237

Answer Me 1988: Episode 9

Here we go. Hold onto your hearts, people, Hurricane Taek’s about to blow through. (It’s a moot warning anyway; I mean, who has yet to fall in love with Taek?) I’d like to think that we’ve all learned and matured since Answer Me 1994, but in case this is your first Answer Me series or you’re new around here, I’ll say this as many times as I have to: Everybody play nice, debate all you want but respect other people’s ships, and don’t call each other names. Shipping wars are a nasty business, and I’ll not tolerate this thread turning into a battleground, so let’s everyone be friendly and remember: At the end of the day, we can agree to disagree.

Okay, on with the show!

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Sun-hee – “나 항상 그대를” (Always 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 9: “Crossing the line”

We’ve crossed over into 1989, as the New Year’s holiday comes to a close. Deok-sun’s dad sighs over having to head back to work tomorrow, and Mom sighs to hear that Deok-sun went to the store so late at night by herself.

Deok-sun seems to be regretting the choice too, because she’s currently speed-walking down a dark street like she’s running away from someone. A hooded figure walks close behind, and as she gets to her front gate, he gets closer and closer…

She scrambles to fling the gate open, just as Jung-hwan calls out and asks why she’s being so weird. Of course you’d be her stalker. Deok-sun lets out a huge breath and yells at him for following her.

He points out that he lives here, and wonders why she was walking so fast: “Is someone chasing you?” Deok-sun: “YOU! YOU! YOU! You were chasing me!” Jung-hwan gets defensive and argues that he was just going home, but when she stomps off angrily, he calls out to her and suddenly croons very sweetly, “Sleep well.” Gah, stop that now.

He plays it cool all the way to his room (where he drops off his newly rented videos Predator and Falling in Love, ha), and then sloooooowly peeks out his window, one eyeball at a time. I have a cat that does that.

Deok-sun is still standing there looking in his direction, so he ducks for cover until it’s safe and then smiles like a loon as he watches her go.

When Deok-sun gets home, No-eul waits eagerly for his bag of chips and says that Bora noona went out on a date. Deok-sun is surprised that she got back together with her boyfriend, but supposes that you can’t beat first love.

Everyone is listening to Lee Moon-se’s Starry Night radio show, as he announces a concert to celebrate the program’s twentieth anniversary. Sun-woo listens as he packs up for the night and heads home from the library, where he heads straight to Bora’s car.

But he turns the corner and sees her standing down the street with her boyfriend, and his face falls. Boyfriend is clearly begging for another chance, and they look happy and flirty, which just digs deeper into Sun-woo’s heart.

In the morning, Jung-hwan’s mom is shocked not to see Taek’s dad sweeping the street, and Taek says he went to go visit a friend who suddenly collapsed. Mom invites Taek over for breakfast because she’s made ribs, and soon Deok-sun and Dong-ryong are stuffing their faces at the table too.

Sun-woo arrives to return a plate and joins them, and Deok-sun scowls in his direction. She suggests going to the Starry Night concert and Jung-hwan agrees, though the other boys are all busy. She deflates, but Jung-hwan casually suggests going anyway, acting as if it’s no big deal that it’d only be the two of them.

Everyone’s jealous that Sun-woo has two tickets to the Lee Sun-hee concert later in the month, but he refuses to take Taek or Dong-ryong because he has someone else to go with. He waits for Bora at night to ask her to go to the concert with him, but she flatly refuses.

She says she’s been letting his behavior slide because he’s a good kid, but she makes it clear that he’s just her little sister’s friend, and that’s all. Bora: “So don’t cross the line anymore.” Poor buddy.

Jung-hwan and Deok-sun come out of the Starry Night concert and she’s so excitable afterwards that she punches him over and over just to express how awesome it was. She says she’s cold, and he points out that it’s her fault for wearing a skirt in the dead of winter, refusing to give her his jacket.

Deok-sun: “How would you ever live without me?” He gets momentarily flustered at that, but she adds, “You live to rag on me!” They’re interrupted when a couple asks Jung-hwan to take a photo of them, and they’re startled when the boyfriend sneaks a kiss just before the picture is taken.

They offer to take a photo of them in return, and Deok-sun is shocked when Jung-hwan jumps at the chance. At first they stand miles apart from each other, but they get coaxed to stand closer and closer, until finally Jung-hwan puts an arm around Deok-sun and yanks her close. When the picture is snapped, he’s wearing a big cheesy grin on his face.

Fast-forward to 2015, where Adult Deok-sun and Husband look at an old photo of them together. She says this must be the moment he started to like her, pointing out the smile on his face and the arm he has around her.

Husband admits: “She was pretty then.” She asks what about now, and he snarks, “Want a mirror?” She bites his arm in retaliation.

Back in 1989, Sun-woo’s mom is astounded that Taek’s dad hasn’t opened his shop, which is so unlike him. It’s because that hospital visit to his friend ended in a funeral, and he drinks quietly as his other friend asks how they got to be the age where their friends are dying. Taek’s dad sighs that there’s no order to death, because one day you could go, just like that.

Sun-woo’s mom asks after Jung-bong, and his mom says that he went to a temple, which he apparently does often, mostly because he’s a big fan of their food. Heh. We see him cleaning out a bowl and respectfully asking the monks for seconds.

Sun-woo’s mom is met with a special delivery, requiring her signature. It’s a letter addressed to her mother-in-law from the bank, alerting her to this house being put up for auction. Oh crap. She calls the bank in a panic, and the clerk tells her that her mother-in-law put the house down as collateral on a loan and defaulted. Craaaaaap.

She has a month to make good on the loan for ten million won, or the house goes up for sale. She calls her mother-in-law, who doesn’t even sound the least bit sorry about it. She took out the massive loan to keep her child from going to prison, and has the nerve to complain about Sun-woo’s mom not having enough cash lying around to pay it off.

Mom-in-law asks what she does with her husband’s pension, and accuses her of throwing it away and dating around, and living comfortably in her house on her son’s money. She adds flippantly that if the house goes under, she can send the kids to live with Grandma: “I’ll raise them much better than you anyway.” You’re a piece of work, lady.

Deok-sun’s mom tells her to call Taek over for dinner, which he declines. So Mom just sends Deok-sun over with dinner in hand, but Taek ends up coming out and joining them anyway. Mom asks after Taek’s dad, and Taek says Dad and his two best friends were like the Three Musketeers. He’ll be back home tomorrow now that the funeral is over.

Mom gets called over to Sun-woo’s house in the middle of dinner, and she tells him to ask Deok-sun if he wants more food, only to find Deok-sun stealing rice out of Taek’s bowl.

Sun-woo’s mom tells the others about the house, and the moms immediately start offering to help out. Jung-hwan’s mom regrets not having enough cash on hand, what with Jung-bong’s recent surgery. She can come up with some of it, but not nearly enough to cover the whole loan. Deok-sun’s mom says she’ll ask around to borrow from anyone she can.

Sun-woo’s mom refuses to take any more of their money, and says she’ll figure something out on her own, or just move out. Jung-hwan’s mom tells her that it’s not shameful to accept help, but Sun-woo’s mom insists that she’ll be okay. Her voice starts shaking as she asks, “Isn’t life… this world… really unfair?”

She cries that she may have borrowed a little from time to time from them, but she’s never amassed any real debt in her life, and Sun-woo’s never once asked her for nice things because he knows they can’t afford it. Deok-sun’s mom says that Sun-woo is like that because she raised him well, and his mom laughs bitterly that somehow, they’re still about to be out on the street in the middle of winter.

Sun-woo’s mom: “Is life only this hard for me?” That brings all the moms to tears, and she sobs with little Jin-ju in her arms.

Of course, when Sun-woo comes home, Mom has a smile on her face and acts as if nothing is wrong. She brings him tangerines while he studies, and returns to the kitchen to find that he peeled two for her and left them on the table. Her wrist is still bothering her too, but that’s the least of her concerns right now as she opens up a bankbook labeled “Sun-woo’s College Fund” and sighs.

Deok-sun’s dad lights up to see Taek’s dad back at work and suggests a drink later that night. He skips out on dinner with the family, insisting that Taek’s dad needs a friend right now, and this is not at all about him wanting to drink.

He practically skips over there, but freezes at the doorway when he discovers Taek’s dad lying unconscious on the floor. OH MY GOD, you have to stop doing that to me. Dad rushes to his side and tries to wake him, but there’s no response.

Mom and Dad wait by his bedside at the hospital, where the doctor says Taek’s dad could’ve died if he’d been discovered just thirty minutes later. He suffered a stroke due to a cerebral hemorrhage, but the surgery went well because he was discovered so quickly. Oh phew.

The doc says he might have some hand trembling or other side effects, but should be fine. He calls Dad his savior, and Dad just nudges Mom and says, “Alcohol saved his life!” Pffft, not really the lesson here, Dad.

The moms take turns making food for Taek’s dad in the hospital, and Jung-hwan’s mom wonders what he’s doing with all his money and not hiring a nurse to help take care of him. They muse that he’s just used to taking care of himself now.

The doctor reassures Taek that Dad was found soon enough that he’ll make a full recovery, and then asks Taek for his autograph. Dad squirms under Taek’s admonishing glare, and laughs it off like it’s no big deal and he’s totally fine. Taek argues that he almost became an orphan, but Dad tells him he’s not going anywhere.

Taek tells him to hire a nurse because he has to leave for China tomorrow, but Dad says the ajummas come by daily so he’ll be fine. Dad’s more concerned about Taek’s upcoming match than his own health, and worries about not being able to go with him because his baduk teacher can’t accompany him this time.

Taek tells him that he’s fine to go it alone, and Dad worries that someone needs to be there to help take care of him. Taek says the same thing about Dad and tucks him in. These two.

While Taek is out taking care of hospital bills, Deok-sun’s parents arrive with food. Deok-sun’s dad offers to pick up anything he wants to eat on his way home from the bank, and Taek’s dad says he does have a favor to ask.

Cut to: Deok-sun staring wide-eyed at her very own brand new passport. She screams and does a wild dance of excitement, and immediately starts packing a bag with all of her worldly possessions. No-eul asks Dad why it’s noona, when Sun-woo or Jung-hwan hyung could go.

We rewind to the hospital when Taek’s dad asked if Deok-sun could accompany Taek to China, because if no one goes to take care of him, he becomes a lifeless corpse in his hotel room and doesn’t even eat.

Mom and Dad wondered why her, and Taek’s dad said that Jung-hwan and Sun-woo would be busy studying (ha), and passports are issued more readily to girls than boys. Mom hesitated, mostly because she’d feel bad for Taek, but Taek’s dad had assured them that Taek likes Deok-sun and they’d get along wonderfully. (He means as friends.)

So that’s how Deok-sun ends up in China for the first time in her life, with far more luggage than she’ll ever need. The representative from the baduk training center gives her room keys for her and Taek, and makes sure to give her a spare key to Taek’s room because he’s passed out in his room before. EEK, don’t tell me that!

A pair of reporters ask if she’s Taek’s girlfriend, and she says no, they’re just friends. Taek doesn’t look well and heads up to his room quietly, and the baduk sunbae says Taek will likely skip dinner because he doesn’t eat before competitions.

Deok-sun doesn’t even think twice about Taek and digs into her dinner eagerly, chomping down on a duck head like it’s a drumstick. She asks what other famous restaurants there are around here, and the sunbae names a place nearby but warns that you have to wait an hour to get in. So much for sending a caretaker for Taek.

Sun-woo’s mom calls her brother and tells him about the house, but warns him not to say anything to their mother about it. Jung-hwan’s mom comes by with more food for Taek’s dad, and they mention how well he seems to be doing without a nurse.

Meanwhile, Taek’s dad sits in his hospital room struggling to do the most basic things, still stubbornly refusing to ask for help. But Sun-woo’s mom arrives and instantly fixes everything for him, and feeds him like he’s a baby.

Deok-sun’s parents worry that she’s making a mess of things in China, and we cut to her doing a whole half-shouting, half-mime presentation to the reception desk to complain about the running water and freezing cold hotel rooms.

The reporters say that their rooms were the same and they got no sleep, and the baduk sunbae says this is pretty normal stuff that goes on, all to ensure that Taek is in the worst condition possible before a big match. Well that sucks. This happens to him all the time?

When it comes time for Taek’s match, the group rides the elevator in silence, following Taek’s lead. The doors open and a flood of reporters follow Taek’s every move, and Deok-sun is astonished. She’s awed by the whole spectacle, as Taek gets led into his waiting room where he always spends his pre-game time in solitude.

The rookie reporter that came with them doesn’t know this rule though, and makes the mistake of busting in there to ask for a picture, and Taek has to ask him to leave. The sunbaes gasp and yell at him for breaking Taek’s concentration like that, and before they know it, the reporters are flooding the hall again to capture Taek’s entrance into the arena as the match begins.

Sun-woo’s mom gets a call from her oppa, who heard about the house from their little brother. She assures him that she’ll find a way, and looks up realtors to call.

Deok-sun waits with all the others in the hallway until they’re allowed inside when Taek’s game is over, not that she can see anything past the wall of reporters. She’s happy to hear that Taek won, though it’s a two-out-of-three match and he has to win another game tomorrow.

Taek is practically a zombie in the elevator and shuffles off to his room without dinner again, and Deok-sun doesn’t seem the least bit concerned that he still hasn’t eaten, and focuses on her own dinner.

At home, Deok-sun’s parents see a news report of a mass student protest, and Dad immediately asks if Bora came home. Mom assures him that she came home early, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

…Except we see that Bora has stuffed her blanket with pillows and escaped long ago. Dad asks where Jung-bong went, and Mom says he’s at a famous temple that’s on TV a lot these days. Ha, and we find out what she means when Jung-bong spies ex-president Chun Doo-hwan being escorted into that very temple by guards.

It’s time for Taek’s second match, and he looks worse than he did yesterday. Deok-sun finally looks a little concerned about his condition, though again they ride the elevator up in silence and he’s flooded by reporters as soon as they arrive.

This time, the sunbae sends Deok-sun in to fetch Taek when it’s time for the match to begin, and she’s startled when she opens the door. Taek is standing by the window with a cigarette in his hand. Omo. She tells him it’s time, and hangs back timidly as Taek heads into his game.

Sun-woo stops by Deok-sun’s house looking for Bora as usual, but No-eul tells him that noona is out protesting. Sun-woo looks worried and asks if she’ll be okay, and No-eul says she’s the best at running away.

But we see that she wasn’t this time—she’s on what looks like a prison bus full of detained protestors, and she scowls to see her ex-best friend getting hauled onto the same bus.

Deok-sun’s mom asks Sun-woo’s mom to take her turn at the hospital today, because Jung-hwan’s mom twisted her ankle and she has to feed both houses. Again Sun-woo’s mom arrives and does everything that Taek’s dad was having such a hard time with, and even wheels him into the bathroom to wash his hair for him.

Deok-sun goes stir-crazy from the boredom of waiting for the game to end, and can’t believe that a person could sit still for ten hours. The sunbae says it’s probably a new record, but Taek wouldn’t know that ten hours had passed anyway. She doesn’t think he’s human.

They’re called inside when the game finally ends, and everyone snaps photos of the Chinese player smiling and Taek looking defeated. Deok-sun asks if he lost, but the reporter says no, he won. She’s confused at their expressions, so he explains that it’s baduk etiquette—win or lose, you can’t show it.

She scoffs at the oddity of the ritual to herself: “If you like something, you just like it.” Taek finally looks up at the crowd, so Deok-sun waves happily at him, and he finally smiles. I so love it when he smiles at her.

Bora gets dropped off in the middle of nowhere, but I guess it’s better than getting arrested. She digs through her pockets and finds a bit of loose change, which won’t get her very far.

Sun-woo’s mom heads out for some snacks, and Taek’s dad seems to notice her wrist acting up again. His hometown friend comes by for a visit and nags him about taking care of his health now that they’re the last two of their childhood friends, and urges him to start living his life. His friend asks if he’s heard the news yet, and Taek’s dad asks what he’s talking about.

For now we head back to Bora, who trudges down the street in the middle of nowhere and makes it to a bus stop, where she notices a payphone. She calls Boyfriend, but there’s no answer, so she looks at the rest of the numbers in her phone book. (The list is pretty funny: “Our house, upstairs, next door, across the street,” and so on.)

But nobody answers at home either, because they’re all upstairs at Jung-hwan’s house for dinner. And at Jung-hwan’s, Jin-ju is currently playing with the phone, so Bora keeps getting a busy signal.

She literally calls all of the other houses on the block before getting to Sun-woo as a last resort, and this time she murmurs, “Don’t pick up, don’t pick up…” But of course he picks up.

Taek is congratulated on the big win and the reporters invite him to a celebratory dinner, but he says he’d prefer to rest and hang out with his friend. They assume he must be very tired, what with the terrible conditions and not having eaten a single thing, and Taek looks at them in confusion. He says he ate really well the whole time and his room was toasty warm—he’s been in the best condition possible the last two days.

Taek thought that the sunbae had sent up the food for every meal, but it’s news to him that Taek even ate. And then Deok-sun comes out from behind the reception desk like she’s buddies with the receptionist now, and shows off the fried egg she scored for Taek. Aw, so she did take care of him all that time. Taek looks over at her with a little smile.

Flashback to Deok-sun waiting in line in the freezing cold to buy Taek dinner, and badgering the receptionist to give Taek a new room before he freezes to death and it causes an international incident.

And she didn’t just pack her own things—she picked out Taek’s clothes and packed matching accessories, and brought two electric blankets from home just to put on Taek’s bed. That is so sweet. LOL—not so sweet for Bora, who woke up freezing in the middle of the night to discover that she had no heating pad.

Taek, meanwhile, had a toasty warm bed and woke up to perfectly coordinated outfits laid out for him the night before. The whole group laughs as Deok-sun demands a new fried egg, calling this one burnt, and the sunbae says she’s better than his dad.

Taek remembers to call Dad and update him on the game, and Dad assures him that the ajummas are there daily and he’s doing well. When Dad returns to his room, Sun-woo’s mom is back with pastries. Dad sits down silently, and then after staring at her for a long beat, he suddenly calls her by name in banmal: “Sun-young-ah, why didn’t you tell oppa?” Omo. Why are you her oppa, and when did this happen?

He’s all of a sudden speaking to her very familiarly, and he asks why he had to hear it from his friend Tae-yong. Ohmygah, her brother is his best friend? We confirm it with a flashback, where her oppa told Taek’s dad about her house. He asks why she didn’t say anything to him, and she admits, “Oppa-ya, I was just too embarrassed…” He chides her, “I’m you oppa!” They’re suddenly so adorable with the oppa-ing, I swear.

He points out his current condition and says he’s not embarrassed at all, and tells her that it’s okay to depend on other people and owe them and be a burden sometimes. He tells her to stop hurting on her own. She holds back her tears and says she only wanted to show him that she was living well, but he snaps at her for thinking otherwise when she’s raised two wonderful kids on her own, and even takes care of an oppa from her hometown.

He says that if she hadn’t called him up to Seoul back then, he would’ve spent his days with nothing but liquor after Taek’s mom died. Aw, that’s why he moved to their street? “Thank you, for calling oppa,” he says.

In flashback, we see Sun-woo’s mom calling and forcing Taek’s dad out of his depression after his wife died, and on the day he and Taek moved to their street, she came and led Taek by the hand to make him something to eat.

He says that moving to Seoul was the best thing that ever happened to him, and points out that he would’ve died the other day if it weren’t for his neighbor finding him. He says he’s not going to concern himself with owing them and depending on them, because there will come a day when he can repay the favor. He tells her to do the same and stop trying to do everything on her own.

He opens the nightstand drawer and takes out a bankbook, and says it’s ten million won. She won’t take it at first, but he insists it can be a loan and basically nags her until she caves. Then he hands her an envelope of money, which he says isn’t a loan—he tells her to fix her wrist before he makes her, and says he’s already told the nurse about it. Oppa-Dad, stop making me swoon. I feel weird about it. He successfully out-stubborns her into accepting his help, and they laugh at the ginormous mound of pastries she bought.

The hotel receptionist that Deok-sun bullied all weekend asks for a picture with Taek, and then afterwards the reporter tells Deok-sun he’ll take a picture of her and Taek. They stand awkwardly apart at first, and she sighs that she doesn’t look pretty today.

Taek: “You’re pretty.” He says her clothes are pretty too, and she informs him with a pleasant smile that they’re his clothes. Ha. When the photographer gets ready to snap the picture, Taek suddenly reaches his arm around her and pulls her close and gives a big smile.

Fast-forward to 2015, where of course now we have two possible photograph contenders in that frame that Deok-sun is holding. She asks when this was, stopping to nag Husband for not being dressed warmer for the weather (a thing she’s constantly telling Taek in the past).

Husband says it’s January of ’89, and she says it must’ve been the highlight of his life, and that he must remember everything about her. Husband: “Have you gone senile? The date’s stamped there at the bottom. You’re embarrassed, right? I’m sure it’s embarrassing.”

Back in the middle of nowhere, Bora’s night goes from bad to worse when she sees her boyfriend ride by in a cab… with her best friend inside. Ugh. He didn’t answer because he was picking her up?

But Sun-woo arrives soon after, and puts a jacket around her shoulders as he checks to make sure she’s okay. He takes her to eat a warm meal as they wait for the cab, and when he sees that there’s nothing there that Bora will eat, he asks the ajumma to make some fried eggs just for Bora.

At that, she gives another of her let’s-go-back-to-how-things-were speeches, this time admitting that she’s always liked him as a person and doesn’t want to change how they are with each other. But Sun-woo doesn’t back down and says he doesn’t want to, and puts the Lee Sun-hee concert tickets on the table. He asks her to go again, and makes his intentions clear: “Not as a friend’s noona, but as a man and a woman.”

Deok-sun narrates, “A line signifies ‘just to there.’ Protecting a line is remaining in that comfortable space you’ve gotten used to and maintaining those rules, that world, those relationships. Not crossing a line also means that you’ll never see a new world with new rules and new relationships. If you dream of a new relationship, if you dream of love, you have to cross that line.”

Sun-woo and Bora get to their street, and she returns his jacket and heads inside without really giving him an answer.

Deok-sun narrates that there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed though, as we see Jung-bong sneak up behind ex-president Chun Doo-hwan to get a good look at his face, which promptly gets him dragged off the premises.

 
COMMENTS

Okay but seriously, did the episode really need to be an hour and forty minutes? I think not. ANYWAY, it was a pretty major episode for lovelines, and the thing that cracks me up the most is that I walked away shipping Sun-woo’s mom with Taek’s dad more than anyone else. Is that weird? I don’t actually need them to date or get married—I didn’t honestly get romantic vibes from the way she took care of him or even washed his hair—I just love the way they’re another version of family to one another. Okay, the oppa-ya kinda makes me want them to date (it’s just too cute, and makes them feel like a middle-aged Na-jung and Oppa-ya from 1994).

The plot twist was clever with the sly introduction of her brother as his hometown friend, but the thematic twist was what really got to me. Because were being set up for Taek’s dad to be the one who refuses other people’s help and insists on being self-sufficient to his own detriment. It fits with his character type too, at least from what we’d seen so far, and he kept foolishly trying to do things on his own in the hospital. But he turned out to be the exact opposite when it came to Sun-woo’s mom, and it was really something else when he told her that it’s okay to depend on other people and owe them sometimes.

All series long, we’ve seen these neighbors step up to be more than family to one another time and again, but when he puts it in words like that, it feels even more like something of a bygone era, where people just take care of each other and friends’ problems are your own. I expected him to help Sun-woo’s mom out with the house, but I didn’t expect them to be childhood friends, or for her to be the reason he moved there. I’m sure she’ll never see it this way, but he probably thinks he owes her far more for giving him and Taek a community when he lost his wife, than whatever money it costs to keep her house. It was just really gratifying to know that even though the world may be unfair, Sun-woo’s mom has an abundance of riches in friends and family that she built with her own time and love, and that stretches far longer than ten million won ever will.

As for that other loveline, it seems that the misdirection and “clues” (as in, troll droppings, not actual clues) have begun in earnest for the Jung-hwan-Deok-sun-Taek triangle, what with the identical pictures, the surprise smoking habit, the T-shirts in winter. For me it has no bearing on the past storyline because I want to watch the way it unfolds without hunting for The Answer, so I’ll leave the parsing to others. But what I WAS interested in was Deok-sun’s development in this episode, or rather the twist from what we expected (self-centered, shallow, flighty Deok-sun), to what we got (thoughtful, caring, dependable Deok-sun). I think even the most oblivious boy would fall for her after that. I especially loved the touch where both Deok-sun and Sun-woo show care in this episode via fried eggs, which just seems like a mom thing to do and feels warm and homey. I still worry a hell of a lot for Taek’s well-being (you don’t suppose Dad’s condition is hereditary, do you?) and the way baduk saps all of his energy, but it was a nice change of pace when Deok-sun was there to make sure he was warm and well-fed. He really does have the best friends in the entire world, that guy, but I think he knows it.

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , ,

237

Required fields are marked *

I'm all for team DS x JH but tbh, the only one I can seriously see liking DS out of their friend group really is taek. DS truly treats him so well & their dynamics are adorbs it kills me. I can definitely see why he would develop a crush on her. JH on the other hand, I think he's probs just attracted to fiesty girls (like DS) which is funny cuz he made fun of SW for liking strong girls (aka Bora) when he's just the same! Lol. Anyway, JH's crush on DS has always been a bit odd for me considering the fact she's so bratty & annoying to him. All they do is bicker lol. But I guess, ppl DO flirt like that. Especially when you're young like these two :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG OMG episode 10!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG i just watched episode 10 and it's killing meeeeeeeeee!! i just don't know who i want to give my sympathy for. Junghwan or Taek.

can't believe we have to wait another week after they leave it like that. damn show is really killing me (and i'm in my exam week!) >____<

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I just love this episode's main storylines. It's nice to see this side of Deoksun and and Taek's dad being a reliable oppa to Sunwoo's mom.. Oh my! Keep em surprises coming!

That said, I am not liking how Sunwoo's pushing himself too much on Bora? Girl just told for how many times already she's not into him but he just won't listen. He's a sweet good boy, a very good filial son and an attentive brother but comeon, she set a boundary and he just keeps on breaking it. I get the point they're making (you need to cross some boundaries to experience more of love, life, etc., things like that) but as Deoksun said, there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Just rubs me the wrong way.

Anyway, rooting for the budding love lines! (the love trio and the ahjussi&ahjumma lol)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

hmm i think the husband is taek.
The future husband point the date on the right of the photo. And the JH and DS banners date is on the left.
And the future husband is a smoker....
And left handed...
Maybe because its obvious and many people guess the husband is JH , the writers and PD-nim make a twist ?

Btw i ship DS and JH , but i love DS with taek too

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

is it taek? or jung hwan? ah i really love this series!!! getting me totally excited every time! Kudos to the recap team and production team as well :))

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I won't play the DS husband hunting game. Too frustrating with all the clues and red herrings.

I do ship Taek's dad and Sun Woo's mom though! They are just to cute together!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ugh, Sun-woo's grandma is a bitch.

(sorry not sorry for cursing, she deserved it)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Twist. Taek pink sweater is Park Bogum's. There is an article about it.

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like how everything unfolds BUT... no to Sun Woo x Bo Ra pair please!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

does anyone know the title of the song playing in minutes 28:45 until 30:35 ?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Am I the only one hoping Jung-bong and Bora to end up together? Just find them adorable. Hahaha

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

why does reply 1988 focus more on the content of Sun woo and Bora's relationship then Deok-Sun and taek/Jung-Hwan?????

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I get the story part of it, but I don't understand the details of how Sun Woo's grandma can take a loan out on his mom's house? Does the grandma hold the title, but lets Sun Woo's family live there? If not, how can she take a loan on someone else's house?!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wonder why Deok-sun looks happier next to Taek than Jung-hwan. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but she looks so much happier and comfortable next to Taekie. I wonder if this is shows on a subconscious level that she likes Taek more than Jung-hwan at that point. Oh well, I already watched the series but I was always curious about that.

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Comment was deleted

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The scenes where Duk Seon took extra care of Taek during the China trip was super sweet!
1) She braved that 1-hour line to buy him Jap food because sunbae mentioned Taek gets food poisoned with Chinese food.
2) I'm sure she only brought 1 electric blanket for herself because it was her 1st time to travel, and yet, she gave that to Taek instead of using it.
3) She picking out what he'd wear everyday to ease his daily routine.

Their whole gang takes care of Taek, yes, but Duk Seon has shown here that she has leveled up in taking care of him. She may not know it yet but her actions seem to reflect more what her heart wants. It was also revealed in the picture on which one she actually smiled in. Both JH and Taek surprised her with putting their arms around her for the pic but she just looked startled and confused with JH's, while she looked startled but pleased (or heart fluttered) with Taek's.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dear girlfriday.. you are awesome! I have only recently finished Reply 1988 and I swear I cannot get over it! Not yet....can't even start a new K drama series as I still want hold on to this euphoria.. I just want to say that you come as a bonus and such a great treat after watching each episode. You break it down and make me better appreciate each scene even the seemingly inconsequential ones. And after you give your insight, it was not inconsequential after all. Cheers and more insights to come please. Thank you for doing this and spreading the joy of a quality kdrama

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This is the episode where I knew Taek was the husband!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *