Temperature of Love: Episodes 33-34

by LollyPip

This show has a strange way of making me hope for things that should be bad for our lovers, and dread things that should be good for them. In that way it’s kept me interested even through all the angst and frustration, because even as I want to sometimes give up on them for being such idiots, they still act like real, flawed people. It’s refreshing, in a way, to watch a drama where the characters aren’t cookie-cutter types, but people who make mistakes, and stumble, and sometimes lose because they just can’t seem to figure out what they’re doing wrong.

 
EPISODE 33 RECAP

Jung-woo confesses to Hyun-soo’s parents that he likes her, but he also says that she’s turned him down repeatedly, lightening the mood. Later, Hyun-soo sees that Jung-sun called her so she calls him back, and he tells her that he’ll wait for her until she gets home.

When she does, he takes her to the rooftop at Good Soup, where he shows her the planter box they put together. He’s filled it with herbs and the tiny but fierce flower that she likes, the one that grows on the wall. He gives her one that he’s potted, and apologizes for making her anxious.

He pulls out a small jewelry box from his pocket and shows Hyun-soo the ring inside. Stunned, she takes the box, and Jung-sun pulls her into his arms. He whispers, “Let’s live together.” We don’t hear Hyun-soo’s answer.

Sometime later, Hyun-soo arrives at Jung-woo’s office for a meeting including Joon-ha. She learns that the drama that was scheduled before hers fell through, so the station wants her drama to fill the time slot. The guys are cautiously optimistic that they can be ready in time, and Hyun-soo agrees.

On their way out, Joon-ha and Hyun-soo run into Hong-ah and Director Min. Hong-ah stiffly congratulates them on having their show moved up, but she’s livid by the time she bursts into Jung-woo’s office.

Jung-woo gently explains that this decision was the network’s, and that it has nothing to do with her drama. But Hong-ah is worried that she may lose actors to Hyun-soo’s drama that she wants to hire for her show, so she and Director Min decide to speed up their casting.

During the meal break at Good Soup, Jung-sun takes a call, and he’s surprised when it’s a representative from Michelin. She informs him that the judges have awarded Good Soup a Michelin star, and Jung-sun dazedly tells the rest of the team. They erupt in cheers, and the hug between Jung-sun and Won-joon is especially touching considering all they’ve been through to get here.

Jung-sun calls Hyun-soo to tell her the exciting news, and she’s thrilled for him. Later, he lovingly flips through his drawings of the dishes he’s created, and he runs across some sketches of Hyun-soo’s ring. Awww, he designed it himself and had it made by a jeweler, which means that he’d been planning his proposal for some time.

Hyun-soo has the ring, but she’s not wearing it. She recalls the night he gave it to her, and we see that she’d asked Jung-sun to give her some time to think.

Reservations at Good Soup skyrocket when the news of their Michelin star gets out. The chefs are exhausted but happy, and one day during break, Soo-jung brings tea to a tired Won-joon. He goes to get some for her, and Hong-ah arrives while Soo-jung is waiting for him.

Hong-ah confronts Soo-jung yet again for dating Won-joon when she knows he likes her. Soo-jung admits that it bothers her, but she says that anyone can start liking someone else at any point in a relationship, so she believes that Won-joon has room for her in his heart. She says that she even thinks about her ex-boyfriend sometimes, but that doesn’t mean she’ll go back to him.

When Won-joon returns, Hong-ah pouts that Jung-sun got a Michelin star and Hyun-soo’s drama will air early, upset that everyone is doing better than she is. Won-joon and Soo-jung just sigh, unsure of what to say.

Jung-sun thinks about how Hyun-soo asked for more time to think about wearing his ring. He recalls a time two years ago when he was still in Paris: A train ticket was on his locker door, and it took him back to that first kiss that he and Hyun-soo had shared on the train. That ticket is still on locker in the present, but this time he looks sad as he gazes at it.

Joon-ha takes Hyun-soo and Kyung on a tour of the set for the drama, and he suggests that they travel to Paris to film the scenes set there. Hyun-soo isn’t keen on the idea, and Kyung explains that Hyun-soo hates planes, and that she’s only been abroad once.

As it turns out, only a couple of months after Jung-sun came home, Hyun-soo had gone to Paris to look for him. But she was told that he no longer worked at the restaurant, and that they didn’t know where he’d gone.

In the present, she puts his ring in her purse and meets with him to give him her answer. They congratulate each other on their successes, then Hyun-soo slides Jung-sun’s ring across the table to him. She apologizes for pushing him too hard, and tells him that for the five years he was gone, her feelings for him were so strong that nobody else could enter her heart. She says that when they found each other again, she thought they were destined to be together.

Jung-sun also confesses that when they reconnected, he discovered that he’d never overcome the problems he thought he had. He says that he’s realized that there’s no need for him and his father to try so hard not to be like their fathers, because they’re already different people.

Hyun-soo says sadly that she never expected Jung-sun to be perfect—she just wanted to share his imperfect life. She admits that she’s no longer confident, and when Jung-sun promises to do better, she says that he’s not the problem—she is. Beginning to understand what she’s saying, Jung-sun says that he’ll wait for her.

He sits at the cafe long after Hyun-soo leaves, staring at the unopened ring box on the table. Hyun-soo walks home, but halfway there, she crumples to the ground and sobs.

Jung-sun’s mom and Daniel are gobsmacked when they show up at Good Soup for lunch, only to find the dining room packed. They can’t even get a table and have to eat elsewhere, though Jung-sun’s mom is too proud to be upset.

Jung-woo’s office is still being contacted by people who want to interview Jung-sun, so he sends Jung-sun an offer to cancel his contract with On Entertainment.

Later, Mom and Daniel visit Jung-sun at home, and he smiles as they bicker cutely. Daniel mentions a friend who’s interested in investing in Good Soup, but Mom preens and brags that her son doesn’t need investors.

Jung-sun’s mom notices that he’s not being so cold with her. He says that he’s wondered if part of the reason she acts out is because of his coldness, so he’s changing his strategy. She asks if she’s that important to him, and he just shyly ducks his head.

She asks after Hyun-soo, and she can tell from Jung-sun’s vague answer that something isn’t right. He just says they’re not on bad terms, and his mother says that she and Hyun-soo can relate to each other, and that Hyun-soo’s crazy about love.

Hyun-soo and Joon-ha plan to work late on casting and the script, and Hyun-soo sends Kyung home to rest. Kyung coos that she always listens to Hyun-soo, to which Joon-ha snaps that she should listen to him instead, and she fires back that he should shave his beard. Hyun-soo declares Kyung the winner, HA.

Chef Song, the chef that Jung-woo once tried to bring in to change Good Soup’s menu, visits Jung-sun while the restaurant is closed. He offers Jung-sun a job as head chef at a new restaurant in Hong Kong, and Jung-sun is flattered, but he says that he has to run Good Soup. Chef Song promises that after the first six months, he’ll be able to run both restaurants.

Curious, Jung-sun asks why Chef Song is making this offer to him. Chef Song says that he was impressed when Jung-sun refused to let anyone change his menu, and that he wishes more chefs were like Jung-sun, instead of being motivated by money.

In a private meeting, Jung-woo and Director Min discuss Hyun-soo and Hong-ah’s dramas. With Hyun-soo’s drama getting moved up, the two shows would end up being aired on the same days and times, so Jung-woo wants Hong-ah’s drama to be pushed back a bit.

Director Min says that he’s fine it, but he jokes that he doesn’t envy Jung-woo having to deal with Hong-ah’s inevitable temper tantrum. Sure enough, Hong-ah is furious when it’s her turn to meet with Jung-woo, but he says that if she insists on that time slot, then she’ll be competing with Hyun-soo’s drama.

He tries to cool her anger at Hyun-soo’s show being moved up, explaining that it was the network’s decision and that they had no choice, but Hong-ah refuses to change her mind. She insists on that time slot, yelling that it’s not her fault that Hyun-soo’s drama was moved up and will now compete with hers.

She storms out and goes to the stairwell to be alone. Hyun-soo follows her and finds her crying her eyes out. Hong-ah wails that she’s always being pushed back behind Hyun-soo, explaining that the company wants her to move her show’s air date back so that their shows aren’t competing.

She cries that she still feels like she’s living those days when she failed contests and constantly felt defeated, and whines that Won-joon doesn’t like her anymore either. She even cries that Jung-sun got a Michelin star, she asks why everyone gets what they want but her.

Hyun-soo wipes away her tears and says kindly that people are all pretty much the same on the inside. She says that it’s not all roses for the rest of them, but she says that she won’t tell Hong-ah why, because it’ll make her too happy.

 
EPISODE 34 RECAP

Hyun-soo works on her script late into the night, until well after Joon-ha has fallen asleep at the table. She takes a break and ends up wandering over to Jung-woo’s office, lured by the lights he left on. She steps out onto his balcony to enjoy the view, and nearly jumps out of her skin when a confused Jung-woo finds her there.

He brings out some coffee and tells Hyun-soo that he’s been in a casting meeting for her drama. She asks if he’s tired from solving everyone’s problems but his own, but he says that he’s used to it. He compares his life to an elevator, where the higher he goes, the more people get off, some even pushed off by him, until he’s the only one left at the top.

He sighs that loving someone deeply also leaves you very alone, and they both agree that they don’t like that feeling. Jung-woo asks if her drama still has a happy ending, but this time, Hyun-soo says she doesn’t know.

Jung-sun waits outside Hyun-soo’s apartment for her to come home that night, but she never does.

The following morning, Jung-woo finds Hyun-soo asleep in the conference room, her head on the desk. He closes the blinds, and gently drapes his coat over her shoulders. He watches her sleep for a long minute, then pats her shoulder before he leaves.

Later that day, while Hyun-soo is working at home again, Jung-sun calls to ask her to meet with him. It’s been a while since they’ve seen each other, and Jung-sun says that he wanted to tell Hyun-soo about the offer to be head chef at the Hong Kong restaurant.

He says that he’ll be gone for six months, and he takes a chance and asks Hyun-soo to go with him. He explains that maybe, if they’re together somewhere else, they’ll be able to go back to how they were.

But Hyun-soo says that she’s not sure she knows what it means to be like they used to be, and she apologizes. Jung-sun says it’s okay, but his expression shows his disappointment.

Back home, Hyun-soo waters the little plant that Jung-sun gave her, and on his balcony, he digs up another one and puts it in a pot. Won-joon finds him and says he looks lonely, and he asks if it’s really over with Hyun-soo. Jung-sun doesn’t answer, instead asking Won-joon to drink with him tonight.

The next day, Hong-ah drops by Hyun-soo’s place, telling Kyung that she came to get herself fired up over how well Hyun-soo is doing. Kyung argues that Hyun-soo isn’t doing well at all, because she and Jung-sun broke up. It’s news to Hong-ah.

Jung-sun wakes to the sound of the doorbell, and his mother reels at the sight of all the empty alcohol bottles littered around his apartment. From her own experience she guesses that Jung-sun got dumped, so she tells him not to hold on to people who are leaving, and to get some rest.

She goes to see Hyun-soo for answers, correctly guessing that it was Hyun-soo who did the breaking up, because Jung-sun would never break up with her. His mom assumes it’s because of her since she’s Jung-sun’s biggest flaw, but Hyun-soo says that she doesn’t think of her that way. She says that what broke them up wasn’t a flaw.

Jung-sun’s mom asks if this means she won’t see Hyun-soo anymore, but Hyun-soo says that they can still meet. Mom tells her that Jung-sun is moving to Hong Kong next week, and she warns Hyun-soo that he may change his mind about wanting to be with her when he’s in a new place. Hyun-soo admits that it upsets her to hear that, and Mom is glad, not wanting her to be too comfortable after letting her son go.

Hong-ah meets with Jung-woo to tell him that she won’t back down on her drama’s airdate. He surprises her by agreeing with her, saying that she has a good reason for her complaint. Besides, he thinks that since Hong-ah’s and Hyun-soo’s dramas are so different, and one of them is on a cable network, then it shouldn’t be a problem if they air at the same time.

Hong-ah is glad to hear it, though she chirps that she won’t thank him, because it’s what she deserves. She’s not entirely thrilled that Director Min is contacting actors past their peaks for her drama, but she doesn’t argue when Jung-woo tells her that they’re still great actors that she’d be lucky to have in her show.

Before she goes, she tells Jung-woo that Hyun-soo and Jung-sun broke up. She says that this is his chance, but he quips that he doesn’t rob empty houses.

During another work session, Joon-ha drinks the last of the bottled water, and Hyun-soo goes out to buy more. She finds Jung-woo’s driver at the door delivering some food for them, so she goes out to invite Jung-woo to eat with them. He tags along on her shopping trip, making her cringe again at his childish taste buds when he picks out mostly sweets.

As they walk back, Jung-woo tries to take Hyun-soo’s bags, and they end up dropping them. Unlike when the same thing happened with Jung-sun and he snapped at her, Jung-woo’s first instinct is to ask Hyun-soo if she’s okay. She’s touched when he hands her a bag to carry, then laughs that he finally gave her the lightest bag but they’re already at her door.

They head inside, looking more comfortable with each other than they have in a long time. But they don’t notice Jung-sun watching them from the park. Hyun-soo’s voice rings in his mind saying that crying alone means he’s not letting her into his life, and Jung-sun can’t stop his tears.

In the morning, Jung-woo arrives at work to learn that Jung-sun scheduled a short meeting with him. Jung-sun gives back the contract cancellation papers and says that he declines the offer, intending to fulfill his three-year contract.

He tells Jung-woo to act like a proper agent and handle the requests he’s been getting for interviews, though he also says that Jung-woo won’t get a commission from his job in Hong Kong, since Jung-sun handled all of those arrangements himself. Jung-woo just mentions Hyun-soo’s drama, and how it will air sooner than they expected. Jung-sun offers a curt congratulations and leaves.

He gets back to Good Soup to find his team throwing him a surprise going away party. When it’s time for him to go, he gives Won-joon a big hug before leaving Good Soup in his hands for the next six months.

Hyun-soo thinks a lot about Jung-sun’s offer to go to Hong Kong with him, but she never breaks down and contacts him. One day she’s writing a scene for her drama that reminds her of her regret at not answering Jung-sun’s call before he went to Paris, and how she’d cried to Jung-woo about how much she missed him.

Joon-ha thinks the scene is too cruel to the man who just confessed, but Kyung argues that it’s only because the heroine loves the lost hero so much. Hyun-soo remembers how desperate she felt knowing that she lost Jung-sun because she didn’t answer his call, and how much she loved him and how they waited for each other for five years, for a love she considered to be once-in-a-lifetime.

It hits her that he asked her to go to Hong Kong with him, even though he was so badly hurt by her rejection when he asked her to go to Paris. She suddenly jumps up and runs out of the house, tearing off in her car.

Jung-sun is at the bus stop, on his way to the airport. But when the bus pulls away, he’s still sitting there, staring down at the running shoes that Hyun-soo gave to him. He recalls how she said that even though people are afraid to give someone shoes for fear that the person will run from them, she bought these so that he could use them to run to her.

He stands and starts to run, thinking, “With us, I was either too fast for Hyun-soo, or Hyun-soo was too fast for me. If we don’t want time to beat us, all we can do is just continue being in love.”

As Hyun-soo drives, she cries as she thinks to herself, “I have no idea what time he’s leaving. I want to get to him, even if it’s like this.”

 
COMMENTS

Well thank goodness they’ve both finally decided to do something, instead of sitting around passively waiting for this relationship to happen. At least both Jung-sun and Hyun-soo seem to have learned something this time around. The last time Jung-sun was leaving the country for work, he left with just a token attempt to get in touch with Hyun-soo again, and she let him go without even answering his call. This time, they know exactly what they stand to lose, and I’m glad to see them both making a different decision.

I’m glad, in part, because I was ready to give up entirely on Hyun-soo. She begged and pleaded with Jung-sun for proof that he loves her, yet when he gave it to her in ring form, she turned him down. I think her problem, now and when they first met, is that she doesn’t really know what she wants. She doesn’t value ordinary love because her parents have that and to her, it’s not special. But she’s never even tried to understand Jung-sun and the ways he shows love, which to me are loud and clear, just different from what Hyun-soo is used to.

I don’t know what she expected from Jung-sun, when he was already doing everything he could to show her his love and support. He waited for her for five years, he came back for her, he told her he loves her both in words and in actions, and he even promised to tell her about his past. All he asked was that she respect his wishes in regards to not contacting his parents without his knowledge, and to give him some time to tell her everything about his painful past. Hyun-soo never seemed to understand that Jung-sun is very broken in a lot of ways and that it takes time for that to heal. But he did his best to push through his own fears to give her what she wanted, and just as I expected, Hyun-soo rejected him yet again.

So I’m glad that they broke up, even if just for a little while. Hyun-soo needed to realize that she was expecting too much, too soon, and Jung-sun needed to learn that he still has a lot of baggage to unpack. Neither of them is really ready for a serious relationship, and in that sense, Hyun-soo was absolutely right to turn down Jung-sun’s proposal. I’m happy that she did it for the right reasons and not in a fit of anger.

Temperature of Love may be frustrating and confusing, but I have to give it credit for taking characters that I thought I had very firm opinions on, and changing them in ways that make me question whether I should give my opinions a second look. Jung-sun’s mother is a good example—after the way she behaved when she first came back into Jung-sun’s life, I would have said that she could never change. But she does really seem to be making an effort, and Jung-sun, angel that he is, understands that she is the way she is because of the way his father treated her and is willing to give her another chance. Even her talk with Hyun-soo in this episode didn’t come across as manipulative. It still crossed a line in that she went to Hyun-soo for information because Jung-sun was keeping the details to himself, but at least all she did was ask why they broke up, and didn’t dig for more information than she was entitled to.

Jung-woo is also making me re-evaluate how I feel about him, because although he made some pretty unforgivable threats to steal Hyun-soo from Jung-sun, once she drew a firm boundary with him, he backed down both personally and professionally. He didn’t fight Jung-sun buying out his shares of Good Soup, then he offered to let Jung-sun out of his contract without having to be asked, which felt like a huge step in accepting that he’s destroyed their relationship. Jung-woo even refused to go after Hyun-soo now that she’s single, when before he would have at least given it a shot, even knowing that she’s probably heartbroken. I’d still like to see Jung-woo actually apologize, but I do believe that he’s regretting that his actions led to the loss of Jung-sun as a friend.

Even Hyun-soo earned a bit of my respect back, as I said, by breaking up with Jung-sun for the right reasons. She seemed to finally get it that she was asking more than he could give, and to accept that it’s not his fault if he can’t give her what she needs in a relationship. She even owned her own bad behavior when she ended things, and apologized for pushing him too hard. For that reason alone, I think they may still have a shot, but I do think they still need some time apart. Despite the romance of their running to be with each other, I actually find myself hoping for a period of separation (another thing this drama has made me feel that I never thought I’d feel), to give them time to work on their issues and see if they can live with each other’s flaws.

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