One Spring Night: Episodes 11-12

by TeriYaki

Our pharmacist is suddenly of great interest to those closest to the conflicted librarian, which makes is more difficult for her to break free from her long-time boyfriend. Even when her boyfriend suspects that there could be someone else, the thought that Jung-in could open her heart to a single dad is unfathomable. Though denial may stall a break up, but it can’t stop a growing bond between Jung-in and our pharmacist.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

Jung-in locks her gaze on Ji-ho’s face while she tells Ki-seok that she wants to break up. Ji-ho steps outside so Jung-in can have some privacy while she tries to convince Ki-seok that she’s serious. Ki-seok asks for Jung-in’s reason but she tells him, “…let’s break up without any reason,” and with nothing more to say, she hangs up.

Jung-in lets Ji-ho back into her apartment and when he offers to leave as soon as Young-jae returns, Jung-in assures him it’s not necessary because, “This has nothing to do with you.” Ji-ho isn’t sure how he feels now that the woman that he’s attracted to just broke up with her boyfriend.

Jung-in tells Ji-ho that she isn’t sure when her confusion began, only that she avoided dealing with it. The tension eases when Ji-ho jokes that he helped out by serving as Jung-in’s punching bag.

Jae-in and Young-jae return and as they wait for the elevator, Young-jae worries that Jung-in might not want company. Jae-in reminds him that her sister is the straightforward type but Young-jae doesn’t see her that way. Annoyed that Young-jae has paid that much attention to Jung-in, Jae-in threatens to go after Ji-ho until she remembers that he likes someone.

Young-jae warns Jae-in not to mention it but once they’re upstairs and Jae-in has had a few drinks, she confronts Ji-ho, “I heard you’re head over heels for someone.” Jae-in wants to know what Ji-ho finds attractive about his mystery woman and laughs when he answers, “She’s such a fool.”

When Ji-ho gets a call from Eun-woo, Jung-in directs him to her room and cringes when she sees the clothes that she tossed onto the floor. Jung-in shoves the clothes into her closet just as Eun-woo asks Ji-ho why he isn’t talking.

Ji-ho explains that he’s at a friend’s house and the boy pries, “Are you at the teacher’s place?” Even though Ji-ho denies it, Eun-woo asks to speak to the teacher, which Jung-in overhears. Jung-in takes the phone and smiles at Ji-ho while she talks with his son. When Jung-in sweetly ends the call, “I’ll see you in your dream,” Ji-ho is overcome with emotion.

Later, the impromptu party is interrupted by the doorbell. The sisters are surprised to see that Ki-seok is the visitor and Jung-in instructs Jae-in not to come out.

When Jung-in walks out, Ki-seok can tell that she’s been drinking. Inside, Jae-in tries to keep the party going but Ji-ho keeps glancing at the door. Ki-seok argues that Jung-in needs to observe good manners but she reasons, “We have no respect for each other, so who cares how our relationship ends?”

Angry, Ki-seok insists on working things out but Jung-in warns him to lower his voice. Ki-seok wants to go somewhere else to talk but Jung-in refuses and when she tries to go back inside, he grabs her.

When everyone inside hears Jung-in protest, “Don’t do that,” Jae-in gets up to investigate. Young-jae whispers that it’s time to go but Ji-ho points out that would only make things more awkward.

One of Ji-ho’s shoes gets kicked outside when Jae-in opens the door and explains, “We have guests…” When Jae-in invites Ki-seok to join them, Jung-in sends her sister back inside, alone. Ki-seok reminds Jung-in that he gave her time to think and asks for the same consideration.

Once Jung-in returns, Ji-ho tells Young-jae, “Let’s go.” Jae-in is upset that Ki-seok ruined the fun but Young-jae insists, “We were going to leave anyway.” On his way out, Ji-ho give’s Jung-in’s shoulder a reassuring pat.

As they wait for the kindergarten bus the next morning, Ji-ho’s mother asks Eun-woo about his phone call with his father. The boy explains that he talked with the teacher, “She told me that I need to go to bed early to grow taller.”

Mom crouches down to double check that Eun-woo is talking about a woman and the boy reminds her that all teachers are women. Cute. Once the bus leaves with Eun-woo, Mom sits in the dry cleaner’s shop to think. When Dad joins her, Mom shares her suspicion, “I think Ji-ho is seeing someone,” and she’s already guessed that the woman works at the library that Ji-ho and Eun-woo visited.

Chairman Kwon arrives at the school just as Jung-in’s after, Principal Lee, returns from a meeting. Principal Lee promises to write up a report for the chairman’s benefit but Chairman Kwon suggests taking a walk together first.

Chairman Kwon offers Principal Lee a position at his foundation after his retirement. Principal Lee thanks the chairman, who uses the opportunity to counsel, “And about our kids…Marriage is a major life event, so we should really think it through…Let’s not make a rash decision.”

Ha-rin returns to her desk, puzzled about some new dinosaur children’s books that have gone missing. Ha-rin and Young-joo are surprised when Jung-in announces that she took them — for her nephew. Young-joo blinks and then points out that Jung-in has no nephews. Jung-in corrects herself, “It’s my cousin’s son,” and after she makes a hasty exit, her friends agree that Jung-in looked flustered.

As the pharmacy team prepares to close, Ye-seul offers to set up Ji-ho on a blind date but Pharmacist Wang warns her not to bother. When Ji-ho and Pharmacist Wang go out for coffee, she confesses that she misses the old Ji-ho, “You were fun, smart, and competitive.”

Pharmacist Wang knows how much Eun-woo changed Ji-ho’s life, but she’s noticed a change in Ji-ho recently. Ji-ho admits, “There’s someone I like,” and adds that because of the woman’s situation and a series of obstacles, he isn’t sure if he should pursue her.

When asked if he’d regret letting her go, Ji-ho shakes his head, “I can endure it all, she’ll obviously have a hard time because of me.” Pharmacist Wang argues, “You’ve suffered enough…Can I see that high-spirited version of you again?”

Shi-hoon stands over a shaken Seo-in in their trashed apartment and rips up a document, “Let me say this one more time. You can’t get out of this marriage.” On his way out, Shi-hoon mentions that he invited Jung-in and Ki-seok over and tells Seo-in to arrange the date.

Later, when Seo-in is about to go on the air, Shi-hoon texts a reminder to schedule the get-together. Seo-in’s co-anchor mentions rumors of a scandal and Seo-in vows not to let him down.

Seo-in submits her resignation and when her boss wonders what jerk is spreading rumors about her, she says nothing. He offers Seo-in the support of the company but she points out its inability to stop the rumors.

Seo-in’s boss worries that she has plans to join another network but Seo-in claims that she wants to study. Her boss mentions the company’s training program but Seo-in insists on keeping her plans private.

Jung-in’s mother stops at the library to talk to Jung-in. When Mom informs Jung-in that Chairman Kwon offered her father a job at the foundation, Jung-in realizes that her parents expect the offer to influence her decision about Ki-seok. Jung-in reminds her mother that this is what happened with Seo-in, which is why Jung-in and her father can’t get along.

EPISODE 12 RECAP

Ji-ho meets Hyun-soo outside of the bank and when they see Ki-seok, Hyun-soo invites him to join them for a drink. Ki-seok can’t make it since he’s on his way to see his girlfriend but after seeing Ji-ho’s shoes, he changes his mind.

Jae-in and Young-jae are out together again and Jae-in mentions that Ji-ho and Jung-in behaved suspiciously the night that they were all together. Young-jae comes to their defense — Ji-ho just went into Jung-in’s room to talk on the phone and Jung-in went in to tidy up. Jae-in persists, “Those two seem fishy, right,” and Young-jae blurts out, “Yes. I mean, no. She has a boyfriend.”

Young-joo catches up to Jung-in after work to ask if she’s on her way to end things for good with Ki-seok. When Jung-in informs her that Ki-seok cancelled, Young-joo warns, “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet.”

Over drinks, Hyun-soo asks Ki-seok why he cancelled his plans with his girlfriend. Ki-seok stares at Ji-ho before bringing up the other night. Ji-ho readily admits, “Yes, I was at the apartment. I knew you came by, but I couldn’t come out…” Ki-seok sighs in relief when Ji-ho adds that he was there with Jae-in and Young-jae.

Hyun-soo looks confused, so Ki-seok explains that his friends were invited to his girlfriend’s house by her sister. Hyun-soo comes to his friends’ defense but Ki-seok now finds the entire situation funny. Ki-seok admits that when he saw the mens’ shoes, “I got pissed because it seemed like she had someone else.”

Amused by his misunderstanding, Ki-seok tells Ji-ho, “If I had known it was you, I would’ve gone in and buried the hatchet with Jung-in.” Ki-seok looks puzzled when Ji-ho admits, “I should’ve told you the truth.”

Young-jae gets a call from Hyun-soo and has to explain, “We didn’t plan on going there and nothing happened.” Young-jae tells Jae-in that Ki-seok found out that he and Ji-ho were at the apartment and she mutters, “That was fast.”

Jung-in sees the pair on her way to her building and Jae-in informs her that Ki-seok and Ji-ho are together. When Jung-in enters her apartment, she pulls out her phone, unsure what to do.

Jae-in walks in to confront her sister about Ji-ho, “You’re the woman he likes, right?” Jung-in’s silence says everything and Jae-in has to ask, “Do you like him too?” When Jung-in confesses that she does, Jae-in summarizes, “So the two men pining over you are currently together.”

When Jung-in is about to call Ji-ho, Jae-in orders her to call Ki-seok instead to find out what he knows. Ki-seok lays it on a bit thick for the benefit of Ji-ho when Jung-in calls, “When have you ever asked me to rush over?”

Ki-seok is convinced that Jung-in probably wants to make up so Hyun-soo urges him to hurry. Ji-ho protests, “Can’t you stay…Can’t your girlfriend come here instead?” Hyun-soo pronounces Ji-ho drunk and once Ki-seok is gone, he asks, “What’s going on,” but a miserable Ji-ho can only shake his head and whisper that it’s nothing. While Jung-in waits for Ki-seok to arrive, Ji-ho tries to cheer himself up with a call to Eun-woo.

Over wine, Jae-in explains to Ki-seok, “It was my doing, so no more misunderstandings.” Ki-seok assures Jae-in that he doubted Jung-in for no reason because Ji-ho poses no threat. Jae-in doesn’t understand so Ki-seok explains that Ji-ho is a single father.

Ki-seok laughs that Ji-ho tried to stop him from coming over. Jung-in decides that he must have been drunk and Ki-seok agrees, otherwise Ji-ho’s comment would be strange. Jae-in asks Ki-seok to forget about what happened but he reminds her that it’s Ji-ho they’re talking about.

Jae-in takes exception to Ki-seok’s attitude, “You can’t judge someone just because he’s a single father. It’s out of line to say that he’s not even worth considering.” Ki-seok grumbles that he feels like the bad guy, which could have been avoided if Jung-in had reconciled with him sooner. Ki-seok grabs Jung-in’s hand to announce, “We’re thinking about getting married. Can I count on your help?” Jae-in squelches her surprise with a smile and says nothing.

Jung-in walks Ki-seok to the street and when he asks, “What will become of us,” she tells him, “It’s late.” Ki-seok wonders if she’s talking about them and pulls Jung-in into a hug that she doesn’t return. Ki-seok tries to convince Jung-in, “Let’s be more in love. I’ll do better.”

Back in her apartment, Jung-in asks Jae-in if she’s disappointed. Jae-in admits that she’s disappointed with Ki-seok and feels badly about Ji-ho. Jae-in asks if Jung-in has made up her mind and when she shakes her head, Jae-in promises, “Just know that I have your back no matter what.” Jung-in tears up when Jae-in gives her a sisterly hug.

In the morning, Ye-seul warns her boss not to go into the pharmacy because Ji-ho is in the middle of a serious phone call with a woman. In the back room, Ji-ho tells Jung-in that he knows that Jung-in’s actions were meant to protect him. When Jung-in apologizes, “I’m sorry for liking you,” Ji-ho exclaims, “What a pleasant morning.”

When Chairman Kwon drops off an herbal tonic, Ki-seok invites his father for a cup of coffee. In Ki-seok’s office, Chairman Kwon warns his son to cut ties with people who cling to him because he works at a bank, “You must be objective…Blindly believing in them will drive you off a cliff.”

Chairman Kwon informs Ki-seok that when Principal Lee retires, he’ll work for the foundation. Ki-seok is shocked when his father asks him to bring Jung-in home for a visit. Chairman Kwon laughs and asks if they broke up but Ki-seok answers that he’s marrying Jung-in.

After another intense basketball game, Ji-ho announces that he’s headed home. Ki-seok urges him to join the team for dinner and there’s an uncomfortable pause until Ji-ho agrees. Hyun-soo offers Ji-ho a ride but he decides to go with Ki-seok.

During the drive, Ki-seok asks Ji-ho why the identity of the woman that he’s seeing is a secret from Hyun-soo. Ki-seok envies the excitement of a new relationship and Ji-ho asks, “Not for you anymore?”

Ki-seok admits, “The honeymoon phase is over in about a month anyway. Once that ends, you just keep dating each other unless something happens.” When Ki-seok confirms that he’s been with his girlfriend for a long time, Ji-ho points out, “But then you could fall out of love.”

Ki-seok thinks that Ji-ho is talking about cheating, something that he would never do, but he would break up with his girlfriend if she ever cheated. When Ji-ho asks if Ki-seok could let her go, Ki-seok confesses, “I wouldn’t let go so easily…”

Ji-ho ignores a phone call but Ki-seok suspects that it’s the mystery woman and urges him answer. It’s Jung-in, who’s checking to see if Ji-ho is at the pharmacy because she has something to say. Ji-ho tells her that he just finished his basketball game and Jung-in guesses that he’s with Ki-seok. When Jung-in offers to hang up, Ji-ho pleads, “Don’t hang up.”

 
COMMENTS

It’s impossible to ignore how differently Jung-in behaves whenever Ki-seok is around. She’s tense, unhappy and overall miserable with Ki-seok but he doesn’t see it. Ki-seok seems to think that if he protests long enough, he can get Jung-in to agree to get married. What Ki-seok can’t see is how Jung-in behaves when he’s not around, she’s like a different person.

Back in Episode 4, Jung-in and Ki-seok sat on her couch when she asked him for a break. They sat as far apart as possible and Jung-in was stiff and uncomfortable. In contrast, Jung-in sits on that same couch with Ji-ho while Jae-in and Young-jae are out to pick up drinks. Even though they are seated just as far apart as Jung-in and Ki-seok were, Jung-in prepared some tea and she is relaxed and willing to make eye contact with Ji-ho. It’s Ji-ho who can’t relax yet he still manages to joke with Jung-in and gets her to smile.

It’s the same thing with the hugs. Ki-seok pulls Jung-in into a tight hug after meeting with her and Jae-in, even though Jung-in does nothing to encourage him. Jung-in sighs and rolls her eyes as Ki-seok promises to do better and it’s painful to watch him cling to her. When Jung-in returns to her apartment, Jae-in comforts her with another hug and Jung-in hugs her sister back and smiles amid her tears. It’s not that Jung-in is a cold woman, it’s that she no longer has romantic feelings for Ki-seok. Jung-in hasn’t been willing to admit that to Ki-seok, instead determined to break up with him without citing a specific reason. Even though she now has feelings for Ji-ho, that’s not the only reason that Jung-in wants to be free.

It’s worrisome to know Ki-seok’s perspective about relationships as explained to Ji-ho on that drive to the post-game dinner. Relationships get comfortable and continue if there’s no good reason to end them. That’s an awfully low standard and explains why Jung-in is so underwhelmed by Ki-seok’s suggestion of marriage. It sounds as if Ki-seok has no idea how to love Jung-in properly, which is the reason that Jae-in never warmed up to Shi-hoon. Well, there are may reasons for that but no one knows them, yet.

I get the feeling that Ki-seok never treasured Jung-in, he just continued to see her because there wasn’t a good reason not to. Ji-ho is on a different plane. Ji-ho is willing to suffer an unwanted separation and battles his temptations for Jung-in’s sake. Ji-ho does treasure Jung-in and is willing to let her go unlike Ki-seok, who won’t even consider breaking up with Jung-in. Unfortunately, Jung-in’s parents think more like Ki-seok and now that Chairman Kwon has offered Principal Lee a post-retirement position, they’re even more anxious to see their daughter married to his son.

As gruff and unpleasant as Chairman Kwon can be, if you strip away how he speaks, what he has to say makes lots of sense. Chairman Kwon is actually quite wise and preaches caution, with good reason. Marriage is a big decision and a bad choice leads to a difficult life. Ki-seok should be cautious at work because personal feelings interfere with sound decisions. I’m finding myself warming up to the man even though his delivery could use some work.

One parallel that I find adorable is the father and son connection with Jung-in. These two fell for Jung-in at first sight and can’t stop thinking about her. Eun-woo can’t wait to see her again and when he heard that Ji-ho was at a friend’s house, he instinctively knew he was talking about Jung-in. That nighttime conversation between Eun-woo and Jung-in moved Ji-ho to tears because it must have been so rewarding to know that the two people in his heart have a bond of their own. Unfortunately, Ki-seok isn’t about to step aside so that Jung-in can find happiness with someone else, especially not a man like Ji-ho, who’s a single father. Ki-seok’s refusal to acknowledge that Ji-ho is a serious romantic rival shows just how clueless he truly is.

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