Angel’s Last Mission: Love: Episodes 17-18

by SailorJumun

Our ballerina and her angel have been through more than enough storms in their lifetime — storms that have led to a lot of loss and suffering. This time, they’re not sure if they can hold out until the rain stops, until they can find their rainbow. But they found it once before, so there must be some way for them to find it again.

 
EPISODES 17-18 RECAP

After Yeon-seo’s heartbroken portrayal of Giselle, Kang-woo takes her aside and asks why she’s still letting thoughts of Dan distract her. Frustrated, he admits that he’d once lost someone and gone crazy over it too, so her emotions are nothing special.
In that case, Yeon-seo replies, he must know this as well: “I may get angry and resent him, but in the end, I just really miss him. And that’s why I’m sad.”

Kang-woo yells that sadness is useless and that if Giselle and Albrecht truly loved each other, they both would’ve died. Something clicks, and Yeon-seo guesses that Kang-woo’s anger has to do with that friend he has at the Buddhist temple. He dismisses this and warns her not to disappoint him again.

At home, Yeon-seo tries calling Dan’s number, only to realize his phone was left in his room. She goes through his missed calls — all from her — and sees that her number is named “Noisy Gong,” his nickname for her. That night, she dreams of being in a field of yellow flowers and seeing her childhood friend (the younger Dan).

Later, Chief Jung finds Yeon-seo cleaning her practice room, unable to sleep. Yeon-seo admits that she dreamt of her childhood, making Jung suggest she go to “that place” to get some fresh air. So, the next day, Yeon-seo goes to the island, telling Kang-woo over the phone that she needs a day off.

He wants to speak in person, but she merely asks him to reconsider the “Giselle” ending and hangs up. He turns back for Fantasia but is blocked by the eccentric Elena. He has no idea who she is, though, and is confused as she randomly twirls around and notes that he’s more indecisive than she thought.

Yeon-seo turns away from the ocean and finds herself face-to-face with none other than Dan. She asks why he’s here, and overwhelmed from his recent revelation, he starts rambling that he came looking for answers and that those answers turned out to be painful.

She doesn’t understand what he’s saying, so she tells him to do whatever he has to do, just as she will. She walks away, telling him not to follow. And she’s slightly annoyed that he listens to her, hee.

At the nearby homestay, Yeon-seo asks one of the natives about the boy who lived in the house with the blue gate, explaining that they were friends. The native asks for more details, so she starts at the very beginning, on the day they met. She’d gone out to enjoy the rain and she’d seen little Sung-woo standing on a cliff.

Dan stands on that cliff now, narrating, “I thought it’d be better if I died. At the mere age of twelve.” He then heard someone say to be careful and turned to see Yeon-seo. She saved him from falling and, afterwards, the two became great friends.

The native and her friends stop Yeon-seo’s story, asking how she’s so confident that this Sung-woo will remember her after hanging out for only a couple of days. She brings up the most important day, when she was told she had to go away to Russia for ballet.

She’d run off to a flower field to cry, scared to leave her parents and her first friend behind. Sung-woo had found her there and held her until she was all cried out. It was then that she decided to dance and show him a rainbow, since he’d never seen one before.

Dan goes to the stage on the beach where he teared up and told Yeon-seo that she danced beautifully. As he sees the memory of them hugging, he narrates, “After meeting you, I wanted to live for the first time in my life. You were so beautiful that it made me want to see more beautiful things in life.” My. Heaaaart.

Yeon-seo tells the natives that she really wants to meet Sung-woo again. However, her face goes pale when one of the natives points out that Sung-woo was the boy who died all those years ago. His father had been abusive, so he jumped into the ocean one day. And when the police came to arrest the father, he was already gone.

Yeon-seo refuses to believe any of this, but as she wanders off, she remembers the bruises all over Sung-woo’s body and his excuses that he’d fallen. She falls to the ground in tears, ashamed that she never knew.

Dan stands on the cliff again, remembering the rainy day when his father had chased him outside. He hid behind the rocks, clinging onto the edge, until his father finally gave up and walked away.

He’d tried to hang on, but the rocks had been so slippery from the rain that he lost his hold and fell into the water.

The memory of drowning is too much for Dan — he clutches his head and yells out, falling to his knees. He and Yeon-seo cry in their respective spots on the island, mourning the loss of Yoo Sung-woo.

Meanwhile, back at Fantasia, Mr. Park (now a mole for Chief Jung) gives Director Choi a list of the dancers’ financial situations. He asks if she’ll be bribing them for votes on the “Giselle” auditions, which she laughs off.

She offers to send him abroad to visit his children, and he fearfully asks if she plans to quietly rid of him like she did to someone named Moon Ji-woong. He tells her to stop threatening him and runs out, to Choi’s confusion.

Still in a state of disbelief, Yeon-seo finds the flower field where she and Sung-woo used to play. She asks aloud why Sung-woo isn’t here and crouches down in a ball. She hears Sung-woo’s voice ask, “What are you doing here?” and turns to see Dan.

Dan helps her stand, and she shakily says that her friend died. She hated him for never writing back, and after a while, she just forgot him. She cries that she missed all the obvious signs of his abuse, but both Dan and the young Sung-woo assure her that it wasn’t her fault. Still, she can’t believe that someone who’d been so determined to grow up had died like that. She breaks into sobs, and Dan/Sung-woo silently embraces her.

The two head back to the pier, with Yeon-seo holding a small bouquet of yellow flowers. She admits that just thinking of what Sung-woo’s final thoughts must’ve been drives her crazy. To that, Dan says that Sung-woo probably thought of her. He’s sure that Sung-woo would be thankful that she’s the only one who remembers him.

The tearful Yeon-seo tosses the bouquet in the water and says, “I’m sorry I’m late, Sung-woo.” She then tells Dan to pray to his deity and ask why He would give such a horrible life to a child. Dan mutters, almost to himself, that he’d like to know why He was so harsh too.

Sometime later, we see Kang-woo arrive on the island, determined to find Yeon-seo. Dude, you are the definition of going too far.

Dan turns to Yeon-seo and apologizes for everything — for hurting her before and even now. She interprets that into him wanting to leave again, saying that everyone from her parents to her only friend left her. For her, it’s felt like she was abandoned in an endless desert. “So,” she begs, “can’t you stay by my side?”

Dan just smiles and reminds her of the three wishes she promised to grant him; he’ll be using his second wish now. He says that he’ll come back, but he has to figure out a few things first. He holds out his handkerchief and continues that his wish is for her to take care of herself in the meantime.

“You can do it, right?” he asks. She looks at him with pleading eyes and shakes her head. He gives her the handkerchief anyway, holding her hand in his before walking away. And behind them, Kang-woo is watching the whole thing.

Once Dan is gone, Kang-woo marches up to Yeon-seo and pulls her into a hug, telling her to forget “that jerk.” She wriggles free and slaps him (thank you), but he continues that she shouldn’t depend on someone like Dan. So he tells her to lean on him, since he won’t run away or disappear.

Yeon-seo steps back, wanting to make something clear: she appreciates all his help as her director, but he’s crossing the line in trying to mess with her feelings. Kang-woo apologizes for startling her but doesn’t promise that something like this won’t happen again.

That evening, Kang-woo drops Yeon-seo off at home and then stops by the Buddhist temple where Seol-hee’s ashes are kept. He takes off his ring and places it next to her urn, admitting that he feels like the average human these days.

Back on the island, Dan steps to the edge of the cliff and looks up to the sky, wondering if this is the deity’s answer to his prayer. He then jumps into the water and lets himself sink. Why was he even born, he thinks. Why did the deity let him remember everything? Though it may not be an answer, he does see a stream of light.

The next morning, before leaving, Yeon-seo ties Dan’s handkerchief around her purse strap. She also tells Chief Jung that Dan will be returning — though she doesn’t know when — so she doesn’t want a new secretary.

When Yeon-seo gets to Fantasia, Nina pulls her aside to address some rumors. Nina doesn’t like the fact that Yeon-seo is skipping practice and meeting up with their director, but Yeon-seo flatly says that it’s not like that.

Yeon-seo then asks if Nina likes Kang-woo, and though Nina denies this, Yeon-seo can see that she does. Kang-woo then appears to see what’s going on, and he’s displeased to see the handkerchief on Yeon-seo’s purse.

Kang-woo reminds Yeon-seo that he won’t be able to keep the promise she asked of him, and she calmly tells him to stay professional. The three of them head to practice, with Nina staring at Kang-woo and Kang-woo staring at Yeon-seo.

After practice, Nina’s dad takes Nina out to cheer her up a bit. He advises her to cool it with her feud with Yeon-seo, saying she’s pitiful, but Nina doesn’t think so — not when God gave her all the beauty, wealth, and talent.

None of that matters, Dad points out, since she lost her parents so early. He asks her to take care of Yeon-seo, but Nina wants to see this competition through. Dad sighs, wishing his daughters would just stay kind-hearted.

Speaking of which, Luna is busy not being kind-hearted; she’s carrying out her mom’s orders by bribing the dancers.

Yeon-seo, still thinking of Dan, sits Chief Jung down and asks — for a friend — what it means when a guy tells you to wait for them. “He’s running away,” Jung says matter-of-factly. She tells Yeon-seo to give up on this guy, knowing very well she wasn’t asking for a friend, and an upset Yeon-seo stands to leave.

Yeon-seo wonders what Dan could be doing, and we see that he’s currently navigating his way through a hospital, an ominous storm rumbling outside. He finds a room labeled “Yoo Jong-chul,” remembering that very name on the gate of his childhood home, and hesitantly walks in.

He sees the ill man in bed, and his face matches that of the man who used to beat him. His father opens his eyes, terrified to see him, especially as he starts demanding why he treated him so poorly. “I was your son,” Dan says through angry tears. “I was only twelve years old.”

Dad weakly grips Dan’s hand, struggling to speak. “I’m sorry,” Dad rasps out. “I did wrong.” Dan jumps back as Dad repeats himself over and over, as if he’d been waiting to say those words. Dan begs for him to stop and runs out, and with one last “I’m sorry,” Dad flatlines.

Dan hurries past the doctors and comes face-to-face with Hoo. He tells Hoo that he’s still angry even after Dad’s apology, and Hoo explains that humans are often like that — they do bad things, then they regret and atone for their sins. Dad did just that by donating all of his money to benefit children.

Hoo reveals that Dad even saved a child once, but Dan expresses that he has no forgiveness in his heart. He still doesn’t understand why the deity let him remember everything, and he’s not at all satisfied when Hoo says that they’re often blind to the deity’s obvious answers.

From now on, Dan plans to search for his own answers. Hoo starts to say, “You’re not, by any chance…” but Dan interrupts by thanking him for looking after him. He then turns and leaves the hospital.

Dan goes to drown his sorrows in the neighborhood bar, where Kang-woo appears and confronts him once and for all, addressing him as “Angel Dan.” He pushes Dan’s sleeve up, revealing that the healed wounds gave him away.

Kang-woo warns Dan to stay away from Yeon-seo if he doesn’t want his terrifying identity revealed. He plans to keep Dan’s promise of making Yeon-seo happy, so he tells Dan not to worry and to get lost. He gets up, leaving Dan completely speechless.

The next day, Mr. Park informs Chief Jung over the phone that he recorded his conversation with Choi about the bribes. Before he can explain further, someone snatches his phone — Uncle Kim.

Kim gets on his knees and begs Park to withhold information until Nina’s big break. After “Giselle,” he swears that he’ll go to the police and accept the punishment himself. Park, now conflicted, doesn’t know how to answer.

Chief Jung continues her investigation by meeting up with a masked man. “You were on the lighting team three years ago, right?” Jung asks. “Mr. Moon Ji-woong?” Mr. Moon takes off his mask, ready to talk.

Dan is starting his own investigation on Kang-woo by sneaking into his apartment. Though, he needs a little help from an annoyed Hoo (disguised as Kang-woo) to get past the lobby’s guard.

Once inside, Dan opens Kang-woo’s laptop and sees that the background picture is… Yeon-seo? No, Dan realizes — it’s someone else. He watches the home videos of Seol-hee on the TV until Kang-woo finally comes home.

Dan faces Kang-woo and admits that he thought Kang-woo was Yeon-seo’s destiny. Finding Yeon-seo love was his last mission before returning to heaven. Kang-woo says that his mission is complete then, but Dan firmly states that he’s no longer needed. In fact, he thinks it’s Kang-woo who should back off from Yeon-seo.

Kang-woo smirks and asks if Dan wants to become Yeon-seo’s destiny now. “That’s none of your business,” Dan says. “Whether I turn into dust or disappear, that’s for me to deal with.” Kang-woo steps forward and snaps that Dan better hope he disappears, because the alternative punishment would be worse than he can imagine.

Night falls, and Yeon-seo sits out in her courtyard, plucking rose petals and playing the “He will come, he won’t come” game. After several roses giving her the “He won’t come” answer, she curses and throws them to the ground. And that’s when she sees Dan standing in front of her. Omo, he really came.

He apologizes for coming late, and she shakes her head, just happy that he’s here and, hopefully, done with whatever he had to figure out. She tells him not to leave again, nor get sick or die in her presence, and he wordlessly nods.

She stubbornly holds out her pinky, wanting an official promise. He steps closer, but instead of locking pinkies, he cups her face and looks deep into her eyes. “I love you,” he confesses. “I love you, Lee Yeon-seo.”

He smiles at her surprised expression and then pulls her in for a kiss, which she happily reciprocates.

   
COMMENTS

Yay, he told her he loves her! But oh no, he told her he loves her… I’m glad he did (finally some needed relief for our heroine), but that just means he’s accepted a potentially dangerous path. They’re really gonna do this. He may not have outright promised to stay by her side, but I think his saying he loves her is a promise that he’ll try. I’ve believed from day one that these two could make their love work, but I do hope that Dan reveals who and what he is soon. Or that she at least finds out. Because if something happens to him and she finds out later, how awful would that be? Both Dan and Kang-woo have mentioned how scary it would be for a human to see an angel, but would Yeon-seo really be that scared? She could react in a number of different ways, but something tells me that fear won’t be a factor.

Now, over halfway through the series, was the perfect time to reveal the entire childhood backstory, because I was starting to get impatient. Having Yeon-seo recount her memories and then Dan actually re-enact them was so great that the first half of the episode flew by for me. And then the sadness that enveloped both characters as they realized that Sung-woo was dead and had been for a long time — what a blow. It’s easy to understand why Dan would refuse to forgive his father, but it still surprised me a little bit. It felt like a truly human moment for him. (Also, did Dad actually die? That was somewhat unclear.) What really surprised me this episode, though, was Yeon-seo. Even after everything she has been through, even after all the times Dan has hurt her and walked away, she still trusted him enough to wait. I love this childlike innocence of hers; it urges her to trust in what she sees in Dan and not in what others — Dan included — says about him.

It was nice to see our couple stand up to Kang-woo in their own ways, but one thing he said does bother me. He told Dan that he could suffer a punishment worse than disappearing, referring to the way he lost Seol-hee. But… what does this mean? Does he believe that the black and white angels intentionally killed Seol-hee? Does he believe the same could happen to Yeon-seo? Their deity couldn’t possibly be that cruel, right? To kill an innocent human over an angel’s mistake? Though Dan’s faith is wavering, I doubt even he would believe that. Behind all his anger and frustration, Dan still has a sliver of hope that the deity pushed him and Yeon-seo together for a reason.

I want to put our main trio aside for a moment to discuss the other characters. I’ve appreciated Nina as a second female lead all this time, as well as her desire to shed her nice persona. Even so, I don’t want her to forget who she is, or forget that she’s Yeon-seo’s family. I wish she could find some kind of balance to Kang-woo’s initial advice, but it seems like she wants to go all the way to secure his heart. And unfortunately, unbeknownst to her, his heart is unattainable. I wouldn’t say she’s disappointed me, but she’s very close to doing so. Her dad, on the other hand… He needs a good talking to. If he cares so much about Yeon-seo, why would he withhold harmful information? And for a freaking ballet performance? He’s a sweet dad, but Nina would not appreciate him doing this for her sake.

Ever since the boat episode, I can’t help but compare Angel’s Last Mission: Love to You From Another Star, which is not at all a negative. Both dramas have supernatural heroes with unlikable yet, at the same time, lovable heroines. Both romances have all odds against them, and the fact that the couples could be torn apart so easily is truly scary. One issue I had with YFAS, though, was how everything was tied up. Certain things happened, and certain things weren’t explained, which bothered some people and, yeah, didn’t so much bother others. I’m seeing signs of the writer doing that here, and that worries me. She has a lot of questions set up and if she leaves most of them unanswered? I will not be happy. I like that we’re seeing Dan’s faith tested, and I like that we’re seeing him bend the rules a bit, so I’d also like him get some of the answers he’s been looking for. I don’t want some “He works in mysterious ways” spiel by the end of this.

This episode had the best ending we had in a while, not just because it had a kiss (you best believe I squealed), but because it was a sweet, vulnerable moment for our couple. I was getting nervous after Dan’s encounter with Kang-woo in his apartment, so to have Dan come home to a waiting Yeon-seo — phew, the relief! I can feel the tension building more and more with the people around them, but when it’s just those two in their own world, that’s where the magic happens. I can’t wait for the cute dating hijinks because, man, have we earned them.

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