My Ajusshi: Episode 5
by LollyPip
Interesting things are starting to happen now that Dong-hoon and Ji-an are on each other’s radars as more than work-related annoyances. Ji-an is seeing Dong-hoon from a new perspective as she continues spying on him, while he’s beginning to realize that she’s a lot more than just a young woman with an unpleasant personality. Not only are they noticing details about each other, but they’re actively making excuses to be around each other, though I doubt they’re fully aware of it yet.
EPISODE 5 RECAP
Over drinks at Jung-hee’s bar, Ki-hoon tells Dong-hoon with drunken sincerity that no matter how poor he is, he always wears expensive underwear in case he dies and someone sees them. He worriedly asks Dong-hoon not to be ashamed of him for being a cleaner.
Ji-an listens in while she washes dishes at a new part-time job. Dong-hoon sighs that he’s not ashamed, but Ki-hoon doesn’t believe him. He admits that he’s the one who’s ashamed, since he’s still getting an allowance from Dong-hoon at his age.
The men all settle their tabs and get ready to leave, and Dong-hoon hangs back when he realizes that Jung-hee is very drunk. He puts all the cash in a pot under the counter and heads out, accidentally leaving his scarf behind.
Jung-hee runs out to take Dong-hoon his scarf and invite the brothers in for another drink, but they decline. She watches them go, sighing, “I want to go home, too.”
Curious, Sang-hoon asks Dong-hoon about the girl who has a crush on him, but Dong-hoon insists for the thousandth time that it’s not like that. Ki-hoon begs Dong-hoon to just say that they’re dating so Sang-hoon will shut up about it.
Dong-hoon doesn’t realize that Ji-an is nearby until she’s right in front of him, and he asks where she’s been. She mumbles that she was at her part-time job, and he notes that she works hard. He keeps walking, leaving his brothers to stare after Ji-an until he yells at them.
On the train to work the following morning, Dong-hoon texts his monk friend, Gyeom-duk, to ask if living in a mountain temple is peaceful. He admits that he feels like he’s dragging a weight around, and Gyeom-duk answers that his body only feels heavy.
Lost in thought, Dong-hoon nearly misses his stop, but Ji-an kicks his foot on her way out of the car and snaps him out of it. They end up in the same elevator, where Dong-hoon mutters, “You kicked me awake like a master kicks his slave awake, right?” Ji-an doesn’t respond.
After his trip to China, Joon-young calls Chairman Jang to report that he salvaged the business deal that Director Park’s missed meeting almost ruined, though Director Yoon takes all the credit back at the office. He crows that with Director Park gone they have five votes now, against the opposing side’s four. They need to hire someone sympathetic to fill Director Park’s vacant job, just to ensure that Joon-young is voted CEO again.
In Executive Director Wang’s office, his cronies discuss the need to find someone to vote for their side, and the only person who isn’t on Director Yoon’s side is, coincidentally, Dong-hoon. They want to make him a director, but they need his direct superior’s evaluation to secure the promotion. Dong-hoon was recently transferred to Director Yoon’s department, which they believe was a strategic move by Joon-young since Director Yoon will never give him a good evaluation.
Director Park calls Executive Director Wang to report that he’s looked into the department store gift certificates used as the bribe. He says that the store won’t give him any information about the purchaser, but they also said they’ll cooperate if a prosecutor investigates the bribe. Unfortunately, that would ruin the company’s image.
Dong-hoon’s team determines that a building they examined will need reinforcement in case of an earthquake. Director Yoon listens in and sneers that it will cost too much for an earthquake that will probably never happen, especially since the owner is trying to sell the building.
Dong-hoon says that it’s his job to make that call, but Director Yoon retorts that he only thinks about work, which is why he’s still just a manager. He storms off, and Ji-an quickly glances over at Dong-hoon before going back to her work.
Over at the apartment building where a tenant keeps throwing up in the stairwell, another tenant pounds on her door, demanding that she come out and clean up after herself. The woman’s apartment is a disaster, and she takes a long time to drag herself out of bed to answer the door.
Ki-hoon and Sang-hoon are cleaning the stairs again, and they try to get a look at the culprit, but her unkempt hair hides her entire face. Something about her voice seems to be familiar to Ki-hoon as she moans that she’s sorry.
The brothers finish cleaning and get back in the van, but Ki-hoon seems disturbed about something. He goes back and knocks on the woman’s door, and when she opens it, he leaves his business card and tells her to call him herself the next time she’s sick.
The woman chases him down the stairs and asks, “Director… it’s you, right?” Ki-hoon looks angry as he stalks back to the van, ignoring the woman as she follows him outside. Sang-hoon asks if he knows her, but he says he doesn’t.
While on a break, Dong-hoon overhears some coworkers talking about him, and how they’d have quit when their hoobae was made CEO. They say that the company is pretty much telling Dong-hoon to leave, but that he won’t because then he’ll have nothing.
After work, he meets up with Director Park, who says that if he’d known things would go this way, he’d have been friendlier with Joon-young. He advises Dong-hoon to latch onto someone with more power, even if they’re younger, calling Dong-hoon too righteous.
Dong-hoon says that he doesn’t resent Joon-young for being promoted ahead of him, but because “that bastard” wronged him. He tells Director Park that last spring he ran into Joon-young, who was suddenly suspiciously friendly, and Dong-hoon got the feeling that he’d done something to wrong him.
Ji-an listens in as Dong-hoon says that that’s when things went sour between them. Director Park is confused that their feud started because Joon-young was nice, and he hands Dong-hoon an envelope and invites him to see exactly what Joon-young has done to him.
Ki-bum calls Ji-an to tell her that her landlady came to her apartment while he was there because she’s behind on her rent. The landlady insisted that Ji-an move out immediately.
Joon-young and Yoon-hee are in bed when his secret phone rings, and Yoon-hee asks who else calls him on that phone besides her. His primary phone rings next, and this time he answers. As he gets up to leave, Yoon-hee asks who else he’s secretly talking to, and if it’s a man or a woman, but Joon-young doesn’t respond.
He meets with Ji-an, who plays him the recording of Director Park and Dong-hoon’s conversation. They’re discussing his call history for the past few months, and Director Park says that maybe Dong-hoon will see something that he couldn’t.
Ji-an says that if Dong-hoon finds his wife’s cell number in Joon-young’s call history, he’ll find out about their affair. Joon-young snaps that he’s not that careless, and that Yoon-hee always calls his primary phone from a pay phone. He tells Ji-an to do the same.
Ji-an says that this recording is proof that Director Park is plotting against his CEO, but Joon-young says that he can’t use illegally obtained evidence. She retorts that plenty of people will get him legal evidence for a price before walking away. She calls Ki-bum and instructs him to email the recording to the internal audit team.
When she gets home, she finds Grandma’s bed in the middle of the room again and pulls her away from the window. Grandma signs that she asked Ki-bum to move her under the window so she could look at the moon, but she couldn’t see it.
Ji-an goes to the store and shoplifts several items, pushing her cart out of the store at top speed. She passes right by Dong-hoon, who watches her crash into a pedestrian and dump herself and her cart into the street. She throws most of her things back in the cart and runs away, and Dong-hoon grabs the fruit she left behind and calls out to her, but she doesn’t turn back.
He follows her for a while, calling her name. He ends up in an unfamiliar neighborhood and stops to rest, looking up at the moon. He gets up to investigate an odd noise, which turns out to be Ji-an trying to ease her stolen shopping cart down a flight of stairs.
She freezes when he asks what she’s doing, and she loses control of the cart and slips backwards several steps. Dong-hoon catches her, and he realizes that it’s not groceries in her cart, but Grandma, who gives him a great big grin. He helps Ji-an get Grandma down the steps, and once they’re safe, she pushes the cart away without a word.
Ji-an pushes Grandma through the dark streets, eventually stopping so that they can look at the moon. Grandma smiles to see the full moon over their heads, and she asks Ji-an who the man was that helped them, and if he’s a good person. Ji-an signs back that it’s easy for people with money to be good people.
She’s surprised to see Dong-hoon waiting at the foot of the stairs when she wheels Grandma back home. He piggybacks Grandma up the steps and into the apartment, and after tucking Grandma back in to bed, Ji-an follows Dong-hoon outside. There’s an awkward silence, then Dong-hoon says, “You’re a good person,” and turns to go.
The next morning, the brothers’ friend Jae-chul who owned the cleaning business figures out who the vomiting woman is — she’s CHOI YU-RA (Nara), who played the lead in Ki-hoon’s first movie, but she was such a bad actress that the movie was never finished and Ki-hoon’s career went downhill. Ki-hoon growls that Yu-ra is the only woman he’s ever wanted to punch, ha.
Yu-ra is waiting when the brothers load up the van for the day, looking much healthier as she approaches Ki-hoon. She says she’s doing well when he asks, but her stiff smile makes it seem like a lie. She gives Ki-hoon some red bean bread and reluctantly leaves, as Ki-hoon tries his hardest not to make eye contact. He admits to Sang-hoon that Yu-ra used to like him.
At the office, Dong-hoon tries to make conversation with Ji-an, asking who takes care of Grandma during the day and which Chinese characters she uses for her name. Without looking at him, she answers that her name means “quick” and “comfortable,” and Dong-hoon says it’s a good name.
The audit team gets the audio file of Director Park and Dong-hoon discussing the fact that they’re trying to take down Joon-young. Unfortunately, it’s pretty obvious what they’re plotting.
After work, Dong-hoon invites Ji-an to join the staff dinner, whispering quietly that they’ll serve meat there. She’s just surprised enough to come along, but she just sits uncomfortably, so Dong-hoon sends food down to her end of the table.
The woman that Ji-an caught cheating in the office complains about grilling the meat and throws the tongs at Ji-an, ordering her to do it. Ji-an asks in her deadpan manner what happens if she grills it better, adding, “I know you only act as if you’re taking care of people so you’ll be liked. So if I take that away from you, you’ll have no likable qualities left.” Damn, Ji-an throws some pretty awesome shade when she wants to.
Everyone jumps up when Director Yoon and Joon-young arrive, and Director Yoon berates Dong-hoon’s team for starting without them (even though everyone did). He orders Dong-hoon to greet Joon-young, and as he does, his team grumbles that they’re making a sunbae greet his hoobae first.
When Joon-young proposes a toast, Director Yoon yells at the entire room for raising their glasses higher than the CEO, and even Joon-young has a look on his face like, Dude, too much. He tells Director Yoon that he wants everyone to feel comfortable and finishes his toast.
Another director starts to refill Joon-young’s glass, but Director Yoon snaps at Dong-hoon to do it. Wow, he really has a bee in his bonnet for Dong-hoon today. He takes offense again when Dong-hoon pours his own drink, but Joon-young says that Dong-hoon prefers to pour for himself and tells Dong-hoon that he hasn’t changed.
While everyone is out, the audit team goes through Dong-hoon’s desk looking for the copy of Joon-young’s phone records that were discussed on the recording, but they don’t find anything.
When Joon-young gets up to leave, one member of Dong-hoon’s team asks him drunkenly if he was really Dong-hoon’s hoobae in college. He tells Joon-young that he should call Dong-hoon “sunbaenim” outside of work, and Dong-hoon runs over to shut him up.
He ends up in a screaming match with Director Yoon over how disrespectfully the directors treat employees. Director Yoon tries to pounce on the man, but Dong-hoon gets between them, and Director Yoon throws Dong-hoon across the room.
Joon-young leaves without a word, Director Yoon trotting behind him, and Joon-young tells him not to let any of the executives find out what just happened, especially Chairman Jang. Director Yoon runs back inside and instructs everyone not to let the chairman know about this or they’ll regret it.
Dong-hoon has pulled his employee out to the alley, where he tells him that his actions harmed him more than helped him. Inside, another team member blames Joon-young for the situation, but he whines that Dong-hoon should kiss up more.
Suddenly Ji-an reaches out and slaps the guy, calls him a disgusting bastard (as though she’s outwardly referring to his habit of spitting in a cup), and walks out.
It starts to snow as Dong-hoon walks home, and he stops at a train track even though no train is coming. Drunk and clumsy, he staggers and falls, then he just lies there watching the snow. Ji-an is listening through his phone, and she stops walking when she hears him gasping for breath… then she breaks into a run.
As Dong-hoon lies on the ground, he says to himself that he can’t die today because he’s not wearing expensive underwear. Pfft. Ji-an arrives in time to see him haul himself to his feet and continue on, so she doesn’t approach him.
She calls Joon-young’s private phone and they arrange to meet. He asks mockingly if she enjoyed what she witnessed at the staff dinner, and he asks her why the audit team can’t find his phone records in Dong-hoon’s desk. He tells Ji-an to find them herself.
She ignores him to ask why he’s seeing a married woman at such a crucial point in his life. She says this would be over if he broke up with Yoon-hee, but Joon-young sneers that married women are the safest ones to date because they won’t expose the affair, so it’s safer for him to keep dating Dong-hoon’s wife than to break up with her. Wow, there are no words for how sleazy that is.
The following morning, Yoon-hee tells Dong-hoon that Ki-hoon called her for advice on registering his cleaning business. She suggests that Dong-hoon start a business too, since he can’t work at the company forever.
Dong-hoon says that starting a business is complicated and expensive, not to mention the risk of it failing. He thinks it’s better to work for someone else and make a steady paycheck than to end up in debt from a failed business venture. Yoon-hee counters that he drags himself to work every day like he’s going to the slaughterhouse and asks if that’s living, making Dong-hoon angry enough to storm out.
The employee who confronted Joon-young fills out an apology letter for what happened while he was drunk, and Dong-hoon also fills one out, taking the blame for not being able to stop his team member. At the end of the work day, Director Yoon makes a snarky comment about the letters and Dong-hoon’s temper flares, and he has to be gently urged onto the elevator by his team.
But at the ground floor, instead of getting out, Dong-hoon pushes the button to go back upstairs, seemingly on a mission. He pulls Joon-young’s phone records from his hiding spot and checks the calls against the employee contact list, eliminating the known numbers. He starts calling the unknown numbers, claiming to be offering a free gift to get their names and addresses.
While heading out to work, Sang-hoon notices actress Yu-ra sitting in a car nearby, watching them. She gets out and approaches Ki-hoon, and she’s got the assistant director from their first movie with her. Ki-hoon makes it clear that he isn’t happy to see either of them, and the assistant director slinks back to his car and leaves.
Yu-ra stays, grasping Ki-hoon’s hand and chirping happily, “Director… thank you for failing! I feel like I can live freely now. Thank you so much!” She starts to leave, but she trots back to invite Ki-hoon out for a drink. LOL, she’s kind of cluelessly adorable.
She follows Ki-hoon and Sang-hoon back to Jung-hee’s bar, and Jung-hee narrows her eyes at the young woman as she talks about how Ki-hoon was a rising star when they worked together. She admits that while working with him, she got yelled at so much that she started doing stupid things, but that she’s happy now because he ended up a failure.
Yu-ra is thrilled because it means that she was never the problem — it was Ki-hoon. She explains that her career was destroyed and she started drinking after that movie, and the happier she seems, the lower Ki-hoon’s head sinks. She sincerely thanks him, saying that he seems lovable now that he’s a failure. The crazy part is, I think she genuinely means that.
There’s one number that repeatedly pops up on Joon-young’s call list, and Dong-hoon figures out that the calls happen nearly every day. But it’s an unreachable number.
His team members don’t know much about unreachable numbers, but Ji-an wanders near Dong-hoon’s desk and murmurs that public pay phones can only make calls, not receive them. With her tip, he’s able to track down the location of the payphone by its number.
The audit team watches the CCTV footage and sees where Dong-hoon stashed the call log. They rush up to his office, but Dong-hoon is already leaving the building. He calls Director Park to tell him that he may have found something, and he heads to the pay phone’s location to find out who may be making the calls.
As the audit team ransacks Dong-hoon’s desk, Dong-hoon cautiously approaches the pay phone. He confirms that it’s the right phone number, and looks around. He stares in shock when he sees that it’s right outside Yoon-hee’s office. And in that moment, Yoon-hee comes down the street and starts heading towards him, as Ji-an lurks nearby, avidly watching the couple’s confrontation.
COMMENTS
This show, I don’t even know what to do with it. It seems so stark and bleak, but there’s so much going on in each scene that I feel like I could watch an episode ten times and still not catch all the nuances and tiny meaningful moments. I was particularly struck by the way Ji-an kicked Dong-hoon’s foot to keep him from missing his stop — it’s the first thing she’s done purely for him, with no benefit to herself. Such a small thing that most of us would do without thinking, but coming from Ji-an, it’s monumental. She wouldn’t have bothered to do even that much for him a few days ago, but then she overheard Dong-hoon defending her to his brothers and coworkers and saying that he feels like she understands him. It’s not much for her to keep him from being late to work, and it even pissed Dong-hoon off a little, but a true connection began to form between them in that moment.
It’s so interesting to watch Dong-hoon and Ji-an struggle with how to deal with each other, because while I’m used to seeing drama characters deny their feelings for someone, My Ajusshi puts that dynamic into a completely different context. While I think that the actors have amazing chemistry, for me it’s not a romantic type of chemistry, but more of a sense that they just somehow get each other despite the fact that they’re completely different. They don’t even like each other, and in fact there’s a lot of animosity and hard feelings between them, yet they’re drawn to each other in a way that they don’t really understand. They instinctively feel that they share something in common, but they don’t yet know what that is. It creates this interesting sense of confused attraction, as if they can’t help but be drawn to one another even though they’d rather stay far away.
I love how they’re reluctantly beginning to help and stick up for each other, even though you can tell it annoys them both. Ji-an is beginning to grudgingly respect Dong-hoon, and he even told her that she’s a good person. I love that he didn’t qualify it with anything like “when you’re not stealing money” or “to people you love,” but just a straight “You’re a good person.” And Ji-an is realizing that Dong-hoon is kind and thoughtful, the way he waited to help her take her grandmother home, and how he even asked her a few personal, but non-intrusive, questions about herself. But my favorite moment was when Ji-an smacked the team member who suggested that Dong-hoon should suck up to Joon-young, especially since she’s still helping with Joon-young’s plot to get Dong-hoon fired. The fact that she was offended on Dong-hoon’s behalf shows more emotion from Ji-an than we’ve seen before, other than her angry scenes with Kwang-il.
I still don’t quite understand either Ji-an or Dong-hoon, but I’m starting to see what it is that connects them — that feeling that they don’t quite belong, that there’s not really a place for them in this world. Ji-an disconnected from others when she killed a man and spent three years in jail, and even her closest friend, Ki-bum, often feels like little more than an acquaintance. On the other hand, Dong-hoon appears to live a normal life with family, friends, and a good job, yet he feels like he should never have been born and goes through his days as if he’s just dragging himself around like a dead weight. Their reasons for feeling alone and isolated are entirely different, and yet there’s something about it that puts them on equal footing. I can’t wait to see how they are together, once they begin to spend more time with each other.
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1 pineapplegongzhu
April 5, 2018 at 8:03 AM
Thanks for the recap, @Lollypip!
Shopping cart with granny all bundled up in a blanket is actually kind of cute. I like how both Ki-bum and DH were startled, and then attempted to greet granny politely. Well brought up Korean men - ha! #cuties
Okay, I know this sounds weird, but my excuse is Lee Sun-Kyun makes everything sexy: when he asks the meaning of her name, he was showing, if not fatherly concern, personal interest. There’s nothing sleazy or even remotely nosy about it. He’s just open to knowing her better. Yet, it is just SO SEXY. It must be his deep voice: it makes his words very intimate. Even his breathing that she hears over the phone is sexy. Gives me shivers.
I was wondering why Ki Hoon was going on about not dying in cheap underwear, but when DH was lying in the snow saying he can’t die because he’s not wearing expensive underwear - that was also pretty hilarious. I like this show’s humor.
It’s terribly sweet how DH is getting under Ji An’s skin as she eavesdrops on his life - how others respect him - how he conducts himself.
Only DH has the ability, albeit completely unknown to him, to get a reaction from Ji An. It’s was pretty telling how her deadpan mask FELL during the dinner brawl when DH was thrown onto the floor. It was even sweeter to see her slapping DH’s subordinate in his defense, and then run in the snow to make sure DH was okay. I mean, have we seen her run at all during her different crises in the show so far? I don’t think so.
He unwittingly makes her run to him.
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atz
April 5, 2018 at 8:17 AM
yes, there is no denial that Lee Sun Kyun has a lovely voice. I find that Korean actors ,generally speaking, have deeper voice compared to Japanese actors and that is why I prefer Korean actors. What strikes me is that not only he has a deep voice but the tone of his voice, very calm and controlled. His voice make his listeners spell bounded. Listening to his voice is like taking the best sedative to calm our nerves and relax a bit.( but not JA when she thinks that he is in deep despair and ends up running to rescue him.) No other actor can give this degree of great voice like him.
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pineapplegongzhu
April 5, 2018 at 8:23 AM
@akikoz - yes! Spell binding is the perfect word for his voice. Or, hypnotic, like a snake charmer.....
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MapleSilver
April 5, 2018 at 8:26 AM
I am soooo glad Lee Seon Kyun's voice is being appreciated all over again by a new batch of drama watchers. He is not called THE VOICE for nothing, but he had not been very active in dramaland, and there were always new younger, handsomer, hotter actors rising to the top, so his reception had been look warm of late. But I am glad he and his famous voice are slowly gaining new fans. :-)
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pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:28 PM
He was my first had fall into Second Lead Syndrome in coffee prince!!! I love his voice too. He has a very slight lisp but still sounds dashing, lol.
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pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:29 PM
Hard fall*
cutiesoo
April 5, 2018 at 9:08 AM
Can someone make a recording of just his voice from this drama? I would be willing to pay $$$ for that. I would be a great way to fall asleep - just listening to his voice. Ah, to be Ji An listening to his sexy voice for free, she even has recordings she can playback at anytime.
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persianrose❤️战哥
April 5, 2018 at 11:39 AM
That VOICE, omg I love it so much! I first noticed his deep sexy voice in Miss Korea (another must watch by LSK)
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Kdramahiatus
April 6, 2018 at 7:15 PM
LSK's voice is just charming. Now I realized why was he casted for this drama. Any girl listening to that recording.will fall for that voice.
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CS
April 5, 2018 at 8:41 AM
Lee Sun-Kyun does make everything sexy! I have found myself repeatedly wishing I had a little earbud to pipe his delicious voice directly into my ear. I like him overall and not just his voice, too. He reminds me of a Korean Alan Rickman, who I always thought was unconventionally sexy back in his hay day. He had a deep, velvety voice, too.
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kiara
April 5, 2018 at 2:06 PM
Alan Rickman (R.I.P) is irreplaceable with a voice of glory.
I loved him most in British historical series and films. He will always be Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) to me where I discovered him.
Lee Sun-kyun's voice in sageuks is divine. So much ahjussi crushing lol.
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bbstl 🧹
April 5, 2018 at 4:38 PM
Yes. Shedding a tear for our Colonel Brandon 😢. Kiara, have you watched Truly, Madly, Deeply?
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kiara
April 5, 2018 at 7:16 PM
@bbstl
I haven't seen any of his earlier work before S&S.
bbstl 🧹
April 6, 2018 at 6:56 AM
@kiara
I think you would like it. Alan Rickman plays an uncharacteristically sort of neurotic musician but it makes sense that he's frustrated because he's a GHOST. It's a funny and touching movie ❤️
kiara
April 6, 2018 at 7:01 AM
@bbstl
Thank you! Sounds like a film that will enjoy a lot.
Moonbean
April 6, 2018 at 11:30 PM
Funny enough the first thing I watched Alan Rickman in was the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves. I loved him as Colonel Brandon, also he is hilariously droll in Dogma.
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pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:21 PM
Yes!!! What a great comparison! Although LSK feels conventionally attractive too.
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MikeyD signed up
April 18, 2018 at 8:38 PM
There's a background song with this episode (and I think in an earlier one) written by IU herself, I believe, that compares 'someone' to the distant unobtainable moon. The bright white face with a dark shadow across it it, and a deep voice. I think its meant to tell us how Ji-an views her ajusshi.
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mtnmama
October 26, 2023 at 10:31 AM
Granny in the shopping cart reminded me of the movie E.T!
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2 missjb
April 5, 2018 at 8:15 AM
i think if they maintain the quality to be this good, it might be turn out to be my most favourite Kim Won Suk drama.
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kiara
April 5, 2018 at 2:14 PM
I didn't care much for "Signal" but this and "Misaeng" might be my two faves.
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missjb
April 5, 2018 at 3:40 PM
I don't know, for some reason, The lines and circumstance in the office is close to home to me more in this drama and I think this show is trying to take a different message compare to Misaeng.
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lemoncello
April 5, 2018 at 8:51 PM
I feel somehow this drama has "Misaeng" feels, when Dong-hoon subordinates try to push him away or to quit or make him quit. He feels like Oh Sang-shik. :(
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3 Tyn123
April 5, 2018 at 8:16 AM
This show...it is so heavy and I don't really need the added feeling of dread every week but it's so compelling that I keep watching.
I know it's not suppose to be a romance but can it be? Or at least something more because I would really like the two of them to be able to support each other.
I feel like if they just had each other they could continue and their lives would be much better for it.
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4 June
April 5, 2018 at 8:19 AM
Ji An is so deliciously conflicted. She melted internally when Dong Hoon called her good after leaving her house. I actually find the underwear turnaround comeback so sad. That is the reason why he didn't die. When Ki Hoon was explaining why he must wear expensive underwear when he dies, I find it so kinda bleak too, even though the premise is supposed to look funny?
Like a satire?
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 1:19 PM
I love this show's black humour. Like when Dong-hoon said he couldn't die today because he didn't wear expensive undeweear. Or when that actress cheerfully thanked Ki-hoon for becoming a failure. It's an absurd things to say in such a bleak situation that I felt sad about it, but couldn't help laughing by the end. Like, what else can you do witnessing that?
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5 stpauligurl
April 5, 2018 at 8:37 AM
Thanks for the fast recap @lollypip!!!!!
This show gives me all sorts of feels between seeing the quiet look of resignation on Ji Ans face as she stands next to her grandmother watching the moon, to Dong Hoon lying on the ground watching it snow.
That director Yoon going on and on about the CEO is really bugging me and I cannot wait to see him go DOWN at some point.
But the CEO himself is all kinds of sleaze and ugliness.
Then the actress telling his brother that she was glad he was a failure made me laugh out loud.
Yes, this show is certainly well done. One of the things I like is the choice of background music, from quietly moody to NO soundtrack so you can concentrate on the scene. The director is doing such a great job.
Sorry, I could go on but I have to get back to work. I just wanted to chime in about how much I like everything about this show!
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6 sweetiepie12
April 5, 2018 at 8:38 AM
My heart melts at the sight of JA's facial expression when DH piggy backed her grandma. DH's simple act of kindness has cracked her wall slowly but surely. That scene is just so vulnerable and raw. I cried... Wow. Brilliantly acted.
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 12:55 PM
I think only Dong-hoon's brand of kindness could move Ji-an's heart like that. Because he really didn't expect anything back from doing it. Not even for the other people to be just as kind to him. He is simply being kind because that's how one should live their life, because he is a nice guy through and through. And not even Ji-an could deny how beautiful that is.
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lemoncello
April 5, 2018 at 8:54 PM
I think she began to "move" when he simply told her that she's a good person. Maybe for a long a long time nobody complimented her with that simple word.
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Lang
April 5, 2018 at 9:12 PM
I really liked that scene, and it really shows the level of maturity of Dong Hoon as a character. Because he knows that life is tough, he doesn't act like those annoying characters who try to make life better , or try to ask her why she's living life like that, or try to put their standards on her.
It was so good tha the just accepted her for what she was doing, and not out of pity too.
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missjb
April 5, 2018 at 11:03 PM
I think she was expecting two case, he is suddenly pity her, or look down on her. And it took her by surprise none of her expectation come true. Instead he compliment her being a good girl, imagining what a shady work she has done to him all this time.
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7 pineapplegongzhu
April 5, 2018 at 8:52 AM
All about Ji An
I like IU’s interpretation of Ji An’s blank and stony expression. One could be critical and say she lacks the skill to show shades of meaning even with the deadpan face, but it seems like IU really does want to use that expression as a façade/armour against looking weak in her struggles.
The audience sees her heart through her actions: like when her grandmother wanted to see the moon, and she “borrows without permission” the shopping cart (even on the eve of being evicted) so that her grandmother can see the moon. Sweet granddaughter.
When she runs to DH gasping for air, when she slaps his subordinate for his belief that DH should suck up to JY, when she kicks DH awake to make sure he doesn’t miss his stop…all of these show her true feelings.
I feel like we’re seeing Ji An starting to play both sides. At first she was happy to destroy the Red Team so long as it got her money from the CEO. But, then she gave the crucial bit of information to DH regarding the public pay phone. Why?
It was also rather interesting that Ji An actually asked Joon Young why he can’t just end the affair. Since when does Ji An start to care about Dong Hoon’s marriage? Does she care? I wonder what she will make of Yoon-Hee once she meets her.
P.S. I loved @Lollypip ’s analysis of Ji An and Dong Hoon’s budding relationship (whatever box that will eventually fit in, if it ever does…)
THIS. So this! The chemistry is undeniable. And I would wholeheartedly agree that the connection they feel is not romantic, but it is deep - like soulmates. For now, their isolation and loneliness binds them (ironically) together.
But, I can’t say it is devoid of sensuality. In episode 3, when Dong Hoon was trying so hard not to touch Ji An in the crowded train, there was something electric in the proximity of their bodies.
I also think it takes someone as honorable and as gentle as Dong Hoon to break down Ji An’s barriers - like a little green plant that sprouts out of concrete. Ji An is so wounded and so abused, it would take observing someone like Dong Hoon clandestinely to make her feel safe enough to open herself up to him.
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8 beantown
April 5, 2018 at 9:19 AM
Thank you, LollyPip!!
I absolutely loved this episode; we begin to see the drama unfurl in so many directions at once. The struggling actress, the moonstruck granny, the loyal employees- they all add to a wonderfully engaging story. I can't wait to see where we go from here.
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beantown
April 5, 2018 at 9:20 AM
Also, Granny is a doppelganger for E.T.
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lemoncello
April 5, 2018 at 8:57 PM
I was wondering how an adult fits in the shopping cart, to be honest.... :)
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MikeyD signed up
April 18, 2018 at 8:47 PM
Ah! Now that you say it I see it 100%.
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9 JustMe
April 5, 2018 at 9:24 AM
The only show where office politics dont bore me. I teared up at the moon scene and the OST that played fit in perfectly. OMG that cliffhanger!!
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10 fay17
April 5, 2018 at 10:09 AM
It's always a pleasure reading your comments on each episode. Since you put out so many impressions and reading them makes me realize how they are my personal favorites as well lol.
About this, however, I just have this one question, how do you know where to draw a line? For me personally, if I was living a life penalty of earnestness or carrying a weight heavier than my body and if some guy like dong hoon looked out for me or made his peers stop backbiting about me and etc and etc, I'm not sure I would just stop at being impressed by him, lol. Maybe if I was a guy yes. But as a girl, it is hard not to fall for the chivalry that's at play each time dong hoon does something.
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MapleSilver
April 5, 2018 at 10:39 AM
I agree with you. When a person has been touched so deeply, how can he/she able to keep that affection strictly in the head, strictly as deep admiration? Is it more possible if the age gap is 20? Will we believe it if in the end this drama shows us that the two leads have learned from each other and nothing more?
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MapleSilver
April 5, 2018 at 12:06 PM
I want to add that I would be okay if in the end the show decides to not have the leads be together, as long as they acknowledge that feelings do develop, affection grows and can lead to love, but because of societal norms or what have you, they decide it is not right to be together. I can live with that, but please just don't ignore the potential for romance all together.
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Moonbean
April 6, 2018 at 11:44 PM
I wouldn't be happy with that at all though. It is so sad. Why would it not be right for them to be together? I would rather no feelings develop than for it to be developed and sacrificed unnecessarily for the wrong reasons.
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fay17
April 5, 2018 at 12:27 PM
For me, it's more like they are not addressing the elephant in the room lol. For all the excuses why they shouldn't be together is more pointing at me to the reasons they should be together. Ji An is also so much more mature than some people of my age that only makes me believe that age is not the decisive factor to someone's intellect or level of growth.
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fay17
April 5, 2018 at 12:27 PM
*pointing me
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 1:11 PM
Agreed with this. We know Dong-hoon has the habit of purposefully not thinking too deeply about something that he instinctively knew would be painful for him. (Like his hatred toward Joon-young, or his guarded suspicion toward his wife and how close she is with Joon-young.) While Ji-an still couldn't afford to think more beyond her and her family's survival. Given enough time, I think (and hope) the drama will gradually address this issue just as the characters started to not be able to ignore it anymore.
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I do not give six flying dragons
April 5, 2018 at 1:27 PM
"how do you know where to draw a line? For me personally, if I was living a life penalty of earnestness or carrying a weight heavier than my body and if some guy like dong hoon looked out for me or made his peers stop backbiting about me and etc and etc, I'm not sure I would just stop at being impressed by him".
You can have all the intellectual or emotional chemistry in the world, if there's not phisical atracction, you can't have a romance.
Will they have this? I don't konw.
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fay17
April 5, 2018 at 2:10 PM
I can see the palpable chemistry hehe, at least in my mind that's how it is. :D
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MikeyD signed up
April 18, 2018 at 8:55 PM
Upright office supervisors in their 40s should not take a dip in the office temp worker pool. That act would undo all of his otherwise admirable character traits and make him no better than his mortal enemy.
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I do not give six flying dragons
April 19, 2018 at 1:56 PM
I agree.
Unless they chage life circumstances, there's a clear power imbalance.
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greenfields
April 22, 2018 at 2:59 AM
Mike @idonotgivesixflyingdragons are right, but I agree with @fay17 on this. If I were in Ji An's shoes, I don't think I'd be able to keep it non-romantic. - This is strictly from Ji An's pov however.
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11 dramaandfilm16
April 5, 2018 at 11:00 AM
Another great review lollipop. I'm also really enjoying My Mister. Dong Hoon and Jian's attraction to another feels like it's beyond a romance and more like kindred spirits who both know they don't fit in. I think people pairing them up romantically is the logically normal thing to do when we find 2 people emotionally attracted to each other in such a profound way. Tbh I wouldn't mind them having a love line. I was completely against it due to their age gap but now that I've watched the drama I'm not so sure age can really define and dissolve a connection like theirs. I'm fine if it stays platonic but I also don't mind if they explored the potential of a romance and maybe the social repercussions that would result from it. Jian is softening up because of DH I died inside when she slapped that coworker because his words disrespected DH. oh.my.god. my heart. And when she heard him fall and he got all quiet so she ran to see if he was ok. That scene was amazing. Jian giving DH the hint about the payphone feels to me like she wants him to put up a fight against joon young. Her job is to fire him but allowing him to find out about his wife's affair would make it harder for him to leave the company easily. Another great episode.
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12 john
April 5, 2018 at 11:09 AM
@lollypip, thanks for the recap. Looking forward to the next episode.
Does Ji-an want Dong-hoon to discover his wife’s affair, rather than he hear about it from some other source?
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13 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
April 5, 2018 at 11:57 AM
Question for people who know more about smart-phone battery life than I do... Would all that recording and transmitting of every conversation run down the battery? Enough for Dong-hoon to notice and take it to the repair shop where the tech guy finds.... ?
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pineapplegongzhu
April 5, 2018 at 12:16 PM
Why do you have to bring logic and reality into dramaland, @lordcobol.....? ;)
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Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
April 5, 2018 at 12:26 PM
It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it :)
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egads aka Dame Maggie
April 5, 2018 at 12:31 PM
Batteries in dramaland either last forever, or conveniently die at the worst possible moment. There is no middle ground here. #kdramalogic
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javinne
April 5, 2018 at 1:46 PM
LOL again!!! 😂😂😂😂😂 hua hua hua... super fun!!! 😄
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javinne
April 5, 2018 at 1:45 PM
Lol!!!¡😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Really, it is like, we will decide not to care about that. Don't ever mention it.
But by the way, I agree, not only his phone would die faster, but also hers..... 🙄🙄🙄🙄
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stpauligurl
April 5, 2018 at 2:02 PM
Well now that you mention it, I was wondering if the phone was in his pocket how is she hearing his breathing so clearly? I know this is kdrama-land and all things are possible, but I was still wondering how in the world she was hearing him breathe.
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IamPilgrim
April 5, 2018 at 2:22 PM
She has elven ears... 😂😂
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sweetiepie12
April 5, 2018 at 4:52 PM
Lee Sun "The Voice" Kyun breathes differently. His voice transcends human logic. It's understandable as mere peasants, we can't relate.
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yunyi
April 5, 2018 at 4:16 PM
1. Phone tapping does reduce battery performance
2. Can't you see the Samsung PPL is already working? This is their subtle way of saying: Buy the newest edition of Samsung Galaxy!! Awesome battery life! P.S the only downside is you won't notice if somebody's tapping your phone, the battery life is just that amazing
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14 gadis
April 5, 2018 at 12:25 PM
I can see Ji-an's resolve wavering this eps. Getting entangled with Dong-hoon's life is a much bigger 'mistake' than she realized.
She who has been jaded by life and forgot how kindness felt like met this 'strange' man who only ever been kind to her without being intrusive. He helped her move her grandma and even waited for them to come back to help her again, but he didn't ask anything. Didn't make any comment about the bad neighborhood she is living in. Didn't even judge her about that trolley she stole. He simply saw a young girl doing all she can to provide for her grandma, and genuinely said that she is a good person. Words that shook her. Words that I think are also his way to correct his wrong assumption about her in the 1st eps.
He then started making small talk to her, the unusual kind like asking the meaning of her name, but he always only has good things to say to her now. It's nothing like their first tense small talk when she told him off for trying to figure her out by asking about her parent.
And so, when she heard other people bad-mouthing him, it's no wonder that she snapped. That she then felt compelled enough to try finding him when she overheard how hard it is for him to get up after such a hellish company dinner. Given how fierce she is when it comes to her loved ones, I can't wait to see what she'll do to turn back the table when she truly started to care about our kind ajusshi.
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risa
April 5, 2018 at 12:56 PM
Words that I think are also his way to correct his wrong assumption about her in the 1st eps. I just noticed that some of your insights are very similar to mine, but I hadn't made that connection, so thanks for that. I was expecting Dong-hoon to look surprised when he saw Ji-an's apartment-- his accepting nonchalance must have been such a relief to Ji-an.
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15 risa
April 5, 2018 at 12:43 PM
Squeee! I feel like I watched Dong-hoon become "my ajusshi" to Ji-an during that whole sequence starting when Ji-an was surprised to see that Dong-hoon had waited to help carry her grandma up the stairs, then stood transfixed at the sight of him piggybacking Grandma (someone helping to shoulder her burden without being asked to must have felt like an impossibility to her), and finally, being told "chakhada" ("you're a good person") by Dong-hoon-- it was just too much for her poor little walled-in heart to take.
It was clear that Ji-an hated having Dong-hoon find out about Grandma and her living situation, and when they stepped out of her apartment, Ji-an hung her head and looked like a vulnerable little girl. But instead of commenting on her squalid living quarters, or remarking with pity about the challenge of having to care for a deaf grandmother, that soothing voice just said "Chakhada" ("You are good"). (I've noticed that "Chakhada" is often said, at least in dramas, while stroking the top of someone's head, in a very nurturing and affectionate way). After hearing that, Ji-an just stood there for a long time, not knowing how to take it in. I wondered if she would try to find that part of the recording later, so that her heart could hear it again, and if she'd hear that Dong-hoon had even returned the stolen shopping cart.
Obviously, it's gonna take a lot more than that incident for Ji-an to really open up to Dong-hoon, but watching his kindness put a chink in her armor, and making her feel not only seen, but validated as well (which also happened when he asked about the characters used in her name), fills me with feels.
And wasn't this the second time that he ran after her with persimmons which she had left behind? It made me wonder if the persimmons had a symbolic meaning, and I discovered that in Buddhism, persimmons are a symbol of transformation (they start out bitter and become sweet). Makes sense.
I started this drama late because as much as I loved Mother, which was stellar, it was a stressful watch, and as I'm going through a really stressful time in RL at the moment, I was afraid that My Ajusshi would be too difficult for me to watch right now. But despite it's bleakness, I find myself really looking forward to it-- I trust that this will be a healing journey.
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javinne
April 5, 2018 at 1:51 PM
Which drama is RL? Revolutionary love? 😂😂😂
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James
April 5, 2018 at 4:35 PM
RL = real life
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Kdramahiatus
April 5, 2018 at 3:21 PM
Thank you for providing the symbolic meaning of persimmons:) This is the third time that fruit appeared in the drama so there must be a symbolic meaning behind it. My Ajusshi is sometimes like poetry, no matter how much you watch it there are still a lot of hidden significant things embedded in every scene.
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pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Omg thank you! The whole time I've been thinking she kept buying near-spoiled tomatoes!!! 🍅🙈
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16 bmore
April 5, 2018 at 1:14 PM
the writing in this is just brilliant. Having terrific actors and a director to visualize the writing is our luck. This is one of the most complex relationships I have seen in film. I'm loving every minute...and yeah, I feel like I need to rewatch everything.
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17 Kafiyah Bello
April 5, 2018 at 1:17 PM
Excellent, @lollypip, you said everything. The acting and writing is so A+, just wonderful, beautiful, joyful drudgery.
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18 newdramaaddict
April 5, 2018 at 2:09 PM
In addition to the slap, that tip about the payphone was huge. She basically helped him find the truth about the affair when she really should have found a way to keep him in the dark.
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yunyi
April 5, 2018 at 4:45 PM
Agreed. I also find it funny how she was suddenly there as if she wanted to witness the scene herself. When she appeared out of nowhere at the end I was shook😂😂 Did she just teleport to get there. That was fast!
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19 Peridot
April 5, 2018 at 2:27 PM
That underwear comment made me laugh. It's almost like an inside joke because I think along similar lines. Although I am not concerned about wearing expensive name brand clothes or undergarments, I'll sometimes make a joke about being hit by something and then paramedics seeing me in old underwear. I joke that I wouldn't want to be embarrassed (even if being in a morgue would obviate any such embarrassment). For some reason, that part just resonated with me on a funny--not morbid--level.
I love how there are many humorous moments that do not fall into the slapstick category. Instead, it's the right kind of humor in relation to the show's overall mood.
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20 pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:04 PM
HELP!!! I need someone to explain to me exactly what was going on at the bar tab seen at the beginning of the episode. I was hoping for some insight from the recap. It looked like he signed the tab, so I wondered if he put it all on his card and was supposed to take the cash for himself and then didn't? Or if not, why did he sign it? And then did the tab come up short and did he put extra money in? Did he take money from the cash register to balance it bc she was drunk (doubtful, but on first viewing that's what it seemed like) or was he just putting all the money from the cash register, and they didn't show him grabbing the rest, in the container under the bar? I had no idea it was going on but they spent enough time with the camera lingering on all of that so I thought it might've been significant, or maybe he just paid and put all that money in the container like lollipip said, and I was looking way too much into it. I watched the scene like five times lol. If he gave extra or used money from the register it would reveal something of his character, but if it was just a normal situation I guess just the fact that he's trusted w figuring out the bill, or that he was the one to make sure it was right, is telling enough. Thoughts???
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MapleSilver
April 5, 2018 at 4:21 PM
Thank you for pointing this out. I thought it must have meant something significant, too, seeing the camera linger and him putting cash in the container. Anyone know?
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egads aka Dame Maggie
April 5, 2018 at 4:27 PM
As Dong-hoon was leaving he said something about the bar being robbed before, so I thought he put the money in the 'safe' so it wouldn't be stolen. They lingered on this so much that I have a feeling it was an important detail that we will understand later.
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 10:20 PM
I'm not sure, but I think he is just the one people trust to figure out the bill when the noona owner is too drunk to do that. It also showed that he must have a really close relationship with the noona (who is she, btw? I'm so intrigued by her sudden appearance) since he even handled the money from cash register and saved it for her.
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 10:21 PM
Ah, as for the extra money he gave (I'm sure I saw him giving more than 20), I assumed he just paid for her two brothers too.
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21 yunyi
April 5, 2018 at 4:27 PM
I wanted to find out more about the meaning of the word chag-hada and found this on the internet
"'착하다' is not 'kind', 'nice', or 'good'
Okay, maybe '착하다' means all of them and more. But the thing is Koreans don't use '착하다' all that often unless you're referring to a kid or someone quite close because it also means that that person you're referring is somewhat naive or submissive. It's kind of a tricky word to use.""
I find this interesting because I watch The Return of Superman (a Korean reality show about dads bonding with their kids) and they do say this word a lot to their kids.
Despite their similar condition and growing emotional attachment, I think DH still sees JA as nothing more than a kid. A good kid.
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PeepsLeAwesomePotato
April 5, 2018 at 10:55 PM
착하다 is something like "good-hearted" or "kind-hearted". So I guess it refers to person being good at the core, though he may not be so through his actions.
If he wanted to embrace JiAn in totality as a good person, maybe he could use "좋은 사람" or something.
But the difference is so subtle.
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R Johnson
April 6, 2018 at 12:07 AM
I know zero or less Korean, but you must be right as there was a controversy over the title of the drama, The Innocent Man. The director deliberately mis-spelled it originally, because he thought the hero wasn't a nice guy at all. The grammar police made him spell it correctly after ep 3, as chakhan namja. This is from the Notes for the drama on d-addicts.
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22 diaz
April 5, 2018 at 4:28 PM
I'm so glad Kim Won Suk is directing this. I would've skipped it entirely because I don't trust this writer. Him and Shin Won Ho (Reply, Prison Playbook) are truly a gift to drama industry.
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23 pickledplumtree
April 5, 2018 at 4:34 PM
TBH ladies, if I were Ji An I'd already be so far gone I'd be planning my next kiss attack (and not to get him fired this time)!
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MapleSilver
April 5, 2018 at 5:06 PM
Yes, "no romance" be damned!
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pineapplegongzhu
April 6, 2018 at 10:11 AM
Preach it
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24 dramaandfilm16
April 5, 2018 at 5:26 PM
I loved the scene where he asked her what her name meant. He was interested in knowing more about her no matter how trivial it was while also asking something about her that didn't intrude on her pride.
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 9:17 PM
And that awkward pause when he asked her what her "An" in Ji-an mean. At first I thought she didn't like him making that small talk to her, but then she said it means "comfortable", which given her living situation would felt like the biggest irony. But then he simply said that she has good name without making any other comment. I bet his willingness to not broach a sensitive and hurtful subject is what really stunned Ji-an in their each and every interaction.
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25 mars
April 5, 2018 at 6:20 PM
So his wife doesn't wear a wedding ring, and I felt like the director was showing us her hand a lot to emphasize that. Is that normal in Korean culture or is that supposed to be an indication of the state of their marriage?
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26 Miss Flame
April 5, 2018 at 6:41 PM
I am fascinated and moved to unimaginable levels.
I have repeated this countless times, but I do not care. I love the chemistry between the protagonists, although it is not properly romantic. It no longer matters if their relationship will have or not romantic connotations, it simply fascinates me how Dong Hoon and Ji An communicate without extraordinary dialogues. There is so much depth in them that even uncomfortable silences are too eloquent. It is charming the way they begin to see under the skin of the other, trying to explain what inexplicable attraction exists there.
In appearance, their lives are opposite: Ji An lives in misery, Dong Hoon has fulfilled the expectations of the world. But in reality both are outcasts. Actually, both transit a lonely road. Meeting each other, even in these circumstances (god, she still is helping bad guys), changed the picture.
My Ajusshi depends completely on the details and body language. This raises drama's quality, very high.
Although the history of the brothers does not fit yet, the production is brilliant. And with each chapter, I will continue saying, this series is consolidated as one of the best kramas of the year.
I going to next chapter.
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27 genius04
April 5, 2018 at 8:03 PM
Yes I didnt like episode 1 and 2 but it started getting interesting on the 3rd and on the 4th I was hooked and this 5th Episode just confirm to me that this show is uniquely different and interesting and may not be every body's cup of tea but it is a must watch drama of the month
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28 meowingme
April 5, 2018 at 8:11 PM
When Dong-hoon was there waiting when Ji-an and grandma was back, my heart just kinda fell, how can my ajusshi be so awesome!
Was so unwittingly drawn to this drama, even tho watching it feels like drowning in cold, cold water and hurts my heart. It's like Misaeng all over again, but can't help rooting for the underdogs!
Him starting to see the vulnerable Ji-an beneath her thug mask is lovely to watch, but I can't help being worried he'll be hurt when he knew about her already knowing about the affair T_T
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 10:26 PM
Oh, you watch this too. Yay!
I know this drama will make my heart hurts each and every eps, but I've fallen too deep with this amazing show. Let's drown in feelings together.
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meowingme
April 5, 2018 at 10:54 PM
Yes, I'm watching! :*
Jumped on board from ep 4, and staying for as long as I can bear, so yeah, let's drown together!
Beside the blue, blue color tone, it's like drowning coz sometimes it feels like you're forced to hold your breath and cannot release all the frustration the characters feel. I'd really, really love to smack Director Yoon with some kimchi or bulgogi or a pitchfork...
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gadis
April 5, 2018 at 11:32 PM
Ugh, that person is so despicable with his very obvious ass-kissing attitude. Especially in that staff dinner scene. If only it wouldn't incriminate Dong-hoon further, I would like someone (*cough*Ji-an*cough*) to throw those raw meats to his face.
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meowingme
April 5, 2018 at 11:54 PM
*nodding vigorously*
Am hoping he'll get his comeuppance, but judging from how no "villains" got what they deserve in Misaeng, am not holding my breath...
Well, at least if it's too frustrating to watch, recaps are there.
29 UmbrellaMan
April 5, 2018 at 8:48 PM
I wonder why the decision to make the moon enlarged. This is definitely a very specific stylistic choice. It adds a layer of almost fantasy that conflicts with the dreariness of real life that is portrayed in the show.
And I loved the scene at the end. The camera setup coupled with the music was perfect. This show is just filled with really unique shots. I also noticed a lot of handheld work that gives off a more gritty vibe. All in all I am loving the directing and cinematography!
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A-Nony-Mouse
April 6, 2018 at 9:16 AM
Yeah I noticed that the moon was over the top huge just hanging on the sky. Possibly it was a moonless night and they needed to CG it in... but when Granny signed that she wanted to see the moon. It makes me realize that there are people out there that are satisfied with such a small thing like seeing the moon. Ji-An trying to fullfill her request was heartbreaking. She tried her best given her circumstances.
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30 Lang
April 5, 2018 at 9:06 PM
Am I the only one, who really likes watching the subway train scenes ? I really like how they are showing the daily commute, because it's something that I can relate to. I've been sick for about 3 days so far with strep throat and fever, and watching this show reminded me of how the daily commute on the subway is.
I think this is the only korean drama show I've watched where they show commuting scenes with so many extra people in them. I really like it.
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atz
April 6, 2018 at 1:54 AM
Get better soon.
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john
April 6, 2018 at 2:36 AM
Sorry to hear about the Strep. Wear those gloves and facemasks on the subway!
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31 noor
April 5, 2018 at 9:15 PM
Thanks for the recap/ review lollypop. Yeah, with each new episode it's clearer that Dong Hoon and Ji An are not a romantic pair but rather isolated lonely trapped people serving life sentences (!) who just get each other (and will heal through each other's presence / skills / help, to move on in life). Based on ep.s 5 and 6, DH does not seem like the type to leave his wife - because he sees Joon-young as a manipulative ambitious unlikeable and ultimately self-serving person - so he will protect his wife, who is also his family. It already seems like he blames himself for his wife's infidelity: his lack of ambition and success driving her away! So right now, I don't see this marriage ending. In fact his lack of action makes him come across as a loser. I mean, there's 'kind' and then there's a 'doormat'. DH comes across like a doormat now! And his resolution, as per ep. 7 preview, is to start an open confrontation with Joon-young over his wife! All that the wife has to do is get dumped by Joon-young and cry and say sorry to DH to stay married! All that will happen is DH redeeming himself in the eyes of his wife and colleagues by fighting back and 'winning' against Joon-young. Maybe he will get stabbed by Kwang-il for protecting Ji An too because DH tries to help everyone!!! Since Kwang-il will never leave her alone, he has to be in jail (or die) - how will that happen?! And you were right, Ji An is headed towards a one-sided unrequited love with the older man! But she'll be at peace. That's a happy end too, given how bleak everything is! This is a slice of (screwed up) life drama!
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foosha
April 5, 2018 at 10:44 PM
Why does DH have to be stabbed 😂😂 Are you from the future?? Stop spoiling us lol
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32 lemoncello
April 5, 2018 at 9:26 PM
This episode gave me so much feels: Dong-hoon fell in the snow, Ji-an brought Grandma to watch the moon, Dong-hoon situation in his workplace (it's been too much for him. He lives with such a heavy weight :((((.
Three characters I want to punch: Dong-hoon's wife who I always forget her name, Joon-young, and Director Yoon!
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33 foosha
April 5, 2018 at 10:47 PM
Is the office culture that is depicted in the show close enough to what truly happens in South Korea? I imagine working in that kind of environment would obliterate me....
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lemoncello
April 5, 2018 at 11:10 PM
That's my question too after watch a bunch of Korean drama with workplace was one of the settings.
I don't know if I can survive with that kind of culture. If I were in that work place, I must be like Dong-hoon who's going to work each morning like working in the slaughter house.
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34 Arawn
April 6, 2018 at 12:27 AM
I'm not going to go to spoiler territory having seen the episode 6 already, but I think one reason why Ji-an is so drawn to Dong-hoon is that he sees good in her. For AGES everyone has treated Ji-an like dirt with the only exception of granny and Ki-bum. Dong-hoon is, in a way, the first person to see Ji-an as a human being, a person. First one to appreciate her. First one to see something admirable in her.
They say, give a dog a bad name and you might as well kill it. This is what it means. When we expect bad things from someone, that is how she/he will behave. When we expect good and show it, most people want to reach that level and actually do behave well. Before this, no one has expected anything good from Ji-an, everyone has expected her to be an awful, useless piece of dirt. Then comes Dong-hoon and without any expectation, without wanting anything from her, just tells she's a good person.
That is addictive. No wonder Ji-an is getting hooked.
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35 redoy21
April 6, 2018 at 3:25 AM
These shows like Just Between Lovers , Prisons Playbook and Mr Ajusshi are double edged swords. The quality of these shows from stories and acting are so high that you connect with it and have an emotional connection but also it makes other show so pale in comparison that its making me harder to enjoy shows which are not on this type of level. The use of the music or the lack of it adds such an extra level of layer to it. Impressed. And obviously the high grade acting.. obviously i am biased on iu because started watching this show because of her as i am not into melos but not many can deny , she is doing heck of a job.
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36 Moonbean
April 7, 2018 at 1:19 AM
After last week’s theme of temptation and strong will this episode explores what it takes to be a good person. Contrary to the biblical saying it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven Ji An reckons it’s easy to be good if you have money. Unaware of the exchange between Ji An and halmonie Dong Hoon tells her she is a good person as if he is the one listening in to her conversations. It was so easy to tell from her reaction that she has never heard of that in her miserable life. We have been observing cracks in her armor for a while but she started to betray them a lot more now to the point she started acting on her self-conflict: slapping the team member for mouthing off, anxiously running after and watching over Dong Hoon after that torturous company dinner and despite her task and need of getting Dong Hoon fired providing him tips about the phone records. Her attitude towards him changed as well, she is now responding to his questions rather than saying he is rude for asking. Funny enough, I don’t think the only source of Ji An’s conflict and change in behavior is Dong Hoon’s integrity regardless of the situation. It is impossible not to compare the scum surrounding him to Dong Hoon. I think Ji An is disgusted by the way the CEO and his entourage as well as some of their coworkers act. After Director Yoon’s threats of hiding the disaster at the dinner from the chairman I almost expected her to send him a recording.
CEO’s explanation to Ji An as to why he is with a married woman (assuming he was honest for a change) showed he doesn’t care for her one bit. His feelings for Dong Hoon’s wife made me think the guy always had an inferiority complex about Dong Hoon, he realized his moral superiority and seduced his wife just because she was his wife. His grinning expression when he approached Dong Hoon in the flashbacks which Dong Hoon interpreted accurately immediately shows his motivation very clearly.
I found it interesting that Dong Hoon mentioned his son for the first time to Ji An. His wife’s selfishness knows no bounds, trying to persuade him to quit his job and start a business saying she would help him. This before or after you divorce him?
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37 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
April 8, 2018 at 1:36 AM
What really strikes me with this show is how aware of each other DH and Ji-an are the entire time. Even if they aren't talking or interacting with each other, they're always clocking each other and moving around each other. There's almost a sense of intimacy about it. And at this stage I'm pretty sure she's still listening in to him because she wants to feel connected to him, not because she thinks she's going to get great intel from it. It's an original and interesting dynamic to watch.
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38 Carolina
April 8, 2018 at 4:56 PM
What an interesting cliffhanger. I really hope DH figures out what his wife is up too, if he doesn't already know about her situation I hope he does or says something about it.
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MikeyD signed up
April 18, 2018 at 9:12 PM
During the couple's conversation about him starting his own firm you could just feel that DH *resented* his wife. Basically she's the only person that he's not civil to. I get the feeling he's known (without consciously 'knowing') of the affair since spring.
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39 Kar
April 8, 2018 at 6:56 PM
A question: The breaths that she listens to on the train are from him making love with the woman or what are they?
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MapleSilver
April 8, 2018 at 8:53 PM
??? What made you think he was making love with another woman? It's actually heavy breathing as he is feeling the enormous weight of his wife's betrayal.
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Kar
April 9, 2018 at 8:09 AM
With another woman, no, with the wife. He is not supposed to know about the betrayal yet. And when you listen to her breathing, you also hear hers.
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MapleSilver
April 9, 2018 at 8:55 AM
Hm..., maybe I need to rewatch this episode. I thought you were talking about the scene in episode 6, he was standing by the Han River and she ran to him thinking that he was about to commit suicide. He already knew about his wife's infidelity then. But yeah, I also heard a woman's breath and I thought it was her own mixing with his. Why don't you post your original question on episode 6 recap? I'm sure someone else was wondering the same thing.
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Kar
April 9, 2018 at 12:11 PM
I also heard it again. And maybe it was his breathing that seemed like two different breaths. I do not know. But since she spied on him all day, it would not be strange for her to hear something like that.
MapleSilver
April 9, 2018 at 1:28 PM
Can't reply to your last post, so I'll do it here. Yes, it won't be strange for her to hear him making love with his wife if she spies on him all day. But because he and wife are so much estranged they probably don't have any intimacy anymore.
40 BEANEE
May 7, 2018 at 7:22 PM
Thank you @LollyPip! Great recap and comments! With each episode a building mantra has developed in my mind "gathering puzzle pieces".. what I mean is that for me, both Dong Hoon and Ji An, through their strained yet significant interactions are slowly gathering puzzle pieces of each other (and themselves) to see where they fit into the life they each have. As so many folks have pointed out, they are kindred spirits via outcasts who for now are only surviving not yet thriving. They have reserved the truest sense of themselves only to themselves and I think with each interaction they find the puzzle pieces that make sense and somehow fit. It really makes me think about my own thoughts and feelings and what I hold to myself. Such a wonderful drama!
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41 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
April 7, 2020 at 2:40 AM
That scene at the dinner where Dong-hoon's hoobae starts ranting and raving about Dong-hoon being a loser and Ji-an smacked him one was my favourite thing.
This show really picks at the fine hierarchical goldfish bowl people in this culture live in. Constantly being judged not only against their own failed aspirations but the nuanced cultural dictates they're either trying to live up to or are being unfairly judged by.
And almost everyone in this show is defined by the things they have failed at rather than the things at which they've succeeded.
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