My Absolute Boyfriend: Episodes 15-16

by LollyPip

As our heroine’s lovebot beings acting more strangely, so does her ex-boyfriend, resulting in a lot of emotional confusion. Everyone is acting jealous and possessive, and poor Da-da just wants some peace and quiet. But when multiple threats arise, she’s forced to face how she feels, and the truth surprises everyone.

 
EPISODES 15-16 RECAP

Young-gu surprises Da-da with a trip to the ocean, where he asks her to give him a chance. “I want to be loved now,” he says, adding that he thought his only job was to give love, but when she looks at someone else, he feels strange. He asks her not to avoid him… but Da-da suddenly realizes that she’s supposed to go to work today.

Oh noooo, Young-gu took her to the east coast, a long way from Seoul. She makes him drive her back to the city immediately, and on the way, she gives some thought to his request.

Back home, Yeo-woong insists on leaving the hospital early, preferring to rest and recover at home. Wang-joon drives her home (Yeo-woong: “I never thought I’d ride in a car driven by Ma Wang-joon!”), and she tells him that she heard he never got to speak to Da-da. He says guiltily that Da-da almost got hurt because of him, so he plans to stay away from her for a while.

Young-gu drops off Da-da at home then leaves to return the rented car. Confused about his sudden desire to be loved when he’s always said he just wants to give love, Da-da turns to Young-gu’s user manual, but she learns that there’s no such mode in his programming.

Young-gu arrives at Wang-joon’s place at exactly noon to take him to his script reading. Wang-joon asks shyly if Da-da’s injured wrist is okay, but Young-gu just stares and tells Wang-joon not to ask personal questions at work. LOL.

When they get to the station, Wang-joon hangs back in the van to finish watching an interview he recently did. He was voted most loved by all female age groups, and Young-gu asks how he achieved that. Wang-joon grins, assuming that Da-da said she doesn’t love Young-gu, and he brags to Young-gu that he has a talent you just have to be born with.

Inside the station building, Wang-joon walks past Da-da without even looking at her. Kyu-ri freaks out when she sees Young-gu following Wang-joon, assuming that he came to see her although Da-da tells her that he’s just Wang-joon’s temporary manager. Kyu-ri flirts shamelessly with Young-gu, who ignores her and tells Da-da unceremoniously, “I love you.”

She claps a hand over his mouth to stop him from calling her “girlfriend,” laughing awkwardly that her cousin learned some weird habits while living abroad. Ha, turns out he got the idea from Wang-joon’s interview, which described him as having “charm like a bulldozer.”

They all make their way to the script reading, where Da-da hides behind her script because Young-gu keeps staring at her. She motions to him to look elsewhere, but he shakes his head emphatically and shoots her very serious hand-hearts. Wang-joon can see Da-da’s distress, and gapes at Young-gu’s besotted expression.

They take a break, and when Yoo-jin spills water on his shirt, Da-da pulls out a hanky to dry him off. Young-gu sees this, which reminds him of another explanation he saw on Wang-joon’s interview for why everyone loves him — he incites maternal instincts. Young-gu grabs Kyu-ri’s water bottle and deliberately pours it down his front (Kyu-ri: “He has a six-pack!”), but Da-da just yells at him.

She pulls Young-gu aside to ask what’s gotten into him today. She asks if he’s malfunctioning or jealous, and Young-gu says he’s not programmed for jealousy, he just doesn’t want to see her with other men. He wilts, thinking that Da-da is ashamed of him, but she says it’s not like that.

Young-gu thinks of the third reason for Wang-joon’s charm — his energy to pursue a goal until he succeeds. Young-gu promises not to embarrass Da-da again, then he leans her into the wall and demands a kiss or he’ll call her “girlfriend” in front of everyone.

Da-da makes Young-gu promise to keep his word, whispers ominously that they’ll discuss this later at home, and gives him the tiniest, most reluctant peck on the cheek ever. Just when she thinks she’s safe, they see Yoo-jin standing in the doorway, shocked — he saw the kiss.

He’s grossed out, still under the impression that Da-da and Young-gu are cousins, but the only other explanation is that he’s her boyfriend. Young-gu beams as Yoo-jin assumes that Young-gu is the long-term secret boyfriend. Da-da begs him to keep her secret, and he finally leaves, giggling madly.

Da-da catches Young-gu grinning and threatens to shut him off if he does this again. Wang-joon happens to see them bickering over whether Young-gu will allow Da-da to wipe her lipstick off his face.

After the script reading, the cast and crew go out for dinner, and Young-gu continues his intense staring at Da-da. Wang-joon joins their table, but he won’t eat or drink because he’s on a diet for the show. Kyu-ri continues trying to flirt with Young-gu, and Wang-joon pays close attention when she asks Young-gu if he has a girlfriend.

Da-da makes a not-very-subtle “say no, you idiot” gesture, so Young-gu says he’s not dating anyone. Wang-joon catches the entire exchange and leaves the table in a snit.

Later, he asks Da-da why Young-gu denied dating her, and Da-da says pointedly that Wang-joon claimed not to have a girlfriend for seven years. She brings up the night he asked her to dinner and asks what he wanted to talk about, but he remembers the threats from his stalker and says he doesn’t remember.

Da-da sighs that she got her hopes up over nothing, but Wang-joon stops her with a hand on her wrist. He might be about to tell the truth, but Young-gu comes to take Da-da home. Wang-joon refuses to let him go, saying that Young-gu is supposed to be caring for him. Young-gu retorts that Da-da is always his priority, but Da-da says she’ll have Yoo-jin and Kyu-ri take her home.

As Young-gu drives Wang-joon home, the sight of the riverboat reminds Wang-joon of a date with Da-da, when she’d marveled at the pretty boat. He’d said it was all flash and no substance, and had waved off Da-da’s request to ride it anyway.

Now Wang-joon is surprised to learn that Da-da and Young-gu never rode the boat together, because something came up. He realizes that Da-da was lying when she said she didn’t go to the restaurant to meet him that night, and it makes sense why she seemed so upset.

When Young-gu drops Wang-joon off, Wang-joon gives him a carton of milk and tells him that Da-da always has one after a night of drinking. Young-gu gives it back, saying firmly that he’ll care for Da-da in his own way. Wang-joon says that Da-da will return to him eventually because of all their years of memories, but Young-gu only replies, “Real boyfriends don’t make their girlfriends suffer.”

He hands over his resume and goes home, where Da-da is still up. Young-gu asks her if something about Wang-joon is upsetting her, because he’s noticed that she has this expression every time she sees him. Instead of answering, Da-da just goes to bed, and Young-gu wonders what he has to do to make her love him.

Diana is getting frustrated with the delay in delivery of her new toy. She’s expecting her lovebot in two days, and she tells Director Park that if Kronos Heaven doesn’t come through this time, she’ll “reward” them, as she rips the head off her doll.

After striking out at Da-da’s studio, In-hyuk starts to panic that they won’t find Young-gu before Diana’s deadline. But Director Go happened to see the ring Da-da was wearing while she claimed that she hadn’t seen anyone strange near her studio, and he thinks he’s found the right place.

After a broody shower (thank you, drama gods), Wang-joon takes a look at Young-gu’s resume. Seeing that it lists Da-da’s studio as Young-gu’s address, Wang-joon freaks out at the fact that they’re living together.

Da-da wakes up to find Young-gu standing in a heart made of flower petals, a rose in his teeth and a determined expression on his face. He takes her hand and she sees that he’s also spelled out “love me” in rose petals. He gives her a bouquet of southern corn marigold flowers, which he says mean “I want to be loved by you.”

Annoyed, Da-da asks why he keeps saying that. She orders Young-gu to clean up, then goes downstairs to answer the door. It’s Director Go and In-hyuk, who shove their way past Da-da and say they’re here for Zero-Nine. Da-da says she doesn’t know who that is, but Young-gu walks into the room, giving himself away.

Da-da goes crazy and tries to shove the two men out of the house, but they push her into Young-gu. Young-gu gets angry that they touched his girlfriend and starts to crush In-hyuk’s shoulder with one hand. But Director Go recites a sequence code, and Young-gu closes his eyes and collapses to the floor.

Wang-joon comes to Real to confirm that Young-gu is living with Da-da, and finds Da-da fighting the two men as they try to carry Young-gu away. In-hyuk is shocked by the unexpected appearance of a Hallyu star, but Director Go doesn’t recognize him and says this is none of his business. Wang-joon says it’s absolutely his business when his manager is lying unconscious on the floor, and accuses them of attempted kidnapping.

In-hyuk finally gets Director Go’s attention and tells him who Wang-joon is, and that things will get very bad if anyone finds out about this. Hearing this, Da-da threatens to call the police if they touch Young-gu. A timely police siren scares them enough to make them leave, and as they scuttle away, we see Bo-won hiding outside the studio with a speaker, playing the siren noise. HA.

Bo-won goes inside and sees Young-gu, and he assures Da-da that Director Go only recited Young-gu’s temporary pause code. Da-da asks why those people were trying to take Young-gu, so Bo-won explains that Young-gu was supposed to go to a different owner, where he would be miserable, but Bo-won stole him and fled.

Wang-joon petulantly kicks through Young-gu’s flower petals while he waits for Da-da. She finally comes out of her room, and he says they need to talk.

Bo-won is with Young-gu when he wakes suddenly, asking about Da-da. He hears that she’s with Wang-joon, and he asks Bo-won what meaning a seven-year relationship holds for humans. Bo-won says it means they devoted their youth to each other, and Young-gu says he just wants to be loved by Da-da, but he feels like there’s something more precious to her.

Surprised, Bo-won focuses on the “I want to be loved” part, and asks when Young-gu started thinking that way. He doesn’t comment further, but he looks very disturbed.

Downstairs, Wang-joon asks Da-da if she came to the restaurant the night he asked her to dinner. She admits that she did, and waited for him like she’s always waited. Wang-joon starts to make excuses, but Da-da says he always has reasons and she’s tired of hearing them, because she could never object without sounding like she was whining.

She says that as much as she waited quietly, she always came in second for him, so she’s done waiting. Wang-joon starts to tell Da-da the truth about their breakup, but yet again he’s interrupted, this time by Bo-won.

Bo-won tells Da-da that he doesn’t think Young-gu can stay here anymore, now that Kronos Heaven knows where he is. He asks Da-da to take Young-gu somewhere, just the two of them, but Wang-joon doesn’t like the sound of that so he volunteers to let Young-gu stay with him. Bo-won agrees but Da-da objects, worried that Wang-joon will discover Young-gu’s true nature.

Bo-won is also worried, but it’s better than letting Kronos Heaven have him, and they won’t be able to touch him if he’s staying with a top star. Of course Young-gu doesn’t want to leave Da-da, but Bo-won says he has to go, and stay close to Wang-joon, if he wants to see Da-da again.

At Wang-joon’s house, Wang-joon tells Young-gu to sleep in the living room despite having several extra rooms. He says that one is for his robots and one is his dog, Bbobbi’s, and Young-gu just accepts it, hee. Young-gu is surprised at Wang-joon’s packed schedule, but Wang-joon says it’s been like this since he debuted.

Young-gu asks if Wang-joon gets tired, being too busy to even sleep, and Wang-joon says that people say he’s like a robot with the way he manages the hardest schedules. He doesn’t seem proud of the fact, and when Young-gu says that being so busy can make you forget about what really matters, Wang-joon agrees sadly.

Da-da walks through her empty house, and she finds a little robot wrapped in fairy lights from Young-gu, with a note that says, “Girlfriend! Think of this as me while I’m gone.” Later she finds his book, “The Happy Prince,” in his room, and as she reads the sad story she remembers Young-gu asking her to try loving him back.

She gets scared in the middle of the night when she hears a strange noise, but thankfully it’s just a cat. Da-da takes the little robot to bed with her, and she finally sleeps soundly.

In the morning, Da-da wakes to find a man in a mask standing by her bed. She screams bloody murder, but it’s just Young-gu, who came disguised so he wouldn’t be caught. Da-da is disarmed when Young-gu says he couldn’t stand not seeing her.

He’s excited to see that she slept with his robot gift, and she can’t help laughing at his eager face when he asks if it helped. She tells him to go now since it’s dangerous for him to be there.

After ignoring Young-gu’s warnings about his condition the previous evening, Wang-joon wakes up sick. He calls out for Young-gu, but finds a note saying that Young-gu went to see Da-da.

Young-gu is pleased to notice that Da-da spiffed up the spare room he’s been staying in, adding things like paper heart chains and strings of fairy lights. She tells him that she wanted to do something for him after all he’s done for her, and she even made a little wooden sign for the wall that says “Love Room.” Awww.

Young-gu asks if Da-da is giving him love, thrilled even though she says it’s not that kind of love. He helps her finish putting up the curtains, and at one point the whole thing falls on top of them, trapping them together on the couch.

They pop back up, and Young-gu laughs and says he gets it now — you don’t make memories, they make themselves. He says that moments like this will become their precious memories, and he hugs her and thanks her for the wonderful memory, but behind his back, Da-da starts to quietly cry.

Suddenly, a rock smashes through the window, narrowly missing them. Young-gu runs outside but all he sees is a car speeding away, and on the porch is a black box with dead flowers on it. Young-gu gives the box to Da-da, and when she finds the same damaged photos of her and Wang-joon inside, and a note written in what looks like blood ordering her to break up, she drops the box in horror.

There’s another note that says, “Ma Wang-joon won’t listen to me, will he?” Da-da remembers Wang-joon asking the man who tried to drop the flowerpot on her head about a black box, and how he keeps trying to tell her something serious. She calls Yeo-woong, who tells her that Wang-joon has been receiving the same threats for a while now.

She rushes to Wang-joon’s home and pounds on the door, and lets herself in when he doesn’t answer. She finds him looking desperately ill, and as soon as he sees her, he passes out.

Right on her heels, Young-gu comes in and sees Da-da is holding Wang-joon and crying.

 
COMMENTS

I’m so confused as to where the show is taking us in regards to Da-da’s choice between boyfriends. Having seen the Taiwanese version, I know how that story ends, but the romance set-up in that version was completely different. The leading lady’s human suitor was a long-time friend, not a very recent boyfriend she fully expected to be marrying soon, so the only true romantic conundrum was whether the robot truly loved her and if she could love him back.

In this version, we as an audience are being asked to evaluate which boyfriend is better — one who loves Da-da in a very human, fallible way but who treated her carelessly for years, and made a huge hurtful mistake, or one who seems to do all the right things, but it’s only programming. Young-gu looks good on paper, and he truly does try to love Da-da, but he’s only performing loving acts – until this episode, I didn’t think he had any feelings of his own (now he’s getting jealous so his ability to have emotions is in question, but I don’t feel we’ve seen enough on that to have formed an opinion yet). Then on the other side we have Wang-joon, who I do believe loves Da-da, but in a very self-serving way. For seven years he’s allowed her to do all the giving — much like Young-gu does for Da-da now — but he only made time for her when he had nothing else going on, and when he finally had a chance to validate Da-da’s seven years of waiting, he dropped the ball.

Yes, he had a good reason, but no, I don’t believe that the way he handled it was correct at all. He should have sat down with Da-da and discussed the issue and what to do about it, together, like the couple they were supposed to be. I’m so glad that Da-da finally told Wang-joon how she felt about his constant excuses for making her wait, and how she never felt she could say anything or she’d look unreasonable. Wang-joon needed to hear that, just because she waited quietly for him, didn’t mean she was happy with the way things were. And now he treats her more like a possession than a person, which just rubs me the wrong way.

(And to those who maintain that Da-da actually broke up with Wang-joon — I strongly disagree. It was the night that they’d both looked forward to for seven years, the night that Wang-joon was supposed to reveal their relationship to the world and ask Da-da to marry him, something they’d planned for seven years. But instead of talking to her first, he let Da-da watch, brokenhearted, as he broke their pact on national television. Then that same night, he had another chance to tell the truth about their relationship, but he let her be arrested as a stalker. Maybe Da-da said the actual breakup words, but it was absolutely Wang-joon’s intent to end things, and his actions made that perfectly clear.)

As for Young-gu, unlike in other robot romance dramas, he didn’t fall for Da-da because she’s special or because she was kind to him — he only “loves” her because his programming tells him that the first woman who kisses him is his girlfriend. He may be developing real feelings after the fact, and he’s a complete sweetheart, but it still falls flat when we know that the basis for his feelings is just a program. I had started to be annoyed with Da-da for never giving him a chance (by this point in the Taiwanese version it was obvious that the female lead was struggling with feelings of her own), but then I realized that if this were real life, you would fully expect the human in the equation to guard her emotions. Even a handsome, attentive robot is still, after all, a robot, and Young-gu has a lot to learn about how to act like a real boyfriend.

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