Will You Have Dinner With Me: Episodes 3-4

by selena

Their time on Jeju was short, but it’s enough to make an impact on both of our leads even if they may not like to admit it. When they return to their regular lives, it’s like the forces of the world are purposefully pulling them together, although they aren’t aware of it.

 
EPISODE 3 RECAP

A hungry Do-hee steps out of the car when she hears a knock, thinking that the man selling chocolates is back. She’s surprised to see Hae-kyung instead, who smiles warmly and asks, “Will you have dinner with me?”

As they drive off, Hae-kyung searches online for restaurants that are still open. Though the island has many 24-hour options, he prefers ones with set hours – the staff will be well-rested enough to cook delicious meals.

Do-hee spots a quaint little food truck and pull up to it, ignoring Hae-kyung’s protests. She promises that she’s great at picking out restaurants and cutely asks him to trust her. The owners are ecstatic to have guests, scrambling to set up a table for them.

HA, the food truck owners (another reunion with cameos by Lee Si-eon and Tae Won-seok) mistakenly call Hae-kyung “ma’am” because of his attire. One is particularly peeved when Hae-kyung questions their cleanliness, refusing to serve them until the other one steps in to say that the shabby-looking restaurants are typically the best ones.

The boisterous pair launch into their rehearsed sales pitch with gusto. Hae-kyung is reluctant to give the place a chance, scoffing when Do-hee sends her compliments to the chef. However, one bite is enough to render him speechless, though he doesn’t admit that it’s good.

Hae-kyung chokes when Do-hee accurately guesses that he’s thinking, “Why isn’t she asking why I came back?” She claims it’s because she looked pathetic, which he denies. Correctly deducing that he’s well-educated and financially comfortable, Do-hee figures that he’s naturally sympathetic towards others.

He grins in amusement as Do-hee notes that she doesn’t feel awkward with him, since it’s obvious that he’s not romantically interested in her. Hae-kyung chuckles that she sounds like a psychiatrist but Do-hee rants that she hates them – they all sound like frauds. Offended, he calls her out for generalizing an entire profession, but backs off when he meets her challenging gaze.

Do-hee muses that what started off as a special day would’ve become awful, but is now merely a strange one thanks to Hae-kyung. He tells her that he didn’t return out of pity, he just wanted to eat with her.

When the topic of accommodations comes up, the food truck owners scare the pair by literally crashing into their table to sing praises about a guest house down the road. They claim that the villa is as extravagant as a palace, owned by the kindest couple around town.

Upon arrival, Hae-kyung finds himself dressed similarly to the man behind the counter and Do-hee stifles a laugh when the couple assumes that Hae-kyung’s a local. After the typical back-and-forth about needing two separate rooms, Hae-kyung notices a family photo on the wall…the couple are the food truck owners’ parents. Pfft, gotta hand it to the brothers for hustling hard.

Settling in, Hae-kyung is reminded of a conversation he’d once had with No-eul about eating with strangers. He has no desire to dine with anyone he’s not close to, but if it happens then it would mean he wants to be on that person’s side. “It’s the most selfless act I can do for others.”

Unable to sleep, Do-hee eyes the champagne that she’d bought for Young-dong. She pops the bottle by the pool and cheerily celebrates her discovery of him being a jerk…only to do a complete 180, bitterly commenting that only an unnecessarily positive character of a drama would say such a thing. HA.

Do-hee grumbles that she’ll smack anyone who congratulates her for today’s events and tears escape as she takes a swig, frustrated with herself for actually missing Young-dong.

Still awake, Hae-kyung heads outside when he hears Do-hee drunkenly pretending to swim around the empty pool, noting the empty bottle. He tries to convince her to head inside, exasperated when Do-hee twirls around and suggests that they do some synchronized swimming.

He turns to go but can’t ignore Do-hee when he hears her fall, proceeding to join her in the pool. She lies on the floor and somberly says that she’d be dead if the pool were filled…but there’s no water here. She shakenly asks, “So why do I feel suffocated, as if I’m going to die? It feels like I’m drowning.”

Taking a seat, Hae-kyung advises her to force herself to breathe in order to feel the pain and heal from it. Eventually, the wound will turn into a gill and help her breathe comfortably. He continues to stay by her side as she finally allows herself to cry.

The next morning, Hae-kyung nonchalantly hands Do-hee some digestive drinks, having noticed that she was pricking her finger earlier in the day. She offers to give him a lift to the airport but he already called a cab.

Feeling grateful for his help, Do-hee wants to treat Hae-kyung to dinner when they’re back in Seoul. When he declines, she tells him not to misunderstand her intentions. In fact, she doesn’t even want to know his name or anything personal – they’ll have one meal and call it a day.

As the taxi pulls up blasting veteran trot singer Tae Jin-ah’s new song, Hae-kyung suddenly agrees to meet. The time and place he suggests leaves Do-hee speechless as she waves goodbye.

Now on his flight, Hae-kyung’s extremely pleased with himself. He’d told Do-hee to meet at 8PM at Daedong Fish Market on the day that Tae Jin-ah’s song tops the charts. Understanding the underlying meaning, Do-hee fumes that it was a creative rejection.

Back in Seoul, Byung-jin gets caught up on Hae-kyung’s Jeju adventure and is reminded of the movie Before Sunrise. He suspects that there’s a hidden lover and asks if she’s pretty. He reads Hae-kyung like an open book, knowing that his non-committal “Hmm…” is him being too prideful to admit that she is.

Byung-jin huffs that Tae Jin-ah topping the charts is as likely as a cat-grooming documentary dominating the box office – he should’ve just said “no.” Hae-kyung was trying to be considerate and witty, and is sure that she’s not that offended. Buddy, if only you knew.

Hae-kyung explains that because of yesterday’s events, Do-hee will unconsciously depend on him more if they continue to meet, complicating their relationship. Byung-jin points out that he shouldn’t have left the airport in the first place, which Hae-kyung declares was a selfless act of kindness (much like volunteering). When Byung-jin yelps, “You’re the worst human being!” for toying with Do-hee, Hae-kyung kicks him out of the house.

A seemingly homeless man (cameo by Park Ho-san) sips on coffee while reading Sophie’s World outside of a convenience store. When Do-hee leaves with a bag filled with soju, he startles her by commenting that she must be new to the area. Their interaction is cut short when he beelines for some leftover food that someone left behind, and he wishes her a safe journey home.

Do-hee reviews the vlog footage from Jeju and realizes that deleting it is useless, since it’s all ingrained in her head. She pauses when she comes across a clip of Hae-kyung on the plane, taking a shot and scolding him for not ending things properly.

When she returns to work, Do-hee catches her colleague JIN-KYU (Go Kyu-pil) working out to a pilates video led by No-eul. So-ra grabs Do-hee’s hand to look for a ring and is furious on her behalf when she learns the truth. So-ra claims that she never liked Young-dong anyway, congratulating her for recognizing his true colors (Do-hee throws a bunch of popcorn in her face for that comment, hee).

Hae-kyung’s unable to focus on his work, recalling Byung-jin’s accusations of him disregarding Do-hee’s efforts. Although he maintains that he didn’t do anything wrong, he paces around the room, bothered.

Do-hee is called into Ah-young’s office and meekly promises to take full responsibility for what happened with her show. Ah-young yells that she doesn’t need responsibility, she needs Do-hee to listen to her from now on. She could pay rent instead if she refuses. Do-hee reluctantly agrees to follow her orders, so Ah-young gives her the first task: find a “hero” and create a high-quality show.

 
EPISODE 4 RECAP

Ah-young shows Do-hee a video of the “Hakju-dong Hero” (it’s a clip of the motorcycle chase with the Chinese patient) as well as a food psychology book written by Kim Hae-kyung, the elusive psychiatrist that everyone wants to cast on their shows.

He rejects all offers (besides a podcast he once hosted) and is careful not to have his face revealed, though rumor has it that he’s handsome. The tables have turned now that Do-hee understands that Ah-young needs her talents to bring him into the studio, hoping to kickstart a new trend of curating content involving intelligent minds.

A colleague has already sent his office a proposal, and Do-hee demands the creative freedom to design a project once she succeeds. It’s Ah-young’s turn to reluctantly agree, and she grabs on to Do-hee’s ankle, urging her to catch him.

While checking out 2N Box’s content, Byung-jin shows Hae-kyung a short clip of the broadcast with the drunk hosts. Hae-kyung determines that the PD must be insane – they’re obsessed with being different and have a tendency towards violence.

Assistant producer JUNG-HWAN (Ahn Tae-hwan) reports to Do-hee that their casting proposal was promptly rejected. She calls Byung-jin herself, getting fired up when he hangs up after stating that Hae-kyung will not appear on “that kind of show.” Although she doesn’t have Hae-kyung’s personal number, she gets his e-mail from Jung-hwan.

Before heading out for the night, Hae-kyung catches Byung-jin acting suspiciously. Thinking he ordered something online, he playfully tries to see what he’s hiding but turns serious when he finds a box of books by an author named Lee Moon-jung.

He’s furious that Byung-jin gave her the clinic’s address, ordering him to get rid of the books whether it’s by tossing or selling them. To add on to his already sour mood, Hae-kyung receives an e-mail from Do-hee and chooses to ignore it.

Hae-kyung meets with a client at a café, who seems to have gotten her shopaholic tendencies under control thanks to their therapy sessions. He comments that she can now spend more time with her son, but she airily says that she’ll focus on her work instead. He accidentally speaks his mind, “I see. Not all women have maternal instinct after all,” before switching topics.

A package from Young-dong is waiting for Do-hee when she gets home, filled with all the gifts she’d given him throughout their relationship. He claims to want to end on good terms, yet has the audacity to say, “I’m not sure if you’ll ever find anyone as nice as me.” Ugh.

She rips his letter in half and tosses the contents away angrily, but a red scarf gives her pause. She’s reminded of the effort and love she’d poured into knitting it (and the relationship), feeling liberated when she gently throws it away. “I feel less suffocated now. I can finally start breathing. Now I feel like I have gills,” she declares, though she’s unsure where the analogy came from.

It’s also a sentimental night for Hae-kyung, who smiles as he flips through an album of childhood photos. The image of a woman brings up a memory of her with her bags packed when he was just a boy. He’d asked when she would return, and she’d distantly replied that she won’t be back until she finds her name, Lee Moon-jung.

The next morning, the 2N Box office watches as a masked foreigner named Big Johnson broadcasts a warning that at 10AM, government officials, the media/entertainment industry, and even those involved in finance should be worried.

He’s part of an organization powerful enough to hack into the CIA, so Jung-hwan figures they should back up their data in case the virus infects the company. Jin-kyu’s more carefree, arguing with Do-hee that any lost data can be recreated, causing her to dramatically pretend to faint. So-ra drags her out and the team disperses.

Byung-jin puts the books up for sale like Hae-kyung said to, but instead of earning praise, he gets called stupid and is told that he shouldn’t have done it. Poor guy.

As Do-hee waits listlessly for Hae-kyung’s reply, Ah-young tells her to bulldoze her way through – it’s what she’s good at. This prompts Do-hee to send an e-mail that seems courteous on the surface level, but pushes all the right buttons to annoy Hae-kyung into responding.

Heh, they spend the rest of the day exchanging messages, getting increasingly provocative and creative with their insults. Do-hee calls him a handsome man in French (“si bel homme” sounds similar to bastard in Korean), and Hae-kyung writes an analysis on her mental health, recommending her to see a therapist.

He’s totally enjoying himself until Do-hee sends him a final, angry message calling him to come out to meet her in person. They’re both so irritated that they jot down the other’s address, storming out to settle it face-to-face. Byung-jin’s completely ignored when he tries to tell Hae-kyung that Tae Jin-ah’s song has drastically increased in ranking.

On their way to see each other, Hae-kyung and Do-hee engage in some dangerous, reckless driving, overtaking each other without knowing that they crossed paths. Hae-kyung demands to see the CEO and Do-hee, questioning if they even have work ethics with the way she cursed at him.

Do-hee arrives at the clinic and asks to see Hae-kyung, who obviously isn’t in. She complains to Byung-jin, “What kind of psychiatrist has such a horrible personality?” Her rant is interrupted by a call from Jung-hwan, but she doesn’t pick up because Byung-jin freaks out that Tae Jin-ah’s song, She Comes and Goes, reached first place.

She’s completely shocked and checks her phone, running out the door when she realizes she has 1 hour left until their promised meeting time. Meanwhile in Ah-young’s office, Hae-kyung’s in the middle of requesting a sincere apology before getting distracted by the news of Tae Jin-ah playing on TV.

When Hae-kyung returns to the clinic, Byung-jin explains that the guy who stole Big Johnson’s girlfriend is a huge K-pop fan, which prompt him to spread the virus to all K-pop related websites. Byung-jin tells Hae-kyung he has to keep his promise, but Hae-kyung just shrugs it off, “Why would I do that?”

He tries to reason that it doesn’t count because the song only won because of the hacker’s meddling. Byung-jin, ever the voice of reason, points out that winning without the help of a virus was not a criteria that was set. Hae-kyung changes tactics, admitting that his humor would’ve hurt Do-hee’s feelings. “Would you come out if you were her?” He tells Byung-jin to leave, who’s frustrated with how bad Hae-kyung is at dating.

Do-hee wonders why she bolted as if she was going to meet him, unsure what she should do. She’ll look foolish if she’s the only one to show up, but even if he’s there, she’ll look like an idiot who came despite being humiliated.

Do-hee finally makes the decision to head home, when she gets rear-ended by none other than…Tae Jin-ah himself! Looking spiffy in an all-yellow suit, he’s running late to a live broadcast and apologizes, giving her his contact information to take care of the car and medical bills.

When he turns around, there’s a huge image of a fish plastered on his jacket. It’s as if the world is telling Do-hee to head to the fish market, so off she goes. She takes in the views and enjoys herself, observing the fish in the tanks.

She’s in a good mood, laughing even when she gets splashed by water. When she looks into the crowd, she sees Hae-kyung smiling at her from the other side, and both are happy to see that the other actually showed up.

 
COMMENTS

This is the calm before the storm. Their one chance to enjoy one another’s company before they inevitably discover that they’re each other’s snarky penpal. It’s completely obvious that the actors are thoroughly enjoying themselves, which really helps bring the characters to life. I’m still recovering from how funny the e-mailing scene was, with all their wacky facial expressions. There’s such a chaotic energy surrounding this show, but it never goes too far – just enough to get a good laugh out of me. The cameo choices have been excellent thus far, and I hope they keep ‘em coming!

I’m eager to see how their first meal goes. Hae-kyung is way less straight-laced when he’s around Do-hee, and is always trying to hide his amusement. Perhaps similar to how he heals others through his diet counselling, eating with Do-hee could be a chance for him to relax, stop analyzing others, and do some healing himself. His reluctance in agreeing to see her again was more for her own good, but it’s easy to tell that he’s interested in Do-hee (even if not romantically…yet) with the way his gaze lingers on her. He made up all sorts of excuses when Byung-jin pushed him to keep his promise, but it sounded to me like he was afraid to show up and not see her there. I saw that smile of relief at the market, Hae-kyung!

As great as Hae-kyung and Do-hee are together, I’m also loving their interactions with their colleagues – namely, Byung-jin and Ah-young. Byung-jin always seems mildly afraid of Hae-kyung, but not enough to stop him from speaking his mind. They seem more like brothers than a boss and his assistant. Then we have Do-hee butting heads with Ah-young all the time, which is just such a joy to watch. They’re both strong-willed women and their dynamic is hilarious.

It’s been a while since I read the webtoon (which I loved), but so far, the show is only very loosely based off of the source material. Everything from the situation in which they met to the temperament of the characters are very different, but it only makes me all the more curious as to how everything will play out. It’s all a mystery to me, and that excites me! At the heart of it, it’s still a story about two individuals just trying to figure things out and navigate the world, which I will always welcome with open arms.

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