Will You Have Dinner With Me: Episodes 17-18

by selena

As everyone occupies the same workspace now, they’re going to be seeing each other more frequently whether they like it or not. Our hero is forced to confront his most resentful feelings head-on now that time is running out.

 
EPISODE 17 RECAP

“I like you, Woo Do-hee,” Hae-kyung bravely declares. He gazes into her eyes for a long beat then gently lifts her hand to check on her wound. Do-hee nervously blinks that she’s okay and for the first time in a while, Hae-kyung asks her to dinner.

The team worries that the two are duking it out on the roof so Jin-kyu and Jung-hwan prepare to go intervene, but Ah-young orders them to let them fight. Our leads however, are actually long gone and are already digging into their pasta.

Do-hee ambiguously answers that she neither hates or loves their situation and explains that it’s because she’s unsure of heself. Hae-kyung stops eating and asks her to elaborate.

She thinks back to the times she’s been hurt: Young-dong betraying her for the flight attendant on Jeju, and discovering that Jae-hyuk changed his number after simply texting her, “Let’s stop meeting.”

Since there are no secrets between them and Hae-kyung has seen her at her lowest points, Do-hee claims that they won’t end well either. He’s not so convinced; they haven’t even started yet. Do-hee firmly says, “My answer is no,” but is surprised that Hae-kyung just coolly accepts it.

“Why did you give up right away?” Pfft, I love how her curiousity always prevails even when she’s supposed to be sad and serious. Hae-kyung hasn’t given up, he just understands her answer – she’s not giving them a chance to start, but she isn’t rejecting him as a person.

Do-hee’s not sure how she never noticed that he was a psychiatrist with his acute observations and Hae-kyung cheekily says, “I’m a competent psychiatrist, so you have to accept me.” She insists that she’s still a “no,” but Hae-kyung was actually talking about the show.

He agrees that there may be many others that she could cast, but there’s only one Kim Hae-kyung. She’s awed by his self-confidence and Hae-kyung admits that it’s just an excuse to stay by her side until she becomes a “yes.”

Hae-kyung notices that her bandage is falling off, so he reaches over the table to hold her hand, replacing it with a cute bear-patterned one. He gives her the entire box of bandages and ugh, you can tell that he’s so unabashedly in love by the way he beams at her.

At home, Do-hee smiles to herself while looking at the bandage and asks Penguin, “What should I do?” Hae-kyung tosses and turns in bed and winds up watching Do-hee’s show (with the drunk host) that he previously looked down on. He now finds it amusing and laughs the night away.

No-eul posts a picture on her social media, promising that she’ll get better soon. Fans flood her comments with compliments and get-well-soons. While some ask about the debt scandal, others defend her – it’s not her fault for having a bad mother.

It reminds No-eul of a time when she met up with Writer Lee Moon-jung to ask why she hates her. Writer Lee sternly said that she knew No-eul would leave Hae-kyung because she’s like her – they only think of themselves. Before being dismissed, No-eul noticed that she was reading cancer survivor books. The next day, Writer Lee experiences excruciating pain in her abdomen.

Hae-kyung must be in a great mood because he surprises Byung-jin with a cup of iced coffee. He’s so pre-occupied with his phone that Byung-jin accurately guesses that he’s waiting for a call from the “friend” that he had samgyupsal with. No-eul drops by the clinic to tell Hae-kyung, “I think your mother is sick.” She leaves after suggesting him to give his mom a call.

When Do-hee arrives at work, Jin-kyu and Jung-hwan wait to hear the results of yesterday’s “fight,” but she abruptly gets called to Ah-young’s office. When Ah-young learns that Hae-kyung offered to be on their show, she tsks, “Are you making a show for ex-lovers?”

Do-hee doesn’t know what she wants to do so Ah-young gives her two warnings. First, from the CEO: “If you ruin the show because of your personal relationships, I’ll kill you.” The second’s as her friend: “I’ll kill you if you get hurt because of work.” She tells Do-hee to pick the one that’ll hurt less.

The friends spontaneously grab lunch at a tonkatsu place and film a vlog. Racing against the clock, they have ten minutes to finish their huge portions. They succeed, of course! Do-hee’s reminded of how she was unable to order the more expensive cheese tonkatsu back when she was dating Jae-hyuk, even though it was her favorite. He’d promised to treat her to better food in the future, feeling apologetic.

When they leave the restaurant, Jae-hyuk’s out front waiting for Do-hee. She agrees to accompany him to the hospital to get his stitches checked.

Also at the hospital is Writer Lee, who’s studying a book of homemade recipes. Hae-kyung learns that Mom was hospitalized and meets with her doctor, where he’s told that she has stage 4 stomach cancer. Although she can be operated on, it’s not looking good.

He’s conflicted about the news and goes to visit Mom. When he accuses her of not telling him earlier, Mom reminds Hae-kyung that she did ask him to accompany her to the hospital and had told him she was scared. She’s glad to see him riled up, since it means he’s worried about her.

Mom shows Hae-kyung the recipe book that she’s reading. Although she never understood before, she now knows why mothers always talk about food. She’s flipped through the recipes, but has come to the realization that she has no idea what her own son likes.

We see that when Hae-kyung was a child, he was forced to eat alone because Mom was too immersed in her own world, reading. She wants to cook him a meal after she’s discharged, and he says they can talk about it later. “It’s not too late,” he tells her. Both mother and son are emotional, and Hae-kyung breaks down into sobs outside the room.

While waiting for the bus, Jae-hyuk tries to convince Do-hee to have lunch or visit their old campus, just to keep her around longer. He tells her that because his mother fell ill, he wasn’t able to tell her anything back then. Do-hee accepts that he had to leave because of his situation, but makes it clear that nothing changes. “I’m over you.”

Jae-hyuk begs her not to say that. He tells Do-hee that back when he had nothing, Do-hee was the only thing keeping him alive. “I can make you happy now,” he promises. However, she’s unaffected and tells him that even when he had nothing, she was happy with him. “But now, I’m happy without you,” she says, telling him to let her go. She takes the bus alone, leaving him defeated.

Hae-kyung visits his father’s resting place with a bouquet and his mother’s new book. Back in high school, Dad was hospitalized and so weak that he barely ate any food. He’d mused that he missed the noodles that Mom would sometimes make, and told Hae-kyung not to hate her too much.

“She’ll regret not cooking those noodles for you,” Dad had told him, and apologized for not being able to fill her role in his life. In the present, Hae-kyung wonders how Dad knew. He chokes up and cries, “What should I do now that she regrets it?”

Keanu grins to see Ah-young strutting confidently towards him. She takes him to the mandoo restaurant where he looks at the dumplings with a sad expression. Keanu explains that his daughter loved mandoo and that they’d had similar tastes.

Noting the use of past tense, Ah-young apologizes and assumes that his family passed away, but it turns out that they just left him and moved far away. Ah-young asks why Keanu chooses to camp out by the convenience store, but doesn’t push any further when he simply replies that he’s waiting for someone.

Later, Keanu’s breaths quicken when he sees the news – a patient died overdosing on psychiatric drugs. It transports him back to when he was still a doctor. A journalist reported that a patient suffering from depression had committed suicide, poisoning himself with medication prescribed by his psychiatrist.

Keanu had dropped his coffee cup in shock. The family blamed the psychiatrist for overprescribing sleeping pills at the patient’s request, and the police barge in to take Keanu (his real name is Kim Hyun-ho) into custody. As we pan to the TV, we see that the reporter is Jae-hyuk.

Over drinks, Jae-hyuk tells Geon-woo that he suddenly left to study abroad to become a better person and return to his first love with more confidence. Geon-woo asks if he wasn’t confident after overcoming many hurdles to become a reporter, but Jae-hyuk changes the topic.

Geon-woo tells Jae-hyuk that he’s friends with both Hae-kyung and No-eul, and Jae-hyuk shares that for him, one’s a love rival and the other is his helper.

 
EPISODE 18 RECAP

On today’s episode of So-ra’s ASMR, the concept is to rub things on a bald guy’s head. It’s super strange but has the viewers hooked, although Do-hee’s not satisfied and wants to add more of that B Class factor. Naturally, a plunger gets involved and skyrockets them to 5 million hearts.

Hae-kyung meets with No-eul and thanks her for asking after his mother. When she’s told not to worry about these things anymore, No-eul insists that Mom likes her. Hae-kyung notifies No-eul that he’ll be joining the program and she’s not happy to learn that he’s doing it for Do-hee. “It’ll be uncomfortable, but I’ll only think about myself,” Hae-kyung tells her. No-eul huffs that she’ll do the same.

Do-hee’s team is elated to learn that Hae-kyung’s on board. She introduces her next project: “Have My Heart,” featuring the handsome and mysterious psychiatrist Kim Hae-kyung, and the young and pretty dating expert, Jin No-eul. A show about food and love.

Hae-kyung nervously clears his throat before taking a call from Do-hee. She’s equally nervous but professionally asks to schedule a meeting to discuss the shoot. He cancels the rest of his plans for the day.

Later, Do-hee apologizes to No-eul for not telling her earlier. She asks if the apology is regarding Hae-kyung joining the show, or if it’s because he likes Do-hee. No-eul claims to know everything about Hae-kyung and admits, “He’s attracted to you.”

Do-hee realizes that No-eul is the tragic first love so No-eul says, “Then do you also know that we didn’t break up because we hate each other?” She lets Do-hee know that she still loves Hae-kyung and is working towards forgiveness. Do-hee scoffs that she’s being too proud about hurting him and No-eul encourages Do-hee to be selfish and think about herself as well.

Byung-jin is absolutely confused by Hae-kyung’s decision to work with 2N Box after all the fuss he’d made. “Do you plan to get revenge on PD Woo?” he asks. Frustrated, Hae-kyung jabs Byung-jin in the chest and faults him for not telling him who Do-hee was. Poor guy can never catch a break!

Do-hee’s pacing around the entrance when Hae-kyung arrives, and she secretly smiles when he’s disappointed that she personally escorts all first-time guests. They run into Jae-hyuk at the elevator and he invites himself to the meeting.

Stuck between both guys, Do-hee quickly runs through the details: they’ll choose dishes according to a theme each week. They’ll share listener stories and it’ll mainly be about the psychoanalysis of food and love. She tries to wrap it up without making eye contact, but Hae-kyung suggest having a team dinner.

No-eul visits Writer Lee with a basket of roses. She tells her that she’s changed, and promises not to leave Hae-kyung again. No-eul asks for help, but Mom’s not in any position to do so. When No-eul leaves, she receives a call from Jae-hyuk notifying her of the dinner. With both of their love interests attending, “We have to go up to the ring to compete,” he tells her.

Ah-young struts her way to the convenience store, disappointed when Keanu isn’t there. She waits with canned coffee and offers him one when he joins her. Heh, he spits out his drink when she abruptly declares, “I want to date you.” He worries because she doesn’t know who he really is, and when she says that he’s a good person, he counters, “I’m not that great.”

Ah-young is confident in her judgment of his character, not caring about his past. It’s not like he’s a murderer…right? He meekly assures that he’s not, and she gives him 10 seconds (but more like 3, heh) to accept so he grabs onto her hand and they smile at each other. “You believe me, don’t you?” she asks.

Hah, the team ends up grabbing dinner at the samgyupsal place. Byung-jin was sent home early so he’s at the restaurant helping out, grumbling that Hae-kyung sure sounds like he’s having fun. No-eul surprises everyone with her arrival and jokingly asks Do-hee if she was trying to exclude her by not inviting her.

When the crew excitedly gushes about what a hit the show will be, No-eul brags that Hae-kyung’s the only one who can give medical advice and talk about food. So-ra boasts that it’s thanks to Do-hee’s ability to recruit such top talent.

Jae-hyuk ups the awkward tension when he criticizes that it’s not scientifically proven that food can relieve symptoms of depression. Hae-kyung agrees that food therapy is just that – a form of therapy – and not a medical prescription. “If it’s not a medical prescription, why do we need a doctor in our panel?” Jae-hyuk challenges.

Not one to lose, Hae-kyung retorts that if a factual medical program was the goal, he’d be the only panelist they needed. He jokes that he and Do-hee should start one together, but she mutters that it’d be too difficult to attract viewers. No-eul notes that Do-hee seems to prefer spontaneous and provocative things over scientifically proven ones. Tired of the back and forth banter, Do-hee “spontaneously” excuses herself for the restroom.

Geon-woo arrives, having been invited by Hae-kyung, so Jae-hyuk pulls him aside to talk. Jae-hyuk asks Geon-woo not to tell Do-hee that they’re cousins. He doesn’t understand how Do-hee still doesn’t know about the family or who Jae-hyuk’s father is despite dating for so many years.

Jae-hyuk says he couldn’t let Do-hee meet his mom, who wanted him to succeed and return to the family. “If mother and father knew I was dating a girl whose family background was not as impressive as Do-hee’s, they’d never understand me,” he explains. They’re shocked when Do-hee cuts in to ask, “Is that the reason why?”

Geon-woo heads inside first and Do-hee finally understands why Jae-hyuk seemed uncomfortable every time they talked about family. She can’t believe he lied about his mother being sick, and doesn’t know where the lies began. Jae-hyuk grabs her to yell that he couldn’t do anything back then, and he gets a very well deserved slap.

Do-hee wanders the street, completely lost in thought. When it starts to rain, she looks up at the sky feeling sad and defeated. From behind, Hae-kyung whips out his blazer to protect her from the rain. (It’s hilarious how he slides into frame ever so slowly, hee.)

Hae-kyung brings Do-hee to his clinic’s kitchen so that she can dry off, and offers her a hot drink to warm up with. He gets down to business and confidently prepares a dish, sending Do-hee many reassuring glances. She’s impressed by the dish and Hae-kyung explains that warm food not only gives you energy when you’re sick, but also calms your heart. He jokes, “If it’s cooked by a handsome man, it’s even more powerful,” earning a smile from Do-hee.

He reminds Do-hee of their rule: “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to, but you can if you want. Whatever it is.” He goes first, and opens up about his childhood. He was only 10 the first time he ever cooked for himself. Mom prioritized work over family and Dad got sick, so he was used to eating alone. He eventually learned how precious it is to eat with someone you love, but nothing tasted good after the relationship ended.

Hae-kyung was convinced that he’d never find anyone else and was resigned to start anything when to him, the ending was obvious. He looks at Do-hee with utmost sincerity and shares that he then became used to someone whose name he didn’t even know and began to enjoy spending time with her. He became hopeful and started to like her.

His feelings reach her and she tells Hae-kyung that she doesn’t know what she’s doing – the love she felt during her 20’s doesn’t even seem real anymore. Hae-kyung assures her, “I bet your love was real. Even if he didn’t see it, you loved him with all your heart.” It’s like how he liked Do-hee all the same, before and after he knew who she was. Hae-kyung gingerly wipes away her tears and Do-hee allows herself to rest her head on his shoulder and be comforted.

 
COMMENTS

I’d like everyone to know that I was a mess watching this episode. Everything Hae-kyung does just makes me swoon. I totally understand Do-hee’s hesitation towards jumping into another relationship though. It hasn’t been that long since she’s been hurt by Young-dong, and she’s constantly reminded of her past with Jae-hyuk these days. It’s gotta be hard to be confident enough to trust another person and allow herself to fall as hard as she always does in love. Her wounds are still fresh and she can’t love somebody when she’s so unsure of herself. In that last scene, Hae-kyung gives her the reassurance she needed to hear. Hae-kyung is witness to another one of her lowest points but this time, he’s courageous enough to show her his heart, and she’s allowing herself to lean on him for comfort and support. This is so huge for both of them, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction of their pending relationship.

I adore the fact that Hae-kyung is respectful of her “no,” and not being all aggressive about it. He knows that she just needs some time, so he sticks around and shows her through his actions that he cares and isn’t going anywhere. I think it’s super important that he’s not letting her instinctively withdraw from him completely, but is still giving her the space that she needs. There needs to be more male leads like this in dramaland! The two heal one another just by being in each other’s presence and give each other hope that they’ve otherwise lost.

I also can’t tell you how relieved I am that Keanu’s family wasn’t harmed, and have simply just left him. Still sad, but at least they’re alive! Ah-young’s such a boss and she and Ajusshi are just the greatest balance of weirdness. I could listen to them MWAHAHA at each other for days on end, heh. We aren’t any closer to understanding what happened that led to his current situation, but at least we’ve been kind of reassured that he didn’t kill anyone.

As much as I’m not a fan of Hae-kyung’s mom, I’m glad that he let himself cry it out and let her back into his life. Not so much for her sake, because I still don’t think she’s a great mother, but for his. He clearly longs for her but has been so hurt that he refuses to entertain the idea of interacting with her. He’s not even able to call her mom and strictly refers to her as Writer Lee Moon-jung. She was totally accurate in her observation that No-eul is exactly like her. That one comment she made about how she’s glad Hae-kyung is angry because it meant he was worried about her is something that I’d expect to come out of No-eul’s mouth. I wonder if their similarities are what Hae-kyung was trying to hold onto No-eul for? Since he’d already lost his mother, maybe he wanted to do anything in his power to make it work with No-eul. Regardless, I hope that he’s able to resolve some of his pent up feelings and that he and Mom can have an honest talk before it’s too late. His father was so sweet to him, so I’m glad Hae-kyung had at least one loving parent growing up.

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