Beethoven Virus: Episode 9

by Sevenses

Oh, Twilight trailer at 1:55, you have got to be kidding me. On to official business! If I have not mentioned it before, let it be known to all now: Kim Myung Min is made of awesome.

Screencaps belong to Luv.

I miss my Kang Gun Woo interaction. D:

SONG OF THE DAY

Beethoven Virus OST – “내 사람” (My Person) by Hwanhee [ Download ]

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Episode 9

We start off the episode with the united rebelling of disgruntled instrumentalists. (It’s funny that the French Horn dude plays the same role as Bae did in the old orchestra yet the two totally hate each other.) A few of the newer members remain, but most have gone with the concert master.

Gun Woo and Ru Mi aren’t there when this happens, though both hear of this from Hee Yun. (Mainly because Gun Woo falls asleep at the wheel, and Ru Mi wants to be in one piece when she arrives at the music hall so she let him sleep. But she’s not acting like a doting girlfriend.)

The next day, the concert master and French Horn meet with various members of the temporary group. It’s a very unsubtle attempt to subvert his support. There are better ways of fomenting rebellion, though that’s just me. It does work with Hee Yun, Bae and Yi Deun, though the three get scolded roundly by Kim.

Then, Ru Mi comes in, armed with papers and ready to convince the members to give Kang a second chance. In the middle of assigning people, she receives a call from the mayor’s secretary, who informs her that the choir has also dropped out. Oh-oh. Kang isn’t answering his phone either.

At the same time, Kang is holding a meeting with the choir. Kang is being his direct self, which only irritates the choir members. They ask for a substitute conductor, and they get… Gun Woo. They try to argue, but lose, because a) if they mind about his credentials, well, Kang has lots of those, and b) if they argue on the basis of personality, Gun Woo is so much pleasanter (err, more pleasant). In fact, the conductor knows the choir wants someone they can control, and warns them not to try his already fraying patience.

The choirmaster, however, blames Kang for the current progression of events.

The mayor calls Kang over for a meeting and has kittens (several times), though the conductor tells him that everything is under control. The mayor still wants him to apologize. He doesn’t expect to meet with Kang’s stubborn pride, which does not recognize anything he needs to apologize for.

Kang arranges for auditions, though the rebelling crew has already done their work and the instrumentalists are completely unwilling to help out. If the pieces are changed, there’s still hope that their skeleton crew can manage it, though Kang refuses, because the temp crew will probably die trying to play the new pieces (awww… he’s thinking of the old orchestra members).

At the office, Park stops trying to recruit possible substitutes and goes home.

Ru Mi brings in coffee for the conductor and forces him to listen to an article written about him. Typically, however, she has not thought the thing through, and the articles ends up criticising Kang. Oops. I mean, Kang’s already feeling pretty rotten.

Cheering attempt #1: FAIL.

When Ru Mi mentions that she’s been trying to get the unwilling instrumentalists to cooperate, Kang tells her to lay off because she’s not the concert master anymore – and because she’s not a particular friend of his. Ouch. Confronted with hurt puppy eyes, Kang furthermore outlines their relationship, which he wants to be strictly professional – especially taking into account that she’s his student’s girlfriend. (Well, you can be friends too, geez, what’s got you so hot and bothered, Kang mae?)

Ru Mi apologizes and runs off, and proceeds to give herself a good talking-to in the rain. (:D It’s sunny out, hello, fake rain.)

Wow. It’s like union talks or something. (Which reminds me, don’t they have unions in Korea?) Ru Mi catches Yi Deun outside doing guilty things while a delegation consisting of the concert master, the French Horn, Hee Yun, Bae and an unnamed violinist come to Kang’s office to lay out their conditions.

(Hee Yun, Bae, you idiots.)

Ze poor Kang mae, he looks like he’s going to explode of a mixture of anger and misery.

Well, this arouses a level of intense anger that we’ve never seen in Ru Mi (especially, may I remind you, for her boyfriend) – she literally hauls Yi Deun’s delinquent self onto a sofa and talks at her. To Ru Mi, however acerbic Kang’s speeches are, he’s always looked out for them, and for Hee Yun and Bae to participate in this is tantamount to the worst kind of betrayal possible. (Yay to Lee Jia for developing some range!)

In the office, Kang is deeply hurt. He asks for a few moments alone with Hee Yun and Bae, and proceeds to be his usual sarcastic self. I think Bae’s (hotheaded) comments about Kang being socially maladjusted and only fit to live with his dog do strike home, though it’s a pity Bae can’t read the emotions written on Kang mae’s face. (So in love with Kim Myung Min. SO IN LOVE, PEOPLE.)

(Really, Bae, you think he doesn’t know love? Friendship? I smack you with the Rock of Awareness.)

Hee Yun just pours salt in the wound, dudes, and goes on to tell him that with his attitude and personality, he should not be talking about Bae’s unfitness for fatherhood, but instead worry about his own way of treating people as an example for hypothetical children.

SOMEONE GIVE HIM A PUPPY. NOW. (Gosh, even a kitten would do.)

Junior comes to pick Kang up and drive him home – and Kang asks him three questions. First, whether he is a sociopath or not. (Err, I wouldn’t use sociopath, per se.) Poor man also wants to know whether or not he really is a bastard, and if he’s not worth the trouble of association.

It’s so awkward in the car, what with all that gloom and self-pity floating around. Gun Woo decides to do something when Kang tells him to conduct the first piece in the concert as he’s decided to retire (!). Junior does not approve of wallowing. (Neither do I. So I say, go forth and conquer!)

In fact, Gun Woo pulls over right away and tells Kang to get out of the car, so he can properly answer the conductor’s question. He compares Kang to a valuable vintage car, and tells him not to give up. Finally, a smile.

Hee. Kang is serious both about sending Gun Woo to conduct the choir and the first piece – and he buys a tux for Junior too. It’s not an easy task, though, making the choir work with the orchestra, so it’s a way of proving his ability. (He also sneaks in a question about Junior’s relationship status – get Facebook, Kang mae!)

The next day, Ru Mi issues a counterchallenge to Kang. She’s still practicing what she would say to him, and doesn’t notice Kang mae strolling up from behind. Then she takes a stack of seven (7!) biscuits and proceeds to bite through all of them. Kang watches in disgusted fascination.

As she’s stuffing them into her mouth, Kang bursts out in very frank laughter. (Well, he tries to cover it up…)

Ru Mi’s surprised that he would be lurking in a secluded spot like this. Kang then compares himself to an injured animal, thus gathering more pity points. (Though he’s probably just covering up for stalking Ru Mi.) Ahh, the symbolism in that bit of fence that still separates them.

Kang has decided that he will apologize to the orchestra. Um, Ru Mi is about to burst into tears, and Kang is still going on about his apology? Righto.

At that night’s practice, everyone waits in suspenseful silence as Kang reads out his apology. (Keep forgetting that he is 40 years old and has reading glasses.) Kang starts off on a humble and apologetic note, though he can’t say the words themselves. The subs are all teary and understanding, and you know what? Kang looks at Ru Mi hiding behind the doors, and gives up apologizing. (Someone chokes out of shock.)

Lol, he dismisses the instrumentalists’ demands with a few well-placed ‘bla bla bla’s, and asks them to truly think about what they’re asking for vs what he is demanding from them. He has never wasted their time, nor has he attacked them for reasons other than incompetence. As for speaking nicely, well, he was born this way.

(Inner fangirl: Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Kang Mae!!! etc)

Kang the Conductor, not Kang the Nice Guy, lays out his principles on music one by one, and totally captures his audience. They’re with him all the way, oh yeah.

Outside the door, Ru Mi walks away, smiling at Kang’s speech. She is stopped, however, by Kang, who tells her to be happy and stop crying. 😀

This incident isn’t without consequence, however, and the concert master resigns out of both a sense of responsibility and as a result of a personal decision. Gun Woo is rather dismayed, but it’s not something he can change.

Practice goes on, all is well, Ode to Joy is played, rather appropriately. Well, until the next disaster strikes, anyway. Kang is also a lot nicer at the end of this particular practice.

The orchestra members complain at having to add two hours of practice daily, but accept it anyway. Then, as he’s leaving, they play ‘Happy Birthday’ – because, it’s his birthday! Gun Woo gives him a present. Various people stack on the flowers and cake too. Kang has a face of thunder as he puts the gifts on the ground and tells his orchestra that his birthday is actually on a lunar calendar, which means they’re late. (Not that he’d expected it to be celebrated.)

Various members blame Ru Mi for not checking carefully, though she quickly points to Gun Woo as the organizer. (Aha, we believe you. Uh-huh.)

As the group cluster around him and make him blow out the candles, Ru Mi leaves quietly. They joke around, and are generally more chummy than before – though Kang’s happiness is shadowed by Ru Mi’s absence. (And Gun Woo totally fails to notice. UM?)

Bae goes for the traditional cake-in-face set-up, though Kang dodges nimbly and the cake lands on one of the violin sisters instead. Hee. Total chaos ensues.

Their antics amuse Kang.

Later, Ru Mi is practicing violin, and ignores all of Gun Woo’s calls. Her concentration’s killed, though, and she goes on to think about the conductor in repeat loop.

Hmm. All the rain has created several flood zones, with refugees coming in from around the stricken counties. They are being settled in the music hall, and the mayor asks Kang to postpone his concert – he doesn’t. The group meets with all sorts of difficulties (well, it’s not like the mayor is having it easy).

When everyone is assembled in the practice room, Ru Mi is given the rather difficult task of asking Kang to sign some documents, and only she can do it, since he snarls at anyone from the mayor’s office.

Kang enters, but he’s determined to ignore her (or the papers), in return for her avoidance. (He doesn’t show it, but he’s hurt.) Interestingly, he keeps pushing her towards Gun Woo.

Then Ru Mi tells Kang that she really might have fallen for Gun Woo. When Kang reassures her that ‘Gun Woo really likes you, I know it’, Ru Mi tells him that he must be thinking of the wrong one. (OH.) (MY.)

Well, that changes a few things.

In the practice room, everyone’s gathered together and creating merry chaos. Gun Woo wants to know where Kang is, and goes to his office. He looks in to see Ru Mi talking to the conductor, though he only hears the tail end of the confession.

Inside, both people look up as Gun Woo tries the door. Then Kang flings the door open, dragging Junior inside and asking Ru Mi to say, in front of Gun Woo, who she really likes.

End episode.

Commentary/Rambling:

– Err, was kept awake by energetic cats and the suchlike last night, do pardon any inanities.

– Ahh, the triangular romance begins. 😀 I’m afraid that as far as things go, I’m completely on Kang’s side. Not because I think it’s tru wuv or anything (yet), but I just have this intense desire to see him happy, and this seems to be ‘spending time with Ru Mi’ at the moment. Was just struck by the lightning stroke of foreshadowing – with all the children talk, are they going to do an ending with kids? Oh dear god.

– Aaaaaaand… more trouble + chaos promised for episode 10.

Sevenses

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