Dal Ja’s Spring: Episode 4

by javabeans

Episode 4: “There Was a Prince… But…”

Dal Ja continues meeting Tae Bong, who helps her practice for her upcoming date with her Man of Destiny.

Although Dal Ja had previously decided against things like destiny, Eom Ki Joong did swoop to her aid twice — once when he thought she was being harassed by Tae Bong, and the other when he lent her his coat when she was freezing in the slip she had to wear after Sae Do spewed cocktails all over her at the company launch.

So Dal Ja goes on her fancy date with Eom Ki Joong, and in her head calculates all the things about him she likes. However, she finds the conversation boring as he rambles on about the qualities of fine wines. She’s swayed at the idea of being at the best table with the best man in the restaurant, but to be honest, she isn’t really enjoying herself…

Dal Ja’s office is disrupted when an angry young woman arrives, slaps Dal Ja in front of her co-workers, and demands that Dal Ja be fired for stealing her man. When the situation is sorted out, it turns out the woman is a slightly unhinged ex of Sae Do, who assumes he broke up with her for Dal Ja. Now she’s come to win Sae Do back, against his wishes.

However, even though it’s all a misunderstanding, Eom Ki Joong witnesses the scene and gets the wrong idea that Dal Ja is a troublemaker and possible homewrecker.

Tae Bong agrees that Eom Ki Joong must have gotten the wrong idea, and advises her to be as honest with Eom Ki Joong as she is with Tae Bong. She admits she’s afraid of rejection.

Sae Do is still trying to win over Seon Joo, but he catches her at a bad time, and she rejects him more harshly than she intended.

Dejected at the downward turn both their love lives have taken, Dal Ja and Sae Do mope together.

Dal Ja and Sae Do go out drinking together, where Sae Do pushes Dal Ja into talking to Eom Ki Joong on the phone. Sae Do thinks Dal Ja’s always waiting for the guy to make the first move — in this day and age, she should go after what she wants.

Dal Ja, remembering Tae Bong’s advice and being more than slightly drunk, screws up her courage and tells Eom Ki Joong the truth. He’s got the wrong idea about her, and she’s not the kind of person he thinks. She’s interested in him, and would like to keep meeting him in the future.’

Taking Eom Ki Joong’s silence for rejection, she (drunkenly) asserts her pride and tells him to forget it. Still, her actions, though startling, have piqued Eom Ki Joong’s interest…

The next morning, Dal Ja awakens in her apartment, and is horrified to find herself in bed with not just one, but two men. Sae Do’s passed out next to her, with Tae Bong on the other side.

Jumping to conclusions (as she’s been known to do), Dal Ja freaks out, managing to freak out Sae Do as well, as both of them demand to know why the hell they’re all in bed together. Tae Bong can only look on tiredly. He may be six years younger than both of them, but he’s got the well-worn maturity of a resigned and exhausted parent.

After they calm down, Tae Bong explains that they called him the night before, after drinking. Dal Ja happily greets Tae Bong as her life’s “spare tire,” the one who steps in when a hole punctures her life. And because all compliments must come with backhanded qualifiers, both Dal Ja and Sae Do follow that by proceeding to get sick all over Tae Bong’s pants.

So, Tae Bong dragged both of them to Dal Ja’s place, where they spent the night.

Just then, a visitor appears at Dal Ja’s door: Eom Ki Joong. Count on Dal Ja to fix one misunderstanding only to have another one pop up, doubly bad as the first. But before anyone can even process the heaping bowl of awkward that this situation is, they’re greeted with one more development: the arrival of Dal Ja’s mother and grandmother. The women are so surprised at seeing three men in Dal Ja’s apartment first thing in the morning that they naturally assume they’ve stumbled into the wrong door.

The three men introduce themselves to her family. Sae Do is Dal Ja’s colleague, Eom Ki Joong met her through business, and Tae Bong is her “spare tire.”

Somehow, Dal Ja clears her apartment, and as Grandma and Mom walk away, they wonder which one Dal Ja’s dating. Mom likes the looks of that well-dressed and dashing Eom Ki Joong, but Grandma’s all about the spare tire. Poor Sae Do gets no love, but then again, he’s Sae Do.

At work, another visitor appears asking for Oh Dal Ja. Having been through a similar situation just days before, Dal Ja warily asks if the well-dressed and soft-spoken woman is here about Sae Do, ready to nip this misunderstanding in the bud.

But no, the woman is here to beg Dal Ja not to steal away her husband. She kneels and pleads Dal Ja to leave her husband alone: She’s Eom Ki Joong’s wife.

As the rest of her co-workers gasp in shock, Dal Ja dazedly wonders that she can’t even be shocked at such revelations anymore…