Was It Love: Episode 14

by selena

Our investor’s past comes back to haunt him, putting the people he cares about in danger. Fathers can be extremely strong and unrelenting when it comes to protecting their children, and they won’t stop until they succeed.

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

As he runs after the van, Pa-do recalls the day of his former boss’ funeral. He and Zi-yi noticed her brother-in-law eyeing her with a smirk. Zi-yi packed her bags in a hurry that night, but was interrupted by a knock. She hid Dong-chan in the closet and allowed her brother-in-law to enter.

Tension ran high as he raised suspicions that Zi-yi was leaving to meet with the police. They pulled their guns out at each other and a noise from the closet spooked the gangster, causing him to pull the trigger.

We learn that Pa-do was one of his boss’ most trusted men and as such, was always around Zi-yi. They were both orphans and struggled to fit in anywhere. One day, she was covered in bruises and sadly suggested they become friends. Friendship turned into something more, and Pa-do’s determined to protect Dong-chan – the final wish of his only love.

Locked in an empty kitchen, Ae-jung reassures the kids even though she’s just as scared. A group of men enter and of course, the gangster responsible for Zi-yi’s death is the person behind the kidnapping. He grins at his nephew and drawls that it must be nice that his dead mother has come back to life.

Ha-nee worries as Dong-chan begins hyperventilating, memories of that traumatic night resurfacing. The gangster continues to confuse Ae-jung by speaking in Cantonese, noting that her uncanny resemblance to Zi-yi is why she became Pa-do’s weakness. He ignores her pleas to be released and suggests that they pray that Pa-do returns what he took.

Pa-do explains to Dae-oh and Yeon-woo that Ae-jung is in trouble, but he’ll take care of it himself. He tells them to call the police if he doesn’t return within an hour and promises to text them the address.

Dae-oh gets into his own car and shakes Yeon-woo’s protests off – yes, it’s dangerous to follow, but what if something happens to them before the hour’s up? He can’t risk it when it took so long to reunite with Ae-jung and Ha-nee.

Ah-rin calls Bo-hye for permission to ruin Ae-jung’s life, since she’s making her miserable. Unsurprisingly, the CEO is all for it. Manager Do hands Ah-rin a set of interview questions and one in particular stands out: “Why did you choose Love Doesn’t Exist as your next movie?”

Back in 2006, Ah-rin was drunk and fell asleep on a bus. The driver called the last person she texted, and she was overjoyed when Dae-oh came to pick her up. He took Ah-rin to a convenience store to sober up and tossed her the film study book that Ae-jung found in his backpack. Ah-rin complained that she wasn’t allowed to like him, yet she can’t hate him either.

Dae-oh advised her to quit partying and study instead, then told her not to call anymore since he’ll be leaving. She worried that it was to avoid her and even promised to stop following him around. When Ah-rin realized that it was because of his girlfriend, she asked, “Who gave her the right to steal your heart and tear you apart?”

Ah-rin vowed to transform into a beautiful and successful woman who won’t acknowledge him when they meet again. She’d warned him not to fall for her, to which he agreed out of amusement. Having noticed that she lost a shoe, Dae-oh left her with one of his and hopped into a taxi. She swore she’d do whatever she can to ruin him if he doesn’t fall in love her in the future.

That’s why in the present, she refuses to participate in the interview and announces that she’s dropping out of the movie. She leaves everyone flustered so Ryu Jin follows her out to talk. Ah-rin claims that she’s quitting because she hates her co-star, director, and the producer.

Ryu Jin yells that this is a dream that someone waited fourteen years for – it’s selfish of Ah-rin to ruin that. However, she has no desire to fulfill neither Ae-jung’s nor Dae-oh’s dreams. Ryu Jin tells Manager Myung to keep the reporter and staff quiet to prevent the word from being spread.

Dong-chan’s sweating profusely and is burning up, unresponsive to Ha-nee calling out to him. She alerts Mom of his odd condition and Ae-jung holds Dong-chan against her, trying to shake him awake. His eyes fly open at the memory of his mother’s death and he sobs that he knows the man from before.

He recognizes the gangster’s face and Ha-nee tears up at seeing her friend so scared. She takes his hand in hers and Ae-jung hugs him tighter as Dong-chan blames himself for getting Ae-jung and Ha-nee into this situation. The ladies urge him not to think like that and Ae-jung tells the kids to trust her – they’ll escape in one piece.

The gangster gave Pa-do one hour to bring him the “thing” that Tan Zi-yi left behind. Pa-do doesn’t know what he’s talking about until he remembers the lighter (which I misidentified as a USB in a previous recap) that she slipped into his hand before she took her final breath. He finds a memory card hidden inside.

Yeon-woo waits restlessly in his office, battling between the urge to call the cops and waiting until the one hour mark. He ends up delegating Teacher Jang with running the event and leaves the school.

Pa-do arrives at a Chinese restaurant, easily taking out several guys to get to Zi-yi’s brother-in-law. He doesn’t hand over the chip until he’s reunited with Dong-chan in the kitchen. However, the gangster doesn’t follow through on his promise to let them go because he needs one more thing.

Apparently, everyone thinks Pa-do murdered Zi-yi and the boss and to keep it that way, the gangster needs Dong-chan back. On the night of the incident, Pa-do had caught the gangster and disarmed him.

When his attention turned to Zi-yi, the gangster had escaped and announced to the others that her killer was in her room. The gangster admits now that he killed his own brother, too. Angered, Pa-do starts a fight but is completely outnumbered. Ae-jung throws herself at one of the men to help him out; however, she’s flung against a wall and falls unconscious.

Ha-nee and Pa-do rush to her side and the sight of Dad holding Ae-jung triggers Dong-chan’s memory of Pa-do cradling his mom. Pa-do charges at the henchmen but holds back when the gangster grabs his nephew as hostage.

Dong-chan realizes that Pa-do isn’t his biological father and remembers that the man holding him had hovered over Mom before Pa-do arrived that night. Pa-do had taken Dong-chan and ran away from the rest of the gang, not giving up even when he was shot in the back.

Before getting dragged away, Dong-chan was able to run into Dad’s arms which is when Pa-do promised to come for him and secretly gave him his phone. The gangsters cut the gas line and toss a lighter into the microwave, locking Pa-do up with the girls. When he comes to his senses, Pa-do works on breaking out while Ha-nee keeps her cool and tries to wake Ae-jung.

Luckily, Dae-oh didn’t listen to Pa-do and arrives at the restaurant after the gangsters leave, cautiously searching around. Meanwhile, Ae-jung regains consciousness and immediately pulls her daughter close. Dae-oh rushes to the basement when he hears banging on the padlocked door.

He grows frantic and is near tears when Ae-jung calls his name desperately from the other side. Using a fire extinguisher, Dae-oh manages to smash lock and finds the three of them in pretty bad shape. He carries Ha-nee out to safety with Pa-do and Ae-jung following closely behind.

With no time to waste, Pa-do gets into his car despite the blood streaming down his face. Ae-jung is relieved that Ha-nee’s okay, then thanks Dae-oh sincerely. She freaks out when Ha-nee bolts back into the restaurant to retrieve something from downstairs, and is left alone at the entrance while Dae-oh follows their daughter inside.

Pa-do orders Director Kim to track his phone’s location and drives off just as police arrive at the scene with Yeon-woo, who spots Ae-jung immediately. Dae-oh can’t believe Ha-nee came back just for her stress doll, but it’s precious to her because Mom bought it. She stumbles, weak from breathing in all the gas.

Neither of them realize the danger they’re in until the lighter sparks and causes an explosion. Dae-oh has just a second to react, shielding Ha-nee with his body to protect her from the blast. Upstairs, Yeon-woo holds Ae-jung back as she screams for Ha-nee.

The location tracking brings Pa-do to a pier just in time to fight the mobsters who are pushing Dong-chan onto a small boat. He’s hell-bent on keeping the promise of protecting Dong-chan but is too injured to fight off so many men. Although Dong-chan’s screams give him a short boost of strength, his body can’t keep up.

Director Kim arrives with backup and while they take care of the henchmen, Pa-do hops onto the boat and easily knocks out the gangster. He and Dong-chan reunite emotionally, and the boy sobs that he’s sorry. Pa-do just clutches onto him tightly, face crumpled with relief.

Dae-oh and Ae-jung lie side-by-side at the hospital, but neither are awake. Tears stream down Ha-nee’s face as she watches the doctors shock Dae-oh with a defibrillator, unable to register Yeon-woo telling her not to worry.

Dong-chan wakes up at the hospital and finds Pa-do lying next to him. When Pa-do asks if he’s okay, Dong-chan’s voice breaks and he comments that Pa-do is in much worse condition. “Why do you only worry about me?” he cries, “I’m not even your real son.” He asks Pa-do why he kept that a secret from him, but still calls out, “Dad,” which makes Pa-do smile.

Not knowing what happened to Ae-jung, Hye-jin tries calling her endlessly to figure out how to deal with the Ah-rin situation. CEO Wang jokes that Ae-jung might’ve jumped ship, but Hye-jin spits that the producer isn’t like a certain somebody who would abandon them because of money problems. She finally gets through, but it’s Sook-hee that answers. CEO Wang’s interest is piqued when he finds the company’s budget lying around.

Manager Do is fed up by Ah-rin’s non-stop shopping ever since her big announcement. He rejects a call from Hye-jin and reads the headlines linking Ah-rin’s decision to quit to Ryu Jin’s recent scandal. Since the production company announced that it was Ah-rin’s one-sided decision to drop out, her perfect angel-like reputation is ruined. Manager Do finally answers Hye-jin’s call and learns about Director Cheon’s situation.

Ha-nee sits by her mother’s bedside, regretting her mean reaction to Dae-oh. She acted like that because she thought he abandoned her, but she’s realizing that she must’ve been mistaken – Dae-oh wouldn’t have risked his life for her if he hated her. When Ae-jung finally wakes up, she comforts her sobbing daughter and apologizes for making her worry.

When Grandma walks in, it’s Ae-jung’s turn to wail, “Mom!” and Sook-hee joins the three of them in a group hug. Ae-jung is relieved to hear that Dong-chan is fine so they’re hesitant to break the news that Dae-oh remains in critical condition.

Ae-jung takes in the sight of Dae-oh wrapped in bandages and hooked up to machines, still unconscious. She comments that he can’t be her superhero while lying there, and says that he shouldn’t have risked his life despite promising to give her his everything.

Yeon-woo follows Ha-nee around as she picks out a mountain of snacks at the convenience store. She explains that they’re for mom, since she’ll be going to school and Grandma will be at work tomorrow. When she adds that Ae-jung can share with Dae-oh if he wakes up, Yeon-woo notes that she seems pretty worried about him.

Seeing how she blames herself for Dae-oh getting hurt, Yeon-woo says that he only did it because it was her. He assures his student that Dae-oh’s actions show how important she is to him – he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

Sook-hee returns to the hospital room and overhears the patients in the next bed over gossiping about Ae-jung’s involvement with Hong Kong gangsters. Playing up to their assumptions, Sook-hee warns the couple that the patient’s a dangerous woman and asks if they still want to share a room with her. PFFT, they’re so spooked that the wife with the injured leg wheels the healthy husband out in her wheelchair.

She happily sets a plant on Ae-jung’s bedside table when Pa-do shows up. The curtain is still drawn so he isn’t aware that he’s talking to Sook-hee, and she’s unable to find the right timing to tell him otherwise.

He apologizes to “Ae-jung” and admits that she’s similar to someone he couldn’t protect, both in looks and resilience. He was acting selfishly, wanting to stay by her side and offer his support. Sook-hee seems really taken by his words, and shrinks back when he bows in apology. He leaves behind the same succulent plant that she brought for Ae-jung.

Ah-rin runs into Ae-jung when she shows up to visit Dae-oh. They sit outside to chat and Ah-rin sighs that no matter what Ae-jung plans to say, she can’t be convinced. The actress is beyond irritated when she learns that Ae-jung has no idea that she dropped out of the movie.

When she does hear of Ah-rin’s decision, Ae-jung thinks it’s due to the recent scandal and the fact that Dae-oh’s hurt. She begs for time to fix things, worried that the director would blame himself when he wakes up to this news. However, Ah-rin bluntly says that it’s due to her and Dae-oh, who was her tutor and first love.

Ae-jung comes to the realization that Ah-rin was the girl who kissed Dae-oh. She understands why he accused her of not trusting him when the actress complains that he never reciprocated her feelings – he only ever had room for Ae-jung in his heart. Although she has treasured their memories, Dae-oh doesn’t even remember her. It’s a lot to take in.

Ryu Jin pays Dae-oh a visit and chokes up seeing him in such a vulnerable state. He apologizes, then runs into Ae-jung outside the Critical Care Unit. He reassures her that Dae-oh’s a persistent guy and will make it through – he was able to wait fourteen years to meet her and Ha-nee again, after all.

The stars cross paths in an empty hallway so Ryu Jin confronts Ah-rin to ask if she’s the girl that Dae-oh and Ae-jung used to fight about. Ah-rin scoffs in disbelief that he remembers when the one who should know her doesn’t, confirming that she’s Hyo-shim. She changed everything about herself to become better than Ae-jung.

Ah-rin complains that because Ae-jung appeared in front of Dae-oh first again, she has no chance just like last time. Ryu Jin recalls his own rant to Dae-oh about how he liked Ae-jung before Dae-oh was ever in the picture. He empathizes with Ah-rin when her tears spill over and she asks, “Why can’t he see me?” He wordlessly consoles her as she cries.

Ae-jung sits by Dae-oh’s side and checks her voicemail. She’s surprised to hear Dae-oh’s voice while he lays in front of her, unmoving. In his message, he shares all the things he would do differently if he could go back in time.

The scenes play out in her mind as he explains that he would’ve done their last anniversary differently and ensured that she received his sweet letter. They could have happily snapped photos with the couple rings he got.

Dae-oh would have chosen to confide in Ae-jung when things got hard instead of dealing with them alone. They could’ve gone through parenthood together so that she and Ha-nee never felt lonely, and he would’ve proudly supported her in her dream field.

We see the fantasy of Dae-oh and Ae-jung walking hand-in-hand with Ha-nee as she grew up over the years. His voicemail finishes with, “Where are you? I miss you.” Ae-jung gets emotional and tells the sleeping Dae-oh to wake up and do everything that he said he would.

“Lean on me when things are tough and I’ll do the same,” she cries. Ae-jung admits that she also misses him a lot, tearfully begging Dae-oh to wake up…and he does! He’d heard everything and asks if she really means it.

Ae-jung confirms that everything is true, and he can’t help but smile despite the pain. Dae-oh tells her that he missed her; the one day she went missing for felt longer than their fourteen years apart. Ae-jung leans closer so that he can tell her something important. “I love you,” he whispers before he turns and they share their long-awaited kiss.

 
COMMENTS

Ugh, I know I said I appreciated Ah-rin’s character a few episodes ago, but I take it back. She’s the worst and has no business inserting herself into this relationship. I’m glad Ryu Jin drew parallels between himself and Ah-rin, but I’m not sure if he realizes how messed up they both are. These are bitter, entitled, and self-absorbed individuals who had a hand in breaking the hearts of the ones they claim to love. Sure, there were cracks in Dae-oh and Ae-jung’s relationship back in the day. However, their painful breakup was largely due to Ah-rin and Ryu Jin’s actions. Ryu Jin seems to be trying to make amends now that he understands that he has no place in Ae-jung’s heart, but Ah-rin’s out for revenge. She hasn’t grown up at all, forever stuck in the mindset of her college days. Honestly, who cares if she drops the movie? She was only needed to get Ryu Jin on board, who was only cast because Pa-do asked for him.

The fathers were the stars of today’s episode. I felt Pa-do’s desperation to keep Dong-chan safe, and I’m glad that Dong-chan himself felt it too. It was so hard to witness him being broken by the memories of Tan Zi-yi’s death. However, he got his answers and now understands the depth of Pa-do’s love for him. It seems like he and Pa-do will be okay, now that things are out in the open. I also really enjoyed the unexpected interaction between Sook-hee and Pa-do and realized that they’d make a stellar pair. She’s unusually perceptive of other people’s feelings and what their actions mean, while Pa-do has only ever had one friend and as such, is easily misunderstood. I’d love to see more interactions in the future!

While it’s nice that Ae-jung is finally all-in and is no longer holding back her feelings, it really bothers me that she doesn’t believe that Dae-oh’s feelings are genuine until he’s lying in a hospital bed. It’s just so extreme and I wish he could’ve earned her trust without having to risk his life for it. If they’re truly open to rekindling their love, then they have so much work to do to ensure that it is a healthy, communicative one that can create a loving environment for Ha-nee to grow up in. Judging by his voicemail, Dae-oh has already come up with actionable things he can do on his end. He has realized that he needs to give Ae-jung reassurance of his love for her by not making her feel lonely, and that he needs to be honest about his own struggles so they can work through hardships together. Ae-jung needs to reflect on her own shortcomings as well, and I’m still waiting for her to tell Ha-nee the full truth. It’s unfair how she just allowed Ha-nee to believe that Dae-oh abandoned her, further separating two people who should never have missed out on fourteen years together in the first place. Good thing Ha-nee’s perceptive enough to realize that the “truth” might be wrong. I sound like a broken record, but I just want her and Dae-oh to make up for lost time. They deserve it!

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