Yumi’s Cells 2: Episode 2

by missvictrix

In the wake of a sudden confession, our heroine experiences an unprecedented high after her post-breakup doldrums. As she rides the ups and downs of her emotions, some new feelings start to grow.

 
EPISODE 2 WEECAP

If you don’t mind giving me a moment to get this out of my system: I love Jinyoung! I’m not usually so gung ho on idol actors, but I have loved all of his performances straight from Beloved Eun-dong and on. Here, as Bobby, he’s bringing such a naturalness to the role, and the script makes so much out of his subtle scenes with Yumi. I am loving it.

Okay, with that out of the way, Episode 2 picks up with Bobby’s quite sudden confession to Yumi — except her cells are confused, prompting her to ask for clarification. Yes, this a confession. Yes, he’s asking to date her.

Yumi is dumbfounded, this being her first-ever confession. All of her cells are ready to shout “Yes!” at the top of their lungs, but it’s decided they cannot say yes just yet: they haven’t heard from the love cell. And that’s because she’s down for the count after her heartbreak. Actually, scratch that, she’s in a coma. Lol!

Yumi rejects Bobby with a simple “I’m sorry…” but the consequences are different than we might expect. Her self-esteem, which was basically in the toilet the last few weeks, skyrockets. The cells are worried, but her health cell says it’s fine. Except the self-esteem meter keeps climbing, and it’s now at dangerous levels.

In the real world, we see Yumi in her ego-boosted haze of having such a desirable guy confess to her like that. She is hyper-aware of his every move at work, and half expects his continued attention, but instead is met with a professional and distant Bobby.

But is he uncomfortable? Or is Yumi uncomfortable? They share a lot of awkward moments at the office, the pinnacle of which when they accidentally wind up with coworkers at the same bar. Yumi flexes her menu genius skills (hah, this was funny!) while Bobby is forced to answer the probing questions of his coworkers about why he doesn’t want to go on a blind date.

The way Yumi is all in a jumble around Bobby feels so very accurate, from the way she enjoys his attention, to how she simultaneously doesn’t want to encourage him. Or the way she seems to both avoid him and seek him out at the same time (lol to her fashionable running clothes). In fact, she’s starting to think about him differently. In her words, “Things that I didn’t see are now appearing to me.”

She secretly observes him during a work meeting, from the way he cracks his knuckles, to how he wears his dress shirt, to his scent as he walks past her. Gah, there was so much packed into this tiny scene. The drama is able to show what’s happening inside of its characters in such a poignant way, while doing so little on screen. It’s great.

In fact, this episode was enjoyable from start to finish, just watching these two dance around each other — with Yumi awkwardly trying to figure out what she’s feeling and why it’s changing, and Bobby, constantly (and accurately) sussing out her receptiveness and comfort level.

He’s concerned that his confession has made her uncomfortable and wants to make sure they can still be friends, but when Yumi sees him one morning with his ex-girlfriend (of the cruel breakup we witnessed last season), she’s even more confused.

Since the two live in the same neighborhood, they find themselves waiting for the same bus home after the awkward drinks with their coworkers. Bobby lets Yumi sit, and stands in front of her — which is romantic enough due to all the chemistry in the air — but then, when he realizes she’s uncomfortable, he gets off at the next stop to wait for the following bus. The look they share from bus stop to bus window!

Yumi texts him, and the two have an open communication about his ex, and Bobby asks Yumi if she’ll wait for him at the next stop. She does, and when he shows up they sit together and talk at the unfamiliar bus stop. (What is it with this show and bus stops? The best and most affecting scenes always seem to happen there.)

Bobby might bust out his swoony line that it feels good to have her waiting for him, but beyond the sweet flirtation, I just love how the show builds their connection and emotional closeness. I’m enjoying this phase of Yumi and Bobby’s romance sooo much, and I want to enjoy it more, so I’m hoping the drama doesn’t rush them to coupledom next week, now that we (and Yumi) know she’s developing feelings for him. Oh, to have a Bobby to run into at the grocery store!

 
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• Yumi’s Cells: Episode 1