Answer Me 1988: Episode 7

by girlfriday

It’s a countdown to Christmas, and an episode all about giving presents—agonizing over what to get someone, the anticipation of getting the thing you asked for, and most importantly, what that present really says about your relationship, and all of the unspoken feelings that come along with the package. Gifts have never been so loaded as they are on this street in 1988, but then, feelings are never as intense as when you’re eighteen.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Shin Hae-chul – “그대에게” (To You) [ 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 7: “To you”

At the first snow, Sun-woo makes his big confession to Bora: “I like you, noona.” She stares dumbfounded at first, then answers, “I like you too.” He can tell she doesn’t mean it in the way he wants though, and he says he’s not kidding and he’s sincere about this.

Bora’s expression doesn’t change: “I have a boyfriend. And I’ve never once thought of you as a man.” Sun-woo says he knows all this, and she asks why he said it then. She insists that she’s not at all concerned about his feelings, and in her noona way, she calls him a pint-sized little squirt. He responds by silently brushing the snow off the top of her head as if to say, I’m not so little anymore.

She returns his coat and tells him that this is just between the two of them and they’re going to bury it forever, because she doesn’t want to be tied to him in any way. Aw, poor Sun-woo.

We fast-forward to December, 7 days before Christmas Eve. All the kids are gathered at Jung-hwan’s house, and when Bora comes in late, things are awkward between her and Sun-woo. Deok-sun scowls at them while Jung-hwan chuckles in glee.

Jung-bong hyung announces that they’ll be playing a manitto game this Christmas, which is basically a Secret Santa setup, where you draw someone’s name and are nice to them for a week and get them a gift. Everyone complains about the stupid game and wonder why Hyung is insisting on it, and Jung-hwan tells them it’s because Hyung is dying to collect the last college music festival LP and Mom has cut him off until he gets into college.

They all draw names, and immediately Taek ignores the rules and raises his hand to say that he’s got Jung-bong, and will buy him that LP. But when they all open up their scraps of paper, they find that every single one of them says Jung-bong. HA. Hyung quickly says that was a practice game, and they pick again.

The kids ask what happens if two people pick each other, and they say it’s fate and start chanting, “Get married!” Dong-ryong asks what happens if you pick yourself, and they say that’s fate too, and no one’s got that kind of luck. Naturally, Dong-ryong has picked his own name (and spelled wrong, at that).

Deok-sun races out after Sun-woo to dig through his pockets, and screams when she sees that he drew Bora’s name. She runs home in a snit and digs through Unni’s jacket, and then throws a full-on raging tantrum in her room. We see the crumpled up piece of paper on the desk that reads: “Sun-woo.”

Sun-woo sneaks back out of his house when he sees that all the adults are there holding a neighborhood meeting. He wonders what they need to hold a meeting about when they talk to each other all day every day, but Dong-ryong’s dad leads the group in a song, and then they discuss what to get the kids for Christmas this year. It’s just too adorable that they all have to agree on getting all the kids on the street the same thing, to be fair.

Sun-woo’s mom asks who told Jin-ju that there was no Santa last year, and everyone knows right away that only one person could’ve done it: Bora. Mom and Dad hang their heads in apology and say that they’ll get Jin-ju’s Christmas present this year. She wants a snowman, so Deok-sun’s mom promises that she’ll get Santa to bring her one.

Jung-hwan finds Sun-woo avoiding his house and suggests hanging out in Taek’s room, and says he has something to tell him anyway. They eat ramyun (I love that neither Taek nor his dad are home, but they just cook and eat like they live there), and Jung-hwan brings up Sun-woo’s crush on Bora noona.

He admits to accidentally overhearing some stuff on the night of the first snow, and Sun-woo makes him promise not to tell anyone. Jung-hwan: “I thought for sure it’d be Deok-sun. She’s the prettier one.” He immediately realizes he just admitted that Deok-sun is pretty and amends it to: “I mean, she’s the prettier one of the ugly girls!” Smoooooth, buddy.

The others eat at Jung-hwan’s house, and when No-eul saves the last radish for Jung-bong hyung, everyone can tell they picked each other’s names in the manitto game. Everyone chants for them to get married too.

Jung-bong wants that LP he’s been dying to buy, of course, and No-eul asks for an erotic novel. Jung-bong says he doesn’t have that one, but he knows someone who does. The pairs seem to be lining up for most people, and we see in Deok-sun’s drawer that she picked Jung-hwan’s name.

Jung-hwan, meanwhile, sits alone in Taek’s room reading that novel that No-eul is so desperate to read. He jumps out of his skin when Deok-sun bursts in unannounced, and hides the book under the blanket while trying not to look guilty.

That just makes Deok-sun even more determined to find out what he’s hiding, and she jumps him to tackle the book out of his hands. He puts up a good fight as they wriggle their way across the room, but Deok-sun’s got a death grip on him and in the end she’s sitting there reading his book while he sits nervously waiting for a reaction. She calls him a beast, but he says defensively that all the guys in his school have read it.

Taek’s dad asks them to watch the house and goes all the way to Taek’s baduk training center with an umbrella because it’s raining. The moms note that he always goes there and just stands outside waiting, which is exactly what he does that night.

Deok-sun gets engrossed in the Lee Mi-yeon drama that Jung-hwan was watching and shares a blanket with him, which he tries not to freak out over. He’s so cute, I can’t stand it. She likes the pink mittens on TV and says that pink looks good on her too, and Jung-hwan snarks that they just look good because of Lee Mi-yeon.

She asks if he picked her name for the manitto game, which he denies. She says it’s either Taek or Jung-hwan (you don’t say), and says offhandedly that she’d like it if it were Taek.

Taek finally comes out and smiles to see Dad waiting for him. When they get home, Dad worries about Taek having to travel to Busan for a match in the rain, while Taek worries that he’ll be late for Dad’s birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Eve.

Dad seems more worried about his own interview with a reporter the next day, and heh, they got real-life announcer Park Ji-yoon to cameo as herself.

Deok-sun answers a call from “our Taekie” while he’s down in Busan, and because her house is so loud with her dad and brother shouting over a game on TV, she only hears parts of what he’s saying to her. He’s calling to ask her opinion on what to buy his father for a birthday/Christmas present, but she thinks he’s asking what to buy her for a manitto present.

She chirps, “Gloves! Pink ones!” and Taek wonders if pink would be okay. He says he and Dad have never really exchanged gifts before, and has no idea what to buy. Deok-sun entirely misses the dad parts of the conversation, and Taek just thanks her for her help and says he’ll see her on Christmas.

She asks when he’ll be back and insists on waiting up on Christmas Eve, and though he doesn’t really get why, he says he’ll stop by that night to see her then.

Jung-hwan’s mom comes by Sun-woo’s house with rice cakes, and marvels at the way he stops Mom from opening jars when her wrist is hurting, or goes to scoop up Jin-ju down the street and make her promise to brush her teeth and only eat candy once a week. Jung-hwan’s mom wonders how you get a son like that, and Sun-woo’s mom says he’s just like his father.

The ajummas wonder how Taek’s dad’s interview is going, and they figure he’s probably sitting there silently. He’s doing okay for the most part, but the questions that trip him up are all about Taek as an infant—what he dreamed before Taek was born, what time of day he was born—Dad can’t seem to remember any of it, and it seems to upset him that he doesn’t have the answers.

The reporter says that Taek must take after his father because they’re both so reserved, and she says that it must’ve been difficult to raise him alone. Dad says there’s nothing difficult about it, and Taek was easy to raise because he’s so kind. He says that all he asks for is Taek to be healthy, and when the reporter prompts him to say, “I love you” on camera, he shies away nervously, saying that he’s not used to saying things like that.

Sun-woo’s mom runs over to Taek’s house with food and stops to gather the laundry that’s getting drenched in the rain. She wonders why the house is empty, and finds Taek’s dad drinking alone in his shop.

Sun-woo studies all day at the library and then checks his watch before heading out. He stops to try and wake Dong-ryong, who’s been sleeping on the floor all day. Dong-ryong insists this is better than home where Dad is around, so Sun-woo just tucks him in with a dictionary pillow for the night.

Bora parks her car down the street and sighs at the heavy rainfall, but when she opens her car door, Sun-woo is waiting there with an umbrella. You waited all day just to do that, didn’t you? She says that she likes getting rained on, and Sun-woo simply calls her a liar and puts the umbrella in her hand.

He puts his hood on and walks out into the rain, and says cheerfully that he’ll pick up the umbrella tomorrow morning. Heh, another excuse to see her! He’s not the class president for nuthin’.

Sun-woo’s mom asks what’s got Taek’s dad drinking, and he asks if she remembers what she dreamt before Sun-woo was born, or what time of day he was born. She remembers every last detail, of course, and he sighs that the reporter asked him those things about Taek: “But how could I know?” He says he couldn’t remember and couldn’t respond, and was embarrassed.

She assures him that fathers don’t remember those things and that’s normal, but Dad sighs that if Taek’s mother were here, she’d remember. He says he’s so sorry to his child because a mother would’ve remembered what he wore on the first day of kindergarten: “Dads are useless.”

He sighs that if Taek’s mother had survived instead, Taek would have as much love as any other child, and eat good food, and always wear clean clothes: “And if he got sick, his mother would hold him tight.” His voice cracks as he tries to swallow his tears.

Sun-woo’s mom argues that there’s no dad out there like him, and reminds him that he wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning to make sure that Taek eats a warm meal before leaving the house, waits outside with an umbrella any day that it rains, and has never once watched TV with the volume raised for fear of disturbing Taek.

She assures him, “Taek knows all of that. Do you know how deep his heart is? He knows how much his father loves and cherishes him.” Dad sighs that it doesn’t matter if he knows or doesn’t, stricken with pity for his son who doesn’t have a mother like everyone else. Dad, stop making me cry!

It’s two days until Christmas Eve, and Deok-sun ignores the freezing weather and puts on a jean skirt. Jung-hwan hangs out on the front steps tying and untying and retying his shoelaces until Deok-sun comes out, like a giant doofus.

He mocks her for the skirt, but she says she has to look nice because she and her friends are going to Gangnam after school. Jung-hwan scrambles for excuses for why she shouldn’t go, but she ignores him. When Sun-woo joins them to walk to the bus stop, Deok-sun scowls and walks away, putting another grin on Jung-hwan’s face.

Deok-sun and her friends go to the very first McDonald’s in Gangnam, but her friends sigh that everyone else has dates. They prod Deok-sun to call her boyfriend, but she snaps at them for even mentioning Sun-woo. They ask for Taek, who’s still in Busan, and reject Deok-sun’s offer to call Dong-ryong.

They ask her to call the tall one then: “You know, the scary-looking one!” Deok-sun gapes and says that Jung-hwan will never ever come, and she’ll only get an earful for calling. Her friends refuse to let it go though, and guilt her into making the call. They watch expectantly as Deok-sun goes to the payphone in the corner, then pulls the receiver away from her ear from what must be Jung-hwan’s rant on the other end.

Sun-woo gets dressed to go out shopping, and even takes Jin-ju along like the best oppa ever. Jung-hwan’s mom asks if Jung-hwan is going with them, because he just got dressed to head out too. But we know where he’s really going!

Cut to: Deok-sun’s slackjawed expression as she looks up from her table. Her friends gasp in awe, and Jung-hwan just stands there: “What. You said come.” Hahaha.

Jung-hwan is actually nice to Deok-sun’s friends, and buys them all whatever they want to eat. Of course, to Deok-sun he’s his usual nitpicky self, and snaps at her to only order what she can eat instead of always leaving food half-eaten. It comes out sounding very oppa/boyfriendy, not that either of them picks up on it.

When Deok-sun goes to restroom, her friends say that Jung-hwan and Deok-sun must be very close for him to run over here with one phone call. He answers awkwardly, “I thought she was alone…” That just makes her friends even more certain that he likes her, and they assure each other that this time, it’s FOR REAL.

The parents rush to an emergency neighborhood meeting, where Dong-ryong’s dad announces the bad news that the weather forecast has changed and there won’t be any snow before Christmas, and therefore no snowman for Jin-ju. They called an emergency meeting because of Jin-ju’s snowman present? That is just so quaint.

They ask for any and all ideas, though of course they shoot down Jung-hwan’s dad’s suggestion to just not wake her until the day after Christmas. Deok-sun’s dad suggests ice instead of snow, and Taek’s dad is put in charge of making it.

Deok-sun and Jung-hwan ride the bus home together as she listens to Wham on her Walkman, and the way he looks and smiles at her when no one is looking is just so ridiculously sweet. Without a word, he reaches over to pull one of her earbuds out and put it in his ear, surprising her.

When they reach their street, he asks what’s got her so lost in thought, and she finally whirls around to face him and he gulps nervously. But she just guesses that he pulled her name in the manitto game, otherwise why on earth would he come all the way to Gangnam, with a personality like his? Ha.

She says she’s got enough brains to know he’s being nice to her because of the game, but Jung-hwan insists that he pulled Taek’s name, not hers. Deok-sun: “Then why did you come?”

He’s so frustrated that she can’t tell (but can’t actually say it either), and suddenly grabs her face in his hands and says, “Use that head of yours and think carefully. Why did I come?” He walks away, leaving her more confused than ever.

Jung-hwan is so preoccupied that he doesn’t even notice that Mom and Dad are getting frisky on the couch and that Hyung is digging through his drawers to steal that novel for No-eul, and he just plops down in his bed face-first in defeat.

On Christmas Eve, the kids all gather at Jung-hwan’s house to watch the college music festival, and the parents gather outside to watch Taek’s dad carve a snowman out of ice for Jin-ju. He makes the eyes out of baduk stones and Jung-hwan’s mom puts her scarf on it, and they head inside for drinks, pleased with their handiwork. It really is the most adorable iceman ever.

The kids all guess who the winner of the festival is going to be as they watch, though Sun-woo seems more interested in sitting closer to Bora, and Bora makes sure to keep pillow dividers in between them.

The dads share a drink and toast to Taek’s dad’s birthday. They figure that Taek is too busy to celebrate his father’s birthday, and Dad agrees that growing up as well as he did with just half the love is enough of a present for him. Jung-hwan’s dad argues that Taek’s dad gave him twice the love, and his eyes well up with tears.

The college music festival nears the end and everyone picks different favorites to win. But then Shin Hae-chul’s group Infinite Track is introduced, and as soon as their song “To You” begins, everyone starts sitting up and shouting over one another to declare this band the winner. In no time they’re all on their feet dancing, and we pause to watch the moment when Shin Hae-chul debuted.

Later that night, Sun-woo asks Bora to come outside. She complains the whole time, and when he puts a present in her hands, she reminds him that she didn’t want to feel burdened. He smiles and tells her this is her manitto present, nothing more, leaving her feeling embarrassed.

Deok-sun waits and waits out in the street, and lights up when Taek arrives with suitcase in tow. She says there’s only thirty minutes left in the day, and he cuts her off to hurry home. She’s really confused, and calls after him to ask about the gloves. Taek turns back with a smile and says his dad’s really going to like them, and thanks her for her help. Wah waaah.

Taek comes home to find Dad asleep at the table, and Dad smiles and tells him to go to bed. Taek pulls out a present from his bag and hands it to him, saying, “Happy birthday, Dad. I’m sorry I couldn’t even have dinner with you on your birthday. Dad… you know I love you a lot, right?” And inside the box is a pair of pink mittens. Man, these two make me cry.

Dad can barely hold in his tears, and finally stands up and awkwardly reaches out to take Taek’s face in his hands. He says, “When did my son get so big, thinking of his dad and everything? He’s all grown up.” Taek’s eyes brim with tears too, and Dad struggles to say those three words out loud. After two false starts, he finally says, “You’re all I have,” and hugs him as he cries.

No-eul finds Deok-sun still lying out on the deck that night, upset that no one picked her name for the manitto game. No-eul says that it was probably Taek but he forgot, and warns Deok-sun not to make a big fuss over it because Taek lost today. Oh noes.

Taek gets ready for bed and takes more medicine before lying down, then discovers something in his pocket. It’s the scrap of paper from the manitto game, with Deok-sun’s name scribbled on it. He runs outside and finds her still in the same spot, and admits that he totally forgot to get her a present.

She says it’s okay, mostly just happy to know for certain that Taek picked her name. He insists on getting her whatever she wants, so Deok-sun finally asks for pink mittens and Taek laughs. He promises to buy her a pair just like Dad’s and she goes inside happy. He sits there for a little while longer, just smiling after her.

Everyone wakes up on Christmas morning to the news that it rained overnight and it’s an unseasonably warm day. All at once all the parents remember Jin-ju’s snowman and rush out to the street, where only the scarf and baduk stones remain in a puddle. Sadness.

Sun-woo comes out and wonders why they’re all sitting there looking glum, and they tell him about the snowman that melted. Sun-woo sleepily wonders what the fuss is about when they sell snowmen at the corner market: “Snowman is what Jin-ju calls ice cream.” Lol. All the parents just gape as he offers to go buy some, and then they watch happily as Jin-ju and Sun-woo eat their ice cream cones.

No-eul comes into Deok-sun’s room to deliver a present to her, and she lights up to find a pair of pink gloves. She wonders where Taek got them when department stores aren’t even open, and No-eul says they’re not from Taek: “That’s from Jung-hwan hyung. He said it was your Christmas present.” He stares for a long beat, then adds, “That hyung must’ve gone crazy.”

She stares at the pink gloves curiously. And upstairs, Jung-hwan paces in front of his window, just dying to get a peek at Deok-sun’s reaction but not daring to go outside. She tries them on in her room and is overjoyed, not that she’d ever let him see it.

Deok-sun narrates: “We were at the age where we no longer believed in Santa, and were no longer excited by a manitto game. It was an age where we weren’t satisfied by the excitement of a secret present. Palpitations filled us to the brim and made breathing difficult. Embarrassment made us feel like our hearts would burst. We wanted it to be known so badly, but didn’t want to be caught. That fluttering of ’88. We were eighteen.”

Taek practices at the training center even on Christmas day, and his coach comes by to give him a present from the reporter who did Dad’s interview. It’s the part where she eggs him on to say something to Taek on camera, and when he shies away from saying “I love you,” she says they won’t air this part publicly.

Once that pressure is gone, Dad quite easily says, “Son, I love you.” It’s still startling to Taek, and his eyes fill with tears instantly to hear those words from Dad. He says it again into the camera: “I love you, son,” and Taek cries.

Deok-sun narrates: “Time flows and leaves behind parting and regret. If you love someone, you need to say it now. You have to say it before the time spent breathlessly living turns into regret. Perhaps the biggest gift left by time is the memory of having loved. So before it’s too late, overcome your embarrassment and confess: ‘To you, the one I love.'”

 
COMMENTS

The glimpse into Taek’s relationship with his father was so touching, and everything that they managed to say to one another felt more impactful simply because it came from two people who are so reserved with their words. We always knew that Taek’s dad was a quiet, steadfast sort of father who was always there for Taek, but I didn’t really know that Taek was his whole life, and that he worked tirelessly to try and love him twice as much because he didn’t want Taek to be lacking for a mother’s love. It broke my heart that Dad would never give himself credit for that, and that he only felt guilty that Taek didn’t have a mother. They both spent the episode feeling terribly inadequate as father and son, when it’s clear to us that they love each other far more than they could ever express in words or gifts. Man did those pink mittens make me cry though. I just kept picturing them on Dad’s giant bear hands and thought they would make the most ridiculous sight gag, and yet the sincerity in that one gift was enough to bring me to tears.

It was, of course, the most straightforward theme of the episode—that the intent behind the gift is far more important than the gift itself. For Taek and Dad, it wasn’t love they were lacking, but a reason and a chance to express that love, no matter how pink and fuzzy. We saw the comical version with all the parents having countless meetings and strategy sessions all in an effort to keep a little girl’s hope in Santa alive, only to discover that they missed the boat entirely. The effort behind their iceman was real though, and I loved just the idea that a neighborhood like that could exist, where families are that loyal to one another and treat one child’s Christmas emergency as if it were their own. It’s because it’s minutiae that it’s almost more touching than them being there for the big things, and I love that in this series, the parents’ friendships give the kids a run for their money.

Then there are the gifts that are perfect—the exact thing you’ve always wanted—except that they come from an unexpected person. It’s kind of adorably simple that all Deok-sun cares about is getting her pink gloves, but a nice twist when all the wires get crossed and she doesn’t get them from the person she asked. And meanwhile the one guy she thinks is always annoyed with her is so observant that he knows it’s what she wants without having to ask. Jung-hwan’s way of noticing every tiny thing about Deok-sun is so endearing, and I love their dynamic so much right now that I don’t want him to confess yet. I’m honestly not concerned that she’ll have figured it out though—he might’ve dropped big hints, but she’s not exactly the brightest bulb.

I know we have many more years of these characters’ lives to get through, but I’m kind of sad about leaving their 18-year-old stories behind as 1988 already starts coming to a close. For me it’s always the best of the Answer Me shows, when the kids are at their youngest and struggling with the most fundamental parts of growing up and figuring out who they are. Not that I expect these kids to mature overnight, of course. I think we have a ways to go before that. But already they feel a little more thoughtful and a little more grown up, even if it’s just one baby step at a time.

 
RELATED POSTS

• Answer Me 1988: Episode 6
• Answer Me 1988: Episode 5
• Answer Me 1988: Episode 4
• Answer Me 1988: Episode 3
• Answer Me 1988: Episode 2
• Answer Me 1988: Episode 1