My Name Is Kim Sam Soon: Episode 15

43 September 21, 2011January 24, 2016

by samsooki

This is it! The last two episodes. Like most twice-a-week dramas, this is a pairing that should be looked at as a two-part finale. This being part 1, you just know there’s going to be something big that happens at end of this episode, something so big that it makes you die just a little bit, inside. Last episode, Jin Heon and Sam Soon finally started dating for real and there was this feeling that everything now would be okay. But Hee Jin’s collapse/hospitalization has seriously changed the dynamic, so much so that Jin Heon decided against telling Sam Soon what he was doing. And this was a huge mistake.

SONG OF THE DAY

My Name Is Kim Sam Soon OST – “Inside My Heart” (Piano version) [ Download ]

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Episode 15 – The Rules of Romance

The elevators open, and Sam Soon finds Jin Heon bringing a very pale (nearly gray!) Hee Jin up to his apartment. He has his arm wrapped around Hee Jin. Sam Soon looks at Jin Heon, who looks at Hee Jin, who looks at Jin Heon. Sam Soon doesn’t know what to do except back up and let them out of the elevator. Finally, Jin Heon opens his mouth:

Jin Heon: A moment, just give me a moment.

Sam Soon starts controlled heavy breathing as she only now begins to process what she has seen. Jin Heon brings Hee Jin into the apartment, but his ex-girlfriend doesn’t want to stay. Then the doorbell rings (who could it be?) and Jin Heon then has to go explain things to his current girlfriend. Jin Heon tells Sam Soon not to misunderstand, as there’s a reason – Hee Jin is “a little sick.” Sam Soon feels slighted and says that she’s sick too. Jin Heon tries to explain how Hee Jin has anorexia but Sam Soon isn’t having it. Why does Jin Heon have to be involved? Doesn’t she have Dr. Henry Kim? Sam Soon wants her to leave now.

Jin Heon: What, you don’t trust me?
Sam Soon: It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust the moments that you and she will be spending together.

With that, she walks into the apartment, pushing her way past a protesting Jin Heon. You know you are supposed to feel sympathy for (1) a sick Hee Jin (who doesn’t want to be there), (2) a super-cautious Sam Soon (who also doesn’t want Hee Jin to be there) and (3) Jin Heon, who is caught in the middle. With all of the tension and negativity going on, it will be mighty hard for Hee Jin to just sit there in Jin Heon’s apartment, and it’s a good bet that Sam Soon’s intent is to chase Hee Jin away.

Sam Soon (with only a tinge of condescension) offers to cook whatever Hee Jin wants, to get her to eat. Hee Jin agrees, but cleverly asks for the food to be delivered tomorrow. An equally wily Sam Soon replies, sure, but since I have to start cooking so early in the morning, I might as well sleep here too. Sam Soon goes over to the sofa and asks for a blanket. Hee Jin gives a silent plea to Jin Heon, who then walks over to Sam Soon.

Here’s the thing. I think Sam Soon is way out of line. Yeah, you have to protect what’s yours, but my sensibilities say this is not the right way to do it. Hee Jin gets up to leave, as any sane person would in this situation. But then Sam Soon asks whether it is really that hard for Hee Jin to accept being in the same room as her, and Hee Jin answers truthfully, “yes, it is.” Then Sam Soon does a 180 and says that she’ll be the one to go. And with that, Sam Soon just walks out.

A resigned Sam Soon goes home and sits down next to her dog. Sam Soon tells her dog not to fall in love, because it’s just a huge hassle. The dog doesn’t say anything in return, and Sam Soon just sighs. But then Sam Soon’s phone rings, and it’s Jin Heon. He thanks Sam Soon (from his bathroom – the only private room in his apartment, LOL) and then smooches his phone. Sam Soon, finally, smiles happily and smooches her phone in return.

Sam Soon (looking at her dog): Ya. I changed my mind. You should fall in love. Sometimes, it might be exhausting and difficult, and sometimes it might hurt your heart, but this is true, falling in love is a very good thing.

With that, Sam Soon heads inside her house, her heavy spirit lifted.

Late that night, with Jin Heon sleeping on the couch, Hee Jin rises from the bed and is standing but a few meters away. Hee Jin doesn’t wake him but just stares in wordless grief, perhaps hoping he’d wake on his own accord and rescue her from heartbreak.

The camera angle changes and now we see that she’s got her bag with her – she’s not staying. Perhaps this was Hee Jin’s last attempt to win back Jin Heon – a silent plea for him to wake from his Sam Soon dream, and when Jin Heon doesn’t awake, Hee Jin leaves. Romance can be such a zero-sum game. Since Sam Soon has gained a boyfriend, balance dictates that Hee Jin loses one.

While romance can be zero-sum, a mother’s love for her daughter is not. Even when a daughter lies about being pregnant or sneaks around behind her back, the mother either pretends not to notice (why do children always underestimate their moms’ intelligence, sheesh!) or just accepts the lie for what it is. Sam Soon is up at the break of dawn cooking more jook, and is startled by her mom who wonders who’s up. Sam Soon’s mom is totally on Jin Heon’s side now, but still worries about sending Sam Soon to Jin Heon’s family, since Jin Heon’s mom seems mighty uppity about it all. Sam Soon hugs her mom from behind, basking in her mom’s unconditional love.

Sam Soon heads over to Jin Heon’s apartment but Hee Jin has left in the night. So Sam Soon heads over to Hee Jin’s apartment. She drops off the food, but… but what, Hee Jin wants to know. But Sam Soon wants to watch Hee Jin eat the jook before Sam Soon leaves. Hee Jin cannot believe the sheer audacity of Sam Soon, and tells her to get the heck out. An irked Hee Jin counts to three and when Sam Soon doesn’t leave, Hee Jin grabs her hair and tries to pull Sam Soon to the door. Sam Soon lets Hee Jin get about 3 steps before she also starts up with the wrassling. Luckily, Henry appears and stops the fight.

Henry calms the situation down and puts in what looks to be a parenteral IV drip bag for Hee Jin. If Hee Jin won’t (or can’t) eat, then she’ll have to be fed intravenously. Henry and Sam Soon keep an annoyed Hee Jin company, and are playing an addictive gambling card game called Go-Stop. The object is to match one’s hole cards with the cards on the table, but certain cards and combinations are worth more than others. It looks like Sam Soon has taught Henry how to match the correct cards but not the point combinations. Might as well make some money to defray the costs of the jook…

Sam Soon is up huge in the first game. Hee Jin notices that Sam Soon is encouraging Henry but not teaching him everything (the analogy would be if Sam Soon were teaching poker hands to Henry but not telling him in advance which hand beats which hand). Hee Jin rips out her IV and joins in the game on Henry’s side over Sam Soon’s objections. Hee Jin is a whiz at Go Stop and by the time Sam Soon leaves, she’s got only a few bills left to her name.

After Sam Soon leaves, Henry is playing with the cards by himself and Hee Jin is hooked back up to her IV. Henry asks Hee Jin if she’s hiding something from him – like maybe that she feels something for him but isn’t showing it. Hee Jin denies it but a thoughtful look passes over her face. Henry horses around for a bit, trying to get a laugh out of Hee Jin. But Hee Jin suddenly gets serious and tells him that she wants to go back to America. While this doubles as an admission that she’s lost the battle to reclaim her spot next to Jin Heon, the question remains whether Hee Jin is telling Henry that maybe she’s open to seeing other people now.

So, Chef Lee has been having a great deal of trouble trying to get Sam Soon’s sister, Yi Young, to go steady with him. While they have held “friends with benefits” status with each other, Chef Lee isn’t satisfied with the occasional drinking night or the hops into the sack. He wants a real relationship. So Chef Lee begs Jin Heon to reveal his secret to winning the heart to a Kim sister. Jin Heon won’t reveal the secret without compensation, so Chef Lee buys him an expensive bottle of brandy and Jin Heon in turn buys him a giant Samsooki stuffed animal.

Chef Lee is totally nonplussed, but Jin Heon notes that the ways of the Samsooki are mysterious and once Samsooki bites you, it won’t let go. It’ll worm its way into the target’s heart. Chef Lee is mistrusting, but Jin Heon says not to worry, Samsooki will do what it does. Hehe! The pressure is on! I’ll do my best!

Jin Heon gets a call from Hee Jin, surprisingly, asking him to come over. He drives over but doesn’t go up, which makes Hee Jin have to come down. Hee Jin tells Jin Heon that she’s decided to go back to America, to be with her parents. Jin Heon immediately understands, but then Hee Jin asks him for a favor: would he be willing to take her back to America? Jin Heon is silent for a moment, but when prompted by Hee Jin, he agrees. But how to tell Sam Soon?

Jin Heon takes Sam Soon and Mi Joo out to the aquarium and dinner, and then back to his place. Sam Soon reads more of the Momo book to Mi Joo, who then falls asleep dreaming about her day at the aquarium and the Professor Hora character in the book. While Mi Joo is sleeping, Jin Heon tells Sam Soon about going to America for a week. The trip is so out-of-the-blue that Sam Soon asks why, and Jin Heon reveals the whole story. Sam Soon is not only resistant, she is angry.

Sam Soon: If you want to do this, then why did you end it with her? Why not just continue on with her?!
Jin Heon: That’s not what we are talking about right now!
Sam Soon: I have endured everything I can endure. How much more shall I have to put up with?
Jin Heon: This is really disappointing. I thought that you would understand!

There are no answers here, and no resolution. Perhaps fortuitously, Mi Joo is awoken from her Momo dream by the argument, and comes out of the bedroom. Mi Joo is crying. But to the shock of Jin Heon and Sam Soon, Mi Joo cries that she hates her uncle Jin Heon, and begs him to stop yelling and fighting. She is mute no longer!

Immediately, the anger in Jin Heon fades and he looks with wondrous eyes at his niece, who had been silent since the car accident. With infinite care and tenderness, Jin Heon softly kneels before Mi Joo and tells her that he was wrong, that he is sorry. Witness to the miracle of Little Mi Joo who finds her voice, Sam Soon’s face softens and she wipes away her own tears. This man who is kneeling before this crying child, he is the one who can touch her heart so. Is her resistence weakening?

Jin Heon drives Sam Soon back to her place, with Mi Joo asleep in the back seat. Jin Heon finally says that he won’t go. Since Sam Soon doesn’t want him to go, he won’t. But Sam Soon isn’t satisfied with that answer. She wanted Jin Heon to have refused to go without Sam Soon saying anything. In other words, from Sam Soon’s perspective, there is still a part of him that still belongs to Hee Jin.

Still, life must go on for everyone. And in the days that follow, Yi Young and Sam Soon are hard at work setting up their online pastry selling business. Yi Young has the knack to figure out how to do the internet thing by herself. Sam Soon wonders how come all the brains went to Yi Young and how come Sam Soon doesn’t have any. Yi Young gives a snarky response (because she’s Sam Soon), and so Sam Soon decides to flake out the rest of the day, ditching Yi Young.

Actually, Sam Soon isn’t flaking out. She’s heading over to Hee Jin’s place. Hee Jin opens the door and Sam Soon gets right to the point. You are heading back to America, and you asked MY boyfriend to bring you back? (Wow. That’s serious gumption, to just straight up ask an brazen question like that.) Hee Jin starts talking in parables but Sam Soon doesn’t beat around the bush at all, asking why Jin Heon has to go. Hee Jin finally says, “it’s a farewell trip.”

Now, this is similar to the farewell toast that Hyun Woo asked Sam Soon to accompany him with, when he brought Sam Soon to the hotel club bar. The idea is that the farewell trip is a time of celebration for the memories and the love that Hee Jin and Jin Heon used to have for each other, and without the hovering presence of the current girlfriend getting in the way. Sam Soon concludes that she can’t let Jin Heon go on this trip. She won’t let him go.

Brief moment of comedy. So Chef Lee has taken Yi Young out to dinner, and he’s dressed to impress. He’s also brought with him a present: the Samsooki pig! He gives her Samsooki, and then asks her to marry him. Yi Young says no. A chastened Chef Lee then asks if she will just live with him then. Yi Young says no. A frustrated Chef Lee then starts beating on Samsooki – you were supposed to do something, why you are just sitting there, do something! Hey Chep! This isn’t like flipping crêpes! Love takes time!

Sam Soon is trudging back up the hill to her house, and Jin Heon is there waiting. She had turned off her phone, and so Jin Heon hadn’t been able to reach her. Sam Soon admits that she’s been at Hee Jin’s place. And as to the farewell trip thing, Jin Heon mustn’t go. Jin Heon agrees, saying that he’s not going to go. But then Sam Soon says something really interesting.

Sam Soon: If I said that you could go, would you still want to go?
Jin Heon: Eo. I want to do this for her.
Sam Soon: And you only need a week to do this?
Jin Heon: …
Sam Soon: Seriously, a week is all that you will need?
Jin Heon: …
Sam Soon: Then go.

Sam Soon has changed her mind! I had a feeling that she would change her mind, ever since she realized, with Mi Joo finally speaking after so long, that a person’s time is too precious to spend arguing and exchanging heated words. Still, is it the right decision? Jin Heon gives her a long hug for a thank you, and Sam Soon hugs him back.

Then Jin Heon tells Sam Soon that he won’t fight her on her name change anymore. Sam Soon is surprised, but Jin Heon tells her that he likes the name Sam Soon, but that if she really wants to change her name, then there’s nothing he can do to stop her.

A few days later, Sam Soon heads to the City Clerk’s office, to register the name-change authorization. Sam Soon wears Audrey Hepburn glasses to go incognito, but there are no gangsters this time to stop her. But just as Jin Heon promised, there is no one there to stop her. Not her mom or dad, and not Jin Heon or his goons. Sam Soon reaches the counter and obtains the registration paper to fill out. But as she is completing the very last step to changing her name, she starts to think about to what Jin Heon had said to her, after her Mt. Halla climb.

Jin Heon had taken a red-eye flight down to Jeju and then raced to beat Sam Soon up the mountain on a bad leg, so that he could be there when she arrived at the top. And he wouldn’t have done it for any common Kim Hee Jin, but for the one and only Kim Sam Soon. And in that moment, Sam Soon realizes that perhaps her name did set her apart as not just being different, but being special. Maybe her dad wasn’t the only guy who thought she was truly special. She pauses over her registration papers.

Sam Soon (VOICE-OVER): They finally left for America yesterday. And my unni told me how crazy of an idea it all was. And that there was likely to be no bigger babo (fool) in all the world than me. And I feel the same way. But people who fall hopelessly in love, they do foolish things. And he who said how much he liked my name Sam Soon, there is no doubt that he’s been turned into a fool too.

Sam Soon reaches the clerk’s counter and hands in her registration papers. But in one fateful moment, she asks for her papers back to look at them one last time. And after a long pause, she tears them up. The moment she has been waiting for most of her life – to finally be a new person, and she spurns this final chance to change! Is it because she has realized that she already is a new person, one who has been made even stronger by her name?

Sam Soon walks out of the City Clerk’s office, strong and confident. She doesn’t look back at what might have been if she had changed her name. And as she walks up the street, smiling and looking toward her future, she has one last voice-over.

Sam Soon (VOICE-OVER): Love really is a foolish kind of thing.

And a week has passed, each day taking as long as a whole year. And that person, he did not return.

Comments:

When we watched this drama for the first time, we were just filled with optimism and positive feelings when Sam Soon tears up her name change application and strides out of the government center. But my visit to a warm and fuzzy place only lasted about 10 seconds, as I was just beside myself when Sam Soon said that Jin Heon didn’t return. And of course, YA Entertainment put the last episode on a separate DVD, so we had to switch out DVDs. It was pure torture as I couldn’t get the last DVD into the tray properly. Can you just imagine what it must have been like for the millions of fans who watched this when it first aired, having to go to sleep all bothered, going to work on Thursday all bothered, and waiting 23+ hours for Part 2 of the finale?

That said, I think it best to have my substantive comments follow the end of part 2 of this recap finale. 🙂

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1 meri

September 21, 2011 at 11:07 AM

finally today i am the first to comment....haven't read it yet...so off i go to read the recap...

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2 foraredrose

September 21, 2011 at 11:15 AM

Okay the ending was bad enough for me when the next episode was a click away on DramaFever at 3am, but I cannot imagine spending an entire DAY waiting to find out what happened... I think I would have done my best to skip school/work... Or spend all my time there brainstorming what could have gone wrong... :P

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foraredrose

September 21, 2011 at 11:18 AM

Of course by skipping, I mean fully dedicated time to brainstorm loll..

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3 meri

September 21, 2011 at 11:20 AM

loved it....

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4 sheilla nekesa wafula

September 21, 2011 at 12:13 PM

i love korean movies but cant acess them in my country. your recaps make me feel like am watching them for real. thank you girl friday and java beans

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Mermaidie

September 21, 2011 at 12:44 PM

Samsooki is recapping this series. Thank you Samsooki, love your analysis...

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Houstontwin

September 22, 2011 at 2:29 PM

You really can't access them? There are so many cites that carry Korean drama. Don't give up!

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5 skelly

September 21, 2011 at 12:46 PM

I still remember the feeling when I first heard that last line, it was like a rug being pulled out from underneath me. Yet it was totally believable, because of the way they had set up his personality.

Samshik was always hard to pin down in terms of relationships, and so it was entirely possible that he would not return. It impressed me so much, that they had carefully crafted both Sam Soon and Sam Shik's characters to the point where the outcome - that he would leave and not return, and break her heart - was quite plausible. This drama, so excellent at the yanking of the chains...

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6 bbstl 🧹

September 21, 2011 at 1:17 PM

I also recall the feeling of my stomach dropping about 3 feet at that last line. I wish I had been there at the time when half the country (didn't the show have 50%+ ratings by the end?) was stunned and waiting. Thanks for bringing that up, samsooki! It makes me think of Pride and Prejudice when every time you read it, you're still not sure that Elizabeth and Darcy will really end up together.

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7 Dmko01

September 21, 2011 at 1:29 PM

Jin Heon must be the crappiest boyfriend ever. He doesn't deserve someone like Sam soon! He drive me crazy.

Cannot wait until tomorrow to hear your comments, samsooki. Thanks for the great recap!

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8 mvl

September 21, 2011 at 1:37 PM

again samsooki great recap. this was the 1st time that i had trouble understanding sam soon's motives in this drama. especially when she demands that hye jin eat the food she prepares in her house. but since she had already won me over i went w/it.

i felt like all the air in my body had left my body w/the final scene which took u from a 'super alright!!!' to a punch in gut 'no he didn't!!?' but then the next moment i loved it that it end that way because it was soooo real.
& this is 1 of the reason i loved this k-drama.

i don't want u're recaps to end like i didn't want this series to end because i just loved the character sam soon. don't tell u're wife but i'm loving u too!!! lol

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9 Anime1234

September 21, 2011 at 1:58 PM

Despite having seen it many times now, the scene where Mi Joo finally speaks always makes me hold my breath and just marvel at the transformation of all three. The way it was done with the story of Momo and Mi Joo's dream fantasy was so beautiful.

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10 Qd

September 21, 2011 at 2:44 PM

I forgot about the ending...... Hell I SUFFERED!!!!!!! I remember I couldnt get it out of my mind! Problem was at that I time I havent discovered internet website like this so I was like inwardly about to EXPLODE!!!! I dont know how to describe it but I was beside myself the whole 23 hours!!!! I cant remember now what the ending was so I reliving this all over again... should I watch the last epi , should I wait for your recaps!!!! YOU ARE HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol ! Thank You for your fabulous recap! I dont know what I will do after this is all over! I dont want it to enddddddddddddddddddddddd.... the second time ! lol

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11 Linda165

September 21, 2011 at 3:29 PM

Thanks for the recap!

"the ways of the Samsooki are mysterious and once Samsooki bites you, it won’t let go. It’ll worm its way into the target’s heart. Chef Lee is mistrusting, but Jin Heon says not to worry, Samsooki will do what it does." Well, we'll have to ask that to Mrs. Samsooki!

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12 Emely

September 21, 2011 at 3:42 PM

I am SO glad I watched this on dvd where the eps just streamed one after the other - I would've been SPEWING if I had to wait a day to watch episode 15 then 16!!

My fave scene is when Jin Heon calls Sam Soon from the bathroom. *Smooch*. :) SS's expression is priceless!!

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13 Emely

September 21, 2011 at 3:42 PM

Btw - so sad this is our 2nd last episode together. samsooki, you have done an AWESOME job!! Thank you so much for the fabulous recaps.

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14 luraaa

September 21, 2011 at 3:43 PM

Same with me. I was so proud of her when she tore that paper and walked on the street. The voice-over ruined it for me though. Good thing I was watching it a dramafever. However, until now I'm disappointed at myself when I didn't watch this show when it was being aired in my country. I could've been part of that Samsoon era. But oh well. At least I already finished it.

Thanks for the recaps and the memories! :)

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15 danni

September 21, 2011 at 4:29 PM

I remember watching this for the first time and pretty much raging at the ending. Could not click on the next episode fast enough, but I can hardly imagine the frustration of people watching it when it first aired. Thanks for the recap samsooki, will look forward to your thoughts tomorrow

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16 Celexa

September 21, 2011 at 4:56 PM

*sighs* i hate the ending of this episode... every time i have watched the ending of this episode... i still fill that twist in my stomach... waiting for the other shoe to drop.

thank you samsooki for recapping one of my favorite kdramas!

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17 vebaroc

September 21, 2011 at 5:05 PM

hello again samsooki!

i can't thank you enough for these recaps. fisrt, it moved me to finally step up my relationship with those whose writings i'm just happy to read in the net! previously, even my family can't stop urging me to pour over my emotional reactions to net comments by writing them down and telling the people i react to instead of continually pestering them to listen to my rantings!

although, i can't still get used to this kind of carefree writing, (without much thought towards grammar and all! my english teacher will definitely kill me that's why i have to hide behind a pseudonym!), it's definitely liberating!

frankly i'm just like most everyone here. i've watched MNIKSS like 5 or 6 times already since i've discovered kdramas/movies from one and a half years ago. but i'm afraid that everytime i ended the series, i always feel disappointed, bad eng-sub of my MNIKSS dvd notwithstanding, that somehow i'm still missing a lot of things! and true enough, with each episode recap appearing on dramabeans, i am just so grateful to finally GET/see/understand/FEEL what this amazing drama is all about!

AND THAT IS BECAUSE YOU SAMSOOKI, CARED!!!

funny what makes one do when one finally gets what is being said/done onscreen, i just watched MNIKSS for the 7th time in just 2 days! i wanted to wait for the last episode recap to come out but couldn't contain myself, so watch it again, yeah i did!

i liked this episode a lot. this drama doesn't let up on Kim Sam Soon easily indeed. also the transformations among the leads when Mi Joo finally found her voice. you can just see the emotions that are crowding in each one's hearts one after another on their eyes! so plausible you can almost name them! so moving.

well, i want to say a lot more but i also want to spare you of my ramblings. i'm so looking forward to the last ep recap tonite, so THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MR. SAMSOOKI indeed..

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18 Eeefu

September 21, 2011 at 6:11 PM

I have taken a good look at Sam Soon's name on the name change application form.

This "Soon" is with sided with "precious stone" 珣 meaning jade, and not sided with "death" 殉 meaning martyr. It may not sound chic, but it is a pretty name.

I also wonder what the eldest sister's name is... Il ... something... keke

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bbstl 🧹

September 21, 2011 at 7:33 PM

I think the older sister is Il Young. At one point I think Sam Soon wonders why she couldn't have been Sam Young (middle sister is Yi Young).

Does anyone have any ideas about who is the voice of Professor Hora in Mi Joo's dream about Momo? I think it may have been Manager-Uncle-in-law from Secret Garden. He has an amazing voice.

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Emely

September 21, 2011 at 9:47 PM

I was wondering who that voice was too!! I wonder if it is the Manager-Uncle too?

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19 giddygirl108

September 21, 2011 at 6:17 PM

Love is indeed a zero-sum game, which is why "all's fair in love and war". From that perspective, Samsoon has every right to be insensitive about Hee Jin's physical condition. My heart says that Samsoon's actions against Hee Jin were not classy and wrong, but my brain shouts at me otherwise. How is it fair that Hee Jin is using her condition to one-up Samsoon as well? Does having pride and being the bigger person necessarily mean winning over or keeping your love? Maybe Samsoon's hissy fit knocked some sense into Jin Heon (again...for like the billionth time) in thinking about her feelings and not his. You can't just expect your love to be understanding every.single.time. Even if your ex has anorexia.

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20 jomo143

September 21, 2011 at 6:19 PM

Thank you for the recap, samsooki. So nice to read.

I really hated this episode.
Felt like I was on pins and needles the whole time with the Triangle and Henry.

We did get relief that Mijoo speaks, but she says what we are feeling.

And that part about not coming back for a year.

Standing ovation for the writer.

We see a KSS who had invested her whole self in that stupid stupid man. We think she is abandoned at this point, and is she weeping? Drinking? Eating constantly? Feeling sorry for herself? Nope. She is still standing. I don't think she is joyful with the situation, but she appears fine. I am still shaking my head in wonder that this happened.

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jomo143

September 22, 2011 at 7:35 AM

Oops! Not coming back after a week not year.

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21 panda_cakes

September 21, 2011 at 6:37 PM

the anorexia thing still bothers me...

Mostly because anorexia is poor appetite , and anorexia nervosa is a more serious long term illness. If she just had a decreased appetite, they would have tested for medical conditions that may have caused it (as they did in the drama). And since it didn't turn up anything else....I'm going to guess they're trying to tell us Hee Jin has anorexia nervosa...

Which is deeply rooted in psych issues and it's not something that Jin Heon could really help with or that he's solely responsible for. And how is it Dr. Henry wouldn't know that?

It's not like some prolonged cold, which is sort of what I feel this drama treats it as. It's not going to get better by people babying her and positively reinforcing her decision to not eat. It's not going to get better by her staying home w/ Dr. Henry with an IV in her arm to give her nourishment she refuses to give herself either. I realize this is "back in the day" and that this drama did revolutionize the kdrama industry in other aspects but I still feel the "anorexia" diagnosis was poorly thought out. It would have made more sense for them to say she had ulcers or something...

Sorry I went on a rant, but this bothered me since the first time I watched Sam Soon (many years ago). And I still LOVE this show but this particular plot point makes no sense to me and makes me feel like the audience is expected to be ignorant on the subject.

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22 tofulove89

September 21, 2011 at 7:41 PM

WOW I haven't watched this in SUCH a long time XD Did they re-air it on MBC or something?

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Carinne

September 22, 2011 at 12:44 AM

I think samsooki emphasize he (and Mrs) are watching this on dvd.

My mom is hogging the flat screen so I don't feel like loading dvds onto my laptop, so I'm rewatching this on viki w/ my isolated headphones. ^ , ^

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23 Carinne

September 21, 2011 at 7:51 PM

So good....

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24 momo

September 21, 2011 at 7:56 PM

Finally! The recap of epi 15!

I couldn't wait, especially now that SOAW has ended and there's no other really good shows around, so I've gone ahead and watched the last 2 episodes of MNIKSS.

Actually I wanted to watch only epi 15 first, wait for the recap, then only watch the last epi. But with how it has ended at epi 15, there's no way one can stop there! So I had to watch till the end... So totally agree with samsooki that this is really a 2-parter finale. It's impossible to stop at epi 15!!!

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25 mvl

September 21, 2011 at 8:45 PM

i agree w/panda_cakes about the whole anorexia nervosa scenerio. it was probably the lamest part of the entire drama.

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26 Hope

September 21, 2011 at 11:21 PM

I also agree with Panda eyes and I really did not like the character Hee Jin. In my case though it was worse; because of it, I did not like the actress protraying the character and still do not, so much so I skipped subsequent dramas she acted in. I know it's wrong of me but I'm one of those who choose dramas by the actors/actresses I like. I thoroughly enjoyed SOAW as I loved both the leads.

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27 kdrama filipina addict

September 22, 2011 at 4:01 AM

"It feels like theres 3 of us in this relationship" Samsoon's words to Samshik can sum up this dysfunctional triangle. If I was in Samsoon's position, in my eyes the guy has chosen me, he has made a commitment to me. If my boyfriend decided to take his ex-girlfriend home to his apartment late at night and then worse, decides to take her to America, I would drop that ass and tell him to get over her first before starting a new relationship and making promises he is only half ready to complete with his half-heart. I dont care how sick the ex is, Hee Jin has her parents and Dr Henry, to stubbornly hold on to him is wrong if she knows he wants to be with someone else. So its all very sad for Heejin but she should be consoled and looked after by everyone else she has in her life, and leave Sam Shik alone.

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28 alodia

September 22, 2011 at 5:58 AM

This was THE episode for me! This episode made me crazy over Kim Sun Ah for years now.
Just like a lot of k-drama fans, this is my first kdrama. Though I watched it on DVD, I have no idea what Korean dramas are... how many episodes are there... how long are they... I just put the DVD on my DVD player, then watched it... watched it.... and watched it... I just couldn't stop watching it... episode after episode... until midnight... until dawn...
Then this episode! I was surprised to find myself bawling like a kid at the end of this episode! And I was so afraid that that was the ending (coz I didn't know that there are 16 episodes). I cried and cried and cried... and was surprised that a drama could affect me that way. To date, no other drama has made me cry that much (though SOAW almost did... but still not as much as how I cried at this final scene from MNIKSS 15).

^_^ Still the best drama... decided to put SOAW on number 2 slot. ^_^

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29 Bogo shipta

September 22, 2011 at 7:34 AM

Thank you again Samsooki!

A few comments.

In the DVD version that I watched in Korean with eng subs, the subtitles went something like this and from what little Korean i i understand, the translation is correct

Jin Heon: What, you don’t trust me?
Sam Soon: It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust the moments that you and she will be spending together.

I dont think Samsoon saud I don't trust the moments you and she will be spending together, but something to the effect of " I don't trust the memories the two of you have shared together " . Slight difference I know but I had to get that out :P

It's nice to see this drama did not follow the kdrama law of the half-dead, wallowing in self pity damsel Hee Jin. She is undoubtedly crushed that she has lost Jin heon but is being portrayed as still coping. That's quite similar to how people with broken hearts live, in reality ; unlike the stereotypical ones who scream, wail and drown themselves in alcohol and walk around like zombies. I mean, she is hurt but it is kept bottled up inside as she internalises it.

And was I the only one who found it really cute/amusing when she stretched out her money saying " tun" asking Samsson for her winnings. I swear Jung Ryeo Won has such a childlike innocence.

And the part where Jin Heon hugs Samsoon for finally allowing him to go to the States, I thought I remembered him saying like I wish i had the power to turn you into Thumbelina so I can carry you in my pocket everywhere I go (presumably along with him to the States as well) , to which she replies, I wish I had the power to turn you into a towel I can drape over my neck, so that you can remain by my side always. Mushy & sweet but I fell for it, hook, line and sinker

Samsooki, if that fumbling for the DVD to switch to the last disc felt like an eternity, think about the people who watched it live back when it first aired and how that 24 hours must have felt like eternity. Hahaha

Instead of saing I dont trust the

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Ling

May 18, 2013 at 9:05 PM

In the Letv version that I watched in Korean with Chinese subs, the subtitles went something like this too.

Jin Heon: What, you don’t trust me?
Sam Soon: It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust the moments that you and she had spent together.

Though little difference in words, the meaning is different. The 5 years of relationship n 3 years of pining for each other between JH n his ex is not something that can be erased n ignored.

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30 JJ

September 23, 2011 at 7:00 AM

I remember that ending! The whole apartment reverberated with screams of rage when that last voiceover came on! We couldn't believe it.

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31 Debie

September 23, 2011 at 7:05 PM

The end of a long relationship can really get murky. There is so much nostalgia to wade through... so much intimacy between old lovers that needs to be undone. Ji heon's lingering sense of responsibility, however inconsiderate it must have been to expect Samsoon to understand, is utterly realistic it makes me cry. This is his character's shinning moment because isn't it a man's treatment of goodbye far more telling of his sincerity and sensitivity rather than the warmth he shows for a new love? Years of caring for someone does not disappear the instant you realize the heart has learned to beat for someone else.

All the more if like Hee jin, the other party is still so much into that love that both thought would last forever. You cannot fault the girl for trying... and trying so hard. Moving on for her will be difficult if she took all of it calmly and just faded away.

And Samsoon, the lovely Samsoon, how magnanimous of her to swallow the hurt and chose to stand in the sidelines. I love how she protests mightily initially ( a dose of realism there!) while giving in eventually. Only a person who has a healthy sense of self-worth can give away her pride so unselfishly. She's such a positive character that when she gives, she means it. That bathroom phone call was all it took to lift her mood. ( Why I'd probably allow an ex-gf to stay at MY present BF's home - just writing it down makes me fume, but I'd resent it to high heavens until that BF makes such a grand gesture that would assure my heart I really am the ONE! )

I could go on and on and on.....

thanks so much samsooki for the time and effort you pour into this.

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32 LindeB

September 28, 2011 at 8:03 AM

l've watched this drama so many times and every time l hear her say he didn't return after a week had passed l scream. this drama is so good that you empathize with sam soon. one of my favorites. l love them both (kim sun ah and hyun bin).

thanks for the recaps and the wonderful memories.

with the recaps l can fully understand what's going on.

keep up the good work!!!!!!!!

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33 dayami

February 8, 2013 at 5:42 AM

I need the ost of my name is kim sam soon, please!!!!!I love that serie

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34 RH

September 7, 2016 at 6:03 AM

I love this drama,i love hyun bin.The one interesting thing in this epi ,passward of jin heon apartment door is 4448 that is the ATM no.of sam soon shown in epi 2.ohhh its cute....

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35 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death

May 17, 2020 at 11:53 PM

Oh dear God, just kill me now.
Thankfully there's only one episode to go.
As it turns out, I hate that her embrace of the name Sam Soon is entirely wedded to the apparent self-esteem given to her by the love of this cowardly tsundere asshole for whom very interaction is transactional and who is pathologically dishonest, even to himself.

It makes me tear my hair out.

At least Sam Soon walks independently in the world with her own bakery. Now if she would only stop pinning her hopes on this loser.

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