One More Happy Ending: Episode 13

by LollyPip

Everyone is making great positive strides in their lives, which is great, but there’s still a lot of work to do. It takes time and work to build a relationship, mend trust, and repair what’s been broken. It’s even harder when outside forces start throwing wrenches in the works, and you never know when a new threat may pop up out of nowhere.

EPISODE 13 RECAP

Mi-mo hurls her shoe at Soo-hyuk’s head, and tells him tearfully that she’s come as far as she can towards him — he needs to come the rest of the way. He does, closing the distance and sealing it with a kiss. It’s so gentle and tender, as if he’s afraid she’ll disappear at any moment.

He kneels to massage her bare foot and slip her shoe back on, nagging softly that he told her not to wear heels, but she never listens. Mi-mo just smiles at him, and this time when she reaches out to caress his hair, he lets her, and tentatively returns her smile.

They go upstairs, walking slowly and bumping fingers like teenagers afraid to hold hands, so cute. Soo-hyuk leans in for another kiss, and at Mi-mo’s wide-eyed startle, he backtracks and asks about her dog, Ppoppo (ppoppo means “kiss”). Soo-hyuk says that he missed two things while in the U.S., her and Ppoppo, but I don’t think he means the dog.

He angles for an invite inside by saying that he wants to see Ppoppo, slowly inching closer and staring intently at Mi-mo’s lips, and nope, he’s definitely not talking about the dog. Mi-mo knows it and she certainly looks interested, but just before Soo-hyuk kisses her again, Min-woo exits the elevator and Mi-mo shoves Soo-hyuk across the hall. HA.

Min-woo sizes up the situation and quickly goes inside, but he’s not as happy about this turn of events as his father. He remembers that Mi-mo is the reason his dad’s been miserable lately.

Mi-mo could feel Min-woo’s mood as well, and Soo-hyuk agrees that he did have a hard time because of her. The sexy moment over, he sends her inside, and she tells him to visit her in her dreams and not to go anywhere. Before he goes home, he sees one of the notes Mi-mo stuck to his door while he was gone, the one that asked when he was coming home.

In the morning, Mi-mo finds sticky notes on her door in the shape of a heart, asking her on dates and chattering about nothing. Oh how cute. She wonders if he somehow knew about her notes, and she heads to work smiling.

Soo-hyuk literally skips up to Mi-mo in the parking garage and offers her a ride, because he wants to take her for coffee. He’s so happy this morning, saying that being with her makes everything different. He also packed her a lunch, admitting that he’s doing all this because of what she said — that the person who loves more is the winner. ~swoon~

He tells Mi-mo to come home after work and he’ll make dinner, and she teases that he sounds like a wife. He asks cheekily if he should wear an apron… just an apron.

While Mi-mo is at work, Soo-hyuk meets with someone about a job, showing his portfolio with some of his better photos. He says that he doesn’t want to take pictures that hurt people anymore, and he gets the job.

Da-jung asks Mi-mo’s opinion on the marriage retreat that Geun-hak wants to go on with her, saying that it’s not her style. Mi-mo teases that she thinks it is her style, having known her when she was young and silly. She says seriously that she feels badly for Geun-hak, who’s working so hard yet Da-jung keeps pushing him away.

She asks a question of her own, wondering what an ex-reporter could do for a job, feeling responsible for Soo-hyuk’s being unemployed. Da-jung figures he could teach or do PR for a company, and suggests Mi-mo consult a head hunter.

Dong-mi arrives at work to find Jung-woo waiting for her, wondering why she’s been avoiding him lately. She says she has her reasons and reminds him not to speak banmal, but he knows this is about the age difference (which he still thinks is only six years). Dong-mi is suspicious of his motives, sure that such a young guy couldn’t be genuinely interested in her.

Frustrated, Jung-woo raises his voice and says that he just likes her, that’s all, because what other over-thirty-one-year-old is so cute?? He leans in and kisses her, right in front of her students and coworkers, who turn green with jealousy.

Hae-joon and Yeon-soo have coffee, and she comments that it’s the first time in a long while that they’ve felt relaxed with each other. Of course Hae-joon is surprised to hear that he’s had his guard up around her, and he asks if she hated him. She says that she did, but it’s slowly being replaced by a different feeling.

A voice pipes up behind them: “I know what it is.” It’s Yeon-mi, looking petulant as usual, and she marches over to tell Yeon-soo to just say what she wants to say. She’s angry with Hae-joon for not contacting her after she had her father talk to him and everything, and whines that he’ll just go back to his ex-wife after everything.

Dong-mi is still floating after that kiss, which has convinced her that a nine-year age gap isn’t that big of a deal. Ae-ran thinks she’s lost her mind, and says so. Dong-mi imagines herself interviewing Jung-woo as if for a job, and in her imagination he casually admits to having nothing — as the elder, things like jobs and bank accounts are her responsibility.

Soo-hyuk talks to his family member (And it is Shi-ah, the same Shi-ah who’s engaged to Mi-mo’s ex) about So-eun, the girl his parents want to match him with. He feels badly because she’s a friend, and he doesn’t want to hurt her, but he’s most definitely not interested. He asks for Shi-ah’s help turning So-eun down.

That night, Mi-mo stays at work late, researching possible career directions for Soo-hyuk. She finds Soo-hyuk alone when she gets to his place, and he half-jokes that he might tell Min-woo not to come home at all tonight. RAWR.

He gasps dramatically when Mi-mo pulls out her laptop, teasing that she brought over some porn to watch, ha. She shows him the presentation she put together to help him find a new career, and aww, he’s so touched. He doesn’t tell her that he got a job already, and sweetly asks if she can’t just take care of him, since she’s a business owner.

He says what a good housekeeper and parent he is, making his case for being a kept man.He can take care of things by day, and at night he can… passionately… do the dishes. HA. He had Mi-mo worried with that one.

She continues her presentation, excited to show him all of her ideas, and he just watches her face as she yammers on. He finally says, “This is torture, looking at you like this.” He counts off three seconds and leans in close, but she smacks his face away so hard he raps his elbow on the table. Girl, WHY are you being so prissy?? Let him kiss you!

Soo-hyuk yelps, and Mi-mo says that she was just startled is all. She wants to take things slowly this time. She nervously shuffles home, leaving Soo-hyuk to smile thinking of all the work she did to help him.

Geun-hak surprises Da-jung with breakfast the next morning, and he tells her that he took a few days off work. She spills juice on her blouse and he rushes to wipe it for her, but they both freeze up when his hand nears her chest.

Da-jung remembers the time when they were trying for a baby, and she’d overheard him arguing with his father on the phone. He’d refused to continue artificial insemination, against his father’s wishes, taking up for her. Now she overhears him having the same conversation, explaining his need for time off, again for her and their marriage. What a good man.

Mi-mo’s secretary stops her from overfeeding the office goldfish, telling her that they aren’t smart enough to know when they’re full and will eat themselves to death. Later Mi-mo meets with a new client, whose ideas of how many times a woman should text or call him per day are pretty restrictive.

Yeon-soo approaches Hae-joon to ask him to help her treat a patient — herself. She describes her feelings towards him in medical terms, saying that her seratonin levels and limbic system are affecting her cognitive abilities. It’s cute how she presents her feelings as an illness and asks for a prescription, but Hae-joon says that what she really needs is surgery to get rid of it. Ouch.

Dong-mi is dressed to kill in a miniskirt (though still managing to maintain her awesome nerdy aesthetic, ha), determined to look good for her man. She goes out with him and his friends, and the girls all sneer at her and point out her age at every opportunity. Jung-woo is adorably whipped, not even caring that his friends laugh when he goes googly-eyed over how cute Dong-mi is.

They relocate to a noraebang, where the younger girls pull out all the stops with sexy songs and dance routines. Dong-mi picks “Dear My Boyfriend” by Fin.K.L., and oh man, she’s terrible. How was she ever an idol? Jung-woo’s friends all gape, but he grins like she’s just the best thing he’s ever seen. Awww, he really does like her.

Dong-mi goes home exhausted and gets another lecture from Ae-ran, who thinks she’s working too hard for this guy when it will never work out. Dong-mi just tells her to go finish packing so she can move back in with Dong-bae. But as she’s doing just that, Ae-ran gets a text from a friend, with a picture of Dong-bae at a restaurant surrounded by pretty women.

Of course she goes to confront him, but it turns out to be a company dinner, so she joins him. Ha, his company makes beauty products, so of course they have a large number of attractive women working there.

Soo-hyuk surprises Mi-mo when she gets off work, and walks her home. Recalling her client, she asks if it’s a turnoff when a girl texts and calls all day, and he says that he’d like it if it were her. Perfect answer, my good man.

Mi-mo grows serious and makes him promise not to break up with her with a two-line text even if he does get tired of her, and he seriously tells her that he’ll make sure it’s a long text with lots of explanation. She whines, and he laughingly promises that he has no intention of breaking up at all.

As they near their building, they run into So-eun and Min-woo, and there’s this hilariously awkward beat where the ladies look at each other, then at Soo-hyuk, and he just doesn’t know where to look. The silence continues in the elevator, with Mi-mo shooting Soo-hyuk obvious Who is this chick and what does she want? glares, and he just makes his statement by putting his arm around Mi-mo and pulling her close. Ha, even Min-woo grins at that, and Mi-mo gives So-eun a Too bad, so sad shrug.

Apparently So-eun did move into this building, right above Soo-hyuk’s apartment in fact, though she gets off on their floor to bring in some groceries. Oh that’s so awkward — obviously she was planning to make dinner for Min-woo and Soo-hyuk. She makes sure to mention how she practically raised Min-woo and that she knows Soo-hyuk’s mother… she’s trying to make Mi-mo jealous, and it works.

She insists on going inside anyway and cooking for Min-woo, and immediately starts peppering him with questions about Mi-mo. Soo-hyuk joins them to ask why she moved here, and she admits her ulterior motive. He makes his disapproval clear, and So-eun just jokes that he’d better be nice or she’ll get a dog and make a lot of noise upstairs.

Mi-mo paces, worried about Soo-hyuk over there with So-eun, and she gets an idea. HAHA, it’s her turn to show up at Soo-hyuk’s place unannounced with food and a wild-eyed expression, and dinner turns into a cookoff between Mi-mo and So-eun. I love how the boys watch from a careful, respectful distance.

The ladies do their best to sabotage each other’s dishes at every turn, but it all ends up looking delicious. They present their meals expectantly, as if the best dish wins Soo-hyuk, and the guys take their role as judges seriously. Min-woo likes So-eun’s dish better, calling Mi-mo’s bland, and So-eun practically glows with happiness.

Da-jung agrees to try the marriage retreat with Geun-hak (aww, his happy/relieved smile kills me), but tells him that taking a month off work isn’t necessary. He just tells her not to worry, that he wants to do it, and things will be fine.

Dong-mi sends Ae-ran off to move in with Dong-bae, warning Dong-bae not to break her friend’s heart. He jokes that he’ll be the one to suffer, after agreeing to all the rules Ae-ran has set up for him to follow.

Mi-mo goes back to pacing her apartment, and storms back to Soo-hyuk’s to ask Min-woo why he didn’t like her food. He tells her to get fresher ingredients next time, and we hear Soo-hyuk making ralphing noises in the background — oh no, he ate her food and now he’s sick.

Mi-mo feels terrible, but Soo-hyuk explains that he just has a sensitive tummy. Poor guy goes to bed looking green around the gills, and Mi-mo stays to make him some porridge. She feels terrible for making him unemployed and sick, but Soo-hyuk is just happy to have her there and assures her that he’s fine.

He makes room for her next to him in bed and asks her to stay, and she only hesitates a second before climbing in. They lay there just smiling at each other, happy to be together, and fall asleep all snuggled up.Mi-mo wakes in the morning to find Soo-hyuk watching her adoringly, burning this moment in his mind. He gives her the sweetest little kiss on the forehead, and they both smile at each other again.

Da-jung is happy to see Mi-mo so happy, but Mi-mo admits that she keeps getting scared that things could go wrong again. Da-jung figures that this means Mi-mo really loves Soo-hyuk, because before, she never worried and just dove right in. She mentions Min-woo and says that raising someone else’s child isn’t easy, but even Da-jung admits that if Min-woo is really that mature for his age, things should be fine.

Mi-mo’s newest client turns out to be Yeon-soo, who’s decided that it’s time to move on and find someone “better than Gu Hae-joon.”

HAHAHA and aww, Da-jung and Geun-hak are the only couple at marriage camp wearing couple tees. Da-jung wants to crawl into a hole, but Geun-hak tells her to just focus on their relationship — they’re not here to make friends. But oh noooo, the “love counselor” couldn’t possibly be any cheesier.

Dong-mi and Mi-mo laugh later just hearing about it, and the silly homework they have to do for the class. Mi—mo says that love is childish anyway, so Da-jung should just have fun with it.

They’re all going to Ae-ran’s new place for one of their get-togethers, and Dong-mi sighs at Ae-ran’s wedding photo, saying that she wants to take one too someday. Ae-ran tells her to break up with that nine-years-younger child if she wants to get married, and Mi-mo and Da-jung are like, Nine years?? Ha, I forgot they didn’t know his real age.

Ae-ran also informs them that Dong-mi hasn’t told Jung-woo her real age yet, and Dong-mi breezes that she’s just waiting for the right time. She’s confident that things will work out fine, and her friends sweetly encourage her.

Mi-mo says wistfully that those wedding photos can be a nuisance if you end up getting divorced, and decides later that it’s time to finally get rid of hers. She takes it outside to burn it, and when Soo-hyuk finds her she says that she’s just cleaning up an old mess.

The elevator breaks on their ride back upstairs, and Soo-hyuk calls for help, then notices that Mi-mo is starting to panic. She’s not okay, despite saying she that is, and he hugs her tightly to comfort her.

Min-woo arrives home and notices that one of the elevators is stopped and the other is broken, and he points them out to So-eun when she joins him. She can’t take the stairs because she’s in spiked heels (Uh, you could take your shoes off, princess), so they go to notify the security guard.

He’s busy grinning at the security camera, and quips that he knows, but he didn’t want to break the mood. They can clearly see Mi-mo and Soo-hyuk in the elevator, but from this angle the comforting hug looks like they’re madly making out. So-eun shrieks at the man to fix the elevator immediately, and he slooowly goes to attend to it.

Mi-mo calls Soo-hyuk the next day, asking if he’s met with his sister yet (and how cute, he answers her call with kissy lips, hee). They’re both at the same hotel, him at the restaurant and her for an event, and he offers to take her home when they’re finished.

Mi-mo just barely misses seeing Shi-ah and Song-jae as they enter the hotel, here to see Soo-hyuk. Shi-ah introduces Soo-hyuk and Song-jae, and they share a nice meal while she tells stories of growing up in America. Soo-hyuk plays the doting oppa to the hilt, warning Song-jae never to make his sister cry, and Song-jae promises that brotherly threats aren’t necessary.

When Mi-mo finishes her business, she goes looking for Soo-hyuk, and stops in alarm when she finds him. Her eyes grow wide, and she denies what she’s seeing, and who he’s with.

COMMENTS

So I know this is Dramaland, and unnaturally prudish characters are par for the course, but come on, Mi-mo’s refusal to let Soo-hyuk even kiss her not ten minutes after begging him to make the next move is just frustrating, to say the least. They are grown adults, not inexperienced kids. I respect that she wants to take things slowly, since she’s trying to learn from her mistakes now and not jump into a new relationship without thinking. That’s very mature and adult of her, and it’s awesome, and I have zero issue with that. But throwing Soo-hyuk across the room and whacking him upside the head, just for attempting a little smooch, is a bit over-the-top, and I find Mi-mo’s reactions unrealistic enough to take me out of the moment. Studies show that physical contact is what bonds people together and makes good relationships strong. You can take things slow but still allow some skinship to help ground your brand-new baby relationship. So I’m glad that she did at least allow some cuddling eventually, but we better start getting some kisses up in here soon.

On the other hand, Mi-mo and Soo-hyuk are so darn cute together, it practically makes my teeth ache and makes me inclined to forgive a little hesitation in the skinship department. Clearly Soo-hyuk is prepared to wait for Mi-mo — he’s waited for nearly twenty-five years, and it’s not like she’s pretending not to care for him. She makes her feelings clear, it’s just the physical intimacy she wants to wait for. And I do appreciate that she’s taking this relationship and her feelings very seriously, seriously enough that she’s taking the time she needs to reeally think about what a life with Soo-hyuk and Min-woo would look like. She wants to make sure that she can handle not just life with Soo-hyuk, but that she’s ready to be a stepmother as well. Just the fact that she cares enough about Min-woo to slow down her relationship with his father is a huge step for Mi-mo’s personal growth.

And I just love seeing Soo-hyuk finally having an outlet for all the mother-henning he’s been dying to do for Mi-mo. He’s so attentive and caring towards her, always making sure she’s comfortable and happy before himself yet never coming across as smothering or intrusive. He’s just right for her, and they balance each other out well — Soo-hyuk with his overly cautious caring, and Mi-mo with her impulsiveness and enthusiasm. I’m happy to see them both growing out of their comfort zones, but they don’t need to change too much, because they each have the other to temper their extremes.

I do like that the show has finally put it’s overwrought weepy days behind it, but I’m still not happy about the addition of a rival for Soo-hyuk’s affections at this late stage. It feels tacked-on and contrived, especially since So-eun seems to be your stock pushy female second lead. Ah-ni was more interesting, having liked Soo-hyuk for so long and being relevant in his present life, but So-eun just feels… too sudden. She’s known him forever and yet only now decided she likes him, conveniently at the same time that his parents have decided that he needs to get married. She just happens to move to Korea, and right upstairs from him and Min-woo, and she’s being entirely too forward when he’s made it clear that he’s already got a girlfriend. What kind of woman sees a man kissing his love with her own eyes, and goes all shrieky and demands they be interrupted? Nobody sane, that’s who.

At least the twist with Shi-ah being Soo-hyuk’s sister feels a bit more natural, with her character having been introduced much earlier in the story. That actually feels pretty well-done, and planned from the beginning, because it was set up in an interesting way. Mi-mo has good reason to see Shi-ah as a threat, and to be upset at the close connection between her past and her present. She just finally let go of her ex-husband and her marriage and is ready to move forward, and yet here is this constant reminder of how hurt she was when she divorced, poised to be in her life long as she and Soo-hyuk are together. I don’t imagine her reaction is going to be anything good, and I’m also curious to see how Soo-hyuk will react at this news. No doubt, he’s not going to be happy about his little sister marrying the man who broke Mi-mo’s heart.

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