Bad Couple: Episode 13

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(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Noblesse – “이별이 버릇이 됐어” (Goodbye has become a habit) [ zShare download ]

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EPISODE 13 SUMMARY

Having arrived at Gi Chan’s office to bring him dinner, Dang Ja briefly gags at the smell of food, pricking Jung Sook’s curiosity, before Gi Chan tells her that her actions are mean to Jung Sook: “If you keep popping up everywhere, what happens to me? I said this before, that I want to do my best for Jung Sook. This isn’t you.” Dang Ja gets the message. Figuring it’s over, she answers that he’s right, this isn’t her. “From now on, I won’t pop up to find you anymore.”

She leaves immediately, and Jung Sook follows her out to apologize for putting her in that position. She asks about Dang Ja gagging, and points out that Dang Ja’s been wearing flats lately. Dang Ja covers her unease and brushes her question aside.

Alone in her bedroom, Dang Ja apologizes to her baby for being unable to find its father: “I missed my chance. Your father isn’t someone to call off an engagement. Whatever happens, it looks like we’ll have to hang in there together, the two of us. I can do it — you can too, right? It might be sad, but let’s not become miserable.”

Gi Chan sees the food Dang Ja left behind and eats it with a half-rueful smile. Spending the night at Gi Chan’s place (because he’s spending the night at the office), Jung Sook can’t rest, and goes to see Dang Ja (who hurriedly rushes to remove all baby-related items from sight). This time, she asks straight out if Dang Ja’s pregnant, but Dang Ja’s prepared for the question and laughs it off. She reminds Jung Sook that Gi Chan isn’t the type to sleep with someone before marriage, and manages to convince Jung Sook.

However, just as she’s about to show her out, Dang Ja’s baby doll starts crying, alerting Jung Sook, who pushes past Dang Ja to see all the maternity paraphernalia in Dang Ja’s room.

Forced to admit the truth, Dang Ja tells Jung Sook she has no intention on using the baby to bring Gi Chan back. “My dream was to raise a daughter like myself, and live well, continuing to do my work… But then, suddenly I had this thought, that the child would need its father. That I would find him so the baby could gain happiness from its father. That’s why I came to find Gi Chan. But seeing him yesterday, I realized with certainty that I wasn�t it. You’ve already made your way into his heart. So don’t worry.”

Jung Sook: “How can I not worry?”
Dang Ja: “Because I gave up. I have to step back.”
Jung Sook: “Can you keep that promise forever?”
Dang Ja: “That’s what I’d like to ask you. I have to succeed in my work. I had a brief thought that I’d find the father for the baby’s sake, but marriage is impossible. So just make sure you don’t say anything.”
Jung Sook: “Promise me.”
Dang Ja: “I promise.”

Devastated, Jung Sook acts strangely the next time she sees Gi Chan, trying to kiss him, insisting on going into his apartment although it’s clear he’s uncomfortable having her there. She’s aggressive enough to cause him to wonder what’s the matter, and when he pushes her aside, she demands, “Why can you with Dang Ja, but not me?” Shocked, he asks what she means by that, and she says, “You ought to know better than me.”

Armed with the misconception that Dang Ja told Jung Sook they’d slept together to gloat and flaunt it in her face, Gi Chan goes to see her. Dol Soon, who leaves to give them privacy, listens in disbelief at the door as Gi Chan unfairly accuses Dang Ja: “How could you tell such a private thing to my fiancee? What were you thinking? Did you think to make Jung Sook break off the engagement and start over with me? Is that why you started appearing everywhere, interfering and causing trouble?” He doesn’t give her the opportunity to defend herself, going on: “I’m really disappointed in you.”

Dol Soon storms in to give Gi Chan a piece of her mind. Dang Ja realizes where this is going and tries to stop her, but Dol Soon firmly tells her she’s going to get everything out today. She points to Dang Ja’s stomach, asking how he can be so blind. He thought she’d put on some weight lately, and Dol Soon lays it out plainly: Dang Ja’s pregnant with his baby. Dang Ja can only glare at Dol Soon and walk off, leaving Gi Chan to deal with the shock.

Gi Chan gets drunk, to the extent that the bartender calls Jung Sook to tell him she’ll have to come get him. Putting the drunk Gi Chan to bed, Jung Sook hears him mumble, over and over, “Dang Ja, I’m sorry… I was wrong… I’m sorry…”

Over in Han Young’s story, she finally decides that her marriage is over, and signs and stamps her divorce papers. As irony would have it, just at that moment, Sae Yeon is breaking up with Yoon Seok, as she’s tired of waiting and decided to go abroad to learn/practice in the States. She coolly parts ways with Yoon Seok, who’s a bit miffed to be so easily dismissed. Sae Yeon tells Yoon Seok to swallow his pride and go back to his wife, begging for her forgiveness.

Young, on the other hand, is getting along well with Joon Soo, who is slowly introduced to Chan as his swimming instructor. Yoon Seok comes back home sheepishly, but with too much pride to admit the real reason (that his mistress left and he wants to come back to his wife). Young’s annoyed, but for the moment lets him do as he pleases.

While it’s fun to see Yoon Seok brought low after his cheating (and watching him wait up for Young while she goes out with her handsome young boyfriend), I wonder what they’re doing with this relationship… Are they going to put the married couple back together? Is that why they’ve been humanizing Yoon Seok recently as Dang Ja’s doctor? Frankly, since I don’t quite buy Joon Soo as the boyfriend, I wouldn’t mind this twist, because maybe he was useful in teaching Young how to stand on her own feet and command her life — but I don’t get the sense she’s necessarily in love with him.

 
Gi Chan’s father arrives to ask why Jung Sook returned home and called off their engagement. He asks if it has something to do with that other woman, and Gi Chan responds that he loves Dang Ja, that he must protect and cherish her. Seeing his son kneeling and apologizing, his father asks if he’s done something “requiring him to take responsibility” (yes) and if she’s pregnant (yes). He leaves in an angry huff, and tells his wife that Dang Ja absolutely won’t do.

Gi Chan goes to see Dang Ja, this time in remorse, bringing along a crab and asking if there’s anything else she’d like to eat. Dang Ja notes his complete change, and sadly asks him to leave. “I knew you’d break off your engagement simply because of my pregnancy. Without knowing my feelings, without caring for your own, you came here solely because I’m pregnant. What did you say before? That your situation has changed, that you wanted to do your best for Jung Sook, that I should stop appearing in front of you. That person made a 180 degree turn because of the baby. If I’d wanted to bring you back with the baby as an excuse, I would have already done it.”

Gi Chan leaves. (Don’t get too upset at Dang Ja, because things change soon enough!)

Jung Sook tells Gi Chan she’s leaving to Egypt for her work (with the museum, I think). Back to being friendly, she tells him she thinks she made the right choice breaking up with him. With her first love out of the way, she’ll go on to have her second, third, fourth… Despite Dang Ja’s insistence on loving work, she could see that Dang Ja longs for family. She also realized that Dang Ja understands and loves him more than she did. “She needs you.”

Gi Chan appeals to his father to let him marry Dang Ja, saying he shouldn’t hate Dang Ja merely because she’s pregnant, because that’s Gi Chan’s fault and responsibility. He reminds him that the baby is their grandchild, and if it’s a son, will be the inheriting son of the estate. His angry father is firmly opposed, but Gi Chan stands up to him: “If you can’t accept her, then cast me out too. I love that woman more than anyone in the world. I have to protect her.”

Gi Chan bows respectfully and leaves, but his mother chases him out to give him her support. She gives him her ring to give to Dang Ja, and says she’ll convince his father to come around.

 
Meanwhile, Dol Soon’s knocking some sense into Dang Ja, telling her that Gi Chan didn’t come back to her only for the baby, that the entire world knows he loves her. Reinforcing that stance is Jung Sook, who calls Dang Ja to tell her she’s leaving, and that Dang Ja’s the only one Gi Chan loves: “Please don’t give him a hard time, because that’ll just make things harder on you.” Dang Ja thanks her and hangs up, wondering why the world is full of good people, and she seems to be the only messed-up one. Dol Soon agrees, and tells Dang Ja to go find Gi Chan.

So, while Gi Chan rushes to Dang Ja’s, Dang Ja waits for him outside his apartment. Meeting happily this time, Gi Chan puts the ring on her finger, telling her it’s from his mother. At that sign of approval, the happy couple embraces.

 
Additional thoughts:

So many turns occurred in this episode, that it felt like more than one episode. Actually, it occurred to me that this episode was structured like a stereotypical drama’s ending — the angst keeping the fated lovers apart finally wanes, the interfering people step aside, consent is granted, and the couple reunites in happiness. While that kind of familiar ending would have been sorely disappointing for a final episode, I kind of like it here — because I’m curious to see what they’ve got in store for us now.

The only caution I have now is, with the romantic reunion in place… I can only presume the illness will come to the fore. (To which I say: Noooo!) But since this couple is much better together than apart, for now I’m just glad for that. I’m expecting lots of cuteness to follow.