Imaginary Cat: Episode 5

by gummimochi

I swear this show’s singular purpose is to put a smile on the face of everyone who watches it. It’s hard to fathom that there would actually be a series in dramaland that simply seeks to make its viewers happy, and then Imaginary Cat comes along.

Just as Jong-hyun begins to warm up to Na-woo, another suitor swings in to grab her attention. Though really, there’s no reason to worry when practically the entire neighborhood is rooting for these two to get together anyway. There are more hints about the Haru mystery in this episode, but it’s only a matter of time until that trail of breadcrumbs will lead to the truth.

SONG OF THE DAY

Davichi – “You Are My Everything” [ Download ]

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CHAPTER 9: “Your Significance”

It’s an exciting morning for Jong-hyun when he realizes midway through brushing his teeth that his wrist has fully recovered. Ecstatic, he hurriedly finishes and runs to show Bok-gil that he’s all better. She’s not as thrilled.

In celebration, he picks her up like a dumbbell, then pretends that they’re in a battlefield and she’s the machine gun. Barely two minutes have passed and this is the most adorable thing I’ve seen all year.

Jong-hyun immediately gets to work, and Bok-gil is annoyed that her human is stuck at his desk again. But the good news is that Jong-hyun finishes his work just before his deadline, and promises Bok-gil that he’ll come home early to play with her. Yeah, like she’s going to believe that.

Looking over his work, Dokko solemnly says she had high expectations of Jong-hyun… then smiles to say he’s exceeded them. Jong-hyun is relieved to hear the good news. She remarks how there was a lot of drama surrounding this submission, but glad that her intuition about him was right.

When Jong-hyun says he has buddy Hae-gong to thank, she’s a little too agreeable about it: “Our Hae-gong-sshi is dependable.”

Jong-hyun doesn’t miss the endearing tone in her voice, and Dokko PD quickly covers her flub before inviting him out for a celebratory drink. And this time, she won’t take no for an answer.

He’s surprised when they arrive to find Hae-gong already waiting for them, and even more so when Dokko PD plops down next to his friend. Jong-hyun furrows his brow when Hae-gong refers to her as a “goddess”, and Dokko PD pointedly pokes at Hae-gong.

Not that these two can keep quiet for long because Jong-hyun catches Hae-gong feeding a bite to Dokko PD. Figuring it’s better to clear the air, Hae-gong wraps his arm around her and declares that they’re dating.

Jong-hyun isn’t the least bit surprised, and instead offers to pour a glass for his buddy’s new girlfriend. Dokko PD can’t help but laugh nervously, but Hae-gong’s all, You can’t hide love before taking her hand. Ha, these two.

A few drinks later, Dokko PD confesses that Jong-hyun’s work severely lacks any kind of romantic arc. Hae-gong thinks Jong-hyun should date someone too—how about Na-woo? She’s nice and seems into him.

Jong-hyun says it isn’t like that, and Dokko PD mentions how a person’s work reveals a lot about that person. For Jong-hyun, she gets the sense that there’s a hidden darkness within him. What could that be?

But Jong-hyun doesn’t answer, and soon we see him alone on the swings. His imagination conjures up his first love Soo-in sitting next to him. She compliments him on the drawing of her (the one on the swings, which he let float away on the water).

Whereas she feels she knows so much about him, Jong-hyun says he feels just the opposite—there’s so much he doesn’t know about her. He’s speaking as to why she suddenly took her own life all those years ago, but she says he still liked her.

He admits as much, and she congratulates him for finishing his project. She keeps smiling at him for a few moments, but Jong-hyun finds himself alone when he looks over at her direction again.

Na-woo maintains a photo blog of the neighborhood alley cats. She tells her vet friend LEE WAN that she sometimes gets requests from readers who want to buy her photos.

She really wants to take photos of cats adopted into happy homes, but finds it difficult to find photographic subjects, so Wan offers to ask some of his clients. He asks if she remembers how she once said her ideal guy was a veterinarian, only to pout when she doesn’t. Aww, your crush on her is so obvious to everyone but her.

She runs out when Hae-gong calls, and Wan sighs, deflated.

Bok-gil is NOT a happy cat at home, disgusted by the pigsty her human calls a home. She wonders if Jong-hyun will stay at home all day again today and like a nagging mother thinks: “Get out of the house, huh? Clean up, will you?”

Hae-gong also knows Jong-hyun’s cooped up at home, so he calls so that they can get some exercise. When Jong-hyun blows him off, Hae-gong hollers to his window to come out already, much to Jong-hyun’s alarm.

Hae-gong couldn’t care less about waking up the whole neighborhood if he has to (“This guy lives with a cat and won’t pay back the money I lent him!”) That does the trick, and soon they’re riding their bikes through the park and making bets as to who will pay for lunch.

Jong-hyun pulls ahead of Hae-gong to stop his bicycle. He’s surprised to see Na-woo here and learns that Hae-gong invited her here to go for a bike ride. Too bad Hae-gong is nowhere to be found, and Jong-hyun gets annoyed when he gets a text telling him to take good care of Na-woo.

Now that Hae-gong’s Cupid duties have wrapped, it’s just the two of them. Na-woo had been hoping that she’d learn how to ride a bicycle from Hae-gong today. She explains that she never got a chance to learn since she was sick at a young age.

She figures Jong-hyun can teach her instead, and is completely oblivious to the fact that Hae-gong has bowed out so that they can enjoy a little date.

Not that it’s a very smooth afternoon because Jong-hyun struggles in teaching her. Later that evening, Na-woo says it’s because he wasn’t a great teacher. When he threatens to just leave her here, she wraps her arms around his waist.

He comes to an abrupt stop, and she gets off so they can walk. She asks about the time Jong-hyun met Bok-gil for the first time in the streets—she wasn’t hurt or sick at the time, right?

No, he answers—he remembers that Bok-gil was quite healthy. He asks if her search for her long-lost cat Haru will continue, and when she nods, he asks what she’ll do if Haru is found. “I don’t know,” Na-woo breathes. “I just want to see her once more.”

He drops her off, but Na-woo stops him before he leaves to ask if she can include Bok-gil in an upcoming photo exhibition that will feature photos of abandoned cats. She think it’ll be great to show pictures of her story to show how unwanted animals can find happy homes.

But Jong-hyun cuts her off just then, having heard the cries of a kitten nearby. Its howling has also awoken the mean ajusshi, who ventures outside with a next. He’s determined to catch the little bugger keeping him up.

Although Na-woo and Jong-hyun hide, he soon gets up to placate the mean (and drunk) ajusshi. He’s empathetic to the ajusshi’s feelings long enough so that Na-woo can sneak away.

 
CHAPTER 10: “The Boy, The Girl, and The Cat”

At the animal hospital, Jong-hyun and Na-woo are relieved to hear that the kitten will be fine. Since Na-woo can’t take the kitty home, she asks if Wan could find a good home for it.

She protests against Jong-hyun’s idea of returning the alley cat where they found it, but when Wan offers to head back with Na-woo to find the kitten’s mother, Jong-hyun volunteers instead. Na-woo tags along, much to Wan’s disappointment.

Jong-hyun and Na-woo put out some cat food and wait for some time before concluding that the mother won’t be returning. They’ll hope that Wan finds a good home for the lost kitten.

Bok-gil is not pleased when Jong-hyun finally arrives home, wondering what’s keeping her human out so late lately. Reminded of the abandoned kitten, Jong-hyun asks how Bok-gil ended up on the streets alone—surely she must’ve once had a mother too.

If she had a previous owner, he wonders how sad that person would’ve been after losing Bok-gil. She hadn’t been at all afraid of humans when he first found her, and he gathers her up in his arms now. “Let’s not ever part, okay?” he says before nuzzling into her head.

Things are much better for Jong-hyun now at the bookstore, since his boss is fixated on Jong-hyun’s connection to Na-woo’s cousin. Why if Jong-hyun gets together with Na-woo then he can fix his boss up with the goddess-like cousin.

His boss takes offense by Jong-hyun’s surprise that he’s still a bachelor and threatens to dock his pay for every minute he was out sick or was tardy. If Jong-hyun’s upset about it, he can get him the goddess’s number.

But Jong-hyun returns that his boss can do it himself since Na-woo’s cousin is here. He points her out to him, and his boss rushes over to strike up a conversation.

Na-woo hangs by the cafe window to catch Jong-hyun on his way home. She has good news: somebody adopted that kitten. She asks if he’s given some thought about her taking photos of Bok-gil, to which he gives a flat no.

When asked why it’s Bok-gil of all subjects, Na-woo explains that she wants to feature lost cats who have met a happy ending. No cat she knows is as happy as Bok-gil… because Jong-hyun is her owner.

She hands him a bag containing chicken soup she’d made for Bok-gil, urging him to take it since it isn’t for him. He accepts the gift, and when she tells him to bring Bok-gil to the cafe tomorrow, Jong-hyun reminds her that he hasn’t said yes.

At home, Jong-hyun notices that she hasn’t eaten her dry food (Bok-gil’s more in the mood for a snack than anything). He’s worried that she hasn’t been eating lately, so he spoons some of the chicken soup into Bok-gil’s bowl.

She loves it, which leaves Jong-hyun offended: “Bok-gil-sshi, were you always this easy of a cat?” Bok-gil thinks, “Yup. Another!” He gripes how she didn’t eat that special chicken hamburger he once made her, and she deadpans, “Sorry. I only eat delicious things.”

Still, Jong-hyun is happy enough to see her eating, and she sighs when he says it’s time for some exercise. They play cat toys together and roll around the floor, because they’re just adorable like that.

Bok-gil is a semi-unwilling photography subject at the cafe the next day. “Oy Human, can you make her stop?” she thinks as Na-woo snaps photos of her. Na-woo is pleased to hear that Bok-gil enjoyed her homemade meal, though Bok-gil is all, I had no idea you made it.

She tells Bok-gil that her long lost cat Haru loved that chicken soup too. How funny that they share the same food preferences. Yes… how… convenient. Jong-hyun asks for the recipe, and Na-woo offers to teach him how to make it—now.

So they head out for groceries, which means that the cafe is closed when Wan swings by. He does, however, spot Jong-hyun and Na-woo on their way back, and tells her about a cat she’s been meaning to see.

Na-woo feels apologetic even though Jong-hyun gives her the go-ahead, so she promises to text him the recipe later.

So Jong-hyun tries making the soup on his home, though he and Bok-gil aren’t so sure about his cooking skills. It doesn’t taste quite right to him, and as if on cue, there’s someone at the door.

It’s Na-woo, but she looks thoroughly upset when he opens the door for her. “My cat…” she says, gasping. “give her back to me.” Jong-hyun looks back at her, confused.

 
COMMENTS

It’s a wee bit of a stretch to think that Jong-hyun could be this dense when it comes to the Haru mystery, but I get that his bewildered reaction is all part of the linear narrative course. It was fairly obvious from the start that Imaginary Cat wouldn’t have a very complicated plot, but that wasn’t why we continued to watch every week (Jong-hyun + Bok-gil 4 LYFE).

Furthermore, the hints weren’t all that subtle either from the moment Na-woo commented on how much Bok-gil looked like her cat all the way down to how she enjoys the same soup Haru once did. So the Bok-gil to Haru connection was bound to appear sooner or later, but now the question remains of how Na-woo found out and why now of all times. There are a couple of names that come to mind like Wan or Na-woo’s cousin, and both of whom would have different intentions of revealing as much to her.

Of course I realize that there’s the slim possibility that all those hints could’ve been red herrings and that Na-woo is under some misunderstanding. But I’m inclined to dismiss the idea, since all signs do point to Bok-gil being long-lost Haru. And if we’re running with that idea, it makes Bok-gil’s story that much sadder, that she was lost (or quite possibly abandoned) while Na-woo was away.

Then there’s Jong-hyun, who is finally warming up to Na-woo, and now she’s shown up at his door demanding that he return her cat. We know that he’s contemplated the idea of what it would be like for him (and the previous owner) to be separated from Bok-gil, and now that might be a real possibility. Yunno, you two could just get together like everyone else have been hinting. Maybe then Na-woo can take videos of Bok-gil and upload those for the internet. After all, people love cat videos. Lord knows we do.

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