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Boys Before Flowers: Episode 20

I enjoyed this episode; it felt like a return to the style of earlier days, which in my book is a good thing.

(It’s sad; I haven’t rewatched any episodes since Episode 10 — up till that point I’d rewatched the episodes multiple times, or at least my favorite portions. I was a little shocked to realize when I started up this episode that I’d forgotten a few of the characters’ names! Aie. That’s how far back this show has gotten pushed in my mind when it’s not actually on. Although, like I said — I still totally enjoyed Episode 20.)

SONG OF THE DAY

8eight – “참지마” (Don’t Hold Back). I know the So-hee As Vampire song is getting all the attention right now for the music video, but I’m partial to this track. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 20 RECAP

When Yi-jung finds Ga-eul at her pottery class — using his trusty super-sensory Ga-eul Tracking Beacon, I’m sure — things start out promising for the couple. He looks at her encouragingly as she works on her project, and she smiles bashfully at his attention…

…until Yi-jung looks over at the ceramic puzzle piece on the desk, that is. Instantly recognizing it, he asks urgently where it came from.

Ga-eul answers that it belongs to her pottery teacher, which sends Yi-jung rushing out in a blaze of (over)emotion. (Oh, Kim Bum. It’s okay, you can bug out your eyes and flare your nostrils as much as you like, I’ll still love you.) From his shocked reaction, Ga-eul puts the (puzzle) pieces together, and we now confirm that the girl he’d been talking about in the last episode was in fact Eun-jae, not Ga-eul (sorry, Soeulmaters). (Refresher: He’d mumbled about in his sleep that he’d retreated because he was afraid he would hurt her.)

After sending her brother away, Jan-di wanders the streets with her sad piece of luggage. She pulls out her phone to call someone — perhaps Ji-hoo, or maybe Ga-eul — but gets no answer. (We can assume this is the phone Jae-kyung bought her, but a little more continuity would be nice. Jan-di suddenly has a phone! Then she doesn’t! Now she does again!)

Jan-di tries to stake out a spot for herself in the subway station, but she’s chased off by a drunken, belligerent homeless man. I know she tried to call somebody and she heads to the clinic next, but if she was willing to squat in a fetid corner of hobo headquarters, surely she could’ve tried a few more people first. Honey, there’s pride, and there’s stupidity. (Jan-di, two words for you: PC bang.)

(By the way, the background music is a Jisun song, “What Do I Do?” [어떡하죠], and no, it’s not out yet.)

At home, Jun-hee thinks back to how her mother interfered in her life, in much the same way she’s interfering in Jun-pyo’s now. Back before Jun-hee’s marriage, Madam Kang had attempted to pay off Jun-hee’s boyfriend, insisting that someone of Jun-hee’s standing needs to marry an elite type.

Jun-hee had angrily confronted her mother, saying that all she had ever wanted was a love like the one she had with him — nobody else can replace him. Madam Kang had sneered that risking her status for love is a foolish gamble. “Do that in your next life.”

Commiserating with Jan-di’s situation, Jun-hee calls her… which is a good thing, because this occurs just as Jan-di collapses in the street from exhaustion. Worried passers-by crowd around her, and one woman answers Jan-di’s phone.

When Jan-di awakens, she’s in a guest room at the Gu Manor (or I suppose I should call it Shinhwa Manor). Jun-hee greets her with affection and cheeriness, but there’s a firmness to her tone as she reminds Jan-di that she’d told her to call if she was ever in trouble. She announces that Jan-di is her guest now, and will stay in this house until she’s able to find a place to go.

Jan-di protests — it’s too much of an imposition — so Jun-hee busts out the “But you’ll hurt my feelings if you refuse” tactic, reminding Jan-di that she’d promised to think of her as an unni, regardless of Jun-pyo. Surely she wasn’t just paying lip service, was she? Besides, Mommie Dearest is out of the country right now.

It IS a solution to her problems, so Jan-di agrees reluctantly, under one condition — she wants to earn her keep. She asks to be put to work.

You know, the French maid outfits are ridiculous, but I kinda like them. More to the point, I like how they, unlike the school uniforms, are not fetishized sex-kitten costumes. Sure they’re funny-looking, but in a frilly, Pilgrim-girl way, not a skimpy lad-mag way.

Jun-hee introduces Jan-di to the staff and the stern Granny Housekeeper who rules the roost. (Anyone think that the bug pin on her collar is a nod to Jun-pyo’s bug phobia? Lol.) Granny’s kind of a hoot, not least because the actress is a kdrama staple and she always does the bossy grandma role hilariously. Furthermore, although Jun-hee calls her “grandmother” out of affectionate respect, the housekeeper demands that Jan-di (as her employee) call her “sunbae” instead. HAHA. (Insisting she be called “sunbae” would be appropriate if she were about fifty years younger.)

With that, Jun-hee announces she’ll be heading back to the States for a while, and wishes Jan-di well.

Jan-di is trained under the eagle eye of Housekeeper Granny, who demands perfection. At mealtime, Jan-di is assigned to serve Jun-pyo, so she hastily tells him the menu and keeps her face averted to avoid his notice.

Jun-pyo doesn’t notice Jan-di at first, because he’s startled to see Granny back — apparently she’d left the household to work elsewhere for a while. For the time being, she’s traded places with the butler.

Granny introduces Jan-di as the new maid, forcing the latter to face Jun-pyo. Wincing, Jan-d addresses him, and both exhibit further shock when Granny announces that Jan-di will be Jun-pyo’s exclusive personal maid.

Jan-di begs to be reassigned, but Granny is unbudging — this job requires her to do tasks that may not be enjoyable, but should be done uncomplainingly. Jan-di contemplates leaving, but feels that would be disrespectful to Jun-hee, and faces her task with resignation.

Jun-pyo, on the other hand, is loving this.

He uses a walkie-talkie to issue orders to Jan-di, which was a tactic already seen in Last Scandal. But even though it’s familiar, I still thoroughly enjoy it here.

He wastes no time putting his “personal maid” to work, issuing commands for her to essentially come running at his beck and call. When she bickers with him (using his name and casual banmal speech), Granny scolds her and reminds her to do her job.

First off, she prepares ramen for Jun-pyo, the first batch of which he rejects because she fancied it up with extra garnishes and pretty dishes — he wants it commoner-style, with the requisite copper pot and lid.

Then he tells her to sit by while he eats, softening the command by telling her how to work the recliner.

The song usage in this drama, as we know, tends to be heavy-handed, but at least the meaning of the song played here fits nicely in this scene. It even ties into a scene later. (This song is also still unreleased).

As Jan-di pulls the stool up on the recliner, the song goes, “I know that this shouldn’t happen. If you say this is a lie, will my feelings for you return?” (The song talks about harboring feelings that shouldn’t be felt, indicating that her feelings are in danger of making a reluctant resurgence.)

When Jun-pyo finishes eating, he sees that Jan-di has fallen asleep. He covers her with a blanket, and watches her as she sleeps on, not noticing that the maids have witnessed this through the open doorway. (Granny looks rather pleased, as well.)

In the morning, Jan-di has the daunting task of waking Jun-pyo, which as we’ve already seen takes some effort. He’s being so bad-tempered that when she arrives at his room, she overhears him yelling at a maid to get out and that she’s fired.

The maid bursts out crying, so Jan-di grits her teeth and storms in to wake him up, prodding him incessantly with her feather duster until he does. Furthermore, she makes him come outside to rescind his firing to the maid.

(As we’ve seen in the past, Jan-di tends to let herself be abused when she’s the one at the brunt of the bad behavior, but she’s more than willing to step in on others’ behalf. I wish she’d stand up for herself, too, because Weakling Jan-di sure gets tiresome. But given my options, I’ll take this Righteous Defender Jan-di over Doormat Jan-di any day.)

Yi-jung drops by the pottery classroom to see Eun-jae, and finally we can piece together their backstory. She’d been the one to leave him — and furthermore, she’d hidden herself on purpose to make it difficult for him to find her.

Ga-eul walks into the hallway in time to hear their conversation from the hallway. At this confirmation that Yi-jung and Eun-jae were first loves, she realizes that she’s probably out of the picture.

The girls mope together about their failed love lives. Jan-di’s lost her boyfriend to another woman, while Ga-eul is sad that she helped Yi-jung reunite with his first love, just as things were looking good for them.

Jae-kyung bursts in, worried, having found out Jan-di moved again. As telling the truth would present something of a delicate situation, Jan-di laughs it off, trying to remain vague about her new home and saying that “stuff came up.” So when Jae-kyung enthuses about another housewarming party, Ga-eul jumps in — Jan-di’s staying with her, so they can’t have a party.

Jae-kyung asks for some porridge to take to Jun-pyo, who’s sick. Jan-di almost slips by saying confusedly that Jun-pyo wasn’t sick that morning, but Ga-eul stops her in the nick of time.

Dr. Grandpa Yoon is experiencing more chest pains, which worries Jan-di. He keeps insisting he’s fine, and given that he’s a doctor, I’m interpreting this to mean that he’s actually NOT fine, which is a fear Jan-di shares. She doesn’t believe his reassurances, and says that she doesn’t like the idea of him living alone when he might fall ill again.

Thus Jan-di tries her best hand at some subtle manipulation, showing up at Ji-hoo’s home with luggage and asking if he has a spare room. The implication is that it’s for her — he’s a little taken aback, but points the way. Then Jan-di pops outside to bring in her guest: Dr. Grandpa.

This does not seem like a very good idea, and both men protest. Jan-di first deals with Grandpa, telling him he’s had 15 years to mentally prepare himself for this moment. Also, she threatens (affectionately), if he doesn’t do as she says, she’s going to reveal to Ji-hoo that he’s ill. Grandpa worries, “Will he forgive me?” Jan-di smiles reassuringly — it’ll work out.

Then she faces Ji-hoo, and as with the earlier maid scene, we see that Jan-di is more than happy to confront somebody when it’s for someone else’s behalf. Ji-hoo’s initial anger doesn’t faze her; she says, matter-of-factly, “He and you both need family. All I did was find it for you.”

She points out that even if he wants more time to “prepare himself” to confront his grandfather, at some point the preparation becomes useless.

Jan-di: “The Ji-hoo I know really loves his grandfather and misses him. That’s why you’ll be able to forgive him.”

Dinner at Jun-pyo’s is one of those scenes that isn’t a huge plot mover but is full of small, cute moments. I love it. Jun-pyo’s eating dinner with Woo-bin, when mention of the new maid comes up. He’s disgruntled that his new personal maid isn’t available, as Jun-hee had given her a five-day workweek.

Woo-bin isn’t aware that Jan-di is the new maid, and Jun-pyo’s not ready to make that news public, so he furtively signals for Granny to ix-nay on the andi-Jay alk-tay.

Then, Jae-kyung flounces in, unannounced. I laughed at Jun-pyo’s reaction to Jae-kyung’s attempt to tend to him in his moment of “illness” — could he BE leaning any farther away from her? Woo-bin, totally enjoying every moment of Jun-pyo’s discomfort, teases him about eating Jae-kyung’s porridge (hence the screencap of him above).

That night, Jun-pyo walkie-talkies Jan-di and orders her over, ignoring her protests that she’s off-duty. It turns out that he wants company while he watches a horror movie — and heh, extra lulz for using Kim Bum’s most recent film, Go-sa: Bloody Midterms.

The movie makes both of them jumpy, although Jun-pyo is the bigger scaredy-cat. Soon they’re all wound up in tension, and a particularly scary moment sends them jumping toward each other. (Is this predictable? I DON’T CARE.)

Naturally, this makes for some awkward romantic tension/frustration. They break apart uneasily, and finally Jan-di can’t take it; she gets up to leave.

Jun-pyo calls her back. She pauses, but leaves anyway.

And then she rushes back in, because she’s just spotted Jae-kyung outside, heading straight for Jun-pyo’s room. This sends her into a nervous flurry and she scurries around the room like a chicken with its head cut off, fretting over what to do.

For his part, Jun-pyo declares himself ready to just come out with the truth, but Jan-di panics and beelines for Jun-pyo’s closet. She climbs in.

Jun-pyo thinks she’s being ridiculous, but she frantically motions for him to shut the door, which he does just as Jae-kyung enters calling for him.

Jae-kyung has had a similar idea as Jun-pyo, and comes bearing a horror movie — she was too afraid to watch it alone. (They don’t say whether she brought the same movie, but the point highlighting their similarity is clear enough.)

After the movie ends, Jae-kyung looks over to see that Jun-pyo has fallen asleep. As Jun-pyo had done with Jan-di, Jae-kyung covers him with the blanket, then takes a long look at him.

I’m sure this parallel is intentional, showing again how Jae-kyung is similar to Jun-pyo — not necessarily to demonstrate that they’re a good (complementary) match, but more that they’re too similar to work. This is also the scene I was referring to when I mentioned the song lyrics previously, because the same song kicks in as Jae-kyung looks at sleeping Jun-pyo, with the same lyrics that go, “I know that this shouldn’t happen. If you say this is a lie, will my feelings return?”

Jae-kyung leans in close to press a kiss to his cheek.

Jun-pyo opens his eyes after she goes (which means he probably was awake for the kiss), then remembers Jan-di.

He finds her asleep in the closet. I really, really like the tiny beat while he’s looking at her intently and raises a hand to her face, and his finger lingers on her lips — it’s like he’s giving her a kiss, too.

He carries Jan-di back to her room.

In the morning, Ji-hoo wakes up to find his grandfather at the table, having prepared breakfast for the two of them. How sad that Ji-hoo is always left to eat his tragic foodstuffs alone, and now that he has a companion, he doesn’t want it. Grandpa Yoon has put a lot of care into making funny faces in the food — stuff Ji-hoo liked as a kid — but Ji-hoo isn’t ready for this step, and rejects it. Saying he’s not hungry, he turns away.

He does, however, come back after his grandfather has finished eating, and sits alone at the table and cleans his plate. Okay, I know this scene is all meaningful and touching, but it’s hilarious how purposely meaningful it is. Seriously, has food ever been as sad as when Ji-hoo eats it?

A lingering shot at both their plates highlights more of their similarities — they’ve even eaten in similar patterns (with the same leftovers). This reminder of their resemblances troubles Ji-hoo.

Then, Jan-di is confronted by an irate Jae-kyung, who storms into her guest bedroom and accuses her of deceiving her. How dare Jan-di lie to her so blatantly, when all she ever wanted to do was be her friend? She slaps her.

But as we may have guessed — whether from the setup or merely from Jae-kyung’s crazy eyes — this is a dream, brought on by Jan-di’s guilty conscience.

It’s the weekend, which means Jan-di doesn’t have housemaid duties, so she arrives at Ji-hoo’s house bright and early to usher them both to work. At first, Ji-hoo stands aside at the clinic, keeping out of the way without anything to do. Jan-di draws him into the mix, assigning him some of her tasks like handing out tea to the patients.

When she comes out of the exam room, she finds that Ji-hoo has done well on his own, entertaining patients with a song (the tune Jan-di sang before, “I Only Know Love”) on the harmonica. (Are Ji-hoo’s musical instruments the new F4 sporting events? What next, drums? Harp? Castanets?)

Yi-jung broods in his studio, remembering his conversation with Eun-jae. He’d asked why she’d suddenly disappeared, sadly saying that she’d been like air to him — a constant presence he’d come to depend on. Her abrupt departure was a huge shock to him.

Eun-jae had replied, “I wasn’t air. You confused the wind for air.” She had made the same mistake, too, thinking she could stay with him. However, in the end she realized, “Wind can’t return to the place it had once been.”

Ga-eul comes upon a defeated Yi-jung in the studio, asking why he’s like this. (He’s holding the puzzle piece, which he hides behind his back when she enters, which I suppose suggests that he does care about Ga-eul.)

Yi-jung doesn’t like Ga-eul questioning his life, and tells her to keep her mouth shut and leave. But she’s determined to say her piece and refuses to shut up, calling him out as a liar and a coward.

This angers him, but she points out that he had said (regarding Eun-jae) that he had pushed her away for her own sake. Ga-eul challenges his version of the story: “No, you were afraid you’d get hurt.”

Ga-eul continues: “I know the cool, stylish, attentive So Yi-jung is only a mask. But the So Yi-jung I like is a child-like person, afraid of love and of saying farewells.”

She hands him Eun-jae’s puzzle piece (which bears the Chinese character for “time” or “era”), and leaves him with one final thought: “Children don’t hesitate with things they like — because they know that they’ll burst into tears if they lose it.”

With that, Ga-eul exits. Yi-jung takes in all her words with stunned silence, unmoving… and then snaps out of it, and rushes out to follow her.

Morning again. Knowing what this means, Jan-di prepares herself for the arduous task of waking Jun-pyo, and pesters him with an alarm clock held to his ear.

Jun-pyo mumbles and resists, burying himself in the covers, so Jan-di tries harder to bug him with the clock and drag off the covers. As we can expect, this leads to a loss of balance, and she falls on top of him.

(Like I said before, is this predictable? I DON’T CARE.)

Instead of letting go awkwardly, Jun-pyo surprises Jan-di by holding her closer to him. He says, “Just five minutes. Let’s stay like this for five minutes. Then I’ll get up. Even though I’m holding you like this, it doesn’t feel real that you’re here.”

He turns to face her… and just when you’re wondering if they’re going to kiss…

… Jae-kyung arrives! Dun dun dun!

 
COMMENTS

With respect to the Ji-hoo storyline — I have to say that I like how Jan-di is set up to bring this pair together. The grandfather rift doesn’t excite me terribly as a plotline, but if we have to suffer through it, at least I can appreciate how it’s being carried out. No matter how obvious this outcome is (the reluctant reconciliation), it works with these characters.

Jan-di is just about the only person who could get away with manipulating Ji-hoo into forgiving his grandfather — and I don’t mean manipulating in a negative way. She’s blatant in her intentions, and Ji-hoo’s fully aware that she’s pestering him into forgiveness — it’s just that nobody else could convince him to let her get away with it. It has to be Jan-di pushing him along for this reunion to work, and the point is especially appreciated because it’s high time Jan-di (finally) gives back to Ji-hoo when she’d been receiving so much from him.

You know, I wasn’t sure how they were going to fit in the maid storyline into the drama at this late date, but I’m actually pleasantly surprised, because I think it worked. They worked it into the current plot in a logical way, and I think Jan-di’s reaction (to insist on working for her keep) is consistent with her character. They had to get rid of her family before she could act as maid, and things had to get pretty dire for her to accept this position… and I actually bought the setup this time.

In fact, I’ll defend this as a GOOD example of timing. Their relationship has been in a stasis since Jae-kyung came on the scene, even though their twoo wuv feelings are becoming more clear for both of them and harder to ignore. They needed a little push from an external force because they were both keeping at a distance, letting the circumstances dictate their actions rather than flying in the face of opposition, as they did in Season 1.

We may wish for them to be bold and fearless — okay, I’ll just speak for myself here and say that I wish that — but that’s also a characteristic of the youthful sort of “first flush of romance” emotion we get in the first half. That passionate, unrealistic, Romeo & Juliet fervor. They’re not MUCH older now, but the point remains that now there are other considerations they have to factor in aside from pure emotion. True Love may conquer all in a kdrama, but they’ve still got to work out some other obstacles first.

 
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thanks for the awesome recaps~

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Thanks javabeans!

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

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Thanks for the recap!

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KKYYYYYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS HERE!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

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THANKS SO MUCH for your awesome recaps!

it was just like the leaked script. haha

The ending was so cute when he was holding her. ahhh & what he said to her.
But of course, JK had to ruin the moment =P

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TOP 10!

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TOP 10? =D

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I really enjoyed this ep. also...
The bickering between Jandi and JunPyo is back.. so cute..
The ending...the cliffhanger.. wow.. the suspense...can't wait.

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First Monday episode that I wasn't disappointed at.

Seriously, the writers and PD's sure do have a knack for creating cute art with food.

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Adorable JunDI moments FTW!

Thanks for the recap.

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Thank you for the recaps. I really enjoyed this episode. Finally, an episode with the right amount of everything. The right amount of suspense, drama, side stories, and romance. Great ending. I can't wait for tomorrow. My favorite part would have to be the actress they chose to play the head maid. I don't remember her name, but I love everything I've seen her in.

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The drama is getting draggy! The new girl should have been gone two episodes ago. I should be calling her the old girl for that matter. But no, she's still here and unknowingly making people feel guilty for hiding things from her. I don't think I'd mind another obstacle preventing Jun-pyo and Jan-di from getting back together. I just don't want her to be the one keeping them apart anymore. Bail already, MUN-KEY.

On a less irritated note... they're really giving us what we ask for, huh? We complained about the lack of Jun-Di couple scenes so what do ya know? They throw in lots of random things to make it happen. Nevertheless, the girly side of me loved it all. Gahhh, I have bad taste.

Ditto on rewatching the episodes. This one's probably the first in a while where I'd go back and rewatch a few scenes I like. Jun-Di do that to me =)

Thanks for the recap!

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It was nice thanks by the way. But I dont need your comment inside.
So keep to yourself. Thanks.

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I have to agree that FINALLY they seem to be getting back to the whole spirit of BBF and why we all watch BBF- the cuteness. I have to say I also enjoyed this episode much more and we finally get to see more of Jundi. But can I just say, what the ***** [insert expletive of choice] was that closet scene all about? That was like, WRONG, on about 500 different levels. What the ***????? When is this Junpyo dude finally going to get a backbone? That is just wrong, I tell you, just wrong. Granted, Junpyo kind of made up for it when he pulled Jandi, hugging her when she was waking him up and saying, "let's stay like this for five minutes." KIND OF.

Is it my impression or does Jandi look so much cuter after much needed rest from a grueling schedule?

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Thank you for the music tidbits..!
Like when you translated the song when JanDi was sleeping..
you cant see that on subs right now.. so its so awesome to know!
Thanks!

I have to admit I like some of the songs from the 2nd Volume.

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Thank you so much!!
I didn't have time to watch this episode today but your recaps really make up for it!
I thought I wouldn't like the fact that Jandi becomes Junpyo's maid, but it actually gives them more time to interact! Now I'm sure that Junpyo&Jandi will end up together<3 I can't wait until Jaekyung leaves.
:)

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Thanks for the recap anyway. But, i dont really need your comment whether its predict or not. So keep t yourself. Dont get offended. Thanks anw.

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FINALLY! It picks up! Maybe this ep will dismiss the Yoon-Geum ending possibility nonsense!

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thank you so much ! ♥
i thoroughly enjoyed (read: am rewatching many parts of) this episode. the preview for tonight's episode's got me all excited too. :)

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What happened to the butler?

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OMG TOP TEN comments maybe?!?!
im excited for all the soeul actions

thnx JB!

lol number 20
there were only 4 when i went to comment!

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I like the direction in which they are going.

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Yay recaps!!! I LOVED this episode too!!!! Best in a long time!!! Still some cringey moments, many cliches... but boy these guys made it work =)

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this episode was intense! Its almost over!!!......very good summary as always

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A MONDAY episode was actually good :O

But, it was refreshing compared to the last episodes ^^

Thanks for the recaps!

oh. and for some reason I like this shot XD
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm96/javabeans122/drama/kkot/bbf2/kkot20-030.jpg

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I also have to say that I was really dreading the maid scenes. I was anticipating another one of those moments so integral to BBF where you cringe from embarassment because you actually feel the embarassment for the character and actor. But they managed to make the whole thing cute and light and fun. What a relief.

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This is one of my favorite episode solely because of all the Jan Di - Jun Pyo scenes. I've missed those scenes so very much the past several weeks! I agree with you, Sara, that the maid arc is done very well and timely. Though it has many predictable scenes/actions, like you, I don't give a damn because they are just so cute.

Also, I can't help but imagine how differently Jun Pyo would react in different scenarios in the drama so far if he hadn't met Jan Di. Case in point: if Jan Di hadn't nudged Jun Pyo into apologizing to the maids for saying that he would fire them, he no way in hell would have done that. I believe that meeting and dating Jan Di has made Jun Pyo into a much better person. I don't think Jae Kyung would have the ability to change Jun Pyo... only Jan Di could.

Don't want to anger any of the Yi Jung - Ga eul lovers out there but I'm finding their storyline to be really boring. I fast forward those scenes every time they come up... sorry!

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i appreciated the pig latin...and of course your recaps as usual!

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its surprising- today is monday and monday episodes are suppose to be less than great.

but this episode is ADORABLEEEEEEEEEE

and jandi isn't THAT annoying :)

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i thought the episode was great too - really did capture the old bbf scenes that made the show enjoyable. but i was pretty puzzled about the final statement ga-eul made to yi jung...she called him a child but then she said children don't hesitate to jump for things that they like. he obviously isn't "child-like" in that way so i wasn't sure what she was trying to say. was she accusing him to stop being a child or trying to encourage him to be a child and pursue eun jae?

btw, i had a slightly different interpretation when he hid the puzzle piece behind his back..i thought he was trying to place his mask on, to not show anyone that he was pining. however, i did like your interpretation bc it gave me hope for this couple. =)

can't wait for episode 21!

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Dear Dramabeans

You make sense of it all. This is the first time in a few weeks where everything came in nicely together. Good Jun-di moments, heartwarming Jihoo-Jandi moments (though with grandpa doctor). Kind of set the pace for the storm to come in ep 21. I really laughed when u wrote: "… Jae-kyung arrives! Dun dun dun!"

This is a "sleepy" episode because everyone seems to be sleeping or waking up at one point or the other.

1. Jandi waking up in gu mansion
2. Jandi falling asleep on Jun pyo's recliner
3. Jandi woken up by head maid (while still in bed)
4. Jun pyo woken up by Jandi with duster
5. Jun pyo pretending to be asleep on couch
6. Jandi sleeping in Jun pyo's cupboard
7. Ji Hoo waking up to a bright day (and finding cutesy breakfast on his dining table)
8. Jandi trying to wake up a sleeping Jun Pyo (in last scene)

Maybe the actors are really tired and need to slot scenes in to catch up on their zzzzzzzz-s.

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“Children don’t hesitate with things they like — because they know that they’ll burst into tears if they lose it.” -- I LIKE THIS!

I'm just about to download the episode, but based solely on the recap it seems like a good one. Looking forward to watching.

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Eh, just finished reading the recaps. Argh... I have camp later on so I cannot read today's episode's recaps! *WAIL!!!*
Anyway, what time zone are you in Javabeans? Doesn't seem like Seoul time zone...

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loved itttttttt. i have to say before this ep, i wasn't feeling the BOF spirit, but now after having watched this episode, i remember why i chose to watch bbf =)
loved the jundi moments<3 loved them.
can't wait till tommorow!

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Uh... It took 29 posts later to read finish the recaps... Either I'm a slow reader or this is just too popular...

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Bella, psst! You don't have to READ IT.

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Meh this episode was a little boring but well done in terms of pacing, like you said. Still, I didn't find myself too excited by what was going on. Actually, I was never a fan of the maid-plotline in any incarnation of HYD so that may be why.

I can say though I'm really excited for the next ep. It promises to be a juicy one from what the previews showed. I always loved a good f-ed up d00med wedding of drama and AAAANGST.

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"I don’t think Jae Kyung would have the ability to change Jun Pyo… only Jan Di could."

ahhh, I agree. Because their the same, it's like too same. Almost like dating yourself -_-

But it's the fact that Jandi is different that changes him.

Almost how me and my friends like the same foods so when we get the same food at a restaurant. But when we had some person who liked something different, we tried out new things. With Jae Kyung and Jun Pyo, it's pretty boring... like the same things and stuff.. But having Jandi makes things more exciting and trying out new stuff.

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wow! interesting... usually i just read the recaps..,but i think im gonna watch this episode... i can't wait till the next episode ...=)

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u were sarcastic about the French maid costumes right? cuz i don't even know how many "sexy" French maid customes i see on Halloween! lol i also like how Jandi's look shorter than the others'

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thanks javabeans!!! i kept refreshing your site hoping that i could cap off my night with...well, one of your recaps :o)

can't wait to watch this ep as i LOVE the maid storyarc - i think it's hilarious when she has to dress up and be the personal maid haha... the domyouji character gets such a kick out of it, i'm excited to see how jun pyo will play it off...

and i'm still holding onto the SoEulmate ending.... i like that ga-eul speaks her mind a lot more in this series... i feel that her honesty and spunkiness is what really attracts yi jung, even if he won't admit to it. yes of course she's smitten with him (because c'mon now... we're talkin about kim bum here...) and it shows, but i think she overcomes that part of her character with her insightfulness about the kind of person HE is... and that totally catches him off balance.

hrm.. maybe too much analyzation into SoEulmate... but man, do i really hope they get a good ending this time around.... 3rd time's a charm??? haha..

i wonder what # i am now... when i started reading this post i was #5....

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"It’s sad; I haven’t rewatched any episodes since Episode 10 — up till that point I’d rewatched the episodes multiple times, or at least my favorite portions."

I haven't watched 3 last episodes, because of wrong pairing story (I hate Jan di - Ji Hoo pairing) and probably skipped those episodes. I only read your recaps. So, thank you..

After this, I'll download the ep. 20. And I hope the rest will be as good as this episode.

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i love your recaps!

have you watched the preview for 21 yet? the whole JK asking JD for a favor (oops i won't say what favor. spoiler!) sounds like a fanfic storyline. anyway, i love it. it's just like what you said. sure, it's predictable, but I DON'T CARE. :D

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FINALLY!!! An episode I can thoroughly enjoy :) Gosh, I was seriously wondering when the PD will flower their (JP & JD) scenes with a little more love and I certainly wasn't feeling it until NOW! Geez...took long enough!

My interpretation:
1. JP pretended to sleep to get rid of JK, knowing JD was still in the closet. I agree, LOVE the scene where he finds her asleep, stares at her intently w/ p-l-e-n-t-y of emotions then touches her face and lips. Aw....and the music was a good fit.

2. The last scene: JP pulled JD towards him in bed ;) I didn't think she lost her balance first. Yes, totally predictable but I still loved it :) I actually thought that was going to happen the first time she woke him up. Good thing they saved it for last :)

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I realized as I was watching this episode that all I really look fwd to are the scenes between Yi Jung and Ga Eul. I could care less about Jandi-Jyn Poo-Jae Kyung at this point.

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I have to wonder if JK is REALLY in love with JP... or is it just... a crush flavored with the human nature that you'll always want things you can't have?

GAH! I hate it when they leave a cliffhanger like this! Yi-jung chases after Ga-Eul AND Jae-kyung finds out about Jan-di's stay! I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT EP!

Thanks, Javabeans!

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I just had to comment on the "PC Bang" remark - too bloody brilliant!
I'm in Korea right now and it took me forever to figure out that their PC 방 is the Korean version of "internet cafe" or "I-cafe."
As always, loving the recaps ^^

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I really liked this episode!! But was she crying when JP stroked her cheek when JD was in the closet? I didn't see tears, but the pattern made it seem that way.

I finally finished the Japanese HYD, and I think Monkey girl is here to stay for awhile. Blech! I wish she could go soon, but as long as they keep giving me my JunDi moments, I can handle the pain :)

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I find it funny how people come on this site and complain about your insights/opinion about the show. If they were so blatantly against reading your thoughts then they shouldn't be reading these recaps.

Keep up the good work Javabeans!

And P.S. - I don't mind if you think that some scenes were predictable because if you are a fan of this show you should already expect a lot of things to come up.

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