235

Nice Guy: Episode 10

With lost memories comes a new chapter in our characters’ lives, one that leaves our heroine more vulnerable than ever and our hero extra heroic as a result. It’s no easy feat watching Eun-ki struggle through the world like she was born yesterday, just like it isn’t easy watching Maru walk around like a zombie who isn’t even hungry for brains. If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, whether it’s a minuscule speck or a bolt of lightning with Maru’s name on it, we sure could benefit from seeing it now.

SONG OF THE DAY

Heureun – “어학연수 (Studying Abroad)” [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Secretary Hyun is in a panic the second she can’t find Eun-ki, and runs through the alleys calling her ‘Executive Director.’ She turns to Jae-sik to tell her where he last saw a woman fitting Eun-ki’s description before she’s off again.

Eun-ki poses her question about their past to Maru, who doesn’t get a chance to answer when Secretary Hyun interrupts them panting and crying, worrying that she’d lost Eun-ki.

Once she collects herself, she says her greetings to Maru, as she remembers him from the hospital. But Eun-ki never takes her eyes off him as she says proudly: “I found you. I recognized him first, Kang Maru.”

It’s sad to see Eun-ki as a shell of herself as she identifies everyday items in Maru’s yard like a child learning about the world, and even sadder when Secretary Hyun explains the situation to Maru.

According to her, the car accident caused brain damage, enough for Eun-ki to lose not only her memories but also her reading and writing skills, directional skills, and number skills. This isn’t your mom’s selective drama amnesia, it’s a complete factory reset.

Because of that, Secretary Hyun has been hiding her until she gets better, because she knows that all chances of succession would be lost if Jae-hee were to find out. She openly admits to Maru that she thinks Jae-hee had a hand in Chairman Seo’s death, and that she needs his cooperation to help Eun-ki recover her memories so she can regain her rightful place.

She’s in for a shock then, when Maru coldly asks: “Why is it me?” She stutters for a bit and replies that he’s the only person Eun-ki believed and loved, a sentiment which elicits a sneer from Maru.

He saunters up to Eun-ki and pulls her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at him. “You found the wrong person, Agasshi. You and I, we are not related at all. People who loved each other? Who, us? Because we took a picture together, does it make us a couple?”

Aww, Maru. Have some sympathy for the poor thing.

However, when Jae-sik comes wandering into the yard, Maru pulls Eun-ki close to hide her face from Jae-sik’s gaze. He keeps a protective hold on her until Jae-sik grows disinterested enough to leave, and lets her go the second he’s gone.

Eun-ki looks so trusting and vulnerable despite the harsh words he said to her, and grabs his arm to stop him from leaving to ask cautiously whether they were on informal speech terms before. A little bit of the old Eun-ki shines through when she doesn’t give him a chance to answer and decides just to do it.

But she’s not blind to his cold treatment, and assures him that if he’s ashamed of how she’s become, all he needs to do is wait and help her so she can remember everything faster. Aww.

Maru still isn’t having it, and coldly tells her that the accident must have damaged her ability to think properly. “It’s not something like love,” he presses. “We just knew each other for a short time, long ago.”

Yet when he tries to leave she stops him again, which is so like her. “My heart knew it,” she says as she places a hand over her chest. “My heart remembers you.”

Maru wrenches himself away, again, and manages to really leave this time. There’s a moment where he stops on his way back, perhaps thinking of turning back, but in the end he soldiers on.

The worst thing about it is that Eun-ki only blames herself for his treatment and starts to break down in Maru’s yard. Secretary Hyun tries to calm her down by lying that they found the wrong person, but Eun-ki knows what she feels. She remembers him.

Again Maru seems to doubt his actions as he’s about to drive away, and it’s like he has to put his sunglasses on as a mask to keep from turning back.

And unfortunately, Jae-sik is a clever bastard, and realizes belatedly that the woman in white is the missing heir of Taesan Group. He doesn’t have any plans on keeping that information to himself since the first person he calls is Min-young, but due to a meeting, he ignores the call.

Jae-hee sits at the head of the table in the board room while a resort project in Jeju Island is discussed, though she grows impertinent when she sees that Eun-ki is still technically in charge of the project and wants her removed as manager and the project demolished.

Despite Chairman Seo’s claims that Eun-ki wasn’t fit to run the company, it seems like the board members think highly of her and have no plans on striking her name from the roster when she worked for so many years to get the resort going.

Jae-hee isn’t happy with this news, and remarks aloud to the board room: “Although I am Taesan’s President, without permission of Taesan’s Director Seo, I can’t do anything I want. Of course, it is like that.” But I doubt it will be for long.

She makes her intentions to dismiss Eun-ki from her position clear to Min-young, though he brings her back down to reality by reminding her that it’ll be impossible when most of the board is in favor of Eun-ki. Jae-hee: “Whether it’s is impossible, or it is possible, we can find out.”

Secretary Hyun takes Eun-ki home, though she stays outside for a while to think about the harsh words Maru told her and calls them lies. Jae-sik has followed the two home and takes a picture of Eun-ki from his car, but Min-young (who Jae-sik has in his phone as “Jae-hee’s Minion”) ignores his call again.

Eun-ki’s room is decked out like an elementary school, with multiplication tables and alphabet posters covering the walls. Joon-ha arrives with a smile and a bouquet of roses to see her practicing her letters in a schoolbook, with her name and Maru’s name together on the wall facing her.

She thinks it’s Secretary Hyun as she asks about her supposed smarts before the accident, but Joon-ha answers her cheerily instead, reminding her that she was even called a genius. Aw. It’s sad to go from ‘genius’ to ‘relearning the alphabet’.

He attempts to cheer her up and admits that he has a lot of things to say to her, but only when she’s recovered. “When you get the power to resist everything I say, I will tell you then. With nothing left over, nothing hiding.” I hope he’s talking about his dad’s secret, and if so, props to him for being good and honest.

They both look at her and Maru’s name as she asks him if she’ll ever be fully recovered, and Joon-ha assures her that he’ll make it happen. (My apologies to anyone on this second lead ship. You guys are in for a world of hurt.)

Maru meets with the sobbing Glasses Man, who hands over the USB file with his company’s stolen information. Despite his cries Maru tries to comfort him in a way by reminding him that he did it for his dying wife and children. In times like those, it’s not the end of the world to turn away from one’s conscience.

But the man worries that he’ll be punished by heaven, something which intrigues Maru and gets him to open up a bit: “Do you think that a heaven which gives punishment exists? You think God exists? I think something like God or heaven doesn’t exist. If there is a God, I don’t think he would allow the world to be like this.”

Before he leaves, he makes sure to tell the man that if he ever hears news that Kang Maru was struck down by lightning, then he’ll know that God exists.

A call from an old doctor colleague sends Maru to the hospital, where he looks disinterested and bored as he’s shown x-rays of the epidural hematoma that’s been growing in his brain since the accident.

That’s an instant ticket to death if left untreated, but Maru looks at the 20% mortality rate and remarks, “I’m mostly a man with bad luck. By common sense, I wouldn’t be in that 20%, right?” Except that by drama sense, you will be.

It’s hard to tell whether his promise to come back for surgery once he’s cleared up a few things is sincere or whether he’s just saying it to placate his colleague.

Eun-ki keeps at her studies later that night, and writes in a rudimentary diary about her meeting with Kang Maru, only to cry when she writes that he keeps lying.

Similarly, Jae-hee reads a picture diary Eun-suk made, where he talks about how his mom never has time to play with him anymore and how he misses Eun-ki Noona. (Ha, and his drawing of Eun-ki looks so angry.)

When she asks him why he misses Eun-ki since she never really liked him, Eun-suk replies adorably: “Even then, she is my sister.” He asks his mom if she misses Eun-ki, and while Jae-hee admits that she does, she’s more worried about the danger Eun-ki’s return would pose to both of them.

As she holds her son close, she thinks to herself that she’ll do everything in her power to stop Eun-ki from coming back.

Maru returns home later that night to find a note Eun-ki left him with her phone number and Jae-gil drinking in the yard. He greets Maru with a “Where did you go? Did you take advantage of the weak and vulnerable?” which sets things off on a pretty iffy note.

The tension only escalates when Jae-gil calmly informs him that Choco has packed her bags and left, after donating all the money Maru made from scheming people to the high school kid who came around yesterday.

You can see Maru trying to control his anger as he asks Jae-gil why he didn’t stop her, only for Jae-gil to remark that what she did was right. He knows what Maru had to go through to get that money: “Selling your body was enough. Because I know that the money came when you sold your soul. How could Choco use that money? If you were her, would you use that money?”

Maru finally loses it and punches Jae-gil, only to have this look of immediate regret and surprise at his own actions passes over his face, making that one action somehow heartbreaking. Jae-gil doesn’t even seem surprised, and continues talking as if nothing happened as he informs Maru that he’s also leaving.

Basically, Maru’s just been told that his last remaining family and friend are leaving him because they find his actions morally reprehensible. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

Jae-gil finds Choco at a jjimjilbang, and surprisingly seems to take Maru’s side – not in that he believes Maru is right, but that Choco is the only thing keeping him from tumbling into the abyss.

She thinks that leaving Maru will bring him back to his senses until Jae-gil reminds her, “Although everyone in the world insults, criticizes, and blames him, you are the only person that shouldn’t.” I’m really liking him as a voice of sound reason in this show. Keep it up, Jae-gil.

Jae-sik can’t get anyone to pick up his calls, Maru included. While our morally ambiguous hero contemplates dialing Eun-ki’s number, she tapes back together the diary page she’d torn when she wrote that he kept lying.

And Jae-hee sleeps at her son’s side, either as a protector or because she has no one else to turn to.

Min-young arrives to work the next day in an incredibly questionable vest to find Jae-sik causing a racket in the lobby, insisting that he has to see him. Once they’re in private Jae-sik hints that he has no money, and automatically Min-young starts to give him some. It’s probably easier to do that than to try and reason with him.

But Jae-sik has higher aims, and wants a Taesan apartment instead. He uses the video he shot of Eun-ki to soften Min-young up, aptly noting that Min-young and Jae-hee would be over if she were to reappear. Jae-sik is a terrible person, but I’m pretty okay with him making Min-young squirm a bit.

Secretary Jo reports to Jae-hee that the board members are upset about a report Eun-ki made while she was in the company, something that’s further explained when Joon-ha confronts her directly about it. The report details the amount of mistrust Eun-ki had in her employees, and Jae-hee dug it up specifically to drag Eun-ki’s name through the mud.

However, Joon-ha informs her that the report belonged to Chairman Seo, and that Eun-ki had thrown it away the second she saw it. Maybe Jae-hee knows she’s losing this battle, so she attempts to use her sex appeal on Joon-ha by easing closer and closer to him as she tells him why she’s still allowing him to work at Taesan.

Jae-hee: “Although I know you will betray me some day, why do you think I kept you here?” Apparently it’s because he’s attractive and smart, but the words seem empty, and Joon-ha looks uncomfortable.

She makes sure to bring up his dad before she reminds him of his place, and hers. “I am a person you can’t even look up to because I am Taesan’s owner. Address me correctly.” Poor Joon-ha.

Maru wakes up the next morning as if from a nightmare, though he’s just recollecting Eun-ki’s scolding on the beach and the moments leading up to their car accident.

Meanwhile, Eun-ki takes pictures (anyone want a Canon yet?) and tries to name the things she sees, having trouble with all except her own name and Maru’s.

Jae-sik waits until Secretary Hyun is gone before approaching the gate, and gets Eun-ki to open the door by lying that Maru sent him. He tells her that Maru’s instructed him to bring her to him, and the way Eun-ki’s face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning just breaks my heart. Even Jae-sik remarks that this is going a lot easier than he thought.

She rushes inside to preen and change her clothes, grinning like a fool the whole time. We find out exactly why Jae-sik is there through a flashback with Min-young, since at the tail end of their conversation Jae-sik had preyed on Min-young’s instinct to protect Jae-hee by offering to make it so that Eun-ki could never return to Taesan. For a price, of course.

Jae-hee doesn’t seem to know anything about this plan as Min-young updates her on the state of affairs with the board members, and how they’ll have a tough time getting the loyal ones to turn against Eun-ki.

“It was never easy to Han Jae-hee,” she says, almost like she’s just thinking out loud. “To the smallest detail. But I always succeeded like a miracle. How far will I be able to go? To be in this position, how far can Han Jae-hee go?” All right, all right, enough with the ‘How far can I go?’ stuff. We get it, you’ll go very far. Congratulations.

Eun-ki’s all smiles in Jae-sik’s car, and even he seems a little uneasy at how happy she is to meet someone he has no intentions to actually take her to. When she says that her and Maru love each other, Jae-sik seems offended, because he’s of the belief that Maru is uglier than him. Eun-ki’s quick to give an honest reply: “He is more handsome than you, Ajusshi.” Ha.

Only then, he offers her something to drink, which she takes readily. To say I have a bad feeling about this is an understatement.

Secretary Hyun goes to Maru’s house based off a note Eun-ki left saying that someone was taking her to him. She breaks down the second Maru tells her he knows nothing about it, but at least he’s quick on his feet and realizes that only Jae-sik would be behind it.

Jae-sik sounds like he’s negotiating a price to sell Eun-ki into slavery while she remains passed out from whatever drugs he slipped her. He turns off his phone to avoid Maru’s calls, though luckily Secretary Hyun set up Eun-ki’s phone as a GPS for just such an occasion. Maru takes the phone and runs off to the rescue.

There doesn’t seem to be any remorse in Jae-sik, so I’m really rooting for him to get his ass handed to him. At least he’s not super smart, since he leaves Eun-ki in his parked car while at a rest stop, which gives Maru enough time to catch up.

In the parking lot, Maru desperately goes from car to car as he searches each one for Eun-ki. By the time he tries calling her phone Jae-sik is already back in the car, and he takes her phone from her before she even has the chance to hear it before booking it out of the lot.

Maru turns around just in time to see their car pass, and a mad chase ensues. His gaze is determined and focused as he pulls up next to Jae-sik, and when that doesn’t work to deter him off the road, Maru pulls ahead of him and screeches to a halt. Jae-sik has no choice but to slam on the brakes.

Eun-ki stirs awake with all the commotion, and only looks expectantly happy to see Maru rush from his own car to hers as he all but flies to her rescue, sending every female heart aflutter in the process.

 
COMMENTS

To be honest, I thought I was going to be hardwired against this whole amnesia thing just because it’s like the town whore of dramas – we’ve all been there before.

That doesn’t mean that something old and worn can’t be fresh and interesting, and though we aren’t necessarily treading new ground with Eun-ki’s amnesia, there are a couple of things I appreciate about its execution right off the bat.

One, we don’t have Selective Drama Amnesia, where the hero or heroine conveniently forgets what the script tells them to and dramatically remembers everything else. Eun-ki had to relearn her own name, and she’s still working on reading and writing. The fact that it’s being described as not only amnesia but a sort of brain damage makes the proceedings much more tragic, with no scene bringing that home more than Eun-ki struggling to count in Maru’s yard. And then when she blamed herself and her amnesia for him being so cold to her? Oof. That hurt just to watch.

Two, setting the amnesia this late into the game holds more water if only for the reason that Eun-ki has already established herself as a character, so the factory reset has more of a dramatic punch than if we were to be first introduced to Eun-ki The Amnesiac. I’m so on board with her journey that it’s not even funny, so even though I’m still not sure I love this turn, I can see where it was necessary narrative-wise to clear the table and start again.

But most of all, we got to see a very real and definitive change in Eun-ki because of the loss of every memory that’s made her jaded and wary and cold. We went from an Eun-ki who was suspicious of everyone and everything (although her blind spot was/is most definitely Maru), to an Eun-ki who’s far too trusting, even to the point of being a danger to herself. Turning her room into a kindergarten playroom only helped to enforce the fact that she’s like a child now, and whether her new experiences will turn her back against the world or change her perspective on humanity for the better is yet to be seen.

The only real problem I have with Eun-ki’s new state is how it’ll affect her relationship with Maru. Her defenses are even lower than they were before, and personally, Maru seems to have a bit of a messiah complex when it comes to damsels in distress. It’s like he just can’t resist a girl who’s in trouble, which is why I liked it when Eun-ki could stand up for herself and call him out on his crap.

Now that she’s more vulnerable than ever, I’d really like to not hate Maru if he falls in love with this version of her just because he can baby her like he used to baby Jae-hee. Or if he uses her vulnerable state to do whatever it is he wants to do. Be with Jae-hee? Get revenge? Do we have any idea? That girl just needs some hugs, and lots of them.

While I like the fact that this drama moves so fast and skips past what could be tedious details, I have to say that some of the leaps we’re making could use a little fleshing out. Like the accident, or the accident. Or maybe that accident. Maybe the stuff that happened directly after the accident. Maybe what happened to that shiny new will Chairman Seo drafted up. Just throwing stuff out there.

And though terminal illnesses are part and parcel with any self-respecting melodrama, and even though Maru escaping from that accident unscathed would be a little hard to believe, I was still left with a sour expression after the deadly hematoma reveal. Not because it’s unrealistic, but because good gracious, what else? Are we striving to create not just a tragic character, but The Most Tragic Character Who Ever Lived? What else can possibly happen to that boy?

I’m really not being rhetorical when I ask: Can a character eventually become so tragic that we become desensitized and immune to their suffering?

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , ,

235

Required fields are marked *

Ty.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm not a violent man, but I hope the next episode opens to ma ru dragging him out of the car and beating him up.

0
10
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hear hear. I second that.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

3rd

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

4th? Quad? Square?

Though JS is technically the accidental cupid.

@Heads, great recap as always.
Regarding the will...would have been ineffective anyways with an amnesiac/mentally challenged EG. JH as the legal wife (with or without a ceremony) and mother of natural child of the deceased has full rights and guardianship rights over the estate.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes. Please beat the living hell out of that guy, Kang Maru. Poor Eunki, smh at Jae-shik. Really? Human trafficking? I really would have preferred Eunki pre-amnesia, just because that's what made me want to watch this in the first place. Her awesome "cut-the-bs" attitude was so likable for me. /le sadface/ Well at least I'm glad they actually executed the amnesia decently, not like fate amnesia, where you automatically don't remember your love or something. And also, Jae Hee with the "how far can I go?" thingy. Um, ma'm I'm sure we heard it the first ten times. We know you're a pathetic lady who uses underhand methods. We know you've gone really far. We know you'll go farther. Good for you. WE KNOW.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

with you on that

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I actually think he should redirect that anger to lawyer ahn & jae-hee!
Without them the brother wouldn't be doing this in the first place!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with you there. They definitely need to be punished. For now though, since the brother is right in front of him, a few good jabs and a shoryuken to the chin would be so satisfying. The conversation he had with the lady he was selling eun gi to made it seem like he's done something like this before to other women.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I am all against violence with all my being. But is there anyone who is not against Ma Ru beating that b****rd to the pulp?
On the other hand I like this show for avoiding using cliches in the very clisheistic way possible. I mean - brain damage IS brain damage and the heroes do not pass one along the other without noticing one another. This has a strong chance to stand on the first place on my drama top next to SUFBB. Or even surpassing it slightly.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

It took me forever to figure out what SUFBB stood for. Finally googled it. And I agree, that was a great drama!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Guys--

MaRu getting into a fight is a baaaaaad idea.

Remember, he has a deadly cranial hematoma? So, i'm hoping MaRu uses the laser-gaze-o-death on JaeHee's crap of a brother.

[no] fighting until after surgery, just saying.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woo! Thanks!
(Feel so sorry for Eun Ki)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

wow.
good ep.
thanks!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I lol-ed at the main screencap - looks like Maru staring coldly in the distance again while making out with another girl. For once, it's not the case in the context of that scene.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The amnesia is an interesting game-changer, I think, and it affects Maru more (in some ways) than Eun ki. Because now he's even worse than he was before - Manipulative Maru wouldn't try to feed on people's weaknesses like he did with the salaryman. This seems to be the writer's way of offering Maru redemption - you know, heal the girl, start over a new leaf with a new Eun ki, etc - the arc that pops up in every revenge drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ow, it hurts to see eunki blamed herself for not remembering T.T

but you have to admit, that chase scene was AMAZING! and yes, many a female hearts aflutter :P

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

omg. the chase scene for me was the best in this episode.
It just really shows maru's true feelings for eun-gi.
He was just so cold to her this episode when we all know he's been thinking about her for a while (staring at her missing flyer) and so i couldn't wait for that one moment where he let down his guard.
The anger in his eyes when he was chasing them down was enough for me to confirm my suspicions that he still really cares for her.
My heart fluttered

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you so much! Wow, I miss the spunky Eun-Ki already. Also, is it just me who feels as though the Choco/Jae-gil comic relief scenes are actually appreciable now?

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I dont think they r doing the comic thing anymore (which annoyed me to no end!) i have a feeling from here on out they'll stop giving them ridiculous lines and JG will live up to his 'voice of reason' description. I mean LKS is so much better than that crap they made him do initially!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Haha. amen sistuh.
I actually didn't fastforward my first choco/jae gil scene in this episode! I really appreciate jae-gil's confrontation with maru. Jae-gil really is such a good friend. He told it to him straight no matter how betrayed maru felt. And then he met up with choco to tell her to be nicer to maru. I think true friends are the ones that tell you the cold hard truth, but always protect you from behind.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

He chased down the other car to save her! Yay! \>.</

For a second there, right after they talked in his backyard and he, after pausing for a second, walked away anyways, I was losing faith in him. I though, oh gosh, not this Eun-ki pulls and Maru just pushes far far away. Thank goodness she got kidnapped....wait that sounds wrong. More like thank goodness he went to her rescue.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Re. the introductory "If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel ..."

There was, and both our leads sped kamikaze style towards it!

Great question at the end of another great recap though. There's only so much more crap the writer can heap upon Maru's (very manly) shoulders before our suspension of disbelief dissipates and pathos turns into formulaic bathos...

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Greets Far--

i'm with you and Head. At this point, I hope the writers start limiting the loads of spec-crapular situations onto MaRu.

This drama's instant reveals and deals of reveals kept things clipping at a good pace.

For me, it's gonna be all YAWN if they keep overloading MaRu with situational hell-ery.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Desensitized? I'm with you. I find myself watching ep 9 n 10 rather impassively where just a week ago, i was ready to hurl a pillow at my laptop. I think now I would like Maru to just be Bad, so i can get back to "interactive" mode. Lols.
Thanks for the recap. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you for the recap.

I have to give this drama credit for two things: one, they didn't play the whole she-was-there-and-I-walked-by-and-missed-her scenario between Maru and Eun Ki (same with all other lies and hidden stories) . Everything in this drama seems to be quickly put on a table for the characters to see and we don't go with a secret for like a gazillion episodes without anyone knowing it. I really like that.

The other thing I like is that this drama isn't driving me into loving the main character against my will. The main character, Maru, is far from being a pure-hearted, innocent man who we should all pity. He is actually doing so much wrong in here. From the beginning he was in the wrong. He was in the wrong to choose Jae Hee over Choco, in the wrong to take blame for Jae Hee's murder, and in the wrong still until now. I really like that I don't necessarily /love/ Maru's character. I just keep going between hating his actions to feeling really bad for him and right now I don't know what to think of him.

Also, about Eun Ki, I don't know if i'm the only one who thinks this, but I feel like the drama didn't completely erase all of her personal characteristics. When she was talking to Maru about how he should wait for her and the she definitely will get her memory back, I did feel a bit of the old Eun Ki in that determination......................... Or maybe I'm just imagining stuff because I don't want badass Eun Ki to be lost...

Anyway, this drama is taking all melodramatic plots and cliches and putting them together, yet somehow, keeping the drama interesting. Cannot wait to see more~

Thanks again for the recap.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I actually felt the DETERMINATION you're saying.. that conviction..It was so like the old Eun ki..And the way she told about how she's sure of him, that her heart tells her so..It was so like the ever straight forward Seo Eun ki :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh yes. once thing i appreciated about this show was the fact that its pace was bearable. Not the long, dragged out typical melo.
And I was hoping they wouldn't miss each other, and ALAS, he sees her! That really made my day. haha.
I actually really miss the old eun-gi, but i'm expecting her to get her memories back before the show ends. And that determination in eun-gi sparked the old eun-gi we knew.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

The thing about her determination is that it's an uncritical one. Like before she was determined in her love for him, but she knew about his past and his reasons for approaching her in the first place. But here she loves him, but she doesn't know why she loves him, or how, or at what price. It's just reverence. It's kind of...empty.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woaaaah!! I didnt think about think about this perspective!
Now i'feel the same way as you ... Is almost like a obssession.......in other other words just what Maru has/had for JH

Blooow your miind!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Can a character eventually become so tragic that we become desensitized and immune to their suffering?"

Yes. Try watching Padam Padam. The life of the hero is so far beyond what the human mind and emotion can wrap around...it throws the audience into a state of despair and misery that you just want to stop watching....

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yet you held on to the end!!

which might have been easier to do by skipping the beginning.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Then you would not find out how pitiful people were to set him up. Along the way seeing him fall for and change the women he loved Jung Jina into a caring, compassionate, and thought of other type of women. Where as before a bitchy, mean, and judgemental person.The hero in Padam Padam suffers just like Kang Mru but what made him fight his illness, life, and injustices is the love of a good women, friend who is the voice of reason, and family.Skipping to the end defeats the message the drama wants is to convey which is to always have faith and hop and believe life has so much to offer with people by your side.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I actually DIDN't finish Padam Padam...I just couldn't I made it all the way to episode 18 too...was just thinking about that the other day
If the main character gives up on himself why should I still root for him?!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well, i guess you are kind of right... Maru is being a really difficult characther to read but, as JG said he actually was pretty freightened to almost ruin somebody's life. Inmy opinion thats why he didnt turn thecar, he's not goint to make the surgery, etc because he feels like is not possible for him to be happy (poor idiotic thing).
And about EG losting her memory, is just as he wanted to happen she waked up from a "nightmare" he created...

Even thout he gave upon him i still cheer for a chá gê of hearts, But that doesn't mean i don'tfind him a IDIOT !! Kkkkkk~

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Moon Chae Won's shift from feisty but brittle to this new fragile state is amazing.

I remember thinking how awkward the sweet pink lipstick looked on her when she was trying to doll up for her first big date with Maru, because it didn't match that Eun Ki at all. And now it seems pretty natural (I guess the flowy white back to nature outfit helped). It's pretty cool when an actress can be so convincing that a shade of lippie can look somehow wrong for the character.

I am dreading the unleashing of emo that's bound to happen when Eun Ki gets her memory back and remembers crashing right into Maru and causing his no doubt life-threatening hematoma.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's kind of weird how we're made to feel that Eun Ki's amnesia has more of an effect on Ma Ru than on her, the person who actually has it.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think that's partly because she herself (in amnesiac mode) isn't conscious that there IS a change, so far all she knows is what she's been told about her previous self.

It's different from KNOWING the difference between the old and new Eun-ki, as Joon-ha, Secretary Hyun and now Maru do.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I never felt like I'm about to tear my computer's screen and get the bastard out and beat him to Twilight!! Damn that chasing scene seriously made me want to tear something and seriously I would love it if it could be JS's head.

Just like my previous comment, the new EG is really like a newborn and this turns the world upside down for both MR and EG and the people around them. The sharp contrast between the previous EG and the present EG is nicely played and I can't agree more with your opinion about her. It is heartbreaking and frustrating to see what EG has become because I love the spunky and fearless EG, but I think I can accept this change of character because it might change the whole game plan on MR side. From taking his revenge on JH to protecting EG and at the same time putting a fall on for JH and possibly MY. I am expecting to see some more depth in MR's character despite all the darkness that he has been displayed all over the series. Please dear Lord, show me a MR with real feelings!!

And gotta love JG for being the voice of reason for the siblings. I am glad that the writer started to shape his character into a meaningful one over the filler scenes he had so far.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

"It is heartbreaking and frustrating to see what EG has become because I love the spunky and fearless EG, but I think I can accept this change of character because it might change the whole game plan on MR side."

I think they are setting up EG's character nicely for a dramatic comeback. Her spunk has not been reduced; she seems to have a strong will to succeed.

Pretty Joon-ha's job in this episode was to remind us not-so-subtly how smart EG is. If they play their neuroscience right, we will see a successful EG recovery.
Here is a quote from a Brain Recovery site

Brain tissue may not re-grow, but we have only begun to explore the ability of the brain and body to find creative ways to accomplish tasks. Clinical practice and research are just beginning to explore the plasticity of the human brain and the results are overturning long-cherished beliefs about human potential.

With an established routine in a familiar, comfortable environment, with supportive (HEY MA RU, that's YOU!)
people, she can relearn quickly.

It would be cool if JH finds out about EG's brain damage just as EG learns enough to be dangerous again. That way JH will underestimate her, and we will have moments of gleeeeeee in watching JH fail.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

"It would be cool if JH finds out about EG’s brain damage just as EG learns enough to be dangerous again. That way JH will underestimate her, and we will have moments of gleeeeeee in watching JH fail."

I would love nothing more than for this to happen. PLEASE let us revel in someone taking that spiteful woman down a peg. And soon!!!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

in love with this drama

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You're right, Heads No2, Jae-gil is the voice of sound reason. And he is someone who lives by the principles he believes in. Thank goodness he watches out for Choco since Ma-roo gets an "F" in brother. Come to think of it, he gets an "F" in friend and maybe relationships all around.

Remember Jae-hee and Ma-roo had a theological discussion too, just like Ma-roo and the guy who shouldn't gamble? Well, maybe not theological so much as "If there is a God then why do bad things happen to good people? and "If God is just, then he will strike you with a lightening bolt." Shallow funny.

I'm kinda drifting. Need something to anchor me to this drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank for the recaps.....i really enjoy read thia recap......

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gosh.. I fear sad ending the most.. Why do i have the feeling that this drama will end in tears.. Nooooo!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Awwwww, Maru white-fanged Eun ki because he luuurves her... Or because he feels guilty? Well, whatever the reason the point is that he cares....

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

And yet what he told is one version of the truth. She kept harping that being with him would bring back her memory. How could he then say, "sure lets hang out together, be close, and then get you to remember that you might just hate me."

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I may be the most dense person on the planet...but does he have feelings for her or what? I cannot understand MaRu...AT ALL.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks, Heads No2! Always enjoy your recaps:) i totally cracked up when Jae Hee was being dramatic about how far she can go, and you were like, we get it, congratulations, now please shut up. LOL.

I agree with you that the terminal illness plot gets tiresome. I've always hated it for the same reasons as you -- it's unrealistic, yet almost every melodrama has someone coming down with it. I just hope there won't be a full-blown kidnap scene. Another cliche...

Despite the cliches, all the actors are keeping this show afloat for me. I like the depth of emotion they are bringing to the show. The characters have layers of emotion that the drama keeps peeling back like a..... corn. (omg, i can't think up of something else that has many layers!)

0
12
reply

Required fields are marked *

Onion? ^^

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Egyptian mummy

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

OH LORDY!! LOLOLLLLL!!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Egyptian mummy?!! iDied.....

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

skin?.. LOL

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

cabbage ;)

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kimchi anyone?!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes, please!! :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Cool! This is like Family Feud!
The earth's crust
Croissants
Redwood trees
Roses
Steven Tyler's hair

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think onion would be #1!!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Onions are like Ogres...

Parfait...now everybody loves Parfait.

(shrek reference on layers)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think I love you. Haha.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gosh, can't it get any worse for Maru? Can't he and Eun Ki have a happy ending for once? I sense a tragic ending coming our way... dang that hematoma! I wish he'd get surgery... I mean, Dr. Jin was able to treat it without any medical tools... just sayin'

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

spontaneous laughter for Dr. Jin reference

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Poor, beautiful Joon-ha. That's all I have to say.

Oh, and the chairman's words earlier to Joon-ha when he told Joon-ha to stick by Eun-gi. There was that last line, where he said it will be difficult but to stick it out.

If the drama really wanted to impress me that's what would happen. But lol, no use holding out hope for that.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh my god when he came with the flowers all giddy and in love, my heart broke for him.
If no one takes you i will!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I admit I'm a little on board that second lead ship, lawyer Joon-ha is one of the good ones even if his new hair looks like he belongs in an idol group lol

But then I also love watching Eun-ki and Maru....

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Lol at the idol group reference!
He and Maru seem to have switched hairstyles only Joon Ha didn't get the map...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I mentally groaned when I found that Maru had a possible fatal head injury. The fact that there's a fatal something in a melodrama tends to end with a not so happy ending or a bittersweet ending where someone dies ughh.

Not going to lie though.... the part where Maru lost his temper and hit the wheel of the car was one of my favorite moments in the whole episode. It shows how much he actually cares for Eunki even if he might be in denial land right now. It gave me warm fuzzies lol

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I know...the hematoma reveal elicited the Big Sigh of "Really? Do we have to go there, too?"

It's too bad because most of the obstacles have been fine with me. It's fine to have brain surgery ahoy! to provide us with a ticking clock, but NOT as a foreshadow of doom.
I almost want to throw up my hands and tell Maru, "Do whatever the hell you want, you're gonna die anyway."

I do like that he is talking about heaven and just desserts. It means he does have an intellectual idea of a conscience even if he isn't showing symptoms of having one.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

show what are you doing give me my Eun Ki back.

also I stay firm on my hope that the show ends with Maru and Jae Hee dyeing together in a glorious ball of fire with Eun Ki turning to Joon Ha to help her through her grief as she turns Taesan into the most powerful company in the world.

0
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

er dying not dyeing sorry

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Can you write the show, please?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

sure just as soon as Korean dramas start looking for writers whose only published work is a poetry.com poem and can't speak a word of Korean, well actually I could say oppa or unni and tell them I love them, o or I could insult them in Japanese, I'll get right on it, lol

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

NO... Eun Gi is for Maru only :))
I like how Maru fights back the feeling of falling in love with our Eun Gi..and also, I like the version of new Eungi, the hidden innocent girl when she got the amnesia, I even thought this show should be titled INNOCENT GIRL..or something :))

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with this so much. If it were up to me, I would make the Chairman's words to Joon-ha be significant. Well I'm not so firm on my hope as you are, but that line from the chairman does keep hovering above, imo.

Maru's relationships with both female leads are unhealthy and are not ideal in the least. With Eun-gi, I think it's more worrisome and unhealthy from her side.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with Sajen, I mean. If that wasn't already obvious. :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It would be good if it happens, but I'm not counting on it (as much). I also just don't see a healthy relationship with Maru and eun gi. Maru is just too complicated and too tragic that maybe I also got a little desensitized to his pain.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love this show. Even though it pains me. A lot.

I blame it all on the actors and how awesome they are being.

Honestly, I think Maru cares for Eunki. He has always had moments where you could see he did care. And Im hoping he doesnt continue on the path against Jaehee like he was.

I also think he was just placating his collegue. I dont think he has any intention of getting help. And I am a little afraid that the show is going to end with him dying from it.

Also so so so relieved he went after her when Jaesik took her. I would have ragequit the show if he hadnt.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe he is saved in the last instance and just suffers an Eun Ki-like memory loss. I honestly think it would do him a world of good :D

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

When I finished this ep, it was like the surroundings turned dark and gloomy. Everything felt so quiet. The pain. So Good.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dara--

honey, pls switch to the Disney Channel at the end of every episode. mKay? i worry about you.
lol.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

First, what the hell is up with that ending? It was just getting good and then wham! Show's over. Urgh. I hate that. Next week couldn't get her any faster.

Second, I am loving the direction Eun-ki's character is taking. I can't wait to see it play out.

Third, a deathly illness?! Seriously?! Urgh, again. I hate that in dramas. But I guess it's part-and-parcel for a melodrama.

Fourth, if this drama has a too sad, bone-crushingly, depressing ending, I'll be pissed. At least one character needs a happy ending. For my part, I'm rooting for Eun-ki.

Thanks for the recap, Heads!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

about the death illness thing, I think the drama is getting towards it til the end..but I'm getting another vision of it (totally delusional since I've been a Nice Guy addict :))that either Jae Hee or Atty. Ahn, or Jae Hee's brother or even Eun Gi will be the cause of Maru's death..But then again, this drama never fail to surprise us, the next thing we knew he could be alive after several years or he will just be leaving Eungi with a son, named after him LOL..I'm totally IN to this but I preferably like the first one :)

well, who knows we're only just beginning the second half :))

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Her defenses are even lower than they were before, and personally, Maru seems to have a bit of a messiah complex when it comes to damsels in distress. It’s like he just can’t resist a girl who’s in trouble

But what's he supposed to do? Not rush to EG's rescue, when she's abducted? And he HAS tried to resist helping EG, when she and her secretary came looking for him. He acts cold-hearted and he's criticized. He drops the act and we're already worried about his "using" her?

Or if he uses her vulnerable state to do whatever it is he wants to do. Be with Jae-hee? Get revenge?

Didn't they make it clear he's done with Jae-Hee and revenge? Since he walked away from her at the summer house, he hasn't looked back, he hasn't kept in touch with her, he hasn't thought about her, so how does EG or her amnesia factor into this? It's pretty clear since episode 8 that the only woman on his mind, the only woman who haunts his dreams and nightmares is EG, and the only reason (if the preview for episode 11 is any indication) he contacts JH again after all this time (a year since the accident) is because she's a threat to EG.

0
29
reply

Required fields are marked *

He's not supposed to do anything different than what he's been doing. Helping girls he loves when they're at their weakest seems to be a character trait of his. His protective instinct now has a chance to go into overdrive with Eun-ki as weak as she is. I wasn't implying that he needs to fix his behavior, only that it might impact his relationship with Eun-ki differently from here on out. He dropped the act because she was in danger, so does that mean he's dropped it permanently? If I'm concerned about him using her, it's because I have no idea what he wants. And that's fine, since he's still figuring that out himself.

0
13
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm fairly certain the last thing on his mind, esp. in the state that EG is, is "using" her. What would he use her for? He's done with Jaehee for good (his reaction to the secretary implying JH had something to do with the Chairman's death wasn't that of someone who kept up with her life), he couldn't care less about Taesan (never has, probably never will), and he doesn't care about his life (or he'd pay a bit more attention to his health). He couldn't make up his mind about using Eun-Gi when he was still hung up on JH (mainly because he was drawn to her, independent of his issues with JH), he broke up with her because he couldn't forgive himself for deceiving her, and now he's wrecked with guilt over the chain of events that he unleashed from the moment he's met EG. "Using" her? I'm pretty sure he's afraid of just being with her, lest he hurts her again.

As for his penchant for "helping" Eun-Gi, here's his dilemma. They (EG, Joon-Ha, the secretary) clearly want him to help her recover her memory, but he's the one who remembers everything and he's the one who knows what happened in that tunnel and everything that led to it. How can he bring himself to help her remember those terrible memories, esp. in the state that she is? I have no doubt he wants to help her, but helping her also means hurting her, and he's not going to rush into that again, not after all that has happened.

0
12
reply

Required fields are marked *

@kristi:

I'm wondering if Maru would've cared more for his health if he had known that Eun Gi was still alive (it seems like he thought she was dead, right - after she went missing!?).

Absolutely agree with you on JH... He is so done with her. That was pretty clear after ep. 8.

(BTW who else wished that we could turn back the time and the girl Maru fell in love with was Eun Gi from the beginning!? - we wouldn't have a drama but we would know that Maru would've a girl who not only loves him back but also values his feelings.)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I doubt it. The only reason he'd care about his health is if he has a reason to live, a future to look forward to, a reason to say yes to the question Eun-Gi had for them when she ran to him barefoot in the rain. Knowing EG is alive isn't enough, loving her isn't enough, because he's not going to feel entitled to any such dream as long as he's wrecked with guilt.

0

Am not sure where viki got their character description from but Maru's bit goes something like he meets EG who gets amnesia and he uses that to his advantage to get revenge on JH. Now this is even more confusing cuz i thought the revenge started b4 the amnesia. And i don't know if MR is done with revenge (on JH) or not but isn't revenge the underlying theme of the drama? ie he may not necessarily give a fcuk about JH anymore but isnt him being ruthless and no longer a nice guy his form of revenge for all the times hes been taken advantage of?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

You can throw that character description and anything else that doesn't fit the scripts/episodes into the trash bin. They aren't spoilers and they're useless. They're based on the original synopsis for Nice Guy, and the writer's made many, many, MANY changes ever since, whether it's the characterizations, the relationships, or the key events that serve as breakthroughs. So when MR says he's done with JH on screen, he's really done. When he says he doesn't care about what she does with her life any more, ie. he's no longer interested in revenge or getting her back, he really means it. That removes any motive to use EG, which is one of the reasons he broke up with her. Why would he use EG now, let alone exploit her amnesia, when a) he's not interested in JH any more and b) he's wrecked with guilt over all that's happened to EG because of him?

If you want to speculate, the only thing that's canon is the scripts/actual episodes, and the only spoilers that are reliable 100% are the previews from the network.

0

Well, helping her means hurting her, and not helping her means hurting her, too. Kinda wish he had tried to work through his guilt alongside Eun Ki, who made clear she was willing to forgive him, instead of going the hurt-you-to-save-you route.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Unfortunately that's k-drama-life... They always go the complicated path rather than the easy one. :)

0

That's a very healthy way of dealing with issues, but neither of them was emotionally all that well on that beach. If EG was fragile emotionally, MR was worn to the bone, having just ended (forever and ever this time) a relationship that took up nearly 20 years of his life (and ruined 6 of those and his future). His faith in love wasn't all that strong, and I think he saw himself as a Jae-Hee to an Eun-Gi who reminded so much of him, of the boy who'd "ruin" his life for love. I have no doubt he was tempted to grab what she was holding out to him, but in the end he probably saw himself as too damaged for EG.

0

@kristi: I totally, totally agree. He finished with Jae-hee but now defines himself as another Jae-hee. He damages those around him so the best thing he can do is detach from them. He left the beach suicidal and he's still suicidal (just waiting for the brain injury to kick in).

@ladida: I agree with kristi that Maru was in no emotional shape to make that kind of call on the beach. But maybe this new set of circumstances will kind of force him to work through his guilt? It seems to be set up in such a way that leaving Eun-gi alone is even more dangerous -- that rather than being selfish, helping her might be a way for Maru to atone (per his thinking).

0

@kristi & Betsy HP: I love your analysis of Maru. For all the shit he's done and been through, we have to remember that he's still getting over his first love, and is incredibly naive in a lot of ways. Now that he's accepted that Jae Hee is basically a demon in human form, he's convinced himself that she is the norm rather than the anomaly, and that the world is full of Jae Hees (including himself) just waiting to prey on those weaker than them. He's now using her as a barometer to measure himself and his complicity in Eun Gi's attempted suicide. Not only does he think he's too damaged for EG, he probably thinks he's too damaging for her.

0

I pretty much agree.. :)

But I can't figure out the reason why Maru had to simply choose to collide their cars and not trying to avoid Eun-ki's car since he's on the right mind THAT time. (well, I guess he was less INSANE). Unless they BOTH wanted to DIE.

On the contrary, who do you think was in deep shi* to commit suicide considering both situation that day:

>Living on Eun-ki's shoes: She got busted... AGAIN. Only this time it's MR's turn to spill the beans. She even lowered down her level, pride and position to prove her love to MR but she was hushed by MR only to be the reason behind was Jae Hee..and AGAIN (who wouldn't be so upset :().
And then the mind blowing news that her father just passed away. These events will make your mind go BLANK and think of the worst.

>On the other hand, Maru's side: he was deceived..AGAIN (even acknowledging what a gullible he was), he was so OVER Jae Hee he even cried for the memories of 15 years they've been together.
And the total nerve wracking moment when he dumped EK, literally being MEAN. (Yes, this might be one of the reason. why? The feeling of being a Jack a** that he was towards EK, although he never thought HE would survive and the WORST things follows.

Or, Maru simply NEVER thought that Eun-ki would do such thing. A crazy, morbid, eerie, scary thing. But that's not his character, neh?

Nevertheless, the feeling of insanity suddenly took place...on both of them..well, they're both the same. We even think that EK is the female version of Maru - who would go all the way for the sake of LOVE... and DEATH?

But the nightmares speaks for it. That Maru is SCARED. I don't know if scared to die or scared EK could have died. I choose the latter. And he even might thinking or feeling the GUILT of not avoiding the accident.

Yes, it still roots on avoiding EK getting hurt. Especially now that he saw how vulnerable she is. Trying to get herself kidnapped. It's so wasn't HER, even an amnesia is not an excuse.

Wth, for once..please drama show us the real Maru..

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well, Eun-gi was always good about taking action. ;) Seriously though, I agree that she was the actively suicidal one in the tunnel. For all the reasons you listed.

With Maru, I think he felt he had it coming. That he'd sunk to Jae-hee's level, maybe even below her, in pulling Eun-gi into his game. That if Eun-gi wanted to kill him (and herself) that maybe that was justice. Because he's the one who drove her to that state -- per his way of thinking about things. And I think that's why he's soul-dead now. Or as HeadsNo2 so perfectly put it, a zombi not even interested in brains.

0

"a zombie who isn’t even hungry for brains."

This is perfect, Heads.

0

or we can simply just DROP the get-revenge-by-using-a-girl-with-amnesia plot and MOVE on to protect-the-innocent-girl-I-loved-against-evil-Jae Hee plot..

sounds good to me :)

I'm so over this issue >:)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe the problem is that Eun Ki is being put in this position in the first place, where she's helpless and has to *be* saved as opposed to saving herself.

0
12
reply

Required fields are marked *

Who says she isn't going to save herself? She needs help with some things, she certainly needs much emotional support, but in the end, her recovery depends on her willpower, stubbornness, and hard work, all qualities she had before her accident. When she grabbed MR's arm and asked him first if they spoke banmal before and without waiting for his answer spoke her mind, asking him if he was ashamed of her, of what she'd become, telling him all she needed was a little help because she was willing to work so hard, harder than she does now, if that's what it took for her to recover... she sounded SO MUCH like the 'old' Eun-Gi, the honest, courageous Eun-Gi, I wanted to cry. And I'm fairly certain Maru felt the same. The essence of who Eun-Gi is hasn't changed just because she's lost her memory. And I don't believe their reason for making EG an amnesiac was because they needed her to become a damsel-in-distress. This is a development they've thought long and hard about, pretty much from the moment they conceived this drama, and given the quality of their work up to this point, I think they deserve a chance to tell that story and prove their point.

0
11
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm sure you're right that I can't actually judge the story when the whole story hasn't been told, but I'm still concerned about it as it's being told. Maybe she is going to save herself, but I'm still worried that she's been made so susceptible. I'm just really sad that she's had to lose so much. She already had to recover from all the emotional ill treatment she's suffered, and now she has to recover from more. Here's to hoping that they succeed in their efforts.

0
9
reply

Required fields are marked *

But she does it all by herself. Like when she asked secretary Hyun and Maru not to give her any hints because she will remember it on her own - that's so strong for a woman who must feel miserable to wake up without memory.

And also Eun Gi re-learnt not only Korean but also English on her own... she is so hard-working like the old Eun Gi was. :) And that's why I actually appreciate the way LKH is developing this plot. It's certainly not without flaws but it's still well-conceived.

0

So I totally agree that Maru has a thing for damsels-in-distress. And Eun-gi's apparent helplessness is like crack-laced catnip for him at this point, but...

This is still Eun-gi. She's proud of finding Maru first. She's positive she knows the way things actually are despite what he's saying (and I'm pretty sure she's right). She insists on poking around his house on her own to figure it out by herself. So she's going to want Maru's help, but only to a certain extent. Actually, her coming to find Maru is her helping herself.

And it's interesting that her arrival into his life is starting to change him for the better (in the tiniest of ways, but I'll take what I can get). He's being forced to face his guilt rather than tamp it down. And he's acting to help the weak and vulnerable rather than taking advantage of them.

Huh. I just had a thought that in the end the actual damsel-in-distress is Maru. Eun-gi is there to save him. Wouldn't that be a cool twist on an old tale?

0

@Betsy Hp

I actually thought Maru is already the damsel-in-distress. :)) Yes, he is always there if a woman like Eun Gi is in danger but overall HE is the one who needs to be saved, right?

0

@Jillia: Agreed! And I think (hope!) Eun-gi is stubborn enough to save him. Hopefully more than just spiritually. A physical survival would be nice too. :)

0

@Besty HP. Hi! :) It is still Eun Ki, but (and I mention this somewhere below) it's an uncritical one. Like before she was going into things knowledgeable (which I loved because that was so courageous of her), but now she's going into things like a lamb to slaughter. Like before she knew why she loved him, but why does she love him now? She has no memories of him saving her doll or anything, so why does she accept this feeling she has without questioning it? Why isn't she confused by the love she has for this person who treats her badly?

Also, just a general comment about Eun Ki, she does not just have amnesia. She is now disabled. She has learning and developmental issues that are outside the realm of amnesia.

0

Oh, she will save him and I would be happy if she not only heals his soul but also (like you said) his body... I would be already happy if she would just kick him to the stupid hospital to get this surgery. :)

0

@ladida

I know where you're coming from. I mean I wish that Nice Guy would go there to explain Eun Gi's feeling she has now for Maru but I don't think it will go there because... well the drama is too short for that. On the other hand it's well-paced so maybe we can hope!? :)

Then again... Her heart tells her that she loved/loves this man ("My heart remembers you.") and in her state she doesn't question it. She even thinks it's her now flawed health condition which causes his behaviour towards her. That she is dumb and disabled. When she asked him if he is ashamed of her and disappointed, he looked like he wanted to say: "You should be disappointed in ME and ashamed of ME."

0

@ladida: Hello :) You make a really good point about Eun-gi's extreme lack of agency at the moment. She's not able to think critically -- see the cost and danger of trusting and loving Maru and deciding to do so anyway -- and that's not something to be swept away.

Though, I'm not sure that the point of her love of Maru is supposed to be the logic of it. That it's his fetching her doll or the way he cared for his sister that caused her to love him. Because Maru would argue that all those actions were the product of his cunning plan (he said as much on the beach, iirc). Rather, I think it's supposed to be Eun-gi's seeing beneath his surface act to the sincerity directing those actions. And so, when she found him, her quick understanding that his cruelty was a lie points to her still being able to see beneath his mask.

It could easily fall too far into the touchy-feely side of things, yes. Where Eun-gi is a shadow of herself -- a motivation for Maru but not much more. But what I hope is that there was a point to introducing us to Eun-gi pre-brain damage. That we'll continue to see her be herself -- able to see things as they actually are, but going for the win anyway. And that there were these beats showing us flashes of Eun-gi's stubbornness and grit and independence gives me something to hang my hope on. It could all go south, of course, but as of yet I'm cautiously optimistic.

(Wow. Long answer is long.)

0

@Betsy Hp

We will see in ep. 11 that Eun Gi can think critically. :) So don't worry about that. She is not blind of Maru's flaws. At this point where she met him again she only knows these pics of him and her where they look happy. And like a couple. So what else should she think, other than that he is a "nice guy"? :D

And after he treated her so bad, she talked back to him - and it was kind of her old self.

0

I know Ek is strong but no matter how tough she is right now, she needs to get back her memory. As far as I've known, the only cure about all the amnesia incidents is to experience the same events/moments in the past. And we knows that most of it was with Maru.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Not quite so sure he's over jae hee though, i'm not really satisfied with the way they showed that he's over her given the depth of his feelings for her if that is indeed what they wanted us to think. Right now he isn't doing anything, but what would happen if the perfect opportunity comes to have the ultimate revenge on jae hee? Like maybe using eun ki, her amnesia, and her position in tae san? Will he grab it? I think he has feelings for eun ki, but whether it's guilt, pity, his messiah complex, genuine love, or a combination, it's not so clear. This is also why though I love joong ki i find it hard to sympathize with the character. He's too complicated and tragic, I don't know what he's thinking. How would I know I can trust him and he doesn't break my heart again?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

my gut tells me that it's would have a happy ending.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think so too :D
My reason being, since our leads are already suffering too much as it is, for once they deserve happiness in their pathetic tragedy prone life!
Why in the world would anyone wish them more misery! The writer need a good shake!! *sigh*

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like your gut. :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I want to trust your gut...but Show ain't giving me a reason to and then all I'll know is I'm heartbroken. IDK man, IDK... :( Show is playing with my head and my emotions.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i'm with lilly on this one.

there doesn't seem to be a foresee-able HEA in this drama.

my guess, is that even the unicorn dies and that's after we find out Chairman's son is really MaRu's and, said little boy ends up in an orphanage in zimbabwe digging roots for evening stew.

if you want an HEA, go elsewhere. me thinks the writer is incapable of HEAs.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yayy! More EunMa goodness this episode. You know the show has got you hook line and sinker when you watch the episode twice and then hang around waiting for the recaps like an addict. ;) I do have a different take though and I wonder if Maru realised he really loved her way long ago..which may be supported by how jaegil was just so upset to see maru spiral down a suicidal and immoral path immediately after the accident. I wish I could know what was going on in his head:(

The preview for ep 11 is driving me nuts!:)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Jae-sik kind of amuses me because he's so inept at being the big evil bad guy. He does more to help the OTP than hurt them in the end. Though he still needs an ass kicking.

And JH is boring now. She jumped the shark when she tried to seduce Joon-ha. If maru doesn't care about her anymore I can't figure out her purpose in the story other than being mean to EG. And maru going back to caring about her would make me throw something at my screen. Even Jae-gil and Choco have purpose and don't make me want to fast forward their parts, but JH just doesn't hold any interest at the moment.

Not sure maru will die in the end or end up being the one everyone has to (finally) take care of since he's spent his life caring for others and doesn't like the same treatment in return.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Agree 100%. That's what I've been dreading to happen - reinforcing Maru's messiah complex by making Eun Gi vulnerable.

Sometimes, when a story gets too depressing and gloomy it becomes boring. So I am one of those people who badly needs to see some improvement in Maru's state of well-being/mind. That's why I was so happy in episode 8 when he finally let go of Jae Hee, I thought he was ready to move on and live only to find out he's more ready to die. Hahahaha.

As far as my KDrama experience is concerned, jjimjilbang always gives this happy experience - sometimes ridiculous but never gloomy. Maru needs to go there. He needs some 'happy steam'. :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank u for d recap~~

such an intense ep, Maru loves Eunki now. Him thinking of the past he shared with her. Without Eunki his like a zombie but now that she's back Maru will feel something again. Love is in the air.

Thank u again

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Maybe what happened to that shiny new will Chairman Seo drafted up."

That's what I was thinking!!! What happened to that??? I totally remember the president saying lawyer Park should change his will. Does the writer think we forgot??? -_- SMH.

0
6
reply

Required fields are marked *

But EG is missing so JH have the right to be a president since she is the only family left (ES is still too young though). That's why she doesn't want EG back.

And EG can't return in this state (memory loss and can't write and read properly). If JH know and the broad know They will take her down from the president position even if she is in Chairman's will since she can't do any good to the company now.

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

But that's kinda strange that they'd give it to the mother even if she's not on the will. What's the point of even taking her out of the will in the first place??

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I thought that the will had just been written up and signed and Ji hoon still had it. That he was going to be... I don't know how they do things in Korea, but whatever registering it with the court to make it official or whathaveyou, that day Chairman Seo died. (Hence the "are you sure you want to do it this way?" question he was asking over the phone.) But then Min-young pulled out his "your daddy killed Eun-gi's mom" card and Ji hoon not only couldn't call the cops on Min-young, he handed over the will. (Or buried it.)

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

And by Ji Hoon I meant Joon-ha. *facepalm*

0

Ah this also make sense too. It can be this case that Joon Ha have been blackmail and didn't hand the lasted will to the court.

0

My guess is that Joon ha is keeping the will card till Eun Gi recovers, then submit it to the court.

0

Groan.. They added the life threatening hematoma to Maru. Eye roll... Some one going to whack him along the side of his head eventually...

Will we ever get the smart and feisty Eun Ki back? If she is brain damaged, isn't that a permanent situation? Not sure how she can recover and reclaim Taesun and go head to head with Evil conniving stepmom, Jae Hee. Maybe Maru will give up his con man ways and help Eun Ki? He's a sucker for a damsel in distress.

How far can Jae Hee go? Plenty.. We're only halfway through, so Maru and Jae Hee have a lot more immoral schemes up their sleeves while dragging down sweet innocent Eun Ki along the way. I'm rooting for her to make Maru a nice guy.

Even Jae Gil got a nice haircut and a suit. He doesn't look like a bum anymore although he's still a creep. Jae Hee and Jae Gil make a perfect duo. She's a douche and he's a scum bag.He's into human trafficking?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

You meant Jae sik right? Not Jae Gil

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Also I know it's just a drama, and I shouldn't think too hard about the plot, but one of the biggest disappointments with Nice Guy is that EunGi started out so cool and now she's kind of pathetic. I STILL LOVE HER, and maybe she was always meant to show her vulnerability, but I don't like the way it's being played out. Why does Maru have to be rescuing the female characters all the time?? Why does Eungi need him so bad? I had kind of hoped she'd be the one to slap him out of his state of mind...and while I suspect that will still happen, it's happening in an I'll-regain-my-humanity-by-saving-you-multiple-times way. While she's just becoming an even more passive character than before the accident.

Oh wells, I'll just go back to turning off my brain while watching this drama.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Mmmhmmm, I like this.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Except Eun-gi isn't passive. Maru didn't stumble across her, she came to find him. And she came to find him because she's certain he will help her relearn everything she'd forgotten. (Okay, I'm not sure how exactly... a good luck charm? When things get frustrating give Maru a rub? ;) ) I mean, things could always take a turn for the worse, but at this point I really liked how assertive Eun-gi was.

It's a pathetic situation, but the way Eun-gi is handling it is pretty far from pathetic. (The way she kept rewriting Maru's name, pushing herself to get it right, instead of woe's-me-ing the fact she was getting it wrong.) Also, I think it's hopeful that Eun-gi is preparing herself for an attack. She's readying herself to get Tae Sun back, not merely hiding away to stay safe.

Again, things could go south story-wise, but as of right now I'm cautiously optimistic that a good story is being told. (The next two eps should tell us which way they're going. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sigh. Everyone is going to die, aren't they?

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh..the negativity..wouldn't it be nice if Eunki lives? :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Greets Juwon---

i'm afraid so. my guess is that the only left standing is the chairman's son, but this is after he learns mother is murderer and MaRu is his father and he gets placed in an orphanage in Siberia making mittens.

don't hold your breath for a HEA...it's looking grim.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Amazing recap! Thanks!
The last thing on my mind is worrying about plot holes! Since day 1 I believe everything was implausible enough!
I've been on a shitty love hate journey with MR so I won't complain no more after all the torturous first few episodes re this character, I kinda like this inhumane swindler as opposed to JH's pathetic puppet! But no doubt he's remorseful and in love (or halway?) And well our hero(seriously?) putting on his knighty armour doesn't bother me much this time round given he's out to save EG (or should I put it more precisely *out to love her* patiently waiting for the juicy moments I deserve) So however/whichever way it happens I'm onboard and not complaining as long as they keep me entertained with cuddly naughty scenes LOL I do need more of that explosive chemistry onscreen! And let's face it, they're the reason most of us are still here hanging on like besotted halfwits! Don't wanna waste my time and energy bickering. Besides my common sense has been put on hold since ep 1!
P.s- I think JH's brother is adorable, he's absolutely entertaining to watch. And mind ya I'm still not over the scene he punched EG's PA hahaha that was simply hilarious!! MR putting on his shades while tearing up had me rolling so hard ahahahaha NG <3

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

That actor is getting tons of great feedback from netizens. Saying his presence has tremendous...presence. Hahaha.

Naughties at Soompi have officially termed him "The Accidental Cupid." After all, he was the one who broke JH's spell over MR, and now is giving MR the chance to grasp that elusive light at the end of the tunnel. ^-*

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm loving Jae-gil more in the recent episodes!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

me too! I love how he took Choco's side when he was with Maru and then took Maru's side when he was with Choco! It's a cute and touching moment. He's like the glue that is holding the two siblings together.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Okay! First off, trivial things first. I love the new hairstyles galore! ;-D Amazingly adorable! Good job...classy way on how to take on time elapse.

Second trivia thing, Joon Ha, so sweet with the flowers, and yes, so handsome as always.

Now, some serious thoughts. At the onset, it's a bit Autumn's Concerto-esque (with Vaness), with Vaness starting out from scratch to learn everything with his amnesia. And then there's of course, rewind to a possible brain-surgery-or-else-will-die, but-with-surgery-risk-death. Still along Autumn's Concerto-ish plot. Surely, that epidural hematoma of will lead us to sadness, one way or another. Surely, for more drama, a better Eun Gi will be there with Maru to face it. Tragic.

More to my amnesia woes, for sure, as I've read on one of the comment, more heartbreak for EG and Maru when she recalls that car crash, that she was the one that went head on to Maru's car. Nothing good will actually come out with the rediscovery. So just maybe, is it possible for EG not to recover her memories (I know this is tragic too), but she gets better, smarter, back to her old self in terms of skills? A la The Vow, remember that Rachel's character actually didn't recover her old memories. But she created new ones with her One True love. ;-D Just maybe... But oh well, this is KDrama, Amnesia never stays. So yes, she will remember, one way or another. I wish it will be sooner.

On with Maru's messiah complex, I'm thinking that there's a lot more to Jae Gil's line of thinking, that after the accident, Maru turns for the worse (st). The thrill of revenge that prompted him to face life, all spiraled down. Because I believe with EG's disappearance, he thinks that she really died. He's that devastated! So just maybe, there is the love.

Oh well, it's starting to look a lot like Christmas, the weeks go by so fast, because Wednesdays and Thursdays are so so great.

P.S. It's long comment, excuse my passion. I'm thinking of doing a blog post to get my thoughts out, but my, I love the comment section of Dramabeans. I love reading everyone thoughts. Cheers! ;-D

Big Thanks, as always to HeadsNo2. ;-D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i really, really, really want to see some happy, falling-in-love episodes please show! and also, i would go with either what Sajen said: Maru and Jaehee will die, while Eungi will have a chance at happiness with Joonha (though k-dramas very rarely show that kind of ending with a second ship) OR Maru and Eungi will both die in the end (but not without having some real good romantic eps first of course)..well, that's if they really can't give us a happy ending with Maru and Eungi! Hey, a girl can dream, alright?! ^_^

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

20% of what?! Please don't kill Maru. Err, right, Eunki, why you have to get through these fucked up situation?! Writer, can we have a scene of happiness in the end or is it just another torturing melodrama till the end? Cause I'm already attracted to Eunki's charm :|

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Actually, I was good with those odds.
While MR jokes that with his luck he is prolly in the 20% who die, 80% chance of surviving a head injury? That's pretty good!!!
I think the writers are using the illness as a sword of Damocles to up the ante, but not setting us up to expect him to die. I think this because I want to think this!!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Lols. I tend to agree. After all, how can Writer Lee claim she's made a breakthrough with this script if it was the same-old?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like how you're thinking just -eh- because. :p

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

My take on MR being such a jerk to EG is; the 1st time its cuz he felt guilty for using her so effectively let her go (albeit not very nicely) at the beach. Then 2nd time its cuz he's a dying man anyways so he doesnt wanna burden her. Or u could also argue that dude's paid for his sins with her 'headbutting' his car already, he was willing to die anyways but since they both lived then they r even no?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It seems that Maru recognized and agonized over EK's vulnerability long before the accident. Clearly he felt like her deserved to be punished and therefore did not try to avoid the collision. Having survived he continues to blame himself, which is why he treats EK so cruelly. He sees himself as responsible for her sorry state and believes that he will only bring her more pain.

0
1
reply