Marriage Contract: Episode 12
by Saya
Everyone spends a lot of time alone this episode, struggling to adjust to shifting realities. That you can be right next to someone and yet know nothing about them is one of the hardest things of all to accept. But knowledge demands change, and with so many secrets coming to light this hour, change is surely in the air for everyone. And maybe we can all get off the angst train…soon?
EPISODE 12 RECAP
Hye-soo nearly passes out on the street. Ji-hoon whirls her out of the way of an oncoming car and heatedly asks what the hell she’s doing. Releasing herself from his hold, she walks on. Stopping her, he gives an emotional and unconditional apology for everything. He’s sorry that for all his studying, he doesn’t know her at all. But whoever she is, it’s okay, he says, voice breaking. He’ll even divorce her, as long as she can stay by his side.
Tears running down his face, he begs her to give him one more chance. Her own eyes full, Hye-soo tells him he has nothing to be sorry for, but his carrying on like this is burdensome to her. She steps around him and, walking away, allows her own tears to fall.
Stranded alone in the middle of the street, Ji-hoon doubles over with little pained exhalations that hurt my heart.
At Mi-ran’s bedside, Uncle tells her that she’s having the surgery — he’s going to save her himself, and she has no choice in the matter. Aw, yeah. In shock, she tries to sit up. Gruff and gentle, he tells her that she has to live well for a long time to make it up to their parents and his late wife. Gratitude and heartache roll of Mi-ran as she gazes wordlessly at her brother. He wipes her eyes.
Uncle finds Ji-hoon in the waiting area, and tells him that he shouldn’t come to the hospital anymore. It makes Ji-hoon’s father interfere with them, and it worries his mother. He leaves him with an affectionate pat and a warm smile.
Hye-soo has to run from bed to bathroom again to be sick. reaching to untie her hair, she stops cold when a handful of hair comes away in her hands. She stares at it, and then out the door at her sleeping daughter.
Na-yoon visits Chairman Han. He apologizes for having to postpone the parents’ marriage meeting. She reassures him that it’s fine if Ji-hoon needs some more time, and he thanks her for her understanding.
She meets Jung-hoon outside the Chairman’s office, and he takes pleasure in taunting her about Ji-hoon and his scandals. She keeps a stony face.
Jung-hoon repeats all the rumors about Ji-hoon to his father — that he was had by a scheming woman, and that the Chairman had paid her off. The Chairman’s face grows darker and darker, and when his son laughs that that woman even tricked Ji-hoon into marriage, he loses his temper and dashes a cup of coffee over him. Jung-hoon yells, and Dad reminds him that he forbade him to bring that up.
Dripping and aggrieved, Jung-hoon protests Dad’s favoritism. Why, why, why does he always take Ji-hoon’s side? Is Jung-hoon not also his son? Dad yells back that he should try being half the man his brother is. He tries to dismiss him, but Jung-hoon warns his father that he’ll regret underestimating him. Dad gapes like a fish at his threat.
At the back of an elevator, Ji-hoon goes unnoticed by employees gossiping about the two brothers, and the rumors that peg Ji-hoon for a fast-track promotion. The brothers find themselves face to face when the elevator opens on Jung-hoon. He glares at Ji-hoon inside, and lets the doors close.
Chairman Han hears that Mi-ran’s surgery has been scheduled, but he doesn’t want to hear about her anymore. Instead, he tells his aide to find out what Jung-hoon’s up to. He’s certain he’s about to cause a big ruckus.
Hye-soo moves boxes out of her apartment with Joo-yeon’s help. Seung-joo finds them, and wonders if she’s moving so suddenly because of the rumors. Joo-yeon drags him away to help her before he can say more. Eun-sung asks Hye-soo if they really have to move. She pleads for them to take Ji-hoon with them, and Hye-soo nips that firmly in the bud: no ajusshi. She’s left desolately cuddling one of the kittens.
Ji-hoon returns to the restaurant to find Chef gathering all the staff. He singles out snippy Ara as the source of the rumors about Hye-soo seducing Ji-hoon. She indignantly retorts that she saw it herself.
Ji-hoon enters the scene with nonchalance, to the nervousness of the staff. He asks for Hye-soo, but it’s her day off. That ahjumma sure is scary, he remarks to Ara — he was going to play with her a bit but he nearly got sued for sexual harassment. Sounding like a slimeball, he tells them he really didn’t do anything to her, but if they help him out, he’ll give them a little something. They stare at him disbelievingly. Oh, wow, he totally threw himself under the bus for her.
Ji-hoon meets Hye-soo and Eun-sung on their way out, just as the car full of their stuff departs. In response to his questions, she tells him that she is, self-evidently, moving out, as she’s free to do. She thanks him for everything he’s done and tries to leave, but Eun-sung chooses that moment to run back inside. Ji-hoon holds her back to talk, but she cuts him off and goes after her daughter.
She finds Eun-sung hiding behind a planter in the kitty-corner. She marches her out, but Eun-sung refuses to go. “I hate you, mommy,” Eun-sung says tearfully. She hates ajusshi, too — they both lied to her. She’ll live here alone, without her mom. Hurt, Hye-soo stares. Then she nods, and tells her to do that — she’s going.
Eun-sung can’t believe Mom is really leaving without her, and runs after her. Hye-soo strides past Ji-hoon without stopping but Eun-sung halts a moment before she, too, runs past. Catching up to her mom, she takes her hand. Both of them are hurt, and they silently make up. Hye-soo picks her up, and Eun-sung raises a sad hand to Ji-hoon over her mom’s shoulder. As sad, he waves back.
Inside, he finds a letter Eun-sung left behind for him asking him to take care of the kitties, with a picture of herself crying below it.
At Joo-yeon’s, the girls unpack and she pleads with Hye-soo to rest. Ominously, Hye-soo forgets that she’s already unpacked Eun-sung’s clothes, although she makes light of it to her friend.
Hye-soo makes a monster-face at Eun-sung through the window. Failing to cheer her up, she joins her outside, where Eun-sung’s chalked “I love you” onto the pavement.
Hye-soo takes her away for ice cream, although Eun-sung remains solemn. She apologises to her mom, regretting that she told her to go away: “I said that because I was angry.”
“I know. How would I not know that?” Hye-soo replies. It’s okay, because she knows that whatever Eun-sung says, it all means that she loves her. She instructs Eun-sung to remember that Mom always understood her completely, and that she mustn’t feel bad over it later, either. She then apologizes to her daughter for breaking up with Ji-hoon, which Eun-sung quietly accepts. Cuddling her, Hye-soo thanks her for being her daughter, and promises to do better.
Night finds Ji-hoon drinking alone, contemplating the ring he got for Hye-soo. Unsteady on his feet now, he throws it away like so much rubbish, and it lands among the fishies.
Hye-soo gets woken up by an insistent knocking and goes to investigate. It’s Ji-hoon, much the worse for wear. He tries to push inside — he’s here to see Eun-sung — but Hye-soo pushes him out and sends him on his way. Truculent with drink, he takes back everything he said before. He regrets it all — he must’ve been crazy.
She excuses herself, but he calls out to her again, telling her not to live like that. She tells him to go home, but he grabs her and she struggles as he tries to force a kiss. Guh. Joo-yeon appears in the nick of time, and Hye-soo escapes. She bundles them back inside before Joo-yeon can go at him with her slipper.
Ji-hoon’s wits appear to have returned, too, and he screams at himself and kicks a wall. That was a really jerk thing you just did, man.
The next morning, Chairman Han notes Jung-hoon’s absence at the breakfast table. Madam Yoon grills him about Ji-hoon’s promotion, and still can’t understand why he gets so much favor — anyone would think he wasn’t his son. To her shock, he agrees: Jung-hoon doesn’t resemble him one bit and it drives him mad. Madam Yoon’s look of incredulity is priceless.
The Chairman complains that Jung-hoon is a troublemaker who can’t even command the respect of his employees. As for whether he’ll keep him in the company or not, he has yet to decide. Madam Yoon warns him that if he carries on like this, she’ll step up and protect her son.
Madam Yoon meets with Na-yoon, who apologizes to her. She’s glad that Na-yoon at least knows she should be sorry, and plainly tells her that she can’t marry Ji-hoon. She doesn’t understand why Na-yoon won’t give up on a man who even married another woman, but Na-yoon responds that the marriage was to save his mom…which is news to Madam Yoon, who demands an explanation immediately.
Ji-hoon tells his mom that she made the right decision to have the surgery, although she finds it hard to face him. She asks after Hye-soo, if he’s taken care of the situation, and finds his agitation worrying. Barely holding himself together, he starts, “Mom…” before changing his mind and saying goodbye.
At Promise, Chef summons Hye-soo to ask her why she put a bottle of sauce in the freezer. Is she being careless because she’s quitting? Why is she so forgetful? Ji-hoon catches the tail-end of her scolding and they uncomfortably meet eyes.
Ho-joon complains about Ji-hoon not taking his father’s calls. He tells him that the Chairman wants to know when he’s going to file his divorce. Ji-hoon says he’ll do it tomorrow, and snaps at Ho-joon for bringing up Hye-soo’s name.
Seung-joo catches Hye-soo finishing up early, and asks her where she goes off to every day. Just to pick up Eun-sung, she tells him. He wants to ask her one more thing: Did she really like Ji-hoon? The question catches her off-guard, and she leaves him without an answer. Around the corner, Ji-hoon overhears the exchange.
Young-hee drops in on Joo-yeon. She’s sure something’s up with Hye-soo, and asks if she’s upset after breaking up with her boyfriend. That gets Joo-yeon on a roll about what a jerk that guy was, and Young-hee agrees that there’s no good in a man with dimples. Amen.
Despite Joo-yeon’s attempt to change the subject, she still worries about Hye-soo’s wraithlike appearance, and asks if she’s sick.
At the hospital, Hye-soo’s doctor checks in with her — the treatment is tough, isn’t it? She asks if she’s having any side effects like dizziness and nausea, but Hye-soo tells her she can still handle it. The doctor instructs her to eat and rest properly.
Hye-soo rests a bit in the waiting area, when a message comes in from Ji-hoon, telling her to meet him at the courthouse tomorrow. We see that her phone wallpaper is now the family photo. The day wears on and Hye-soo remains there, static in the sea of busy people. When at last she departs, she accidentally leaves behind her bag and phone.
Busy working out, Ji-hoon tries to ignore a call from Hye-soo’s phone. He eventually answers, but doesn’t recognize the person at the other end. He finds out from the caller that she found this phone at a hospital.
He goes there, and the girl immediately waves him over. She recognizes his face from the wallpaper photo and happily hands over both phone and bag. He smiles to discover the wallpaper picture, but the bag of medicines surprises him.
It leads him to the neurology department and Hye-soo’s doctor. He identifies himself as her husband, and she demands proof, unable to believe he knows nothing of Hye-soo’s illness. Frantic to know what’s wrong, he’s shocked to hear that her illness is life-threatening with a low survival rate.
Hye-soo returns to the hospital where she finds her bag handed in at the reception. She takes it in relief, and doesn’t see Ji-hoon gazing at her from a far wall, a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes.
At home, Joo-yeon worries about Hye-soo’s forgetfulness, but figures it’s understandable given how much she’s going through. She sweetly tells her to put her heart at ease and think only good things no matter what.
Hye-soo takes her hand and earnestly asks Joo-yeon to take care of Eun-sung in hear stead, if it should come to that. Upset, Joo-yeon refuses — Eun-sung has a mom and that’s that. And if Hye-soo’s going to keep saying stuff like that, she can get out right now.
Hye-soo gets herself together and tries to smile. Joo-yeon is still mad-upset, and Hye-soo asks her not to cry, although she’s not doing so great at that herself. She burrows into bed and apologizes to her sleeping daughter, too.
Ji-hoon lets himself into the empty apartment that was Hye-soo’s. Looking back on Hye-soo’s contract demands and how she had said she was putting her life on the line for it, he now sees it all in a different light (and regrets being rude to her even more). But the final straw comes when he finds the drawing Eun-sung left stuck to the watercooler, of their happy family. Crumpling up in front of it, he shakes with silent sobs.
Jung-hoon tries to drink his resentments away, but Madam Yoon takes the bottle from him. He rants about Ji-hoon and Dad, and his mother tells him not to do anything rash — it’s that very behavior that makes the Chairman leery of him.
She won’t ask him to sacrifice himself for her, she says, but can’t he be just a little more reliable for her sake? Does he know how alone and distressed she’s been? Jung-hoon complains that she never says anything, so how could he know? And what’s that about sacrifice? Mom sighs heavily.
Jung-hoon ends up in a bar with girls draped over him, where he receives an update for his checks into his father’s medical records. His secretary says they can use his deteriorating sense of judgement against him, and Jung-hoon wants to turn that into a dementia diagnosis. A newcomer interrupts them and Jung-hoon makes to hit him, but the guy catches his arm. His secretary says this guy can help them — he knows Hye-soo very well. Too right: It’s the loan shark. Jung-hoon smirks in anticipation.
Hye-soo and Ji-hoon plan to meet at midday. As she does her hair, more comes away in her hand. Undoing it, slowly and decisively, she picks up a pair of scissors and gathers up her hair. Snip. Snip. Snip. She tries to hold it in, but can’t help crying as she struggles to keep cutting. Snip. Snip.
Joo-yeon finds her putting the last touches on her makeup. She’s impressed by the image revamp, and Hye-soo smiles that she’s off to court to divorce. She wanted to get pretty one last time. Joo-yeon’s sweet smile is full of understanding, and Hye-soo hugs her goodbye.
Ji-hoon is stunned by her appearance, and compliments her hair. She’s ready to go in, but he suggests eating first.
Over lunch, Hye-soo thanks him, especially for his warmth towards Eun-sung. She tells him to meet someone good, and hopes for his happiness. He huffs, and tells her to finish her food. He then asks her to watch a film with him, as a last hurrah. She laughs, and he smiles, too.
She watches the film, and he watches her, both of them genuinely happy in the moment. Hye-soo’s hand starts to tremor, and she nervously checks to see if Ji-hoon noticed. When she turns back to the screen, his smile falls.
They walk back towards the courthouse, and Ji-hoon asks if she doesn’t have something to say to him. She doesn’t. Then they’ll keep walking until she does, he says. But when she addresses him by his title, he stops her. Skipping in front of her (and walking backwards), he says she could call him “Ji-hoon-sshi”…or even better, “oppa”. Then he could call her “Hye-soo-ya”.
True to his word, he drops to banmal and asks her if she reeeeally has nothing to say. She still doesn’t. He’s ready to walk the whole of Seoul until she does, but when she addresses him formally again, he gets upset at her keeping him deliberately at armslength — is that all he is to her? Startled by his own outburst, he collects himself. “Okay, fine. Let’s go and get divorced,” he says, leaving first.
They both stamp their seals on the form, when all of a sudden, Ji-hoon snatches the form from Hye-soo’s hand. He crumples it up, and tells her he can’t divorce, “So sue me.”
Striding out, he tears the form to pieces and throws it to the wind. Furious, she asks what on earth is up with him.
“Let me save you,” he says. Since she saved him, now she has to live. She backs away from him but he seizes her in frustration, and she gazes fearfully into his eyes.
COMMENTS
I’ll be honest: Ji-hoon’s drunken advances this episode nearly ruined his character for me. But it also made me realize something important: His immaturity hasn’t gone away, it just had less sway when a better self and reasons to be good came to the fore. I’m sure there’s an intellectual argument somewhere that his erring is human, but I think that leaves too much leeway for people to be very, very wrong, when there are things that should just never be done. Ever. Drunk or not, depressed or not. To sum it up, yes, it makes him human, but it also makes him bad, and it’s important for our romantic hero not to be, well, Jung-hoon.
Speaking of Jung-hoon, I could write this whole comment about him, if only because he offers such a lot to unravel. I don’t like him, but I do feel pity for him. I think, in a better situation, he’d have had a chance to be a better person. It doesn’t absolve him of his own responsibility to be a decent human being, but the odds laid against him certainly draw a clear map to how he became this way.
I find the relationship between him and his mother an interesting one, too. Madam Yoon is a clever woman, and she knows her son is not as sharp. But he’s no less her son, and that love she has for him is natural and right. Unsurprisingly, the burr in the blanket is the Chairman, who doesn’t appear to have shown any kind of affection to any of his immediate family ever. Such a selfish, materialistic man. It’s a wonder that Madam Yoon isn’t a bitter, scheming harridan for the scorn and disregard she’s received all this time. Instead, she keeps a level head and though she’s as prone to emotion as anyone else, she isn’t ruled by her impulses.
Back to Ji-hoon, though. His frustration over the distance between him and Hye-soo is very palpable, as is his grief on finding out the truth she’s been hiding. His words at the beginning of the episode, about not knowing her at all, clearly foreshadow this moment, and we’re really made to feel just how crushing that truth is to him. He knew he didn’t know, but he didn’t know what he didn’t know, and knowing it changes everything. There’s a line in Anne of the Island that immediately came to my mind: “There is a book of Revelation in every one’s life… Anne read hers that bitter night, as she kept her agonized vigil through the hours of storm and darkness.” Ji-hoon reads his that bitter night.
I found his attempt to close that distance in the simplest of ways — just by lowering their speech, getting her to use his name — quite profound. It seems to sum up their whole relationship, doesn’t it? In as much as Ji-hoon has a core immaturity, he also has the positive side of that, in the loving, childlike nature hidden beneath his jaded exterior. It makes him very eager to please and just as easy to hurt. And willingly or unwillingly, Hye-soo has that power. It’s not that he’s willing to be vulnerable in front of her — he just is, and has been right from the start. She’s always had that privileged access to him that bypassed all walls. He never pretended or needed to pretend, and the contract even facilitated their closeness.
But the same can’t be said in reverse — the access she’s had and the vulnerability he’s shown weren’t returned, though he’s only realizing now how unequal their agreement made them. And while his regret might weigh heavy for the offhand way he’s treated her, I don’t really think he can be blamed for not knowing, and I hope he doesn’t blame himself. He did the best he could with the information he had. I don’t think Hye-soo would blame him either.
There’s also the tragedy of Eun-sung that lies between them. We can’t forget how Ji-hoon’s bond with her is its own creature, but the problem is, his relationship with her can only exist though his connection with Hye-soo (for the obvious reasons). In short, without Hye-soo, there can be no Eun-sung for him. The sad irony is that Ji-hoon wholeheartedly wants them both, the whole package, and on their own merits.
Hye-soo’s struggles with her illness are ever-changing. Starting from her diagnosis, she’s had to climb mountain after mountain. Each challenge leads to another, and each one brings her a step closer to living or dying, but her agony is that she doesn’t know which it is. She has to find the courage to look mortality in its frightening eye and both accept it and deny it. She wants to live, but she could die. It’s…what is it? An impossibly difficult contradiction to live inside. I’m really glad she finally told Joo-yeon. Any later or any other way would’ve been a disrespect to their friendship — a friendship which, as the show goes on, reveals itself to be really quite extraordinary in its depth of loyalty and understanding.
As we’ve noted before, Marriage Contract’s greatest artistry lies in its smallest, quietest scenes, and in this episode, it was Hye-soo cutting her hair. Cutting hair has always been symbolic, especially as a rite of grieving, so that’s a subtext that immediately underlies the whole scene. But there’s also something renewing in it — she tells Ji-hoon that she cut it for spring, and I think there’s a truth folded-up in there. She’s ushering in a new period of her life, where everything going forward is going to be different from everything that went before. So while it’s intensely sad, there’s also a quiet empowerment in it: She won’t be a victim to her illness. But I do think she needs reminding of that a lot…but that’s why Ji-hoon is there.
RELATED POSTS
- Marriage Contract: Episode 11
- Marriage Contract: Episode 10
- Marriage Contract: Episode 9
- Marriage Contract: Episode 8
- Marriage Contract: Episode 7
- Marriage Contract: Episode 6
- Marriage Contract: Episode 5
- Marriage Contract: Episode 4
- Marriage Contract: Episode 3
- Marriage Contract: Episode 2
- Marriage Contract: Episode 1
Tags: Episode 12, featured, Lee Seo-jin, Marriage Contract, UEE
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1 Rach
April 13, 2016 at 2:07 PM
Gah! I had mean to watch this drama but I only started on the episode where they kissed (because I'm like that lol) and now I wait impatiently every week for the two episodes! Some people have been bashing UEE for her acting but to me she conveys HyeSoo perfectly, different opinions I guess.
Idk if it's just me but this drama really reminds me of Secret Love Affair. I think it's the tone of the drama and the cinematography. Hmmm
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Rach
April 13, 2016 at 2:19 PM
(my comment got cut off) ... I also really like how Hye Soo told Eun Sung not to regret anything she's ever going to say because she'll know it means I love you. It really lifts a part of the "I should've been better to ___" when someone dies.
Also, why the heck did the doctor ask for ID AND THEN proceed to tell him what HyeSoo's illness was? I'm not well versed in Doctor laws but doesn't Doctor-patient confidentiality mean no telling anyone, even family?
I really hope the writer doesn't end it badly like some dramas (God's Gift .......) and at this rate I'll take a miracle cure if only for the cuteness!
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dramabird
April 13, 2016 at 5:31 PM
I think the Korean medical system and guardianship & doctor/patient priviledge must work differently in Korea. It seems like whenever anyone has a serious illness in a drama, that person is supposed to have a guardian come in to discuss how to procede. In severe cases, the guardians seem to be told the diagnosis... and then they decide ... if/how much to inform the patient.
I'm assuming that in this case, as her "husband" he automatically is considered her "guardian" which then entitles him to the information.
It would be great if we got someone familiar with the Korean medical system to weigh in on this topic.
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sungjong
April 14, 2016 at 2:09 AM
I agree with the waiting part! I too do so like a maniac, praying every Sunday that Saturday would come right away and my family thinks it because of the holiday! And what should I tell them- that I am deeeeeep deeep deeply into a Marriage Contract:p
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KFan2
April 13, 2016 at 2:33 PM
I watched Marriage Contract after a slight hesitation over Ueee but I had watched Ho Gu's Love and she had been brilliant in it which canceled out the disaster of High Society. LSY is an unknown quantity to me but I'm happy to say he's become one of my favorite older male actors.
For me, Marriage Contract brings back echoes of My Love Eundong. So much of both dramas evoke the same emotions in me - I cried, I laughed, I yearned and I loved the main characters especially the male characters. I'm hoping that Marriage Contract ends better but I keep getting nasty inklings that she's going to die from all the not so subtle hints of her dying and leaving Eun Sung alone.
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lunatic4kD
April 14, 2016 at 4:48 AM
Yes! You're absolutely right! This drama has reminded me of My Love Eundong almost from the very beginning. That drama - and now Marriage Contract - reign for me as the MOST intense love stories I've seen in dramas. I just want to eat up every single second of the way he looks at her. Gah!
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 7:53 AM
For me, this brought back m'ries of an old drama:
Beautiful Days (Lee Byung-heun, Choi Ji-woo, Ryu Shin-won)
BD:
He was chaebol record-store owner, (illegitimate? - there was some 'devastating' secret he found abt out later)son of domineering father. S
She was the poor employee working in his store.
They also lived in the same house!
She later had a serious illness requiring surgery (though not terminal).
He hadn't known she was ill at first but found out later. It also had a sizzling kiss (for that time) too btw! :P
It was the Ep 12 movie-theatre pre-divorce date that triggered the Eureka-moment flashback to BD, for me. Lee Seo-jin (JH) silently watching her, knowing about the illness and crying silently inside. (BD!)
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2 hikari_nmh
April 13, 2016 at 2:19 PM
Oh, thank God the recap is here. Coming here just after finish this ep. Now, let me finish reading this recap first.
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3 RaineeDays
April 13, 2016 at 2:35 PM
This is THE drama for me at the moment.
So moving and so wonderfully-made in its simplicity.
No complaints here whatsoever.
And can we just give props to the child actress playing Eun Sung? She's exceptional! And i really love that she's the first kid in a kdrama (out of more than a hundred that i've seen) that actually looks like she's asleep even when she's moving :)
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mardie
April 13, 2016 at 8:26 PM
I have to agree, too! I keep telling my mom as we are watching the drama, of how good that girl's acting. the sleeping, the talking, the small things that kids do, like using the tip of the finger to rub/write on the table when they feel guilty of something. She act like a real 5/6 years old!
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4 halfmoon
April 13, 2016 at 2:36 PM
Comment was deleted
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:02 AM
I disagree about the friend part. Hye Soo needed exactly this reaction. There has to be no doubt at all that she'll survive. She needs to trigger her self-healing abilities and anything other than winning this fight is not an option.
We all know that her friend will look after Eun Sung should it come to the worst, she is like a mother to her already, but she'd never acknowledge it until Hye Soo were on her deathbed.
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:30 AM
Thank you for this great recap and analysis.
It's a perfect show with great pacing and food for thought. But now I'd really like to see more of Hye Soo's feelings for Ji Hoon. We sense they are there and deep, but we don't really know, don't we, because she has so many things to worry about.
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:31 AM
Oops, how did it end up here?! It was supposed to be a stand alone comment.
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Gidget
April 14, 2016 at 4:34 PM
Completely agree about the friend. I understand that she thought what she was doing was positive. But in reality it wasn't.
It's brutally difficult to come to the point where you're putting out your contingency plans, in the event you don't make it. Yes, survival stats are correlated with a positive outlook. But no matter how good your attitude is, there are some things that can't be left undone.
I loved the way Uee played the nuance of that moment. Loved how she showed how difficult it is to muster the courage to plan around an outcome you don't want with every fiber of your being. And how hard it is to be surrounded by people who think they know what you need, but get it all wrong and make things harder. It was so very real.
Also loved how that scene gave us a window into the deep agony she's feeling. How bringing the subject up required extraordinary courage. And at the end how you could see her close herself off tightly; pretending everything was ok and apologizing profusely. It was heartbreaking to watch how emotionally alone she is.
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5 Olive
April 13, 2016 at 2:39 PM
This is probably one of the most beautiful dramas I have seen in recent times. Even though I love Ji-hoon, the reason is watch this show is for Hye Soo. She's such a lovely character - I love that for everything she is going through, she tries to raise her daughter as best as she can, and it really does reflect in Eun Sung what a great parent Hye Soo is. UEE is doing a fantastic job in my opinion.
I love to watch the characters interact on this show (except maybe some of the evil-er ones) because it just all feels so real and relatable.
Don't want it to end anytime soon but what can you do?
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6 ju
April 13, 2016 at 2:56 PM
I didn't understand why Ji-hoon had to force himself on her like that but with your explanation (him being still immature), I reconciled myself with the scene that I thought to be out of place.
I am quite satisfied with the way he learnt her illness and how he tried to make her say it herself. That said, more than Hye-soo, I missed the scenes between Eun-sung and Ji-hoon. These two together are really heart-warming.
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blnmom
April 13, 2016 at 6:46 PM
I didn't like the drunken Jihoon scene, but I appreciate the writer putting that in. I feel like the writer and director are attempting to make things as realistic as they can -- and, let's face it, people drinking to excess doesn't always end up in happy oppa piggy-back rides, as many dramas would have you think. A lot of people get ugly drunk.
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:10 AM
Yes! Ji Hoon is human after all. He is hurt. Deeply hurt. So hurt, that he whimpers repeatedly. He feels this love physically. Quite likely he never felt anything like that in his life before.
But after his most desperate plea, most likely the most vulnerable moment in his life, crying bitter tears and snot, she said: 'You're making me uncomfortable' and just left.
Wow.
He wanted to hurt her back and in his drunken stupor he insulted her 'I was wrong. My feelings weren't deep. How could they be. For a woman like you.'
Wow again.
But at the very moment his love resurfaces again and he tries to force a kiss on her, because he needs her like the air to breathe.
I watched the ep first unsubbed and hated this scene, but after watching it subbed, just like you, I appreciated it. It adds realism and shows that he really can't help himself. It's her or no one.
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ju
April 14, 2016 at 5:00 AM
Thinking about it, Ji-hoon was quite passive toward Hye-soo. What I mean to say is that he didn't dare to touch her after she rejected him the first time. I remember that, in the last scene of the previous episode, he walked faster and stood in front of her and then rose his hand but didn't touch her in the end.
Maybe this drunken scene was a way to show that alcohol was the only way for him to overcome the restraint he put on himself?
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snailshell
April 14, 2016 at 4:50 AM
My take on the forced kiss:
With an act like that, it crosses the line from romantic overture to sexual violence, and I say that without exaggerating. Forcing a kiss on someone is an act of violation and violence against them. When someone is drunk and has sex with a person without their consent, we call that rape/sexual assault regardless of the drink. It's an action so grave that being under the influence of alcohol doesn't excuse it. And if you watch that scene again (which tbh I couldn't), Hye-soo was scared of him at that point, and struggling. How was he different to drunken and bitter Jung-hoon trying to have a piece of her a few episodes ago? Wow that just occurred to me now, but it makes it even more ironic.
So even if it's realistic and understandable, it's ugly and inappropriate, and if you go further up the scale of magnitude, it can cross into criminal. I don't have a problem with all the words he said - he could have said even harsher things and I'd get it. But the *action* crosses a line.
Of course Ji-hoon is not Jung-hoon, but I honestly don't think there's a difference in the nature of the action. That's why it's important for Ji-hoon as a character to acknowledge that he did something wrong and say sorry, in order to redeem himself.
Unfortunately, I don't think it'll happen now since the show's already moved past the incident, so to reconcile it in my head, I've imagined that that recognition and apology was made.
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ju
April 14, 2016 at 5:05 AM
Well the apology wasn't made but maybe his attitude after it shows that he was aware that he crossed a line and that he did something blameworthy.
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Enz
April 14, 2016 at 8:12 AM
We are in agreement here again binmom. Not excusing bad behaviour here but it was realistic that people behave in ugly ways sometimes, esp when they lose control of their emotions in a drunken state.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:13 AM
Immaturity:
I get the feel JH is immature (and fairly unrealistic too).
He's impulse-driven, he reacts to his natural emotions (love he has never truly felt) but he's NOT really thought things through other than talked it (ie Let's Make It Happen, I MISS you, I NEED you all in MY life).
To me, that's still all "I". While JH has sensitive depth (ie what he does for his mom) - he still lacks overall maturity and a sense of reality.
It's easier to romantically run a short sprint but to have the determination, maturity and strength to run an arduous marathon is quite a different matter.
In HS ... it's NOT just the genuine love and sense of family JH didn't have. She's very nurturing and warm - she's also the mother and childhood he lacked. He experiences such euphoria and glee, because when playing with ES he's also in a way re-living for himself that interrupted childhood of his own.
His manager friend (bless his soul - he takes such sh*te from JH) is more down to earth about confronting reality.
Nevermind take care/protect HS and ES. How is JH financially really going to maintain that restaurant if dad cuts him off for good? Selling his car and watch is short term ... employees need to be paid - they have families to support and feed.
Some offhand thoughts on JH:
1) He's also way too explosive.
2) His coping mechanism - to turn to alcohol each time there's some setback/life challenge - hasn't he learned anything at all from his mom's liver cancer and her drinking?!???
3) The dude's been pretty successful with women - they're responsive to him, he's never faced rejection probably. From the opening scene where he called the shots and left - to Na Yoon. The way I see it - that beautiful kiss scene was NOT just about realization ... it also awakened LUST, and build-up of that longing and longing and longing ... hence culminating in the drunken forced kiss. Albeit in drunken frustration.
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Islander north
April 14, 2016 at 8:43 AM
Think ppl are a bit harsh on Ji-Hoon re his drunken stunt...he was heartbroken and had been given mixed messages. He got drunk, made a fool of himself, tried to kiss her and then left when told to. Things go a lot worse in the real world..."forcing himself on her" is not usually trying to get a kiss. and there are those who won't leave until dragged off by the police.
Agree the little girl is one of the best child actors/actresses since Xiao Xiao Bin in Autumn's Concerto. She is genuine and hope to see more of her...no stiffness, no looking at camera...she's a delight.
Thanks for the recaps...I find so many small things I miss and don't have the time to rewatch.
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7 teawater
April 13, 2016 at 2:59 PM
I think JH and HS will save each other. The word is out amongst JH family members that the marriage was initially a scam. I think the step mom will use it against JH in order to save her son. I really admire JH tenacity for trying to get close to HS. He doesn't want to be called director but "oppa", LOL.
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coby
April 14, 2016 at 1:23 AM
Yea.. that worries me too.. and I laughed when I heard "oppa" (I watched it raw and thought he's probably asking her to call him that)
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8 Tyn123
April 13, 2016 at 3:07 PM
I can't get over how much I love this drama. I've had a hole in my heart since 2 episodes ago when Hye Soo nade the decision to start surgery and get out of Ji Hoon's life. I got my tissue ready now. I think it's going to be bittersweet ending. So while they do get together she still does not survive. Reminds me of A Walk to Remember.
I have to applaud Uee. I wasn't feeling her in High Society but here...she's so vulnerable and strong at the same time.
Seo Jin has always been perfect to me from the 1st time I saw him in Damo. I was a major Young Master shipper.
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ikram
April 13, 2016 at 3:59 PM
i love uee acting in high socity she was great as usual but i hate the writer who focus and give more interest to the second couple than the ead actors
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:13 AM
I desperately hope that they won't go the way of The Spring Day of My Life, but give us a different ending. All those people deserve it!
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9 mandelbrotr
April 13, 2016 at 3:09 PM
I think it is helpful to put Ji-hoon’s drunken behavior in context of the scenes before it. Eun-sung acts out at her mother with hateful language because she is hurt and angry but Hye-soo understand that is love that is making her hurt. In so many ways HS seems like a passive character but is strong motherly love under the surface.
So I wondered if those scenes were next to each other as parallels. JH is acting out because his love makes him even more hurt and angry. Does HS understand the underlying emotion.
ES can be more easily forgiven because she is a child. This does not absolve JH's behavior but illustrates the emotions stewing just below his normally passive exterior.
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bbeth
April 13, 2016 at 4:35 PM
OOh! And not only those two, but also Joo-yeon lashed out at Hye-soo too! It was in support of her, but the literal words were "don't say that, or I'll kick you out of my house!" We understand, and Hye-soo does too, that it's out of love and not like Joo-yeon will literally kick her out.
This episode really emphasized the underlying intent behind words or hurtful actions, huh! They act out harshly, but Hye-soo knows that it all means "I love you." !!!
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bigmomma12345
April 13, 2016 at 7:11 PM
+1
He is so hurt and lost and just doesn't know how to deal with it. Add in a whole lotta alcohol and bad decisions are going to happen.
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Affie
April 14, 2016 at 6:33 AM
I felt bad about the forced kiss scene initially but I get it... It was done out of despair and hopelessness... A desire to hold on to the love he has craved....
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Flin
April 14, 2016 at 9:54 PM
+1
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10 Jane Eyre
April 13, 2016 at 3:22 PM
Thanks Saya! You are doing a great job with the recaps. Loved the reference to Anne of the Island as that series is my favorite :-)
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11 bbeth
April 13, 2016 at 3:40 PM
I thought it was interesting (and refresh my memory if I'm wrong) but Hye-soo's calls to Ji-hoon were always other people - she never calls him, only responds to his texts. When her name popped up on his caller id, it was Eun-sung calling that her mom was ill, and it was the girl from the hospital who found her bag.
So your comment about the disparity of vulnerability was pretty striking...but I think in a way the Eun-sung is Hye-soo's vulnerability, and id. I know they are two separate people, but Hye-soo is always guarded and noble and making decisions, while Eun-sung runs away or cries or smiles back brightly or shows her sadness. So like Ji-hoon can't help showing his feelings in front of Hye-soo, Eun-sung performs that role for Hye-soo for Ji-hoon. (it's just a reflexive thing for each other, not to take away Eun-sung as her own young person).
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12 Simsim
April 13, 2016 at 3:47 PM
I have to really I be props to UEE man. You know that she actually cut her hair specifically for the drama? That scene was taken in only one take cause that was the moment when she cut it for real.
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Simsim
April 13, 2016 at 3:48 PM
*give
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growingbeautifully
April 13, 2016 at 4:48 PM
Hi @ Simsim
Thanks for this ... is this confirmed somewhere that she did cut her own hair? I was wondering about this... Many actresses use hair extensions etc so I was not sure if she was really cutting her own hair. A very brave thing to do!!! I'd never get it straight if I tried!
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Kreyon
April 13, 2016 at 4:58 PM
definitely props to UEE for cutting it herself, and it made the scene so powerful - but I'm sure they had a professional touch it up before they shot the rest. Still amazing commitment tho!
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IRY
April 13, 2016 at 10:22 PM
There's a BTS where they showed her cutting it off herself and that was exactly the same scene we saw in the drama. She was so into the moment that the director had to carry her up after the scene as she was still sobbing away. Amazing.
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Adal
April 13, 2016 at 4:51 PM
Yeah, I read it was done in one take only. I first assumed it was a wig when I watched that scene, but later, when I read she cut her own hair for the drama, my respect for her as an actress grew.
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13 ikram
April 13, 2016 at 4:02 PM
this drama diserve lot of awards best actress and actor,best child acting,best couple, best writer, and best directors thump up a good drama;this drama start with a lot of negatve comments but it turn to be positive, you can see the power of the drama :)
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14 uita
April 13, 2016 at 4:05 PM
uee cuting her hair was one of the toughing scene
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15 Ga
April 13, 2016 at 4:21 PM
"Let me save you" naturally sounds like "I love you" in my ear.
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Adal
April 13, 2016 at 5:01 PM
I think she realized he knew she was dying when he said that. So she turned away in realization and horror.
What a priceless scene!
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Flin
April 14, 2016 at 9:56 PM
Yeshh! So true!
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16 merrym
April 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM
Thanks for the recap Saya! But this was one of my least fave episodes. It just didn't flow naturally. At this point, I'm losing patience. Hye-soo is way too annoying with her clinging to this illness issue. Ji-hoon is not a child! He's handled such situations before, like duh. His mom? So he's not the type you should be overly worried about since he can hold his own and support you till the end. Jeez girl. You're killing the vibe. Ji-hoon spoke perfectly when he almost swore at her as he said, "What's so great about that illness!! Must you be so pitiful! Ugh, you're so frustrating!!!"
And I'm like yes!! Just what I've been thinking to say to the girl if I had the chance. If this doesn't get some sense into her, then nothing will and I'm done with her storyline. I'll just root for Ji-hoon's end of the family ie his mum and uncle.
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nomad
April 13, 2016 at 8:28 PM
I wonder why we think that Hye Soo is avoiding Ji Hoon to protect him? I mean, I think HS is doing it for herself. I would, if I were her. Getting into a relationship with JH is way too complicated and stressful. She knows how JH's dad is. She has better things to do with the energy she has left. She has a daughter she knows she has to prepare and strengthen as much as she possible could for the possibility of her death. Sure, JH loves Eun Sung. HS knows this. But is it enough to complicate her life even more? I think as far as HS is concern, JH is just an added variable that she can't afford to have right now in her life.
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IRY
April 13, 2016 at 10:04 PM
+1
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merrym
April 13, 2016 at 10:05 PM
If Hye-soo is doing it to protect Ji-hoon, then it's a lot less annoying than if she's doing it because love or romance or having a loving partner is "too much hassle" with her illness.
Better to die loveless, alone and lonely with a terminal illness - said no one ever. Hye-soo may have her daughter, her best friend and even her former mother in law as a support system but... She's acting like she's not worthy of having someone to love her as a woman, just because she's dying or sick. It. Doesn't. Make. Sense.
She's selfish the way she only thinks of Eun-sung and being there for the little girl... And can't spare even a thought for the pining Ji-hoon and how she can be there for him too. Illness, no matter how life-threatening, can NOT be a great reason to keep someone you love and need at bay.
Look how things changed once she told her best friend. A weight seemed lifted off Hye-soo's shoulders. The same can happen with Ji-hoon, if Hye-soo would give the guy half the chance.
'Ji-hoon is an added variable she can't afford to have in her life'?? Wow. First time I've heard a man's heart and soul couched in such terms. Well, I guess in the end it's up to Hye-soo. But I'm not sparing her a second more of interest if she pushes Ji-hoon to the curb for another gut-wrenching episode.
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knewbie
April 14, 2016 at 4:05 AM
My take on Hye-soo's actions is that everything was driven by the money. The money for Eun Sung's future is her first priority, and she has been forced to always see Ji-hoon in relation to that money, whether he was the rich man giving it to her for her liver, or the desperate lover selling his worldly goods to come up with it, or the guy that she'd promised to divorce in exchange for it. Basically, in all three situations, he was off-limits to her in more ways than one.
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Affie
April 14, 2016 at 7:28 AM
I really agree and appreciate...@AidaZen and @nomad's comments...
I get the vibe that HS's thinking might be more along @nomad' line of reasoning... But I'm totally 200% on board with @AidaZen...
That Ji Hoon line is exactly what I wanted someone to say to HS! Lol
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:30 AM
1) It's not hard to see why she's avoiding him
He's already had to deal with his mother. If she dies (there's no guarantee she will live even with a donor and surgery), he has to cope with yet another maybe-dying romantic partner?
2) She's realistic. The only way of coping so far she knows is herself. Money is paramount to ES's survival, whoever she entrusts ES to. That's perfectly understandable - all mothers would want to at least be able to protect their child financially and make provisions for their future ... even if they cannot be physically/emotionally around for the child.
3) His family. Here she's also being realistic. Given all the cards on the table - even assuming she was well (as his dad did), she's already taboo as choice. Single mom with child, poor, no connections/clout to offer.
4) Better to have this dude pine short-term, then step into it and have it worse for him long term.
All in all, I totally can see WHY she's avoiding him.
To her, that tentative, natural kiss was a reluctant goodbye ... but also an impulsive 'mistake' which gave him hope to explore further.
But having realized that - she's trying to make amends, for all of the above reasons. While she longs for that romance too ... there're just too many reasons - and HS if anything is realistically mature.
merrym
April 14, 2016 at 8:54 AM
I'm glad you see it in the same light @Affie. And yes, Jihoon's closing lines! Hopefully a little yelling will break her out of her self-pity-induced stupor. Life is so short (in her case, literally) to keep holding yourself back from the innocent good stuff (like selfless love and companionship from Jihoon)
Enz
April 14, 2016 at 8:37 AM
You might not think the same but some of us do think and perhaps overthink our feelings, even in the absence of the situations that hye soo is in.
In hye soos's shoes, I certainly would question the the explosion of feelings on my part and on the part of Ji Hoon and would have trouble teasing out how much of that was real vs just being in the role play of husband and wife for just a few ( a couple??) of months
And then added to that, all that she has to deal with, I personally do not think it is unrealistic that she chose to not have him in the equation of her life.
I never felt that she did this because she feels she is not worthy of love at all! It seems realistic that a person in her situation struggles with major decisions and even perhaps changes her mind as her situation evolves too.
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merrym
April 14, 2016 at 9:44 AM
Sorry but the man's already in the equation, whether Hyesoo wishes to acknowledge it or not. There were many times she could have stayed aloof during the "contract" and just kept things business. But getting into those emotional scenes with Jihoon and his mother (that beach kiss, and that tearful exchange in the rain during traffic where Jihoon's mother almost got run over..) It's a bit late now to say, you know what, we had nothing, especially to Jihoon. If she tells him, "your actions are a burden" one more time, I'll...I dunno, cry.
I'm guessing that since she was once married and even had a baby, Hyesoo is not exactly a novice with men. So when you meet your soon-to-be ex-husband at the divorce court and he takes you for a meal AND a movie, you know something's up. But she acts so clueless it's infuriating in itself. Can't you tell the man's crazy for you, jeez. I can't take her wide-eyed naivete an episode more.
Enz
April 14, 2016 at 11:31 AM
She isn't clueless. She just doesn't want this at the moment. for me, it's clear she has feelings or an attraction for him too but it's too much for her to deal with right now. So, she should be free not to want to, even if some might think it's stupid decision on her part. That he has feelings for her that he wants to take further doesn't mean she has to accept it. If she wants to deny her own attraction because of all the other factors that jusash pointed out, then she should be allowed to. It's frustrating - to him and to us who want them together and happy but it doesn't make it unreasonable, nor incomprehensible.
merrym
April 14, 2016 at 11:46 AM
She's not clueless? She acted pretty shocked and quizzical when he kept making up more reasons to spend more time together. Not saying every man who pursues a woman should get a 'yes' every time. But knowing how much potential these two have to be a happy, fulfilled couple for as long as possible, it does grate to see the woman so able to hold back when the man totally can not.
17 Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
April 13, 2016 at 4:42 PM
Oh my goodness, it was also hard for me to breathe, just like Ji Hoon, seeing him like that trying to grasp for some air T.T Bahahahaha I never thought there would be anything I'd agree with Chairman Han about, but he's right: If only Jung Hoon could be even just half the man that Ji Hoon IS...
Once again, Ji Hoon has taken my heart, broken it in half, and put the pieces in a food processor and has pulsed everything to dust. Who would have thought that he would throw himself under the bus like that? But then I guess it's to even out the ACTUAL slimeball move that he took when he tried to force himself onto Hye Soo with that kiss ugh Regardless of being drunk or not, that wasn't such a cool move, Ji Hoon. But as an aside: Where can I get a friend like Joo Yeon? LOL She was so ready to let it go and hurl her shoe at Ji Hoon=))) Of all the moments that Eun Sung chose to act up, in this episode, I actually understand her: the poor little thing is so confused, but more importantly, so emotionally lost, and can only follow what Hye Soo tells her, even if it isn't what she wants, so I actually understand why Eun Sung said the things she did, because she actually doesn't understand the gravity of the situation and the gravity of her words; And, aigoo, Hye Soo, bless her, always thinking about the good in everyone around her: making sure that Eun Sung doesn't grow up and regretting her words </3 DANG, the scene when Ji Hoon FINALLY finds out about Hye Soo being sick, and how he just broke down like that T......................................T And then Show just has to nail it in the coffin with Hye Soo's haircutting scene... The tears wouldn't STOP </3 Their walk in the park when Ji Hoon was giving Hye Soo chance after chance for her to tell him about her illness from her own lips but having to see her hold it all in =( And then Ji Hoon getting angry at the formality of their relationship--just like what Saya had commented about, it was quite profound that Ji Hoon was the one to take that step to drop the fomalities and speak to Hye Soo in Banmal-- that's just what it is and has always been: A formality; A formality that they had to enter a contract marriage so that Hye Soo could donate a part of her liver to Mi Ran, a formality to put up with appearances to those around them...
Seriously, Show!!! HE FINALLY KNOWS!!!!! *throws confetti* Just don't go shredding the fragile viewers' hearts anymore than you have.... I'm warning you...
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lunatic4kD
April 14, 2016 at 5:00 AM
+1 - you nailed it!
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18 Kreyon
April 13, 2016 at 4:55 PM
Insightful as always, Saya - and props for quoting one of my all time favorite novels! (I think I've read everything LMG ever wrote). This drama is killing me, that hair-cutting scene, wow. Also I know others have said it, but the child actress playing Eun-Sung is incredible. Hopefully this was the last (or next-to-last) stop for the angst train, because now that he's brought it up I NEED to hear HS call JS oppa! pls drama. pls.
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Kreyon
April 13, 2016 at 5:02 PM
*L.M. Montgomery, oops. For some reason Montgomery is two words in my head.
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lolalarue
April 13, 2016 at 9:40 PM
I knew you were talking about LM. Montgomery without your correction so maybe it's just natually does that in our heads? :)
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19 Adal
April 13, 2016 at 4:59 PM
I like how Ji hoon fell on his own sword, and confessed that he humiliated himself in front of Hye soo but didn't get any traction with her, just to save Hye soo's reputation. That was really classy, because he could have handled it in a number of ways that would not have had the effect of making Hye soo look as good including terminating the employment of said gossipy waitress for slandering her employer. It shows how much he loves Hye soo that he is willing to do anything for her. Actually, he's only mean to her when she tries to hold herself distant from him, when he's trying so desperately to reach her, and be a part of her life.
Kudos to Mi ran, who knows her son's unspoken words that he is head over heels in love with Hye soo. His expression says it all, words need not be said.
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knewbie
April 14, 2016 at 4:59 AM
Yes, I love how most of the characters are NOT idiots. Mi-ran is one of the sharper ones, but you've also got Hye-soo's mother-in-law almost immediately suspecting that she's not well, Ji-hoon's stepmother recognising what a huge sacrifice he's made, the chef cottoning on to A-ra spreading rumours about Hye-soo, etc etc.
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20 dramamad
April 13, 2016 at 5:06 PM
? the Anne reference. Anne and Gilbert are my FAVOURITE. I'm following this show through your recaps since I'm a bit wary of how this might end - I won't be able handle the 'ending that must not be voiced'- before I start watching. Thanks Saya!!!
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21 Enz
April 13, 2016 at 5:10 PM
Thanks for the recaps. Beautifully captured the tone and feel of the drama, both you and lollypip.
I feel like hye soo now. Hoping for a happy end but knowing it might not be there
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blnmom
April 13, 2016 at 6:53 PM
I agree, I think that best-case we'll get an open ending. The original title (100-days Wife) doen't bode well...
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nomad
April 13, 2016 at 8:31 PM
huaaaaa that was it's original title???
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Lorilei
April 13, 2016 at 10:41 PM
Yeah that was the original drama title before it got changed to Marriage Contract.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:43 AM
:((( 100 Days wife?
I am open to and prepared for ending to go either way here, as long as drama continues its natural fluidity and not tie up all ends quickly all in Ep 16 (as some dramas do).
In Scent of a Woman (Kim Sun-ah, Lee Dong-wook) ... the ending was pretty much left to imagination too despite her terminal prognosis and episodes of symptomatic-suffering ... that also indicated to have a miraculous cure would also be kind of questioning viewer intelligence.
22 growingbeautifully
April 13, 2016 at 5:19 PM
Thanks Saya! I do enjoy your recap. :)
I feel after reading the comments above, that I'm repeating what others have said, but the thoughts that came to me each time I re-watched this episode are so poignant, I just wanted to express them (again).
Hye Soo's face crumpling while she resolutely walked away from Ji Hoon and his gasps of pain... it was too palpable. It was as if their heartbreak translated into physical pain and got transmitted to me. Just thinking about it gets me bleary eyed.
What Hye Soo did in assuring Eun Sung that she understood that her anger was also part of loving her and that she would always understand and that Eun Sung should not feel bad over it later, was a very right thing to do. There have been so many occasions when people say that they should have done or said something to ease the way of those left behind. Hye Soo is continually preparing Eun Sung to have as guilt-free and happy a future as possible.
What I felt about Ji Hoon being drunk and trying to kiss Hye Soo, was that it was not unexpected. My initial reaction to him in Episode 1 was distaste that he was blowing off a girl in a hotel room in that hurtful, insensitive way and that he'd no regard for her as a person. When he turned out nicer and more respectful of women, it was a nice surprise. Therefore his being drunk and letting out the baser side of himself when he felt aggrieved, is not totally foreign to his character. It's lamentable, and he has to practise reigning in that boorishness, however given his feelings of being frustrated and actually wanting closeness with Hye Soo, it was the natural, drunken equivalent of declaring himself. I'd be more surprised if he had held back and done nothing.
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cinnamimi
April 14, 2016 at 1:23 AM
+1 on JH being drunk. He was that kind of person in episode 1. It's not that easy to change yourself in just a couple of episodes (weeks, months). So, although it's disgusting looking at him trying to force a kiss, I like the scene to be there for logical reasons.
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23 LW
April 13, 2016 at 5:29 PM
When Ji Hoon throw himself under the bus, was it tiny bit of awe and admiration on the Chef's(love him) face? That put that b..chy waitress in place. Gosh! she is annoying.
Does Ji Hoon have a little smile when HS did not answer if she truly likes him? She didn't deny it. So no news is good news :) I Love how JH says “So sue me.” and walk out with a eye roll. So sassy!
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24 kit
April 13, 2016 at 5:35 PM
Wait, you quoted Anne of Green Gables. I swear one of the authors of this site had mentioned Blue Castle, and I had to go off and read the novella because! favourite author! And it was just so lovely.
But anyhow, thank you for your comments. Especially that one about Jihoon not becoming Junghoon. So, so, true. I can understand him walking up drunk and pounding on her door, but not the forced kiss. I actually dropped an ultimatum (not of a physical kind) on my boyfriend the other day, and I haven't seen him since :|
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25 chrianna
April 13, 2016 at 5:42 PM
ya'll are making me comment here and i hate commenting, gah!
UEE does quiet introspection and suffering best, i think. it is what i loved about her interpretation of her character in Hogu's Love and here in Marriage Contract. in fact, i'm not sure if she can do the opposite just as well (for evidence, see High Society). she is killing it in this show.
i have no love for LSJ, ewww, he is so old, but the way his character acts/interacts with UEE, just a series of quiet moments that have propelled his epiphany about her and that has been fun to watch.
please don't die, hye soo! girlfriend deserves a happy ending!
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annflln
April 14, 2016 at 2:13 AM
no offense...but how old are you to consider LSJ 'so old'? LOL
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newbie
April 14, 2016 at 2:21 AM
Newsflash: You're going to be old one day, too.
At least when you're lucky.
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noanao
April 14, 2016 at 4:24 AM
Eeuuuwww is an expression that is usually used for something disgusting like feaces and should not be used against a human being (unless if they are a pedophile, that $hit is disgusting!). Especially on someone like Lee Seo Jin.
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
April 14, 2016 at 7:35 AM
I'm pretty sure the age gap between Lee Bum Soo and Yoona is from "Prime Minister and I" is bigger than the one we are getting from here on "Marriage Contract"... How come no one's said anything about that yet?? And no, I don't mean to target you, @moana, I'm just saying this generally: even the press reports and news articles before and after the drama started airing has been soooooo concentrated on this topic, and always letting the words "despite their age gap..." be the preamble of what they actually will be saying... Like, we are 12 out of 16 episodes/ 6 out of 8 weeks into the Show, that preamble is getting old and sounding like a broken record by now. Can't the focus of discussion for the drama not be about that anymore??? And be about the actual plot/storyline/characters/superb acting of the actors and actresses??
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teerkey
April 14, 2016 at 11:19 AM
Anyway, for those harping on the whole age debacle, LSJ's playing a 36yo in the show, so their drama age-gap (which shouldn't matter at all) is significantly lesser.
So if anyone's picking a bone, the drama age-gap, which is realistic, should be the place to start.
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
April 14, 2016 at 12:10 PM
Exactly!
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LW
April 14, 2016 at 8:42 PM
All the sexiest men in Hollywood right now are at least 40. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Demon, Ben Affleck..The list goes on..Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson will give anyone a run for his or her money.There is nobody more sexier than these two and they are in their 60s. Where is it written that a 36 year old should play 36 year old? Do we then expect a murderer to play a murderer. It is called acting. LSJ is doing a mighty fine job. He belongs with those sexiest men. If I look as good as him at 45, I either time traveled or swallowed a miracle pill :)
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Solange Lee
April 15, 2016 at 12:09 AM
LSJ has aged well like fine wine and it's hard to believe that he is of the once young and studly group of Lee Byung Hun, Jang Dong Gun, Kim Seung Woo. Age brings personal and professional experiences, something that youth has to earn.
LW
April 14, 2016 at 8:08 PM
May be you need to do little introspection yourself..Old is not something you refer as ewww. Soooooo juvenile!
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26 dooddledoo
April 13, 2016 at 5:58 PM
i am impressed with UEE's acting...i have watched her in ojakgyo family..ho gu's love..and now marriage contract...she is perfect in all of that...her delivery was so smooth and heart breaking..so out of all bad opinion about her acting...i have to say i disagree....she is perfect to play hye soo...
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27 phoe
April 13, 2016 at 6:00 PM
First of all Dont get me wrong, I still LOVE Ji hoon character.
I love his strong will, and his grumpy and cold personality outside but indeed warm inside and full of care to the people he loved (Kudos to Lee Seo Jin). He feel so real, because in reality i know people like him.
BUT, i really have to say that i dont like some point in his character.
Which is: The way he grab Hye soo arm. Theres many scene when he grab or yank Hye Soo arm when she try to walk away from him (after the proposal in ep 11, in front of the court house in ep 12, and so many other scene).
If i meet that kind of person in reality, i will be very mad at him. Come on girls, it must be hurt. Your arm must be hurt!
And in earlier episode he was more emotional. He often slam and destroy stuf. Fortunately he become warmer after that.
But i become afraid again after the way he treat Hye Soo when he was drunk, i keep screaming to my monitor " No noo... Ji hoon shi! Dont hurt her. You are a kind person..."
Yes i know it because he was so hurt. I mean the way Hye Soo treat him is hurtfull.
But but but... Even though you're drunk, its still wrong to hurt people and forcefully (attempt to) kiss her.
*Okay enough my rant*
I know Ji hoon is so big marshmallow bear, which actually so vulnerable inside and really need to be loved and accepted.
I love him and i really want hye soo to just hug him closely and accept his love.
Just please dont yank her arm again (T.T)
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28 Kestrel
April 13, 2016 at 6:34 PM
I love how this series is written and directed. There's so much power in letting the action and the silences speak. It's so hard as a writer, when your tool is WORDS to have the restraint and feel for a story and pullback enough to let the action and the silences carry the message. Look at how no one has said the word "Cancer" in the last couple episodes. Just the long agonizing silences, fading away, and letting the story be advanced through the critical turn by silence. Look at how well critical moments with ES and HS and JH are conveyed using nothing more than tears and gestures.
The restraint to not overtell this story is just the right touch.
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
April 13, 2016 at 7:12 PM
+1000000000000000000000
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29 Taser
April 13, 2016 at 6:35 PM
First off, thanks for the recap! I especially like how you take symbolism from this show, such as the cutting hair and spring part.
Second, I'm a little afraid now, to be honest.
At the first few episodes of this show, I was absolutely positive that she was going to live, but now, I'm not certain. To give viewers the benefit of doubt is great, but the foreshadowing is a little frightening.
Hye-Soo has tried her utmost, given her situation, to live, but she's had plenty of situations in which she thinks she'll die, such as the talk with Joo-yeon or the fact that she went to such lengths to secure money for Eun-Sung. She definitely doesn't deserve to die after so much effort, but she could very well leave, having reformed Ji-Hoon quite a bit(and I believe she and Eun-Sung will reform the entire chaebol family in the future). After doing so much, she might just become something of a guardian angel. And since she tried her best to live, the show might just leave it at that.
I definitely don't want her to die, and I'm still leaning towards the fact that it probably won't happen. I just can't imagine a scene where her death won't be tragic, and that'd ruin the entire show. Still, like I said, benefit of doubt.
Or maybe I'm just too gullible.
Also, now that Madam Yoon's entering chaebol politics, this should get interesting. TIme to bring down Chaebol Daddy!
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thatstp
April 13, 2016 at 7:15 PM
I have had the feeling that HyeSoo would die from the very beginning. I keep thinking they'll flash forward to college age EunSung and she comes home to her stepdad JiHoon. From the first episode I've had a feeling that this drama was going to end in tears for me.
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cinnamimi
April 14, 2016 at 1:29 AM
Nooooooooo. I had a feeling of a happy ending too, but now? From all the things hinted here and there such as HS told ES to not regret, about the 'spring' thing (like the season, it changes). Or, am I too perceptive?
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30 thatstp
April 13, 2016 at 7:07 PM
When HyeSoo asked her best friend to take care of EunSung if something happened to her I said (to the tv like they could hear me) she won't need to cause EunSung has her stepfather JiHoon that loves her to death so he can raise her. I knew that JiHoon wouldn't divorce HyeSoo so easily. Now I'm just scared of the trouble JungHoon, NaYoon and JungHoon's mom are about to start.
It always kills me in dramas how the ex comes back into the leads life and expects things to resume as if they had never ended. In the last episode when NaYoon said "I came to comfort you, so please think about my feelings." and JiHoon told her I don't need to be comforted, I was like YESSSS!!
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31 Ai
April 13, 2016 at 7:11 PM
I honestly could not bring myself to watch this drama. Reading recap and watching the scene cuts already made me bawling and make my heart drop. Even the picture of Hye Soo cutting her hair makes me weep. Gah. *crying*
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lunatic4kD
April 14, 2016 at 5:16 AM
oh, *Ai - you're missing SO SO SO much by not watching this brilliant drama! Please give yourself the gift of deep emotions and the spectacular acting.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:48 AM
+10! It's worth the angst.
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blnmom
April 14, 2016 at 9:17 AM
Yes, do watch, but do not marathon. You will dehydrate from crying!
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32 gadis
April 13, 2016 at 7:18 PM
I'm glad that all the secrets are out now. That means, just like Saya said, we'll hopefully get off the angst train soon. Or even if it's not completely angst-free, at least it'll be sprinkled with a healthy dose of cute and dimples.
I was surprised when I found myself tearing up a bit at the restaurant scene when Jihoon use his 'trashy' image to save Hyesoo from all the wild rumor. It shows us just how much Hyesoo mean to him that he willingly put himself as the bad guy. I was gaping along with all his staff when he nonchalantly admitted that he was the one who took advantage of her.
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33 HM
April 13, 2016 at 7:19 PM
This episode was definitely the one I have been waiting for.
Props to UEE seriously.
I watched High Society and that made me a bit doubtful but playing a grief-stricken young mom with cancer? A definite yes.
This is the only melodrama that I can endure watching after That Winter The Wind Blows and It's Okay That's Love.
Any recommendations guys?
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amisyka77
April 13, 2016 at 7:57 PM
try Secret
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Ager
April 14, 2016 at 12:56 AM
Autumn in my heart
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growingbeautifully
April 14, 2016 at 1:54 AM
I liked Spring Waltz (in the Seasons series)
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patinalee
April 14, 2016 at 3:07 AM
The Spring Day of My Life - with Kam Woo Sung and Sooyoung as the leads. 20 years age difference between the leads, but whoaa....it works.
Beautiful show. :-)
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growingbeautifully
April 14, 2016 at 5:42 AM
I really liked this show... also called My Spring Days. Would never have thought of mature Kam Woo Sung being so swoonworthy with young Soo Young. She was really good in that show.
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Islander north
April 14, 2016 at 10:36 AM
And so was Kam Woo Sung...I want to see him in another drama asap!
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lunatic4kD
April 14, 2016 at 5:17 AM
My Love Eundong
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
April 14, 2016 at 7:37 AM
Save the Last Dance for Me
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34 bigmomma12345
April 13, 2016 at 7:24 PM
That beginning scene was so emotional. Ji-Hoon tells Hye-Soo that everything is his fault, that he was wrong about everything, and that he didn't really know her. Then he begs Hye-Soo not to leave him - "please can't you just stay by my side?" I couldn't help but think that he wasn't only talking to Hye-Soo but was also talking to his mother, who he also never really knew and who sent him away suddenly and without a real explanation. He just seemed like such a pitiful lost puppy in this moment. My heart broke into a thousand pieces...and then broke some more when he collapsed on the ground making those pain-filled groaning noises. Oh my goodness...someone get me some more tissues...I just can't even...
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35 Growingbeatifully
April 13, 2016 at 7:55 PM
I wonder about the impact of Jung Hoon's mum finding out about Ji Hoon's mum ... yes, as someone mentioned above, she will use that information of the fake marriage as leverage against Dir Han and Ji Hoon's rise in the company.
Jung Hoon has also set in motion the discrediting of Dir Han. If all these fall into place for Jung Hoon, his dad will go down, Ji Hoon will also be put aside and Jung Hoon will take over.
He's likely to Lord it over Ji Hoon and kick him out as far as possible. If Ji Hoon can survive apart from the family safety net, (and if he does not feel all obliged to help his lousy father), then he'll be free to remain married if he chose. He'd be poor but have family in HS and ES, his mum and uncle. Not too bad a deal actually ... Jung Hoon may just be doing Ji Hoon a big favor in bringing him down!
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36 zzmarie
April 13, 2016 at 8:06 PM
One moment I thought was very telling was when Jung Hoon's mom told him that he did not have to sacrifice himself for her, but couldn't he have more consideration for her. I though it showed that she knew exactly what kind of man her son was and couldn't help but compare him to Ji Hoon.
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thatstp
April 13, 2016 at 10:05 PM
I agree. She defends Jung Hoon to his father but she knows the father is telling the truth. I think that's another reason she's bitter toward Ji Hoon's loyalty to his mom. She knows her own son wouldn't do the same for her.
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37 Aliceindramaland
April 13, 2016 at 8:07 PM
Let the show begins.... Let him save you, girl =) fall into the dimples!
Thanks for the recap, Saya!
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38 gaeinalee
April 13, 2016 at 9:25 PM
Oh God. This drama is so painfully beautiful in telling its simple story. This week was the weeping week for me. 2 days straight in the row. God. My eyes are swollen and red when I watch it live and afterwards with subs.
Their pent up emotion, sadness, love (?) and attachment to one another hit all the right of my emotional nerves, in a sweet weepy way.
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39 jinssam91
April 13, 2016 at 9:31 PM
I generally cringe when I see that idols are going to star in dramas. But DAMN UEE. That is some top class acting right there. The scene with her cutting her hair was so full of emotions, I just can't begin to explain how good she is. When I first saw her in Ojakyo, I was already impressed, but this is a new level of emotion. I can't wait to see how far she goes with her acting career.
Oh, and Lee Seo Jin's getting old. A bit too old to play lovey dovey angst with UEE. But his acting gets me every time. Love it. :)
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Ager
April 14, 2016 at 12:59 AM
he is not young for sure but for the first time I actually wish that both leads would date in real life.. that how good they look together..
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noanao
April 14, 2016 at 3:44 AM
You should never say that Lee Seo Jin is too old to play anything, my dear ;)
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lunatic4kD
April 14, 2016 at 5:25 AM
All through this drama I've been recalling those scenes in an episode of Infinite Challenge when silly, immature Kwanghee is confessing his crush on Uee and then the producers set u a dinner date with them. Kwanghee fawns all over her and basically makes a fool of himself begging her to date him and Uee sits across the table from him completely poised, kind and mature - yet aloof. Right then I was yelling at my computer, "Uee - don't you DARE lower yourself to date someone like this!" And now, and NOW - I think she's met her match, even if it's just a drama and not real life. Lee Seo Jin and Uee look amazing together. Honestly, the chemistry is off the charts. I think their age difference is perfect. I know many happy people with this same difference who are madly in love. Age differences like this only seem weird and wrong when you're under 25. After 25, everyone is grown up. Age becomes attitude. Love this drama so much!
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40 maryann
April 13, 2016 at 9:43 PM
Thanks for the recap Saya!
Your love for the drama manifests itself in the recap.
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41 IRY
April 13, 2016 at 10:20 PM
Saya, you are the best!! I have been rewatching some episodes as i cannot comprehend some of JH's actions, but you have described them so well. As a mom, i can fully understand HS's thoughts and actions, but you have penned it down so accurately it is amazing.
HS talking to ES about not regretting in the future is very in her character. She has told JH previously to go after NY and tell her his feelings because she has lost a dear one before and she has regretted not telling her husband that she loves him. And i think this why she held on to JH's hand and made the first move to kiss him when she thought that was the final goodbye they were having. And that fact that now JH is telling her how he is feeling entirely is living up to HS's advise to him.
This show is love.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:52 AM
Those insights were beautiful.
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42 merrym
April 13, 2016 at 11:02 PM
To be honest, even before her illness Hye-soo has been trying on my patience. Always cringing, acting lifeless and just acting like a shell of a woman with no emotions. The only time she made me really glad was when she grabbed Ji-hoon's hand and kissed him on the beach. Since the beginning was waiting for her to come to life, but she's been a letdown. Not as an actress, because she's handled all her scenes well. But as a character, the Hye-soo I see onscreen is painted as this really restrained, long-suffering and repressed female and that's just sad. In this way I prefer Ji-hoon's ex who isn't afraid to go after her man.
What will redeem her character for me? Is if she seeks JH out and says to his face, "Yes I do love you, I want to be with you and even with my illness, I do have a right to happiness and romance in my life as a woman. If you can handle that then let's do this!"
Now that will be perfect.
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knewbie
April 14, 2016 at 5:28 AM
Dunno, she seemed pretty lively to me when she was interacting with Eun Sung, Joo-yeon, her husband's cousin and her mother-in-law. Even with Ji-hoon she often got quite snippy, e.g. in response to his stupid remark about her being too attached to Eun Sung to leave Eun Sung with someone else (when the kid was still a problem for the live donor screening process), she said something like, yeah I'm so attached to her I'm selling my liver for her sake.
I do agree that she's generally "restrained, long-suffering and repressed". But I think the script and the actress show glimpses of a sparky young woman who has been forced to conceal her grief, anxiety, anger, etc since the death of her (first) husband, especially where Eun Sung is concerned.
Also, Hye-soo doesn't need to be overtly emotional to be a strong, intelligent woman. In fact you could argue that her restraint IS a form of strength, because it allows her to avoid fuss or confrontation and keep doing what she thinks she needs to do. I'm glad she kissed Ji-hoon, but from her POV it could have been a terrible lapse that led to Ji-hoon insisting on a romantic relationship when her main concern was where the money was coming from now that she couldn't/shouldn't get it from him.
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merrym
April 14, 2016 at 9:05 AM
You're right, she did show some sparks of life especially when she talked back during a few of her interactions with Jihoon. Almost as if she was telling herself it was ok to start to fall for him - almost. But then she crawls right back to her shell and we make zero progress on the romance front. Feels like being taken for a ride really, after all that build-up with the chemistry. Oh well.
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knewbie
April 15, 2016 at 9:02 AM
I don't think the example I cited had anything to do with falling in love. At that point in the drama Ji-hoon was still at his immature worst, as shown by his truly preposterous suggestion that Hye-soo abandon her child. Hye-soo's talking back was all about perfectly justified indignation, and nothing to do with falling for the obnoxious chaebol. And I don't think she "crawled back into her shell" after that, as you put it. On the contrary, she started coming out of her shell after she saw beyond the obnoxious chaebol and discerned Ji-hoon's essential kindness. E.g. she spoke well of him openly to Eun-sung and Ji-hoon's dad; she told him that she appreciated the sacrifice he was making for his mum; she even flirted a little with him when they were eating dokbukki (spelling?).
I suppose the main difference between my perception of HS and yours is that I don't see the romance as central to her situation and her character. It is an important part of her life, and we all wish she could embrace it wholeheartedly. But in view of the other parts of her life - and I think, as Growingbeautifully mentioned below, she is someone who considers everything carefully - I can see why she believes she is not in a position to accept Ji-hoon. As I pointed out in a comment above, the main reason why she is so keen to divorce Ji-hoon in episodes 11-12 is that the money for Eun-sung is her top priority. Since she feels she can no longer accept money from Ji-hoon - because, presumably, her sense of morality will not allow her to accept payment for nothing, and probably also because she knows Ji-hoon is in financial difficulties - she has no choice but to get the money from Ji-hoon's father and in the process accede to his condition that she leave Ji-hoon.
Even if Mi-ran had gone through with the op, I can't see how HS could have allowed herself to get romantically involved with a man who had in effect purchased her liver. The fact is that the relationship had been tainted by money from the start. It would have been quite a different thing if she had been in a position to just help Mi-ran out of the kindness of her heart.
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knewbie
April 15, 2016 at 7:14 PM
In fact, it's more likely that Ji-hoon would have pushed Hye-soo away if the operation had happened. Even if she could accept him, buyer of her liver and all, it's possible that he might have been too ashamed to ask anything more of her.
Come to think of it, Hye-soo's pushing away of Ji-hoon in episodes 10-12 kind of mirrors Ji-hoon's pushing away of Hye-soo in episode 8. He submits to his dad's demands (e.g. to marry Na-yoon) so that Mi-ran's operation would not be blocked; she agrees to divorce him for the sake of Eun-sung's money.
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growingbeautifully
April 14, 2016 at 5:54 AM
Hye Soo - Actually she struck me as a person very active in thought and planning, although up to her neck in worry and concerns, still very considerate of the feelings of others and yes, restrained.
We can sort of see her re-considering her situation at each turn or change of circumstances, and making an active decision. Not the wimpy, hopeless kind of female, but one forced by circumstances to take her opportunities where she could.
I did deplore her forgetting to ensure that Eun Sung was keeping safe (that time she ran in front of Ji Hoon's car) and that she was close by her at all times while walking the streets... (that time she was so preoccupied with her phone call that she lost poor ES), but other than that, I have no complaints about her character.
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merrym
April 14, 2016 at 9:10 AM
You're probably right about her not being a hopeless and wimpy female, but she can be an exasperating one! If I didn't think Jihoon will be good for her, then I would have no complaints about her either. It's hard to watch her treat Jihoon like that, especially when he was drunk and acting up. Can she really spare him nothing at all? Really?
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growingbeautifully
April 14, 2016 at 4:14 PM
@ AidaZen
Upping-the-romance-in-the-drama aside, I feel that her behavior during the drunk Ji Hoon scene was on point. They were asleep (must have been very late or even in wee hours of the morning) and he was trying to barge in to see Eun Sung and to give vent to his frustrations, and being drunk, was harder to reason with and was more unpredictable and in his case, noisy. The wisest move was to bundle him out of there (to sober up elsewhere) and get him gone before Eun Sung woke up. I think Hye Soo did not even want Joo Yeon to see Ji Hoon like that.
If we are hoping for more romantic developments with Hye Soo going unrestrainedly 'crazy in love', it's not going to happen now (maybe later?) - we see that she let's herself go a bit more when she is saying thanks and goodbye. When the interaction appears to be at an end and she is not about to lead Ji Hoon on with false hope. That's why she kissed him before and that's why she dressed up nicely for the divorce. Otherwise, as far as she can, she is probably very wary of being the one to actively deceive him or give him the wrong impression.
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merrym
April 14, 2016 at 10:52 PM
@Growingbeautifully
So the guy shows up drunk, bad move BUT the way she reacted showed no ounce of compassion, which drove him to then say those mean things. I do not condone Ji-hoon's actions but Hye-soo has been nothing short of mean to this guy since she broke off with him. What a kind word would have achieved than shoving him off to go home! Giving him small pinches of comfort without encouraging him, seems like the more humane thing to do. And would make him feel much less hopeless and desperate.
Fryday
April 15, 2016 at 4:15 AM
@AidaZen: I don't know why you seem to think HS *owed* him being nice. She doesn't. She broke up with him in no uncertain terms, he came banging at her door in the middle of the night. She owes him NOTHING. Like it or not, their contract was over, and she made her feelings extremely clear: not interested in a relationship with JH (for all the reasons others have explained in the rest of the comments). So showing "no ounce of compassion" really is the most "humane" thing she can do.
If your ex kept chasing you after you broke up, would you be "nice" to them? Well, you might, but I wouldn't. I'd be pissed. I still am, at my ex who came back two years after I broke up with him and I still regret agreeing to be "friends". Out of compassion for him. That stupid compassion came at a cost to me.
Your comment seems to suggest HS did those things for him - kissing and dressing up. She didn't. I think it was very clear that she did them for herself, if only to prove to herself that she too could be pretty, she too could sparkle.
merrym
April 15, 2016 at 7:17 AM
@Fryday,
There're different kinds of exes. 'Hate his guts so we broke up' exes, 'left him because we were incompatible' exes, then there's 'broke up because I'm ill and can't handle a romantic relationship' exes. So you may have to treat them a little differently especially when in one case or the other, the guy did nothing wrong. Only thing Ji-hoon was guilty of, was falling for a woman he had no clue was terminally ill.
So I guess I'm firmly team Ji-hoon at this juncture. Funny how even with her illness, I'm feeling more compassion for Ji-hoon. He's suffering too if not at the same level. But pain is pain.
Hye soo does not owe Ji-hoon anything, true. But she owes it to herself to at least, wonder if she wouldn't end up regretful and miserable after turning a good man away. Ji-hoon said it perfectly when he told her, "You shouldn't live like that. Don't live that way." To show her how her actions could really hurt someone especially when they were led on to believe you cared.
See, at this rate poor Jihoon could actually die before her lol - from heartbreak. Okay, maybe I exaggerate but in this case, I fully support Jihoon, no question.
Fryday
April 15, 2016 at 7:46 AM
@AidaZen, sorry, I really disagree. It doesn't ultimately matter *what* kind of breakup you have. If you've broken up, and you've made it clear you don't want a relationship with someone, acting in a way opposite to that is leading them on. She had one lapse in that she kissed him. And then she owned it as a mistake, and I believe her. It's not that she doesn't have feelings for him, it's that she doesn't want a relationship with him. Very important difference.
I totally get where JH is coming from, but he only sees his side of the picture, which is that this woman clearly has feelings for him but refuses to have a relationship. He doesn't know why, so he has to go for the most rational explanation, which is that she was in some way playing with him. That's what he means when he tells her not to live like that.
Otoh, and I didn't think it needed repeating because plenty of people have said it here: why on earth would a relationship with JH be her priority when she doesn't know if she's going to live or die, and she's got a seven yo daughter - a SEVEN year old, i.e. a BABY - who has nearly nobody else in the world? Not only is it going to be awful for her kid emotionally, but there are very, very serious material things she HAS to worry about, and the show's shown us this right from the start. I'd think less of the HS who thought she had time to date a man when her daughter needs to have her future secured.
Having fledgling feelings is one thing, but a mother-daughter bond and the responsibility that comes with it isn't even comparable. She and JH haven't got to that point yet. They'd be on the way if they embraced it, sure, but I can only see every reason for HS not to believe in that and make an arrangement that guarantees ES's provision independently of any other person. Being a mother comes first for her, before everything and anything. It has to. She doesn't have the luxury, with a young, vulnerable child, to put herself first. Just like there'd never be a situation where she'd put herself before her kid, there would also never be a situation at *any point* in her life where she'd pick a man over her daughter, even a man she dearly loved. She didn't lead him on, ever, not even when she kissed him (which *was* an impulsive mistake and she calls herself out on it). She's always drawn her lines clearly.
So it's not that I don't sympathize with JH, but he's very self-focused and it's just not about him. The proof is his reaction when he found out, because he understood what her deal was then.
Affie
April 15, 2016 at 8:56 AM
@Fryday. I get your sentiments exactly as you have expressed them and I think HS is up against and reacting very realistically ...but what are we expecting with this drama? Jihoon to leave the love of his life alone at a time when she might very well need him most? From JH's reaction to his mom's illness I found he would put everything on the line to help a sick loved one... So like AidaZen, I too grew frustrated that HS refused to recognize this attribute although, she did so for realistic reasons.
I get everything REALISTIC about all she's done so far... So how about something HOPEFUL for now...such as not continually pushing a person, regardless of what he means to you, to genuinely wants to help you.... Away.
Give him a fighting chance, is all I'm saying! Lol.
merrym
April 15, 2016 at 5:17 PM
@AidaZen
I still think that if Hye Soo really wants to think of her daughter, then she should give the little girl the semblance of a real family before it's too late. You know, with a father and mother which Eun Sung never really had, since her father died before she was born.
At least that will leave Eun Sung with one parent (her step dad) if/when her mother passes.
As fate would have it, a husband /father has landed conveniently in their laps (Jihoon) but Hye-soo is playing matyr.
So I'll reinforce what @Affie says, about realism vs. hope. I'll take the chance of love and happiness, as opposed to the 'realistic' choice to not choose a man over her daughter which Noone is asking Hye-soo to do. She can easily have them both.
merrym
April 15, 2016 at 5:23 PM
Whoops.. Meant that last reply for you @Fryday
Cant believe I quoted a reply to myself... gahh. Should go to bed now lol.
Tomorrow brings a new MC episode to mull over :)
jusash
April 14, 2016 at 10:35 AM
off topic:
Other than mom (HS) being absent-minded a couple of times with ES - she DID have a lot of her plate with nowhere to live, no job and loan sharks on her back ... what was amazing too:
the daycare:
- late pick up to the point it was dark and only teacher/ES was left ... this happened a couple of times
- anyone (even if the child knows him) can pick up the child? JH just sailed in and picked her up one day
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knewbie
April 15, 2016 at 9:29 AM
When JH picked ES up the first time, HS had been on the phone with the teacher and probably told the teacher about JH. As for the second time, when JH rescued ES's hairband from the boy on the scooter, ES was referring to him as her dad by then, so he might have seemed legit to the teacher.
There's also the possibility that HS's absent-mindedness had something to do with her tumour. After all, she displayed apparent symptoms as early as in episode 1 (that fainting spell in front of JH's car)/
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43 vongole
April 13, 2016 at 11:17 PM
Thank you for calling out that forced attempt to kiss - explaining but not making an excuse for it.
This is the main reason I started reading Dramabeans. I love K-dramas, but occasionally - ok more than occasionally - find it difficult to square the instances of misogyny with my feminism. In DB, I've found a community that doesn't let s#%* like that kiss pass just 'cos it's the hero that's involved. (OK, I love DB for so many more reasons. But this is absolutely central to my addiction.)
Thank you again!
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44 urbangirl
April 13, 2016 at 11:53 PM
While I keep hoping Hye-soo will live as the heroine did in Scent of a Woman, there's also a foreshadowing that she won't with her fatalistic prepatory conversations with her friend and daughter. We may see an ending with JiHoon living with ES andoperating the snack cafe on the island with his Mom and Uncle.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 8:57 AM
This drama reminds me of both Scent of a Woman (the illness, chaebol dad/arranged marriage) and of late (Ep 12) = that eureka! parallel to an old drama, Beautiful Days.
I saw the ending in Scent of A Woman as open-ended though. She will probably die, the symptoms were too severe to just miraculously fade. But rather .... that they were going for quality, rather than quantity.
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urbangirl
April 14, 2016 at 12:41 PM
I, too, saw Scent as open-ended - that she would eventually die, just not immediately. I guess, I'm saying I hope for something similar here - that the 3 of them will have some significant time together as a family.
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jusash
April 14, 2016 at 12:49 PM
Yup, open ended is totally fine with me too. Just make all the progression credible.
They (esp HER - she had so many barriers/obstacles in her life, one after another) really deserve some happiness.
But it isn't going to be easy - his dad is such a formidable puppet-master with cold-marble for a heart.
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45 cinnamimi
April 14, 2016 at 1:39 AM
The scenes that I like the most:
1) ES hid behind the door and clung onto the knob. It's just natural and I like the detail. She could have just run somewhere, but no she's there saying, "I don't want to." Beautiful. Kudos to the director.
2) Look at the dream catcher hanging on the mirror when HS was cutting her hair. Do we have a glimpse of hope here that at east she would survive? A dream catcher only catches a good dream.
3) Those yellow flowers are just awesome. Romantic? No?
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nAEE
April 14, 2016 at 3:34 AM
I havent realized no (2) but I do hope it turns out like what you said :)
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