Heart to Heart: Episode 14

by LollyPip

We’ve come a long way, and it’s Hong-do’s turn to be the strong one while Yi-seok falls apart. As his family does their best to blame everyone but themselves for his brother’s death, Yi-seok only has one person he truly blames, and that’s himself. The question is whether he can forgive himself in time to save his relationship with Hong-do… but one final secret will need to be uncovered before Yi-seok’s family can either heal, or be destroyed completely.

EPISODE 14 RECAP

Yi-seok and Hong-do walk down a pretty country lane hand-in-hand. They stop, and Yi-seok takes Hong-do’s face in his hands and whispers a soft, “I love you.” He leans in, and they kiss.

At Hong-do’s house, she tearfully stammers that she’s Young-ji, as Yi-seok and his mother stand stricken by what this means. Yi-seok can’t wrap his brain around this, and asks why she thinks she’s Young-ji when clearly, she’s Hong-do. He even accuses his mother of lying to her about who she is, desperate for any answer but the truth.

As Yi-seok’s mother explains that it’s true, Hong-do finds the photo of herself with young Yi-seok and his twin brother. She says the girl in the picture is her, and Yi-seok can only gasp, “No. No. You can’t be. No!” as he leaves the house, too overwhelmed to stay. His mother follows him out, leaving Hong-do alone.

Yi-seok goes straight home to confront his grandfather. He demands the truth of why Chairman Go is against his being with Hong-do, begging him to say there’s been a mistake. The chairman shows him the proof that their former housekeeper changed her granddaughter’s name from Young-ji to Hong-do, but poor Yi-seok is in such denial that he would rather believe the papers were forged in order to keep him and Hong-do apart.

Yi-seok even accuses Butler Ahn of forging the papers, and Ahn tells him truthfully that all he was doing was trying to find the real Oh Young-rae, and that this discovery was pure accident. Yi-seok begs him to help him prove that it’s not true, and even when Ahn shows him their own copies of the same photo, he tries to explain it away. If she were Young-ji, wouldn’t she have told him when he mentioned his brother’s death?

Alone at home, Hong-do talks to her grandmother and tells her that she’s told Yi-seok everything, and he’s gone now. She says that she hurt him, and wonders if she’ll ever see him again. Her face crumples as she tells her grandmother that she misses her.

Driving back to Hong-do’s house, Yi-seok recalls memories of little Young-ji, who’d adorably called him Oppa and followed him everywhere. Still in deep denial, Yi-seok dares Hong-do to show proof that she’s the same girl he knew as a child, and she says she remembers her grandmother calling her Young-ji. She even vaguely remembers playing at his house. Yi-seok asks bleakly why she never said anything, and she explains that she didn’t remember anything until she saw the photo.

This pokes another sore spot for Yi-seok, and he asks if this is why she and Doo-soo spent the night out. He’s understandably upset that she didn’t come to him first, and Hong-do cries that she was scared of what he’d do when he found out she was responsible for his brother’s death.

Finally accepting the truth, Yi-seok asks what Hong-do plans to do now — his brother’s death devastated his family, all because a child played with fire. Hong-do tries to turn away and he wrestles her back to face him. He screams that if she was that child, then it’s her fault that his brother dead, and that his entire family and his life were ruined. Okay, now that’s harsh.

Doo-soo shows Yang the fire department’s report of the fire, where it’s recorded that the fire was started by a match, but a scorched lighter was found at the scene. While Yang wonders out loud whom the lighter belonged to, Doo-soo gets a text from Se-ro and just walks away in the middle of Yang’s sentence, ha. Se-ro returns his laundered coat and wastes no time asking if he was with Hong-do when she was texting him.

Doo-soo admits that he was, and Se-ro tells him that she knows her brother’s death has something to do with Hong-do. She says sadly that nobody talks to her about it; she only knows what she’s gleaned from overhearing their conversations. Doo-soo asks if anyone in her family smokes or uses a lighter, but backs down when he realizes this isn’t the right time.

Se-ro leaves but hides a tiny grin when Doo-soo follows her outside, and half-fusses at him for acting concerned and giving her the wrong idea. He’s confused, and she tells him that he’s the type that gets girls’ hopes up, because he does things for her but tells her it doesn’t mean anything.

She sighs that even with all the bad things happening in her family, just a touch on the shoulder from him makes it all better, and he can’t quite hide a little smile at that. He insists that he just worries about her, and she calls him a player, which confuses the big lug even further.

The chairman sits Yi-seok’s mother down to ask what she plans to do now that Yi-seok knows everything, but they’re interrupted by Yi-seok himself, who goes straight for the liquor cabinet. He sits at the table with them, chugging scotch straight from the bottle (ouch) and asks angrily if they plan to go after Hong-do now.

His mother asks if he finally understands, because no matter how much he loves her, Hong-do did kill his brother. Yi-seok fires back that she must be happy now, to have someone to dump her own guilt onto. He wonders who they should really blame — Hong-do, who was only six? His brother, who was twelve? Or is it really the adults who are responsible?

He reminds his mother that she made them go out to play, because she and their father were arguing. His mother gets angry and his grandfather yells that this is why he wanted to keep things buried, and Yi-seok snaps. He screams that keeping things buried is what’s kept his family frozen in time for twenty-three years, but it didn’t make anything better.

Yi-seok looks at his mother and finally says the thing that’s haunted him all these years — he killed his brother. He hated Il-seok, and was jealous of him. He had purposely made sure that drum barrel was locked down so tight that Il-seok couldn’t get out. Mom covers her ears but Yi-seok accuses her of wishing he were the one that died instead. He leaves the room, walking right past Se-ro, who overheard everything as usual.

Yi-seok’s dad gets sloppy drunk and staggers into the chairman’s bedroom that night, barely able to stand up straight. The chairman tells him he shouldn’t come home for a while, and Yi-seok’s dad bursts into drunken tears. He feels guilty for not saving his son that day, because he didn’t know he was in the storeroom. No wonder this family is so broken — they all feel responsible.

Yi-seok goes to his apartment to drink in private, where he can’t stop thinking of his brother’s screams, unable to free himself because Yi-seok had put the barrel lid on so tightly. Se-ro comes to check on him and he apologizes to her, blaming himself for her lonely childhood. Se-ro just hugs him and says she loves him.

Worried, Se-ro goes to Doo-soo for help reaching Hong-do. He thinks that Yi-seok sent her, and instructs her to tell Yi-seok not to worry that Hong-do will retreat from the world again. Se-ro warns him that her brother won’t give up on Hong-do, and that she only needs his help taking care of Hong-do until Yi-seok recovers from his shock.

Butler Ahn goes to Hong-do’s house and tells her through the door that the chairman wants to talk to her. She meets him at the cafe, and he says he’d wanted to keep things buried because picking at the wounds is only hurting them all. Hong-do admits that she only remembers a little of the incident, and the chairman says it’s no use placing blame.

The chairman tells her that his family has had a weight on their hearts for years, and asks if they can stop carrying that weight now. He asks her to forget Yi-seok, and their family, and slides the fattest envelope of money I’ve ever seen at her.

Horrified, Hong-do slides the envelope back to him and says that she has no intention of holding onto Yi-seok, and offers to go far away where he’ll never find her. He says that he’s giving her the money so that he will feel better, and asks kindly if they can please never meet again.

Having been briefed on the situation by Butler Ahn, Dr. Uhm finds Yi-seok at his apartment late at night, and fusses at him for drinking so much. She asks him without preamble, what part of all this is hardest for him. Is he disgusted at himself for loving the person who killed his brother?

Yi-seok doesn’t answer, and instead asks if she thinks Hong-do’s fear issues are rooted in the fire incident. He worries that the accusations of people as she was driven away in a cop car, and having to change her name, scarred her terribly. He confesses that he was the one who was really responsible for Il-seok’s death, too wracked with guilt to even lift his head and look at Dr. Uhm.

He’s clearly beating himself up for killing his brother and letting Hong-do take the blame, and confesses that he closed that container so tightly because he wished he’d never have to see his brother again. He tells Dr. Uhm that he was jealous of Il-seok and hated him, but she reminds him that that’s normal for twelve-year-old boys. She tells him that he was just young, and that it’s okay to forgive his twelve-year-old self.

Butler Ahn convinces Hong-do to let him drive her home, because he has something to say. Contrary to everything Chairman Go said, Butler Ahn asks Hong-do not to give up on Yi-seok. He needs someone to hold onto him, because he’s had to deal with everything alone his whole life since his family was so wrapped up in their own grief.

Hong-do counters that it’s her fault that he had to endure all that in the first place, so she has no right to hold onto him. Butler Ahn assures her that Yi-seok won’t hold an event she doesn’t even remember against her. He tells her that he doesn’t think she’s at fault for anything, and that he thinks she and Yi-seok should be together.

Se-ro sits in the cold outside Hong-do’s house, determined to make sure that she’s okay. Doo-soo calls and tells her to call Yi-seok in case Hong-do is with him, but Se-ro says Yi-seok will worry if he finds out Hong-do isn’t home. Worried about her, Doo-soo tells Se-ro to wait in her warm car, but she points out that there’s nowhere to park here and orders him to go find Hong-do.

Hong-do is at Yi-seok’s office, remembering all the little moments of friendship and fun they shared there. Butler Ahn’s words to focus on Yi-seok echo in her mind, just as she finally gets a call from him. Their voices are both guarded as he asks where she is, and he says to stay put and he’ll meet her there.

Doo-soo calls Yi-seok next and asks him to meet, but Yi-seok tells him that he’s going to see Hong-do. He warns Doo-soo that they’re not going to break up (yay!) and hangs up on him, so Doo-soo takes Se-ro for some hot soup instead.

Se-ro says matter-of-factly that she supports her brother and Hong-do, and that she thinks Hong-do was just as much a victim of that fire as her family. She refuses to accept that they can’t be happy together now just because of a past tragedy, but Doo-soo says that others may not agree. Se-ro accuses Doo-soo of wanting them to break up, and they bicker like children. I love how off-balance Se-ro keeps Doo-soo.

Yi-seok finds Hong-do sitting in his chair, and she says she wants to counsel him for once. She asks about his symptoms and he admits that he can’t sleep, and she tells him to exercise which makes them both laugh a bit. Yi-seok sincerely apologizes for yelling at her, and says that he doesn’t hold her at fault. His expression is so open and earnest, it’s beautiful.

Hong-do sticks to her counselor act, and Yi-seok smiles that she reminds him of when she was Young-ji. He says he remembers her being really cheeky, and makes his old joke about how ugly she grew up to be. Turning serious again, Yi-seok says he thinks he blamed her because he was hurting, and that he was really angry with himself, and turned it on her.

Hong-do tells Yi-seok that she’s not going anywhere, and has no intention of leaving him unless he tells her to go. She promises to keep liking him more every day, and to cherish him more. Yi-seok finally smiles a genuine, relieved smile and tells her that she’s a good counselor.

The next day Yi-seok asks his grandfather to forgive Hong-do, because she was only a child when the accident happened. The chairman warns Yi-seok not to forgive too easily, and says he doesn’t feel even a tiny bit sorry for her. Yi-seok appeals to his compassion and refuses to give her up, but the chairman gets so worked up that his heart seizes again, and he collapses.

Dr. Uhm is happy to see Hong-do in Yi-seok’s office and offers her a piece of advice. She reveals that Yi-seok is weak to compliments because of his inferiority complex, and that flattering him is a good way to make him happy. She tells Hong-do not to be too hard on herself — even if things don’t work out with Yi-seok, there are other good men in the world. But after she leaves, Hong-do smiles to herself that there’s only one Go Yi-seok.

Chairman Go ends up in the hospital, his repeated cardiac episodes having finally caught up with him and weakened his heart. Yi-seok’s mother says that it all started twenty-three years ago, and that because of this, she and the chairman will never be able to accept Hong-do. She asks Yi-seok how he can possibly still be with Hong-do after doing this to his grandfather, and puts immense pressure on him to break up with her. That’s just… it’s sick, is what it is.

Se-ro wraps a day of filming her drama, but her car won’t start. Doo-soo calls her to find out how Yi-seok and Hong-do’s talk went, and he can tell from her voice that something’s wrong. He fixes her car while she tries to act cool, since he said she means nothing to him. A call from their housekeeper sends Se-ro rushing to the hospital, and damn, none of her family members even called her to tell her?

Yi-seok calls Hong-do and tells her that Chairman Go collapsed. He asks if they can really be together when it’s causing all this pain, saying that he can because he’s not nice, but that he knows she can’t. He starts to sob out loud, but catches his breath long enough to say that he can’t be with her. He says he’s sorry, and hangs up. Hong-do calls “Hello? Hello?” into the dead air, and Yi-seok slides to the ground, gasping over and over that he’s sorry.

Over the next few days, Hong-do goes to the clinic and keeps the place in order, watering the plants and cleaning. She finally gets a text from Yi-seok: “No matter how hard we try, there are mountains that we can’t cross. Next time, if we are born and meet again, then let’s not fall in love.” She walks home, finally accepting the breakup.

After taking his grandfather home from the hospital, Yi-seok literally takes to his bed at his apartment. His mother and Se-ro both visit, but he refuses to eat or get up, just lying unresponsive under the covers. At her own home, Hong-do tries to carry on with her life, but she’s blindsided by tears at unexpected moments. We hear Yi-seok leave his grandfather a voicemail, saying that he’s going to see Hong-do one last time, to say goodbye properly.

Chairman Go listens to the message, and tells Butler Ahn to just let it be, that in their family they cover up the things that should be covered. Butler Ahn says that he thinks he should tell Yi-seok who’s really at fault for Il-seok’s death, so that he can make his decision based on all the facts.

Yi-seok picks up Hong-do with flowers and a sweet, sad smile, and they hug wordlessly. They go for a walk, where Yi-seok tells Hong-do to forget everything and live her life proudly, and not to hide ever again. She promises to try, and in return asks him not to drink too much and to treat his family well, and get famous again so she can see him on television.

Yi-seok cups Hong-do’s face in his hands and kisses her, tells her he loves her, and kisses her one last time. He gives her a long hug, and turns to leave. As he goes, Hong-do breathlessly says, “I love you… I love you…” but she’s so quiet that he doesn’t hear her. She finds her voice and yells, “I love you!!”

Yi-seok stops, but he doesn’t turn around. He stands there for a long moment, so long that I just know he’s going to turn and go back to Hong-do. But instead, with a tear-filled expression that says this is the hardest thing he’ll ever do, Yi-seok walks away.

COMMENTS

Okay, I’m going to preface this by saying that I’m pretty much angry with everyone. Well, everyone in the Go family, anyway. I’ve really been trying to give the chairman and Mom the benefit of the doubt, because they suffered a great tragedy that I can’t imagine ever getting over. Not only did they lose a precious child, but it was the eldest son, the pride of the family and the child meant to carry on the family legacy. And not only that, but they lost him in an event so horrific and so painful, they’ve never really been able to recover from it. All of this is completely logical, and I can understand why they still feel the loss so deeply. I can understand how it affected the chairman’s health and Mom’s mental state, in such crippling and lasting ways.

However, I can’t understand why they still blame a tiny little girl with such hatred that they not only can’t forgive her, they actually actively try to ruin her life. When scaring her away doesn’t work, they try to pay her to leave. And when that fails, Mom resorts to emotional blackmail of her only surviving son to force him to break up with Hong-do out of guilt. I could understand not supporting their relationship over something that broke their family so completely. What I can’t understand is how a mother could use her son’s guilt over his brother’s death, and his grandfather’s failing health, to manipulate him into giving up the love of his life. It’s sick, and it’s wrong, and I’m angry as hell about it (deep breaths, it’s just a show).

But I think I’m even more angry with Yi-seok, for buying into the blackmail. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt for being every bit as broken, though in different ways, as his mother. But he’s a psychiatrist for pete’s sake; he should know better. As guilt-ridden as he must be, he should know that making such a decision while in the clutches of his grief is the wrong thing to do. No mental health professional anywhere would advise their patient to make major life decisions in such an emotional state, and he has access to other professionals who could have helped him through this, but he just decided on his own to go along with his mother’s guilt trip. He knows with all of his heart that Hong-do wasn’t to blame for what happened to his brother, and I believe that he also knows in his head that he’s not to blame, either. But he lets his mother, who he knows is mentally ill, convince him that the best thing is for him and Hong-do to never see each other again. I just want to smack him.

But there’s apparently one more family secret to be revealed, and though I have my suspicions as to who’s really responsible for starting that fire (::cough:: Dad ::cough::), what I know for sure is that it wasn’t Hong-do. If Yi-seok’s father is the one who started the fire, it would explain why Chairman Go is so single-mindedly fixated on covering everything up. His only son may be an epic screw-up, but their family could be ruined if it came out that he started the fire that killed his eldest child. And worse, if the truth comes to light — whatever it may be — and the world finds out that the Go family let an innocent child take the blame for Il-seok’s death, it really could be devastating for them, both socially and for their business. But it still doesn’t justify ruining a young girl’s life and letting her grow up afraid to face people or even leave her house because of her crippling fear of judgment.

I just hope that, whatever the truth is, it doesn’t destroy Yi-seok. He’s already so fragile, between thinking that his jealousy is what killed his brother, then having to grow up pretty much without a family, and now losing the only person who’s ever loved him completely for himself. If he finds out that his family hid such a huge secret, and let Hong-do take the fall for it, it should shatter him permanently. Thank goodness that the person who loves him also knows all about what it takes to heal after being shattered.

 
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