Beethoven Virus: Episode 7

by Sevenses

In which many things of a dramatic nature happen, yea, and there shall be much heartbreak. Screencap credit to Luv!

Because everyone needs eyecandy. 😀

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Seo Taiji – “Moai” [ Download ]

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Episode 7

First day of practice, and Gun Woo’s already in trouble. His show of defiance in staying with the original orchestra members by the door makes Kang angry. The conductor goes back on his words (not that he meant them in the first place) about substitutes and orders all of them out of the door. Gun Woo goes with them, though he is under orders from Kang to stay after practice.

In the hallway, everyone’s tentative hope disappears into generally gloomy thoughts. Bae is unsettled that Gun Woo is taking an opposing stand to Kang this early in the game, though his stated purpose of  avenging all the cast-off members makes Bae laugh.

Kim gets out a set of partitions for everyone, urging them to practice. Hee Yun gets her hopes up, but Kim compares them to the class idiot – if they focus all their energies on one thing, then maybe they’d break the top 10. Not so encouraging as Hee Yun, but more realistic.

The new practice hall is in this absolutely adorable hamlet of white buildings. They really went all-out for Kang and his orchestra.

Anyhoo, Ru Mi sends a text to Gun Woo and meets him in front of one of the buildings. She seems quite angry as she falsely accuses him of being afraid of playing with the professionals. The boy’s hurt. (Omg, he learned to emote! Someone break out the champagne. I’ll bring fireworks.)

Meanwhile, the substitutes are discussing their practice options. Kang walks out of the room and stalks after Gun Woo. Needless to say, everyone’s worried that he’ll get the axe. (Possibly literally, given Kang’s mood.)

Gun Woo tells Ru Mi quite sincerely that he is here because Kang told him to pursue what made him happy, which is to say, the feeling of playing with them. When Ru Mi still doesn’t let it go, Gun Woo tells her (and possibly the entire neighbourhood, at his volume) that what he really wants to do is to go to music school and learn how to conduct. Plus, he wants play with them.

Naturally, Kang gets here in time to hear all this. I love how oblivious drama leads are. It allows for all sorts of handy revelations.

To Ru Mi, Gun Woo’s move today tells her that he lacks a desire to achieve, and she’s disappointed and angry at him for being so complacent. He, on the other hand, doesn’t think that fame and recognition equate achievement. Mutual impasse, there is much glaring and head-shaking.

Kang chooses this moment to interrupt the lover’s spat, and announces that, surprisingly, this time he agrees with Ru Mi. Then he sends her off to the other substitutes while he yells at Gun Woo for a while. He’d wanted to include Gun Woo so he could see the others’ skill and be inspired to higher heights, not so Gun Woo could run away.

In addition, Kang also reprimands Gun Woo for thinking that achievement meant glory and status. He pokes Gun Woo several times in the stomach with his baton as an illustration – the desire to go as far as one can for the sake of music should, by all means, propel him forward, but instead Gun Woo is standing still.

Gun Woo voices that eternal angsty teenager plea: U dun understand meeeeee! and vows to show conductor Kang the level of his dedication. Intense, but he’s been officially dismissed from the orchestra.

In the practice room, Bae clumsily knocks a valuable violin to the ground, which gets everyone in trouble. An ‘official’ instrumentalist (Mr. French Horn) uses the mess as an excuse to make the temporary members leave (even though the violin is unharmed). Ru Mi is miffed at his condescending way of talking, though Kim smooths things over quickly.

Luckily for Mr. French Horn, Ru Mi’s impending hissy fit is cast to the winds when she receives a text from Gun Woo telling her about his dismissal. She storms to Kang’s office to confront him about Gun Woo but ends up lying about her diagnosis to Kang. The conductor, unsatisfied with her insistence that everything is fine, calls up his friend (once again, shock at him actually having friends).

The good doctor, not having heard of patient confidentiality protocol, proceeds to tell Kang all about the hopelessness of Ru Mi’s condition.

Ru Mi stands across from Kang’s desk, all apprehensive about the outcome of the phone call, but she needn’t have worried – Kang manufactures a random excuse to shout at her, and sends Ru Mi off. The girl skips off happily, while Kang is left to angst and feel bad about Ru Mi’s natural ebullience.

It takes Ru Mi several moments to recall that she actually went in to talk to Kang about Gun Woo, and as she meets Kang coming up the path, he sneers at her ‘strength’, preferring to call it stupidity.

Interestingly, Yi Deun marches resolutely into the practice room, smile all prepared (but with butterflies inside). She manages to enrage the snippy French Horn within two sentences, and the shouting match would have gone badly (it’s kind of obvious that the first violin/concert master has no control over his French Horn) but of course Kang comes in fresh from being annoyed at Ru Mi.

Kang kicks them all out, and Ru Mi returns from her saunter outside to find the subs in a disgruntled circle. Bae grumbles (very loudly) that this is when Gun Woo should show up and awe the formal instrumentalists with his talent so they don’t get picked on. Well, he’s not Tinkerbell, and I doubt he could just wave a baton and make everyone sound really good.

Speaking of Gun Woo, he’s gone to look for Jung Myung Hwan, he-who-is-notoriously-spacey-but-very-brilliant. And here is where the obligatory kdrama toilet joke also happens, as Jung is waiting out his constipation in the toilet stall.

As it happens, Gun Woo prepared a really nice speech but abandons it in disgust because it really isn’t his usual style to run around begging people in bathrooms. Jung stops him from leaving and agrees to see what he can do. In the safety of a hotel room, Gun Woo plays a high speed trumpet piece that impresses Jung, because as it stands, only five people can successfully play it, and they’re all professionals. (Le genius, it is not to be le underestimated.)

Well, Jung does agree to take Gun Woo under his wing, so the only thing to do now is to look for Kang and ask for his blessing. (These things have their rules, it seems.) Kang is less than pleased, let’s say it that way, and the atmosphere only gets worse when Gun Woo openly states that if Kang doesn’t want him, then there’s no reason for him to stay. Zut alors.

See, Jung’s not really malicious or thoughtless that way (being a conductor, one does need to know how people think), so he’s quite dismayed, because he wanted to reconcile this errant student with Kang. (Plus he’s an old schoolmate of Kang’s and it would just be awkward, not to mention mannerless.)

Kang yells for Junior to get out, and Jung manages to convince Gun Woo to go out for a bit.

Drama logic dictates that Ru Mi will pop up everywhere Gun Woo is, so while Gun Woo is wasting time in the woods, she meets him. She offers to look into a music school position for him, which makes Gun Woo angry because (hold your drinks, people) she doesn’t see him as a man, rather as a son. (Been a while since I’ve seen that one. Writers, original thoughts won’t kill you. I urge you to try them. Though the subtle Oedipal hint is appreciated.)

Ru Mi gets angry and tells him that her friendly concern has nothing on what a real mother would do, and adds that Hee Yun has been going frantic, calling people for his sake. What leaks through her angry speech is that she envies his ability, and the fact that he will still have his hearing in four months’ time. She storms off.

Inside the house, Jung is slowly trying to talk Kang around to the notion of taking Gun Woo as he is, playful spirit and all. Jung mentions rather bitterly that as a student, he was always afraid of being overtaken by Kang, that as a conductor he’d had to hide traces of being exhausted just to maintain his status as a genius. All this so Kang would give up pursuing him and then surpassing him. Kang sneers that Jung must be trying to comfort him, and lets it go with an ironic toast.

Manly confessions aside, Jung remarks that the two Kang Gun Woos are more alike than each realizes (being too honest all the time, and stubborn to the point of bloody-mindedness) and tells Kang straight out that he won’t hesitate to take Gun Woo as a student if he requests it in a week’s time. Junior grows on people, and Jung quite likes him. Kang knows he has only the week while Jung is out of the country to decide and reconcile with Gun Woo.

The next morning, Junior voluntarily acts like an all-round valet, and fully admits to Kang that he’d prefer to stay and be Kang’s student. The conductor is pleased, but he has his pride to think of, which means he doesn’t give anything resembling an answer.

Another day of practice, another day of hanging about uselessly at the music village. Ahh. Well, right after Ru Mi hangs up on her mother, Kang texts her with an order to see him in his office.

He has music on in his office, and so Ru Mi doesn’t quite realize that he’s mouthing words at her instead of speaking them. (Oooh, training!) He’s trying to get her to start reading people’s lips (sometimes an oblivious lead is a good thing).

Ru Mi’s new at this, so she can’t quite make out what he was asking for, but he’s treating her like a secretary – getting espresso and newspapers. Then he warns her not to fall in love with him, bringing in the Electra complex, which is just lol-worthy. (Sorry but the dramatic irony is going to come around and smack him sometime.)

Kang then hands her a box of candy under the guise of having teased her too much about going deaf. But the candy’s been expired for two years. 😀

Ru Mi tosses the candy in the trash on her way out, but reconsiders and fishes them out of the trash. Then, using those same hands, she puts one in her mouth. (Woman, hygiene.) To her annoyance, it’s common marketplace bubblegum, and she texts Kang to that effect. Kang replies that if she waits a thousand years, maybe it’ll melt in her mouth and her hearing will get better.

People who make Kang smile: 1.

Awwww. He’s actually reading up on auditory canals and tumours.

That night, Junior is off fulfilling impossible grocery-related tasks. Kang seems determined to torment him until he gives up. Then, as Kang searches for something in Gun Woo’s room, he discovers that Junior’s been trying to transcribe Miserere mei, Deus (by Gregorio Allegri, a super secret Catholic mass), much like Mozart did. Gun Woo doesn’t quite succeed, but it’s close enough to be remarkable.

Kang plays intervals on the piano, expecting Gun Woo to identify them. Well, he does identify the notes used, but not the interval. When Kang strikes the keys in anger, Gun Woo can tell all the notes that he’s pressing on. Junior is feeling inferior because he doesn’t know the proper names for things and has no training, while Kang is feeling conflicted, and goes off into his room to think.

Once safely inside, he angrily mutters that Gun Woo has wasted all this talent for so long.

The doorbell rings, and it’s Jung, who was ordered to be here by Kang. The two conductors hold a meeting inside while Gun Woo tiptoes around trying to overhear them. As it turns out, Kang has agreed to let Jung take Gun Woo as a student. (Junior doesn’t look happy at all. In fact, the only happy person in the house is arguably Beethoven.)

Gun Woo calls Ru Mi (chewing on gum with gusto) from a pay phone, and the two joke around, calling each other ‘mother’ and ‘son’. He apologizes for their last fight, and tells her that he’s leaving. They meet up to chat instead.

Aww, they walk around in the night holding hands. 😀

As Gun Woo discusses his plans for the future, he realizes just how long it’s going to take and sits down besides the curb. Ru Mi confesses that while she was furious that he didn’t join the formal orchestra, this time she really doesn’t want him to leave. He’s being sweet, and so he leans in to kiss her but the mood is totally ruined by her nervous babbling.

Ru Mi agrees to try again (LOL now the library people think I’m insane) and it gets interrupted again, this time by Kang and Beethoven. Oooh speak of awkward. At least the conductor has enough decency to leave them to it.

Ru Mi seems disturbed at being caught by Kang, though Gun Woo thinks it’s funny. Worryingly enough for their future relationship, Ru Mi seems to think more lightly of their ‘whatever’ than Gun Woo.

Junior packs and leaves, but he’s worried about Kang, and tells him to take care (much like a family member would) of himself. On the other side of the door (second instance of door symbolism, hmm) Kang is furiously flipping through a book and trying to ignore him. When Beethoven barks at the door, Kang is angry (for being sad that Gun Woo is leaving) enough to through things at the poor dog.

Aww. Gun Woo hears Beethoven barking after him, and stares longingly at the door. Ru Mi’s left a care package for Gun Woo, so he doesn’t get hungry on the way to Pusan.

The next morning Kang wakes up to find his shirts folded, everything in order. He gets a call from his friend the ear specialist, and whatever news he gets, it isn’t good.

Ru Mi gets a call from Kang to pick him and Beethoven up at the park, with the excuse being that his legs hurt.

The park is quite large, and Kang just happens to be at the edge of a large lake. Ru Mi gets all nervous about seeing him (and tells herself that it’s just Kang Mae, not a man). She calls out to him, but Kang doesn’t move.

A few hundred miles away, Gun Woo meets with Jung, who lets it slip that Kang said very interesting things the night before. Gun Woo goes all impish and demands to know what Kang actually said. Cue flashback.

Kang is known for hating geniuses, but he recognizes Gun Woo as one, and what’s more, compares him to a reincarnation of Mozart. He mentions that Gun Woo is very empathetic and would never disappoint the people working with him. He also finds Gun Woo’s present talent to be only a fraction of what he’s truly capable of doing, and gets all choked up.

Of course, at this point in the conversation, Jung asks, and rightfully, why Kang would be giving such a gem to him, if there wasn’t a fatal flaw anywhere.

It comes as a shock to Jung when Kang tells him that the fatal flaw rests with himself. He doesn’t possess the connections nor the people skills that Gun Woo requires as a student (especially one whom he wants to succeed). He adds that he’s been recently doubting his own path, and leaves us all shellshocked like that.

Kang tells Jung that he can’t afford to let Gun Woo become a second Kang Mae, and asks Jung to take him under his wing. (Jung is astonished because this is probably the first time Kang has asked anything of anyone.)

Well, that’s it, Junior will never follow Jung now.

Far away, Ru Mi runs up to Kang, concerned that he isn’t doing anything to respond.

In the airport, Gun Woo makes up his mind and tells Jung that he’s going back to Kang, a decision welcomed by Jung (since not heading back would have marked Gun Woo as a cold-hearted bastard). I bet Jung didn’t even buy a ticket for Gun Woo. Anyhoo, Gun Woo runs to the returning trip bus.

Switch back to the lakeside, Kang is super annoyed at Ru Mi for lacking a reaction at losing her hearing, and yells at her. She is angry that he would judge her for being such an unfeeling idiot, while he tells her that the best way of reacting would be to jump into the lake behind them. He’s quite cruel to her, and says that she only knows how to brag.

Unfortunately for Kang, who watches in horrified slow motion, Ru Mi actually jumps into the lake.

End episode.

Commentary/Rambling:

– Not thinking about the relationship drama. However, is it just me or does JGS never get the girl? (Except for Doremi, but that was filmed three years ago, and only proves the point.)

– Jung calls Gun Woo ‘Junior’. So cute! (May start doing that too. Hmm.) Lol at Jung’s bodyguards – very mafia henchmen-esque.

Sevenses

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