Reach of Sincerity: Episode 7

by TeriYaki

Our attorney’s lack of dating experience puts him at a serious disadvantage with an actress whose head is filled with romantic expectations, thanks to all of her dramas. Jung-rok quickly figures out that he needs to pursue his starlet-turned-secretary with more fervor, or risk seeing their relationship fizzle before it even gets started, because while Yoon-seo has many wonderful qualities, patience isn’t one of them.

 
EPISODE 7: “Jung-rok’s confession”

Just after Jung-rok places Yoon-seo’s hand into his pocket and confesses that she’s special, an important call interrupts him. Later, Jung-rok texts Yoon-seo, “You should get some rest for tomorrow,” and of course she reads more into it than she should and squeals, “My gosh…He’ll ask me out tomorrow.”

When Yoon-seo gets to the office in the morning, she’s greeted by a huge arrangement of flowers. Yoon-seo eagerly reads the card but realizes that they were sent to Jung-rok by the women’s organization that helped Im Yoon-hee. Upon his return, Jung-rok matter-of-factly explains, “I don’t like flowers, so I put them here for you to enjoy,” and before he can say anything else, Hye-young calls them to a meeting.

Jung-rok is about to brief the team on a case when a photo of Yoon-seo appears on the screen. Confused, Attorney Dan asks, “What crime did she commit,” and Jung-rok dramatically explains, “She…stole my heart…Jin-shim, will you go out with me?” Moved, Yoon-seo jumps up and holds out her arms, “Take me. Put me in cuffs.”

Attorney Yeon breaks Yoon-seo’s spell when he asks, “What are you doing?” Yoon-seo looks up and gasps at what was actually a photo of a man. Embarrassed, she announces that Jung-rok will surely send that man to prison and sits down, only to discover that her chair rolled away. After the meeting, Yoon-seo returns to her desk and tells herself to play hard-to-get until Jung-rok makes his move.

At quitting time, Yoon-seo sees Jung-rok sending her a finger heart and sends him two hearts of her own, but he was only cleaning a smudge on his window. Jung-rok informs her that he’ll be filing a complaint with the cleaning crew and then bids Yoon-seo good night. When she realizes that Jung-rok has no plans to ask her for a date, Yoon-seo walks out with her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

At home, Yoon-seo again pledges to play hard-to-get. She relaxes with a glass of wine and vows, “I’ll nonchalantly wait for him.”

Jung-rok is at home when a now-drunk Yoon-seo calls, “I’ve been going insane waiting for you to ask me out.” Yoon-seo announces that she’ll make the first move, but suddenly bashful, all she can do is whisper, “I like you, Mr. Kwon.” Yoon-seo admits that’s what she promised to tell Jung-rok someday.

Yoon-seo leans on her huge teddy bear (who cuts in with “I love you!”) and sweetly admits that Jung-rok now has a place in her heart. Then she starts to cry, “…I waited all day for you to say something else. But how could you humiliate me like that?” Suddenly angry, Yoon-seo yells into her phone, “I’m Oh Yoon-seo! Mr. Kwon, you’re so mean,” and hangs up.

Jung-rok walks into his kitchen where he helps himself to the beer in Se-won’s hand before presenting a “client’s” dilemma — a man told a woman that he has feelings for her and expected to take things slowly, but the woman became angry when he didn’t make another move. Jung-rok wants to knows if the man is at fault but gets annoyed when Se-won laughs about his “client”.

Before Jung-rok can walk away, Se-won announces his decision, “It’s not the man’s fault,” but he ends up siding with the woman. Se-won uses the workings of a trial to get Jung-rok to understand that his “client’s” declaration was incomplete, leaving the woman confused.

Back in his office, Jung-rok tries to text Yoon-seo but nothing sounds right, so he settles on, “…let’s meet tomorrow and talk.” Se-won walks in and suggests that the “client” should bring a gift when he asks for a date, “Going empty-handed when he asks her out is like going to a trial without any evidence.” After Se-won leaves, Jung-rok sends his text but Yoon-seo is already sound asleep on her couch.

In the morning, Yoon-seo sees Jung-rok’s text and remembers her drunken confession, convinced that Jung-rok will tell her, “Let’s never see each other again.” Hyuk-joon arrives to drive her to work but Yoon-seo asks for a white envelope — for her letter of resignation, and whimpers that she can’t go to work anymore.

When Jung-rok arrives at the office, Attorney Yeon informs him that Yoon-seo won’t be in because of a personal matter. Jung-rok is silent as everyone discusses what a dedicated employee Yoon-seo has turned out to be, especially Ms. Yang and Mr. Lee.

Attorney Yeon notices Jung-rok’s expression and tries to figure out if something happened between them. He wonders, “What if it turns out these two were dating or something,” and when Jung-rok walks off without a word, Attorney Yeon explains he was just joking.

In his office, Jung-rok remembers Se-won’s advice to prepare a gift before asking for a date and an online search for, “Things Oh Yoon-seo likes,” unearths an old interview. Yoon-seo chose her favorite restaurant for the interview, one that serves chicken feet, and described her ideal man, someone who could touch her heart, perhaps with a handwritten letter. Jung-rok looks concerned once he hears about the letter.

CEO Yeon arrives at Yoon-seo’s apartment where Hyuk-joon warns that he doesn’t think that Yoon-seo will change her mind. CEO Yeon assures Hyuk-joon that he can get Yoon-seo back to work since no one’s better at handling her than he is.

CEO finds Yoon-seo in bed and when she insists that she can’t return to the law firm, he agrees, “You should quit.” When Hyuk-joon reminds him that Writer Lee won’t give Yoon-seo the part, CEO Yeon argues she’ll be more suitable to play a bored, jobless woman after years at home.

Instead of falling for CEO Yeon’s reverse psychology tricks, Yoon-seo confesses that she’s so annoyed that she wants to kick him out. When CEO Yeon teases, “…you’ve become quick-witted after all the socializing,” Yoon-seo hits him and then walks out to get some fresh air. CEO Yeon advises a worried Hyuk-joon, “Let’s just see what happens.”

Jung-rok shops for stationery and chooses something pink covered with hearts. He settles down at a cafe to write a letter but it sounds like a court document, “Therefore, I, Kwon Jung-rok, request you, Oh Jin-shim, to officially go out with me.” He runs his hands through his hair in frustration and then has to ignore the stares of some curious women to try again.

Yeo-reum winces in pain as she reads online reports that Im Yoon-hee turned out to be a victim. She doesn’t join her coworkers for lunch and when Se-won sees them in the cafeteria and asks about Yeo-reum, he’s alarmed to hear that she hasn’t been eating.

Covered by a hoodie and a mask, Yoon-seo ducks into her favorite restaurant for chicken feet. When Jung-rok walks in and calls out her name, “Jin-shim,” she realizes that only one person calls her that and runs away, stopping only when he grabs her by her hood.

They sit on a bench together where Jung-rok asks Yoon-seo why she ran away and why she didn’t come to work. Yoon-seo admits that she’s embarrassed but Jung-rok tells her that he’s the one who should be embarrassed since he didn’t ask her out first.

Jung-rok hands Yoon-seo an envelope and reminds her about the interview where she mentioned a handwritten letter. When an excited Yoon-seo opens it in front of him, Jung-rok panics and heads back to his car to wait.

Yoon-seo reads Jung-rok’s letter, “Let’s start dating,” and runs after Jung-rok to give him a back hug and her answer, “Yes, I’d love to! Let’s date!” Jung-rok can’t hide his grin when he faces Yoon-seo, “Thank you for accepting my proposal,” and she’s just as happy, “Thank you for finally telling me.”

Yoon-seo stares at Jung-rok’s letter all the way back to her place and offers to change quickly so they can return to the office together. Jung-rok convinces Yoon-seo to take the rest of the day off and they both smile shyly when he suggests, “We should go on a date since it’s our first day as a couple.”

Yeo-reum’s boss blames her for the fallout after losing the Im Yoon-hee case. He accuses Yeo-reum of a shoddy investigation and grumbles that the case should have gone to Prosecutor Im after all.

As Yeo-reum leaves, she experiences more stomach pain but has to pull herself together when Prosecutor Im approaches. He calls Yeo-reum sloppy for failing to discover Im Yoon-hee’s innocence. Yeo-reum reminds Prosecutor Im that Im Yoon-hee covered up a crime and gets reprimanded for her insolence.

Jung-rok runs into Yeo-reum and is alarmed because she’s clearly not well. Tortured because she missed Soo-myeong’s involvement in Im Yoon-hee’s case, even though Jung-rok caught it, Yeo-reum promises that they’ll talk another time and then suddenly collapses.

At the ER, Jung-rok learns that Yeo-reum is suffering from stress-induced gastritis. He tries to call Se-won but can’t reach him. Since it’s almost time for their date, Jung-rok has to call Yoon-seo to let her know about Yeo-reum’s emergency and he reluctantly cancels their plans because he has yet to meet with a client.

Yeo-reum is surprised when she opens her eyes and sees Se-won. She asks, “What are you doing here,” and Se-won tells hers, “I could ask you the same thing.” After she’s discharged, an upset Se-won reminds Yeo-reum that she can’t allow her cases to bother her so much.

Yeo-reum confesses that she can’t stand the fact that she collapsed because of a case and she hates that Se-won saw her in that state. Se-won recalls when Yeo-reum was honest with him and could laugh and cry freely. Yeo-reum starts to cry and Se-won holds her as she sobs into his shoulder.

It’s late when Jung-rok’s meeting is over and he calls Yoon-seo to invite her for tea. Knowing that he’s had a long day, Yoon-seo urges Jung-rok to go home instead, but before they hang up, she asks for another chance at their first day as a couple. After they make plans to try again the next day, Yoon-seo stares at Jung-rok’s letter and pledges, “Alright, let’s start dating properly from tomorrow.”

Their day gets off to a bad start when Attorney Yeon announces that Yoon-seo has been temporarily assigned to work with Attorney Choi. Yoon-seo protests that Jung-rok needs her but he surprises her and agrees to Attorney Yeon’s plan.

Once they’re gone, Attorney Yeon calls his cousin to report that he split up Yoon-seo and Jung-rok, as requested. Because Hyuk-joon reported that Yoon-seo and Jung-rok don’t get along, CEO Yeon wants them kept apart from now on.

Attorney Dan ends a phone call with her newest crush just as Yoon-seo walks into the kitchen. Attorney Dan is about to tell Yoon-seo all about him until she remembers that she imposed a moratorium on any more of Yoon-seo’s advice after the courier incident.

Yoon-seo apologizes for her part in that fiasco but insists that sometimes her advice works. When Yoon-seo mentions that a couple from her dating show got married, Attorney Dan changes her tune and tells Yoon-seo all about the owner of the cafe across the street. Upset because he cancelled their date the night before, Attorney Dan laments, “it seems like I’m always the one nagging and wanting to meet.”

Yoon-seo nods in agreement, “Me too,” but then clarifies, “…if I was in your situation, I’d feel really upset too.” Attorney Dan teases that she almost thought that Yoon-seo was dating someone.

Jung-rok walks out of his office to speak with Yoon-seo but she’s not there. He glances over at Attorney Choi’s office in time to see her report for her new assignment. Attorney Choi hands Yoon-seo his schedule and she immediately recognizes the name of an actress that she worked with. To maintain Yoon-seo’s secret, Attorney Choi advises her to step out before the actress’ appointment.

When Yoon-seo seems upset that Hwang Yeon-du could be getting divorced, Attorney Choi assumes that they must be close, but Yoon-seo calls her an archenemy. Her eyes snap in anger when she remembers Hwang Yeon-du’s antics — the actress insisted on higher heels than Yoon-seo, even if she couldn’t even stand up properly in a scene, and demanded more lighting.

Angry, Attorney Choi offers to turn Hwang Yeon-du away but Yoon-seo reminds him that he’s a professional. Attorney Choi promises to act like a robot that has no feelings around Hwang Yeon-du and gets a laugh out of Yoon-seo when he practices his robot moves.

Hwang Yeon-du has already arrived for her appointment so Yoon-seo runs into Jung-rok’s office. She hides behind Jung-rok and explains that another actress just walked in and even though he offers to close his blinds, Yoon-seo decides it would be safer if she left.

Yoon-seo manages to sneak out but Hwang Yeon-du has to run back to the bathroom for her missing wallet and the two women run into each other by the elevator. Hwang Yeon-du pulls off Yoon-seo’s scarf and glasses to confirm her identity, forcing Yoon-seo to pretend that she’s a client. Hwang Yeon-du loudly exclaims that Yoon-seo must be in legal trouble again and feigns concern.

Yoon-seo asks Hwang Yeon-du if she’s a client as well but the actress brags that her life couldn’t be better, thanks to her happy marriage to a wealthy husband. Hwang Yeon-du claims that she’s there to buy the building but doesn’t want to boast about her great life, since Yoon-seo has obviously hit rock bottom. Hwang Yeon-do replaces Yoon-seo’s scarf so that she won’t be recognized by reporters, but then asks, “Or do the reporters not care about you anymore?”

That night on the drive home, Yoon-seo unloads on Jung-rok about all of the terrible things that Hwang Yeon-du did to her — such as taking the dress that she’d chosen for an awards ceremony and stealing a lead role by offering to do it for less money.

Yoon-seo wonders if it’s too late to file a lawsuit over the lost role and Jung-rok tells her that Hwang Yeon-du didn’t break the law, she just negotiated a better deal. Jung-rok’s explanation infuriates Yoon-seo, who complains that she doesn’t want legal guidance from her boyfriend.

Jung-rok realizes too late that he blew it when Yoon-seo insists that she’d take his side, no matter what, and there’s a definite chill when she concludes, “But you must not feel that way.” When Jung-rok stops in front of her complex, Yoon-seo tells him, “I’m really sorry to say this, but I don’t want today to be our first day either.” Later, Jung-rok is troubled when he thinks about all of the ways that he disappointed Yoon-seo over the past two days.

It’s late when Yoon-seo’s doorbell rings and she’s surprised to see Jung-rok, who asks her for a date. When Yoon-seo meets him outside, Jung-rok explains, “I really didn’t think we should delay another day. I don’t want to put it off anymore. Let’s make today our first day.”

Jung-rok takes Yoon-seo to an observatory, the only place open at that hour that’s special yet not crowded. As soon as Yoon-seo gazes up through the observatory, she sees a shooting star, disappointed when she realizes that Jung-rok missed it.

Yoon-seo calls Jung-rok slow, which he admits to, but he’s talking about the fact that he’s not very good at dating. Jung-rok admits, “I tend to be slow…However, I’ll take steps towards you at my own pace…Slowly, but for a long time.”

Yoon-seo is touched by Jung-rok’s words but she wants to know, “Do you like me?” When Jung-rok doesn’t answer, Yoon-seo turns away, but he pulls her into a hug and confesses, “I like you, Jin-shim. A lot.” Under the stars, Yoon-seo and Jung-rok hug one another and smile happily.

 
COMMENTS

Those meddlesome cousins, completely clueless about what’s really going on between Yoon-seo and Jung-rok. And they’re not the only ones! No one in the office has caught on, even after Yoon-seo almost went too far when she was sympathizing with Attorney Dan. The only one who may have an inkling is Hye-young, but she obviously hasn’t shared any suspicions with anyone. I can’t wait to see how everyone at Always Law reacts when they learn that Jung-rok and Yoon-seo are dating, Attorney Yeon and Attorney Choi are sure to be heartbroken.

Yoon-seo has to be the most adorable drunk that ever was, and as much as I fear for the health of her liver, her drunken escapades have been both entertaining and insightful. This episode was no different, but it was a marvel to watch Yoon-seo switch from dreamily confessing her feelings, to crying over her disappointment and then angrily scolding the object of her affection before hanging up, all in a matter of seconds! Poor Jung-rok, what has he gotten himself into?

To be perfectly honest, Yoon-seo and Jung-rok are pretty well matched, even if she is a bit of an emotional tornado. Neither one of them has any real dating experience, they’re both warm-hearted people, and they’ve come to develop a great deal of respect for one another. Jung-rok really demonstrates his worthiness as a boyfriend when he goes out of his way to communicate with Yoon-seo the way that she wants, which is very different from than anything that he’s used to. That makes each of his admissions of affection even more meaningful, especially his confession and hug at the observatory. The more that Jung-rok opens up to Yoon-seo, the easier it gets, but he still has a long way to go.

As part of Jung-rok’s romantic journey towards Yoon-seo, we were treated to not one, but two hugs in this episode, including a back hug. It was appropriate that Yoon-seo was the one to hug Jung-rok first, she could hardly contain her feelings after reading his valiant attempt at a handwritten letter. Ha! It’s turning out to be their pattern, Yoon-seo races ahead first with Jung-rok always a few paces behind her. But he does catch up, and more importantly, he wants to, because even though he hasn’t said it in words, Yoon-seo has found a place in his heart as well. Now all we’re missing is a kiss between these two.

I can’t put my finger on the continued appeal of Reach of Sincerity, so I’ve decided to just enjoy the experience. I’ve seen plenty of romantic comedies in my day, but this one has been such a feel-good experience that I know I’ll revisit it when I need something uplifting in my life. Of course, the magical pairing of the two leads has proven to be irresistible and I’m so grateful that Yoo Inna and Lee Dong-wook were reunited for this drama. I’ll confess that I’m one of those people who didn’t see The Lonely Shining Goblin, thanks to my aversion to dramas with ghosts, so I wasn’t prepared for their incredible chemistry and flawless timing. Yoo Inna and Lee Dong-wook are so much fun to watch and I find myself grinning and laughing out loud in every episode, they are just that good.

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