DNA Lover: Episodes 9-10

19 September 17, 2024September 17, 2024

by Dramaddictally

Our leads are falling in love this week. Since their first kiss, they’ve moved on to handholding, trips to the sea, and trying to change each other (at the DNA level). While our overprotective firefighter backs off to let love breathe, our interloping dating columnist is trying to drum up drama.

EPISODES 9-10

Following their kiss in the hospital bed last week, So-jin and Yeon-woo are suddenly close as can be, joking around, making future plans, and even exchanging gifts. When So-jin receives a pair of fancy heels, she tells Yeon-woo not to worry about her running away (because she’s certain he’s her fated lover). But when she whips out a couple item (matching DNA-strand bracelets), he’s not as psyched as she is to partake in wearing them. Although, he concedes.

Since they’re officially dating now, the bulk of these episodes has our new couple finding ways to show they care. So-jin thinks of Yeon-woo non-stop, never wanting to get off the phone, and she’s already got her heart set on a happy ending. At the same time, Yeon-woo is surprising himself (and everyone else) by wanting to get closer to her, rather than keep his cool and safe distance. In a lovely one-liner, he tells us: “Love is a game where the one who keeps their distance wins. But this woman makes me want to lose the game.” (Awww. That’s actually sweet, in a player-ish way.)

But while Yeon-woo is trying to lower his cool, So-jin is trying to gain some nonchalance. Jealousy is weighing on her at every turn — where any woman that Yeon-woo is in contact with is a possible threat. And while most of these ladies are nothing to worry about, there is a specific woman that’s coming on strong: our polyamorous protagonist, who suddenly has her eyes on only one man.

Mi-eun visits So-jin’s office, wearing the same brand of shoes that Yeon-woo gifted So-jin, and makes it seem like they got their footwear from the same person. Then she blathers on about how they dated for three years and have a deep connection — leaving So-jin anxious and fuming, but unwilling to show her upset. So-jin believes that Yeon-woo is her destiny, but Mi-eun says she doesn’t believe in destiny (a.k.a., she’s ready to fight for him).

With anxiety rampant and nowhere to direct it, So-jin decides to try to alter Yeon-woo’s DNA. She’s wants to turn off his cheater gene and activate the unexpressed monogamy gene (which is evidently recessive?) and then she can finally sleep at night. To do this, she bottles up a gene-suppressing spritz and tells him to use it daily. He agrees, but only if, in return, she’ll go on a trip with him abroad (which our homebody heroine is reluctant to do).

Things get even worse for So-jin when she admits to Yeon-woo that she loves him. (She loves him a lot! In her words.) And Yeon-woo doesn’t say anything back. Actually, he gets awkward, changes the subject, and then high-tails it out of there. But, as we learn, our male lead has deep-seated trauma due to his father’s infidelity and his mother’s obsession with holding onto the marriage in spite of it. The truth is, Yeon-woo doesn’t want to burden anyone by connecting to them. He won’t say “I love you” unless he’s sure he can mean it forever (which is a pretty tall order).

And while So-jin is infuriated that he didn’t say it back, we see Yeon-woo spritzing himself with the playboy-suppressant mist on the daily. So, he’s trying! He also tries to covertly indicate to So-jin that not everybody has the same skills when it comes to love. What’s easy for some people to say directly is really difficult for others — but it doesn’t mean they don’t feel it.

To show her how he feels about her, he suggests a trip to the seaside. En route, he reaches over to hold her hand in the car. Ohhhh! This is the first time this drama gave me legit feels. And once they’re on the sand, it’s walking, talking, and handholding central. They’re adorable. And our man is really coming around.

But when you’re on Episode 10 and this much closeness occurs, there’s only one direction for our elation to go — and that’s down. Just as our leads are starting to think they’re finding their groove together, they get in a fight. So-jin is optimistic, assuming their relationship could (or will) last forever, but Yeon-woo is more realistic and isn’t certain how things will go. He understands that it could end at some point — not that he wants it to — but that it could. However, So-jin wants to hear him express his love and commit to happily ever after.

To close our week, we finally get confirmation that the basketball jersey that So-jin swiped for DNA purposes (back in Episode 3) does indeed belong to Kang-hoon. Of course, we had this suspicion since then, but what I didn’t understand until now is that Yeon-woo has known the whole time. So, what does this mean? First, Kang-hoon is So-jin’s DNA Lover. And second, Yeon-woo is still a liar! Is he keeping it from So-jin so she’ll fall for him anyway? (This guy. Just when I was starting to like him.)

Anyway, Yeon-woo tells Mi-eun about the DNA mix-up, and she then tells Kang-hoon. It seems So-jin is the only one out of the loop. Except, just as the episode ends, So-jin is standing in the doorway looking shocked, just after Mi-eun has revealed the news to Kang-hoon. So, it seems that So-jin knows.

I just have to say, it would make me soooooo happy if Kang-hoon gets the girl. Am I going to suffer the worst case of second lead syndrome in my history of bouts with the illness? Perhaps. But I am really excited for next week to see how this pans out. Kang-hoon had just started to back off and stop being so protective of So-jin now that she and Yeon-woo are dating. He’s still worried (and advising her not to fall in love so fast), but he was trying not to get involved and to let her have what she wants. But with our heroine’s unalterable belief in DNA lovers, will this affect what she wants?

And about the other two, I’m torn. I like Yeon-woo and Mi-eun as people, but I’m not sure they’re a great fit either. I have a sneaking suspicion that if Mi-eun got Yeon-woo all to herself, she might not want him anymore (ya know, the whole thrill of the chase). And Yeon-woo, little by little, is actually changing his ways and opening up. So, I’d say we have two viable options for our leading lady at this point. And even though I’m team ~~white t-shirt and biceps~~ firefighter, if Yeon-woo can get his lies of omission under control, I might let him win me over.

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1 Mr Everything

September 17, 2024 at 10:07 PM

An interesting week with a very different tone from the previous weeks. Less embarrassing humor moments more focus on the new relationship between the leads.

I love how this show constantly is flipping the romance tropes. It seems that this week's focus was on MBTI and relationship styles. So-JIn is the classic introvert and Yeon-woo is the extrovert. Although if we look more at the communication style of the leads, the roles are reversed. Clever.

Making the secondary female lead a relationship expert also allows the show to bring up relationship topics and provide further commentary on the plot of the show. Very meta.

Did anyone else find this week to be not very romantic? I think that it is intentional. All the swoony romantic bits are a little off. From a weird bracelet to dates that don't quite go the way they were supposed to. It was a weird tension that lasted all two episodes and cumulated with the big (predictable) reveal.

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vienibenmio

September 18, 2024 at 10:51 AM

Just want to clarify, extravert and introvert exist outside of the MTBI (they are validated psychology concepts)

I feel like all of the swoony moments are going to Kang-hoon

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Mr Everything

September 18, 2024 at 11:20 AM

Yes. But, I think the writer was being critical of people who gatekeep based on psychological pseudoscience. What parts did you find swoony?

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vienibenmio

September 18, 2024 at 11:35 AM

Her falling and him catching her, they even got the "lip bump" scene. Also him helping her and being there for her, like rushing to help her whenever she calls him and bringing her the food she likes. They had some cute flashbacks of when they were teenagers. Even just the scenes where he's sad over her, especially when he cries, just hit me hard.

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Mr Everything

September 18, 2024 at 12:37 PM

This is an interesting point and something that I probably needed reminding. These were not particularly swoony for me. I have been told by people that I am flirty. But, for me, these are just being a good guy. I see your point and will try to be more cold to women I am not interested in...

Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

September 18, 2024 at 10:29 PM

I think that the female lead is representing those people who send wedding invites out in their head just because someone said hello with a smile! I think it’s tough if you have to change your personality to not give off the wrong signals. I think if people notice a consistency in personality and behaviour they are less likely to be confused. We see the second lead as consistently being there for friends, colleagues and the people he connects with through his work helping people when they are in life threatening situations. That kindness led to him catching the second female lead’s attention but that was all her. The female lead and the pregnant suicidal woman have him correctly friendzoned so they think of his kindness as part of who he is.

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2 Mr Everything

September 17, 2024 at 10:13 PM

Two more things that I loved. I loved how the romantic slow mailbox trope was completely flipped. Usually the slow mailbox is used to bring couples that have fallen apart back together. However, this slow mailbox seems to cause friction in the relationship.

Second, I love how Yeon-woo holds So-Jin's hand in the car to tease her about spending the night together. Then, So-Jin holds his hand to show that despite their argument, she still cares after nearly getting into a car crash. The same gesture embodies the personality of the two characters so perfectly. Yeon-woo is a person who is always composed and in control never letting his emotions do something rash like spend the night together in the first week of dating. And, So-Jin is the person who despite getting hurt, still puts her partner's feelings first.

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3 Nefret

September 17, 2024 at 11:35 PM

When FL said ‘I love you’, I almost cringed because I knew ML wouldn't respond the way she wanted. But it fits FL's personality that her neediness for love makes things rush. I bet she made an early love confession to each of her previous partners.
As charming as ML is, he needs to change too. I can very well understand that he finds partner looks cringy, I'm totally on his side there. But apart from that, he needs to work on himself so that he is in a position to strive for a lasting emotional commitment.
At first glance (if you ignore that ML knew about the DNA mix-up) ML may be the easier partner because of his charming nature (I admit, I find FL quite exhausting), but they both need to overcome their trauma to be able to have a lasting relationship.

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4 geminirat

September 18, 2024 at 1:28 AM

Thank you for the recap, @dramaddictally! I feel sorry for Mi-eun. She had the chance with the man but it didn't work. And now, she wants him back but he's into another woman. It seems Yeon-woo is slowly trying to adapt to So-jin's quirkiness, but he has a lot of baggage that needs to be resolved first. If Kang-hoon is So-jin's DNA lover, it means he's the one who has the playboy gene, not Yeon-woo.

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5 vienibenmio

September 18, 2024 at 5:51 AM

I have full blown SLS at this point. If the show wants me to get over that, they need to stop showing Kang-hoon constantly looking sad. I'm just not convinced that Yeon-woo has that strong of feelings for So-jin. I know what he said about how he's started chasing a woman for the first time, but it felt like too little, too late. He's still not breaking the patterns from before. And I'm starting to think that So-jin needs therapy, not a relationship.

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DiEL

September 19, 2024 at 12:15 AM

The YeonWoo we saw in episode one would have already dumped SoJin the moment she gave him the ridiculous Playboy suppressor lotions, because it means she want to change him... (even if he knows it won't effect him in any way since is based on someone else DNA, so he plays along)
I agree, Sojin needs therapy.

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vienibenmio

September 19, 2024 at 7:07 AM

I guess maybe my issue is, if Yeon-woo has changed, I don't know why. Why is he so into So-jin of all people? They seem so incompatible.

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DiEL

September 23, 2024 at 12:11 AM

we could say it's a case of "the heart knows what the mind doesn't", but I don't want to give the writer too much credit (lol) and go with "because the plot needed it"

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6 DiEL

September 18, 2024 at 11:56 PM

SoJin doesn't know how to date, which is why her relationship failed. Is she really in love?

She is not really interested in getting to know the person she is dating because she thinks she knows him through his DNA. She dumps Yeonwoo without any explanation and then she's jealous of him attending a wedding, she invites his ex to her table, she doesn't listen to what YW says but believes everything his ex says, she throws a tantrum over ME being at YW's house in the morning while she's in the same state, having a long time friend of the opposite sex at her house for the same reasons. (I like how Yeonwoo called her out for not assuming things for having couple things with Kanghoon).

And she is constantly trying to change whoever she is dating anyway by making potions for them. YW has her contact under "SoJin in Wonderland" and is the perfect description. The slow mailbox message YW wrote was actually quite sweet and based on reality, but to her it means he doesn't believe in their relationship? please.

SoJin is also bad at her job. for someone who puts so much faith in DNA (to the point where she thinks she's in love and is willing to judge someone based on it), she didn't even bother to repeat the test with an uncontaminated sample.

I'm not saying it's good that YeonWoo lied to her, but when someone lives in a fantasy land, going along with it is the only way.

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vienibenmio

September 19, 2024 at 7:06 AM

You summarized this well. I also thought Yeon-woo's message to her was nice. And, like, saying "I love you" - it's sooo early in their relationship! I swear, she freaks out and obsesses about the most minor things and then ignores things that actually matter.

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DiEL

September 23, 2024 at 12:13 AM

is she is really in love at all? or she is in love with the idea of him being her DNA lover?

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7 DiEL

September 19, 2024 at 12:10 AM

As for the twist at the end, Kang Hoon is the one with the overly aggressive cheating DNA marker, will SoJin judge him for that?

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8 FormAnOrderlyQueue

September 19, 2024 at 5:55 PM

You know, they are almost making some interesting points about natural compatibility and to what extent people can choose to form successful deep relationships with people who are so different for them ("nature" - bonkers DNA theories - and nurture - ways of thinking/finding joy etc). I like the tension I feel between Kang-hoon being obviously the easier (better?) fit, but wondering if actually Yeon-woo and So-jin could make it work. Genuinely don't really mind how they end this as long as it is justified well.

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DiEL

September 23, 2024 at 12:24 AM

I really wish they would have made nature vs. nurture the main theme. I may be in the minority here, but I don't see Kang Hoon as the better match, just the one she allowed herself to get to know over the years without trying to change him in any way to fit her idea of the perfect date.
For me it's about closeness, not compatibility.

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