Mask: Episode 10

by LollyPip

Trust is the name of the game these days, and it’s time for Ji-sook and Min-woo to start trusting each other as Seok-hoon steps up his plan to take down Min-woo and gain control of the company. The shape of his plan is made clear, but his confidence could undermine what he’s been working towards. Not that confidence is a bad thing, because Ji-sook is starting to find hers, and this change in her could be exactly what Min-woo needs.

EPISODE 10: “Faces of the Mask”

Min-woo comes home unexpectedly from the hospital, catches Ji-sook in his secret room without permission, and screams at her to tell him what she was doing in there. He calms down to ask how she got in, and she fibs that the door was left open. He scoffs at that, since he knows where all the keys are.

Ji-sook insists the door was left open, but Min-woo knows he didn’t leave it unlocked, so he queries the housekeeper then goes to the office to check for his spare key (where Scar is lurking in the hallway, interesting). But the key is exactly where it should be in his safe.

Seok-hoon tells Mi-yeon about one of his first cases, a husband and wife who didn’t trust each other. The husband suspected his wife of cheating, while the wife thought the husband was planning to kill her for insurance money. It was a misunderstanding, but they couldn’t ever regain their trust and their marriage was destroyed.

Seok-hoon mentions their upcoming anniversary, saying to Mi-yeon that he’s glad they don’t have that kind of mistrust. She thinks he’s talking about something she did, and says that she only checked his phone that one time out of curiosity. She tells him he can check her phone whenever he likes. But Seok-hoon benevolently says that he’s always trusted her.

Meanwhile the maid is back to her old tricks, putting mysterious pills in the bottled water, which Min-woo is drinking that night when he notices Ji-sook’s odd behavior. He apologizes for yelling, and she also is sorry for going in the room. Min-woo asks if she’s scared of him, since he nearly killed her once.

In answer, she asks if he’s scared of her because he doesn’t know what kind of person she really is. She says she’s not scared of him, because she does know what kind of person he is, and Min-woo seems touched.

That night Ji-sook hears him moaning in his sleep, and gets up to cover him with a blanket. He becomes more agitated as he dreams about strangling Eun-ha, and when he wakes to see her face so close to his, he flails away from Ji-sook.

He breaks a vase which brings the whole family running, and Ji-sook covers that he was just trying to catch a bug for her. Mi-yeon is suspicious, but Stepmom implies that she’s just happy Min-woo didn’t attack Eun-ha/Ji-sook again.

Papa Choi goes back to Evil Doctor Kim for advice, who recommends that Min-woo be hospitalized before something truly bad happens and he ends up in jail. Ji-sook stops Doctor Kim on his way out to assure him that Min-woo is fine, and he asks if she’s truly worried about her husband, or just what others may think.

He warns her that Min-woo is very dangerous, and despite her memories of him manhandling her early in their relationship, she insists that he’s a good person. She asks how she can help him, and Doctor Kim tells her to make sure he takes his medications regularly.

Ji-sook starts to ask Min-woo later about his medication, but he snatches them away and says that he’s been taking them diligently. He tells her snappishly not to touch his things again.

In his office that day, Min-woo finds a hair on the floor and tries to figure out which female office employee it belongs to. He then finds a fingerprint on the wedding photo he keeps in the safe — I guess being an OCD neat freak comes in handy when you need evidence.

Gossip Girl spreads rumors that they may be getting a new Director due to Min-woo’s instability and bribery suspicion. Ji-sook and Mi-yeon go to the roof to discuss it, but Mi-eon thinks that his quitting work and getting treatment could be a good thing.

Ji-sook is more concerned about Min-woo’s feelings if he’s removed as Director, and pleads Mi-yeon’s help. But Mi-yeon isn’t convinced by Ji-sook’s “nice act,” and reminds her that she and Min-woo don’t have a good relationship. She might be the happiest person to see him brought down.

Mi-yeon reminds Ji-sook of her (Eun-ha’s) words when she first came to their house, that this marriage was a business deal, and that the Choi family needed it more than hers. Ji-sook doesn’t remember, of course, which Mi-yeon sneers is sure convenient, that she always forgets important things.

The rumor mill at the office is out of control, with everyone embellishing Min-woo’s supposed bribing and mental illness, and Mi-yeon finally has enough. She sets Gossip Girl straight, and orders her to spread correct information if she’s going to keep yapping.

Min-woo himself overhears a couple of random office workers talking about him, and Ji-sook shows up in time to see him listening to their nasty words. She calls out, “Director Choi!” loudly and the men are shocked, and Min-woo and Ji-sook end up on the elevator alone.

Min-woo seems outwardly calm but Ji-sook sees that he’s sweating, though he jerks away when she tries to wipe his face. In a breathless voice he says he’s fine, but when they get off the elevator at their floor he’s suddenly dizzy and disoriented.

He allows Ji-sook to take him for a drive for some air, but then he suddenly snaps back to himself and seems surprised to find himself in the car. He wants to go back to work but she talks him into lunch, but it’s her turn to be confused when she takes him to a restaurant where she’s always wanted to go, and Min-woo says he’s brought her here before. Oops.

She disarms his grouchiness with a few pouts and smiles, but he’s not amused when Ji-sook takes pains to make sure the table is precisely set so as not to aggravate his OCD. He thinks she pities him, and asks her not to treat him like a patient. For once she’s not cowed by him, and says she’s his wife, and a wife takes care of her husband.

They’re suddenly called home, where a warrant has been issued to search the premises. Ji-sook remembers the incriminating papers and check that Seok-hoon asked her to plant, and runs upstairs while the prosecutor starts his search.

Min-woo’s father refuses to call in a favor and stop this, sure that they’ve done nothing wrong. He tells the prosecutor that he’s very curious who’s behind all this, throwing a very interesting glance towards Seok-hoon while he says it. The prosecutor swears he’s not on anyone’s payroll.

Ji-sook finds the papers in her closet and starts to tear them up, and when they get upstairs the prosecutor heads straight for Min-woo’s secret room. Min-woo unlocks the door for them, and as they search, Papa Choi is shocked to see all of the articles and photos.

The book that Ji-sook left is clean, of course, but the binding is cut open to reveal a large baggie full of a suspicious white powder. The entire family looks horrified except for Seok-hoon, who only smirks. Mi-yeon notices his expression with confusion, and Ji-sook realizes she was tricked.

The white substance turns out to be the same medication that Min-woo is taking, crushed into powder. They can’t prosecute him for not taking his meds, but Seok-hoon expresses his very deep concern to Papa Choi that Min-woo isn’t compliant with his doctor’s orders. He and Stepmom pressure Min-woo’s father to have Min-woo committed before it’s too late.

Min-woo is despondent, and Ji-sook can only watch him with his head hung in defeat. Seok-hoon finds her to say that everything is going as planned, and she growls that he was right — the powerless are stomped on by the powerful.

We go back to Ji-hyuk’s confession that Ji-sook gave him the money for Mom’s treatment, but he produces paperwork that make it seem as if it was a life insurance payout. Mom refuses to get treated when her prognosis is so bad, and cries that she can’t use Ji-sook’s money.

Ji-hyuk loses it, and screams, “Then don’t! Don’t do anything!” He throws in her face that Ji-sook would be so happy to hear this, and storms out of the restaurant. He gets a text to meet Ji-sook just then, and when she asks after Mom, he asks in return if she’ll stop this act when Mom gets treatment. She says sadly that they need money more than they need her, and that she can’t go back until everything is paid off.

Ji-sook is upset to hear that Ji-hyuk still has the card key to Jung-tae’s apartment, but she uses it to go inside herself. In her mind’s eye she sees him lying on the couch, with Ji-hyuk standing over him.

Seok-hoon joins Mi-yeon where she’s drinking at the bar, and assures her that everything will work out with Min-woo. She asks what he means by that, thinking it strange that they found his pills instead of the bribe proof they were looking for. Very coincidental, since they’ve been discussing sending Min-woo to a hospital.

Mi-yeon changes the subject and asks if Seok-hoon notices something different about her. She’s noticed something different about him, admitting that she’s been paying more attention to him lately, and he looks better to her these days. She reveals that she’s scared that he’ll leave her if he gets whatever it is that he wants.

That night, Min-woo asks Ji-sook if she left the crushed pills in his secret room, and though she didn’t know she was doing it, she can’t honestly say no. He asks why she’s not yelling that he’s unfairly accusing her, and her continued silence is his answer. He goes for a drive alone, and just goes in circles as he cries. He’s finally pulled over, and when the cop asks if he’s lost, he says sadly that he’s not — he just has nowhere to go.

Ji-sook goes back to Eun-ha’s apartment and looks through her old yearbook for her note, “If you wear a mask, you’ll never be happy.” She recalls Min-woo saying once that wearing a mask at least allows you to pretend to be happy, and he’d mentioned that that’s how Eun-ha lived.

She remembers his warm hug that night when they drank together, and his telling the police that she’s his wife and saving her from having to be fingerprinted. Again she sees the specter of Eun-ha and hears her contradictory words that if you don’t wear a mask, you’ll never survive.

Seok-hoon carries drunk Mi-yeon to bed, and notices that she’s crying in her sleep. He meets with Ji-sook who demands to know his entire plan, claiming that if she knows, she can make her own plans. Oooh, interesting.

Seok-hoon finds this amusing and agrees, and informs Ji-sook that a shareholders’ meeting will soon take place to remove Min-woo from his Director position. He’ll be forced to give up being the heir to the company, and will be sent to a psychiatric hospital. His shares in the company will be split between Ji-sook and Seok-hoon.

At breakfast Min-woo admits that he didn’t sleep well, and when Stepmom asks about the pills, Ji-sook pipes up and says that they weren’t Min-woo’s — they were planted there. She looks Seok-hoon straight in the eye as she says this, and it’s AWESOME.

Seok-hoon looks like he swallowed a lemon, especially when Mi-yeon agrees that something seems off. He’s forced to volunteer to question the maids in order to look helpful, but Min-woo says he’ll do that himself. Papa Choi barks that he won’t allow the family to start fighting and deceiving each other, but Min-woo dryly points out that they did all that already. HA.

Seok-hoon offers to drive Mi-yeon in to work, and they run into Min-woo and Ji-sook on their way out. Mi-yeon notices the death glare Ji-sook shoots at Seok-hoon and asks if they’re fighting. To make this scene even more awesome, Min-woo casually hands Seok-hoon the pen he was given as proof of Eun-ha’s and Seok-hoon’s affair, all, “I believe this is yours?” For once, Seok-hoon looks completely off-balance.

Director Shim is waiting for Ji-sook outside the office building, and when she runs from him he actually pretends he’s going to run her down with his car. She falls, and he forces her to come with him, but she says that she already paid him the money he wanted.

Shim says that money was just for Ji-hyuk’s life, and starts demanding more money for her family’s debt. Ji-sook says that she can’t get so much money that easily, and that she had to borrow the other cash from her husband, which gives Director Shim the idea to talk to Min-woo directly.

Shim says that no matter how much she dresses up or who she marries, she’ll always just be Byun Ji-sook — but she counters that she’s not the Byun Ji-sook he knew. She firmly tells him to let her know exactly how much he wants and when, and to be polite about it, and leaves Shim with his mouth hanging open.

Min-woo finds out that Ji-sook stayed late at work that one night, and he notices as she and Mi-yeon leave the office together. This time Mi-yeon takes Ji-sook aside to talk, and tips her off about the shareholders’ meeting. She says that Min-woo is her brother and they can’t let them destroy him like this, but Ji-sook declines Mi-yeon’s help and walks away.

Min-woo sits in his car staring at his wedding photo, ignoring Chang-soo’s protests about having Ji-sook tested with the fingerprint. Min-woo says sadly that he just wants to confirm that it’s not her print, so he can stop being suspicious of his wife.

Ji-sook sees Doctor Kim in the lobby and smiles, but stops herself when Seok-hoon comes down to greet him. She goes back up to the office and sees Min-woo about to take his medication, and runs into his office to stop him. She can’t explain why, but asks him not to take it, and he doesn’t.

A maid lies to Papa Choi that she witnessed Min-woo crushing his pills, and Seok-hoon gives her a telling look when he enters the room just in case we didn’t already know he orchestrated this. He offers to stick up for Min-woo during the shareholder’s meeting, and asks what Min-woo’s father wants. He has to hide his frustration when Papa Choi says that Min-woo is exactly where he should be.

Everyone heads to the meeting, and Chang-soo brings Min-woo the fingerprint results but says that he couldn’t bear to look at them. The office workers are left to wait and speculate, but Ji-sook suddenly leaves the room, and everyone trails after her.

Min-woo sits in the meeting, preoccupied with the test results, and Papa Choi arrives to a flurry of anxious muttering. He announces that he’s not here as a father, but as a businessman. He won’t tolerate his son destroying the company he works so hard for. He says that he won’t overturn the shareholders’ decision today, and only asks them to evaluate Min-woo accurately.

Seok-hoon does as promised and supports Min-woo, particularly mentioning that they shouldn’t consider the bribery allegations in this decision since it’s not been proven that Min-woo accepted any. One shareholder asks about the crushed pills found in his room, concerned that negative press about it could harm the company.

Ji-sook and the other employees wait outside, deciding whether they should enter the meeting room in support of Min-woo. Even Mi-yeon joins them, and asks Ji-sook if she knows anything. She says that Min-woo is her family, too, as everyone’s jaws drop.

Min-woo is given a chance to say something in his own defense, and he gives Seok-hoon a long look, remembering how he offered to question the maids on his behalf. He says that he has nothing to say, and they start the vote.

Alone, Ji-sook enters the meeting room and bows respectfully to the shareholders. She apologizes for interrupting, but she has something to say. “I am Seo Eun-ha, Director Choi’s wife.”

COMMENTS

It’s finally happening! Ji-sook is finally starting to protect Min-woo like he’s been protecting her for a while now, and it makes me giddily happy. I’ve been waiting for this since Episode 2, and it’s as awesome as I’d hoped. I love these two as a partnership almost as much as I ship them as a couple, and I’m so excited to see them consciously choosing to help and protect each other. I love that Ji-sook is getting out of her little bubble of don’t-notice-me comfort zone and sticking up for Min-woo, even in front of the doctor. It’s in keeping with her character, that she’s much more motivated to stand up for those she cares about than herself. I’m just tickled pink that Min-woo is now in that category of “people Ji-sook loves.” Now they just need to take that final step and agree to trust one another, so they can form a solid unit in the face of those who want to bring them down.

I like that Seok-hoon’s actions in this episode are what push Ji-sook to go all Mama Bear with anyone who dares to hurt her Min-woo. It’s deliciously ironic that the harder Seok-hoon tries to control Ji-sook, the more she’s likely to use the information she gathers from him to subvert him at every turn. I believe that her desire to protect those she loves is much stronger than Seok-hoon’s desire for power and control, not to mention that Ji-sook has the advantage when it comes to thinking like a sane person. So although she’s not naturally devious like Seok-hoon, as she said to him once before, she’s fully capable of using what she knows to get what she wants. She may not be the first to get down in the mud, but if she’s gotta go there, she’ll go there.

Ji-sook’s Hurt him and I will end you glares at Seok-hoon in the last part of this episode were my favorite thing ever, and I can’t wait to see more. I’ve wanted to see her fight back for weeks now, and I adore how she tricked him into telling her his plan before dropping her own bomb and blowing it apart. Seok-hoon is gonna have to think fast to outmaneuver Ji-sook now, and seeing him unsure and scrambling for his footing is going to be fantastic.

I haven’t talked about Mi-yeon much, because until this point in the story, her character has mostly acted as a mirror to highlight Seok-hoon’s ability to wear many masks. But I feel like she’s stepping up in the story a lot lately. I actually like her quite a bit, and I do believe her that she loves her brother and doesn’t wish him ill. I do think she comes from a place of selfish motives, because while she hopes for Min-woo and Ji-sook’s marriage to work, it’s mostly because it would get her own husband away from (who she thinks is) Eun-ha. I feel like Mi-yeon is more fragile than she seems, because she’s in such a scary place in her life — trapped a shaky marriage, wanting a baby, unsure of her place in the family heirarchy. She has little to no power, and has to fall back on what small power she has to make Ji-sook miserable, but I think she’s finally realizing that Ji-sook isn’t the cold husband-stealer she thought she was (she just doesn’t yet know how literal that is!).

I worry that, if Mi-yeon is pushed, she’s capable of doing bad things to get what she wants, but I don’t think she’s an inherently bad person. She even defends Min-woo when the office gossips start making up lies (though she lets the true rumors go unchallenged, ha). For that reason I find her intriguing, and I hope she’s about to take a more active role in the main action of the show. She’s got the ability to be nasty, but I feel like that’s mostly a defense mechanism to protect herself against her family who don’t value her, and her husband’s suspicious behavior. And I don’t even blame her for her attitude towards Ji-sook, because in her mind, this is her husband’s mistress now living in the same house with him. To be honest, she’s a lot nicer than I could be in that situation! Better to attack then be attacked, in her mind. But she’s already seeing cracks in Seok-hoon’s perfect facade, and noticing that things around him and Min-woo don’t seem quite right, and is even taking steps to protect her brother. I would love to see Mi-yeon realize that things are not as they seem, and choose to help her brother. So I hope that, despite her perceived history with Ji-sook, the two ladies can also form a sort of team. It’s not a pairing I expect, but if it happened, it would be pretty amazing.

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