Come Here and Hug Me: Episodes 25-28

by mary

This show makes one of our favorite characters work hard for redemption as battle lines are drawn and everyone is forced to choose a side. Some of them get a literal knock on the head to come to their senses, but what’s a bit of blood between family, eh? And it couldn’t come at a better time because while one brother reveals a core of goodness, another discovers that embracing your dark side can have surprisingly efficient results. We all know success can be addicting.

 
EPISODES 25-28 WEECAP

The episode starts with a voiceover of Yoo-ra reading her letter of devotion to Yoon Hee-jae as we watch him brace himself for the car crash. Contrary to our expectations, Dad doesn’t murder the squad of armed cops surrounding him. He lets them take him to a hospital for his injuries where by not-a-coincidence, Yoo-ra ends up being his nurse.

In her letter, she scoffs at the hypocrites of this world and admires Dad for being true to himself. She also promises to be a better family than the real one who betrayed him.

Nurse Yoo-ra administers his meds and blocks the guard’s view while Dad uses her hairpin to pick his cuffs. Once his hands are free, it’s a simple matter of strangling his guards one by one. Yoo-ra points him down the emergency exit where “his son” Ji-hong is waiting to drive them away in an ambulance.

As news of Dad’s escape becomes public, Do-jin and Hyun-moo’s voiceover narrates, “A wicked man was born and had a family. When his wickedness was released, his family became evil too.” We see Reporter Han standing back at the station while everyone else clamors for an interview with Yoon Hee-jae’s son. Nam-gil looks annoyed at all the trouble.

At home, Do-jin asks for additional guards to be stationed around Mom and So-jin. He admits to Mom that he’s scared of putting Jae-yi in danger because of their relationship, but Mom advises him to hug Jae-yi all the more and stay with her to fill in her loss.

Jae-yi is currently slumped on the floor in front of her parents’ photos. Do-jin arrives and promises to catch Dad. In turn, Do-jin asks Jae-yi not to avoid him. She assures him she’s fine and she won’t ever hide from Do-jin. He asks for permission to move in so he can protect her. As they hug, Do-jin wonders what Yoon Hee-jae is doing at the moment.

Being disappointed by Ji-hong, is what. They’re in Yoo-ra’s living room, assessing Ji-hong’s exploits. One success for killing Park Hee-young. Two failures for being foiled by Hyun-moo and almost arrested by Do-jin. Dad tells Ji-hong to stop for now. It’s time for Yoon Hee-jae to “take a stroll.”

We rewind to a few hours before news of the escape breaks. (This show has such crazy handling of timelines, I swear!) It’s right after Jae-yi visits a sick Moo-won and he asks her to break up with Do-jin.

Moo-won opens his door thinking Jae-yi came back. “Shouldn’t you check first?” greets Hyun-moo, adding Security Tips to his list of accidental good deeds this week. He makes up for it by making veiled threats about Jae-yi to piss Moo-won off. “I’m so sick of your family,” says Moo-won. “Me too,” answers Hyun-moo, surprising a laugh from me.

Hyun-moo is still bitter about Moo-won locking him up and being the reason he watched helplessly from jail as Na-moo betrayed Dad. Moo-won scoffs at this family of monsters who blame others for their sins; from Hyun-moo to Dad to Na-moo–who reports say is a Yoon Hee-jae Lite. In typical big brother fashion, Hyun-moo won’t let anyone else bully Na-moo (that jerk). He tells Moo-won how Do-jin used himself as a meat shield to protect Jae-yi, asking how someone that selfless can be compared to Yoon Hee-jae?

Hyun-moo points out that Moo-won has a dark past too and asks if suppressing it has worked out well for him. Why not act out like Hyun-moo? Moo-won doesn’t think too highly of men who lash out just because their life sucks, telling Hyun-moo that what he does will catch up to him sooner or later. Hyun-moo is disappointed that Moo-won keeps taking the high road but he still gives him the video recording of Park Hee-young’s death, confident he’ll be too uptight to ignore the truth in it.

Hyun-moo turns to leave but a surprised Moo-won calls his name, and in a moment of vulnerability, Hyun-moo asks, “Isn’t it the same for you too?” They both feel guilt for not being there to protect their families when tragedy struck. They both have a complicated relationship with what’s left of their family. They both have violence haunting them. Moo-won can only laugh and cry in disbelief at how Hyun-moo encapsulated their living hell.

Back to the morning after Yoon Hee-jae’s escape, Nam-gil gives Reporter Han the voice recording from Park’s apartment while Do-jin’s colleagues worry that nothing has changed since 2015. People still only see Do-jin as a serial killer’s son.

Ah, but something has changed! Thanks to Hyun-moo, Moo-won now trusts Do-jin. He gives him the video recording to help with the investigation and tells him that his brother looked hurt, then asks about Do-jin’s injury. Do-jin assures him he’s fine and he’ll catch his own father to protect Jae-yi.

Do-jin goes back to Ji-hong’s father to let him know there’s conclusive evidence of his son’s guilt. He asks for help to catch Ji-hong as he can lead them to Yoon Hee-jae. He then introduces himself as Yoon Hee-jae’s son. Ji-hong’s dad must’ve understood that feeling of wanting to fix your family’s mistakes, because he finally admits that Ji-hong has been using his bank account. And am I the only one pissed that psycho fanboy has been talking a big game about strength when he’s just been buying hammers using his rich dad’s money?

The tip allows them to narrow down their search. But for now, Ji-hong is still at large, pestering Yoon Hee-jae for permission to deal with Na-moo until Dad gets mad at his audacity and warns him to leave precious Na-moo alone. How does it feel being Hyun-moo 2.0, Ji-hong?

The next day, the sister of Kim Ji-young (one of Dad’s victims) approaches Jae-yi. She saw the dating news and remembers Do-jin as the apologetic cop whose graduation they ruined. She agrees he’s a good person but wonders if Jae-yi is really unaffected by their connection. Jae-yi admits she remembers her parents all the time, and in a nearby table, Han’s eavesdropping intensifies. She later asks Kim Ji-young’s sister for an interview, promising to help raise awareness and catch Yoon Hee-jae. Nam-gil calls to congratulate Han on her Park Hee-young story and ask when she’ll do an article on Do-jin himself. Dude, stop obsessing!

Ji-hong disobeys Dad and goes after Jae-yi, popping up while she’s parking in her garage. After Ji-hong breaks the car window, Do-jin appears out of nowhere and charges him. The boy is in beast mode, throwing Ji-hong around then throwing the hammer after him. Ji-hong takes out a knife which Do-jin easily dodges and turns back on him, demanding he tell where Dad is. When Ji-hong won’t talk, Do-jin decides he can die to prove how strong he is, raising the knife with a crazy look in his eyes. Jae-yi calls out Na-moo’s name to stop him from murdering Ji-hong. Do-jin looks at her and his eyes slowly regain their soul.

After handing Ji-hong over to the police, Do-jin apologizes for scaring Jae-yi. They hug some more but he looks at his hands, remembering how many times he got close to killing Ji-hong in that fight.

Dad and Yoo-ra are on a stakeout date, watching Chief Go goofing around and making Mom laugh. They follow them to Jae-yi’s house where Mom leaves food outside the gate, too ashamed to see Jae-yi. Mom runs off when Go calls Do-jin. Once they’re separated, Yoo-ra distracts Go while Dad jumps out of the car and hits him with a hammer. “How dare you ruin my son,” he says before giving the fatal blow. Do-jin finds Go almost dead on the street. Dad watches as Do-jin’s heart breaks over his almost-Dad. Chief Go uses his last breath to remind Do-jin that he’s different from Yoon Hee-jae and not to go astray because of Go’s death. He also asks him and Mom not to cry too much.

Mom fails that request as she cries while serving food at his funeral. Do-jin is performing the duties of the eldest son. Jong-hyun and hoobae Yoon-ji cry, regretting not catching Ji-hong before he helped Yoon Hee-jae escape. (Nam-gil stands there stoically since he has no soul.)

The same thought occurs to Do-jin (about Ji-hong’s capture, not soulless Nam-gil) and he marches into Ji-hong’s holding cell, locking himself in with him. He literally strangles Ji-hong for information on Dad’s whereabouts. Then he breaks a finger to get him to talk. “I haven’t even started yet, you still have four left.” (Let’s turn away for a moment, this is normal procedure when dealing with psychopath minions.) It actually works a little since Ji-hong describes Yoo-ra, though he hides the fact that he knows the address of their hideout.

Hyun-moo checks on Mom’s shop only to find it dark with a sign “closed for funeral.” The roving cops spot him and give chase. Hyun-moo limps away desperately as he asks in voiceover, “If we weren’t born as monster’s children would we be able to live normal lives?”

In a very cruel imaginary scenario, Hyun-moo brings home groceries for Mom while she fusses over him and he complains as he eats her home-cooked meal. Hyun-moo’s imaginary So-jin even sasses him for scolding their mom. Though Hyun-moo defends himself, he gets up to make Mom rest. Imaginary Na-moo (the jerk) comes home and swipes Hyun-moo’s food, while Mom brings out the beef ribs only when Na-moo is at the table, something that Hyun-moo complains about again… which So-jin scolds him for again. After much fussing between everyone, they sit down to a family meal. This is killing me. It’s the same family dynamics minus the killing and angst. Hyun-moo’s voiceover continues, “In my imagination, that monster doesn’t exist.”

Hyun-moo continues running through alleyways, frantic to find out what happened to Mom. He stops when he sees a ghost of himself after his first attempted murder, and his voiceover ends with a sad conclusion, “However, I already became a monster. In that imagination, I must disappear as well.”

Reporter Han attends Go’s funeral and watches as Jae-yi and Mom comfort each other. She feels guilt and tells Nam-gil that if only they released the recording a bit earlier, Chief Go wouldn’t have died. Nam-gil has the gall to blame Chief for getting close to Do-jin’s family when it’s common knowledge that killing is in the blood. Is being annoying in the blood too? Because Nam-gil looks like he has generations of poophead in his blood.

Do-jin is starting to worry about the blood issue though as he looks at the hands that just tortured info out of Ji-hong, now adding bone-breaking to his monster moments.

Mom comes home to rest, but her weepy eyes turn terrified as she spots Dad waiting in the yard. The next thing we know, Mom is tied up inside her own house. She challenges Dad to just kill her already because she’s tired of living in guilt. She’s confident that Do-jin will never become a monster. Ah, but Dad saw how unhinged Do-jin was after Chief Go’s death. He tells Mom that her death will surely break his son so Dad can work on putting Humpty Do-jin back together again. Dad gets started on hitting Mom while Mom bravely laughs in his face and calls him pitiful. This is the scene Hyun-moo walks in on when he breaks into the house to check on his precious ajumma.

The show toys with my heart by cutting over to Moo-won who heard from Kim Ji-young’s sister that Jae-yi isn’t completely happy. Jae-yi says she’ll tell her boyfriend about the hurtful comments and cruel stares later when things settle down. Moo-won doesn’t dissuade her anymore but promises to at least listen and comfort her while she’s waiting for Do-jin.

Back to Hyun-moo’s ultimate test. He greets Dad and makes small stuttering talk, all while edging over to Mom. Dad can read him like a book and knows he wants to save Mom so he offers the opposite: a chance to gain his approval by killing Mom. “Noo! What are you making him do, you monster! Hyun-moo, run!” That’s what Mom and I are screaming right now.

Hyun-moo takes the hammer but pleads to spare the lady who raised him and Na-moo. Dad takes back the hammer (why let him?!) and hits Hyun-moo instead. Dad moves on to Mom but Hyun-moo grabs his leg, begging for Mom’s life, so Dad hits him again. Mom dives in front of Hyun-moo and Dad almost shrugs like “I’m gonna kill you both anyway” as he raises the hammer once more. But a very weak Hyun-moo screams Omma (finally!) before folding himself over to cover her. Dad stops, reminded of how Na-moo and Nak-won protected each other.

Hyun-moo uses the pause to ask Dad if what Do-jin said is true. That he really didn’t care about his kids, unlike this ajumma who isn’t related but worried about their wellbeing for 12 years. Dad hits him, “Yeah, you’re not fit to be my son.” He figures Hyun-moo’s death can add to Do-jin’s unhinginess. Then he blames Mom for having 4 people on her death tab. Yoo-ra calls before Dad can kill Mom too; the cops are converging on the house, forcing them to flee right now. Mom cries while a barely conscious Hyun-moo tells her to stop since they aren’t even that close. Sure, sure, Hyun-moo.

Do-jin is almost near the house when he sees Yoo-ra’s car and stops. Dad comes out of a sidestreet and they make eye contact before Dad gets in. Do-jin starts to chase the car then stops again. If Dad was here then there’s someone very dead inside that house, so he turns around and runs for home. He gets there ahead of the slooowest response team in the universe. (Seriously! He called them to check on Mom a few hammer hits ago!)

Mom wakes up in the hospital thinking it’s a bad dream until Do-jin’s face tells her otherwise. He takes her to the ICU where So-jin is sobbing over an unconscious Hyun-moo. Mom cries too but Do-jin assures her his hyung will recover.

Do-jin comes home to Jae-yi. She comforts him and in return, he reminds her to tell him if she has problems because if she endures things alone to spare his feelings, it defeats the purpose of being together.

Meanwhile Hyun-moo floats in and out of consciousness with Mom and So-jin alternating between staying by his bedside. When he’s finally sitting up, So-jin keeps asking if he understands her until he complains that she’s too loud. She wonders why he acts tough when he actually sucks as a fighter. (Don’t expose him like that!) He says it’s how Dad taught him to live. So-jin asks why he still calls Yoon Hee-jae Dad. He answers by asking why she still calls him Oppa. He tells So-jin he plans to live alone after jail and So-jin is all pffft… because he’ll come running to them when he’s worried anyway. But she stops the sass to hold his hand and sincerely thank him for saving her and Mom.

Then it’s Mom’s turn to embarrass Hyun-moo with feelings as they chide each other for sacrificing. Hyun-moo, ever the porcupine, scoffs at the absurdity of his father trying to kill him while a strange ajumma cries for his safety. Mom assures him that it wasn’t pity that drove her to go that far. She really did feel like she was their mother back then. Even if Hyun-moo was a brat, she knew that he was grumbling because he was having a bad time too. Hyun-moo complains that she only liked Na-moo back then, though there’s no bite to the complaint now. Mom apologizes and cutely asks him to stop rejecting her prison visits from now on. Hyun-moo looks away in an attempt to hide his emotions but we all know he’s marshmallow toast now.

As Jae-yi’s mom’s birthday approaches, her death becomes a common topic on the news. Reporter Han asks Jae-yi for an interview and though she’s more civil after reading Kim Ji-young’s piece, Jae-yi still declines. She doesn’t want Han to end up dying like Park Hee-young.

Speaking of news, Dad reads news of Ji-hong’s capture, annoyed that he overstepped and now caused them trouble. Yoo-ra fervently smiles at him, vowing not to disappoint him as they leave their current hideout.

During interrogation, Ji-hong is all confidence again, claiming brainwashing and a good lawyer for his defense. Do-jin baits him with more Yoon Hee-jae talk but this time, it’s Do-jin who loses his cool when Ji-hong reveals that actually, Dad didn’t want Ji-hong to hurt Jae-yi. He wanted to take care of her himself. Dad hates that Do-jin reacts violently when she’s mentioned, that’s why her death is the missing ending of his autobiography. He blames Jae-yi’s presence for distracting Na-moo from psychopath bootcamp.

Ji-hong envies Do-jin’s “inheritance” so Do-jin carelessly tells him to take that killer’s blood and hammer if he wants it that badly–but he won’t find strength by following Dad, because Dad is actually just a weakling himself who was beaten by a kid. Finally, in a tiiiny flashback, we see Na-moo glaring and striking Dad with a hammer that Christmas Eve.

Back in the present, Yoon Hee-jae is going… somewhere as he says in voiceover, “I keep wondering where my life went wrong. My mind keeps going back to twelve years ago.”

Ji-hong gives up the address of their hideout, mad at the thought that Dad pretended to be an infallible killer while using him as an errand boy. When Do-jin’s team raids it, it’s empty except for Dad’s book with a torn out dedication page “To my beloved son, let’s keep in our hearts the stories we can’t share with each other.”

Do-jin wakes up from a nightmare that Yoon Hee-jae attacked Jae-yi. He barges into Jae-yi’s room and she snuggles him to sleep so he’ll calm down.

In voiceover, Do-jin asks the same question as Hyun-moo while he gets dressed in formal clothes. “If we weren’t monster’s children could we live a normal life?” Yoo-ra calls him, saying she’ll surrender. We see that Do-jin is on his way to Jae-yi’s parents’ columbarium. He continues the narration as he picks up a hammer left amongst the flowers. “A long time ago I became another monster. Now I must once again fight the monster who created me. For Nak-won.”

COMMENTS

Okay, Do-jin. But after this monster rampage thing, you’re coming back, right? To the good side? The side that thinks self-defense is justifiable and psychopath murderers deserve to be stopped with whatever weapon is available at hand?

I’m worried for his soul but also amazed that Show is going there in giving us glimpses of the Yoon Hee-jae part of Do-jin. If Jae-yi didn’t stop him from killing Ji-hong, what would we feel about him? And does it matter that she stopped him? Or does it matter more that he *was* capable of killing Ji-hong in that moment? With pleasure?

Why do we have an imaginary line at actually taking someone else’s life? Doesn’t intent play a bigger part in it? When Do-jin threw that hammer at Ji-hong, did he become the same as Hyun-moo? Someone who wanted to kill, only escaping human judgement by chance? I don’t know the answers to the questions the show is posing to us, and I think I’ll forever be asking them. Because the opposite is taking a hard stance and being a Nam-gil. Someone who writes these rigid rules and gets caught up in the finer points of defining what hurts people, then dancing around his own definition to justify his wrongs.

I’d be glad to be a Moo-won, at least. Someone who’s initially biased but isn’t above changing his mind. And in this universe, I would rather have some killing self-defense experience than none. He just needs group therapy with reluctant buddy Hyun-moo to deal with that massive guilt.

Hyun-moo! I’m so glad that he finally stood up to Dad and he’s alive at the end of it. I was worried he’d die after five minutes of bleeding while Mom shakes him and they exchange final words–K-drama style. But he didn’t die and I don’t mind that he’s going to prison because he is a bad guy who did bad things. I’m sure he doesn’t mind going to prison either if the trade-off is he’s now free of Dad’s influence and Mom and So-jin get to visit and nag him a lot. Now that his marshmallow core is exposed, he can’t expect them to give him deference. Lots of love, yes. Deference? Not a whit. And anyway, he looks like the type of guy who secretly likes being nagged, no?

Speaking of happily henpecked, Chief Go’s death saddens me though not as much as it should. I wish his proposal scene to Mom didn’t happen in flashback and we had more scenes of them being a happy family before Yoon Hee-jae violently tore the picture apart again. I guess it’s hard to find time for happy scenes when the show has several psychopaths running around, demanding the spotlight. But he would’ve made–he did make a good father to Do-jin. Just like Mom, in his last moments, his concern is that his son doesn’t ruin his life over a death.

I’m also worried at what Go’s death did to Mom. We don’t talk about her much but she’s one of the most broken people in this show. Do-jin is just self-worrying about his guilt but Mom keeps running into Dad who reinforces her self-blame–and she doesn’t have a Jae-yi or her own mom telling her that it’s okay, she wasn’t at fault. Her only comfort was Chief Go who is now dead because of her (according to Dad’s guilt-tripping). It’s totally messed up and it’s a wonder Mom can still manage to love her children. They better shower her with love. Hyun-moo especially needs to give her 10 grumpy compliments a day. I want to see it in the finale, right after Dad and Yoo-ra die from an accident (we want to see bodies, Show) and Reporter Han exposes Nam-gil, putting him in the same cell as Ji-hong, while Do-jin and Jae-yi raise a dozen golden retrievers, giving Mom, So-jin, and Moo-won a lifetime’s supply of puppies to play with.

 
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