, but the kid says he got a new one, so he's throwing that one away. Tae Sung yells at him about loyalty and not discarding old, faithful toys. A different customer is yelling at an employee about a lost watch. He's had it for 20 years, and if he goes one day without it he feels incomplete. Tae Sung tearfully realizes that's how he's feeling. A desperate heart. 

  He runs over and offers to find the watch, yelling at the other employee because he doesn't know what it feels like to be abandoned with nobody looking for you. "That watch is probably battling with fear and trying to stay strong. You miss it and you're desperate, right? It probably feels the same." The customer looks hesitant about this crying man, but is willing to take the offered help. They search the mountain of laundry.
  Grandma remembers So Ra from when she helped her and got in a fight with Tam Hee. She feels sorry for So Ra's twisted fate. She also feels bad for Tae Sung. But, she doesn't know anything about stockholders, just one man in the market that's richer than he should be.
  In the laundry, the customer comments on how hot it is—"It's like a sauna." Heehee. He tells Tae Sung that the watch was a gift from his only son, who sold newspapers to earn the money for it. He mentions working in the market, and that his son has a gambling addiction, so he didn't make much of himself. He feels estranged from his son, so he has to cherish the watch, at least. 

  Tae Sung turns around and suddenly his face lights up. "So Ra! You came to see me!" But no, she's there to talk to the customer, the one possible stockholder she knows of. He refuses to talk about those things and walks off, and So Ra and Bandanna try to follow, but Tae Sung stops them. He loudly says that they are going to help find the watch *wink wink*, which stops the customer in his tracks.

  He leaves to get a nice, refreshing drink with the customer, who feels bad. Tae Sung insists that they like helping people out. They go back downstairs, where So Ra and Bandanna are ready to give up, but with one look at the customer's face, So Ra decides to look again. She practically climbs into one of the dryers and there, at the very back, finds the watch. They group-hug, and Tae Sung gets a little too exuberant, so So Ra has to push him away.

  Upstairs, they notice that the watch isn't working, and the customer tells them that it broke years ago, but it's a reminder of is son and a hope that he'll return to him someday. Tam Hee comes out to yell at Tae Sung and notices the customer, so she introduces him as the unconfirmed son of President. He notes Tae Sung and So Ra's familiarity, and Tae Sung admits that she's his wife. So Ra hurriedly adds that they already broke up. Tae Sung: "That didn't happen."
  So Ra reminds the customer/stockholder that he offered to repay this debt, and asks him not to forget, since they will definitely call in that favor later. Tam Hee yells at her, but Tae Sung interferes, saying it's the husband's job to yell at his woman, not hers. Haha. He grabs So Ra by the hand and excuses them—they need to talk.

  Outside, he yells at her for not answering any of his calls. Shouldn't she at least let him offer an excuse, an apology, something?! He says that even though he married her out of pity, she should take pity on him as well, but she says their ties were cut the moment he became President's son. She gets a call from Joon Hyuk and answers it even though Tae Sung begs her not to.

  She goes to meet him by the marina, but a black car pulls up behind her and two mysterious men get out. They take her to the hotel, and she goes upstairs to find a man floating in the pool. It's Tae Sung. He tells her that he always felt he came from decent stock. When she points out that he's a gangster's son, he concedes that people are funny when money is involved.

  He walks over and holds out his hand, but when she tries to help him out, he pulls her in. He explains that they can swim in the moonlight and promises to find the list of stockholders for her. 

  She refuses his offer and goes to leave, but he grabs her hand and says they just need 2 months. This is the last chance he'll give her. "Don't be too grateful, though, because I might do something to make you angry again." He leans in and kisses her.
  Comments: 

  FINALLY! Who doesn't love a wet pool kiss? I love that Tae Sung has finally decided what he wants (So Ra), and he's going to fight tooth and nail for it/her. I also love that he's pretty blasé on the whole heir-to-a-fortune thing. Sure, it's nice and has perks, but he doesn't really care about it. I love that nothing matters unless he has So Ra there with him, and he'll even do menial labor if it means a free pass to have So Ra by his side. 
  I understand her hesitance, but I hope they quickly get over the Romeo and Juliet thing. It's really low on my ranking of Shakespeare plays, so I'm beyond ready to move on. Just keep letting him kiss you, So Ra. That'll fix your confusion.
  I love the uncles, but my biggest beef is that we don't see them enough. Especially Maknae. He has been notably absent in several scenes the past few episodes. Even when the other uncles are present, he's randomly gone. Does he have another job on the side? Is he busy wooing Gwan Soon? (Who's been completely absent since the wedding.) Is he a terrorist? I guess it's plausible that he's single-handedly running the business, since nobody else seems to be doing much.

  Also, I want to address 2nd Uncle's attachment to the Dooly plate. It's so hilarious and cute! Especially since he already has his own Hello Kitty plate. Too bad Tae Sung took the Dooly plate with him after all!
  I'm really intrigued to see how dark they'll go with Joon Hyuk's storyline. I've had a feeling for a while now that he's not all sunshine and rainbows like he wants people to believe, but knowing he has a stake in the hotel failing makes him so much more interesting. Especially since it draws away from the jeeblies I feel over the fauxcest.

  And now it also seems that Joo Hee is going to be a major player in this drama. For a long time, I couldn't figure why she got such a high billing if she was mostly a background character. But her machinations and lurkiness have a purpose. She's actually been the cause of furthering the plot before, but it seemed to be without motive. And while we don't really know what her true motivations are, we're getting to a place where we can make educated guesses. At this point, I think she's gunning for Tae Sung, with a side of Joon Hyuk. But once she realizes Joon Hyuk's reasons for coming to Busan, she'll probably change back to him. Maybe she'll even become his accomplice in nefarious dealings. We can only hope.
  Okay, one last kissy shot.