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Oh My Ghostess: Episode 1

Ha! The first episode of Oh My Ghostess is mostly setup, and since a lot of the setup was previously provided to us in the promo rounds, you could say there aren’t too many narrative surprises. But the first episode still pulls out a quirky, interesting mix of humor and introspectiveness, with characters who stir immediate pathos. I’m enjoying the obvious cute appeal of the wacky premise—lusty ghost possesses timid girl and sparks romance with her crush—but it’s far more gratifying to see that the story (and this director and writer team) is full of poignancy, with heartfelt pangs to balance out the comic antics that are on their way.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Sung Shi-kyung – “오 나의 여신님” (Oh my goddess). This is the song that plays in my head every time I think about this drama, with “ghostess” filling in for “goddess.” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

It’s nighttime in Seoul, and our heroine walks sleepily down the street and passes an ambulance. We’ll meet her a bit later, and for now we follow the ambulance to the hospital, where the medics tend to yet another twentysomething young man found passed out in a club, body cold, just moments after being with a beautiful woman.

The doctors wonder if there’s a virus afoot, or maybe a drug making the rounds. The police are just as baffled, because there’s no connection between the ladies or the cases. One scoffs, “What’s going on? It’s hardly a ghost. Or… is it a ghost?”

Out on the street, a beautiful young woman watches an ambulance go by and whines that the makeout session was nice while it lasted, which wasn’t long enough. Then her body lurches as a spirit leaves her body, leaving the woman confused.

The ghost continues on her way, her form passing through everyone she contacts, flowers shriveling black in her wake. But then our sleepy heroine crosses the ghost’s path—she steps aside so as not to hit her, bowing apologetically before moving on.

The ghost wonders, “You… see me?”

Lunchtime in Seoul. A radio host comments on ways to beat the heat, one of which is to see a scary horror movie (for the chills). She says ghosts aren’t only found in abandoned houses wearing nightgowns, but may be among us in the everyday world…

A group of office employees head out to lunch, debating what to eat. Our friendly ghost, SHIN SOON-AE (Kim Seul-gi), clamors for Korean food, pouting when they walk through her and move on. In a huff, she hisses at a passing lady, who only feels the blast of cold air.

Soon-ae explains to us that she’s a maiden ghost, and dying a maiden felt so unfair that she wanders the earth rather than moving on. Soon-ae asks for a little understanding—she may be known as a cranky, lustful ghost, but she’s really a pitiful, lonely soul.

She notices a baby sitting in a stroller nearby gurgling happily at her—it can see her. Soon-ae coos at it playfully, calling him cute, then sees a basketball bouncing over from the nearby court straight for the child. She throws up a hand, and the ball bounces off it in the other direction. Even she looks surprised.

Moving on, we arrive at Sun Restaurant and meet some of the assistant cooks. No need to introduce everyone just yet, though there’s a tongue-in-cheek joke about baby-faced sous chef MIN-SOO being mistaken for a high schooler (actor Kang Ki-young was in this director’s last drama, High School King of Savvy).

The cooks smell something burning and rush outside, where the youngest of the assistant cooks, NA BONG-SUN (Park Bo-young), has dozed and let the sauce burn. Sous chef Min-soo seems to get a kick out of bossing all the assistants around and scolds Bong-sun like it’s his restaurant, but he sure shuts up fast when the real boss appears.

He’s KANG SUN-WOO (Jo Jung-seok), and he pulls aside both Bong-sun and Min-soo for a scolding: Bong-sun for her mistake, and Min-soo for leaving his sauce to her. Bong-sun ekes out a few mortified apologies, but Chef Sun-woo hardly even hears her, directing his comments solely at Min-soo. He won’t even look at her.

Despite the fresh scolding, Bong-sun keeps nodding off as she cleans the sauce pot and tries to keep herself awake. Just then a dark ghostly shadow floats by, and she seizes up in fear. She starts rattling off the Lord’s Prayer as a blackened hand lands on her shoulder, but thankfully it disappears. Bong-sun sighs in relief.

Her grandmother calls to ask if she’s sleeping well, and whether the ghosts are still bothering her. Bong-sun blinks back tears as she lies, saying that they’re not around much these days, and Grandma says it’s a relief—she doesn’t want Bong-sun to have to be a shaman like her.

Sun-woo has an easygoing relationship with his sister, EUN-HEE (Shin Hae-sun), who is wheelchair-bound and also works at the restaurant. She mentions that Sun-woo is oddly only tough on two women, and when he’s mean to Bong-sun, it makes her shrink back even more. Sun-woo grumbles that he just doesn’t like her, and wonders who the other woman is just as Mom steps inside the door and answers that question.

Sun-woo mumbles at Mom (Shin Eun-kyung) to not come by the restaurant; she seems like the well-meaning but super-nosy type. Also superstitious—she thrusts yet another talisman at him, insisting he take it to repel bad spirits, despite Sun-woo’s protests about not believing in ghosts.

At a funeral, Soon-ae joins a table of other ghosts as they partake of the food left out for the deceased. But she’s an outcast among them, and one snappish ghost takes swipes at Soon-ae for supposedly having amnesia and for mooching off other ghosts’ funeral food because she has none of her own. Furthermore, Soon-ae’s violating the rules by possessing people, and the higher-ups don’t like it.

The fight starts to escalate, but the arrival of an older woman makes the ghosts scatter, except Soon-ae who doesn’t notice in time. The woman is human, and although talking to a ghost makes the other people look at her like she’s crazy, ghost-seeing ajumma is too fixated on catching Soon-ae to care.

Soon-ae bolts out into the street and onto a bus, but the ghost-seeing ajumma follows doggedly until she loses Soon-ae in a crowd. That’s because Soon-ae spies a hiding place and hops into a young woman’s body.

That’s when Sun-woo arrives—this is the broadcast station and he’s meeting a PD friend—and as he brushes past Soon-ae’s host, Soon-ae gets knocked out of the body and can’t get back in. Ajumma grabs her and drags her away, never mind that she looks like a nut to everyone around them.

Ah, Sun-woo discovers his mother’s ghost-repelling talisman in his pocket, which he tosses away. He’s here because LEE SO-HYUNG (Park Jung-ah) is putting together a cooking competition program and wants Sun-woo to be on it, saying he can compete with his rival, Marco. Not tempted, Sun-woo turns her down.

The shaman drags Soon-ae home, chiding her for her possession-seduction antics and saying that she won’t find a man who can match his yang energy to her ghostly yin. Soon-ae says the shaman mentioned there might be such a man, and even if he’s one in a million, she has to try to find him—after she hits her three-year mark of being a ghost, she turns into a malevolent ghost. So, she has to resolve her lingering grudge and leave the earth before she turns.

The shaman tells her the way to do that is to come to terms with her resentments and move on. Worst yet, the shaman worries that Soon-ae will encounter a body whose frequency matches hers perfectly—and if she enters that host, she might get trapped inside. Soon-ae sees the shaman’s worried tears and says it’s nice to know that “unni” cares. And it’s nice to have someone to talk to.

Shaman Unni cries and hugs her in sympathy… and then pulls back cackling, because she snuck a bell necklace around Soon-ae’s neck. HA, it’s like a cat collar to keep track of her, though Unni’s the only one who can hear it or take it off.

It’s dinner service time at Sun Restaurant, where Sun-woo runs a tight ship. Service is bustling but controlled, everyone preparing pasta under his careful eye.

Shaman Unni tries to sit down to some prayers, but Soon-ae purposely dances around to make her bell collar ring extra-loud. Annoyed, Unni smacks her upside the head—and across town, Soon-ae’s yelp rings in Bong-sun’s ear.

After the restaurant closes, the assistant cooks prepare to head out, changing in the locker room and forcing Bong-sun to hang back until they’re done. Whiny sous chef Min-soo continues his constant complaining about the boss, grumbling that he treats his sister way better than any of them. The guys point out that she’s a special case, paralyzed by a hit and run, and Min-soo tactlessly says that at least God gave her a good brother and husband to make up for it.

That comment makes everyone shoot him looks, in particular the young Cordon Bleu-trained SEO JOON (Kwak Shi-yang), whom Min-soo dislikes for being uppity. (Though I suspect it’s more because Joon makes him insecure.)

As the boys file out, Joon pauses to tell Bong-sun she can come out now, having known she was waiting. Aw, he’s the silently thoughtful type. He’s going to make my heart hurt (again), isn’t he?

Bong-sun is the last to leave, and trudges home to a gosiwon, a barebones type of boardinghouse housing mostly students. The rooms are tiny and the kitchen is a shared space, so when she practices cooking late at night, a resident complains of the noise. She hangs her head and apologizes.

She cooks up a cabbage porridge and uploads photos and a recipe to a blog, where she explains Grandma cooking the soothing dish for her as a child.

At the restaurant, a shrill food blogger insists that Bong-sun reheat her dish, despite caution that it’ll ruin the noodles. She lets her boy run around unchecked, and when he runs into Bong-sun and makes her spill the hot food on herself, she screams at Bong-sun for being careless and almost burning her boy, never mind that Bong-sun’s hand is now burned.

Sun-woo steps in and chides the boy for running around, and when the mom flips out, he says pleasantly that just as she’s upset that he’s scolding her child, he’s upset that she’s scolding his employee. Then wheelchair-bound Eun-hee tries to calm the situation, and Blogger Mom snaps, “There’s nobody normal in this place.”

The place goes silent and everyone puts on their Oh no she di’n’t face, and the next thing you know Sun-woo is forcibly pushing her out his restaurant. Bong-sun keeps apologizing to the mother and to Sun-woo, and he tells her plainly that it’s this attitude he hates from her. She’s always apologizing regardless of wrongdoing, and taking the blame for everything doesn’t actually make her a nice person—it makes everyone else feel bad.

She apologizes again, and he sighs. The kitchen is a battleground, he says, and only the tough can stay in it. He advises her to rethink this career, rather than sticking around stubbornly and being a nuisance to others.

Little Sis Eun-hee says it’s not Bong-sun’s fault and being nice isn’t a crime, but Sun-woo retorts that it is. Then he gets a text message alerting him to a junior high school reunion, which he deletes.

A flashback to his teen years shows us why: Teenage Sun-woo is the nice guy, always getting pushed around by his peers. He arrives home to an empty house and a note from his mother to order takeout for his birthday dinner. Clearly he knows a lot about being the pushover, though that doesn’t make it any easier to be Bong-sun, who holds back tears and shrinks out of sight when Sun-woo passes.

At a small restaurant, a kindly police officer settles his bill before heading over to Sun Restaurant. He’s CHOI SUNG-JAE (Im Joo-hwan), Eun-hee’s doting husband and Sun-woo’s brother-in-law.

Sun-woo heads over to a new restaurant that’s being opened by a friend, and gives his stamp of approval on the food (though in a backhanded way, of course, since he’s the “god” and the others are mere mortals). He makes his friends groan with his spouting of platitudes, like how the plate doesn’t merely hold food, but also your face (reputation).

Bong-sun arrives home, and the first thing she does is light candles and incense to ward off spirits, though she immediately blows them out when her landlord drops by. But he’s had enough of her weirdness, which includes the crosses and talismans stuck to her walls, and tells her to move out.

Bong-sun pulls out her scrapbook and flips through the various recipes and stories pasted inside, a large number of them news articles of Sun-woo, which she’s decorated with hearts. Thinking of his advice to reconsider this career, she tears out a blank page and starts to write a note.

A sophisticated woman joins Sun-woo’s gathering, and her arrival makes him tense, though it sounds like they’re meeting for the first time. She’s a rich heiress and asks for him to cater a party for her, calling her friends his fans. Sun-woo accepts the compliment but declines the job and makes a hasty exit, and tells his friend not to be too friendly with her. He doesn’t explain, but his concern seems genuine.

Sun-woo’s excuse for leaving sounds like a date, but turns out to be a trip to the fish market, where he’s on great terms with all of the ajummas, charming them as he shops.

Bong-sun returns to the restaurant late that night with a letter in hand, which she leaves at the hostess stand—it must be her resignation. Sun-woo arrives just then with his fresh purchases, and she mumbles an incoherent explanation for why she’s here.

Sun-woo heads home, and the first thing he does as he settles in is google himself. LOL. He’s number 3 on the search engine lists, which he notes with disappointment—he’s dropped behind Marco, his chef rival. Sun-woo grumbles that Marco got bitten by the fame bug, posting pictures of himself with celebrities rather than relying purely on skill.

He clicks over to a different site—Bong-sun’s blog titled “You Are My Sunshine.” He likes the blogger’s motto (“The little happinesses in life, dreaming of a warm dinner table”) and approves of her cabbage dish, able to sense her love of cooking through the screen. He even writes a comment for “Sunshine-nim,” noting that her dishes taste of happiness: “I am your fan. Fighting!”

Bong-sun stands outside the restaurant, thinking her last goodbyes. She admits that Sun-woo was right, and that there’s a difference between the things you want to do and the things you can do. She adds one last thought that she couldn’t write in her letter: “I learned something thanks to you, Chef. People’s feelings are like a cold, so once they begin, no matter how hard you try not to be ill, you have to go through the pain until it ends.”

We see how Bong-sun was welcomed to the fold on her first day, and how her feelings gradually grew the more she saw of Sun-woo, whether he was helping her to chop vegetables or yelling for subpar work.

Her narration continues: “I wanted to become a chef like you. Thanks to you I felt butterflies, and thanks to you I was happy, and thanks to you I felt pain, and felt pain, and felt more pain. Now that I’ve been ill enough, I’m leaving. Sun was like a nest for me, and the world may shove me out again, but I’ll leave now. Goodbye, Chef.”

Bong-sun bows goodbye and walks away.

The assistants find her letter in the morning, and Sun-woo sighs that she probably didn’t have it in her to say her goodbyes in person. But a more pressing concern arises: They realize she probably accidentally took a storage key that has disappeared. She’s not picking up her phone, it’ll take time to get a replacement made, and they’re set to open soon. Sun-woo tells them to keep calling her while they figure out a workaround.

Bong-sun is out looking for a new place to live, glumly realizing they’re all too expensive. She doesn’t answer the cook’s call, likely thinking it’s to ask about her quitting. Suddenly she hears a voice ringing loudly in her ear, and she clutches her aching head.

It’s our lonely ghost Soon-ae, stuck inside the shaman’s house, wailing, “I’m booooooooooored!” She whines to be let go and promises to live quietly, but concedes to the shaman unni that she wouldn’t believe her own words either. But when a food deliveryman arrives, the unni is distracted for a second before realizing the ghost has bolted.

The shaman chases Soon-ae through the streets, and Soon-ae pauses at the bus stop and spies a likely host. It’s Bong-sun, sleepy as usual, and she glows extra-brightly in Soon-ae’s eyes. Soon-ae jumps inside.

Now in possession of the body, Soon-ae tries to look as innocent as possible when shaman unni runs by—and just her luck, that’s when assistant cook Joon spots her while riding by on his motorcycle. He orders her to get on, and they zoom off together.

Soon-ae is totally confused as Joon pulls her inside the restaurant, and she blinks up at the frazzled staff. Sun-woo holds out his hand for the key, and without any other clues, Soon-ae just shakes the hand, saying in banmal, “Glad to meet you.”

Impatiently, he demands the key, and when she makes no move, he starts to pat her down for it. Soon-ae reacts swiftly—twisting his arms and throwing him to the ground.

 
COMMENTS

Just because Oh My Ghostess sounded like a winner on paper doesn’t mean it would be, so I was tempering my expectations of the drama in case the ingredients (proven PD-writer team, great actors, hilarious plot) somehow didn’t meld together the right way. And the first episode did turn out slightly different from what I’d anticipated, by being less zany and a little more moody. I do expect that to pick up swiftly now that the body-possession has happened, and just looking at the previews for the next episode has me jealous of all the hilarity girlfriday gets to cover.

But the moodiness isn’t a turn-off, because it allowed us to get right in our characters’ hearts—we only have the barest glimpses of who they are yet, but the drama gave us that hook into the three main characters and what makes them sympathetic, even pity-stirring, characters. Particularly the ghost Soon-ae, who could easily have been played only for comedy, especially when you have Kim Seul-gi being a riot.

I love that Kim doesn’t play Soon-ae as just the boy-crazy wild card; she makes Soon-ae lonely and aimless, seeking roots that she can’t find because, for whatever inexplicable reason, she doesn’t even know who she is. What’s more tragic than a ghost doomed to wander the earth because of an unresolved grudge? A ghost who doesn’t even know what her unresolved grudge is.

The description of Bong-sun had me a bit worried, because as we’ve seen with so many dramaland heroines and Candys, doormats are no fun. Especially the “good” ones who suffer quietly, enduring rather than pushing back or asserting themselves. They’re often frustrating, or worse, dramatically boring. So I like that Bong-sun feels sympathetic but not aggravating; it probably helps that her timidity is presented as her biggest flaw rather than a noble virtue. She also feels like a complete person with a fully fleshed-out inner life, making it all the more poignant that she can’t express any of that outwardly.

It’s interesting to see how Sun-woo is actually presented as similar to Bong-sun, and the reason he feels such antipathy is because he identifies too much with her. It’s frustrating for him to watch her hang her head and shuffle by, because he knows what that feels like but he can’t force her to change. It gives me hope for the connection to grow between them, because I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a guy falling for a girl when she starts pursuing him, if previously he barely ever acknowledged her. But it was sweet that he could see her come out in her recipe and her writing, and that he liked the part of her she can’t express when she’s there in person. It gives me hope that he would like her even without the ghostly kickstart, if only she could find a way to be her real self around him.

I’m curious to see how the drama will play out the possession, because if Soon-ae remains in the host body, how will we get to connect with Bong-sun? Perhaps there are rules limiting how much time she can spend in the body, or periodic separations between the two? The show has established that there’s a certain bond between them—their “frequencies” aligning perfectly—but I do also want to see them developing side-by-side. What stirs me the most is that these are lonely souls, Sun-woo included, and really all anybody wants is a feeling of connection. That the possession comes with comic shenanigans is just icing on the cake.

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OMG thank you thank you thank you!!!!! <3

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This sounds like it is going to be a fun ride. Thank you Java!

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The female lead is walking around like a zombie from lack of sleep. All she ever says is "Chaesongmida", and repeats it ad infinitum, which doesn't make her interesting. But that's just setup to show us how different she'll be once possessed.

Can't wait for her to act like the fiery virgin ghost! Just Imagine her among All those ab-by young men in various stages of undress in the locker room every day. Plus how handsy is she gonna be with our handsome chef?

And the shawoman really has her work cut out for her with this runaway. This looks so promising in more ways than one.

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Notice how slooooowly Kwak Shi Yang and Choi Min Chul put on their shirts in order to show their six packs for as long as possible. And to that I say, "THANK YOU!" :P

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Thank you for the recap! I couldnt find this drama on viki so i was worried i wouldnt be able to watch it...the first episode certainly looks interesting

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myasiantv.com already has the english sub... enjoy

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A little correction-myasiantv is just a streaming site who borrows subs of other subber without giving any credit.Dramacurse has is exclusive right for this drama and they are the one who released the sub.For the same reason Viki doesn't have it.

I have seen to so many fansubber regretting about streaming sites stealing their sub without credit and people actually believing those sites are making the subs that I'm trying to inform other whenever I have the chance so that they can be grateful to the right people.

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@Narina

Hello Narina, I just wanted to say I tried to find the page you mentioned, Dramacurse, but I couldn't find it. Perhaps it was a typo? Which is the site you actually used? I used myasiantv if I can't find subs anywhere, but I'd like to give support to the actual subbers if I can.

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I believe Dramacurse is a euphemism for DramaFever. They have exclusive rights.

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@Narina I think most drama watchers are aware that sites like MyAsianTV and Gooddrama etc. do not sub it themselves. However, a lot of fans (including me) are located in countries not authorised to stream from the licensed subbers' sites due to geographic restrictions. I would happily pay if DramaFever or Viki would allow me access from Australia.

Also, Dramacurse doesn't seem to come up as a search result in Google? I'm only aware of DF and Viki being licensed subbers for K dramas.

But anyway, in light of my access restrictions, my preference is MyAsianTV because they tend to link/upload the fastest aside from the original subber.

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Hey fellow Aussie I totally agree with you. Living in New Zealand means you have access to hardly anything lol It'd be amazing if I could pay to have access, but unfortunatey that is not the case. So yep MyAsianTV is also my choice.

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I would watch it on Dramafever if it were available in my country, but it's not. So I have no choice but to watch it on another streaming site.

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'Dramacurse' or 'dramaflu' is the sarcastic nickname of 'dramafever'

And you all misunderstood my words dear.I didn't ask you to watch dramas on Viki or DF.They are not available in my country either[and even if they were,I'd choose Viki over DF due my personal grudge against it].

I only wanted to let you know about who the actual subbers are because,whenever I've visited other streaming sites,I've read countless comments like 'thank you for subbing the drama [insert the name of the site] or 'why aren't you subbing faster?'' or 'please release the sub and video together because I love your subs' etc.

I know most devoted fans know who the actual subbers are but there are also many who don't.I've seen some of my fav jdrama subbers lamenting specially in twitter about their subs being taken by streaming sites without asking permission and even removing the subber's name and claim it as their own.So, as I said above, I just try to correct people whenever it seems to that they might not know who the actual subbers are that's all.

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Just like the other above three commenters, I use streaming sites because DF and Viki are just not available in my country.

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I saw your comment below referring to Drama Fever (aka, Dramacurse/dramaflu) and since I could not reply to your reply below, I'm asking my question here: don't wish to start a feud or create a battleground, but am sincerely asking your thoughts on Dramafever...may I please know the reasons for your antipathy? As a former linguist (German, Italian, some Russian---"former", because if you don't use them, you lose them) I have reason to think some of the subs are under par and maybe incompletely gisted (and don't get me started on verb tenses and noun/verb matching in English!). I am seriously thinking of studying Hangul so I can listen to the original, but need to figure out two things first: if I have that level of commitment and if so, the best way to go about learning. Sorry, I didn't intend for this to be about me, but since I sincerely love Korean dramas and want to learn whatever I can, please forgive the "me" stuff and respond if you can. And yes, Oh My Ghostess looks like a winner---hope they don't mess it up and please, No Amnesia!

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Make that "above" as to where your (Narina's) comment is

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DramaFever has it.

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The Good thing is that I didn't watch the trailers and I like it :)

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I gonna wait till the fourth episode then start...^^ I hope it's good

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Why wait its worth a watch

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I've been waiting for this since the subs are not yet out! Thank you JB!!!

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myasiantv.com already has ep 1 with eng sub

enjoy :)

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Thanks! I watched it there without subs, that's how excited I was and I guess the real action starts tonight! I cant wait for tomorrow!! HAHA

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Love the sound of this one! Thank you for re-capping, Javabeans!

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@namedx

Oh, hello there! I just remembered you from the Healer frenzy over at its recaps. Good to see you! Don't know if you remember me, but I still remember you replying to a comment of mine back at the Healer pages.

Have you already seen this first episode? I have to wait for a couple more weeks to see it due to personal reasons, but I'm planning on seeing this along with I Remember You, The Time I Loved You, and High Society.

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Well thanks JB for recaping this .... I really love this drama, it's like Master's Sun 2 :) . I generally like dramas from ep 2 or 3 but it's first episode was so nice. I think I found a drama worth of waiting for every week. I liked all three actors :)

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Aside from the whole "ghost" (and ghost-seeing/hearing) aspect - not so much.

The personal interactions and dialogue is so much more reality-based than "Master's Sun" - which in true Hong sisters style would all too often go off deep into makjang-land.

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ARAANNNG!!!

She doesn't have Shin Mina's looks, but she's lively and fun.

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Love it. Kim Seul Gi -- I pledge allegiance to that girl. She is the best. The shaman's fake (real) crying got me. One person in this world who genuinely cares about her. Their relationship is a riot. I'm already bracing myself for the water fountain of tears when Soon Ae has to leave.

Bong Sun hiding her tears from her grandmother really got me. She is so lonely and unhappy, it breaks my heart. Not only is she forbidden to light incense in her room, the landlord even kicks her out. I can't wait until Bong Sun and Soon Ae become BFFs and have someone to lean on at last.

Kwak Shi Yang is so good-looking, I find myself rooting for Bong Sun to end up with him, more so after learning Sung Jae is married. I always figured Im Joo Hwan was the other leg in their love triangle. But I'm confident Sun Woo will win me over.

Foodie Mom made me livid. Even before her prejudice against the disabled. I cannot stand kids running amok at restaurants. It makes me want to scream, "Control your damn kids!" I'm so glad Sun Woo stepped in and defended Bong Sun.

Thanks the recap, javabeans! I have a feeling Oh My Ghostess is going to be a real winner.

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I love Kim Seul-gi to bits too! Im her bitch forever and ever.

Also, i know she's a ghost and all (or is she really?), but can she have her own epic loveline pretty please? Im really really hoping that she's just a wandering soul detached from her very alive (probably comatose) body located in a hospital somewhere.

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Yeah, terrible moms piss me off. Also the reasoning that "kids will be kids". As if they're stupid little things who cannot understand or follow reasonable instructions.

I can take a kid screaming once or running about once, but not a kid screaming his head off and running laps around a damned dangerous place like a restaurant with him mom/dad pretending she/he were on a deserted Bahamian beach.

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I only hope we get a clear understanding of who he likes, the girl or the ghost possessing the girl's body. I'm tired of the writers just telling audience that he likes this girl because we said so (cough WAY 2015 cough). At least, we know that Sun Woo did connect to her beforehand... that's a good sign.

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If he likes the ghost possessing the girl’s body, this show is headed down melo-territory, since they can never be together and she will eventually have to leave this world.

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@An

I had the same issue with this setup. Who will he really like- the girl, or who she's possessed by? It would be nice if he noticed her because of the person she's possessed by and then falls in love with the girl herself and not the ghost. I'm hoping they explain it, and show the love story between our two main characters in a sensible, logical manner.

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I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about this! I generally enjoyed the first episode but this potential problem did catch my attention!

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It's a valid concern to have, but I'm going to be optimistic.

For one, he already likes her – he's a fan of her cooking blog. So there's something that connects them already, and, both being cooks to whom it seems food means the world (this guy is happen to turn out a well-paying gig with the chaebol woman and to turn away an influential blogger because money and reputation after the food itself).

Two, it seems from the first episode that when the ghost possesses the body, there's no overlap: the ghost doesn't know anything of the person that she is possessing, and the person possessed seems to have "gone" (and I'm going to presume, afterwards will remember nothing). This means there should be two very different personas that we'll see Park Bo-young as. I don't expect that the ghost will be possessing Bong-sun for the full 15 episodes to come – maybe for several episodes, or flitting in and out of the body until Bong-sun realises what's going on and learns how to resist being possessed. Being possessed could be what gets everyone to notice Bong-sun (they barely see her now – I bet none of them has ever tried her cooking), but hopefully it'll be in the non-possessed moments where Sun-woo will start to bond with her Bong-sun.

I quite like that our characters already know each other. It's not that they've got a friendship basis, but they've got some sort of familiarity with each other and just need to get closer. That's much better than any of those fated encounters we get in so many dramas.

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<both being cooks to whom it seems food means the world (this guy is happen to turn out a well-paying gig with the chaebol woman and to turn away an influential blogger because money and reputation after the food itself)

... sorry, the end of the sentence is missing her. Add "and that's a really important thing to share".

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haha it seems like a lot of us have the same concerns. i agree with your points though, i want to stay hopeful. although i'm a bit worried because i remember how he looked really charmed by her as she was coming on to him, asking about "doing it" in the teaser....and i feel that her change in personality is what's going to bring them closer. but then there was that other teaser where she says she's not ready when he leans in for a kiss, which is truer to her current personality + your two points above.

i didn't watch big, but i read some of the recaps and i hope it won't end up like that- where the main character is the most appealing (to the love interest and ultimately the audience) because of the person inside, instead of the actual person-_-;; although i quite like bong-sun's character as she is now, as in, i find her realistic and sympathetic. even though of course i'm looking forward to the shenanigans that will ensue from this episode onwards~

but i love the cast and this first episode was really good, so i have faith that the drama will deal with these issues skillfully^^

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I like Bong-sun's character as it is now too – but I think there's room for her to grow as a person. She's a sweet girl and doesn't need to change who she is at heart, but she could immensely benefit from gaining a bit of confidence and not always apologising, including when she's clearly not at fault.

I'm hoping that when people start noticing her more when she's possessed, they'll start giving her a bit more respect – which could lead to her gaining confidence and making friends. She seems completely alone now, with no one to turn to (other than her grandma, and even to her she doesn't reveal her true feelings). Gaining confidence is also what she needs to make her dream come true, because restaurant kitchens are indeed a battlefield.

I also wonder what makes Bong-sun so meek – I wonder if something happened to her in the past that would explain why she's constantly apologising. If she's got some sort of "past" that affects her until now, this is exactly what would make the drama more than just a rom-com, but give it the depth to also touch heart.

Fingers crossed it'll be good!

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yes, that's true. the girl she possessed at the very beginning didn't seem to remember being possessed, but i hope that because of bong-sun's special abilities, she'll develop a special relationship with the ghost and grow together.

i thought her meekness largely stems from always being so sleep deprived and afraid because of the ghosts that she sees...but perhaps there's something more. i'm also wondering if actually, her real personality that's buried underneath her timidity/shyness is close to that of the ghost's- which would explain the frequencies bit nicely instead of it just meaning that she has a sixth sense. i hope that's the case though! even though it might blur the lines even further as to which girl he'll actually be falling for, maybe, but somehow it seems better this way than him falling for someone with an opposite personality.

i wonder if the drama will also veer a bit into social commentary about gender in the restaurant business (ex. cooking as feminine when domestic but largely male-dominated in the professional sphere). but maybe it's a bit much to expect from what seems like is going to be a light, witty rom-com for the most part. i guess i just automatically connected it a bit with mondai no aru restaurant (a jdrama about restaurants and feminism, with an amazing scriptwriter & cast- my absolute favorite of that season). even if it doesn't though, i'll be a bit disappointed but probably still fully enjoy this drama, so hopefully it'll maintain its high quality to the very end!

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actually nvm, they did actually touch on it a bit, didn't they? with the dressing room scene, how she's alienated from the rest of them, how she's the only woman, relegated to only the most basic tasks, and with him telling her to reconsider her career. although they make it more about her personality than her gender at this point but. i really like when female characters break gender stereotypes so i'm looking forward to her making the moves on all that she deems "eye candy" and all the other bizarre antics that will most likely ensue(- -)b

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i think there might be more to her meekness... remember, people bump into her on the street and she apologises. Which, I would do too – but out of politeness – but with Bong-sun I'm getting the feeling it's because she really feels it's her fault. I don't know... we'll see.

Not sure whether they'll touch on the issue of gender in the kitchen. I did cringe at Sun-woo telling Bong-sun to put cream on her burned hand because "girls shouldn't have burn scars". No, women aren't there to be pretty for you... those are her kitchen battle scars! (Of course, it might reflect his social awkwardness – his only way to express concern – so I won't judge his character to harshly yet, but it was a bit lame of the drama writers to fall back on this sort of thing. He could have just said "Put cream on, I don't want your injuries to affect my kitchen!" or something similar...)

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Thank you for the recap!!.. I didn't feel like watching the first episode . So its great that I can just read the plot here and continue with the series from next week . Hope it will be as great as it seemed in the promo

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I loved the first episode! I found it hilarious and it drew me in, I already like all the characters. I have high expectations after watching this one, hoping for the best. Please don't disappoint!!!
Thanks for the recap :)

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Yay! It's being recapped - thank you! Usually i don't like first episodes, but this one wasn't bad. Defitnetly Kim Seul-gi's portrayal of the wandering soul was entertaining and made the 1st ep fun to watch.

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Good first episode, not as zippy as i expected it to be but after Seul Gi finally possessed Bo Young the fun should start. I'm trusting the actors and the writers of this show.

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Personally I loved the first episode. I was a bit confussed though because I thought Im Ju-hwan was going to be Jo Jung-suk's rival for Park Bo-young but he's already married to Jo Jung-suk's sister.

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I'm thinking Im Ju-hwan's character might be a person that Soon Ae's she can't remember from when she was alive. In the preview she does say she feels like she knows him and his role is suppose to be more on the second lead level

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From what the shaman said, if they are perfectly attuned, she will be stuck in the body forever.

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OMG It's so adorable! Jo jung Seok though. Kyaaaa he's so handsome like how am I supposed to focus, man?! He became extra good looking since I last saw him in a drama. I like it so far and yes, Kim Seul Gi is a riot! I actually forgot that this show is airing but I'm happy to have something to watch again. Here's to hoping this won't disappoint! /crosses fingers

Thanks for the recaps, javabeans!

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The moment when I realized Bong-sun and Sun-woo are actually fans of each other - that was so cute it gives me life :D Can't wait to see Sun-woo discovering this.

I also like the moments when they were all busy in the kitchen and when Sun-woo went around in the market. Moments of life.

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<when Sun-woo went around in the market

I also liked this because it reveals a lot about his character. Although he seems to be full of himself (praising himself & checking his rankings), when you look a bit closer, it's clear he's not into being a celebrity chef, he isn't seeking reputation (throws out the blogger) or money (turns down the chaebol woman whose gig would have not only earned him a good chunk of money and lots of wealthy future customers at his restaurant) but he's into FOOD, in its rawest form. He's a bit lacking socially (doesn't socialise with his staff) but when others think he's meeting a woman he's drinking non-gourmet coffee and chatting with fish ahjummas. He even reads random cooking blogs (I'm sure Bong-sun's blog isn't super popular – like the arrogant photographer lady's – but an obscure gem that only the lucky stumble across).

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What about sites like Drama cool Drama Nice Drama fire In the episodes they always mention the subbers names

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Perhaps.... The cause of our lonely ghost's death may be the car accident which cause the chef's sister to be handicapped??? #justwondering Although it is too early to guess anything now, but her unresolved conflict/desire makes me really curious.

Also, this drama reminds me of 'Master's Sun'!

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+1
Thank you about Master's Sun! My thoughts exactly. Even the crosses and garlics and written "spells" on the walls (I have no idea what they're called in english).

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Thanks for the recap JB!

Just seeing Kim Seul Gi get some substantial screen time makes me love this episode. Can never have enough Kim Seul Gi. The drama's setup is short and sweet which is always a bonus.

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I think if the story is strong enough until the end, we might see an upgrade version of Master's Sun :D I am bit annoyed that until the end of Master's Sun we don't know the reason why GHJ had the ghost-seeing and SJS had the ghost-repelling power which I find a bit annoying :(

I thought the first episode was quite solid! Thank you so much DramaBeans for the recap

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+1, @Ninawati!
I hope for less frenzy and more plotin this project! Though I adore the Hongs duet, it's obvious that the OTP's interaction and very good acting had diverged the intrest of the audiences away from the actual plot. It wouldn't have sounded terribly bizarre to me, if I'd learnt (somehow, someday, from a ghost-ess, maybe?) that the sisters had been advising the network behind the scenes and/or the writers (which they don't really need it, but the plot itself has scary similarities to MS, right?);-)

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Finally, I have drama to catch up every weekend after Producer. I enjoy it even somehow feel bored and excited for next episode, it must be more fun than first episode >< I'm looking forward. Jo jongseuk is charming and park boyoung too

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