Boyfriend: Episode 10

by LollyPip

As committed to this relationship as our lovers are, lately it seems as though it’s been all hardship and very little fun. They’re still dealing with being apart, and for now there’s not much they can do but make the best of the situation. But a crisis sends them back to their roots, rekindling the romance and leading to some very important revelations.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

After reuniting, Soo-hyun asks Jin-hyuk what he was thinking about out here under the lighthouse. He says he was thinking about her, and he shows her the passage he was reading that says, “If the sea’s job is to make waves, then mine is to think of you,” which is about a mother thinking of her daughter.

They go back to the hotel for lunch, where loyal employees turn guests away from the restaurant while they eat. Soo-hyun tells Jin-hyuk that Mrs. Lee told her to spend time with Jin-hyuk and be happy while she can. They talk about how they visit places that remind them of the other, like Jin-hyuk haunting the beach and Soo-hyun spending time at Jin-hyuk’s playground.

He says sadly that the playground will be gone soon, because the owner of the land died and her children put it up for sale. Soo-hyun suggests they go there to take pictures before it closes.

She asks if it upset Jin-hyuk that she asked for time apart, and he says that what upset him was that she thought he couldn’t handle the difficulties they were facing. He tells her that he doesn’t know the solution, but that he’s determined to solve it. Soo-hyun admits that she screwed up and asks for his forgiveness, and he caves.

Soo-hyun’s mother goes to see Chairwoman Kim, who right away lets her know that her visit is unwelcome due to Soo-hyun’s recent behavior. Soo-hyun’s mother tells her that she went to Sokcho to scold Jin-hyuk, but Chairwoman Kim chuckles that it does no good to scold someone else’s child when it’s her own child that’s the problem.

Soo-hyun’s mother reluctantly admits it and asks for Chairwoman Kim’s understanding, but Chairwoman Kim is all out of patience. She says she’s no longer interested in rejoining their families, and that she won’t see Soo-hyun’s mother in the future.

Soo-hyun’s mother get on her knees to beg, but Chairwoman Kim sneers that her behavior is unseemly for someone who may soon be First Lady — not that it’s likely to happen without Taekyung Group’s help. Soo-hyun’s mother keeps begging, so Chairwoman Kim just leaves her there.

Jin-hyuk calls Driver Nam to drive Soo-hyun back to the city, worried that she’ll be too tired to make the trip twice in one day. He sends her off with a smile, but after she’s gone, Jin-hyuk looks a little sad.

Jin-myung is busy playing Cupid — he takes the day off from Dae-chan’s restaurant, then calls Secretary Jang saying that Dae-chan wants to see her, when actually Dae-chan told Jin-myung to find him a part-timer to take his shift. Secretary Jang laughs wryly like this is the dumbest thing ever, but she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. Dae-chan just sits back and watches her, greatly amused.

As they drive, Driver Nam tells Soo-hyun that he used to like a woman, but that he never confessed to her because she was beautiful, and he was shy due to his big face and having been to jail. Soo-hyun defends that all he did was write an article that upset someone, but he says that he’s still a convict who wouldn’t even have a job if not for her.

Soo-hyun points out that if not for him, she wouldn’t have any friends, because he’s the one who would help her sneak out to hang out with Secretary Jang. Finishing his story, Driver Nam says that he waited so long to confess to the woman he liked that she married someone else. Awww, he’s talking about Director Kim, isn’t he?

He advises Soo-hyun not to worry about others and just to focus on the man she loves, and when she says she worries about Jin-hyuk, Driver Nam reminds her that this is what Jin-hyuk chooses. She worries that her family will suffer, but again Driver Nam tells her that what’s important is what she and Jin-hyuk want.

Soo-hyun thanks him for telling her his story, and he warns her not to tell anyone. She promises not to tell Director Kim, and Driver Nam utterly fails at playing innocent. LOL, I knew it.

Secretary Jang is worn out at the end of the night, and she accepts Dae-chan’s offer of a beer, though she says she’s trying to stop drinking after what happened on New Year’s. Dae-chan gives her the advice to just not date guys who criticize her for making drunken mistakes, and he pays her for her hard work tonight.

He says he threw in a bit extra because he was proud of how hard she worked, which surprises her — no man’s ever said they were proud of her. Feeling sheepish, she apologizes for being so harsh to Dae-chan on their date.

Dae-chan says that even if she doesn’t want to date a guy who doesn’t have a college diploma, she can still come by for a drink when she feels lonely. Secretary Jang quips that he’s just trying to increase sales, but he says he won’t take her money.

She warns him not to hit on her because he’s not her type, but she doesn’t sound very serious. She leaves the restaurant grumbling, but also grinning ear-to-ear. Inside, Dae-chan pounds his chest and tells his heart to stop racing. Oh, you two.

Soo-hyun turns down a video call from Jin-hyuk, so he calls her the regular way and pretends to be upset. Soo-hyun admits that she feels awkward, so Jin-hyuk hangs up on her and calls again. She throws a sweatshirt over her pajamas before answering, which is so cute.

She says she still feels weird, and Jin-hyuk grins that this is one of the joys of a long-distance relationship. He wants to video call every night before bed, but Soo-hyun says she’ll have to get used to it before she commits. Jin-hyuk pouts that he doesn’t feel at all awkward and that the video call makes him like her even more.

Soo-hyun gets upset, but Jin-hyuk just giggles like she’s the cutest thing ever. They experiment with different angles, and when Soo-hyun tells Jin-hyuk that he looks handsome from every angle, he practically swoons. He says she’s never called him handsome before, but she says she thinks it constantly.

Obediently, Soo-hyun says, “You’re handsome. Really handsome. You’re the most handsome guy on Earth. You’re so handsome I can’t breathe! Jin-hyuk is the most handsome guy in the world!” He loves hearing it, but mostly he loves hearing her call him by name.

Soo-hyun says she’s not tired, but that just makes Jin-hyuk worry that she’s still taking sleeping pills so he offers to sing her to sleep. She says she’s not ready for bed and was totally working when he called, and Jin-hyuk is all, Oh, is that why your shirt is on backwards over your jammies? Soo-hyun pouts that she hates video calls, PFFT.

Jin-hyuk thanks Soo-hyun for coming all the way to Sokcho for him, but she says she only did what he always does. Jin-hyuk begs her to let him video call her every day, giving her goosebumps, and they settle in to talk some more. Soon Soo-hyun falls asleep, and Jin-hyuk whispers a sweet good night before hanging up.

The Sokcho hotel is featured in a tourism magazine, with Jin-hyuk’s good deed in finding the girl’s teddy bear as an example of their exceptional customer service. Hye-in takes a picture and texts it to Jin-hyuk then calls him, and he acts like it’s no big deal, then asks her to send the pic to his parents, hee.

His supervisor is thrilled, calling Jin-hyuk their good luck charm, and he says he gets why Soo-hyun likes him so much. He means well, but the comment makes Jin-hyuk uncomfortable.

Director Kim runs to Soo-hyun’s office to show her the article, but she’s disappointed by Soo-hyun’s lukewarm reaction. She asks that Jin-hyuk be reinstated to her PR team, arguing that between this and the year-end party, she needs him.

Instead, Soo-hyun says to give him vacation time, a bonus, and some hotel vouchers. Director Kim asks why she’s not taking the opportunity to bring him back, but Soo-hyun says sadly that he wouldn’t accept it because his good deed would lose its meaning.

Woo-seok decides to send Soo-hyun flowers and a note to try to win her over, and awww, Secretary Kim asks what to do if the flowers are sent back, adding that he doesn’t want to see Woo-seok hurt. Woo-seok says brightly that he’ll keep trying as long as it takes, and he asks Secretary Kim’s advice on what to write on the card.

Whoa, Woo-seok doesn’t just send over a bouquet — he practically fills Soo-hyun’s office with flowers, including a floral path leading to her desk. Secretary Jang finds it romantic, but Soo-hyun is annoyed that Secretary Jang didn’t send the flowers back, and she tells Secretary Jang to take them to her place if she likes them so much (Secretary Jang: “Where do I sleep, then?”).

Woo-seok calls Soo-hyun to say that he’s in the sky lounge, but she says she’s too busy to see him and tells him not to pull a stunt like the flowers again. He waits for hours, while Soo-hyun spends the rest of the day pretending he doesn’t exist.

Director Choi and Manager Lee have kept their heads down lately, but they’re back to their scheming ways as they pressure a middle manager to do something that would harm Soo-hyun. The manager worries that he could get in legal trouble, but Director Choi reassures the man that Soo-hyun won’t be able to file a suit against him because she’ll be fired.

None of them notice that there’s a man sitting nearby, video recording their entire conversation.

Soo-hyun learns that the middle manager sent an email to the owner of the Cuba property, saying that they have no intention of maintaining the garden regardless of Soo-hyun’s promise, even insulting the Cuban people and threatening to cancel the hotel plans. He admitted to sending the email, then resigned and has completely disappeared.

Her people have tried to smooth things over, but the owner is very upset and offended, and is now refusing to sell. He’s no longer accepting their calls, and once the news got out, other hotel chains are now clambering to buy the property.

Before Soo-hyun can even process this, Secretary Jang alerts her that another emergency board meeting is taking place. When she arrives, Director Choi is arguing that she’s unqualified to be the CEO, and he even mentions that Taekyung is about to sue for ownership of the Donghwa properties. Soo-hyun says that there’s been no actual lawsuit filed, accusing Director Choi of jumping the gun.

She addresses the board, saying that this email was a malicious act and that her team is doing what they can to fix the misunderstanding. She turns to leave without even sitting down, but Director Choi mutters nastily that this happened because she’s too busy with her personal life.

Soo-hyun whips around, but instead of responding to his personal comment, she says that there’s obviously someone behind the malicious email besides the manager, and that she’s going to find out who it is and reveal them.

Hye-in calls Jin-hyuk to tell him what’s happened, and her mention of the garden that belonged to the owner’s wife reminds him of the man he met who talked about his wife’s garden. He uses his reward vacation days and buys a ticket to Cuba.

As it turns out, the man who recorded Director Choi’s secret meeting works for Secretary Kim. Secretary Kim takes the video to Woo-seok, who easily traces the incident at Donghwa back to his mother.

Jin-hyuk sneaks home to pack some warm-weather clothes, and Dad hears him and comes into his room. Jin-hyuk says he’s going on a business trip and promises to stay for breakfast. Dad tells him that he saw his article and that he looked good (Jin-hyuk: “That’s because I’m so handsome.” Dad: “You take after me.” Snerk.)

At the same time, Soo-hyun decides to go to Cuba to try and talk to the landowner personally. While she’s preparing, she gets a text from Jin-hyuk: “‘If the sea’s job is to make waves, then mine is to think of you.’ That’s why I plan on doing my job. Cheer up.”

Jin-hyuk arrives in Cuba and goes to the company that was facilitating the land sale, only to be told that the owner has made up his mind not to sell to Donghwa. They won’t give Jin-hyuk the owner’s contact information, so Jin-hyuk asks them to pass on a letter, but he’s not meeting with them anymore, either.

So Jin-hyuk goes directly to the property, looking determined as he lets himself in the gate. He sits on the steps to the garden with a book, prepared to stay there until the owner shows up. He turns on the lights when it gets dark, and settles in to spend the night.

He lies there looking up at the stars, which reminds him of the poem about the stars and wishing to see one’s loved one again. Jin-hyuk remembers the first time he met Soo-hyun, not far from here, when she fell asleep on his shoulder then spent all his money on beer and dancing.

He wakes in the morning to find the landowner, Samuel, standing over him asking if they’ve met before. He gives Samuel his letter, which explains that he knows how precious the man’s garden is because he feels the same way about his hometown’s playground, which is also threatened. He asks Samuel’s forgiveness of a horrible misunderstanding, assuring him that Donghwa and its CEO want very much to protect the garden.

When he finishes reading Jin-hyuk’s letter, Samuel says he has a question, and that Jin-hyuk’s answer might change his mind. He asks if Jin-hyuk loves the CEO in his letter, and Jin-hyuk says that the hotel should be built here because Donghwa loves the garden. Samuel asks if he’s saying he doesn’t love her, and Jin-hyuk says that he misses Soo-hyun more than anything.

Samuel tells Jin-hyuk not to stay here anymore. He shows him the article in the tourist magazine, having recognized Jin-hyuk’s picture. He says that he doesn’t travel anymore after his wife died, but he loves reading the magazine. He says he’ll give Jin-hyuk an answer in the morning and returns his letter.

By the time Soo-hyun gets to Cuba, she’s learned that Jin-hyuk is here, too. He’s not answering his phone, and she forgets all about the hotel as she goes looking for him. She even stops by the cafe where they were supposed to meet on their last morning there — Jin-hyuk isn’t there, but the note he left for her on the bulletin board is still there.

It says, “I wanted to ask you this if we met again. Do you have a boyfriend?” While she’s reading it, Jin-hyuk walks in and sees her, and he calls out, “Do you have some money?” Soo-hyun turns, and with tears welling in her eyes, she asks how much money he has in mind.

They go to El Malecon Beach where they first met, but it’s closed. Jin-hyuk jumps the gate and beckons Soo-hyun over, and after a momentary hesitation, she casually slips between the bars and leads the way, ha. They manage to avoid the security guard as they sneak up to the spot where they met, and they sit on the wall to have a beer.

Jin-hyuk tells Soo-hyun that he met with Samuel, who said he’d give him an answer tomorrow. Soo-hyun seems sure that it will all work out, and they’re both glad that they could come back here where it feels so magical.

Soo-hyun gets a call from work, letting her know that Samuel has changed his mind and will sell to them. She asks Jin-hyuk how he did it, but he just jumps up and howls a loud “Thank you, Samuel!” into the night. Soo-hyun shushes him, and as she looks around to see if the guard is coming, Jin-hyuk walks over and gives her a huge backhug.

He calls Soo-hyun by name for the first time, and she smiles and says she likes it. Jin-hyuk turns her around in his arms, taking her hands, and he tells her, “I love you.” He kisses her, and kisses her, and kisses her, and the kissing continues later when they get back to her hotel room.

Epilogue.

Earlier, the owner of the cafe had moved Jin-hyuk’s note to the front of the bulletin board, interested in the unusual lettering.

Later, when Jin-hyuk yells out his thanks, the security guard comes by and sees him and Soo-hyun kissing. Smiling, he walks away, leaving them alone.

 
COMMENTS

Oh, that was beautiful. Usually I get all excited and squeeful when the couple finally says they love each other, but this time I just felt calmed, because we’ve known for ages that Jin-hyuk loves Soo-hyun and hearing it was just a confirmation of what these two already know. I’m not even frustrated that Soo-hyun didn’t say it back, because Jin-hyuk already knows how she feels (like he always does), and because she’s usually the one who takes a bit longer to get to where he is. I think that their long, slow kisses — and the fact that they ended up back at her hotel — said more than any small words could, anyway.

I just love Driver Nam and how wise he is — he’s the kind of wise that’s never experienced things for himself, but he’s smart and he watches people, so he understands them in a special way. I love that he tells Soo-hyun to live her life how she wants, and she’s taking it to heart, which is great. But it was eye-opening when Driver Nam also told her that Jin-hyuk is living the life he wants, and that it may be difficult and she may worry for him, but he’s choosing this. So many times I’ve railed at drama characters who make relationship decisions unilaterally, thinking they know what’s best for the other person but without allowing the other person even the chance to weigh in on what they want. Now here comes Driver Nam, casually saying what I’ve always wanted someone to say to those characters: Let them decide for themselves. Let them choose to face the difficult situation if that’s what they want. Worry about yourself, and give them a chance to love you despite the hardships.

I haven’t really mentioned Dae-chan and Secretary Jang as a couple, but now that it looks like things are definitely going that way, I have to say how cute I think they are. Their relationship mirrors Soo-hyun and Jin-hyuk’s in a more basic way, in the sense that Secretary Jang is from a fancier background than Dae-chan. But unlike Soo-hyun and Jin-hyuk, these two are being dragged kicking and screaming into the changes that this relationship will demand of them. Secretary Jang is so high-handed and spoiled, and she could stand to be shown that people with lower standards for happiness aren’t less than she is. And while Dae-chan admirably runs his own business, he and his restaurant are pretty scruffy, and he doesn’t seem to see a reason to do any better. They could get along fine the way they are, there’s nothing wrong with them, but my hope is that they rub off on each other in positive ways like Soo-hyun and Jin-hyuk do. Soo-hyun would be a lot more pleasant if she were less judgmental, and Dae-chan could be really successful if he cleaned himself and his restaurant up a bit and actually pursued his idea of making it a chain.

I’m so happy that Soo-hyun and Jin-hyuk got to take a break from everything and go back to Cuba where they first met, and where everything seemed so easy and shiny and possible. They needed the reminder that this whole thing began because there’s something special between them, and it’s so fitting that they confessed their feelings in the place where it all started. Honestly, I’m starting to think that the best outcome would be for them to build the Cuba hotel, then move there together to run it, leaving all the clingy puppy-eyed exes and toxic mothers and evil schemers behind and just spending every evening making out on the beach. That’s a thing that can happen, isn’t it?

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