To the Beautiful You: Episode 3

by gummimochi

What this show lacks in an episode it makes up in the pretty. Though that’s really not saying much. Another thing that this show does brilliantly is to portray innocent scenes in the most creeptastic ways. That’s not saying much either.

Pretty much, I’m left scratching my head wondering if this episode said anything at all.

SONG OF THE DAY

Sunny & Luna – 나야 “It’s Me” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 3 RECAP

As Tae-joon leans to kiss Jae-hee, we see a mysterious spy snap a photo of the two. Jae-hee pushes him off of her and he breaks into a euphoric drunken smile before he slumps on top of her, asleep.

So Jae-hee hauls him back in a wheelbarrow and Sangchu turns up to say hello to Tae-joon by slobbering all over him. She wheels them back before they’re caught.

Meanwhile, Eun-gyul searches high and low for Jae-hee, unable to find her. He takes another documentary selca (“If there’s a compass that directs your fate, where would it point to tonight?”).

Hanna mistakes him for Tae-joon again (How could you with that hair?) and scrunches her face at her misfortune. Eun-gyul tells her she better run off because outsiders aren’t allowed on campus.

They continue to bicker until Hanna kicks him in the shin. Twice.

Now back in the room, Jae-hee takes off Tae-joon’s socks for him before climbing into bed. She peers over to ask if he knew that she was a girl and hopes he isn’t too mad. There’s one thing she wants for him: to see him high jump again.

Tae-joon wakes up the next morning with a monster headache. He catches Jae-hee sneaking around behind him and it prompts him to ask whether he made some kind of mistake last night. He leans in close, claiming he can’t remember a thing and Jae-hee ekes out, “Ki…”

He wonders, “Ki…” and then it registers in his brain. He braces himself – with whom? His mind flashes back to Sangchu. HA – that’s the kiss you remember? Tae-joon covers that it was just a mistake and that she should have stopped it. Jae-hee: “Like I had a chance to!”

He narrows his eyes, “You didn’t by chance… enjoy it, did you?” He’s thinking it’s Sangchu and she thinks they’re talking about her.

He doesn’t get why she’s all uppity about it since it was a dog which is when Jae-hee finally stands down and mutters, “It sure was heated.”

The conspicuous photo flies around school and Tae-joon stares when he receives it. Poor Eun-gyul is literally knocked off his feet.

Jae-hee finds Eun-gyul wandering aimlessly through the halls. She doesn’t understand his hesitant question about whether she was “had” by Tae-joon and then uses his thumbs to illustrate. Or you could have shown her the photo.

Taken aback, she asks how he knows and Eun-gyul swallows hard – so the rumors are true.

Hyun-jae doesn’t miss an opportunity to make a dig at Tae-joon, congratulating him on becoming a C.C. (campus couple) with Jae-hee. Tae-joon grabs him by the shirtfront but Jae-hee steps in before anyone throws any punches.

Still glaring at Tae-joon, Hyun-jae reminds her that she’s the victim and that their star athlete should be reported for the incident. To everyone’s surprise, Jae-hee claims that she was the one who kissed Tae-joon.

In fact, they called her Kiss Master in America. You know you’re standing in a room full of boys who think you’re a boy right?

She shuts Tae-joon up by putting a hand over his mouth and continues that a kiss is no big deal in the States; everyone does it. Then she makes her point by giving Eun-gyul a kiss on the cheek right then and there, leaving him on cloud nine.

Hyun-jae tries to relieve his frustration by practicing the high jump and is annoyed when Reporter Yang walks in. It comes as no surprise to us when she thanks him for the photos about Tae-joon’s case of the yips (thank you for the belated explanation, drama).

He grows tired at her constant stream of questions about Tae-joon, and scoffs that all she wanted was dirt on the high jumping star. Reporter Yang belatedly adds that she’s on Hyun-jae’s side but he walks out anyway.

In the cafeteria, Seung-ri catches Eun-gyul ogling at the greeter and is all ears when Eun-gyul tells him that he’s been mulling over “a very very serious question.” Eun-gyul claims that he’s found the answer, “That I’m definitely… perfect.” Pfft.

Using the oh so casual my fork fell off the table trick, they both shamelessly stare at noona’s legs beneath the table until they knock heads. Heh, boys will be boys.

Eun-gyul persuades Jae-hee to accompany him on a double blind date. They ride on his scooter and Jae-hee grabs ahold of his waist to hang on.

The girls bring out a toy lie detector and are thoroughly amused when Eun-gyul keeps getting caught for lying (Girl: “You look at a girl’s face first.” Eun-gyul: “No!” *zap*). They try it out Jae-hee and marvel when it dings that she’s telling the truth.

The last question about if she’s liked boy before gives her pause. Before she can answer, Eun-gyul lets her off the hook and suggests they split up.

Jae-hee’s date chirps about how her past blind dates have all been duds but she’s got a good feeling about this one. She misinterprets Jae-hee’s sigh to mean that she’s uninterested and hangs her head.

Jae-hee confides in her that there’s a friend who she wants to help but he doesn’t seem to want it. The girl shrugs that Jae-hee should do what she wants and if it doesn’t work out, then she can regret it later.

That doesn’t sound like very good advice but Jae-hee seems to think it is. She forgets herself for a moment, grabbing the girl’s hand and exclaiming that girlfriends are the best to figure out these situations.

Her date wonders to herself, “Girlfriend? Is he saying we should start dating?”

Eun-gyul’s date turns out to be a bust and he waits for Jae-hee by his scooter. When she finally shows up, he grabs her in a headlock, which is the moment his heart goes thump thump again.

All he sees is hearts around Jae-hee’s smile and he retreats to the bathroom, telling himself to pull himself together. He even scolds his heart for its inability to beat when appropriate.

As she waits, Jae-hee happens to see Sangchu running loose on the streets. She chases after him and saves him from oncoming traffic.

They wander through the streets and Jae-hee has no idea where they are since she doesn’t have her wallet or phone on her person. Then to add to her list of Things that Will Go Wrong, it starts to rain.

At the same time, Tae-joon desperately searches for Sangchu after he lost him at the vet’s office. Sangchu slips out of Jae-hee’s grasp when he senses that Tae-joon is nearby and a rain-soaked Jae-hee follows.

They walk back and both attempt to break the awkward silence only to speak up at the same time. Jae-hee looks on with a smile at Tae-joon’s attempt to apologize for yesterday’s misunderstanding and today’s thanks for saving Sangchu.

He asks what she’s doing out here which is when Jae-hee realizes that she’s forgotten all about Eun-gyul. She asks him to call Eun-gyul since he might be waiting for her. Sure enough, he is but his battery dies before the call can go through.

They figure that he’s already left back to school and wait for the bus.

Just then, a bus drives close to the curb, kicking up a wave of rainwater. Tae-joon drops his umbrella and spins her around to shield her from the spray.

They stand there, looking at each other for a few moments, both getting soaked by the rain.

Tae-joon is the first to break from the moment and he silently picks the umbrella back up.

Some time later, Eun-gyul’s phone is now charged and he gets a call. It’s Jae-hee who’s back at school and she worriedly asks if he’s still waiting for her.

Eun-gyul blusters of course he’s not – he’s playing video games. But we see that he’s still outside by his scooter, waiting. He hangs up and his heart goes thump thump just from hearing her voice. He sighs.

The principal has a belated freakout about the headline regarding Tae-joon and the yips. Coach Baek answers that the reporter likely wrote whatever she wanted and the principal’s frown turns upside down.

Coach Baek just falls right back asleep at his desk.

The students get a weekend off and Jae-hee comments that they all have homes to return to but she doesn’t have anyplace to go. That gives Eun-gyul a thought – what if he invited her over to his place?

So he imagines telling Imaginary Jae-hee that she’s the first friend he’s had over and is surprised when she invites him to shower together. Then he blushes when she reminds him that she’s the Kiss Master.

He’s so caught up in his daydream that he only breaks out of it when he runs straight into a sign.

Jong-min and Jae-hee help him up and before Eun-gyul can squeak out an invite, she points out that he has a nosebleed. He nearly faints again at the sight of blood.

At that moment, Seung-ri pops in, inviting them over to a pension his family has rented out for the weekend. He adds that they’ll be having models as neighbors …and there’s a nude beach.

Eun-gyul turns his head and agrees that he’ll go and Seung-ri gently cups his head in his hands like a parent. Nearly delirious, Eun-gyul breaks into a smile thinking to himself, “Nude beach.”

Turns out that he and Hyun-jae happen to be roommates. Hyun-jae comments that he’s going on the trip too because he would never pass up an opportunity to go to a bikini paradise. Again, Eun-gyul hangs on the word, “Bikini…”

The group arrives and meets Seung-ri’s hyung. He gives a curious up and down glance towards Jae-hee.

Tae-joon is stopped outside the dorm by Dad’s driver who’s here to pick him up. Their conversation basically boils down to: Ride. I dun wanna.

Tae-joon pushes him aside and makes a run for it. He spots Doc’s car and he throws his bag in before jumping in. There you are 360 degree camera. Knew you wouldn’t be away for long.

Doc is barely surprised at the sudden pickup and they speed off to lose their tail.

The group are all smiles, eager to see some bikinis when they arrive at the pension. However, they all frown when Seung-ri’s mother addresses them as her precious workers. They’re like, Workers?

We see them put to work to fix up the place. Jae-hee’s the only one who finds it fun, joking around with Eun-gyul as they paint. But she slips from the ladder and falls right into Eun-gyul’s arms.

Meanwhile the others gripe over the slave labor to Seung-ri, calling it a scam. Seung-ri does his best to mollify the situation, saying his mother needed the help. And plus, he noticed some girls on the beach so all is not lost.

What’s work without play? Afterwards, the group runs towards the beach, playing in the ocean. They still complain that they haven’t seen a single girl in a bikini.

At that very moment, a group of bikini-clad noonas appear and the boys do their best to flex and impress while Jae-hee laughs in the sidelines.

Doc drops Tae-joon off at the same pension and he wanders the grounds, snapping photos. He lingers a moment at a mural of angelic wings. Spreading his arms wide, he imagines himself flying over the high jump bar just like old times.

It’s this position that Jae-hee finds him in. She’s happy to see him and he grumbles when he learns that this the same outing she tried to invite him to.

She demands for his cell phone and she snaps a photo of him. Giving it back to him, she comments that he was always meant to have wings.

Her exposed collarbone makes him shift uncomfortably and he throws her his sweater for her to change into.

She heads inside to change, and is completely unaware that Seung-ri’s hyung is fixing the roof right outside. He catches a glimpse of her bound chest and scoffs, his suspicions confirmed.

At the office, Hanna overhears a conversation that Tae-joon is away for the weekend and the gears in her head start churning. You just can’t stay away, can you?

Dinnertime and Jae-hee rises to help Hyung with cooking. Tae-joon observes at the table while Hyung tries to feel Jae-hee’s muscles (or lack thereof). Eun-gyul comments that he’s heard that Doc dropped Tae-joon off at the pension and wonders what brought him here.

Doc joins the group with Seung-ri’s mother and the boys tense at the table. They stare in bewilderment as Doc whines to “Noona” that all the meat is burnt. Seung-ri tells his uncle to cut it out and they all ask, slackjawed: “Uncle?!”

But before that truth can settle, they hear another voice – Hanna.

Jae-hee strolls by the shore and stops a friendly grandma selling couple bracelets. She urges Jae-hee to buy a pair for her significant other. At Jae-hee’s reply that she doesn’t have anyone, the grandma tells her, “Destiny is something you can never predict.”

She returns to the pension and just as she’s about to approach Tae-joon, Hanna appears with a gift in hand. Jae-hee watches in the shadows as Hanna tells him that they’re the same cookies his mother used to make. Aw okay, that’s pretty thoughtful.

Tae-joon takes a bite and admits that they aren’t half bad, much to Hanna’s delight. He notices two cookies meshed together and Hanna tells him that it’s her heart.

Jae-hee sighs in disappointment and stuffs the bracelets back in her pocket.

Eun-gyul sends the other boys away, telling them that he has something to confirm. We see him stuffing his toiletries in a bag and he declares to his reflection that if they bathe together as guys, surely there’ll be an answer.

Jae-hee runs into Hyun-jae outside the bath, confirming that he was the last one to use it. She stops him before he leaves and asks if he was the phone who took that photo of her and Tae-joon. A flashback confirms that it was him.

Hyun-jae scoffs at the accusation and Jae-hee tells him that it’s a woman’s, er man’s intuition. He laughs at that and then asks what Jae-hee will do if it is him. She doesn’t have anything in mind and Hyun-jae tells her not to jump to conclusions.

Jae-hee peers into the darkened bath before locking herself in. As she prepares to get into the bath, we see Seung-ri’s hyung fiddling with the keys to unlock the door. Okay dude, that’s super creepy and so’s that smile on your face.

He tries key after key and just after he unlocks it… Hanna appears, asking if the bath is free. Hyung lets her right through.

Once inside, Hanna discovers Jae-hee’s coverup and looks at it strangely. She surveys her surroundings to check if someone’s around but no one’s there. And then Jae-hee peeks her head out of the hamper, whimpering.

She almost makes it outside when another visitor approaches the door – Eun-gyul.

He’s walked over with a sense of determination and gives himself a little pep talk before heading inside. Jae-hee worries for a moment behind the door and then proceeds to change, figuring that things will work itself out.

Eun-gyul stares outside, facing what he thinks is Jae-hee’s back. He tells himself to keep it together, “He’s a guy, he’s a guy.”

Then he hops in the tub all giddy and Hanna screams her head off. He screams back and she whacks him in the head, causing him to keel over underwater.

Eun-gyul is transported to a darkened forest and is surprised to see his grandmother – didn’t she pass away last year? But Grandma’s pissed and tells him that it’s not his time yet. To what, die?! You did NOT just kill off Eun-gyul…

She sends him back and Eun-gyul resurfaces … only to have Hanna whack him to limbo again. Grandma yells, demanding to know why he’s back and Eun-gyul cries, “Like I WANT to be here!”

Another smack to the head sends him back to reality.

Eun-gyul wakes with an ice pack to the head back in the pension. Hanna demands that he needs to be reported and the others defend that Eun-gyul didn’t know. She shrills, “But he saw everything!”

It’s Eun-gyul’s turn to get worked up now, citing his head wound. Hanna does the one thing to shut him up again by hitting his head with a TV remote. Eun-gyul passes out again.

Later that night, Jae-hee sneaks away a pillow to sleep on and lies down nearby. Tae-joon wakes to look over in her direction.

Commence Day 2. Tae-joon finds a bracelet near Jae-hee’s pillow and wonders what it is. While the boys work, Hanna soaks in the sun. The boys have their fair share of play, and everyone settles down for a break.

Eun-gyul remarks that Hanna is better off playing in the sea and soon they go at it again with a petty water gun fight. I could watch these two bicker all day if I wasn’t already worrying about Hanna physically assaulting him.

Tae-joon initially gets up to remove himself from the others’ immature antics but notices Seung-ri’s hyung invite Jae-hee out to go food shopping. He sits down next to her and comments that the two of them have sure become friends rather quickly.

Jae-hee tells him it’s true and unlike someone else, Hyung takes care of her. Tae-joon lifts his broken slipper and tells her to buy him a new pair while they’re out.

On her way to meet Hyung, Jae-hee reaches in her pockets and grows nervous when she can only find one of the bracelets.

In the car, Hyung bides his time, waiting for the opportune moment to speak up.

COMMENTS

While this episode started off promising, the rest of it seemed like more jumbled pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit quite right. In the latter half of the episode, it felt like we got much more filler that didn’t drive the plot any further. And then some bordered on the ridiculousness that could have worked if only we had some information beforehand. When Eun-gyul was knocked out, did he “die”? Twice?! And where did Grandma come from? I have lots of questions and unfortunately no answers.

I have to seriously question the judgment of the characters in this episode. In the first instance where Jae-hee’s date told her to go ahead and do as she pleases and then regret it later made me shake my head. It’s advice that teenagers would certainly give each other but it made it certainly seem like a support for her constant meddling. Which is ironic then that Jae-hee took a backseat and Tae-joon stepped up.

What I don’t seem to understand is Tae-joon’s shift in concern towards Jae-hee. He’s still generally callous towards her in his speech but his actions are starting to say otherwise. Is he grateful that she saved Sangchu’s life? Is he suspicious if she’s a girl? Again, the motivation is masked from our eyes and I wonder if I missed a beat in this episode.

What’s also disconcerting is the way Kim Ji-won’s character as Hanna is written. This girl has no boundaries when it comes to loving Oppa and equally as bratty. As of now, her character does little more than bicker with Eun-gyul. And for an actress who has so much potential from High Kick 3, it’s disappointing to see her play such a surface level and often blank-faced character.

Then there’s the matter of the directing. There’s no doubt that the drama is pretty and makes use of that gorgeous camera. But then we get certain closeups or angles that are presumed to be innocent but twists it into a different perception. Once the hyung entered the picture, nearly all of his actions and shots sent shivers up my spine. It makes me even question whether or not he’s related to Seung-ri’s family at all, since hyung can mean anything from “my older brother” to “that guy who’s older than me.” Why would you try to desperately try to unlock the bathroom? She’s a minor! And she’s a she! And you know that! Shame on you!

A part of me wants to hear what that hyung is going to say to her. The other part wants to report him to Child Protection Services.

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