The Musical: Episode 12

by kaedejun

We’re back! Again. One of the benefits of having a hiatus is that the first ten minutes of the episode is spent on recapping the past 11 episodes. (Less for me to write!) One of the downsides of having a hiatus is that you really need those first ten minutes of recap. (Grr.)

However, some progress is made – especially on the Yoo Jin front. Yoo Jin – Yoo Jin – Yoo Jin – the least musical of all the characters and yet the most entertaining to watch. (Something is a little wrong here, writers…)

So instead of hearing Jae Hee’s response to what-is-basically Sung Ha’s confession of love, we go to the more important story at hand: Eun Bi learning of her neighbors, Yoo Jin Young AKA Mr. Laptop, and his ailing wife Sun Hee. Granny also sends Eun Bi over to their home with some soup, and Jin Young recognizes Eun Bi through the Granny’s stories. He invites her inside, as he has some dishes to give back, and so she waits in the living room, oblivious to the photos around her.

Jin Young returns with a plastic container full of cookies and suddenly they hear Sun Hee’s frenzied screams from the floor above. Jin Young drops the cookies in shock and hurriedly excuses himself. Eun Bi quickly picks up the cookies (5 second rule!), and it puts her to eye level with some of the photos on the side table – namely, one of Yoo Jin. If the fact that his photo is next to a loving couple isn’t a big enough clue, perhaps… the similarity in the eyes?!

Time to fish for more details from Granny! Granny confirms that Jin Young came from a rich family and they have one son. Alone in her room, Eun Bi remembers how Yoo Jin spoke of being abandoned by his parents and being forbidden from seeing them by Grandpa. Clues are coming together, and she waffles on her decision to call Yoo Jin.

Meanwhile, Yoo Jin is busy on a lunch date with Grandpa, Uncle, and Jae Joon. Grandpa is more interested in their knife-cut noodles; Uncle is more interested in helping Jae Joon present his idea on the expansion into China. Guess who wins out in the end? Yoo Jin – who keeps his mouth shut and just agrees with Grandpa that knife-cut noodles are best when you have a cold.

Despite having Ra Kyung’s words resonate in his mind about “staying around is harder than leaving,” he still ends up texting Eun Bi. And, forgive me if I’m wrong, but they’re pretty flirty: “Having knife-cut noodles is best when you have a cold, and I thought of you,” or “Are you feeling better now? When you come to Seoul let’s have it together.” Like dude, if I were at the receiving end of those texts, I’d think, “You like me!”

Eun Bi sounds like she’s reciprocating, too, saying that he should come to Daegu and she’ll take him to a good noodle place. However, we know that she has ulterior motivations when she asks him to come to Daegu.

Jae Joon catches Yoo Jin busily texting someone who does not seem to be Ra Kyung, and he relishes at the scoop. He gets even more excited when Yoo Jin tells his grandfather he’s going to have to cancel a meeting in favor of going to the “countryside” for an “urgent meeting.” A meeting that brings a huge smile to his face.

Time for Jae Joon to go tattle-tale to Ra Kyung! Immediately, Ra Kyung looks up Eun Bi’s address, having a very good idea that that is where Yoo Jin must have gone. However, she also notices that Eun Bi lives in Daegu, which makes her doubly worried. She hesitates, but makes a call to Eun Bi, asking if she’s going to meet with Yoo Jin. Based on Eun Bi’s reply, she speeds over to Daegu in her car.

After a nice shower, Sun Hee asks Jin Young for some cake. Though her head no longer hurts, she also doesn’t recognize him, calling him “Ahjussi” instead. As she relishes her cake (and makes me want some too), Jin Young combs her hair lovingly.

Eun Bi meets with Yoo Jin at a cafe, and he’s clearly more at ease than she is. He admits that he rushed over to Daegu spontaneously mainly because he missed her, not because he wanted knife-cut noodle. Eun Bi is surprised, but she doesn’t seem as put-off or awkward as when Jae Hee admitted his feelings for her. I will attribute it to the fact that she has more pressing issues on her mind… like how to nicely break the news to Yoo Jin. His mother’s condition gnaws at her, preventing her from even enjoying a slice of cake.

Kang Hee has Facebook! But she switches windows to a news site and spots an article about Jae Hee signing a contract with a record label. Sang Won also heard about this, adding that Jae Hee did it because they owed money to the musical producer. She’s dubious that he would have done something like this, but the article seems pretty official…

And it’s as official as it gets, because Sung Ha wrote it. Jae Hee himself is shocked that such an article was written up, but Sung Ha assures that it was necessary. She could tell that there was some history between Jae Hee and Eun Bi, and she also knows that this article will help keep Eun Bi away from him. I guess this is her way of marking her territory! Jae Hee can’t believe how aggressive women can be. (Dude – you dated one before, remember?)

OK back to the cafe. Eun Bi and Yoo Jin speak at the same time to fill an awkward silence – he mentions her cold, she mentions his mother. He’s curious as to why she mentioned his mother, and she finally comes out and poses a hypothetical scenario: what if his mother were sick, and because she didn’t want to go to a hospital and didn’t want rumors to spread, she and her husband ran off to Daegu to essentially hide from everyone else? And what if Yoo Jin’s father didn’t leave the company because he didn’t want to work, but because he wanted to stay with his wife and take care of her?

This freaks Yoo Jin out – why is Eun Bi supposing this situation about his mother? After all, he calls and speaks to his mother every so often. Really? He’s spoken to her directly? Yoo Jin is forced to think back on his last conversation with his father, where his mother “supposedly” went on a trip and had discontinued service for her cellphone. He never actually heard his mother’s voice.

On top of this realization, Yoo Jin gets a call from Ra Kyung, who worriedly asks where he is. Immediately he asks her: when she visited his parents, did she find out about his mother? Ra Kyung tries to explain, but that’s confirmation enough for him; she knew, and she hid it from him. He hangs up on her.

Yoo Jin wants to see his parents. NOW.

Jin Young and Sun Hee are actually having a quiet, peaceful night for once. Eun Bi rings at their doorbell at a late hour, and Jin Young lets her in… except there’s one more person – Yoo Jin. Jin Young is at an utter loss for words, and on top of that Sun Hee calls for water from within the living room. Um…busted?

Yoo Jin heads inside, and Eun Bi makes to leave. However, he grabs her hand – he’s going to need her for a little bit longer right now.

He goes inside and sees his mother thank Jin Young as “Ahjussi.” She’s also acting like a younger child, and it’s a painful sight for him to see. And on top of all this, when Sun Hee finally notices Yoo Jin, she asks her husband, “Who is he?” Ouuuuuch.

Yoo Jin’s eyes go red, and he struggles to call out to his mother; Eun Bi has to even hold on to his arm in support. Every time Yoo Jin calls out, “Mom,” it freaks out Sun Hee even more, to the point where she goes into hysterics and collapses on the sofa. Jin Young begs Eun Bi to take Yoo Jin away, and she has to drag him off.

Once Sun Hee has been put to bed, Yoo Jin bitterly confronts his father for hiding this from him. Jin Young believes there was nothing Yoo Jin could have done, especially having been only a student then, but Yoo Jin insists that he still should have known. Maybe they could have sent her abroad for treatment! Yoo Jin wonders if Grandpa knew about it, and because he didn’t approve of Sun Hee’s family, had her sent away? Knowing how ruthless Grandpa can be, he figures that Grandpa wanted Sun Hee sent to a far off hospital, and for Jin Young to stay behind and continue working. But because Jin Young didn’t want to leave Sun Hee, he left the company and the family too.

While it is true that there were disagreements between Jin Young and Grandpa, the actual truth is that Sun Hee herself wanted to leave. She knew that she was going to end up not recognizing anyone, and she wanted Yoo Jin to at least be able to live his life burden free. But Yoo Jin isn’t that grateful; “So that I could live in the battlefield every day – that’s the life you wanted me to live?”

In the midst of their fight, Ra Kyung arrives. “Go back,” Yoo Jin spits out angrily, but Jin Young says he asked Ra Kyung to keep her mouth shut. Yoo Jin leaves for his mother’s room without another word, and Jin Young invites her to at least stay in the guest room for the night.

Meanwhile, Uncle catches Jae Joon sleeping instead of studying about the market in China. He berates his lazy son for not even taking his Chinese lessons, as this might ruin his chances of heading the project in China. But Jae Joon isn’t so worried. Isn’t it that for the expansion in China, they need Ra Kyung’s father’s help? And the reason why he’s helping is because Ra Kyung and Yoo Jin are getting married; but what if they’re not?! Now that’s a thought for the two to chew over…

Eun Bi is back home, feeling bad that she might have done the wrong thing. Her grandmother reassures her that she did, but Eun Bi isn’t so sure. “Am I not good at knowing how people feel?” she wonders aloud. “Am I careless?”

Granny has the best response: “It’s not that you’re careless. It’s that your priorities are different from others.”

Ra Kyung has a restless night, worried about all her issues with Yoo Jin. She goes over to Sun Hee’s room, where Yoo Jin is keeping a constant vigil by her bedside. She turns to leave him alone in peace, but then hears him talking to someone. She creeps back to the door and listens to him bidding Eun Bi good night. In the privacy of her own room, Ra Kyung cries, heartbroken to see that Yoo Jin would go and call another woman instead of going to her in his time of need.

She gets a message on her phone from Joon Hyuk, who asks her if angels keep their wings hidden beneath their bed while they sleep; if so, then Ra Kyung’s bed must be humongous. It brings a small smile to her face, to know that she’s being appreciated by someone else out there. She calls up Joon Hyuk and asks if he could cheer her up this once over the phone.

The next morning, Jae Hee wakes up to hear someone going around his house – it’s Sung Ha again. That apron is really becoming a part of her everyday outfit now. He wonders why she’s being soooooo nice to him when they only have a contract with each other, even though he knows the reason why. What if he had a lady friend beside him in the bed!? Wouldn’t she be embarrassed? Sung Ha: “Then I’d make breakfast for two!”

She brings up a tray for breakfast, but at the top of the stairs she pauses. She wants an answer to her question: “Will you come, or should I go?” He has no reply, still. She’s surprised that he refuses to respond to her direct question, and constantly changes the topic, because the Jae Hee she knows would never turn down a girl. He’s using their work and their contract as an excuse for why they can’t be together. Sung Ha wonders if it’s because of Eun Bi…

But in general, Sung Ha has accepted that Jae Hee doesn’t want to come to her, that he just wants to be friends. So fine – they can be friends. But as she leaves his bedroom loft, she adds that since he won’t come to her, she’ll go to him.

Back in Daegu, Jin Young checks up on Sun Hee, and finds Yoo Jin sleeping on the bed. Sun Hee is not in bed though, so he begins checking around the house, and every single room. Sun Hee is nowhere to be found. His frantic search for Sun Hee wake up Yoo Jin and Ra Kyung, and they all immediately rush out. Jin Young calls the police to report her as missing as well.

Eun Bi and Granny have a bit of a cozy, cuddly morning (even though Eun Bi didn’t get a good night’s sleep), with an adorable back hug. That’s all interrupted when they hear that Sun Hee is missing. They head to the station, and Granny sweet talks an investigator she’s known since he was little into helping them find Sun Hee as quickly as possible.

But rather than sitting idly, Jin Young and Yoo Jin figure that they should go to all the places where Sun Hee frequents – which is, the park and the hospital. Granny and Jin Young head to the hospital, and Granny suggests that Yoo Jin go with Eun Bi to the park, since he doesn’t know where it is. Well that’s a bit awkward for Ra Kyung, who becomes a third wheel in this search for Sun Hee.

When they reach the expansive park, Yoo Jin and Eun Bi quickly split up and start searching. Ra Kyung finds herself feeling lost, not knowing where to start in this search.

As for Sang Won and Kang Hee back in Seoul, Sang Won is surprised that they don’t have a milk delivery, and no note from Kang Hee’s ardent fan. Kang Hee doesn’t think much, and it’s funny that Sang Won is more affected by not having a milk from this “special fan,” even though the notes aren’t directed to him. He tries to set up a movie date with his wife, but Kang Hee brushes him off, saying that she’s going to be busy. And we all know what that means…

Unable to get in touch with Jae Hee, she decides to just head over to his house. She bumps into Sung Ha outside the door, and Sung Ha knows all about Kang Hee. She won’t let Kang Hee go in, since she’ll be interrupting Jae Hee. Kang Hee scoffs – does this woman know who she is?! And she wonders if Sung Ha’s really the music producer or a maid. Sung Ha doesn’t bite. She also tells Kang Hee point blank that Jae Hee is purposely avoiding her calls, and therefore she won’t bother taking a message from Kang Hee. She excuses herself so that she can tend to something on the stove. Whachaa* That’s a bitch slap right there.

Once inside, Sung Ha betrays her cool demeanor and starts letting out her frustrations on having to deal with a diva. Jae Hee wonders what’s wrong with her, and Sung Ha admits to meeting Kang Hee outside the house, and that she kicked her out. “I don’t understand how you fell in love with a woman like that,” she says, “but I guess I’ll find out when I get to know you better.” Jae Hee smiles: “When you find out, please tell me too.”

Kang Hee can’t lose this round, and so she calls a contact to check up on Jae Hee’s contract and find out more about Sung Ha. Sabotage?

Gu Jak is still drinking himself to a stupor, so Joon Hyuk knows that the only way to get Gu Jak to start working on the show again is to have a lead actor. He brings in Cho Sung Woo – who based on Gu Jak’s change in demeanor, seems to be a very very talented singer.

Thing is – Gu Jak doesn’t remember that they’ve met before.

Later that evening, Kang Hee calls up Eun Bi, who’s in a car with Yoo Jin and Ra Kyung. Kang Hee wants to know if Eun Bi heard anything from Jae Hee, and honestly, she hasn’t. Kang Hee is skeptical, but she reasons aloud that Eun Bi should have nothing to hide from her, and so she will believe her, for now.

Sung Ha gets ready to leave for the night, and she sees Jae Hee sleeping on the sofa. She lays a blanket across his body, and then leans in to kiss him softly. Woooo that girl is forward. She pouts that he should just live with her (because what, that would make it more convenient for her so she doesn’t have to shuttle back and forth?) As soon as she leaves, Jae Hee’s eyes flutter open, but he doesn’t dwell too much on the kiss.

Gu Jak is super excited that Sung Woo has decided to help them by singing a demo of the song during a music festival; if he does so, it’s likely “Gumiho” will get a whole bunch of new sponsors. He’s also promised to be a lead actor, as long as Gu Jak follows their contract from years ago…

Sung Woo pulls out a small napkin – a contract for 1000 Won, instant noodles, and kimbap in return for acting in his play. Gu Jak is so excited – Sung Woo really won’t mind getting paid like this?

Actually, I’m excited – Sung Woo really doesn’t mind getting paid just that much?!

So happy, Gu Jak calls up Jae Hee to share the good news, but Jae Hee chooses to ignore that call. He wants nothing to do with the musical now that he sold his soul to a recording label.

Yoo Jin, his dad, and Ra Kyung all rush to the hospital – they just received a call that Sun Hee is at a hospital in the ER. Sun Hee has her head bandaged, and her dirty face suggests she fell outside and wasn’t found until much later. Jin Young rushes to find a doctor for the full story, but Yoo Jin starts crying: “Mom! Wake up!”

Comments:

Hrm. This episode was a mixed bag for me. While I was really happy that Yoo Jin reunited with his mother, this episode overall fell flat. It was easy to fast forward through because there were plenty enough flashbacks, and the other characters didn’t really move forward. Kang Hee: we barely saw her, and she’s back to being snoopy and wanting to break things up between Jae Hee and Another Girl – same old. Jae Hee and Sung Ha: though Jae Hee pretty much rejected Sung Ha’s advances, it hasn’t stopped her from pursuing him, and it repeatedly happened from last episode to this. Gu Jak and the “Gumiho” production: we don’t get a a new nugget of information until the last ten minutes, when miraculously a well known singer has decided to help the production for a measly pay of 1000 Won (or $1), instant noodle, and kimbap. The singer isn’t even asking for Jung Il Woo on the side!

There was a mini breakthrough with Eun Bi’s character when she wonders about how she’s affecting other people. Is she being careless around them? Or as I would put it, is she leading the guys on? I wholeheartedly say yes, and perhaps this awareness of her character might help her be mindful of the decisions she’ll have to make in the future. Though she was a good catalyst in reuniting Yoo Jin with his mother, it’s her that brought Yoo Jin all the way to Daegu, not anything else. She’s got to realize at some point that Yoo Jin is kinda, maybe falling for her. And since I don’t think Eun Bi feels the same way, she’s got to do something to stop it soon.

Once again, an episode where I think Yoo Jin is basically carrying this series on his shoulders. I mean seriously – he’s not even the main character, but he gets all the best conflicts? And he executes the melodrama quite excellently? I need 4 solid episodes, Drama. I’m serious. No more delays, ‘kay?

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