Brewing Love: Episodes 11-12 (Final)

by Unit

It’s time to say goodbye to our brew master and beer saleswoman. But before they get to the final page of their tale, they must deal with sabotage against their beer, fix some relationship problems, and take important decisions that will impact their careers and future.

 
EPISODES 11-12

Our final week resumes with Min-joo’s insistence on dumping the first batch of Together beer. Apparently, there’s been a slight change in its taste — which isn’t a defect, so to speak. But Mr. Brewmaster is the definition of perfection, and he expects nothing less from his beer. He’s resolved to get back the original taste if Yong-joo extends the launch deadline, but Yong-joo argues that Jisang’s credibility with their wholesalers is at stake if they don’t meet up with the deadline. Not to mention the 5 million dollars the company would lose if they dump the already produced beer.

Although Yong-joo’s experience as a saleswoman would have her push ahead with the launch, she’s held back by thoughts about the work the TF team put into Together. She attempts to persuade the marketing director to give Min-joo time to correct the taste, but he refuses. Yong-joo reminds the director that a beer that tastes wrong won’t last long in the market, but the director replies that the customers won’t know the difference between the original taste and the new taste because they haven’t tasted any of it yet. It’s the company’s credibility vs. the TF team’s integrity, and sadly, credibility wins.

Together beer hits the market per the marketing director’s orders, but ain’t nobody joo-bilating about this launch. As the empath in the relationship, Min-joo caters to all of Yong-joo’s feelings, but since she can’t read him, she doesn’t know how he truly feels about the situation. Min-joo, on his part, understands that Yong-joo’s hands are tied at work and he doesn’t want to become another burden to her. So rather than vent to — and at — each other, they choose avoidance. “Why is everything so complicated?” They individually wonder, and maybe they should go ask the writer.

Min-joo borrows a leaf out of Yong-joo’s “I’m fine” book when she eventually confronts him for hiding his feelings from her. “Am I to stay ignorant all the time?” she asks, and he replies that he knows how painful it is to feel another person’s emotions. He doesn’t want to tell her how he feels because he won’t be able to bear it if he sees that his emotions make her feel pain or sadness. Saint Min-joo choosing to bear the burden alone doesn’t sit right with Yong-joo, but she doesn’t want to get into an emotional fight with him. So, she calls for a truce for them to sort out their emotions.

Thankfully, JooJoo’s angst era ends as quickly as it began. Min-joo opens up to Yong-joo about his likes and dislikes, and they agree to adjust to each other’s tastes in the relationship rather than him catering to her preferences all the time.

Speaking of taste, Min-joo gets it right with Together’s second batch, but the TF team’s joy is cut short when an article is released about the beer’s inconsistent taste and quality issues. This is the planning director’s handwork, and I can’t believe he’s in cahoots with the competition! This man doesn’t mind sabotaging the entire company in his solo ego battle against the marketing team. Tsk.

The TF team can smell the planning director’s conspiracy from afar, and they coax the truth out of his minion. Ah-reum finds the evidence they need on his laptop, and she exposes his scheming ass. The director is forced to resign, and we’re forced to listen to his self-righteous monologue and go over his journey to villainy. But nobody cares about this weasel, Show.

Jisang begins damage control and all of that PR stuff to win back the trust of the public. Afterwards, they win over the wholesalers and relaunch Together beer to great success. Successful sales means the Busan branch is getting revived, but the question is: will Yong-joo return to Busan? The marketing director doesn’t want to release his team’s ace, but her team leader in Busan insists that it should be her decision. Team Leader tells Yong-joo that he hired her because he could see her desperation — and in a way, he used her because he also needed someone really desperate to get the job done. Now he encourages her to find a new path. Not out of desperation, but something that makes her heart sing.

Yong-joo is a little hesitant about her decision, and Min-joo assures her that it’s normal to feel that way because up until now she has never really faced herself or her true needs. He also promises to stick by her no matter the outcome of her decision. Eventually, Yong-joo hands in her resignation at work stating that she feels like herself only when she’s working. “Outside of work, I really don’t know who I am. So, I want to find myself.” This is quite cliché, but it’s also true to the Chae Yong-joo we have come to know, and I’m happy for her.

We’re now on the final lap of our show, and it’s time to check in with our toast couple. Chan-hwi returns to his family house with Ah-reum in tow, and it’s his first time since he left home. The door code is the same, his room is untouched, and even though his parents or siblings aren’t home, it’s obvious that they’ve been waiting for his return. Chan-hwi proposes to Ah-reum — or rather, she proposes, because she’s the one who bought her own ring. Lool. Chan-hwi also reveals that he changed his name to Chan-hwi after he was discharged from the military. He was hoping the name change would make him feel reborn, and now only his family remembers his old name (Chan-ran). “You’re now family, you should know,” he tells Ah-reum. Aww.

To be honest, I’d have preferred to see Ah-reum’s interaction with Chan-hwi’s lovely family rather than Chan-hwi’s meet and greet with Ah-reum’s parents. But we don’t always get what we want — except you’re the toast couple who finally get Ah-reum’s parents’ approval to get married. Ah-reum also decides not to resign from work after marriage like she planned to do at the beginning of the show. Instead, she has her sights set on becoming the youngest and first female director at Jisang. You go, girl!

As for the rest of the TF team, Beom returns to the Busan branch and gets a promotion. Gen Z now has a hoobae that puts him through everything he once put the TF team through. “Young people these days can be quite stubborn,” he complains, and I can’t lie, this is the full circle moment I loved the most. Heh. Yong-joo opens a bottle shop that specializes in selling beers from small breweries, and Min-joo is beginning to interact with more people outside those in his circle. JooJoo’s relationship is as solid as ever, and everyone is happy and content with the state of their lives at present. The end.

After getting rid of my Business Proposal-like expectations from this show, it ended up being a pretty decent watch. The plot wasn’t complicated, the conflicts had quick resolutions, and the characters were majorly sweet and easy to root for. I enjoyed the progression of JooJoo’s romance, but more importantly, I liked their healing journey as individuals. The solitary brew master came out of his shell and learned to express himself better, and the one-man-army saleswoman learned to rely on others and become more attuned with her emotions. If Brewing Love set out to inspire its audience to live their best lives doing the things they really want to do, I’d say it achieved its aim.

“Yong-joo, in my name. Min-joo, in his name. And for you, live your life in your name. To the beautiful and vibrant us. Cheers!”

 
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