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Fight My Way: Episode 9

I’ve been on pins and needles all week waiting to see what happens next, and I’m definitely not disappointed. Almost all of our friends experience bursts of positive growth, making decisions about their relationships that will permanently change their futures. One of the best things about this show is that it gives you exactly what you want, just in a way you didn’t expect. It’s so refreshing to get all of the tropes I count on in a rom-com, but in a way that still manages to pleasantly surprise me.

 
Round 9: “Youth is only youth when you cause trouble”

Ae-ra sneaks into Dong-man’s fight, and she overhears the ladies sitting in front of her gushing over the new handsome fighter. She objects when one of them zooms in on Dong-man’s fine form, though Ae-ra is mostly upset that the woman plans to video Dong-man getting beat up. She sees Hye-ran enter surrounded by reporters, and then the fight starts.

Ae-ra watches nervously as Dong-man takes some hard hits right at the beginning. After a few seconds she can’t take anymore and ducks her head, claps her hands over her ears, and waits for the horror to end. She flinches at the bell, but she can’t bear to look up and see Dong-man beaten to a pulp.

But a hand taps her knee and she opens her eyes to see him peering up at her, perfectly fine. Ae-ra tearfully asks if he has to do this, and Dong-man smiles and says, “I’m in trouble. Now you look pretty even when you cry.”

Ignoring the screaming crowd, Dong-man stands and offers his hand to Ae-ra. She tentatively holds out a finger which he grasps, teasing that she’s acting like such a girl. He leads her through the arena right past Hye-ran, and once alone, Dong-man asks if she’s holding his hand like that because she’s feeling fluttery.

He admits that she’s not the only one who’s feeling that way, and his previous cool falters a bit. Dong-man says that somehow, he only saw her tonight in the arena, and that she’s becoming pretty to his eyes. He continues that even though he used to only think about things like putting her in a headlock and mooning her (hee), now whenever they touch, it feels like skinship. He takes her hand in his.

Ae-ra looks up, confused, and he says that when she looks at him like that, he sometimes wants to kiss her. She’s flustered by his honesty, and Dong-man pleads with her, asking if she thinks about those things, too. Ae-ra begs him to keep those thoughts to himself but she doesn’t drop his hand… and suddenly someone takes Dong-man’s other hand, and they look up to see Coach Hwang standing there clasping Dong-man’s hand, on the verge of tears. HAHA.

After agreeing to marry once Joo-man gets his promotion, he and Seol-hee exit their bus to find his admirer Ye-jin standing there. She’s heard Seol-hee calling Joo-man by a lovers’ endearment, but instead of freaking out, she kicks off her shoes and lies down on the bench for a nap.

A few minutes later Seol-hee sits with Ye-jin’s head in her lap, checking out her rival’s pretty features up close. Ye-jin wakes and asks why Joo-man helped her with the copier, then she lies back down whining that she really liked him. Awww, she’s obviously been drinking, and she’s pretty pitiful.

Joo-man comes back from getting Ye-jin an energy drink to wake her up, and Seol-hee bristles at his attentiveness. Luckily Ye-jin’s mother calls her phone, so they ask her to pick up her daughter. She’s a sweet lady, but it’s strange how she only looks at Joo-man and says that she hopes to see him again.

Coach Hwang drives Dong-man and Ae-ra home, and Dong-man teases him for being a crybaby. Ae-ra realizes that the guys need some time alone and heads to her place, leaving Dong-man looking a bit freaked out at having to deal with Coach’s tears.

Coach says soggily that he’s followed Dong-man around for ten years, but tonight he saw him fly again for the first time. Awww. He tells Dong-man to be good to him and repay him with a life of luxury someday, then insists on a hug. Dong-man reluctantly submits to the most awkward hug ever, worried someone will see them and get the wrong idea, but it makes Coach Hwang so happy.

They jump apart when a voice barks, “Move your car!” It’s Landlady Hwang, who tells them that she doesn’t judge, but they should move their car before continuing with what they were doing. PFFT. Coach Hwang looks a bit stunned by her, sure that he’s seen her somewhere before.

Tak-soo goes into a workout frenzy after seeing Dong-man’s fight in person. Coach Choi and Tae-hee mutter that it’s no wonder Tak-soo tried so hard to block Dong-man from fighting, because he’s that good.

The next morning, Joo-man, Seol-hee, and Ae-ra take turns feeding Dong-man, their new star, who milks it for all it’s worth. Ae-ra is a bit miffed that all of the articles about Dong-man’s fight and how he went to her afterward only mention her as “a fan” and blur out her face. But she’s more concerned about her announcer interview tomorrow at a KBC satellite station, determined to knock this one out of the park.

Ae-ra goes outside to call her father, who worries over how Ae-ra is taking care of herself and offers to send her some money. She says through tears that she hates it when he sends money, grousing that he hardly makes a living with his restaurant. She warns him not to or else, unaware that Landlady Hwang is listening from around the corner.

Dong-man’s PD friend Kyung-ku sees the articles about Dong-man’s fight and makes him an offer to appear on a new show about super rookies. He jokes that he knows what Dong-man’s fists feel like, which makes Dong-man fidget uneasily. There’s clearly a complicated past between them: They make vague references to Dong-man feeling sorry, and mention a blind date sometime in the past.

Kyung-ku tells him not to worry about it, but then he asks about Ae-ra. Dong-man shuts that line of conversation down, and leaves quickly when he gets a text that his fight winnings have been deposited.

At the ATM, Dong-man nearly cries when he sees the healthy wad of cash the machine dispenses. He calls his mom to say he sent her some money that he made doing something he likes.

Though Mom’s first question is whether he caused some sort of trouble, she brags to her friends about her thoughtful son while his dad listens in, and in her room, so does his now-teenage sister Dong-hee. She doesn’t look like a happy girl, but Dong-man seems to dote on her, and he sends her a pair of expensive sneakers.

Joo-man and Seol-hee meet in the office stairwell, where he wheedles for a hug to “charge his batteries.” She pouts at first, then hops into his arms and they start to kiss. One floor up, Ye-jin enters the stairwell and hears the kissy noises, so she creeps down to see who’s having a steamy office romance. But she drops her purse, which alerts Joo-man and Seol-hee and gives them time to escape.

Dong-man teases Coach Hwang for still selling soondae when he’s on his way to stardom. Coach Hwang tells Dong-man to be ready for a trip to a festival in Daecheon tomorrow, to perform and raise some money for the gym.

He refuses to let Dong-man pay for his soondae, no matter how much he insists. So when one of his customers comes to flirt with Coach (HAHA, Dong-man’s grossed-out face at Coach’s aegyo is priceless), Dong-man slips a fat roll of cash into his tip bowl.

He buys gifts for his friends too—a giant stuffed bunny for Seol-hee and an expensive piece of in-game armor for Joo-man’s favorite video game. He says the hammock he just set up is for Ae-ra, but she complains that that’s for everyone. Dong-man says that she doesn’t like toys or games so he couldn’t get her anything, and she yells, “I didn’t ask you to buy something!” Than she whops him upside the head and demands her own gift, HA.

Later they all head downstairs, but Dong-man motions to Ae-ra to decline Joo-man’s invitation for more drinks. Seol-hee sees right through their dramatic excuses and suggests they all go home, and then as she watches them sneak off together, she wonders if those two are about to cause some trouble.

Dong-man makes a big show of rummaging in his jacket pocket, then presents Ae-ra with a small jewelry box. OMG. She opens it to find a gold ring, and he smirks as she gasps. It’s not exactly a pretty ring though, and she asks why it’s so yellow. He says that it’s pure gold and thanks her for playing such a big part in getting him back into fighting.

He says proudly that the gold ring is an investment, going on and on about how valuable it is and how she can someday sell it if she needs money. Ae-ra frowns to realize that it’s not as romantic a gesture as she first thought, but something about Dong-man’s smug grin when she complains about why it had to be a ring, of all things, makes me think might be purposely yanking her chain.

Seol-hee helps Ae-ra get ready for her interview the next morning, and just after Ae-ra complains to the others that Dong-man probably forgot about her big day, he bursts in to dramatically offer her a double-handful of taffy (supposed to be good luck for tests and interviews and such). He gets shy when they ask where he got taffy so early, the fact that he’s covered in sweat giving away that he ran a long way to find it. They all head out for the day together, determined to conquer their challenges.

Dong-man works on some wrestling techniques with a fellow fighter named Doo-ho and ends up with an injured ear from practice. Coach Hwang comes to collect them for their Daecheon trip, and when they ask about Byung-joo (the fighter who lost to Dong-man), he says, “Let’s just say he’s sick.” Hee.

Ae-ra heads to her interview, but unfortunately Hye-ran is visiting a sunbae at the same station. She goes through the resumes and sees Ae-ra’s, and gets a cagey look on her face.

It’s Joo-man’s big day too—today is the day his kimchi account debuts on the home shopping show. When one of the people eating the kimchi on the live broadcast starts to break out in hives, the PD thinks fast and replaces a couple of the actors with himself and Ye-jin posing as a married couple.

As she fields customer calls, Seol-hee sees Joo-man and Ye-jin on TV together, and she snaps. She abandons her station and marches to the recording studio, all the way to the stage until she’s on camera. Everyone stares at her in shock as she glares at Joo-man and Ye-jin like she’s about to make a scene…. but then she starts stuffing her face with kimchi, making it look so good that sales skyrocket.

When Ae-ra is called in for her interview, she frowns to see Hye-ran there. Hye-ran’s sunbae asks the candidates who they think won’t make it through, and when the other two both pick Ae-ra, she’s asked for ten reasons why they should choose her.

She barely gets a word out before the interviewer groans at her stock answer. The woman is extremely rude, muttering that anybody thinks they can become an announcer these days, and she tells Ae-ra to keep her current job.

Ae-ra says that she wants to be an announcer so badly that she couldn’t do that. She asks how the interviewer can know what she’s capable of. Angry now, Ae-ra asks if this is a test to see if she can adapt to pressure, or if it’s a personal attack. The interviewer starts to give Ae-ra some condescending “advice,” but Ae-ra tells her not to, because she doesn’t want to be hurt as well as passed over: “I’ll decide what I’m capable of.” You tell ’em!

As she leaves the interview, Hye-ran follows Ae-ra out to ask if she really thinks she’ll make it in this business. Ae-ra says that she does, because she always thought first place was for the best—but looking at Hye-ran’s success, she doubts that now. She says that she’s sure she can be even better, and when Hye-ran smirks that that’s a big plan, Ae-ra vows to make sure she never smirks at her again.

A text from her father that he’s sent her money makes Ae-ra sigh in frustration, and she calls Dong-man, and Hye-ran overhears her say that she’s going to Daecheon. Dong-man is eating with Coach Hwang and Doo-ho, and he tells Ae-ra that he’s spending the night there. She says she’ll do the same and announces, “I don’t want to go home tonight,” making Dong-man spit his mouthful of rice all over Coach.

After the broadcast, Seol-hee has to explain why she crashed the set. Joo-man argues on her behalf, saying that the sale was a success because of her, so their manager decides she can play the role of the sister-in-law to Joo-man and Ye-jin’s onscreen married couple. Seol-hee mutters that she’s not the sister-in-law, she’s the wife.

The matriarch of the kimchi company arrives, crediting the success of their product to Joo-man. She says that her sister recommended Joo-man personally, and to the surprise of absolutely nobody, we see that the sister in question is Ye-jin’s mother.

She recognizes Seol-hee from the other night, mentioning the team dinner that Joo-man and Seol-hee invented to cover the fact that they were together. It makes everyone suspicious so Seol-hee decides to take her manager’s advice and just tell the truth about her and Joo-man. She blurts out that she’s Joo-man’s de facto wife, telling Ye-jin that she shouldn’t kiss him, and yelling her real name at Manager Choi (who always calls her “Sun-hee”).

But she’s only imagining it—in reality, Seol-hee just hangs her head, unable to speak. Everyone stares and her and wonders why she won’t say anything, and that’s when Joo-man says, “She’s my girlfriend.” Finally! He adds that they’ve been together for six years and that he likes her quite a lot. He politely asks Manager Choi to stop calling her by the wrong name, and says to Ye-jin that he wants her to stop crossing the line.

Once in Daecheon, Ae-ra finds the outdoor stage where Dong-man is performing. The show in progress seems to be a bit of a mess, with an awkward MC and a sparse audience (including the town’s governor) who are definitely not enjoying the show.

When Dong-man’s team goes onstage to break boards with their kicks, a drunk man wanders in yelling that it’s fake. The MC begins to look ill, then she starts to wobble and lurches offstage—ha, she’s drunk as a skunk.

Everyone gathers backstage to decide what to do next, since the singing act is late and their MC can’t stop hurling. Coach Hwang refuses to have his team perform again, and the conversation devolves into chaos as Ae-ra sidles over to Dong-man to ask what’s happening.

Dong-man comes up with a plan to have Ae-ra stand in as MC until the singer arrives. He warns her not to do anything too crazy since the governor is here, but this is Ae-ra we’re talking about. She gets an evil gleam in her eye and warns the director that she’ll only do this if he promises not to interfere.

She marches to the governor and grabs his head—to fix his comb-over, PWAHAHA. She explains that she doesn’t want him to feel upset when he sees the pictures later. She invites everyone to move closer, then she takes the stage.

Ae-ra confidently introduces herself and thanks the governor for providing this festival, giving him another chance to mug for the cameras. She mentions that the singer is late and offers to sing for the crowd, as Dong-man smiles so proudly that he looks like he’ll burst.

Ae-ra proceeds to dominate the stage, drawing a huge crowd with her songs and jokes. Before too long they’re all dancing and having a fantastic time, and the director asks Coach Hwang if she’s with an agency.

After the show, Ae-ra calls her dad to tell him that she got to MC today and they’ve asked her to do it again tomorrow. He offers to drive to Daecheon to see her perform, but she tells him to wait until she’s a star and she’ll shower him in luxury.

She joins the guys for dinner on the beach, over the moon at her success today. She simpers when one of the men refers to her as “MC-nim,” and Dong-man can see the painful aegyo coming. When Ae-ra breaks into her cringe-worthy baby voice, he looks like he wants to crawl under the table.

Her aegyo-bomb makes the whole table freeze in horror, but she just keeps bouncing and singing. Dong-man stares at her, thinking to himself, “She’s… cute.” PFFT, he’s shorted out again, and Coach Hwang has to grab his sore ear to get his attention and tell him to get Ae-ra out of here.

He does, and as they leave the beach, Dong-man does a hysterical impression of her aegyo, then yells at her for calling Doo-ho oppa. He complains that she’s never sung that song to him, then blurts out, “Why were you so cute??” He instantly realizes what he said and is all, Wait what? LOL.

They head to the motel and wait awkwardly at the front desk, where Dong-man says almost hopefully that there’s probably only one room left. But the ajumma at the desk bursts their bubble and says there are plenty of rooms, so they take a pair on the same floor. At their doors, Dong-man asks if Ae-ra won’t be scared, and when she asks, “What, so you want to sleep together?” he gets all flustered again.

After showering in her room, Ae-ra gets the feeling she’s being watched. She looks around to check for creepy hidden cameras, and then discovers a giant cockroach on the wall, and she screams and beats it to death with a tissue box. Dong-man pounds on the door, and Ae-ra goes into full-on girly-mode, thinking that he’s come to her rescue.

Nope, he’s just in his own girly-mode over the roach in his room, HAHA. He runs in and leaps onto Ae-ra’s bed, wrapping himself in the covers and shrieking even louder than Ae-ra.

He makes himself comfortable on her bed, pouting when she tries to make him get on the floor. He says they’ve sat on the same bed plenty of times, but she says it’s not the same. Dong-man challenges her, asking how it’s different, and she’s forced to agree or admit that it is different now, so she sits.

When he turns to face her, she tells him to turn away from her, but he says he can’t because his injured ear is sore. Ae-ra grabs his ear and exclaims over it, putting Dong-man’s brain on the fritz again at the contact. Ae-ra wonders if it’s infected because it’s all hot and red, but Dong-man stammers that that’s not the reason, hee.

Suddenly he stares at her and asks if she’s done something, because her face looks different. Ae-ra starts to get flustered until he asks if she got a filler, HA. He refuses to go back to his own room until Coach Hwang gets back, so she suggests they order some more alcohol and food.

Dong-man says there are menus on the table, and Ae-ra snarks that he must go to motels all the time to know that. He gives her this completely guileless look and says, “It’s my first time.” Why am I swooning??

Hye-ran tries Dong-man at home that evening, and when she gets no answer, she tries Ae-ra’s place. She sneers that they’re both away, and behind her, Landlady Hwang grumbles that she said sleeping together wasn’t allowed before marriage.

The next morning Hye-ran drives to Daecheon, as does someone else—judging by the photo of young Ae-ra hanging from the rearview mirror, it’s probably her father.

In her motel room, Ae-ra is woken by the ringing phone, and she looks over to see Dong-man sleeping soundly beside her. A quick peek confirms the fact that she’s naked, and she wakes Dong-man with a smack to the forehead. Also apparently naked, he sits straight up in bed, and they stare at each other in horror.

Epilogue.

At some point in the middle of the night, Ae-ra cuddles up to Dong-man in her sleep. Also sleeping, Dong-man turns to face Ae-ra, throwing an arm over her and snuggling his face to hers.

COMMENTS

BUT WHAT HAPPENED?? This show is so cruel with the cliffhangers—I need to know what happened now! And good grief, how cute did they look all snuggled up together? My poor heart can’t take how adorable they are, and I need to see a kiss or something soon or I’ll explode.

This was definitely the episode for a lot of positive improvement from our friends. Joo-man finally stepped up and declared his relationship with Seol-hee, and the way he did it in front of his boss, his client, and Ye-jin, made me forgive him a little bit for his wishy-washy reluctance to reveal their relationship sooner. I still think he should have done so a long time ago, but it’s not his fault the show hasn’t told us why he felt it so necessary to keep their dating status a secret, so I’ve decided to just accept that they had a good reason and let my frustration about that go.

I did think that Joo-man’s lukewarm semi-proposal last week was underwhelming, based as it was on so many factors that are out of Seol-hee’s ability to influence and thus giving Joo-man all the control… especially if his reason for delaying a wedding has been because he wants to be able to support them. It’s cheaper for two to live than one, so it seems like getting married would have saved them a lot in double rent over the years. But regardless, I was happy for Seol-hee to finally see Joo-man announce how he feels about her, and so publicly, though I worry that they still have some serious obstacles to overcome.

Ae-ra also made me proud, the way she commanded that stage and turned a flop into a huge success. I think that her future isn’t in announcing at all, but as an MC, because both times we’ve seen her on a stage with an audience, she positively glows. Anyone can read words off a page, but very few people can take control of a sinking situation and breathe life and fun into it, and in that sense, Ae-ra has an incredible gift.

I don’t think I’ve been giving Dong-man enough credit—he may be smarter than we think when it comes to maneuvering Ae-ra right where he wants her. I’m guessing that he knew exactly what he was doing when he got Ae-ra the gold ring, aware that it would make her think he was giving her a couple ring. Dong-man knows Ae-ra better than anyone else in the world, maybe even herself, and he knows that coming straight at her with his feelings will just make her shy away from him (which is exactly what happened when he told her that she makes him want to kiss her).

So I think he gave her that ring to gauge her reaction, and she definitely gave herself away by showing her excitement. Then Dong-man claimed it was an investment to try and push Ae-ra towards him by making her annoyed with him, because it’s when she’s annoyed that she actually acknowledges her feelings for him. The way he was smirking as she was fussing about it, I wouldn’t put it past him to have deliberately gotten Ae-ra riled up about the ring as a way to get her to come to him.

And not only that, but his whole “I’m too scared of bugs to be alone” act was just ridiculous, and I’m pretty certain there was no bug in his room. It was probably just another ploy to be near her and I’m surprised that Ae-ra fell for it—or did she? She didn’t really fight him much on staying in the room together or even sharing the same bed. And she seems to be more than aware of what skinship does to her own feelings, if not Dong-man’s, but she sure was all over him when she was checking out his sore ear. I can’t wait to see what happened after they decided to do some drinking, and learn who exactly made the first move. But Show, I swear if this is another fake-out and nothing really happened, you and I are going to have some words (shakes fist).

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Today’s hero: Jong Man!!! Yay! Finally you have done it, and have done it in style….he said everything that needed to be said, that would do justice to their relationship, absolutely loved it when he said “Yeh Jin shi, I hope you don’t cross the line”. I felt today was the only day and time when I could understand Sul Hee’s silence when confronted like that by everybody, because that is sth JM needed to do.
Today’s most comedic scene goes to: 3-way triangular love between JM, AR and Coach-nim! Bahahaha I laughed so hard, that was hilarious beyond bound.

Now the serious part, if I am honest with myself I have to say that I will be very disappointed if they really showed that AR and DM slept together….as much as I love this drama trope to kick-start a romantic relationship and accelerate things, in this drama I will be very very disappointed. The reason is that I feel like the show promised us with little moments that this is a friendship that could gradually turn into a passionate and tender romance because AR and DM want to make it so, by consciously making the decision together, and not because they are forced by sth inexplicable that they can’t reverse aka “OMG we had sex, we have to take responsibility for our actions, so lets date” or even “oh shit we slept together, now what do we do? Date or not?”.

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I hope they didnt sleep sleep together.. I think she'll likely just be in her pyjama's or something, I hope!
Glad JM finally spoke up, but like others I feel he's taken way too long to do so. I hope they don't now fire him or punish him for being in a solid relationship for it though.. that would truly annoy me
Dong Man continues to be an adorkable puppy haha

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only because I want to see some cute lead up to it, not because I dont want them to be together I should add

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With the way Ae-ra looked under her blanket and her shocked exprssion afterwards I don't think she is still in her PJ's. I also don't believe they had sex but I do hope we will get a hilarious 'how did we end up in this situation' scene.

Regarding Jong-man: I had my suspicions before but this episode confirmed that he got the Kimchi-Gig because of Ye-jin's connection. I hope there won't be any backlash now that she knows for sure he is taken.

Also, finally he told the company! I still don't understand why they didn't do this beforehand. I mean is there some discrimantion in korean companies against couples? It's the only reason I can think of... but then the drama went to great pains to show us that at least in this company that isn't the case... *sigh*

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DM sure does continue to be adorkable puppy!!! And for some reason I agree with Lollypip and think that our adorkable puppy knows exactly what he is doing with AR...that slight smirk gave away the fact that he is a doofus in everything else but not when it comes to the matters of the heart and wielding your love armor to sway the girl towards you!! squeeeee

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I've got to say, I liked that JM finally owned up to his relationship and told YJ to back off because it's been a really, really long time coming. But I don't like that it came at the expense of SH being unable to speak up for herself... still. She has all these kickass imaginations in her head (not that I'm really supporting them happening IRL of course) and when it comes down to it, she's unable to say a word and JM has to step in to "save" her. But that said, I do like that JM was the one to bring it up, because he's the one who's been running away from letting the truth out. I only wish that SH could have said something too!

Even if AR and DM slept together, I hope they won't do the "we slept together, so let's date". One night stands happen, and physical passion is well... just that, so I'm crossing my fingers that either 1) they didn't actually sleep together, or 2) they did, but don't date just because. They should date because they realized how much they care for each other in a non-platonic way.

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I definitely agree with this re: DM and AR. I'm okay either way if they slept together or not, but I don't want it to be a question of taking responsibility for them to finally begin a relationship because that just sucks all of the fun (and nice slow buildup we've been enjoying) out of everything.

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Yeah, can inner SH switch places with outer SH? She has something to say to that d-bag who keeps getting her name wrong

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Ameen to that....although JM declared to everybody the status of their relationship I still think their relationship sticking on hinges right now, they need to take a breather and work to solve these...even if that means taking break from one another.

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I guess I just feel like for this drama when I saw how comfortable they are with each other in their friendship, they would be that in their relationship too....and that relationship, in this drama for some reason, I don't want it to start with a drunken one night stand when I feel that the show could deliver so much more trying to pave the way to their relationship with little big steps and moments taken by them consciously.

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amen to this!! xx

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It's saddening that Seol Hee was rendered speechless but I'm happy that Jong Man was the one who told the truth. I think he's the one who had to tell the truth since each misunderstanding was about him. And now we have the proof that he really cares for her. I really needed this to support them as a couple

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My hero of the ep: MC Soju!

I actually keep going back to this scene because the actress is PERFECT. The bleary weaving, the overhead-heart where she weirdly bobs and whomps her nose on the mic, the way she staggers into the helpful bottle of soju and plants her hand on his mesh face and nearly topples him over. I LOVE HER.

Wins my award for "there are no small parts, only small actors". I really hope casting directors were watching and cast her in more, because she was spot-on perfect and funny as hell.

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Comments like yours are what keeps actors like her going. Great observations! I always love seeing good and charismatic new actors start off with small roles, gain momentum from there, and become onscreen regulars.

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Things I loved about today's episode:
> DONG MAN - i love how he became so honest with Ae Ra and his feelings. I seriously loved the first part when he was confessing his feelings and blurting everything out loud.
And the reason why he brought Ae Ra the ring cracked me up! Hahah
> AE RA - i love the fact that she never let anyone look down on her because she knows her worth and capabilities. Her character is the exact opposite of Seol Hee, and I'm glad that Ae Ra is there for her.
> Joo Man finally telling the truth, I would have skipped all of their parts from the next episode on if he didn't do it. Like seriously, what took you so long?

Things i hated about this ep:
> HYE RAN (yea, again. For everything she did, again) - i don't like the fact that her character has been written like that. She's written so poorly, like she only has that side of her. It's sad because the leads are written so well, they should have made Hye Ran a little bit more human if they wanted us to believe that she could be a treath to the main couple's growing relationship.
Because now i only find her character a burden they have to carry to add some spice to the story but that is not really necessary.
They already have enough things to worry about, like their jobs and families.

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I absolutely loved the moment he said "I'm in trouble. Now you look pretty even when you're crying"..He does know how to make a girl's heart flutter:P..Poor Ae Ra

Yeah, even I want to know more about Hye Ran. She can't be just so one dimensional

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It's like at least give us more reasoning and motive behind her actions. So far we've only seen Hye-ran from the perspective of our gang and how horrible she is. What about all her experiences and how she came to her current position? Even if she did sleep her way to her current job, something must've happened. It's like her divorce got mentioned as a plot device to show she's single and that's it.

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I had the same thought running through my head with Aera when DongMan “confessed“ - why is he so honest? Lol. The “I want to kiss you“ sends me butterflies.

And his proud face when he bought Aera's face is the best, so giddy yet his reason is so unromantic.

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I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that Hye-ran is a badly written character. So far everything we know about her revolves around men... That annoys me to no end and makes her a one dimensional character who is ultimatly no threat whatsoever.

I want at the very least a belivable backstory as to why she is so hung-up on dating Dong-man - like for example a special first meeting or him comforting her in some kind of traumatic situation or something.. just something. I do not believe we are going to get that though.

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Hye-ran is so one-dimensional in a show full of delightful side characters that she doesn't feel like she belongs. Ye-jin is pitiable and even Moo-bin has momentary sincerity. Hye-ran’s character is just so malicious and unrealistically so. More than half way through the show I just want her off the screen but do wish the writer would give us at least a glimpse of her motivation to behave in this hateful way.

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I'm starting to feel like... they didn't want to out their relationship because they weren't married. Think about it, if you're dating in a company and say fight, then everyone is in in their drama and ask questions they may feel are annoying. Idk the thought just ocurred to me, like their co-workers who also had been dating for 6 years without telling anyone until they were going to get married, maybe it's out of convenience for both.

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Yea.. maybe it's also a cultural thing..

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Could be and eventually one side leaves the company, most likely the female too...

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Thanks for the recap! Wow, all I can say is that I was (silently) shrieking and (gently) pounding my fists on my desk at the end of this episode (so as not to wake my family).

-I'm so proud of AR for standing up for herself during that interview. The fact that these interviewers keep shutting her down without even letting her say her piece is beyond frustrating to me.
-DM's reaction to AR saying she wasn't going home killed me. Basically, all of DM's frozen facial expressions when dealing with AR kill me.
-I was so glad when JM finally spoke up about dating SH. I still want SH to learn to speak up for herself, but I felt like this was a step that JM had to take.
-That whole motel scenario had me cackling like a fool the entire time. Forced cohabitation is one of my favorite tropes (even though they 100% forced it upon themselves, haha). My one complaint is that they cut off the episode before showing DM's reaction to waking up in bed with AR. Thankfully we get the next episode sooner rather than later!

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Even though I am glad that JM spoke up, I let out a huge groan realizing that it was just SH's fantasy that she spoke out. I want her to be her awesome self that we got brief glimpses of in the past episodes. Initiate yourself, Girl!

I do so want a GIF of SH chowing down those kimchi!

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O. M. G. That ending + the motel name? Things are progressing fast this episode! Also, aegyo-AR has a competitor i the form of aegyo-Coach, hah!

I liked lots of things about this episode, but I also have some bones to pick regarding how nasty some of the people can be. I know this is only realistic, but it doesn't stop me from feeling frustrated.

- Do you have to be bitchy to be an announcer? I mentioned last episode that I thought the hiring process was weird - why call someone in for an interview just to tear them down? Even the fellow interviewees asked to name someone who wouldn't get picked were not the nicest about it. Obviously not everyone is nice IRL, and I think portraying the industry/everyone who gets into it as "villains" will make it more gratifying when AR really succeeds, but I can't help but cringe at how obvious it is. Surely there must be some nice people?

On Ae Ra: On that note, moving onto the things that I did like. I love how AR stood up for herself this time and told the interviewer she had all the right not to take her advice. I saw it as, why bother listening to the advice of someone who won't even respect you as a fellow human being? AR has always been strong and believed in herself, and I love her for it. Confidence is something that's so difficult to maintain but she's not afraid of failure and she's not afraid to speak up. She literally shines with a mic in her hand. It's beautiful.

I guess the show is pointing to mysterious landlady being her mother, with the picture of kid-AR hanging in the car, right?

On Dong Man: Hee, DM behaves like a boy who's just discovered puberty and it's adorable how he's slowly "confessing" to AR that he actually might feel something for her. Even with the ring, his explanations of how gold was a very practical gift were so endearing. Silly boy hasn't totally caught onto his feelings yet, but it's a step, and I feel that these adorable, awkward "why are you getting prettier" hijinks are what I signed up for with this show. It was also so sweet of DM to give Coach money secretly.

Side note: I love how they were going on about the cliche of there always being 1 room left (Sun and Yeo in Goblin, anyone?) and there were actually tons of rooms, hehe. Why will it get awkward if you turn the TV on? Is it because in dramaland whenever you turn the TV on something raunchy shows? LOL

On Seol Hee & Joo Man: I thought that the scene of YJ's mom saying she was weird was oddly rude especially for someone you were only meeting for the second time (someone who'd helped haul your drunk daughter's butt off the street). I know it was a moment meant to show SH's struggles with being unable to say a word and having JM step in to "save" her, but I would have liked if he'd spoken up without that added pressure.

I don't think SH should have barged into the scene. Yes, I cheered for her half-hearted attempt to stand up for...

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I do not think the landlady is her mother. Her mom died and that is why she does not want to be like her because she wants to have a long life.

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Supposedly her mum died, but I think it's unclear whether or not her mum "died" before she ever knew her, so if that were the case, maybe it's just a MIA mom that dad passed off as dead. Idk, because the gold heels looked like they belonged to an older woman, and she had the photo of AR hanging in the car... I can't think of any other reason why, unless I misinterpreted that scene!

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I understood that it was 2 people in 2 different cars. One was a car while the other was a small truck/moving van. So the one in heels is Hye-ran while the person with Ae Ra's pic as a child is either her dad or the other guy we saw at the beginning of the episode that asked DM about her.

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nope, hye-ran's heels are red while the one who got off the car (or truck) in the morning was one who was wearing the gold heels.

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100% sure it was Dad's van. I rewatched the part where Ae-ra called her father and it was shown that Dad's van has blue and white stripes.

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"Also, aegyo-AR has a competitor i the form of aegyo-Coach, hah! "

His aegyo is just as crinchworthy as Ae-ra's. I was laughing so hard followed by a cooing sound because Dong-man slipped coach some money.

Coach is really very kind. With him being concerned for all the elderly women in that neighborhood depending on him to show up for lunch was jaust adorable.

Also those teary puppy eyes after Dong-man won that fight. I just wanted to give him a hug.... which Dong-man then very awkwardly delivered. lol

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Attention Dramaland: we have a new Neighborhood Noona Slayer in town!

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Most scenes of JM and boss, and intern, and so in the stupid company seem to be so absurd, and I don't even watch them! I am giving here my opinion only by reading the recap... I fast forward them, no regrets....but anyway, they seem to be so absurd it angers me only to read about it. Why on earth you have to talk or justify private life matters to people in your company? Who cares?
Also, why on earth is an intern everywhere inside a company? Usually interns have the lowest positions, doing easy errands while they learn and bring ignored by more than the half of the company...
this intern trope is sooooooo stupid! ?
But hey! At least JM said what he could have said or down casually from the beginning of his relationship with SH 6 years ago!
You know what? If it were me there would be no need to tell anything, for I would never be the girlfriend of a man like him! ?

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I still watch them, because I still have my fingers crossed that things will get better, but I also understand that it's realistic - often times, you don't always get along with colleagues and they can turn out to be quite nosey/nasty. But it's not my favourite kind of thing to watch, no.

I'm currently an intern, and I would say in different cultures it's different. Where I work, interns are really expected to function like full time staff, so I sort of understand why YJ is involved in everything. Just to address your point about the interns!

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I know in the US, interns are very restricted in what they are allowed to do in the realms of the company job descriptions, basically so that they can't be used as free/below minimum wage labor unfairly.
I don't think that Korea has the same protections.

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It is difficult to overcome my prejudice for JM being frustrated by his (and also her) handling over their relationship since episode 1. It actually made me even more upset at him when he declared that he "likes her (SH) quite a lot." Being in a 6-year relationship (and cohabitating for part of it), shouldn't JM's feeling toward SH be beyond "like"?

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I am so frustrated with the second lead couple. I too have started to forward the scenes involving JM and SH.
I feel both of them are good people in a bad relationship. 6 years is a long time to hide a relationship from people. Its not like they have a spouse that they are cheating on and so they can not tell it out loud in office. Arrgh.. Even their parents know about the relation.

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I'm not sure what was happening in the last interview process but I'm pretty sure in this episode the viciousness was Hye-Ran doing. Pretty sure when she saw Ae-Ra's resume earlier she pulled it for her friend to do a number on Ae-Ra. I mean she was sittting in on the interview progress like it was a sporting event. Yuck.
Aww the motel room made me think of Goblin too!

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Yea I think the same too, Hye-ran most likely stuck her nose into this to make it hard for Ae-ra.

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- Our OTP got me squeeing SO hard. DM's confession!!And his brain being short-circuited by AR's skinship!
I will DIE when they kiss. No scratch that, I'm already dead.
- Coach-nim got me cackling with laughter in this episode. What a softie, I love his bromance with DM. And his aegyo killed me, lmao.
- But Sul-hee still frustrates me, I wish she would act-out her imagination. At least JM seems to be stepping up his game. Baby steps.
-I can't wait for the day Ae-ra smashes Whatsherface Hye-ran (seriously, what a pretentious brat).

PS: I've been wondering if there could be a deeper motive for AR's fear of seeing DM fight. She used to be such a fangirl in their high school days.

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I shall join you in afterlife..even when the show is teasing us with titbits, my blood pressure is beyond control..when they kiss, there's no way I can live

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My official favourite character is Coach! He doesn't feature much, but he adds so much humour whenever he does!
And I reckon AR's fear really stems from that first MMA fight she attended - I believe she really thought DM was dead when he ko'ed.
(And I know it's inyourface obvious but I love how DM's surname is literally KO. Terrible nickname to come: Kay-Oh Ko?)

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I think her fear started after watching the first MMA match, where Dong Man got actually beaten...before that fight she didn't look too worried.
I'mean not sure, though ?

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Mmmm..I think maybe Ae-Ra's fear of his fighting just has to do with the differences between Taekwondo and MMA. They don't have protective gear in MMA and there can be just so much blood.

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OMO OMO OMO THAT LAST SCENE ? Did they do it? Did they??? Ack, the suspense is going to kill me. If they did do it... wow, that was zero to a hundred real quick. Then again, they do have supressed feelings for each other, so I won't be surprised if the need to do something about it eventually consumed them, teehee.

I also have to get this out since it's been bothering me for several episodes now: can't Ae-ra get another set of pajamas, or does she have multiple pieces of that orange shirt? ?

Oh, and I love how Dong-man went from bumbling brawn to bumbling honest man after his win. That opponent surely knocked some sense into him, haha.

And one more yay for giving us some progress between Seol-hee and Joo-man! Been waiting for Joo-man to man up and/or Seol-hee to stand up for herself, so it was satisfying to see at least one of these to happen.

One last thing: could it be that the landlady is actually Ae-ra's missing-in-action mom? Hmm...

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She has multiple of that shirt. When Moo Bin dropped her off you could see several hanging on her laundry. Bugged me a little too lok

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I thought that other shirt was DM's. Hasn't he worn the same shirt in a few episodes?

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Hers are all 7s, his was a different number. (I went back to look after that scene about his door passcode.)

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Thank you for that! Now I can enjoy the show in peace hahaha

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Similar shirt is also worn by her father...may be something to do with the shop.

Also, I too have a feeling that the landlady and mom story lines could be connected..if not actually being her mom

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I was speculating the same thing about landlady Hwang (I can't remember the backstory about Ae-ra's mom). It looked to me like she also drove to Daecheon-- I think she was the one who got out of the car wearing gold pumps, and I'm guessing she's also the one who had Ae-ra's picture hanging in her vehicle. (We get a glimpse of Hye-ran in the car wearing the same dress we just saw her in, and she was wearing red pumps with that.) I wouldn't be surprised if Landlady Hwang is Ae-ra's mother-- what with all her meddling, and she certainly can be fierce, just like Ae-ra.

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I must have missed this part, for some reason I thought Ae Ra's photo was hanging in old truck, i.e. it's her dad who was going. I saw the heels and I assumed it was the Ex's.

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Could the landlady and the coach be related? They do both have the same last name and the coach did comment that she looked familiar. Distant relatives?

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Isn't she the new owner of the building where the gym is located? I thought she sounded familiar to him because of this. But maybe I'm wrong

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I wouldn't be surprised if it's her! Maybe she and Ae-ra's dad will bump into each other and we'll have more info on who Landlady Hwang truly is.

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"can't Ae-ra get another set of pajamas, or does she have multiple pieces of that orange shirt? ?"
LOL.... I actually find it very realistic. They are basically poor people. Poor people wear the same clothesize time after time. Or at least it's like that in my country, he he...

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I love the realistic clothing choices! It's one of my favourite details in the drama, that Ae-ra always wears the same shirt and tracksuit again and again, that Seol-hee consistently wears her uniform to work and that both girls even share clothing; even what Aera wore to her interview this ep is similar to the one she wore last episode.

It just makes their background as not coming from money much more believable rather than the usual drama Candy girls who have a different outfits for every single day.

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Give me a sec…ASDFGHJKL! Our main couple is too cute! MY HEART!
It’s so interesting how aware they are of their feelings and of each other, BUT also how unaware they are of what it actually means. It’s also cute how they’re both treading carefully, and are trying to seek confirmation from the other. I’m pretty sure that the direct and explicit confession is coming, and I can’t wait for them to be OFFICIAL <3

NOTES:
1. DM being honest will be the death of me! He basically told her everything! haha And after that, he seemed more assertive and more affectionate, in a boyfriend kind of way. I cannot wait for them to just really talk about their feelings for each other!
2. Coach is too cute for words! His emotions were both funny and genuine. I just love his relationship with DM! He’s a strict coach, but he’s also a caring fluffy teddy bear.
3. YES AE RA, YAAAS. That’s the spunk I was looking for! She knew from the moment she entered that everything was against her, but I love how she still took control of the situation. She stood her ground, and did not allow any one who was biased and unfair to bring her down. And being the MC at the festival renewed her, it was the validation that she needed! And who knows, it may lead her to finding her niche (like DM shifting to MMA)
4. I have mixed feelings about JM and SH, but mostly negative. A part of me is finally happy that SH got up and stood in front of everybody, with intention of doing something, just not the something I was hoping for. I understand that the kimchi commercial was live, so the fact that she really didn’t lash out then was alright, forgiven. However, when she was confronted by practically everybody, she did nothing, and it still upsets me because I know how bothered she was, I just don’t know why she didn’t speak. Props to JM for finally admitting his relationship, but a part of me is also frustrated at him for taking him too long. And there’s also something that doesn’t feel completely right about his actions, it doesn’t feel as natural or as sincere. But I really really need SH to finally say something. Until she does, I don’t think our second couple will go anywhere.
5. There’s something off about DM’s TV producer friend. There’s definitely a past and I’m not really sure everyone’s moved on from it.
6. ALL THE DM & AR scenes killed me!!! Those moments of honesty in the hallway, SWOON. That low key “proposal” HAHAHAHA It was sweet and hilarious, I don’t think DM thought anything more than the value of the gold, but I think his heart and his body acted on their own, and his brain was not invited haha I can’t wait until he realizes what giving a ring to a girl actually means! And it was so interesting to see them sneaking out! Hihi Also, that phone call was hilarious! What were you thinking DM? haha And then the very last few minutes of the episodes, PERFECTION!

Just really enjoyed this episode! Even if it took them years to get to this point, ultimately, them becoming...

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I really hope that it was really only the bug in Ae-ra's room not a hidden camera of Dong-man TV producer friend who want to get tabloid footage of the new rising star for vague vindictiveness toward Dong-man.

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"I have mixed feelings about JM and SH, but mostly negative" HAHAHAH That's exactly how I feel.

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As to 5, I think there's something about DM's protectiveness, like in the restaurant. I wonder if he didn't make some crude joke she didn't know about.

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Nothing stand in the way while Ae-ra conquered the stage with her legendary microphone. Watching her glows on stage and looks like a girl who got the best present ever, it convinced me that her announcer dream is, for lack of better words, too tame for her. It's clear from her two gigs as an MC that she enjoyed engaging herself with the audience, and liked to take care of the crowd with tailor-made approach infused with her own MCing style. I don't think she'll get the same satisfaction working as an announcer. And that seems like a warning flag that there IS indeed a much better suited career for her out there. She just needs to open her eyes.

I'm flailing around and giggling uncontrollably watching that last scene. Usually I'm not a fan of drunken first night because it feels like the drama take away the responsibilities to make the decision about sleeping together from our leads. But in Ae-ra and Dong-man's case, I actually don't mind it. They kept circling the topic and tried to talk-but-not-talk about it an hour long, so I'm okay with this little kick in their pants. And as a bonus, watching them spooning was just too adorable.

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Othoke? I don't know how to stop the giggling and flailing too! I swear I've seen the episode way too many times. Joo man, Ae Ra, Dong Man and Sul hee, all got to be heroes and then the land lady she's daebak! ...Also in the last scene who could be the three people going to Daechon...one is Aera's Dad, another one is oppa queen but who's the woman with those silver shoes going to be? Sooo very excited

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I never really thought of it but I guess she's really suited to be an MC. Why does she try to be an announcer? The way I understand the drama she just likes to hold a mic, so whether it's announcer or MC it's pretty much the same. And MC-ing seems to be so much funnier than announcing.

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Aera & Dong-man!!!! That's fast ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Aera's aegyo is my happy pill :) I can't wait for ep 10! TOMORROW, COME FASTER!

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Apart from everything that happens in kdrama, I especially like this show because of how close it feels to my real life...These four friends make me so so so so happy..As another person with the greatest fear of cockroach..i could totally believe Dong Man's reaction:P

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Lol, DM's reaction was totally me.
Funny how an MMA fighter who can crush humans, can't crush a bug.
Unless ofc like @LollyPip said, he's pretending. But I'm not so convinced on that front (at least regarding using the bug thing as an excuse), bc it makes him seem a little conniving.

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Also Ae-ra knows him long enough and would have called BS, if she knew better.

In regards to the cockroach situation, I totally would be (and have been) Ae-ra... I would do what has to be done, but I would be so eeked out by the whole thing. *juck*

Just thinking about that makes me want to take a shower...

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Yeah I don't think he was fooling anyone. He was totally freaked out by the bug. hahahahah

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My love for PSJ was always too much, but Oh my, KJW is a total show stealer!!! I can see her only as Choi Ae Ra now, all badass and talented..Her Confidence in her abilities is so refreshing and it's totally apparent in her MCing that how great she is at it..apart from the added talent of singing and dancing!

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I'm surprised with the singing part. Didn't know KJW can sing, and she sounds good at it too!

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Joo Man daebak! You're the Man. Thats what I am waiting for, he's being gentleman to tell everyone Sol Hee is his gf.
And for our Dong Man and Aera couple. Did they do it? hahaha even without a kiss right? Cant wait tonight episode.

Fight My Way always surprises me in every episode and I love it.

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I love how surprising this drama is. It's refreshing!

If this were real life, I think them sleeping together would be highly likely, just because their chemistry is THROUGH THE ROOF and they are at that stage where they would likely always think about the (kinda) unspoken attraction to each other and with the lowered inhibitions of alcohol, well... it's realistic. But as it is a drama, I hope it's a cop out and we get a swooney first kiss :)

Favourite moments:
- coach taking DMs hand
- the good luck taffy in the morning (look at that sweat!)
- DMs face when Ae-Ra said she too won't be sleeping at home
- Ae-Ras "I'll decide what I'm capable of" and subseqeunt smashing of the festival!!
- DMs "Why did you have to be so cute?" - "Wait, what did I say"
- that "ear skinship"-scene!

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Has anyone else noticed that it was Dong-man who had an additional star (usually shown during the epilogue) for this odd numbered episode? The tally so far is four pink stars and five aqua ones but I'm wondering why the fifth aqua star in line with the pink stars? Am I overthinking or what? Anyway I really enjoyed this episode!!! Dong-man's hot red ears are the cutest <3

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I've been wondering about those stars actually. What do they mean? I've noticed them before, but never really gave much thought about it.

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I always just assumed it was an epilogue count...esp since it seemed to be increasing on average one per epilogue...interesting that there might be more to them...

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I never noticed the stars until this ep hahaha I wonder as well what they mean

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Stars represents their level of feelings for each other (after each episodes) and whoever reaches 8 well :D Based on previous episodes it's always AR that feels more during odd episodes and DM on even ones. Don't know why the cyan star on AR line of pink stars :)

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You beat me by a few minutes! And more succinct too hahaha I wonder why? It's probably Dong-man who's upping his game for this ep with his gold ring, hee.

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I think it represented requited vs unrequited love ?

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I always thought it was show far in love they are with each other? Someone else pointed this out in the comments in the earlier episodes. In the first episode, there was one pink star, zero aqua star. For the second episode, one pink one aqua, and for the next episodes one pink star is added for every odd episode and aqua ones for even episodes. The odd episodes almost always appear to have Ae-ra more in love (?) with Dong-man (e.g. her being flustered when she thought Dong-man declared his love for her after his taekwondo tournament)", while even episodes has Dong-man exhibiting his fondness for Ae-ra ("Just play with me..."). ORRRR maybe I'm just REALLY trying to stretch it HAHA

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I just had a look at episode 9. If you look at the base tint of the unfilled stars, you'd realise that each side is meant to have 4 of each colour. I'm thinking they represent who initiated?

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I think the same! It was weird that she was stealthily listening to Aera and her father's conversation.

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and how annoyed she became when she watched Hye-ran realizing both DM and AR were not home.....

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I really never imagined myself asking this, but can we please have a triangle love story Ae-ra - Dong Man - Coach? ???

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Hahaha romance VS bromance why not

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make it an aegyo battle between Ae-ra and Coach..hahaha

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This week, I'm glad the girls get the chance to shine. Especially Ae Ra after being treated unfairly by her interviewer, why did they even bother to call her? I'm also pretty sure Ex (forgot her name) has something to do with all that unnecessary bullying. It's also strange seeing her calling Ae Ra unni when she looks at least 5 years older, but at least AR didn't crumpled up by the embarrassment and still stand up for herself, hooray for strong female lead! (And the only partner bitchy Ex deserves is Truck O Doom)

Granted Seol Hee's chance to shine is only by mistake but who knows, maybe it's a start for something new. She even makes me want to order those kimchi!

I hope she gets her success and more importantly, she can learn to voice out what she wants to say. I felt more satisfaction watching the imaginary scene where she yelled at her colleague than when Joo Man stood up for her. SH must be over the moon when he finally did this, but I hope she can like herself more than she likes her man.

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I hope we get to see those monologues in action! She's more badass than she lets on, and I agree, she just needs to be braver and more confident about it. And I love how sweet and earnest she is all the time.

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She sold the heck out of that kimchi. When I saw her on screen I was like of course she knows how to really sell product she has to watch it all the time. I might have done a fist pump when I thought she was standing up for herself.

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YAYE at the last scene. Though i dont think that what we all think happened happened. And i hope it didnt. I dont want them to sleep together until they want to and not with the aid of alcohol and food. But I liked their progression this episode and they slowly maneuver that line of friends to lovers.

As for our other couple, while I am glad that JM finally grew some balls and said something, SH still needs a spine. As soon as she started screaming in that studio, i knew that it wasnt real. She needs to stop waiting for JM to do the right thing and do it for herself. This couple wont make it unless one of them learns to stand up for and take care of herself.

I am a little worried that things seem to be going a lil too well for our couples and I hope the upcoming angst is well played and worth it.

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1St time commenting on any show recapbafter years of drama addiction.

I love this drama so much!!! Was waiting for the recap so I could read everyone's comments, nd get another fix till the next episode.

Fav moments
1.gasped when I saw the gold ring my heart actually skipped with joy! On the look out for DM's ring
2. The hotel scene.. I actually love that they spent the night together! I don't care what they did or didn't do! I have faith in the writers to make this work, I will take anything but noble idiocy.

Questions/comments
1.who is that stalker boy who seems obsessed with Ae-ra I felt like he was such a distraction to the show.
2. We are finally shown DM's sister but it feels like she may also be a distraction to our couples love line.
3. While I am glad for Sul-hee I didn't find joo-man's confession satisfying, I really want sul-hee to hAve more agency. Joo-man pays a lot of attention to the younger girl and I feel like he led her on.

I just want more for Sul-hee with or without Joo-man .
Lol but I found joo-man absolutely adorable with his suit of armour gift.

P.S can I ship our main couple IRL I haven't watched any bts like I did with dbg but I just have so much faith in the real life friendship of these too. Their chemistry is beautiful.

Less than 24 hours till the next episode.
I need the next episode like right now!!! How will I survive a whole week, after episode 10 This has to be my favorite drama of 2017.

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Hehe-- I love it when an explosion of feels forces a lurker to delurk. Welcome to the party! And you're right, it looks like DM's sister's storyline will bring some angst.

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1St time commenting on any show recap after years of drama addiction.

I love this drama so much!!! Was waiting for the recap so I could read everyone's comments, nd get another fix till the next episode.

Fav moments
1.gasped when I saw the gold ring my heart actually skipped with joy! On the look out for DM's ring
2. The hotel scene.. I actually love that they spent the night together! I don't care what they did or didn't do! I have faith in the writers to make this work, I will take anything but noble idiocy.

Questions/comments
1.who is that stalker boy who seems obsessed with Ae-ra I felt like he was such a distraction to the show.
2. We are finally shown DM's sister but it feels like she may also be a distraction to our couples love line.
3. While I am glad for Sul-hee I didn't find joo-man's confession satisfying, I really want sul-hee to hAve more agency. Joo-man pays a lot of attention to the younger girl and I feel like he led her on. So it felt a bit tall for him to tell her to stay in her lane.

I just want more for Sul-hee with or without Joo-man .
Lol but I found joo-man absolutely adorable with his suit of armour gift. I still find him adorable, he is the most 'adult'/mature out of the four friends and sometimes he and sul-hee come off as being older than Ae-ra and DM. But in the end he is also trying to navigate adulthood so in that sense I can't fault his indecisiveneas.

P.S can I ship our main couple IRL I haven't watched any bts like I did with strong woman do bong soon but I just have so much faith in the real life friendship of these two. Their chemistry is beautiful.

Less than 24 hours till the next episode.
I need the next episode like right now!!! How will I survive a whole week, after episode 10 This has to be my favorite drama of 2017.

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Hi! Aww this show made me register after years of reading dramabeans in the shadows. :) That stalker boy you mention he wants to do a show with DM about Super Rookies...do you think that maybe he'll end up doing a show with Ae-ra? Maybe that's how she gets her breakout?

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Welcome! Glad you've joined us. ^^

1. I don't like Dong Man's PD friend Kyung-ku. I kinda had a crazy thought he was the one with Ae Ra's baby pic. *shudders* I really don't want to see another bad, creepy guy in Ae Ra's life again. The show does not need to add another distraction like you mentioned.

2. I agree about her too. :( Hope her story will not bring a lot of angst.

3. I hope the writers will give her a scene where she stands up for herself. I still like her and JM together and want their relationship to grow in a positive way.

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We went from confessing at the end of the last ep. to canoodling at the end of this one-- kyaaa! How will ep. 10 end?

I've gotta give props to Kim Sung-oh (Coach). His characters are always so memorable. (Is anyone else tempted to tell him that he could make plenty of extra money by moonlighting as an underwear model?) I love how expressive he is.

It was so great to see Ae-ra stand up for herself in the interview and not be cowed by Hye-ran, then get the MC gig as if it were a reward. Lollypip is right that she's better suited to being an MC-- she needs to be able to own the audience.

I love this stage of the drama's arc.

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wow!! I was grinning while watching the whole episode. It is just perfect and so much fun to watch!
I wonder if the person coming to Daecheon is her father or the other guy that seems to be somehow in love with Ae Ra. Maybe they all know each other from primary school and he kept the necklace with her pic as a memento?

The fact that they slept together while drunk would actually follow the sort of realism the drama is portraying. Instead of the fluffy romantic ideals we usually see in dramas and that are mostly not real. I would be fine if it was like this. They were already somehow starting to date and this maybe gives them the push they need to get over the weirdness of crossing the line (from being friends to lovers).

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I thought so too! (re: the other guy)
But that PD-friend looks super fishy, maybe he had a rather bad past with both AR and DM..?
I mean, judging by the way DM avoided talks about AR in front of him and all, something must've happened, right?

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I thought the sleeping together seemed realistic too. I mean I'm pretty happy with whatever direction they go but it didn't feel off.

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Dong man and Ae ra i never liked their characters in any series but in these i just love love love them they are so cute you jus fall in love with them

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Thanks for the recap!! The minute Dong Man knocked on the door I KNEW it was because he was scared of a cockroach... So I slightly disagree that it was all an act, because I feel like it's consistent with his character and the humor of the show that he is scared of cockroaches.. But who knows I may be proven wrong later and he really just wanted to share a room.
But yes. What a cliffhanger for both our couples!!! Can't wait for the next.

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See I think he did milk it by insisting on lying down on Ae-ra's bed and refusing to leave the room but I totally bought that Dong-man was genuinely freaked out by the bug... because that's how I would've reacted as well HAHA!

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He was totally scared but I agree with the milking it. Although I also read it a bit like pouting too.

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but dong man was a bug exterminator in the early episode. he couldn't be afraid of bugs.

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You make a damn good point @lenski.
The show is so good! Of all the bad odd jobs he could have held, why bug exterminator right?

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I completely agree with you

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Watching Dong-Man go blank every time Ae-Ra touches him, I won't be surprised if he goes wide-eyed like PSH when they have their first kiss :P :P

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nah, dong man would definitely take action during their first kiss ;)

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so much cuteness??
aera dongman and coach are the best love triangle ever. coach being all cutesy was so pfft.

finally jooman stepped up, but he still has a long way to go in their relationship.

and the best part, really they did it?! i think yes, with their attraction growing and desires of skinship. but we cant be left to imagine it. a good kiss scene will hopefully air today. lets pray??

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This episode!!!!! I lost count how many times I watched the last few scenes of this episodes. So ADORABLE that I swooned. I love how these two are not acting dumb when they realized each other's feelings and their own... and even if it got all rom com props this show manages to surprise me with the expected in an unexpected way.
And kudos for a heroine in the drama land who won't allow anyone to walk over her and knows her worth. I was so proud of Ae Ra the way she handled that interviewer. It was so inspirational and something rare to see in a female lead in k drama.
BEST EPISODE SO FAR!!

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I must say that I love this kind of love triangle. The hand grabbing from Coach really cracks me up

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I think it's that slow romantic way Coach's hand just SLID into Dong-man's that killed me. And the cut-away to the three of them hand-holding like the most awesome love triangle ever!

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Coach always surprises me when he comes around and shows his love for DM.

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OMG @lollypip are you on crack on something? You're churning out these things faster and faster, I think you're really spoiling us! I hope you're not losing too much sleep over this man

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So many delightful subversive moments in this episode dialing the crack factor to 11!

Park Seo-joon delivers so many adorkable expressions. I love his facial expression crouching with entomophobic fear under Ae-ra’s blanket when we expected him to be the one comforting her.

The ahjummas are a hoot! The deadpan motel receptionist is awesome. It would be fun to peak into the most handy landlady’s closet to see all the workers’ uniforms she has.

Did anyone else’s blood pressure goes up seeing Dong-man’s feet curl in the last scene?

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I actually really love Dong-man's gold ring gift framed as an investment, perhaps not just in monetary terms but as an investment in the future they have together.

But I am a sucker for practical gifts....in college I found a friend's boyfriend giving her a rice cooker really thoughtful and even romantic...I mean he was giving her tool for her feed herself! Survival is sexy.

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Yes. I also love practical gifts. (While I understand the sweet gesture of giving a flower bucket to someone you love, personally I prefer something I can use. Haha..) And I think Dong-man's gold ring is an awesome way for him to convey his feelings with a useful present.

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Haha, I am totally a plant-over-flower kind of girl!

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But never plant-over-flower-boy.....hehe....

I AM SORRY!!! SO SORRY!! I had to get it out of my system.......

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Flowers are useless. They're pretty and that's it

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I took his comment about the ring being an investment as him thinking about their future too!

I'm still a flowers and romantic gifts kind of girl but your 'Survival is sexy' line cracked me up. Will keep this in mind if any future boyfriends decide to give me cooking appliances.

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I thought he was being super practical and romantic at the same time too. He wanted to give her something beautiful and a way for her to get out of a pinch fast. Yes! OOoOo I'm an all gifts kind of person. A rice cooker is an awesome gift. hahah "Survival is sexy" damm straight.

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I wanted to believe that the ring symbolized investing in their relationship

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I think i'll be settled if that's only a fake out. As much as i want these two to get together, i don't want it to be accidental, i want for both to admit to their feelings for each other before anything else. That way it'll feel genuine, i think.

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It's still a great show despite my above comment.

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Our main couple just keeps getting cuter and cuter! Finally some overdue progression for our second couple, but there still leaves much to be resolved. All of them are at least getting a step closer to their dreams, keep fighting!

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Dong Man blue star is in Ae Ra side at the end. Means they totally did it!! (He is IN her side, get it??)

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after so many times commenting without registering, i've officially joined the community!!!
This is ep was epic!!! i really like their progress...
I have my doubt about the landlady... either she really aera's mother or a friend of aera's mom... for me, the way she treat her and sometimes protect her looks like she knows her but not as a mother...so maybe aera's mom is her friend and she want to protect/take care aera on her behalf... well it's just my assumption... maybe i watched too many k-drama...

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As much as I love everything about Aera & Dongman, my favorite this episode is definitely JM. Finally!

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Finally! i think Jooman redeemed himself when he confessed his relationship with Sul Hee.
Can't wait to see what happens next!

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Oh my poor heart can't take these two! I heart them so much! I had no idea when I started this show that it was going to steal my heart like it has.

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Squeeeeee

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The most succinct and perfect review of this episode. :)

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I want coach-nim to have a love line with madame Hwang

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What a great episode. I love how awkwardly honest they are. What a bloody refreshing change from the norm. It's a delicate switch to make from friends to lovers and I think they are taking the right approach. Slowly easing themselves into it.

Jong Man finally stepped up to the plate. *applauds* So happy, now he needs to marry her. She's been waiting for so long.

Coach....I can stare at him all day. Always loved him.

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Thank you, LollyPip, for the quick recap! I'm really enjoying this show. I hope Joo-man may have stepped up but I hope there's not gonna be a backlash from Ye-jin's connections to the clients. And Dong-man!! Aah, Dong-man can really make a girl's heart flutter with his innocent looks and charm!

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It is mind-boggling how these two have confessed so many times and yet are still so clueless... or are they???

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IKR?! I question their every move and still couldn't tell why they're still not dating hhhhh

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I watched the episode raw and when the gold ring appeared the only thought that crosses my mind was "WTH- HE'S ALREADY PROPOSING FOR MARRIAGE?!"
...but bless my weak heart it wasn't so.
But then, I don't know whether to feel happy or sad. hahaha.

AND CAN WE FAST FORWARD A DAY SO WE CAN QUICKLY WATCH WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT PLEASE
i'm dying because of this show TT---TT

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OMONAAAAA!!! SQUEAL SQUEA SQUEAL LIKE A PIG!!

Anyway, thanks for the recap Lollypip! I really like this eps, just because. I think I like all eps of #FightMyWay so far. Am curious to find out what happen in today's eps. But first, swoooooooning over cute aegyo of Ae Ra and over-aegyo of Dong Man. Man, they both are lyyyyyfe! They both are looooooovvve <3

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So proud of our group, especially Ae-Ra and Joo-Man! As for "the incident", I wonder if they got drunk, naked, something also happened … but then they were both so drunk they just fell asleep. Oh! I could totally see them getting sloshed and going, "Pfft. Us sharing a room is sooooo not a big deal to me. In fact, I don't care if I take off my clothes in front of you." And then each trying to one up the other by continuing to remove articles of clothing.

Coach's crying totally cracked me up, as well as DM and AR being all, "We'll probably have to share a room. Oh no, anything but that!" Only to be told there were plenty of rooms.

Finally, I have to say that between Ae-Ra, Bong Hee of "Suspicious Partners", and SuJi and Bomi of "Lookout", I am absolutely loving this recent crop of Kdrama female characters!

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