Beauty Inside: Episode 13

by dramallama

Our power couple is truly better together, as they find the strength in each other to fend off their bullies and put them in their place. Do-jae finally seems at peace with his condition, accepting himself and sharing his weakness with his loved ones, but the origins of his condition threaten his happiness. Fate challenges our couple once again to overcome tragedy and love unconditionally.

  
EPISODE 13 RECAP

Do-jae passes by an unassuming masked grandpa at the crosswalk, but he turns around at the sudden realization that this is Se-kye. Grandpa Se-kye calls Do-jae from the other side of the street and reveals her face. She admits that she hasn’t changed back even after a week, and then, she disappears once again.

Discharged from the hospital, Woo-mi eats at Eun-ho’s house with one arm in a cast. She boasts about her calculated sacrificial accident for Se-kye and tells Eun-ho to give up seminary because he doesn’t have that sacrificial mindset. Eun-ho admits that he was considering giving up anyway.

Woo-mi meets with Do-jae in search of Se-kye, and he reveals his brief encounter with Grandpa Se-kye. He says that Se-kye hasn’t returned to her body for over a week, so Woo-mi asks about his stance on Se-kye living as a grandpa forever. Can he still love her? Do-jae doesn’t respond.

After Woo-mi leaves, Do-jae silently ponders the question and seems uncertain about loving Se-kye for the rest of his life, without caring about what others think. His thoughts are interrupted by Secretary Jung, who asks about all the face sketches in his notebook labeled as Se-kye. Do-jae recalls Se-kye’s warning about losing a rare chance to be honest, and as he tells Secretary Jung that all these people are Han Se-kye, he realizes the answer to the question and urgently leaves his office.

As Se-kye rides the bus, she sees her advertisements on the big screen and says that she misses Do-jae like crazy, even though she may be stuck in this grandpa transformation forever. When she notices Do-jae exiting his building, she gets off the bus and runs after him. She blocks Do-jae’s car, and Do-jae seems to recognize Grandpa Se-kye.

In Do-jae’s car, Se-kye admits that she decided to let Do-jae go after realizing the permanent transformation and asks his permission to watch him from afar. Do-jae asks, “What about me? After realizing that I almost let you go because I cared about what the world would think, I started to hate myself again.” He remembered his terrible life before he met and loved Se-kye, and he can’t bear to live through that again.

Do-jae turns to Se-kye and says that he’s willing to give up everything for her. He hugs her, and as Grandpa Se-kye cries on his shoulder, she transforms back into her original body. They notice her voice change, and Se-kye looks at her hands in disbelief. She’s back!

Woo-mi storms into Se-kye’s house, and the two friends scold each other for their foolishness. They hug each other in concern, and Woo-mi asks how Se-kye returned to her body. She has no idea, and they curse this capricious condition. Woo-mi jokes that she was scared that her whole company would go under with Se-kye’s permanent transformation, and they’re back to their endearing bickering friendship.

Yoo-ri overhears exercising ajummas gossip about Se-kye’s sudden disappearance, and she decides to throw some bait. She meets with Reporter Park to show him the surveillance footage from the wake and spark suspicion about the regular once-a-month disappearance from Se-kye.

The meeting goes awry when Se-kye arrives, and it seems that Reporter Park invited her. Se-kye teases Yoo-ri for her ridiculous claims about her changing faces, and the crowd at the café giggles. Se-kye suggests that Yoo-ri go to the hospital for her inferiority complex, but Yoo-ri won’t back down and warns Se-kye that she won’t be off the hook.

Then, Se-kye takes the glass of orange juice and spills it on Yoo-ri. She reminds Yoo-ri of who she is — someone who neglects her commitments, runs away from set, and plays around with men — and proudly owns that identity. Yoo-ri yells at Se-kye, but she yells right back, taunting Yoo-ri to spill juice on her. Se-kye knows that Yoo-ri can’t handle the consequences, but Se-kye sure can because she’s already unlikeable anyway.

Se-kye takes one step toward Yoo-ri and warns her not to spread senseless rumors about her changing faces. She says that she wishes she could change faces and leans in to whisper to Yoo-ri, “So that I can kill you without anyone knowing. You’ll die, and I’ll disappear. That’s called a perfect crime.” Yoo-ri freezes in fear as Se-kye walks away confidently.

At a dinner celebration, Se-kye and Woo-mi cackle at the news reports about Yoo-ri’s inferiority complex as the cause for the unbelievable rumors about Se-kye’s changing face. Eun-ho looks at his friends fearfully and says that he’s glad that he’s on their side. Do-jae agrees with a smile.

Se-kye’s dog jumps into Eun-ho’s arms and barks at Do-jae when he tries to pet it. Se-kye finds it strange that her dog would be so unfriendly, and the dog remains unrelenting in barking at Do-jae at any attempt to get near. Then, the doorbell rings, and it’s a surprise visit from Secretary Jung.

Secretary Jung marches in and accuses Do-jae for abandoning him for new friends. He invites himself to the gathering and digs in without permission, prompting Eun-ho to demand payment for the food. Secretary Jung points to Do-jae, so Eun-ho shifts his empty hand toward him. Ha.

Secretary Jung presumes that Do-jae revealed his condition to everyone there, and he feels betrayed that Do-jae didn’t inform him. Se-kye explains that there were some extenuating circumstances that hindered Do-jae from updating him, but that doesn’t assuage his anger. Do-jae offers to raise his salary, which finally cures Secretary Jung’s rage and stirs envy from Eun-ho.

Then, Se-kye’s dog jumps onto Secretary Jung’s lap, making Do-jae jealous. Do-jae approaches Secretary Jung and coos at the dog, but he’s rejected once again. Eun-ho tries to comfort him, but Do-jae continues to pout.

As Do-jae and Se-kye wash dishes after dinner, Se-kye admits that she was scared about her transformation this time. Do-jae shares that the saddest part of his condition was his inability to recognize his loved ones, so he couldn’t even love himself. He says that he thought that a situation changes if a person changes, but Se-kye taught him otherwise.

Se-kye shares that in her first transformation, a stranger risked his life to help her, and she wants to pay that kindness forward. She credits Do-jae for giving her the courage to step out into the world. Borrowing some of that courage, Do-jae decides that he’s going to tell his family about his condition, and Se-kye hugs him in encouragement.

At his family gathering, Do-jae tells Gramps about his prosopagnosia that he acquired after his accident ten years ago. Mom admits that she knew about his condition, and Gramps scolds her for hiding this secret from him and Professor Kang. Do-jae takes the blame for keeping this a secret, and Sa-ra shares that Gramps seemed ready to kick out Do-jae at any sign of weakness.

Gramps begins to cry in regret and apologizes to Do-jae for being hard on him. Do-jae apologizes for failing to meet his expectations, but Gramps calls that nonsense and claims that there’s nobody as capable as Do-jae.

Riding that wave, Sa-ra announces her plans to break her engagement with Ki-ho because she doesn’t love him. She admits that she only loved his status, which would have helped her beat Do-jae as heir to the company. Gramps and Mom blame themselves for pitting the siblings against each other, but Sa-ra tells they have more immediate matters to attend to because Ki-ho knows Do-jae’s condition.

After Sa-ra shares Ki-ho and Director Kim’s plans to enact a hostile takeover of the company with this weakness, Do-jae asks Gramps to help him out. Gramps returns to his familiar grumpy persona and scolds Do-jae for being incapable of getting rid of these snakes on his own. Do-jae smiles at crabby Gramps and the rest of his family, all offering to help Do-jae through whatever crisis lies ahead.

As they leave the gathering, Sa-ra warns Do-jae that Ki-ho will have a tantrum about breaking the engagement and asks him to handle it because he’s her older brother. She says that she has somewhere else to be, and Do-jae looks pleased by her unexpected request.

After Eun-ho gets off the phone with Sara, younger sister Aram asks if that was his girlfriend. Eun-ho tells her to mind her own business, but Aram seems sure of her accusations. Then, Sa-ra rolls up in her car and walks out to address Eun-ho, causing Aram to choke on her drink. Aram looks delighted by this pretty unni and introduces herself as Eun-ho’s sister.

Sa-ra remembers Eun-ho claiming to be on bad terms with his sister, which she now sees as a lie. She asks to borrow Eun-ho, and Aram readily agrees, encouraging Eun-ho to go with Sa-ra before she changes her mind. Eun-ho warns his sister not to say anything to their parents as Aram ushers him into the car. Watching them leave, Aram happily says that Eun-ho will be dead to her if he loses this opportunity.

As they walk into the restaurant, Eun-ho rejects Sa-ra’s offer to buy their meal because he wants to treat her, and Sa-ra wonders where he learned to be so courteous. Then, a familiar voice calls out to Eun-ho — it’s Se-kye on a date with Do-jae. Sa-ra looks alarmed to see Do-jae, who freezes and drops his chopsticks at the sight of Eun-ho with his sister.

Sitting together on a reluctant double date, Do-jae asks Eun-ho when they started seeing each other, to which Eun-ho answers: 6 o’clock. Lol. Do-jae narrows his eyes and asks for the real answer to his question, but Sa-ra interrupts and claims that she’s clinging onto Eun-ho right now.

Se-kye disapproves of Eun-ho making Sa-ra cling and says that she taught Eun-ho differently. Eun-ho turns to Sa-ra and invalidates her claim by reminding her that he refused to be just friends. Se-kye smiles in approval and pats herself on the back.

Do-jae asks again when they started seeing each other, and Sa-ra dismisses him by repeating that they met at 6 o’clock. She asks Se-kye why she likes Do-jae, since she can’t seem to understand the appeal. Se-kye claims that Do-jae recognizes her kindness more than anyone else, and Eun-ho can’t believe his ears.

It’s Do-jae’s turn, and he asks why Eun-ho likes his sister. Eun-ho says that Sa-ra’s a bad person, but that’s her charm. Do-jae disagrees, saying that Sa-ra is nice, but Sa-ra claims that she’s bad. Se-kye snickers at the cute siblings and calls them problematic. They drink to that.

Do-jae walks Se-kye home, and she asks about his reveal to his family. Do-jae shares that it went well and that Gramps even cried. Se-kye looks proud and delighted by the response, and she invites Do-jae inside for ramyun. Do-jae plays hard to get and accuses her of thinking he’s an easy man.

Meanwhile, Sa-ra rests her head on Eun-ho’s shoulder in the backseat of her car. When Eun-ho sneaks a look at her, Sa-ra asks why he’s looking. He asks why she’s leaning on him when she’s awake, so she asks why he’s letting her lean on his shoulder knowing she’s awake.

Eun-ho asks why Sa-ra hasn’t asked about him pursuing priesthood, and she responds that he would be a really bad person if he still wanted to be a priest in this situation. Eun-ho says that he’s in trouble because he’s a good person — too good that he couldn’t bear to let that bad person (Ki-ho) go to Sa-ra. She smiles at his confession and disagrees, saying that he’s a bad person.

Do-jae reveals his prosopagnosia to his employees, and the employees finally understand why Do-jae was so attentive to their appearances. Now that they’ve leaked their secret, Secretary Jung asks about his next course of action, to which Do-jae simply responds that they wait for their opponents to respond.

As expected, the secret reaches Director Kim, who seems pleased to learn about Do-jae’s illness. He immediately calls Ki-ho to share that Do-jae just disclosed his own weakness, and Ki-ho angrily orders his chauffeur to turn the car around.

Ki-ho busts into Sa-ra’s office and yells at her for playing him. Sa-ra reminds him that the secret was his gift to her, so she could use it however she wished. On second thought, she wonders if it was meant to be a bomb, and if so, she says she threw it at Ki-ho. Then, she calls off their engagement, saying that she regrets almost joining his side.

Enraged by the betrayal, Ki-ho lifts his hand to hit Sa-ra, but Eun-ho stops him. When Ki-ho asks who he is, Eun-ho identifies himself as the deliveryman. Ki-ho doesn’t believe him and derides Sa-ra for ruining their plan for a man. Sa-ra denies this and clarifies that multiple men (read: bastards) are involved in this scheme.

After Ki-ho storms out shaking in rage, Sa-ra tells Eun-ho that she wanted to show him what she was giving up, and Eun-ho says that he also wants to give up everything for her. She tells him to do that and smiles gratefully.

Ki-ho marches into Do-jae’s office and threatens to break their contract, but Do-jae isn’t intimidated. He goads Ki-ho to break the contract and belittles him for only being tolerable because of Sa-ra. Now that Sa-ra has dumped Ki-ho, Do-jae has no reason to tolerate him.

As Do-jae approaches backpedaling Ki-ho, he takes off his watch and loosens his tie, saying that he’s ready to treat Ki-ho like trash. Ki-ho warns him not to hit him, and Do-jae points to his human-sized fish tank as a threat that he could do worse.

Ki-ho cowers in fear, but Do-jae simply opens the door and tells Ki-ho to get out, threatening to kill Ki-ho and destroy his company if he ever shows up in front of Sa-ra again. Ki-ho runs for his life.

Se-kye attends an autograph event against Woo-mi’s wishes, insisting that some of her fans find solace in seeing Se-kye in person after her incidents. A long-time superfan (cameo by Heo Young-ji) reveals her tired eyes from commenting all night on Se-kye’s articles and blames Se-kye’s perfect acting for making her a fan. She then asks Se-kye to marry her, and Se-kye agrees to proposal when she has time.

Lying on Do-jae’s lap, Se-kye says that she’s fortunate to be loved for no reason. To that, Do-jae says that he’s fortunate to be loved by someone who’s loved for no reason. Se-kye asks about his day, and Do-jae says that he did some cleaning. Ah yes, cleaning trash aka Ki-ho.

Se-kye carefully asks about the accident that caused Do-jae’s condition and says that she didn’t want to open any wounds by asking too soon. Do-jae starts off by explaining that his father was a sculptor, a naturally free-spirited person, who left for Europe alone. Years after living alone with his mother, Do-jae heard about his sick father’s last wish to see Do-jae, so he left for Europe.

We jump into a flashback to watch the story unfold: After calling his mother, who planned to follow soon afterward, Do-jae noticed a frantic elderly woman (Se-kye in her first transformation) in the middle of the street with an oncoming car, and he ran to save her. As Do-jae pushed the elderly woman out of the way, he was hit by the car and lay on the ground with blood pooling by his head.

Do-jae received surgery for his injuries and lay in the hospital with his mother at his bedside, day and night. One night, Do-jae’s mother entered in a black mourning outfit, indicating his father’s death, and she gently stroked Do-jae’s face, telling him to wake up soon to see his father. When Do-jae finally regained consciousness, he was unable to recognize his mother, to her shock.

Realizing her involvement in Do-jae’s accident, Se-kye looks troubled and sits up from Do-jae’s lap. She claims that she forgot to do something at home and rushes out of his house, rejecting Do-jae’s offer to drive her home. Do-jae sweetly tells her to call when she gets home.

Se-kye sobs as she drives home and recalls all the times she berated Do-jae for not being able to recognize faces. She remembers Do-jae admitting his self-resentment due to his condition and blames herself for causing this pain.

Se-kye throws her framed transformation pictures in her memorial room to the ground and calls herself unworthy of happiness. She sinks to the ground in guilt and picks up a call from Do-jae. He worries that he should have driven her home, but Se-kye remains silent. She musters up the courage to speak and confesses that Do-jae’s condition is her fault.

 
COMMENTS

The final conflict has arrived, and it’s more anticlimactic than I had anticipated. We were clued in to the crossover with the accident long before this moment, and I wish we were kept in the dark for that element of surprise. But alas, the show made it painfully obvious that Se-kye and Do-jae were the two involved in that accident, so there was no way for me to enjoy that reveal at the end. I just hope this self-blame game doesn’t last for too long because this show becomes less interesting and more like dead weight when these two are apart and broody. I just want the cute and giggles!

I’m still puzzled by Eun-ho and Sa-ra’s relationship, but I’ve accepted that they just like each other for no apparent reason. They’re just fascinated with each other’s differences, and I guess they’re an example of how opposites attract. I’m much more into this unlikely pair when it’s not just the two of them. Seeing the reactions to this pairing from Aram, Do-jae and Se-kye was much more entertaining because we see how the cacophony of complicated relationships and mixed feelings unfold.

I hope that this show returns to its forte of quick-witted dialogue and petty banter because that’s what made me love the show and characters in the first place. The dramatic confessions and twists in fate offer a nice change in pace, but I find myself searching for something to laugh at. This show works best when it offers comedic hijinks with an unexpected glimmer of poignance, so these recent developments feel like a fish out of water. Someone please return this fish to Do-jae’s tank where it belongs.

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