The Man Living in Our House: Episode 9

by LollyPip

Tensions run high as emotions begin to boil over, causing distrust to branch out in all directions. Revealed secrets only cause suspicions to grow, and it’s hard to know who to believe anymore. Outside forces are doing their best to pull Na-ri and Nan-gil apart, and they’ll need to draw on every bit of their love for each other for the strength to fight back and stay together.

 
EPISODE 9 RECAP

Nan-gil’s world flips upside-down when CEO Bae tells him that he’s met Na-ri’s father before. He remembers that day when he, Wan-shik, and the other boys had gone to break up an illegal loan business/gambling ring illicitly funded with CEO Bae’s money.

Wan-shik had been in charge, and he and the others had fought the gamblers with glee while Nan-gil hung back, looking dead-eyed. Nan-gil noticed a woman sneaking out a back door and followed her all the way to an office. A man he now knows was Na-ri’s father had thrown a name plate at him, then fled to the roof.

Still scarily emotionless, Nan-gil approached Na-ri’s father, who was panicked and waving a length of wood at him. Nan-gil calmly told him to be quiet and stay there, but Wan-shik and the others had found them, and before Nan-gil could say anything Na-ri’s father had jumped off the roof.

Now Nan-gil looks at Na-ri with tears in his eyes, as CEO Bae tells him to stop acting like Na-ri’s father. Nan-gil says that Na-ri’s father didn’t die, and that he’ll look into things himself, since he doesn’t trust anyone else.

He manages to trudge back to Na-ri, looking pale and weak, and they head back to the house. CEO Bae watches him go, and asks Wan-shik if Nan-gil is sick.

Na-ri’s friend Ran-sook takes a cab to the restaurant, since Na-ri borrowed her car, and goes looking for her. She misses the fact that a whole gang of thugs are chowing down on mandoo, and loudly asks Young-gyu if Nan-gil owns this restaurant, heh.

Nan-gil shakes off Na-ri’s concern, then apologizes and says he just has a headache. He walks through the restaurant (totally ignoring Ran-sook, and the thugs who all stand and bow to him), and goes straight for his office to take his anxiety medicine.

He can’t stop the memories, and again he sees Na-ri’s father lying in a pool of blood. He’d turned to see Wan-shik looking stricken, with CEO Bae standing behind him. CEO Bae had even looked shaken, and Nan-gil had stood in front of him, barely holding himself together.

Annoyed, Ran-sook wants to go back to Seoul right now. The thugs stand as one and file out politely, and Young-gyu complains that he knew something like this would happen eventually, since he always thought Nan-gil looked like a gangster. Na-ri asks Ran-sook to wait while she talks to Nan-gil, and Ran-sook is angry that Nan-gil didn’t even acknowledge her.

Nan-gil says tiredly that he’s okay, but Na-ri pushes past him into the office anyway. Nan-gil looks sheepish and can’t even look Na-ri in the eyes, but she makes him look at her and say that he’s really all right. She confirms that CEO Bae is the CEO of Dada Finance, Nan-gil’s adopted father.

Na-ri says that she’s afraid Nan-gil will get hurt, and he softens at that, and tells her not to be scared. Nan-gil looks surprised at Ran-sook’s holler, saying that he didn’t even see her there, and Na-ri tells him that Ran-sook probably hates him for ignoring her, and for having groups of scary men following him around.

He smiles and says that Ran-sook is a good friend, because he’d hate him, too. Na-ri says that Ran-sook has other people she cares about more than herself, like her husband and kids, but she puts a hand on Nan-gil’s chest and says, “I’m first place in here. I’m all you have.” She says that she’ll handle things with Ran-sook.

Nan-gil stops her as she turns to go, and pulls her back. But he stumbles over his words as he starts to ask, “What if…” and Na-ri gently tells him to try again when he’s sure of what he wants to say, because she doesn’t like what ifs.

Deok-bong and Deok-shim arrive at the hospital to find her mother moaning dramatically and clutching her neck, while their dad watches TV and ignores everyone. Mom tells Deok-shim (whom she almost calls “Soo-yeon”) to say hello to her dad, but Dad ignores her greeting and takes Deok-bong out to talk.

Deok-shim is left with Mom, who seems pretty darn fine, and complains that they don’t get along. Deok-shim barks back that most daughters don’t find their names changed suddenly without their permission. Mom says she’ll change her whole life if she can, and motions to her bodyguards to take Deok-shim out of the room.

Outside, Dad gives Deok-bong an envelope containing proof that the land that Hong Mandoo sits on used to belong to their family. Dad says that someone took advantage of his father, and it’s Deok-bong’s job to get it back. Deok-bong says that can’t be done since it was given away, not sold, but Dad yells that this is why he made him study law.

Yeo-joo is at the hospital fighting for a bed for her father, while the receptionist tells her there are only expensive beds available. Her mother grows upset, and yells that all she thinks about is money. Yeo-joo sees Deok-bong sitting nearby, and realizes that he’s overheard the entire argument.

Nan-gil sends Na-ri and Ran-sook off with bags of mandoo, but Ran-sook stubbornly refuses to acknowledge him. She drives off, then stops a few feet down the road, and goes back to confront him. She snaps that he and Na-ri shouldn’t be together, and Nan-gil ducks his head respectfully.

Ran-sook continues that she won’t let her friend date a gangster, and poor Nan-gil folds his hands like a little boy, until Na-ri comes to tell Ran-sook to lay off of him. Ran-sook huffs back to the car, and Nan-gil tells Na-ri not to be angry with her friend. He tells her to make up with Ran-sook on the drive back to Seoul, and even gives her pointers on how to do it.

On the drive, Ran-sook is the first to break the silence, asking if Na-ri really has feelings for Nan-gil. She thinks it’s just a physical response to stress, since he’s young and handsome. That makes Na-ri laugh, but Ran-sook is mostly worried about the gangsters, and tells Na-ri to just stop coming here and seeing him.

Na-ri thinks about Nan-gil’s love confession, and all the times he’s been gentle and vulnerable with her. She remembers how he asked her to wait for him, and tells Ran-sook that she doesn’t think she can live without him.

Young-gyu tries to talk to Nan-gil after the lunch rush, curious about how his involvement with gangsters could affect the restaurant. Nan-gil ignores him and the other chefs tell him to just go away, making Young-gyu wonder if the three of them are in on this secret together. You and me both, sir.

Yeo-joo approaches Deok-bong, who tells her that his mother is sick. She tells him that her father has been sick off and on for seven years, though he makes it clear that he’s not interested.

A screech alerts them to the doorway, where Deok-shim is being taken out to the car by the bodyguards. Deok-bong tells her to go quietly, and Deok-shim makes a last-ditch plea to Yeo-joo for help.

The bodyguards put her in the family car, and Yeo-joo sneaks around to let her out the other side. Deok-shim makes a run for it with Yeo-joo hot on her heels, and Deok-bong takes pity and tells the bodyguards to tell his stepmom that Deok-shim is with him.

Yeo-joo chases Deok-shim down the street, and she eventually catches up and grabs Deok-shim. She pins Deok-shim against a wall and says she’s on her side, but Deok-shim fights like a wildcat so Yeo-joo is forced to yank her arm behind her back to stop her flailing.

Na-ri calls Nan-gil to tell him she made up with Ran-sook and got home safe. Nan-gil says that she must be tired, coming all the way out to see him, but Na-ri tells him to get used to it because she’ll be coming often. She reminds him to keep up with his “farmer’s footsteps,” and they hang up.

Yeo-joo grows angry when Deok-shim doesn’t thank her for her help. Deok-shim just asks how she knows her brother, and randomly tells her to pull her hair back. Yeo-joo does, and Deok-shim mutters that she looks just like a girl who dumped Deok-bong. HA.

Dressed all in black, Nan-gil goes to Dada Finance and walks in like he owns the place. He cracks a few heads to gain entrance to a secret room, and locks himself in. Uncle is being kept in there, and he immediately starts to stammer about his complaint against him.

But Nan-gil only wants to know when Uncle saw Na-ri’s father last. Uncle recalls seeing him in a casino only a year ago, which supports Nan-gil’s belief that he didn’t die that day. He steps out of the room (the goons all hilariously jump back), and Wan-shik comes to ask why he’s here, but Nan-gil just says that nothing changes in this place, and leaves.

Yeo-joo finds Na-ri as they prepare for a flight, and complains that Na-ri still hasn’t canceled the leave she scheduled for her wedding. It’s making people criticize Yeo-joo (of course it’s all about her), but Na-ri just says that she’s glad people are on her side.

Yeo-joo asks if Na-ri plans to take her leave in her hometown, and though Na-ri denies it, Yeo-joo can tell she’s thinking about it. Na-ri says she’s just going to use the time to rest and travel.

Nan-gil sees a woman taking pictures of Hong Mandoo, and for a moment he thinks it’s Na-ri. It’s just a customer meeting two colleagues, and the three women discuss the restaurant. They’re writers for a variety show, here to scout the place for an episode.

They’re excited by the tasty food and pretty boy chefs, but they catch sight of Nan-gil and worry — he looks like he’d refuse to do TV shows. But the boss (Lee Mi-sun) is determined, and gives Young-gyu her business card. Young-gyu gets excited and calls Nan-gil over, but he just grumbles, “We don’t do TV shows,” and walks off.

The writers leave, with Young-gyu and Nan-gil following them out. Mi-sun says that they’ll come back three more times, but Nan-gil isn’t even listening. He thinks he sees Na-ri again, waving to him from the street, and Young-gyu asks why he looks so sad.

Nan-gil sees Na-ri again, waving to him from her yard next door, and he turns to go inside with a sad sigh. Young-gyu asks why he’s ignoring Na-ri, because HAHA, she’s actually there and now she’s glaring at him. Aw, it’s adorable how happy he looks when he realizes he’s not imagining her this time.

He bounds over like a big floppy puppy, but Na-ri wants to know why he was smiling at those three women. He says they were TV writers, but that he refused their TV show offer. Na-ri asks why, thinking he could use the money to pay off the debt, but Nan-gil doesn’t want to.

Na-ri tells him that she’s learning to do things like drive and farm, becoming more like him. He jokes that he’s having mood swings lately, becoming more like her. Na-ri asks if she should just move back here, and Nan-gil quips that he’s also making rash decisions. Hee.

They head to a nearby temple, where people leave wishes written on cards. Na-ri says that her father used to bring her here, and she’d leave wishes to become a flight attendant. After he left, her wishes were to bring her father home. Nan-gil listens while she talks, but doesn’t respond.

CEO Bae sits down with Uncle, and asks him why he told Nan-gil that he saw Na-ri’s father. Wan-shik adds that Na-ri’s dad is dead — they even confirmed his death certificate. CEO Bae plays to Uncle’s greed, reminding him that the land would be his if not for Nan-gil, wondering out loud why his sister got all of the family’s land. He asks why Uncle isn’t worried about his niece being around Nan-gil so much, since they could grow close.

Na-ri takes Nan-gil to a teahouse to talk, and she asks him why they can’t seem to get closer to each other. He says it’s his fault and she agrees, because of his past and his promise to protect the land.

She says that she thinks about him constantly when she’s in Seoul, because she’s fallen for him. She tells Nan-gil to stop being her stepfather, stop thinking of the past, and stop apologizing. He replies that it’s hard because he feels like a bad person, and that he’s used to watching her from a distance.

Na-ri replies that she’ll just have to stay close then, and says what she came here to say: “Go Nan-gil, I love you.” Nan-gil freezes, unsure of how to react, as memories of his lifetime of loving her from afar wash through his mind. He gives Na-ri this look, and nervously gulps his tea.

Deok-bong tells Secretary Kwon that his family used to own the land Hong Mandoo sits on, and she looks surprised, or maybe nervous. He wonders out loud why that particular piece of land is the only one they don’t still own, and watches Secretary Kwon for her reaction. He hands her the documents to look over, and her hand shakes as she takes them.

Wan-shik is waiting for Nan-gil at the restaurant, and Nan-gil tells Na-ri to go inside while he and Wan-shik talk in the car. Deok-bong pulls up and sees Na-ri watching them, and she tells him that Wan-shik is from Dada Finance. Deok-bong just barely stops her from confronting Wan-shik, and takes her inside.

Wan-shik tells Nan-gil that he learned that only family members can request death certificates. But he found the woman who has the death certificate for Na-ri’s father, and hands over her contact information.

He asks how Nan-gil could act like Na-ri’s stepfather after killing her real dad, reminding Nan-gil that he wasn’t punished back then because they hid him. Nan-gil calmly says that since Wan-shik broke his promise and showed up in front of Na-ri again, that he’s telling CEO Bae that he runs a side business without permission.

Deok-bong stops Nan-gil outside the car to warn him to end all this. Nan-gil doesn’t answer and goes inside, Deok-bong right behind him.

Yeo-joo is there, and she chirps to Deok-bong that he owes her for the shoes and jacket that Deok-shim ruined in their tussle. He starts to lead her out, but they meet Wan-shik on his way in, and Wan-shik punches Young-gyu right in the mouth when he asks why he wants to see Nan-gil.

Nan-gil comes out, and Wan-shik tries to punch him too. But Nan-gil quickly grabs him and yanks him to the office, where he slams him against the wall. He screams in Wan-shik’s face that he’ll never go back, and begs him for his help. They don’t realize that Na-ri overhears the whole thing.

Nan-gil promises to keep Wan-shik’s secret, calling it a birthday gift. Wan-shik laughs at that, but he leaves without causing any more problems.

Young-gyu is deeply shaken by being punched, and he tells Deok-shim that the humiliation is much worse than the physical pain. He wonders if he should quit his job, and gives Deok-shim an interesting look when she quietly offers to clean up.

Deok-bong takes Yeo-joo to dinner, though he’s distracted. Yeo-joo asks if he feels bad for leaving Deok-shim back there, but he says their family is used to that sort of thing. He sheepishly admits that it’s hard to have both money and dignity.

Yeo-joo asks if Deok-bong wants to be friends since he already knows everything bad about her family, but he replies that Na-ri is the only friend he needs. Yeo-joo says he should give up on Na-ri, who’s in love and thinking of quitting her job. She takes note of his disappointment, as if his world just ended.

Na-ri thinks of Nan-gil’s desperate plea to Wan-shik, and asks her mother’s photo why this place is so important to him. She joins him in making dinner, where they shoot each other unreadable glances in silence.

Wan-shik takes Uncle to Na-ri’s house, and instructs him to ask questions about Na-ri’s father. He pointedly reminds Uncle that Na-ri’s father died, and tells him to tell the truth.

Deok-bong and Yeo-joo show up first, and Yeo-joo pretends to be drunk, though Na-ri calls her out on faking it. She nearly lets slip that Na-ri might be quitting her job for Nan-gil and Na-ri claps a hand over Yeo-joo’s mouth, but Nan-gil already heard.

Na-ri denies that she’s quitting, and shoves Yeo-joo upstairs. Yeo-joo hollers that she should thank her for taking Dong-jin off her hands when there was obviously no love left between them, and paving the way for her and Nan-gil.

Nan-gil motions for Deok-bong to leave, but Deok-bong reminds him that he and Na-ri can never be together because he was married to her mother. He declares his interest in Na-ri, asking if Nan-gil would support him as her stepfather, but Nan-gil just says that he’s decided they can’t ever be friends.

Na-ri thanks Yeo-joo for not telling Nan-gil that she’s taking her wedding leave, then wanders downstairs for dinner. After eating, Nan-gil mentions his fight with Wan-shik, and Na-ri figures they really aren’t friends. Nan-gil says he used to be like Wan-shik, but Na-ri says that he doesn’t need to confess everything to her.

Nan-gil looks grateful, and Na-ri asks what the house and Hong Mandoo mean to him. She asks if they’re more important than she is, wondering if she should be jealous, and Nan-gil says softly, “Everything here is Hong Na-ri to me.”

Na-ri says that she’s right in front of him now, and asks him to look at the real her, and his expression changes. He leans in to kiss her, but Uncle bursts in at that exact moment, yelling, “What are you doing?!”

Uncle grabs Nan-gil and orders him out of the house, then turns to plead with Na-ri. He tells her that he’s filed for an annulment of Nan-gil’s marriage to Mom, and Nan-gil’s angry bellow brings Yeo-joo to the top of the stairs to listen in.

Uncle tells Nan-gil that he can keep the house and the land, so long as he lets Na-ri go. He says that it’s Nan-gil’s fault he hasn’t been home, and tells Na-ri that her father died a long time ago. He accuses Nan-gil of keeping that information from her, and Na-ri turns to Nan-gil for answers.

Nan-gil reminds Uncle that he saw her father last year, but now Uncle says that’s not true. Na-ri remembers that he’d told her and her mother that he saw her father, and Uncle nervously says that he must have been mistaken. He claims that he’s seen her father’s death certificate, and Na-ri demands to know who showed it to him.

Uncle wilts in the face of Na-ri’s anger, and tries to take back everything he just said. She refuses to allow it, and he screams that he’s lived with her this whole time, so isn’t he better than a father who died and left her alone?

Yeo-joo sneaks back to her room, and wonders what all that talk was about Nan-gil acting like Na-ri’s father.

Downstairs, Uncle waves a document around, and tells Nan-gil that he’s finished. It’s Uncle’s suit against him, ordering him to court, and Nan-gil says that he has no intention of running. Uncle looks nervous at that, as if the whole point was to chase Nan-gil off.

Nan-gil tells him not to let Dada Finance manipulate him, that this is Na-ri’s land now. Uncle asks what’s so important about the land, and Nan-gil finally grows angry and asks how he could say such a thing. Uncle grows upset at the implied threat, and tells Na-ri not to be fooled by this guy.

Uncle says he needs to prepare for the trial, and runs out. Na-ri follows him and Uncle gives her the papers, asking her to testify for him. He leaves, and Na-ri turns to see Nan-gil standing in the doorway.

They look at each other, unsure of what to do next.

COMMENTS

Ask me how relieved I am that Nan-gil didn’t go all Noble Idiot on us. I like that his response to his involvement with Na-ri’s father was to slow down and think, do some research of his own and not just take CEO Bae’s word for it. It’s a product of his reluctance to trust anyone, but it also falls in with how level-headed he is, how he doesn’t let his emotions lead him into rash decisions. It’s good to see Nan-gil stay in character with himself, and behave in the way we expect the character to behave, and not how dramas have us conditioned to expect. I like to think that he also knows exactly how lucky he is to have earned Na-ri’s love, and that he’s too smart of a guy to just throw that away. Not to mention, he can’t go anywhere, not if he still wants to save her house and restaurant from being taken over or sold off.

And it’s a good thing Nan-gil is taking the time to find things out for himself, because it sounds as if Na-ri’s father may not be dead after all. He certainly looked dead, but if Uncle saw him as recently as a year ago, then he must still be alive. Despite what CEO Bae says, death certificates can be forged, especially when the person has a really good reason to need to be dead to certain people. I have no doubt he’s alive out there, somewhere, still on the run.

Speaking of death certificates, I really hope that Wan-shik giving Nan-gil information about the death certificate points to him being a good guy. Well, I mean he’s not a good guy, he does some pretty bad stuff. But it’s not as if he has a choice any more than Nan-gil did, and there are times that I see something in him that wants to be better. Even though he and Nan-gil don’t get along, Wan-shik has still helped him several times, and he did look shocked and upset when Na-ri’s father jumped off that rooftop. I’m impressed with the actor playing him for giving him so much depth with so little actual content so far, and I really hope Wan-shik gets a redemption arc by the end (and no heroic deaths, please!).

I have to say about Nan-gil though, I was a bit disappointed in his reaction to Na-ri’s saying that she loves him. I understand that it’s not something he ever expected to hear, and that he was probably overwhelmed with multiple conflicting emotions at that moment. But if I were Na-ri, I’d feel rejected that he didn’t even acknowledge what she said, in any way. I guess it’s good that she’s confident in his feelings for her, and understands that he’s just shaken to the bone by the idea that she loves him back.

I don’t know if the who will go there, but I sort of love the idea of Yeo-joo and Deok-bong together. Can we petition to make this happen? She needs a guy who won’t fall for her wide-eyed innocent act, and he certainly isn’t impressed by it — I don’t really think Yeo-joo is malicious, she’s just starved for love. One theory I agree with that Yeo-joo sees guys who treat their girlfriends well, and she wants that, so she takes the guy. But instead of gaining a devoted boyfriend, she just ends up with cheaters, and she’s not happy. She needs a man that she earns for herself fair and square, and one that she has to work for… and Deok-bong would certainly make her work for it. She’d have to be on her best behavior to gain his interest, and maybe she’d realize that being herself is better than pretending to be what she thinks a man wants.

I’m getting very curious about this whole land issue. At first it just seemed a convenient reason to get Nan-gil and Na-ri’s mother married, and that the land itself wasn’t that important. But the more we learn, the more I start to think that the land itself is the key to everything — why did Deok-bong’s grandfather give it away? How did Na-ri’s mother suddenly come into possession of it and why? And does Nan-gil know something, and is he there for more than just sentimental reasons of wanting to protect Na-ri’s birthright? I have a feeling the answers to these questions will shed a lot of light into some very dark corners.

 
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