Thank you for this sweet recap. 🍭

This OTP and their cute fight hijinks may just be most favorite ever. The sound effects of Eun-ha's growl vs. Ji-hwan's whimper are just too good. 🤣🤣🤣

Joon was the best-est ever.
But why was Ye-na pretending its a date!? Who cares, the look on Eun-ha's face as she left was priceless.

I was nervous going into this week! Most shows lose their way before or by the halfway mark. I didn't want this little surprising gem of a show to suffer the same fate. I was reassured from the first scene in episode 9. Most of us guessed correctly, that our sometimes annoying and other times seems-not-too-bad SL told Eun-ha the truth. At least enough of it to ease the mounting anxiety she was feeling about finding her childhood friend. I have a sneaky suspicion she knows it's Ji-hwan.
A part of me softened towards Hyun woo. He could have chosen to lie, but he didn't.
As much as it irritated me, I'm not sure I can blame him for telling Eun-ha he likes her. I like how both episodes played with honesty- when is the right time to show your cards? How vulnerable can we be about the things that haunt us from the past?
As Il-young so wisely put it: the difference between Hyun woo and Ji-hwan was that Hyun woo was honest about his feelings for Eun-ha.
We know this is one of Ji-hwan's sore spots. Should it be *that* hard for him to tell the woman he likes (really, really likes) that he likes her? Given his past, I see how that is part of how he's come to navigate the world. Keep his heart and those close to him safe by hardening himself, ergo not being honest, even with himself, about what he wants. So it must be scary for him to be thrust into the open and deal with feelings he's always suppressed. His agony was so pure, I felt it clutching in my own chest. Uhm Tae Goo's acting was brilliant. How many of us have spent hours writing and erasing a text that we never send? Or sighed from the deep dark depths of ourselves like that? *groan* So relatable. His awkwardness with his mouth and his actions in the presence of beauty and grace felt true to his character. I don't think it would have worked without the depth of layers we have seen of him (again all the acting stars to UTG.)

This is why his confession brought both a tear and butterflies. It meant so much to have those words finally leave his body, you could feel his relief. And Eun-ha, ever so graceful and mature responded in kind. I like that she didn't try to punish him for all the times he couldn't say it. As much as he frustrated her with his mixed signals, she seems to understand him at his core.

The one thing I'm having a hard time with is this change in Ji-hwan from being the gentleman who in the beginning was thoughtful and careful, giving Eun-ha space, not crowding her but at the same time showing his care, to this possessive man who only wants her to look at him. I'm not sure possessiveness will ever be sexy. You can't own a person. It doesn't matter your background, culture, race, social status, you simply cannot possess another human. You can try, but that's not how love works. So this 'trope' never makes sense to me. It feels immature at best and controlling at worst. Yet here we are, with our hero stating to show signs of it and I'm torn. It ruined the...

I also cracked up when Joon told the FL he wanted to sip out of her beau-tea,it was my first time hearing it and that was soooo good 🤣🤣🤣🤣,I think I found a new rizz line 😂😂😌

Thanks for the recap @daebakgrits I bet you struggled to decide which highlights to include as there were so many cute moments.

I just want to zoom in on Mr rude and ungrateful aka The chairman. He is away for 9 years and on his release complains that half the gang are missing and disrespects Yanghee, the man who despite being overlooked for years prior to the Chairman’s arrest has kept things going in the Chairman’s absence. The chairman continually implies that this recent mistake overrides the favour gleaned from 9 years of loyalty. I don’t even like Yanghee but I still felt bad for him losing his side kick and being dismissed in such a blatant way.

🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
The emoji above sums up my emotions since Thursday night, OMG, they are all so cute, Uhm Tae-goo especially! 😊
I know there are so many lovable moments to add to the recap so allow me say mine.
1. When the main couple had their bickering fight in ep 9 and Jae-soo said it's over, cuz that's how he and his ex broke up, I was on the floor 😂
2. When he asserted she returns home to clean reminded me of Rain and Song hye-kyo, when he stops her date by deceiving her to clean up first in Full House.
3. When Ji-hwan was taking consultations from Il-young and they switched chairs 😂😂, they have such a loving and sweet camaraderie.
4. When Ji-hwan attempted to give Eun-ha a peeled tangerine but only ended up throwing it on her face courtesy of our best driver/matchmaker 😂😂
5. Hong-ki's perfect voice imitation of Ji-hwan 😂😂
6. Then the COVID line, o please, the deerlings are so adorably naive 😂😂
That for that, I exceptionally loved how he confessed his feelings, it was in line with his character, straight out blurting the words out in hopes that she won't hear him but he atleast freed his chest. He is soooooooo cute! Y'all, I found my crush of the year 2024. 😘

My top picks of best recap lines from DaebakGrits go to....:

1. but his actions are screaming “I love you, and I would throw myself onto a bed of cacti before letting you suffer a single splinter!”

2. nothing says “I secretly want to confess my love for you” quite like telling a woman she should do housework. (*facepalm*)

3. and yells, “Let’s go, Baby!” at a decibel that clearly indicates the term of endearment is as foreign to him as the jealousy welling inside him.

Tea-sputter score: high ✅

Joon has the best cameo this year. It was certainly memorable. He looked like he was having a lot of fun too. 😆😂🤣

I am enjoying this drama a lot. I like the main and secondary OTP. The Thirsty Deer brothers are also cute.

Thanks for this funny recap, DaebakGrits!

What I really liked:
_ The "blind date" scene. The cameo was wonderful. I have not seen any drama starred by Lee Joon yet, but it seemed here he had a lot of fun. It was an hilarious scene.

_ Min-ho's family scenes. I would like to see more of them. Even better if Il-young is there. They need more scenes together.

_ All Hyun-woo's scenes. He is growing on me a lot. I felt very sorry for him in some moments. It's not SML syndrome (yet) but I hope he can be happy. I see now I'm enjoying this show more when Kwon Yool is on scene.

_ The deerlings. They are a mess, but always funny.

What I didn't like:

_ Eun-ha trying to make Ji-hwan feel uncomfortable. I don't know why, but I didn't like the cute video she sent to him. They have just started their relationship, but she is going too fast 😅 He needs his time.

_ Ji-hwan being over-protective and... possessive? It was cute when he tried to find the best and safest appartment for her, though. But I don't like the way he acted at the end of episode 10.

_ The Disney's Pocahontas original music from the theme "If I never knew you" sounded twice in the Episode 9. And I don't know if this is homage or plagiarism, but it took me out of the show. This composer definitely is an admirer of Alan Menken.

All our other ships (the ones that have sailed, or not):

1. And it shalt be said: "They went on a camping trip, and came back with two sisters-in-law." 😂

2. Now that we have settled our OTP, I am glad to see more plot development & relational dynamics for our second leads Miho & Il-Young.

Let's see:
(a) we have a positive PT stick (may be fake-out?)
(b) we have Mi-Ho calling Il-Young a "coward" for his "mistake" backpedal
(c) we have Il-Young showing petty jealousy for the first time when Yang was paying Mi-ho too much attention fussing over follicles
(d) we then have Mi-Ho holding out the olive branch and tampering down her hitherto hostile stance cos they may have more social time in future ("let's be friends". uh-oh. did she just friend-zone him?)

In other news!

Our luckless Mr Justice (whose ship did not sail with either Eun-Ha or Ye-Na) may well find a landing berth with the quiet Officer Song who has held a torch for him since the Joseon dynasty. Still waters run deep...

Oh, what a show. ☺️

1. Joon seemed to be having the time of his life with that cameo. He gave me Shrek's Prince charming flashbacks with that rose and attitude. 😂

A perfect addition to the Lobster Company. He was just as extra as everyone else in that place. LMAO His cameo was sudden but impactful.

2. I think Ji Hwan needs to give his deerlings a rise. They did everything to get them back together, and they were successful.
Be more grateful, papa deer. They even kidnapped for you.

3. The forest confession was adorable! And I loved that when she confessed he dropped her, and then her little kiss almost killed him (why am I making their relationship sound so violent? LMAO)

4. I found Eun Ha very relatable in these two episodes because Ji Hwan was acting extremely frustrating but it was hard to stay mad at him because he's adorbs.

But I see the final scene of episode 10 as him trying harder to express himself properly, so there's hope.
I'm guess we'll see some character development I'm the next few weeks.

Also, I LOVE how Eun Ha handles everything with Ji Hwan. I liked that after he ruined her moment with Hyun Woo she didn't go home.
She left because he was being stubborn, plus the puppy face, but she made it clear that she wasn't happy with his behavior and that he wouldn't control her.

But what I loved the most was Eun Ha's cuteness attacks. I just love how she teases him. She won't push him too far, but she won't sit around either. For example, it was nice that after he got shy, she just sent him a video instead of trying to do something more direct.

She's really carrying this relationship. And that's why I can't wait to Ji's development, since he needs to carry the other half of the ship.

5. Because of how well they have developed Mi Ho so far (she's an icon), I want to give this show a chance about the pregnancy and all.

However, the fact that just like any other show they skipped the sex scene, they didn't explain if it was safe or just anything related to Mi Ho's birth control, and she didn't even got the chance to comment about how she feels about this possible pregnancy and what she wants to do about it, and instead they made all the guys in the family see and discuss the pregnancy test before Mi Ho even confirmed it, isn't giving me that much hope.

I feel like the show took away some of her power by doing all this. It's like her words lost some weight the second that night stopped being her and Il Yeong.

Also, now that Il Yeong knows that she's pregnant, wtv he does, I'm gonna feel meh about it. I won't stop feeling sus about him. And even if this family is great and there's like six cute uncles ready to raise that child, I can't be happy about it because there's no real reason for Mi Ho to be pregnant and to keep the baby except for the low birth rate agenda.
I want to be optimistic, but this show had no business including this storyline to begin with...

p.s. shout-out on mobster fashion:

This week I love how he loses his trench coat (for good) and we see him in gorgeous 3-piece suits (I especially approve of the grey and the pin-striped ones making appearances in Episode 9). So dapper. So debonair. I envisage lighter and lighter tones as our mobster plunges into the giddy throes of first love

These two episodes just had it all—the angst, the depth, the ridiculous can’t help but smile comedy, and the romance. And wow, Um Tae Gu just was amazing in these episodes. The physical comedy alone would be noteworthy—the crazy blind date scene, the running and extreme angling of his body to hide behind the police car when looking for Eun Ha, the whole series of running, falling, fainting and careening in love while piggybacking Eun Ha, the lovely ice pack making, and so much more. But what makes Ji Hwan/UTG much more is the range he exhibits through his competence, depth and even the bigger vision he has—the scene when he goes to warn Go Yang Yi to not to mess with his people (and I think we know he means in particular, but does not name, Eun Ha) shows the power behind his threat (how efficient was he in getting the keys and returning the keys?). There is no doubt that you should not mess with him, so when he shows the vulnerability, softness, the joy and even discombulation (i.e., lack of control) of his feelings for Eun Ha, it hits hard because these are things he has tried and succeed for so long not to have in order for him to be able to do his larger mission of restorative justice and mercy. Yet, at the same time, while he is flailing in love, his sense of responsibility and ethos are never divorced from his being. Even his hyperviligilance and perceptiveness makes him highly aware of the dangers all around him (he was the only one to notice the secret photographer). So when he tells the prosecutor that he has thought multiple times more the dangers around him, we know it’s true because we have seen the benefits (saving his employees and Eun Ha) and the costs (his hypervigiliance, his inability to sleep).

The vulnerability he feels both for himself being potential not in control and for Eun Ha’s safety is especially poignant because of his extreme competence and sense of responsibility. It is telling that the only times we known he has fallen asleep (and let himself be a little less aware and little more vulnerable to the world) has been in the presence of Eun Ha (a catnap while waiting for her at the hospital and then seemingly a deep sleep in the hospital bed with her right nearby). So even though she causes him to feel vulnerable (and safe), now when she is away, he cannot rest at all as Man Ho says when Eun Ha sleeps over at Mi Ho’s house.

At the same time, Eun Ha’s character shined through these two episodes. Eun Ha’s insistence of being self-sufficient with both Ji Hwan and the prosecutor when she was looking for a new place to stay showed how she wanted to live within her means and with self-respect. She was clear with her feelings when she told Ji Hwan that she wouldn’t make him uncomfortable by questioning him further, telling him straightforwardedly that she enjoyed her time at the house AND with him, and yet, she would not let him confuse her further by accepting his gestures of kindness when he told her that...

Where do I even start???
Cute, lovely, adorable, dorky and everything else. Our mobster is the bestest. I loved these two episodes. I was grinning like an idiot. And I was so happy to see them happy after the confession.
He smiled. What a beautiful happy smile.
And the way he felt energized to carry her and run!!!
That confession was so Ji Hwan. I can’t think of any other way he could have confessed. It just fit him right. And his first kiss started hesitantly and nervously which was also so Ji Hwan.
The acting in these episodes was just incredible.

I love our deerlings.

I hate the pregnancy plot. Fix it show. Make her have Covid. Because that’s the only thing that will make it make sense.

Did I say I love this show 💙💙💙💙

Poor Pappa Il-young. Time to man up and fix that mistake comment.

Thanks for the recap! I should say that more often. I look forward to these recaps almost as much as I look forward to the episodes themselves. I love the fact that you always highlight something that I missed, or explain why a particular moment was so perfect. Dramas wouldn't be nearly as much fun without Dramabeans.

Can I just say that Mi Ho has vaulted into the lead in my heart? That scene where she told Il Young that she didn't regret their night together and that saying it was a mistake was a form of cowardice? Just gorgeous. She broke my heart in that scene. I agree on the pregnancy complication--I do hope it's false, and that she figures it out soon, so that it doesn't complicate whatever future the two of them have together. But boy, Il Young would have to be an enormous fool not to hang onto Mi Ho. She is a gem.

The tangerine. Oh. My. Days. Such a brilliant 30 seconds of humour. The earnestness with which he peeled it and removed the pith. The anxiety on his face as he tried to wake her up to offer it. The way it bounced off her face (fantastic aim!). The grovelling apology and panic on his face that he might just have destroyed his chance. Then it happened again... Sides were split over here!

When I finished ep 10 and proceeded to chores I found myself humming the theme song. I realized that ML's choice of "baby" as endearing name matches the opening. Then I got curious about the rest of the lyrics.
Baby baby won't you come along
Every single day I belong
Baby baby let me come along
Keep you happy all day long .

Although I much prefer the shortened version "babe" just getting our 'tween in a sharp suit to utter the word is gratifying.
Baby steps. Thanks again @daebakgrits for a sparkling recap!

Wait, was it confirmed that lawyer man’s subordinate has feelings for him? Did I miss some dialogue or was it an implication?

I was scared by all the noble idiocy talk so I put off the last 3 episodes. Binged them all last night and they were amazing. Ji-hwan and Eun-ha are just the cutest, and their deerlings are so charming & sweet. Less interested in the second couple and the lawyer man but let’s see where that goes.

Daebakpod makes a good point about how their first real kiss had some dark vibes, spurred on by jealousy, as noted by the music and framing. Sweet Mobster indeed.

All I’m going to say to the Cat Gang boss is Ji Hwan totally would’ve welcomed the cat and she would’ve had her own little house and maybe also cute little outfits or whatever she wanted, it’s not too late to rethink your alliances.

While I am not taking this show too seriously, I did like its initial theme of reputation and how it shapes perception--both the ex-cons and the influencers. This seems to have gone by the wayside, with the slapstick humor of the bumbling ex-cons (this is fine) and the immediate threat of the father's return as gang CEO, a threat not only to the safety of the women, but the redemption/salvation of the former criminals. (which I won't like at all if it becomes serious.)
I find the romances less and less appealing. These last two episodes, ML and assistant are exhibiting behaviors that are obnoxious to me as a male viewer rooting for feel-good portrayals of falling in love and living happily together. The assistant is without doubt, the worst, continuing to remain silent and not apologizing after asserting that he made a mistake by sleeping with the 2fl. He should be thrown to the curb immediately, especially if he actually likes the woman, so he can suffer for his lack of consideration and maybe learn a lesson.

As for the ML, its not his shyness and awkwardness that I find irritating, although I did note he had no problem saying mean things to the FL. I don't feel the same way as @daebakgrits--his wasn't one of my favorite confessions of all kdramas--still, it was entirely within character, and in that way okay dramatically. Its not a confession I'll watch again and again, though.

However, the ML's almost pathological phobia about being near to the FL post-confession because--why? He was so scared of sex? He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself if he looked at her lips? destroyed any sort of romantic mood in that episode for me. That, combined with his obsessive jealousy, taking over the cooking, and then physically expressing it by grabbing her away from a handshake-- if it occurred in real life would raise major red flags (obviously I understand its supposed to be comic, I just found it very unromantic).

In any case, for me these last two episodes turned a funny portrayal of a sweet and awkward man with an inadvertent gangster past into a caricature of a kdrama ML in regards to denying/obsessing about the sexual attractiveness of the FL. In fact, with that weird video that I think was supposed to serve as educational therapy (?) the Female Lead became even more of what she has been throughout the show: a Mother doe. If the show actually has the two leads do more than kiss, there's going to be some kind of weird deer-oedipal vibe—an adult Bambi sleeping with his Mom.