Crash Landing on You: Episode 6

by LollyPip

We’re still trying to get our heroine home, but yet again, the unexpected happens and throws some players into the game that are bound to create trouble. These wild cards could be harmless or they could be very, very dangerous, depending on how much they decide to get involved. In the meantime, our star-crossed couple are growing closer despite knowing they can never be together, because even ill fate is still fate.

 
EPISODE 6 RECAP

After getting her passport photo taken, Se-ri nervously suggests that she and Jung-hyuk take a picture together, but Jung-hyuk says they have no need to remember each other. It makes Se-ri pout, but after she stomps out, Jung-hyuk purchases an extra picture of her from the photographer. Awww.

Later, Seung-joon spots Se-ri at the hotel and pulls her into an elevator, but Jung-hyuk follows them and shoves Seung-joon into the wall. Se-ri says she knows Seung-joon, but Jung-hyuk still tries to twist Seung-joon’s arm off. Se-ri tells Seung-joon that Jung-hyuk is her bodyguard, and LOL, the incredulous face Jung-hyuk makes is hysterical.

When they finally get out of the elevator, Jung-hyuk continues glaring at Seung-joon as he asks Se-ri why she’s in North Korea. She’s surprised he hasn’t heard about her disappearance, and he doesn’t mention Se-hyung telling him that she’s dead. He hears Se-hyung’s goons so he makes arrangements to see Se-ri in the coffee shop later, and he tips Jung-hyuk before scurrying off, hee.

Jung-hyuk turns his glare on Se-ri, who says that she had to think of some reason they’re together. She says she didn’t exactly lie, but Jung-hyuk argues that he isn’t protecting her… all the while protecting her from threats like people walking by and a kid’s ball. Se-ri smirks that he’s totally acting like a bodyguard.

Over coffee, Jung-hyuk asks Se-ri how she knows Seung-joon, and she says that to answer that, she has to talk about her family. She tells him that she really is the daughter of a conglomerate family, which means that everything in her life was business. She says her relationship with her brothers is very competitive, and that they introduced her to Seung-joon, a foreign national, in an attempt to marry her off and get her to leave the country.

She muses that her brothers are probably thrilled, thinking that she’s dead. But Jung-hyuk tells her that even if they didn’t get along, they must feel bad that she’s gone. Se-ri just smiles sadly — he couldn’t be more wrong.

A woman sees Jung-hyuk talking with Se-ri and calls Dan. Dan pretends that it’s no big deal, but after hanging up, she tells her mother to set up a dinner with Jung-hyuk’s parents tonight in the Pyongyang Hotel.

Jung-hyuk and Se-ri go to Se-ri’s hotel room, where Jung-hyuk casually removes or disables multiple surveillance bugs, informing Se-ri that every room in the hotel has them. He’s staying in the next room, but he tells Se-ri not to call him unless it’s an absolute emergency.

He tells Se-ri to keep a low profile if she wants this escape plan to be successful, and when she whines that she stands out among the common rabble, he tells her to take a nap because she’s delusional, ha. Se-ri gets an idea to ask Seung-joon to help her leave the country, or at least have him contact her family (she believes he’s there on business and will go home soon).

She says it was destiny that she and Seung-joon found each other, which makes Jung-hyuk scoff in disbelief. He says, just for example, that he found her after she fell from the freaking sky, then she ran away yet still ended up at his house, but he backpedals hard when Se-ri asks cutely if he wants to be her destiny.

Dan heads to the hotel and uses one of her contacts to get Jung-hyuk’s room number, and she’s not the least bit happy to see Jung-hyuk exit Se-ri’s room. She’s honest about the fact that she got a tip and came to see if it was true. Se-ri tries to explain that they’re staying in different rooms, but Dan snaps that she didn’t ask Se-ri.

Meanwhile, Seung-joon is chased through the hotel by CEO Jeon and Se-hyung’s men, and eventually he gets cornered on the roof. CEO Jeon has Se-hyung on the phone, and Seung-joon meekly apologizes. Se-hyung isn’t inclined to be forgiving until Seung-joon says that he’s seen Se-ri alive. He offers to return half of Se-hyung’s money and keep the other half in exchange for information on Se-ri’s whereabouts. This earns Seung-joon his freedom — for now.

He’s still on the roof when Dan makes her way there, and she tells him to go find a higher roof if he’s planning on jumping, ha. Seung-joon guesses that Dan is up here to brood over a guy, and in a moment of uncharacteristic openness, she tells Seung-joon that she found her fiance with another woman.

Seung-joon tells Dan not to be too bothered, because men don’t want to stay with someone who are upset by them. Dan asks what he’s doing on the roof, and he says vaguely that he’s having money trouble. She offers him similar advice — money comes to those who ignore it, and runs from those who chase it. They exchange names, and Dan even shakes Seung-joon’s hand.

Later, as Se-ri and Jung-hyuk head downstairs for their dates, Se-ri jokes that Jung-hyuk seems unharmed by Dan’s eye-lasers. She assures Jung-hyuk that Seung-joon isn’t dangerous, but he tells her to stay alert, since even people she trusts can stab her in the back. She teases him for his “I’m in love and worried” expression, and he checks her forehead to see if she’s running a fever, hee.

Dan is greatly alarmed when her mother shows up for dinner with Jung-hyuk’s family wearing a lot of makeup. I mean a lot, and her hair is huge. Her mom says she’s ready for war, and won’t let Jung-hyuk’s parents have the upper hand anymore just because she’s a widow.

Seung-joon spins a story for Se-ri in which he’s doing market research in Pyongyang for a high-profile investor, and she immediately calls it out as a lie. She only cares about the money he conned from Se-hyung, but Seung-joon says it was a misunderstanding that’s been cleared up since she went missing.

Dinner with the parents is incredibly awkward, with Dan’s mother making comments about how her daughter is getting older and still isn’t married. She grumbles that she agreed to put off the wedding so they could mourn when Moo-hyuk died, but now it’s been seven years.

Director Ri suggests that they hold the wedding at the end of next month, and says that he’ll have Jung-hyuk transferred to Pyongyang and set up the newlyweds in a house. Dan’s mother is thrilled and offers to supply them with all new appliances. Jung-hyuk agrees to everything, but Dan doesn’t say a word.

She runs into Se-ri in the ladies’ room later, and she calls Se-ri slutty for going to a hotel with one man and having coffee with another. Se-ri just grins and says that she already had coffee with Jung-hyuk earlier today, HA. Dan fires back that they’ve set a wedding date, and when Se-ri says she’ll have left by then, Dan sneers that that will be the best wedding gift ever.

While Seung-joon and Se-ri were talking, CEO Jeon had taken a picture and sent it to Se-hyung as proof that they really did find Se-ri. Se-hyung accuses Seung-joon of only having found someone who looks like her, so Seung-joon leaves the line open when Se-ri returns so that Se-hyung can hear her voice.

They leave the hotel and go for a walk, Seung-joon holding his phone so that Se-hyung can listen in. He asks Se-ri how she got here, but she says she can’t talk about it yet and will tell him once she’s back in Seoul. She asks Seung-joon to tell her father that she’s alive when he returns home, and to “continue as planned” at the shareholder’s meeting. Despite knowing that he’s not going anywhere, Seung-joon promises.

As the parents leave, Jung-hyuk sees Se-ri and Seung-joon walking together, so he follows them from the opposite side of the street. After a while he loses sight of them and goes into full-on panic mode.

Meanwhile, Se-ri and Seung-joon witness a woman being reproached for her too-short skirt, and they marvel that it really happens here. They stop smiling when they’re asked why they aren’t wearing a portrait pin of the “great leader,” so Seung-joon shows his British ID and pretends not to speak Korean, which gets rid of the guy.

Jung-hyuk catches up to them, glaring daggers at Se-ri, so she agrees to go back to the hotel with him. Jung-hyuk is very upset, complaining that he can’t protect Se-ri unless she stays where he can see her.

They stop at a bar for a beer and fried chicken, and while they drink, the lights go out. The staff pass out candles to the unconcerned patrons like this is a regular occurrence, but the lights come back on quickly.

Se-ri notices that it’s snowing and tells Jung-hyuk that where she’s from, being together during the first snow means you’ll fall in love. Jung-hyuk sighs that it would be a big mess if that happened between them, and Se-ri asks grumpily if it’s because he should be with Dan.

LOL, Jung-hyuk asks if she’s bipolar because he can’t tell what she really wants. Se-ri admits that she doesn’t understand her mood swings either.

Tired and a little drunk, she lays her head on Jung-hyuk’s shoulder, lightly punching him when he tries to push her away. She says her head is heavy because she has a lot on her mind, but Jung-hyuk complains that she’s going home soon and should be liking it. She says that liking it is the problem (I don’t think she’s talking about going home anymore).

At the same time, Secretary Hong and Soo-chan also have chicken and beer and watch the snow after giving the proof that Se-ri is alive to the police. Soo-chan is excited that Se-ri will be home soon, but Secretary Hong hopes she doesn’t come back too quickly, since he’s enjoyed having a bit of a vacation, ha.

Se-hyung and Sang-ah meet with Mr. Oh, Seung-joon’s partner in Seoul, and they instruct him to do a job for them — to make sure Se-ri “never returns” from North Korea (they don’t explicitly say they want her dead, but it’s heavily implied). At the same time, CEO Jeon tells Seung-joon that as long as Se-ri doesn’t return to South Korea, Se-hyung will forget about the money he scammed.

Chul-kang is at the State Security Department for questioning regarding the truck accidents. He seems unconcerned, and he calls his interrogator by name when he’s not supposed to know who he is. He mentions the fancy apartment the interrogator’s daughter was given when she got married and says that he sold his own antiques to pay for it, and that he’s done similar favors for officers even higher up the chain.

He’s released right away, and the senior colonel is waiting for him. Chul-kang tells the senior colonel that he took care of him when Chul-kang was orphaned, and got him where he is today, so he’ll stay loyal to him no matter what.

Chul-kang stops by to check on Seung-joon, who shows him a photo of Se-ri. He says warily that she’s a friend who’s from a rich South Korean family, and Chul-kang tells him of the plan for Se-ri to leave the country in a few days. Worried about his own neck, Seung-joon tells Chul-kang to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Se-ri informs the village wives that she’s leaving Jung-hyuk because of Dan, making out like she doesn’t want Jung-hyuk to be in pain with her around. She says dramatically that their love will be engraved on their hearts even if they’re apart, and the others grow emotional.

Wol-sook hugs Se-ri and says they’d have broken up eventually due to having such different personalities, and because Se-ri isn’t the kind of woman that in-laws like. Se-ri can’t help but take offense, and Wol-sook calls her out for acting sweet while actually talking back. Soon they’re fighting to be the first to storm out indignantly, ha.

Chul-kang takes the photo to Man-bok, who’s never seen Se-ri’s face before. He tells Man-bok that he’s been asked to keep her in North Korea, so he’ll be making money and getting rid of something that’s been bothering him, thanks to the information Man-bok has provided.

The ducklings come over for ramyun again, and Se-ri tells them that this time she’s really leaving, and that she wants to go on a picnic. Chi-soo complains, of course, but he ends up pulling the cart piled high with supplies for the picnic, hee.

Se-ri is surprised by the shovel and axes they’re bringing along (Chi-soo: I will regret sending you back in one piece instead of burying you here for the rest of my life.” LOL!), and she asks where Jung-hyuk and Eun-dong are. Eun-dong is up ahead starting a fire, but Jung-hyuk only said he had something to take care of.

When they catch up to Eun-dong, Se-ri grins at the baby pig he’s got with him… until she learns that the pig is lunch. She protests that she can’t eat the pig since she’s made eye contact with it (ha), so the piglet is spared and the guys plunder the river for fish and crabs instead.

After their feast, Chi-soo stands to recite a poem he wrote for Se-ri:

When you hammer a nail, the nail goes into the wall.
When the wind blows, a persimmon falls from the branch.
But this woman does whatever she wants.
She didn’t die when we fired a gun at her.
When we criticize her, it doesn’t affect her.
Ah, ah, ah, what a troublemaker.

But, as you are leaving soon, please do me this favor.
Be well. Don’t get hurt. Live a good life. Don’t forget us.
If you’re exposed, don’t you dare tell them my name.

Awww, I’m laughing and crying! Chi-soo’s poem has made them all sad, so Eun-dong asks Se-ri to sing. As she sings sings a song about parting from someone you care about, Jung-hyuk finally arrives, and they exchange sad looks.

Early in the morning, Jung-hyuk sends Se-ri to the airport with Kwang-bum, saying that it’s better if they say goodbye in the village. Se-ri admits that she’ll miss Jung-hyuk and that she’s upset that they won’t even be able to check on each other. Jung-hyuk says that he hopes that she forgets all about him as soon as she leaves, and that she goes back to her old life and lives well there.

He holds out a hand, and Se-ri asks for a hug instead. But Jung-hyuk just keeps his hand out, so she shakes it sadly. In his bunker, Man-bok listens to their sad farewell, and when Kwang-bum and Se-ri drive away, he does his duty and calls Chul-kang to tell him that they’ve left. But after he hangs up, he drops his head onto his desk and sobs.

As the sun comes up, Kwang-bum and Se-ri reach a remote road, and Kwang-bum notices an armored Kamaz truck approaching them from behind. It comes up quickly as if to ram into them, forcing Kwang-bum to swerve, as they realize that there’s another Kamaz truck in front of them.

Suddenly, someone on a motorcycle zooms past them on the access road, then pulls a gun and shoots out the tires of the truck that’s about to hit them head-on. Someone in the first truck starts shooting back, and the cyclist brakes hard. The Kamaz truck hits Se-ri’s vehicle and makes Kwang-bum swerve again, so he slams on the brakes.

A third Kamaz truck approaches, so Kwang-bum tells Se-ri to get out of the vehicle. But Se-ri sees the cyclist pass them on the highway, and without his helmet, she realizes that it’s Jung-hyuk. He lays down his bike, then pulls a pistol and shoots at the oncoming truck, not budging even when the truck skids to a stop only a few feet away. The truck hits the motorcycle, which explodes in a huge fireball.

Se-ri runs to Jung-hyuk to ask if he’s okay, but the Kamaz truck’s driver has gotten out and is pointing his weapon at them. Jung-hyuk grabs Se-ri and swings her around, taking a bullet in the back. Kwang-bum tries to shoot the driver but gets shot in the leg, and Jung-hyuk stays conscious long enough to kill the driver, then he passes out in Se-ri’s arms.

EPILOGUE

While everyone else enjoys their picnic, Jung-hyuk stays behind to fix up a motorcycle with special equipment that will allow it to go faster than intended. He checks out a huge arsenal of weapons from the armory, enough that the soldier in charge looks concerned and asks him if everything is okay.

On the morning that Se-ri is to leave, Jung-hyuk goes ahead, having briefed Kwang-bum on what might happen. He follows Se-ri’s truck, unseen, thinking to himself, “I made a promise to her that as long as she’s in my sight, I will protect her. No matter what.”

 
COMMENTS

This show in general, and Captain Ri in particular, are absolutely killing me in the swooniness department. Who knew that motorbikes and firearms could be so absolutely romantic? At first I thought that maybe Man-bok finally saw the light and tipped off Jung-hyuk to Chul-kang’s plans, but then it all hit me at once as he was chasing down the Kamaz trucks that he had to have known all along that Se-ri was in danger or he would never have sent her to the airport alone. And of course, he sent his toughest duckling to take care of her (and the only one who knew what to look for when the trucks came after them) for even the short time he couldn’t be by Se-ri’s side. Se-ri was right, it’s just that neither of them know it yet — Jung-hyuk is in love.

I’m worried for him though, and not just because he’s been badly shot. He signed out a whole lot of firepower under his own name, and he just took down some very expensive military vehicles. He’s just painted a very visible target on his back (no pun intended).

Everyone knows who Se-ri really is now, and everyone but Jung-hyuk, the ducklings, and Se-ri herself have a vested interest in making sure she doesn’t leave the country, even if it means she dies. They need help, and they need help that’s in a position to actually do some good, and I think (I hope) that’s where Man-bok comes in. It’s time for him to stop crying and start doing the right thing, before I start to lose sympathy for him. He’s got a soft heart and he’s a good man, but I don’t think he’s weak or he wouldn’t have lasted in his position as long as he has. I truly believe that if anyone can stop Chul-kang, it’s Man-bok, we just need him to realize it himself. Seung-joon could also be a great ally if he stopped caring more about money than people.

I have to say that, even though Dan seemed cold and unfeeling at first, I actually really like her. She’s a straight-shooter, and she says what she means without resorting to emotional fits. Even her treatment of Se-ri (all the “I don’t care”s) makes sense — it’s not Se-ri she has a problem with, it’s her fiance, who at the very least is spending more time with a woman he’s just met than with his own fiancee. Dan really doesn’t care about Se-ri, because if Jung-hyuk is cheating, he’s the issue, not Se-ri herself. She could still surprise me, but for the moment, I can understand where she’s coming from.

I’m getting pretty scared, because this show is really making me fall in love with the soldier ducklings, yet things are getting very dangerous for those around Se-ri. There are people literally trying to kill her, and I’m going to be devastated if anything happens to one or more of the boys. Thankfully, I think that only Chul-kang actually wants Se-ri harmed. Seung-joon isn’t an evil guy, and I’m sure that to him, “keep Se-ri in the country” literally means keeping her in the country, not killing her. And Man-bok is so close to flipping alliances… once hew does, it’s going to be a real game changer.

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