City Hunter: Episode 10
by javabeans
City Hunter, why do I love you so? I can’t help myself, even though I fear that you’re just gonna love me and leave me in another month. What am I going to do when you’re over? Can’t Korea finally make the leap into multi-season programming and do this sucker for, oh, five seasons? I won’t be greedy and ask for forever — just until Lee Min-ho goes off to the army! Pretty please? What do I have to do to MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
SONG OF THE DAY
City Hunter OST – “Cupid” (Acoustic version) by Girl’s Day [ Download ]
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EPISODE 10 RECAP
Both Yoon-sung and Young-ju arrive at the hospital at the same time. The prosecutor confirms Lee Kyung-wan’s dead body, while Yoon-sung spots his father glowering at him, still dressed up as a doctor, and heads out.
First off, I have to say I freaking LOVE that Jin-pyo went all badass revenge-seeker and killed Lee Kyung-wan. I get Yoon-sung’s aversion to the eye-for-an-eye vengeance spree, but it’s totally fitting that Jin-pyo’s bloodlust spurs him to act. Plus, it heightens some already steep stakes between father and son, and hammers in the whole Nana’s-in-danger worry — because Dad is not above a little collateral damage, and anybody could be next.
Young-ju and his partner Pil-jae follow Yoon-sung’s car, puzzled when it pulls up outside Dad’s hi-tech lair.
You’d think the slick City Hunter might have noticed the car on his tail, but perhaps he’s too upset over the deaths to focus on that; he beelines for Dad and asks incredulously why he had to kill two cops in addition to the target.
Dad has a chilly response: “Because that’s my method.” Damn, can’t argue with that, when the father-son battle had been about winning the right to handle the case however he saw fit. Jin-pyo adds that he hears the sound of that maritime massacre every day of his life, and that his sole purpose for surviving is to mete out revenge.
Yoon-sung challenges, “Whose revenge is that? I’m suddenly curious, whether it’s for the country’s betrayal of your comrades — or whether it’s self-inflicted torture over your survivor’s guilt.” Dayum. He may have a point, but making that point? Balls of steel.
Yoon-sung adds that the two dead cops also have families that have been left behind: “This is no longer revenge. It’s just murder.”
Dad ups the badass-crazy quotient by a factor of, oh, a thousand by warning grimly, “If you fight me, you may even die by my hand.” He’s not so much threatening to kill Yoon-sung, as he is telling him very clearly that even he could become collateral damage.
Yoon-sung replies, “I won’t avoid it — because I’m the only one who can stop you. I’ll stake my life to stop you.” Fuuuuuuck. I mean, yay for heroism and fearlessness in the name of justice, blah blah blah, but noooooooo, you can’t take my Yoon-sung!
As he exits, Yoon-sung comes face to face with Young-ju, waiting outside smugly: “You said you didn’t know Steve Lee.” Impressive how Yoon-sung turns on that flippant charm like a light switch, saying that he was just introduced to him today through an MIT colleague, regarding some investments in Steve Lee’s agricultural enterprise.
But Young-ju is not to be thus distracted, and points out that he’s entirely capable of tracking Yoon-sung’s whereabouts for the times corresponding to Lee Kyung-wan’s delivery to his front steps, Seo Yong-hak’s sniper incident, Seo’s kidnapping, the broadcast debate…
And then Young-ju goes back to his office to the upsetting news: “Lee Yoon-sung has a perfect alibi?!” Ha! Nana’s aunt confirms that Yoon-sung used hotel keycards on the nights in question, and those card entries correspond perfectly to the CCTVs in the elevators. The video shows him with a different woman each time, HAHA. Keeping up alibis and your image? Whatta multi-tasker. The only day missing an alibi, however, is the day of the sniper attack.
But our smart prosecutor connects more dots, realizing that each hotel is located mere minutes from each incident. Guessing the City Hunter had orchestrated this to solidify his alibi, it’s time to bust out the big guns: DNA testing. How to get a sample from Yoon-sung?
Yoon-sung understands that Dad is going to kill Target No. 3, Kim Jong-shik, as soon as the man returns to Korea from his business trip. Calling Jin-pyo a vehicle whose brakes have gone out, he says that the only way to stop it is to crash into it: “I’ll have to crash him.”
Ajusshi asks, “What if you die?” Yoon-sung: “I’m preparing myself.”
Shik-joong wants to run away and live in the mountains somewhere, but Yoon-sung still thinks those baddies have to pay for their crimes, and he’s still in it for his revenge. Yoon-sung’s also wary of Young-ju sniffing around him, particularly since the prosecutors have samples of the City Hunter’s blood from two locations.
Nana hears the news report about Lee’s murder, with many speculating that the City Hunter did it. That shakes her, and she tells herself that there’s no way Yoon-sung would have committed the murder.
This is when she spies the photo dropped by Shik-joong as he was packing up Yoon-sung’s things — the torn-up, taped-together photo of Yoon-sung’s biological parents.
She recognizes two of the faces: Kyung-hee and Jin-pyo. And that’s enough to get her brain whirling, as Nana recalls Yoon-sung’s reactions regarding his mother, and draws the connections. Thank goodness for a drama heroine who isn’t too dumb to put together two and two!
We don’t get far into Target No. 3 Takedown Plan today, so for now Team City Hunter is in research mode. Yoon-sung looks over the accounting records of top universities (Target No. 3 was the education minister), and notes that they rake in enormous amounts of money.
Adorably, he jumps to keep Shik-joong from drinking his energy tonic — the one given to him by Kyung-hee — warning him not to touch it, not clarifying even when Shik-joong assumes that Nana gave it to him.
Kyung-hee sees a doctor for a bruise on her arm, and already I’m not liking the looks of this, especially as she explains that she didn’t even know she had it until she changed her shirt. The doctor looks worried to see that she has no guarantors or children to help her, and tells her that her bloodwork came back with bad news: leukemia. She needs to be admitted immediately.
(OH OH OH this is brilliant! ‘Cause she’s gonna need a bone marrow transplant…and there’s no better match than a blood relative…like her long-lost son…and this may just be the thing to push him over the edge and approach her, misconceptions-about-abandonment be damned… AHHHHHHHHH so prematurely excited!)
The doctor tells her she has to begin cancer treatments immediately, and they’ll start looking for a bone marrow donor. Kyung-hee is so rattled that she asks to be allowed to return to her store first to close up shop before admitting herself, which makes me fear that she won’t return for treatment after all.
At home, Kyung-hee takes out her baby’s old clothing, telling it sadly, “I’ve just been surviving, waiting to meet you. Will I be able to live and meet you?” She sobs clutching the baby clothes: “I miss you…”
Yoon-sung arrives outside the cafe where Nana works now, telling himself he’s only here because of Kim Jong-shik. Suuuure. Tell yourself that, Captain Denial. He asks Nana to chat, and the impatient guy next in line taps Yoon-sung’s shoulder to ask him rudely to get out of the way if he’s done ordering. Nana bursts out unthinkingly, “Sir, be careful! You shouldn’t hit someone that…hard.” Which makes sense to no one, not even Nana, who can’t think of a better excuse to cover up her worry for his injury.
Yoon-sung hands over Nana’s file on Kim Jong-shik, saying that he found it in his luggage, and asks who the guy is. Nana answers that he’s the man who caused the car crash that killed her mother and turned her father into a vegetable, and that she’d been collecting information hoping to reopen the investigation. However, it turns out that the national identification number of the crucial witness, Bae Man-deok, had been erased — a feat taking some doing, since you’ve essentially wiped a person’s existence from all public record.
Nana says she saw Man-deok at the noraebang a few days ago, which gets the wheels turning in Yoon-sung’s head. He asks for a physical description, and recognizes that she means Shik-joong.
Yoon-sung asks what she’d like done to Kim Jong-shik, and she answers that she doesn’t want a death for a death: “But I’d like for the City Hunter to catch him and deliver him to Prosecutor Kim Young-ju.” She wants Kim’s true nature revealed to the world, because her research on him has shown that he has a number of skeletons in his corrupted closet.
You know what makes this great? She’s dropping this info purposely, much like Sae-hee did, knowing he’s the City Hunter — yet here he is thinking his secret identity is safe and sound, so he’s asking questions AS the City Hunter, posing as Yoon-sung.
Then Nana screws up the courage to ask hesitantly, half-afraid of his answer, “The City Hunter…probably isn’t someone who kills people, right?”
He answers noncommittally, “How would I know?” She replies, “I believe he won’t.” Yoon-sung: “Then you’re probably right.”
Yoon-sung goes straight home and confronts Shik-joong about being Bae Man-deok, demanding to know the full story. Scared and sorry, he explains.
Flashback: Shik-joong/Man-deok had been on the sidewalk when he saw a car swerving wildly into the wrong lane, slamming into Nana’s parents’ car. The man behind the wheel was Kim Jong-shik, and by the time Nana had gotten there, she’d seen Shik-joong giving his statement.
Shik-joong had been called by Kim Jong-shik and told to change his story. Using Shik-joong’s gambling history as blackmail, Kim warned that he was powerful enough to have Shik-joong imprisoned, falsely if necessary. In exchange for his revised witness account, he’d make sure he’d be well compensated.
Shik-joong admits that he was foolish and weak, too cowardly to even die, wracked with guilt at the thought of Nana. He says he’s glad Yoon-sung uncovered the truth, and vows to help him fully to nail Kim Jong-shik: “And after I help you, I’ll turn myself in and receive my punishment.” Awww. He’s a coward for what he did, but his resolve brings tears to my eyes and surely makes up for it, at least to the extent that I can respect him now without feeling guilty about it.
Nana is called back to the Blue House, and because of her good work during the sniper incident and the kidnapping of Seo Yong-hak, she’s not fired. However, she’s relegated to Da-hae duty, which I think seems fair; she’s not exactly the best bodyguard anyway, despite her few key saves. I’m sure most people would rather be guarded by someone with a consistent record, rather than someone with a few spectacular saves mixed in with some gross negligence.
During judo practice, Ki-joon congratulates Nana on her good luck for facing probation twice and escaping firing. She retorts that she’d had two commendations, too, then purposely fiddles with her bullet necklace as she adds, “Thanks to somebody.”
Eun-ah and Ki-joon engage in more of their judo-as-flirtation before we turn to Nana and Yoon-sung for their…well, judo-as-flirtation. Seriously, how anybody gets properly trained in this place is a wonder.
Yoon-sung waits expectantly for Nana to begin, but she’s wary of hurting him and begins a few throws, but pulls back each time. So he pulls her down to the mat, hovering over her for a few charged moments (*whzzzzrp!* rewind), before he pulls back and walks out.
Nana finds Yoon-sung at his favorite bench and offers him coffee, reminding him that they were still supposed to be friendly at work. He gives her the cold shoulder while she keeps up a cheery stream of chatter, explaining her coffee-making technique, until he impatiently shoves her hand away and sends her coffee to the ground.
He asks if she has no pride — why does she keep approaching him?
Nana replies, “Because I like you.” Eeeeeep!
He goes through the whole rigamarole again, telling her he didn’t mean anything by the kiss, that she’s not his type, that if every woman he kissed clung to him, blah blah blahhhh. She says that she likes him anyway, and misses him.
She admits that she feels pathetic, “But I want to be faithful to my feelings.”
All he can do is turn the rejection dial to full-blast, and he mutters that he’d better ignore her entirely from now on, stalking off. I do love how this puts him in a strained spot, since it was hard enough denying his own feelings — but to turn hers away? Yeah, good luck with that, buddy.
Nana tears up, but tells herself she did the right thing: “Liking him is a good thing.”
Ki-joon sees his expression and guesses that he’s had a spat with his girlfriend, and offers to give him a few lessons at the art of the romantic push-and-pull, of which he is (reportedly) a pro. Ha.
Da-hae visits a university campus, clinging to Yoon-sung’s arm, pouting when his eyes stray to the girls on campus. They happen upon a student demonstration, demanding that Kim Jong-shik stick to his word of half-price tuitions, because those students came to school believing that promise and now have difficulty remaining enrolled. Basically, if Kim reneges on his promise, he sends the message that (1) Only the rich deserve education, and/or (2) If you want schooling, you’ll stay poor.
In the cafeteria, a rich spoiled brat gives a cleaning lady hell for not properly doing her job, at which point Yoon-sung steps in to deliver a setdown about cleaning up her own mess, which he learned in kindergarten: “Or did you not even make it that far?” He says that if she spent all that money to be thus educated and has this crappy character to show for it, her personality can’t afford the half-price version.
That night, Yoon-sung flips through his books looking for something — that missing photo — and comes up empty. When he sits down for dinner, he sees that Shik-joong has prepared his favorite — that japchae dish without vegetables — which makes him think of Nana.
He sends Nana a text requesting her driver services, and she heads out with excitement (stopping at a makeup store to freshen up with their samples first, hee). Only…when she gets there, he’s got some new floozy on his arm. Aw, you bastid. I totally get why you’re doing this…but it doesn’t make me like it any!
Then Nana has to sit there stewing while he flirts outrageously with the girl, and he tosses out the barely veiled insult that short, dumb, inexperienced girls do nothing for him — the kind “who overreact and think you like them if you treat them the least bit nicely.”
Nana gets fed up watching Yoon-sung sucking face with the girl and pulls over, and I do love how perfectly this mirrors their first encounter in Episode 2. Only, this time she grabs the girl out of the car and hails a taxi, sending her off in it.
Yoon-sung asks if she’s jealous, and Nana replies, “No. That woman isn’t even worth getting jealous about. If you’re doing this to push me away, you don’t have to. My feelings are my own — I never forced them on you. If you still want to push me away, then at least date someone good enough that I can accept it. I’ll get properly jealous then. But don’t waste precious time and money like this! And don’t call a designated driver when you haven’t drunk, either. Acting like this — your parents wouldn’t like it.”
With that, she returns his photo, and walks off.
Aw, looks like someone’s onto you, smooth operator. At home, he sighs, “Kim Nana, don’t like me. You have to be happy.”
Young-ju reviews the facts of the hospital murders: All three victims were taken out with one efficient blade. CCTVs were obscured by spray, as in the sniper incident, and Yoon-sung was right there with him at the hospital. He orders his co-worker Pil-jae to have Yoon-sung followed again.
Kyung-hee’s back at work, as feared, where her health is not holding up well. When she gets up to fix Nana some food, she collapses, breathing heavily.
Nana calls Yoon-sung, who feigns indifference when she tells him the snack shop ajumma is at the hospital emergency room. But she tells him to come anyway: “Because she’s your mother.”
(Omo! This is even BETTER! ‘Cause Nana knows, and she’ll be the one to push him to donate his bone marrow…My mind’s running wild with all the fantastic dramatic possibilities.)
So Yoon-sung heads to the hospital, unaware that he’s being tailed by Pil-jae, although that tandem illegal U-turn really shoulda been a clue. You sure do stalk people really well, but you suck at detecting stalkers of your own. Good thing Daddy’s got your back. Even if he may be the one to ultimately stick a knife in it.
Yoon-sung arrives at Mom’s bedside, where Nana introduces him to the doctors as Kyung-hee’s guarantor and son, despite his protests. (Mom’s unconscious and doesn’t hear this.) He’s shaken badly by the diagnosis, especially when the doctor informs them that she’ll need to receive cancer treatment immediately. He also advises Yoon-sung to test his bone marrow for transplant right away.
This has thrown him for a loop, and Nana admits that she doesn’t know their family circumstances — but he’s ajumma’s son, and should get tested. Yoon-sung finally bursts out, “And why should I?! After she abandoned me?”
Nana’s surprised, but she entreats him to remember that he’d longed for her anyway, that he’d kept that photo: “If you hate her, say so. If you miss her, say so. You have a mother you can say that too.” Ooooof. And that’s why Nana’s the perfect person to do this, because he knows she doesn’t have her mother, and this juxtaposition highlights that his reaction, while understandable, is something he ought to overcome while he can still appreciate having a mother who’s alive.
Nana hammers that nail in: “Or, you know, you can just watch her die.”
That does it. Yoon-sung signs forms as Kyung-hee’s guarantor and pulls out his credit card to request “the very best room.” He doesn’t see that he’s being followed by Pil-jae… and Pil-jae doesn’t see that he’s being followed in turn, by Bad Daddy’s cohort Sang-gook. HAHA. It’s both hilarious — this is like 49 Days, where even stalkers had stalkers — and worrisome, since you know that means Jin-pyo’s on the scent. Ahhh, crap.
Both minions report to both bosses, leading to a few conclusions: (1) If Yoon-sung is related to the patient, the prosecutor’s office may be able to get their grubby hands on a blood sample, and (2) Dad now knows that Yoon-sung is “a weak little boy” AND that the prosecutor is on his tail. Young-ju orders Minion to get that blood no matter what, and Dad orders Other Minion to prevent Yoon-sung from giving blood no matter what.
I just love this. It’s such a perfect setup on both sides, but it’s not just dropped from the sky into our laps out of nowhere; it’s laid into the plotting so well that when it all clicks into place, it just makes the suspense richer.
Kyung-hee protests to Nana that she’s not in a position to receive medical care right now (meaning: she can’t afford it), to which Yoon-sung counters that taking time to think about it won’t change her circumstances. Kyung-hee doesn’t understand why he’s speaking to her so harshly all of a sudden, while Nana urges him to soften his words, to no avail: Yoon-sung continues, “You say you have no family. Why don’t you just obey [the doctor]?”
Nana assures Kyung-hee that despite his mean words, he’s not a bad person, and this also happens to be the first time that Mom hears Yoon-sung’s name.
Yoon-sung stomps up the stairs to the rooftop, where he yells in frustration. He asks Shik-joong, “Does this make sense? She abandoned me to live happily on her own. Then she should be living proudly, and well! But why is she sick?!”
With that, he tells the doctor that he’s not family after all, and that it was a misunderstanding. The doctor worries that this means her situation is dire, and that in a worst-case scenario, Kyung-hee could die while waiting for a donor match. She doesn’t have much time.
Yoon-sung asks if he can donate if he’s a match, which requires a simple blood test. Eee! Do it! No, don’t do it! Do it! Don’t do it! You’re driving me mad, drama!
For once I’m relieved to see Jin-pyo there, since that takes care of the dilemma. Yoon-sung says that he can donate the bone marrow if he has to, despite Mom’s abandonment. Jin-pyo tells Yoon-sung that until their revenge is complete, Yoon-sung doesn’t have the freedom to do whatever he wishes with even a hair or drop of blood. Yeesh. That’s taking the term “possessive parent” to extremes.
Yoon-sung says that even if she abandoned him, a mother is still a mother: “And if she dies now, I can’t even hate her freely.”
Jin-pyo warns that the instant his blood is drawn, his identity will be revealed, and their revenge is kaput. Plus, if the prosecutor followed him this far, he should be able to connect him to Kyung-hee as well: “I’m warning you: Your life rests on your choice.”
Yoon-sung tells Shik-joong he’ll do the blood test anyway, because otherwise his mother might die. Shik-joong reminds him that he might die instead, but Yoon-sung says, “It’s okay.” (Ughhh, I’m feeling mighty uneasy with this episode’s constant reminders that Yoon-sung may be facing death… This is a red herring, right? They’re just trying to surprise us later, RIGHT?!)
That’s when Minion Sang-gook (who has just come from locking Minion Pil-jae in the bathroom, heh) stops Yoon-sung, saying, “The Boss says NO.”
Throwdown!
They relocate to a shady basement area to duke it out. It’s three to one, but our City Hunter knocks ’em all down. Shedding blood so he can go shed blood…that’s deep, man. (LOL.)
Yoon-sung gives blood for the test, only to be joined by the prosecutor duo, who have him just where they want him. Pil-jae’s looking mighty smug for someone who’s just had to be liberated from the bathroom by his boss, I’m thinking.
Yoon-sung smirks, “Someone might misunderstand, and think you like me.” Oh, don’t I WISH that were the case. He tells Young-ju to pick a number and wait his turn, so as not to upset the others waiting in line. HA.
Young-ju answers that he needs his blood, and Yoon-sung quips, “Are we playing vampire now? I hope it’s fun!”
Young-ju produces a warrant and demands the blood, and rather than balking, Yoon-sung gives his okay like it’s no concern of his. The nurses hand over the vial, and Yoon-sung maintains his careless attitude until he’s out of there, and then it’s a race to get that vial before Young-ju can get it tested by the forensics lab.
Pil-jae is sent back to stalker duty, but as he’s about to follow Yoon-sung from the hospital, he’s stopped by Nana. She’d spotted the prosecutors leaving the hospital and understands, partially, that they’re after Yoon-sung, so now she races in front of Pil-jae’s car with a trumped-up excuse about the reinvestigation, ensuring that Yoon-sung gets away. Atta girl.
Yoon-sung is, at the moment, busy following Young-ju, who remains unaware since his tail’s tail has lost the trail.
Yoon-sung waits as two ambulances are stopped at the security point of the National Forensic Service, and oh-so-casually ambles his way over to the one in the rear. He slips inside and disguises himself in a body bag among the other dead bodies being delivered here to the morgue. *Shudder* Also, ballsy.
From there, it’s an easy matter to exit his vault and walk out, leaving the slab open and bound to freak out some coroner tomorrow.
A senior lab technician is insulted at the prosecutor’s high-and-mighty demands, waltzing in with one teeny vial and insisting on instant analysis when they’re up to their eyeballs in materials awaiting processing. She storms out to give Young-ju a piece of her mind…but one sight of his charming, polite face has her smitten, and suddenly she’s all understanding and smiles.
This gives Yoon-sung the chance to spot the lab tech holding his vial, and he seizes his opportunity — by stepping off the rooftop, freefalling a full story, and catching himself on the window ledge below with his fingertips. JEEZUS, Mr. Death Wish.
And then he does it again, down another story, and this time manages to catch himself with ONE HAND. Holy shit, Balls of Steel. That’s your new nickname, I swear.
He hoists himself inside the lab, watching as Ms. Lab Tech moons over the hottie prosecutor (“He’s exactly my type!”). She waxes poetic about his shining eyes, perfectly chiseled features, physique like Michelangelo’s David… Get a grip, lady! It’s not like he’s Lee Min-ho.
Yoon-sung is smart enough to swap in a false vial for his, so that she’s none the wiser when she takes it to test. Young-ju, alas, is just as sharp as he is, and he notices the open window, out of which Yoon-sung has just leaped, where he dangles by his fingertips.
Suspicions firing, Young-ju approaches the window and looks down — and sees nothing.
City Hunter, why so cool? He struts down to the lobby, mission accomplished, not seeing that he’s not out of the woods yet — because Young-ju is just half a flight of stairs behind him.
He hasn’t been seen yet, but he’s in imminent danger of it — just as an arm grabs Yoon-sung and yanks him out of view. Young-ju walks out, none the wiser.
Meanwhile, Yoon-sung instinctively grabs a hidden blade and whirls his assailant/assistant against the wall. Nana.
COMMENTS
Goddammit, City Hunter, I love you so hard it hurts a little. You’re cool and exciting, but you’ve also got a soft underbelly of sweetness to counter the bloodlust and revengey bits. Mmm, revengey bits…
It’s not a perfect drama, no, but it serves up such a perfectly balanced plate of intrigue, action, romance, moody ambiance, suspense, hero suffering and inner conflict, and superhigh stakes that I’m left feeling satisfied and craving more. There’s just so much more to be pleased with than to nitpick here. It’s been a while since a drama has got me so hooked, and so assured of its continued delivery of the goods — the last time was Joseon X-Files, and the time before that probably Story of a Man. That’s pretty good company.
When you see a drama with really poor writing, or really poor directing, it’s easy to declare that the deficiency is really THE key ingredient in making a drama work. Crap directing in the presence of decent writing makes you sigh, “If only this drama looked as good as its story is written — it could have been elevated so much higher!” (For instance, I’m imagining Miss Ripley with Bad Guy’s music director and cinematographer.) And then you see a decently directed drama with insane or inane writing and you think, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a cow’s ear.” And really, it’s a little bit of both, because the exact same story, expressed visually in a different (less arresting, more pedestrian) way wouldn’t have nearly the same effect. It’s just the nature of the beast in this visual medium.
But those extremes aside, it’s when you’ve got a solid handle on both that I’m happiest. Addicted. Drooling a little at every one of Lee Min-ho’s perfect angles. (Hey, I’m screencapping this sucker — you really notice it when you end up with a folder containing hundreds of almost-identical frames of his face. Swoon.)
No, really — can’t we have another season or four?
RELATED POSTS
- City Hunter: Episode 9
- City Hunter: Episode 8
- City Hunter: Episode 7
- Lee Min-ho gets into a car accident, escapes injury
- City Hunter: Episode 6
- City Hunter: Episode 5
- Lee Jun-hyuk for Bazaar
- Behind the scenes with City Hunter
- City Hunter: Episode 4
- City Hunter: Episode 3
- City Hunter: Episode 2
- City Hunter: Episode 1
Tags: City Hunter, featured, Lee Min-ho, Park Min-young
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101 anna
June 25, 2011 at 1:07 AM
A superhero gets his own silent protector (sort of).. very interesting! Ugh.. I am so addicted to this show also. I love going into a show with super low expectation, then getting totally surprised and drawn in. Favorite action-y drama so far.
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102 Noelle
June 25, 2011 at 1:10 AM
I really need to start watching this. I feel like I'm missing out even if I do read the recaps religiously. Gawd Lee Min Ho... can he get any hotter? He is probably going to be one of those guys who get just better looking as they age. Basterd.
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103 dany
June 25, 2011 at 1:27 AM
I never liked LMH but I have to admit that he is not only sexy but also talented. Great series, anyway. Thanks for the recap, it is the only recap worth reading, among others.
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104 b is for batman
June 25, 2011 at 2:14 AM
Late night babbling:
-I was reading Episode 10 recap with The Dark Knight soundtrack playing in the background. It was pretty awesome. I mean, the recap obviously can stand on its own without any auditory help from Hans Zimmer. With our dynamic duo's vivid writing there's really no need for stuff like that. But it's a pretty interesting and unique experience. Everyone should try it some time. It's especially cool because the music casts that air of mystery, foreboding, and suspense which complements this episode pretty awesomely.
-When I got to the track on the album called Like a Dog Chasing Cars, it immediately brought to mind Young-ju and his futile attempts to catch City Hunter. All through episodes 9 and 10 , we see Young-ju hot on his trail only to be foiled time and again by Yoon-sung himself and with the help of his cohorts, Nana and Sae-hee.
-Between Nana and Sae-hee, I wonder who'd make the better Robin.
-I don't remember seeing Sae-hee at all earlier in the episode, so at the end I was wishing it was her that pulled Yoon-sung to safety into that room. But it wasn't to be. It appears she has been relegated to a convenient plot device, which is a shame considering how cool and intriguing her character is. And Show could use an effective love triangle.
-There's a track on the album called You Complete Me, in reference to the line Joker said to Batman. I thought it was strangely appropriate for this drama as well. Because, you know, it completes... nevermind.
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105 ellie
June 25, 2011 at 3:02 AM
I didn't have a lot of expectations about this drama, but I'm officially hooked! Some reasons why I'm loving it:
-- The complicated relationship between Yoon-sung and Jin-pyo is riveting, and boy, does it get SO MUCH BETTER and more complicated in this episode. It takes the meaning of "daddy issues" to a new level.
-- I'm thankful that the main characters are smart (or at least smarter than in other dramas), although they were pushing it with the non-recognition of Yoon-sung with his mere face mask. But now that Sae-hee, Young-ju, AND Nana all know that Yoon-sung is the City Hunter, there are interesting potential story lines and twists, and I can't wait to see what the writers give us.
-- One of the characters that I'm most interested in learning more about is Young-ju. The fact that he's not perfect and has his own daddy issues makes him an interesting character. We know that he's smart (thank goodness) and thus a worthy opponent (or unwilling ally) to the City Hunter. So far, the City Hunter has had the upper hand, but that changed in this episode. Already we see that Yoon-sung is distracted with concerns about Nana and his mother, such that he's dropped the ball on getting to the Targets before Dad and doesn't know when he's being stalked. What intrigues me is the inkling of an apparent conflict in character. He approaches his job with single-minded zeal and dedication....so much so that it appears to be the primary reason for his divorce. He passionately tracks down the baddies to hold them accountable to the law, even if they turn out to be his father's friends. So far, he seems like the typical, upright law enforcement character. And yet, we know that HE knows about his father's involvement in Nana's parents' car crash and cover-up thereof (hence the reason for becoming Daddy Long Legs) and that he is unwilling to open that can of worms. I can't wait to see that conflict blow up. Is blood thicker than water? Or is he concerned about his own career track? It definitely raises questions about his position as prosecutor. Will his daddy issues help him understand and side with Young-ju?
-- The contrast between Young-ju's Friday is scaredy-cat Shik-joong and Jin-pyo's Friday is hilarious. I love, love, love Shik-joong and his home shopping addiction, and his relationship with Yoon-sung is adorable.
-- Finally, how cool was that last scene in Episode 10, juxtaposing Young-ju and Yoon-sung as they walked without seeing each other. It was beautifully done with the layout of the building.
Now, I'm on pins and needles for Episode 11
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Mandelbrotr
June 25, 2011 at 8:44 AM
Yes, the last scene was nicely done. We see them both but they don't see each other. (a little bit of kdrama 10ft radius blindness?) I was like "Eee!" "Oooh!" "Ghaw!" "Huh" "Gasp!" (that's went the easily recognized aqua clad arm reached out to grab YS)
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Alicia
June 25, 2011 at 1:17 PM
HAHA YES "EASILY RECOGNIZED". I was like, YES NANA! when i saw the arm because come on, who else wears bright colours like that in the entire drama?
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Cynthia
June 26, 2011 at 8:18 AM
Excuse me. Are we forgetting "Mr. Flamingo Dreams" here?!
If our hero's pink pants don't stand out, then nothing does!
:) :)
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ladida
June 25, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Totally agree, the last scene was beautifully shot, and the music was good, too.
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106 caramenilla
June 25, 2011 at 3:04 AM
I literally giggling, screaming, clapping my hands, and talk to myself while reading this recap, even though I've watched it.
I guess I just can't get enough of it.
Let's hope this drama will stay this AWESOME
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107 sleipnir
June 25, 2011 at 3:11 AM
so what would he tell her......
y'know with the blade at he throat. intriguing.
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samgetang
June 25, 2011 at 4:39 AM
"i just sharpened this!" ? ;-)
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ladida
June 25, 2011 at 9:51 AM
hahaha...that just made my day
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108 mim
June 25, 2011 at 3:13 AM
Quite a satisfying episode! Really happy with the character development of Nana. I liked how Nana did not waste time crying over YS' rejection and decided to act very maturely about her own feelings. It is always great when a drama heroine confesses her feelings even when she is sure of a rejection( like Eun Chan did in CP to 'the Voice'). Part of the reason for such mature attitude of the heroine is also bcoz of the genre. If it was a rom-com, at least one episode would have been wasted over the misunderstanding n the resultant angst. Thankfully, CH requires the female lead also to buck up and do the needful to save her man. For Nana, YS is the sole centre of her life with her dad in coma. It is understandable that she would do her utmost to make things a little bit easier for the man who saved her life n helped her in so many ways and one she loves so much as well. I admire her for not wasting her time on needless jealousy. For instance, she has no insecurities about Da Hae clinging to YS and is mature enough to understand it for a one-sided crush.
I admire CH all the more for showing how you can take a rejection with dignity and have the courage to face your own feelings without going the stalkerish mode with the object of your affections (like 'Playful Kiss'). Hope the drama keeps up the good work!
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samgetang
June 25, 2011 at 4:44 AM
Playful Kiss...arggghhhhh! Don't remind me, mim! Worst nightmare (sorry PK fans...)
I love how you say it: take rejection with dignity.
Kim Nana will go down in kdramaland history as someone who broke off from the mold and showed us ladies can be more cool than they already are! Yea! ;-)
thanks, mim!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 9:26 AM
Mim, i second samgetang's words -
you described it so beautifully :
take rejection with dignity... ;)
thanks, mim! ;)
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mim
June 26, 2011 at 8:45 AM
Thanks samgetang and kdl. It sure is good when a drama teaches you how to deal with relationships. Ha ha!
Thank God CH did not go the cliched route. I was dreading Nana shedding buckets of tears and having a hard time facing him in the blue house. But she caught him off guard with her frank confession and it is not often you see YS rattled.
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koreandramalover/kay
June 26, 2011 at 9:40 AM
you are most welcome, mim dear! ;)
and i can't agree with you more
abt how it is not often we get to see YS rattled
and how fitting it is that the writer wrote Na Na
as the one to be able to do that! ;)
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samgetang
June 27, 2011 at 5:27 AM
@mim and kdl: love this writer ;-)
koreandramalover/kay
June 27, 2011 at 5:38 AM
@samgetang dear! ;)
i echo your sentiment exactly!
CH's writer/writers, director, music arranger/composer
are the BEST!! ;)
but the editors need to do a better job because
some of the editing are so poor that some scenes
appear to not flow at all but clearly show
different scenes haphazardly put together
and ruined the whole mood of the moment...
esp the streetlight kiss scene...
109 Little Lulu
June 25, 2011 at 3:24 AM
OHH MAHHY GAHD!!! So, Nana's on the ROLL! And I love!!!!
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110 olsen
June 25, 2011 at 3:34 AM
"Get a grip, lady! It’s not like he’s Lee Min-ho"
lol. So true!
My gosh, the scene i9n which Nana was being all nice to YS with the coffee, man, I felt bad.
It was bringing all the not so nice memories, the silly moves we all tried when we were in high school trying to get 'that' guy's attention:(
I want her to fight for him, to not give up on him 'coz he's actually doing this because he loves her. But at the same time, I wish she could just give him the cold-shoulders 'coz it's so hard to watch her heart broken.
I'm torn!!!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 9:16 AM
Olsen, how i just love how you are so right abt
being torn between wishing Na Na to fight for her love
or to just move on from having her love thrown back
to her face so heartlessly by YS... ;)
i faced the same dilemma, once upon a time so long ago,
when i faced the exact same situation as Na Na...hehe
as it turned out, it was a misunderstanding...
and now...we are husband and wife...
that's why i can fully understand Na Na's situation...
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olsen
June 25, 2011 at 7:37 PM
Omo! Omo!
Forgive me if I'm waaaayyy too late,
but i just have to say it
CONGRATS!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 9:54 PM
Olsen, dearest! ;)
thank you so much for your congrats! ;)
its coming to our 10th anniversary...
and my hubby is tickled pink
over my obsession with LMH..
he agrees totally with me
abt how hot LMH is...
and so he understands my obsession...
but he knows i would only die for him, or my parents...
he himself thinks Son Ye Jin is a truly beautiful lady... ;)
my hubby and i are crazy in that way...hehe...
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olsen
June 25, 2011 at 11:03 PM
Oh my gosh!
Find me a guy like ur hubby, will u?
I promise I'll be a very good girl to him:)
10th anniversary?
Congrats again..
and best of luck to u and ur hubby
olsen
June 25, 2011 at 11:07 PM
Sohn Ye Jin is one great actress...
As for me, I love love love Yoon Eun Hye
Too bad LTM sucks:(
koreandramalover/kay
June 26, 2011 at 1:12 AM
Olsen, thank you so much for your kind wishes... ;)
as for finding another one like my hubby for you - sure!
i will ask my hubby if he knows anyone like him...
and introduce him to you! ;)
...
i agree Yoon Eun Hye is also a beautiful lady ;)
samgetang
June 27, 2011 at 6:16 AM
kdl dear, sorry didnt know u were married...ekkkk! happy 10th anniversary to u n yr hubby ;-) do u have child/children?
koreandramalover/kay
June 27, 2011 at 8:31 AM
samgetang dearie! ;)
thanks for your kind wishes! ;)
as for children, God has yet to bless my hubby and i
with any...doctors said there is nothing physiologically
wrong abt both of us, so we are trying assisted means,
which has been so very challenging to both of us
emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually...
we have tried assisted means for a few years but
we have halted it for now because
my dear hubby, bless his heart,
who knows me more than i know myself,
has told me that he knows the assisted means
put the greatest pressure and stress on me,
and he cannot bear to see me
being so drained emotionally, physically,
psychologically, spiritually... ;)
we are Muslims and we believe that if and when
God Almighty wishes to bless us with children,
He will, in His own good time... ;)
for now, i feel so blessed with God's numerous blessings
such as my parents', my hubby's, my family's
and friends' good physical, emotional, spiritual,
intellectual and psychological health... ;)
most especially the blessing of the presence of
my husband in my life -
someone who, next to my parents,
is the most loyal, selfless, patient, magnanimous, loving
and emotionally, psychologically and spiritually
steadfast person i know... ;)
his complete and unshakeable faith, belief and trust
in Allah, God Almighty is the reason he is such a good person, son, brother, husband, friend...
and how blessed i feel having him in my life... ;)
which is why i don't feel that there is anything missing
in my life despite the fact that i am childless
after a decade of marriage because simply put,
there are so many blessings that God has
showered on my family and i,
which my hubby does not fail to remind me
to be thankful for every single day... ;)
and so with complete faith, belief and trust in God,
we concentrate on praying for and thanking God
for His Bountiful Blessings,
and freely and totally leave our lives in His Care
and Plan without questions or doubts... ;)
samgetang
June 28, 2011 at 1:31 AM
kdl dear, thanks for sharing!
you are so right! children are a gift from God and comes at the time and place appointed by God alone. you have no reason to feel bad at all. being a parent is a privilege, not a right. not being one (yet) does not make you any less a person/couple. in the same way being single is not a cause for being less thankful in life. :-)
im happy that you and your hubby share the same sentiment on these things and make you closer to each other rather than making you drift apart.
i can sense that you are a loving and lovable wife and so your hubby is much blessed. and that speaks well of your husband, too; a loving husband begets a loving wife.
happy happy 10th wedding aniv to both of you, my dearest kdl!
hope to meet you both soon ;-)
koreandramalover/kay
June 28, 2011 at 8:51 AM
The one and only, Samgetang, dearest! ;)
How do i thank thee for your beautiful words? ;)
'Thank you' just seems so inadequate...
I am so touched by them, i am almost speechless... ;)
I can really feel how warm, sincere and heartfelt
your wishes are through your words... ;)
Through just a few precious words,
i can truly feel the depth of your understanding,
compassion and empathy, in short,
how truly pure your heart and mind are...
i am truly humbled... ;)
Although i am not the perfect wife because
i have numerous faults, shortcomings and weaknesses,
please accept my humblest, most sincere and
deeply heartfelt appreciation and gratitude,
samgetang dear,
for your kind thoughts and wishes... ;)
Samgetang dear,
please know that you are one of the blessings from God
showered upon me in my life...
for which i am grateful every second of my life... ;)
thank you so very much, Samgetang,
for your heart of gold and pure mind... ;)
Only God Almighty may reward you for being one of the finest souls i have had the privilege and honour
to get to know and learn so much from... ;)
Who knew, coming so cluelessly to Dramabeans,
a wonderful platform provided by the incomparable
Javabeans, has allowed me to meet you,
Samgetang dear,
to get to know a bit about you,
and learn so much from you,
along with the other truly wonderful folks here,
not least of all, our fantastic hosts Javabeans
and Girlfriday... ;)
I honestly believe that God has directed me
to come to this blog so that i could meet,
get to know and learn from some of the finest souls... ;)
You see, that is why i have complete and
unadulterated trust, faith and belief in God
because coming here and meeting you,
dearest samgetang (and the others)
is the undisputed evidence and proof
that God's Plan is the Ultimate Plan because
He is the Ultimate and Best Planner... ;)
Thank God and THANK YOU, SAMGETANG DEAREST!!
I am soo looking forward to meeting you in
my tiny island-home when you come over to visit
so that i could give you a REAL hug and kiss
to finally show you how wonderful you are to me,
and how much i truly love you, my dear samgetang ;)
momosa
June 26, 2011 at 6:42 PM
I was torn once too. I moved on instead.
It's tough dating a pretty boy, there were just too many bees around. I didn't have the confidence back then, and he was just too popular. In the end, I told him I didn't want to go on, just too tiring (imagine this, you have a bunch of girls coming to tell you he's dating them - yeah, just like in the drama). I told him I want to study well.
Why did I do that? I have no idea, I was such an idiot. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding.
Anyway, heck, its been a while but there's always a lingering disappointment of 'what if'.
Congrats kdl for making it work.
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koreandramalover/kay
June 26, 2011 at 8:07 PM
momosa, dearest! ;)
my heart goes out to you ;)
but please take heart...
speaking from personal experience,
if things don't work out between you and a guy,
its because you are not right for each other.
if you are right for each other,
things will fall into place,
but different people may go through more challenging
times than others, but still end up together
because they are meant to be..THAT is my experience...
my hubby had so many admirers (secret or otherwise),
simply because he is so friendly, kind, attentive and
good-looking...
we met through mutual friends and our relationship
started as a friendship and over time,
i realised that he became more than just a friend to me,
but it took him a bit longer to realise the same thing
abt me...because according to him, he has always
thought i liked his good friend, and thus he did not
want to fight with his good friend over a girl...
our relationship did not start like fireworks,
but started calmly, sedately even...
and developed over the many trials and tribulations
that we underwent together...
but that is not to say when we are together
we do not have fireworks because we do!!! hehe...
just the kind that takes a longer time to develop,
like slow burning embers...
that burn for a lot longer...and more intensely...
hehe...
oh, im going into X-rated territory, so i better stop...hehe
anyhow, momosa, i hope you will not lose heart
over your failed experiences because they all help you
to become a stronger person in mind, body and soul,
and the one who is right for you WILL find his way
to you...please believe that...
its just a matter of WHEN, not IF... ;)
take care, momosa dear ;)
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momosa
June 26, 2011 at 11:27 PM
**hug, hug**pat, pat** Thank you.
There's also the other side of the story...one part was I couldn't handle the hovering bees, the other part of the story (which I later found out from a friend) was he thought he had too many competitions. Pffft..that's why I thought there might be a 'what if'.
Anyhow, the love of my life is now 8 and my husband is an adorkable and clueless homosapien from a different space!
Take care!
koreandramalover/kay
June 27, 2011 at 5:31 AM
momosa dear! ;)
so the love of your life is an eight-year old? ;)
wow! so happy for you! ;)
and i just love how you describe your hubby - so adorable!! ;)
i can detect your blissful married life,
so i think any 'what-if' should not overshadow that... ;)
take care, momosa dear! ;)
111 Ayie Tama
June 25, 2011 at 3:42 AM
Still heart-stopping! Gosh! Went gaga over that building stunt. Am with you dramabeans! 20 episodes' not enough!
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112 miniejungle
June 25, 2011 at 4:02 AM
my thoughts are exactly the same with you on this drama - it will end in a month's time, OH NO!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to start a petition to make this into a 50-season dramas, I will be first on the list!
I hope they resolve daddy's lie about YS's mother soon, i don't want the misunderstandiing to drag on any longer. its heart-breaking to see he's so torn between the anger of being abandoned and the yearning to be loved by his own mom. I guess subconciously he could tell something is amiss when his mom keeps commenting how proud his parents would be having him as a son... we could feel her longing in those statements too!
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113 scarlet
June 25, 2011 at 4:21 AM
I really love the director and the writer (to a lesser extent, cos I find her a little lazy and a little too convenient at times in her writing, but on the whole, i still love her!) of CH. The camera work that PD-nim executed for the last sequence was simply stunning! I was holding my breath all the time, until the screen froze and the music sounded. He is good!
I echo JB's thought on the importance of good directing and writing. These days, a good cast can and is no longer a ratings guarantee, Lee Minho's last work, Personal Taste is one such case. I'm so glad he found CH this time round, dispelling all fear and doubts I had before the show. We have reached the half-way mark here, and I beg for a consistently good directing and writing, so that CH will top my chart as my best loved drama of all time!
Oh and thank you JB for the recaps!
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114 Net-chan
June 25, 2011 at 4:50 AM
Show, I ADORE YOU! Really, this is really good. But WHY a leukemia??? >_< As if she hasn't suffered enough yet...
Thanks for the recap ^^!
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115 houstontwin
June 25, 2011 at 4:54 AM
Fantastic recap!!!
When JB was talking about the right balance of writing and directing, I started thinking about all the kdramas that essentially have the same plot but vary greatly in quality.
Has anyone mentioned that City Hunter has a lot of plot points in common with A Man Called God? The corrupt officials kill the hero's father, the hero trains outside of Korea for many years, one by one the perpetrators are picked off...
But A Man Called God, despite some fine actors, was so absurd and embarrassing to watch. City Hunter stays put inside its own internal logic. It works, the acting, the plotting, everything.
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116 anne
June 25, 2011 at 5:07 AM
thanks for the recap. :)
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117 kyun
June 25, 2011 at 5:23 AM
guyssssss Guess what?
yesterday i spotted lee min ho's pink skinny jeans at my school.. ahahah at least they were worn by girls xP
lee min hot FTW
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118 nonski ⭐️A forever JIN who crash landed on Hyun Bins heart❤️!
June 25, 2011 at 5:39 AM
What else can I say but this SHOW just keeps getting better!
ummmm... another season, well if it will keep it's theme, pace and cast, them i'm all for it... but then, i'm wary about it...
Javabeans, thanks for the recaps!
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119 EliOpal
June 25, 2011 at 6:19 AM
Too funny that you want more seasons. One of the main reasons I LOVE KDramas sooo much is that they have a fixed length. We actually get a fairly reasonable conclusion to the stories. I really like that.
However, I have to admin I am digging City Hunter in a big way and would be ok with a City Hunter 2...maybe...
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120 biddi
June 25, 2011 at 7:25 AM
RADING your recaps makes my day girls ... even after seeing the episodes, it has another meaning altogether once the recaps are out ... Thank you for the hard work ...and Thank the cast for a really nice darma !
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121 alittlepaperstory
June 25, 2011 at 7:45 AM
That last scene killed me... It was too damn good...
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divyrus
June 25, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Agreed..! I died, got resurrected just to watch the scene and die again!!!
And the way he was holding her was so damn hot and intense and the look of shock on his face! Priceless!
Man... wednesday is too far away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 11:06 AM
totally agree with your every single word, Divyrus! ;)
that scene is hands-down THE MOST INTENSE,
sexually-charged seconds EVER made in Kdrama
history, IMHO...
in fact, his every facial expression and body language
at every camera angle
of every second of the last minutes of that episode
were PERFECTLY tuned
from the moment he was coolly walking away and
was seconds from being caught by the Prosecutor,
to the moment he was pulled into the room,
to the moment he swiftly pulled out a hidden knife,
to the moment he skilfully turned the person who
grabbed him around, and up against the wall
with the knife to the person's throat,
to the moment he came face-to-face with that person,
to the moment he recognised WHO that person is!!
i mean, seriously...
how could a look of shocked recognition be SO HOT??!!
PRICELESS is THE word for it, Divyrus!! ;)
which makes me wonder -
how DOES Lee Min-Ho do it so well
because from the interviews he has been in,
he has always come across as a rather shy and
soft-spoken person with a self-deprecating sense of
humour and laughs very easily?
the only answer i could come up with is -
he is a born and gifted actor... ;)
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divyrus
June 25, 2011 at 12:39 PM
Yeah all those moments!! Been rewarching then again an again shot by shot to understand the awesomeness of the scene!
And the scene when he walks out of the morgue??? SO DAMN COOL!! like he does that everyday!!
*sighs*
He is damn Good!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 6:23 PM
Yes! SO DAMN COOL is Lee Min-Ho! ;)
swoooonnn...
momosa
June 26, 2011 at 6:57 PM
I think he's not a complicated person in real life. He's obviously shy, very little words and serious with his work.
I think he laughs easily because he's a genuine, sincere and simple (these are similar characteristic of a child - happy, genuine, sincere and simple).
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koreandramalover/kay
June 28, 2011 at 8:57 AM
yes, momosa, dear! ;)
i totally agree with you -
Lee Min Ho seems to be genuine and real... ;)
122 Venus
June 25, 2011 at 7:58 AM
JB love ur recaps and I would totally love for CH to have a second season, I think there is more story to tell and heck I'm all about seeing LMH in my screen anytime...love HIM..
Ep. 10 in my opinion was a transnational episode to what is to come on the second half of the show. Things are getting much more complicated for YS not just catching the bad guys, but also for his interpersonal relations with people that he has come to care about.
I believe that YS is going to find the truth about his mother not abandon him till we reach the president, cause the president knows that YS was taken by JP, and that one emotional card the president can play very well.
I agree with JB that the drama is not perfect, no drama is really, but the execution by the PD Nim has been right on target and so far the writing is great. But we need to remember that CH is in a world of superheroes were many things can happen not limit really, but if they are very well done, it just AMAZING!!!!!.......
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123 Venus
June 25, 2011 at 8:00 AM
ooops meant *transitional ... :P
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124 stella
June 25, 2011 at 8:00 AM
thanks for recaps!:)
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125 black
June 25, 2011 at 8:15 AM
the last scene was priceless.
the way he spun her around and the sound of the knife!!!!
call me sadistic, i hope he gets some blood off the blade and then feel real bad about it.
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126 Ashlea
June 25, 2011 at 8:46 AM
Absolutely loving this show! Haven't felt this much tension since IRIS!!!! Just hope it doesn't have a similar ending =.=
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127 venthung
June 25, 2011 at 9:22 AM
Hi Jessybee,
The plot that set LYS to be MIT graduated making a question mark to this drama. Yes he's great in martial arts,even philosophy which lead him to his angelic-revenge, but genius? We unable to see that genius sparkling doctorate young man in this drama... I would like to have LYS as average man shaped with the bitter reality of his life then super-talented super-perfect young man. If that so, he would pretty much remind me of Edmund Dantes, whom sweetly got his revenge on the 19th century best revenge novel "The Count of Monte Cristo"...
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Mac
June 25, 2011 at 10:24 PM
MIT does not a genius make. There are tons of ridiculously intelligent people here, and there are definitely some geniuses, but students here sometimes do things that are flat out stupid. Secondly, MIT grad students seem to consider themselves, and are in general thought of as, somewhat less intelligent than the undergrads, so even if we say that the undergrads have a genius reputation, that doesn't necessarily apply to the grad students.
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128 venthung
June 25, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Hi Jessybee,
The plot that set LYS to be MIT graduated making a question mark to this drama. Yes he's great in martial arts,even philosophy which lead him to his angelic-revenge, but genius? We unable to see that genius sparkling doctorate young man in this drama... I would like to have LYS as average man shaped with the bitter reality of his life rather than super-talented super-perfect young man. If that's so, he would pretty much remind me of Edmund Dantes, whom sweetly got his revenge on the 19th century best revenge novel "The Count of Monte Cristo"...
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129 koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Something not connected to CH but
has anyone wondered why Lee Min-Ho
is still girlfriend-less?
I thought he could easily hook up with any number
of his female counterparts in the dramas
he has been in, most especially Gu Hye Sun, or
Lee Min Jeong, or Lee Bo Young, or Son Ye Jin,
but the poor boy who has been wishing for a girlfriend
for so long is still solo...
I am praying that he would get a girlfriend soon
as a birthday gift seeing as he has just celebrated
his birthday... ;)
He is such a catch so im sure its not a matter of
IF there any interested ladies, but perhaps
which one among the many that has that special
appeal to him... ;)
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Snowangel
June 25, 2011 at 9:28 AM
I agree... I secretly hope it's me... Hahaha
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olsen
June 25, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Well..WE decided to keep OUR relationship a secret so as not to break the hearts of millions of girls..
OOps! now, I've spilled it!
LOL
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houstontwin
June 25, 2011 at 9:58 AM
We really can't make any assumptions at all about his private life. Good for LMH for preserving his privacy!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Haha... ;)
@Snowangel
@olsen
both of you are so adorable! ;)
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Birdie
June 25, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Can you imagine the amount of hate mail the poor girl will get if he discloses it? Wishing for a girlfriend is to get the fans all worked up.Come on -he can get any girl he wants. He may very well have one or more girlfriends hidden in the closet! We will never know his private life.
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Celexa
June 25, 2011 at 4:52 PM
And that is the way it should stay until he is ready to commit to a relationship.
He deserves a normal life as possible and casual dating for a star in Korea is nearly impossible with all the anti-fans and netzins. They are scary!! *shivers*
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 6:29 PM
Celexa, you are so right! :)
Korea's anti-fans and netizens are among the scariest
i have ever heard about...*shivers*
i mean, they can be SERIOUSLY SCARY!!
just remembering how some of them cyber-bullied
so many celebrities that drove some of them
to suicide...*shivers*
i just wish the best for Lee Min-Ho... ;)
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Little Lulu
June 26, 2011 at 7:10 AM
I so agree with you. Celebrities having girlfriends or boyfriends in Korea is like suicide.
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koreandramalover/kay
June 26, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Yes, Little Lulu!! you are so right!
i really feel for Korean celebrities,
esp those that i like,
for the stress they have to face
in trying to lead as normal a life as humanly possible,
in the midst of fanatics who obsess over
their every action...
urrrggghhhh...
koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 11:17 AM
@houstontwin
@Birdie
i absolutely respect and support LMH's need for privacy
and can understand how challenging it would be for him
and the girl he is interested in to lead as normal a life
as the next person...
that is the price of fame, i guess... ;)
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Lulai
June 25, 2011 at 5:48 PM
That's the curse of LMH! Millions of girls swoon over him and I pity the one that he'd choose to love because the other millions would hate her. I won't mind being in that girl's shoes. I'd kick those other millions. Just let me have my LMH! Nyahahahaha!!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 6:38 PM
Lulai, you are too hilarious! ;)
HAHAHA!!
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130 Snowangel
June 25, 2011 at 9:25 AM
I just wanna say... Wednesday seems sloop far away... How does anyone expect to breathe until then? ... Time to rewatch the last 10 eps I guess... Hehehe ^^
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131 qmiwook
June 25, 2011 at 9:26 AM
It just dawned on me the significance of the last scene in this episode: YS is finally faced (no pun intended) with the realization that Nana KNOWS that he is the City Hunter. This is the first confrontation incidence of Nana and City hunter where he doesn't have a mask on/in the dark.
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ladida
June 25, 2011 at 9:53 AM
So true...I can't wait to see how he reacts to that.
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132 yumii
June 25, 2011 at 9:41 AM
I must say for a man you is great at following people his sense of when he's being watched is perpetually in the OFF position. What's up with that?
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133 Kira
June 25, 2011 at 9:51 AM
I LOVE THIS DRAMA. Normally I hate thrillers cause I'm weird, but this one changed my perspective on thrillers...and Lee Minho =] AISH I HAVE TO WAIT ONE MORE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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134 nickynisa
June 25, 2011 at 10:17 AM
city hunter keeps getting better.. now it's way beyond my expectation.. i keep telling my friend to watch this drama.. it's really worth to share nice drama like this.. XD
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135 brainycoral
June 25, 2011 at 10:25 AM
I absolutely lurve this drama, and can't get enough of it.
And it's partly thanks to Kim Nana. Hands up all who think she's such a well-written character! Usually, we have Korean leading ladies who mope around and cry over their lost love, but not our Nana. She goes out and profess her love, then throw the token love interest out of the car and tell the man off for his lame attempt in making her jealous. Wow! That's one spunky lady! She is so true to her own feelings and unashamed of it. I'm thinking if I were LYS, how can I NOT fall in love with her?
And as for LMH, yes, my eyes melt whenever he appears. He sizzles in every scene. I heart him.
I can go on and rave about this show forever. Sigh...
But we're at the halfway mark, so let's not lose the momentum we've picked up thus far. CH, hwaiting!!!!
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136 NickDobi
June 25, 2011 at 11:15 AM
*SWOOOOOOOOOOON*
that is all.
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137 luraaa
June 25, 2011 at 11:29 AM
How do I sign up to be Yoon sung's woman for a night? Scratch that, make it, his alibi woman. I don't mind being dragged away by Nana many times as long as Yoon Sung flirts or makes out with me first.
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138 thameryst
June 25, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Where do you get the screen shot pictures, javabeans? Or do you do them yourself, somehow?
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Alicia
June 25, 2011 at 1:12 PM
I don't know what video player she uses but for VLC, there's this camera icon beside the play button which allows you to take screenshots of your video while it is playing.
The default hot key is ctrl+alt+s but you can change it whatever (mine's on 's' LOL for mass screenshot taking efficiency HA)
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mskololia
June 25, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Thanks Alicia.
I must be one the laziest viewers of kdramas because I wondered how ppl were getting the screenshots. I found the GOM player has this feature too. Yay!
I'm making a folder of this drama. :)
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139 Alicia
June 25, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Okay, so i'm only at the part where yoon sung went to see nana at her coffee store (i scrolled down the recap realllyyy fast to prevent spoilers) but I must say, how much do I love THAT???! I totally screamed and spazzed lmfao.
Now I won't be the only who squirms whenever someone touch his shoulder; there'll be NANA WHO'S IN SHOW who will do that for me!! Ahahahahah.
I love that she knows but he thinks she doesn't know and she knows that he think she doesn't know. Okay, off to continue with EP10. Be back soon(:
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oreocrush
June 25, 2011 at 11:53 PM
hehe and LMH looks mighty hot in those white suits.
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140 Cheryl
June 25, 2011 at 12:03 PM
Don't worry javabeans... Lee Min Ho has opted not to join military service because he is the only son in his family. According to the law, every boy in South Korea must follow mandatory military unless he is the only boy child in family. So, cheer up... You are going to see him often in the entertainment industry. LOL!
By the way, thank you so much for the recap. It is so in detail and exciting. =)
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scarlet
June 25, 2011 at 6:33 PM
Hi, where did u get this info from?
I've been following all his news and interviews for more than 2 years, I've never come across this piece. Do you mind quoting your source?
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Cynthia
June 26, 2011 at 8:31 AM
Regardless of the "only son" exemption from serving in the military, I do believe that due to LMH's extensive leg injuries in that car crash he was in (and was hospitalized for 6 months) that he has a physical exemption and won't be able to do his military service.
Wonder what he was really thinking for that scene where they were looking at the leg x-rays for #3 son who weaseled his way out of service (along with the other 2 brothers)?
:)
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Cheryl
June 26, 2011 at 11:51 AM
By the way, Lee Minho has another 2 brothers? I believe that he only has an elder sister. Ya true... he had a severe leg injuries in an accident. I guess that's another reason for his exemption from military service. =)
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Cynthia
June 26, 2011 at 8:32 PM
I was referring to the character's 2 brothers, not LMH.
:)
Cheryl
June 27, 2011 at 8:24 AM
Opssie... Hehe =P
Cheryl
June 26, 2011 at 11:42 AM
I came through this in a blog from Malaysia. =)
http://intlboffanforums.roflforum.net/t297-latest-facts-of-lee-min-ho
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zinnia
June 26, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Well, you have wrong information about Korean military service system.
Being an only son in the family has nothing to do with exemption from mandatory military service nowadays.
Most Korean families have one son or two at most now.
Then who can go to the military if that's the case?
Need any proof?
My brother is the only son in my family, and he underwent military service by working in the public sector because of his bad eyesight.
My two male cousins entered the military though they are the only son in their each family.
So your posting "Lee Min Ho has opted not to join military service because he is the only son in his family." is NOT TRUE.
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Cheryl
June 27, 2011 at 8:32 AM
Oh I see... You are from South Korea? Annyeong haseyo nice to meet you. =)
Sorry I couldn't clarify that news for you guys. I just read it from the link I posted above. It's from Bintang tabloid from Malaysia.
I guess LMH is exempted due to his severe leg injuries in an accident last time.
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bubbleyum
June 27, 2011 at 3:28 PM
i think it used to be the law that if you are the only son in the family on your father's side for THREE CONSECUTIVE GENERATIONS, then you have the option to get out of military service, or just go to the public service sector or something.
i don't know if that has changed now.
anyways, regardless of his injuries in the past, lee min ho is still very young and just came into the spotlight a couple of years ago with boys over flowers... i'm sure he has not completed his physical fitness evaluation yet for military purposes. who knows what will happen. he still has a few years, a lot of actors wait until they are 30 before going.
but i gotta say, if he gets out of it, whether it is justified or not, people in korea ain't gonna like it! they will just see it is as another celebrity who flies around like a superhero on tv and film but worming his way out of military duty when it counts... :(
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141 Alicia
June 25, 2011 at 12:08 PM
JOHAH AHNIKAYO (nana's confession, okay i'm totally not sure about the spelling)
/DIESSS AHA TAKE THAT YOONSUNG. maybe i'll end up with a girl crush on nana as well.... like my 9 girl crushes on soshi aren't enough LOL.
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142 grace, the one from Jersey, USA
June 25, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Cripes!
YESTERDAY I wrote a comment for Episode #9
and TODAY there's already 280 comments about
Episode #10? Amazing amount of raves and rants
for an amazing series, huh?
Yeah, my previous campaign for 185 episodes
for "Personal Taste" can be easily re-arranged
for "City Hunter. I could easily watch this quality
level of TV drama with........No PROBLEM AT ALL. :)
I wrote a "spoiler" in yesterday's comments for
#9, and I haven't yet read the comments here,
for #10. But now that your review of this episode
is up and posted, how about that scene with
LMH and the prosecuter going down the steps
at the hospital? Pretty incredible cinematography.
The 'ole "mom's got leukemia and needs a bone
marrow transplant" Kdrama baloney is a bit of
a cliche, but...............In other news; half way
through this series ~ closer to the DVD! :)
I hope that it will be titled: "CH ~ The Beginning."
*
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 6:32 PM
You are absolutely right about that super-awesome
cinematography of the last minutes of the ep... ;)
heart-thumping, heart-stopping moment!!!
arrrggghhh...
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koreandramalover/kay
June 26, 2011 at 4:24 AM
i forgot to add :
the musical arrangement behind the staircase scene
was just PERFECT!! ;)
the acting,
the music,
the cliffhanger,
all amount to IMHO
THE BEST last minutes of any drama EVER!! ;)
the director of CH - you are the BEST!! ;)
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143 Bengbeng
June 25, 2011 at 12:42 PM
i also hope this is just a start of the season. Like after this, the story will now be like the City Hunter Manwha, YS and Nana will become private investigators, taking us in all sorts of advernture =)
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sleipnir
June 25, 2011 at 8:21 PM
Reminds me of LEVERAGE, LYS is a one man team.
Though it will be pretty hard to stretch out the romance bits in that format.
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144 Anne
June 25, 2011 at 1:55 PM
We all should really write a petition for another season... or four if you insist.
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145 A
June 25, 2011 at 2:04 PM
I'm a bit confused as to why there is a consensus on Nana not being good at her job. You have to remember that when Nana and her partner were assigned to protect the president's daughter, they could not participate in the internal training (I think it was referred to as "camp") required of all new body guards. Their training was postponed for a year, at which point they would train with the new recruits. I'm surprised that the writers didn't think training was necessary to protect the president's daughter. Of course, protecting the daughter from the beginning was a way to create a friendship between Yoon-sung and the daughter, so that when it's time to expose target #5, the president, Yoon-sung will be conflicted, which will create more conflict between father and son. Nonetheless, I wish the writers had made Nana and her partner as competent as the male body guards. It's disappointing to see them playing a role expected of them (remember when the boss mentioned that it was a mistake to hire female bodyguards). What happened to girl power?
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ladida
June 25, 2011 at 10:36 PM
You're right! I totally forgot that they were not part of the training program. That does affect they way they perform their jobs...A writing issue, since it makes more sense for her to have gone through training in order to be able to guard presidential candidates.
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146 Lulai
June 25, 2011 at 5:37 PM
“Get a grip, lady! It’s not like he’s Lee Min-ho.”
GF, that made me ROFLMFAO! You really know how to make my day! Thanks for the recap!
I love CH! I admit, this drama is not perfect but for all you nitpickers, if you rack your brains out because somehow there is an illogical scene somewhere in this k-drama, then you guys are just missing the fun of it all. ALL K-dramas have huge plot inconsistencies. Watching k-dramas is not the sort of mental masturbation that you guys should be deliberating on because it defeats the purpose of watching it because you want to get away from the real world.
GF, keep up the good work! Although CH has its flaws, you had it perfect by saying, "It’s not a perfect drama, no, but it serves up such a perfectly balanced plate of intrigue, action, romance, moody ambiance, suspense, hero suffering and inner conflict, and superhigh stakes that I’m left feeling satisfied and craving more. There’s just so much more to be pleased with than to nitpick here."
Love you, GF and DB!
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koreandramalover/kay
June 25, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Lulai, sweetie ;)
just to correct you on something -
this recap was written by Javabeans, not Girlfriday ;)
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Irina
June 28, 2011 at 11:03 PM
Thanks, KDL, for correcting me on that one.
Anyway, to JavaBeans....love you!
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147 KompaktneHaare
June 25, 2011 at 8:01 PM
I just have to say that I enjoyed this recap immensely!! :)
To think that I can (for the time being) watch it straight on TV, and then watch it again with subtitles online and then come here to enjoy the witty recaps and not being able to stop giggling (I'm a language freak, and proud of it!) means this show is the Thing.
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148 janerdelle
June 25, 2011 at 8:57 PM
Kim Nana started to be the secret sidekick of City Hunter Yoon Sung right now its barely the same as the anime city hunter but without secret..
from Episode 11 onwards, Nana will help yoon sung solve the target #3 and of course help him to keep the identity of yoon sung as best as she can do..
after this drama, I hope that min hoo will star in another anime turn series titled "Lupin"...:)
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Little Lulu
June 26, 2011 at 7:18 AM
LUPIN! Oh yes!
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149 Annio
June 25, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Lee Min Ho is.............................so fine. PACKED RECAP. LOVED IT. MIN HO IS HOT. <3
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150 jubilantia
June 26, 2011 at 12:14 AM
THIS DRAMA. <3<3<3<3<3
The heroine is not an idiot! The cancer card is used right for once (we hope)! His poor mother will finally find out who he is! Ajusshi has come clean! Kim Jong-shik is on the way to being taken down! Everyone knows who City Hunter is! Daddy-pyo has jumped to the next level of insanity! So well done!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE
And weaving nimbly through all of it is Lee Min-ho's lovely face. How does he do it? He does such a fantastic job of subtly acting out his character. The haunted look in his eyes on the hospital roof top- oh. So wonderful.
Aaaaaand now I have to really make time for Joseon X-files and Story of a Man. Especially now that Special Investigation Record is on Drama Fever. You know, since I'm totally not also hooked on Best Love and Baby-Faced Beauty and Romance Town. Or working on my master's thesis. And working. Nope, not at all.
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