Shopping King Louis: Episode 6

by LollyPip

This hour is action-packed, with scheming directors, conniving bosses, and Louis being the very funniest Louis he can be. There may always be people scurrying to either expose him or hide him, but a true threat begins to loom — something capable of taking away everything Louis holds dear… in other words, Bok-shil.

 
EPISODE 6: “I Was Born to Love You”

Bok-shil asks her coworkers for directions to the movie theater after work, which catches Ma-ri’s attention. She wonders who Bok-shil is going to the movies with, especially since Joong-won has already left for the day.

She’s so curious that she heads to the movie theater herself, and nearly hits a pedestrian on the way. OMG it’s Louis, and he falls, hitting his head on the pavement and knocking himself out. Ma-ri gets out of the car, where she sees Louis sprawled on the ground. She leans close, inspecting his face, and she jumps up and screams when he wakes.

Ohthankgoodness, Louis is perfectly fine, and he looks at Ma-ri with no trace of recognition whatsoever. He’s much more concerned that his rose for Bok-shil was crushed by an onlooker’s shoe, and he asks Ma-ri for the money to replace it.

Ma-ri finds her voice and asks if Louis knows her, and he scares her when he says he does. But he just means she’s the person who scared him and ruined his flower, and demands the money, whining that he had to do the dishes six times to earn enough for the rose.

Ma-ri hands over the cash, but a hand snatches it away… it’s In-sung’s mom, and she yells at Ma-ri for only giving Louis a few bucks. She orders Louis to lay back down so they can mark the pavement with chalk, HA, and continues haranguing Ma-ri, who can only gape like a fish. A very confused fish.

In-sung’s mom goes on and on about how simple-minded Louis is (he objects, but obeys when she yells at him to lie back down, hee), so Ma-ri hands over some cash just to make this go away. In-sung’s mom splits the money with Louis, and he says that he thinks he used to be the kind of person who carried around a lot of cash like that.

Louis finally makes it to the movie theater, where Bok-shil is waiting impatiently. He gives her the rose petals he salvaged (okay, awww), as proud as if he’d presented her with the perfect rose, and tells her that it got wrecked in an accident.

He says he’s fine and shows her the money he got, but she drags him to the hospital against his protests. Louis checks out fine, but the doctor tells Bok-shil that his memory may never return. Back home Louis flops down in his soul chair, upset that they spent his money at the hospital for nothing. He complains that it feels just like when he got scammed, ha.

He gets a call from Ma-ri, who says she’s worried about him and asks to see him tomorrow. Louis asks if she likes him or if she misses him, and tells her that she can like him but he doesn’t like her back. His response is eerily similar to what he used to tell Ma-ri when she would call him to say hello, and it shakes her to the core.

She confesses to her dad, Director Baek, and she’s shocked again to learn that he already knows Louis is alive. He says not to do anything, because this could be his chance to finally take control of Gold Group, which would mean she’d eventually inherit it.

Butler Kim shows Grandma the posts on the Gold Group website by “Shopping King Louis,” and points out that the bad spelling is a clue that it could be their Louis. Grandma takes offense, but she agrees to look into it, in case of the slightest possibility Louis is alive.

Her assistant Jung-ran eavesdrops on their conversation, and when Butler Kim leaves the room, he runs right into her. It knocks her over, but he deftly sweeps her up in his arms, making her see him in a new, romantic light. She overreacts and he cringes, thinking she’s going to hit him, and she yells again that she doesn’t hit people. Anymore.

Scarface reports to Director Kim that Bok-shil and Louis’s apartment is creepy, with a tendency for its occupants to be brutally murdered. It happens so often that the police think it’s a serial murder case. As he talks, we see a shadowy figure watching the apartment holding a dangerous-looking hammer.

Louis waits impatiently for Bok-shil to make lunch, since she has to use In-sung’s refrigerator. She tells Louis that she’s always wanted a fridge, and he nods, agreeing that her wish will come true one day. She takes one bite before realizing she’s late to work, and she rushes off, leaving Louis his payment for doing the dishes.

Bok-shil’s detective friend Joo-hyuk looks over Louis’s notes, things he says seem familiar to him. His coworker looks at the notes, finding them funny, but something catches his eye.

Ma-ri’s mom Jae-sook takes Joong-won’s mom Young-ae for tea at the bookstore she rents, “Hong Franc.” Young-ae is impressed, though she notices that there haven’t been any customers. Jae-sook winks, saying that the store’s success is a secret.

“Shopping King Louis” has become a bit of an internet sensation, with people messaging him constantly for advice on what to buy. His shopping skills aren’t all reliant on his instinct, as he seems to know a lot about many different products — and interestingly, he mentions the bookstore Hong Franc to one shopper.

Unfortunately, his opinion on Gold Group’s new brand, Giovanni, is that it’s a fraud. His word carries enough clout by now that this seriously affects sales, and Joong-won orders Mr. Kim to find out exactly who Shopping King Louis is.

Butler Kim’s source tells him it’s Bok-shil, since Louis’s phone is in her name. He reads where Louis posts that his favorite coffee is the cheap instant stuff, and sighs that it can’t be his Louis.

Mr. Kim brings the information that Shopping King Louis is Bok-shil to Joong-won, though he’s not convinced it’s really her. For one thing she can spell, and for another, the posts happen at times when it’s unlikely to be her. Joong-won connects the dots to Louis.

He goes to confront Louis at home, and says he already knows someone who goes by that nickname. He threatens to make Louis stop using it, telling Louis that his posts could get Bok-shil fired. Louis asks what he can do to save Bok-shil’s job, and Joong-won says he’ll protect her under one condition — that Louis moves into his place. Louis doesn’t want to live apart from Bok-shil, but he makes his own demand, that Joong-won buy her the latest fridge and washing machine.

Louis writes out a contract stating that he won’t use the username “Shopping King Louis” anymore, and that Joong-won will buy Bok-shil a fridge and washer. They both sign it, though Joong-won snaps at Louis to learn how to spell.

Louis cops an attitude about moving to Joong-won’s place, but he packs up and goes. From a distance Scarface sees them leave together with Louis’s things, and assumes Joong-won is helping Louis hide out. I just love how the bad guys have everything all wrong.

Louis settles into Joong-won’s place as if he owns it, helping himself to the remotes and the espresso maker while Joong-won gapes at him. Louis comments that this all feels familiar and asks Joong-won to run him a bubble bath, instinctively treating him like a butler.

Joong-won yells that this is his house and Louis is just a mooch, like he mooches off Bok-shil. Louis scoffs, correcting Joong-won that he’s someone who’s always on Bok-shil’s side, and asks where his room is. Joong-won points it out and adds that he’s to keep everything neat and clean. Oh, this is gonna be fun.

Detective Joo-hyuk’s colleague had remembered seeing Louis’s penguin music box in a bookstore called Hong Franc, and Joo-hyuk heads over to investigate. Strangely, the store is closed in the middle of the day, and Joo-hyuk notices a fire hydrant nearby which is also on Louis’s “familiar things” list.

Louis surprises Bok-shil by taking her to a movie after work, to make up for the one he missed. But the show they end up in is super violent and freaks them both out, so they leave halfway through. They head to a street cart for some food, and Louis complains about all the food on offer, embarrassing Bok-shil. She casually asks if he’s Shopping King Louis, expecting him to say no, and Louis tells her that he died today. PFFT.

Bok-shil calls Joong-won for confirmation, and he asks if she’s with Louis right now. He orders her to go home immediately, and she cringes and hangs up.

Louis and Bok-shil check out some street vendors (Louis manages to offend another one by calling her jewelry fake), ending up by the river. Louis says he can’t get Bok-shil a fake ring, and when she says they aren’t married, he counters that she could still wear a ring.

Louis grows serious, saying that he knows it’s hard taking care of him, and he tells Bok-shil that he moved to Joong-won’s place today. She’s unhappy to hear it, especially since he didn’t talk to her first, and she pouts and says she won’t miss him anyway. But she asks him to stay in touch until she finds her brother, and Louis promises.

They watch the ferry go by, and Louis says they’ll do that on their next date. Bok-shil is all, date?, and Louis sighs that this was a date. He tells her to watch some TV every now and then, hee.

Bok-shil goes home alone, and gives Louis’s soul chair a grumpy little kick. She goes inside to find a huge fridge and matching washer. In-sung comes up to say hello, and explains that Louis moved in with Joong-won in exchange for the appliances.

Joong-won tells Louis not to watch TV when he’s home — he hates the noise — and Louis quickly orders the skincare products on TV for Bok-shil. He explains that he buys things for Bok-shil with her money, which frustrates Joong-won.

He asks if Louis really doesn’t remember anything, and Louis confirms that he only recalls bits and pieces. He makes Joong-won bring him a pillow, then says he needs curtains and more coffee, until Joong-won explodes.

Joong-won goes to his room to brood alone, but he cheers up when Bok-shil texts to thank him for the fridge and washer. She asks him to take good care of Louis even though he can be annoying, and Joong-won smiles when she sends a little “goodnight” emoji.

Bok-shil and Louis are thinking of each other on their first night apart, and text each other at the exact same time. Bok-shil jokes that she’s glad he’s gone, and asks him to behave himself after all Joong-won has done for them. Louis pouts that she just wants to talk about Joong-won, so she sends him a text saying, “I miss you.”

That makes Louis’s entire night, and he has a full-body freakout from happiness. He texts back that he misses her too, which thrills Bok-shil equally as much. They go to bed as giggly as children.

Louis treats himself to a bubblebath after Joong-won leaves for work, then he sneaks into Joong-won’s room to check it out (still wearing only a towel, rawr). He flops on Joong-won’s bed, rolling around on the luxurious sheets like a blissed-out cat.

Joong-won’s parents let themselves in, and Young-ae senses something different. Expecting to see a lady in his room, she sneaks in, then lets out a bloodcurdling scream when she sees Louis on the bed instead, bare-assed nekkid. HAHA.

Louis dresses and tells Joong-won’s parents that he lives here now. He says mischievously that Joong-won begged him to move in, and that he thinks Joong-won has a crush on him. He knows exactly how that sounds, and delights in the parents’ horrified reaction.

Young-ae cries her heart out to her husband, remembering the shaman they consulted who said that he saw a woman and a man in Joong-won’s future. Young-ae wails, thinking this means her son is gay, but Joong-won’s dad reminds her that he saw a woman, too.

Joong-won reports to Director Baek that the Shopping King Louis issue has been handled, and tells his boss that Bok-shil wasn’t really involved — someone stole her username. It’s technically the truth, but Director Baek senses that Joong-won is hiding something, though Joong-won says he’s not.

Louis and In-sung pass out more flyers looking for Bok-nam, and In-sung wonders if Bok-nam might be dead. Louis tells him not to say such things, and they post a picture of Bok-nam online, hoping to reach more people who may have seen him.

Louis takes In-sung to Joong-won’s place and offers to feed him, and soon the two are snacking amid a huge mess. In-sung offers to make ramyun, and when Joong-won comes home, he walks into a pigsty. His bellow of rage wakes Louis into he kicking a bag of chips onto the floor, and startles In-sung so much that he spills the ramyun seasonings all over the kitchen, then knocks an entire crate of eggs off the counter. Whoops.

Joong-won sets In-sung and Louis to cleaning their mess, while he questions them about the “company” they started. He calls it what it is, Bok-shil supporting them, and In-sung is so terrified that he blurts out that Louis lost all the money Joong-won paid Bok-shil for the ginseng.

Joong-won finds Louis a real job unloading freight for Gold Group, and Louis is hilariously weak and terrible at it. He’s so sore he can barely move by the end of the day, and Joong-won has to put pain patches on for him. He gets revenge by slapping them on hard, and by the time he’s done, Louis is covered head to toe in patches. But Joong-won does admit to himself that Louis worked hard today.

Louis still can’t move the next day, and whines for Joong-won to call Bok-shil to take care of him. Joong-won refuses, and forbids Louis to call her himself, ordering him not to worry her. So he calls In-sung, who rushes over, narrowly missing the shadowy figure lurking outside his home.

In-sung tells Louis that he saw something weird on his way here, and it gave him a bad feeling. He confesses to Louis about the murders that happened in their rooftop room, and that the killer hasn’t been caught yet. Louis freaks out and jumps up despite his sore muscles, determined to go save Bok-shil.

He runs all the way home to Bok-shil, ignoring the strange looks he gets for the fact that he’s still shirtless and covered in pain patches. He nearly cries with relief when she waves down at him from the balcony, and runs upstairs to grab her in a big hug.

She tries to pull away when she smells the patches, but Louis just hugs her tighter, saying he was so worried, he forgot to put on a shirt. She gasps when she sees him and jokingly pokes his sore muscles, while their shadowy stalker watches from a distance.

Louis has no intention of going back to Joong-won’s, and he left a note offering to return the fridge and washer. Joong-won grumbles, wondering where Bok-shil picked up this guy.

Bok-shil grabs Louis a shirt from the fridge, which she’s using as a storage cabinet, lol. She thinks the room seems too small for two people now, but Louis just smirks behind her back, not at all upset with the idea of being even closer to her.

They’re more cramped that night as they lie in bed, and Bok-shil scoots over when Louis’s hand creeps to her side of the curtain. She asks why he came back without warning, and Louis pokes his head through the curtain to say that he heard the room is dangerous.

He tells her that the previous tenant died there. But he smiles and promises to keep her safe, and she pats his head, which just hurts his neck. He tells Bok-shil that he ordered some safety equipment, but refuses to say what it is. When Louis nods off, Bok-shil slides the curtain back, and watches him sleep.

Jae-sook brings Ma-ri some warm milk to help her sleep, and though Ma-ri desperately wants to tell her mother about seeing Louis, she remembers her father’s warning and keeps her mouth shut. After her mother leaves, she wonders who died in the crash, wearing Louis’s watch.

That night, while they have snacks at a convenience store, the three schoolgirls that beat up Louis and Bok-shil see a poster of Bok-nam. They definitely know him, and wonder if his family is looking for him.

Bok-shil has to pull Louis’s pain patches off the next morning, while he screams bloody murder. She gets a call, and she and Louis run off to investigate. Louis lurches behind her, too stiff and sore to keep up, ha.

The call was from the schoolgirls, but when they see Bok-shil and Louis coming, they try to run. Bok-shil isn’t called the Flying Squirrel for nothing, and she quickly corrals two of them. The third runs into Louis and they both tumble to the ground, and he grabs her sleeve triumphantly.

They sit the girls down, and tell them that Bok-shil is Bok-nam’s sister. The girls reveal that they used to ride motorcycles with Bok-nam, and that the jacket Louis was wearing when they beat him up was Bok-nam’s. They refuse to tell Bok-shil any more without a reward, but Bok-shil doesn’t have any money to give them, so they leave.

Bok-shil helps the stiff Louis home, and he pouts that they would have had the money to pay the girls if he hadn’t needed to go to the hospital. Bok-shil stays positive and says they’ll just find the money somehow.

Eaten up by curiosity, Ma-ri slinks around their apartment, and hides when she sees Bok-shil and Louis coming. She’s been assuming Bok-shil skipped work to be with her boyfriend, and her eyes go wide as she sees that the “boyfriend” is Louis. She snaps a couple of pictures, then calls Bok-shil to meet.

Bok-shil tells Ma-ri how she found Louis wearing her brother’s jacket, and Ma-ri comes to the obvious conclusion that it’s Bok-nam who died in that crash. Bok-shil tells her that she can find out where her brother is if she has some money to pay the girls, and though Ma-ri thinks it’s a scam, she lends Bok-shil the money the girls want.

Louis stays home while Bok-shil calls the girls, who direct her to a pool hall where Bok-nam supposedly spends a lot of time. But she’s told that Bok-nam stopped going there a while ago — it’s a dead end. Meanwhile, Ma-ri runs home to tell her father that she knows who died in the car crash.

The shadowy figure sneaks into Bok-shil and Louis’s apartment, brandishing his trademark hammer. He sees a man crouched inside and brings the hammer down on his head hard enough to crack it open, then leaves the man bleeding on the floor.

In-sung goes upstairs to see Louis, and he falls in shock when he sees the body lying on the floor, blood everywhere. He softly calls Louis’s name, and when he sees the man’s face, he jerks back in horror.

Bok-shil comes home to find police everywhere, and the neighbors gossiping that someone else was killed in the rooftop apartment. She sees a body being loaded into an ambulance and jumps in, assuming it’s Louis.

COMMENTS

First of all, I’m so happy Louis didn’t get his memory back from that knock on the head! The plot moves so quickly, it’s easy to forget that we’re only six episodes in, and it really does seem way too soon. There’s too much humor and too many sweet Bok-shil/Louis moments to be mined yet, and I want to wait until the last possible second before Louis remembers who he is and we face their inevitable separation as Louis goes back to his world. I’m not worried that he’ll forget Bok-shil or stop caring about her (after all, he was enchanted with her at first sight, when he first saw her on TV before his accident), it’s just that they’re so cute together, I’m not ready for him to go back to his old life quite yet.

I haven’t really loved Joong-won as a character so far — he seems like a wasted opportunity for fun hi-jinks and instead is just a stodgy old fart, and in this episode he particularly annoyed me. I didn’t care for him basically using Bok-shil to manipulate Louis, because if he were a nice guy who really liked her, he’d protect her job no matter what. So he’s either not a nice guy who would let her get fired, or he’d protect her anyway but he’s letting Louis think he wouldn’t just to get him away from her. Either way makes him look bad, on top of the fact that I’m inclined to dislike anyone who gets in between the two cutest kittens ever. I’m glad Louis eventually made his way back to Bok-shil, Joong-won be damned, because if there’s one thing Louis knows, it’s where he belongs.

At least Joong-won doesn’t seem to actually intend to purse Bok-shil, despite liking her. It’s unclear if he knows what his feelings mean, or if he just plans to ignore them, but again, either way it looks bad. If he doesn’t mean to actively court Bok-shil then he needs to back off and let her live her life the way she wants, but if he’s interested, he needs to declare his intentions and again, let her make her own decisions. It’s frustrating watching him act like the jealous suitor, while keeping his feelings entirely hidden from everyone.

I think I finally figured out why the family/Gold Group politics don’t annoy me like they usually do in rom-coms, where they always feel out of place and usually bring the fun comedy down. It’s because the supposed bad guys here are just so dumb, and it’s infinitely amusing the way Scarface and Director Baek consistently misinterpret Louis’s and Joong-won’s actions to be all sneaky, when they’re actually just moving through the usual rom-com tropes. It’s pretty hilarious to see Joong-won trading a fridge for Bok-shil in a typical rom-com overreaction, then see Scarface watching them, all sinister and getting the totally wrong idea. I even find Ma-ri more comical than worrisome, at this point. It’s like Scarface and Director Baek are in a totally different drama than everyone else, and I find it really funny. They think everything is a sign of some giant conspiracy, and it’s played more for dark humor than anything else, which just makes them silly instead of truly scary.

The real threat seems to be the serial killer, but up until the last couple of minutes of the episode, he seemed more of a distant threat than a real problem. But now he’s stepped up, and I wonder if he’s got any connections with the larger plot, or if he’s just a random murderer and Louis (or someone I really hope isn’t Louis!) was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The murders have been happening for much longer than Louis’s problems, so rather than feel real fear about the killer, I’m really just more vaguely curious to see what that’s all about. Again, the threats to Louis and Bok-shil don’t feel like they have real teeth, but I’m okay with that because really, aren’t we all really just here for the bouncy kittens?

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• Shopping King Louis: Episode 2
• Shopping King Louis: Episode 1