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Story of a Man: Episode 18

I don’t think the above image is meant to be unsettling, and it wasn’t necessarily so in the context of the scene… but when sorting through all the screencaps for this episode, it jumped out at me as being eerie and meaningful: Do-woo and Eun-soo about to join hands in front of their as-yet-unbuilt future city.

(Btw, I’ve read lots of snippets of comments about the drama’s ending, but I’d rather go into the finale blind. It keeps things interesting. I don’t even like knowing if it’s a “good” or “disappointing” ending — “good” suggests a happy resolution, while “disappointing” points to a less-than-sunny wrap-up. I’ve already accidentally been spoiled as to a huuuge plot point in the immediate future and I am NOT HAPPY about it. It killed my excitement in the series just when it should be hitting its crescendo, and that sucks.)

On the other hand, things are getting really intense. Woo~! I love this drama.

SONG OF THE DAY

Toy featuring Younha – “오늘 서울은 하루종일 맑음” (Seoul is Clear All Day Today)
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EPISODE 18 RECAP

Per Do-woo’s request, Eun-soo agrees to move out of her father’s home and into his. Myung-sun doesn’t understand and feels it’s wrong and strange, and urges Eun-soo not to do it. Her father asks how far Do-woo’s mind has deteriorated — there’s no way he can be completely normal after everything Shin has put him through.

Eun-soo’s answer that Do-woo looked tired seems to confirm the chairman’s speculation, and he seems more satisfied that he was right than worried for either of his children. He tells Eun-soo to watch her brother carefully so see if he worsens; since Team Shin has done their job so well, the only thing left is to get the timing right.

Although Do-woo is pretty much evil, it’s odd to hear a father anticipate his son’s downfall with such eagerness. (Eun-soo knows it’s inevitable, but at least she has the grace to be conflicted about it.)

At the planning office, Do-woo paces, not at ease until he knows Eun-soo has moved in. He’s tense and back to finger-tapping.

Do-woo’s so preoccupied that he ignores his aides, fixated on his sister. The men hesitantly approach, needing his input on business matters. They ask whether Do-woo would be willing to give up the farming land, as they are all out of reserve funds and cannot keep operating.

Do-woo levels a sharp glare at them and says, “We’re buying it. Why? Because I decided to buy it at the start. So I will buy it. Do you understand?”

Shin is still up against a brick wall with Mun-ho and Kyung-tae in jail, and he and Jae-myung go over their options in grim frustration. Unfortunately, there’s not much they can do. They know that their guys were arrested for false reasons, but have no way to prove it. Furthermore, Jae-myung’s sharp legal training didn’t prepare him for all the nonsensical, illogical Korean laws, and that’s driving him crazy.

They don’t notice that they’re being followed by K in a taxi, who stays on Shin’s tail when the two guys separate. Shin meets up with Detective Kim, who is still investigating the neighborhood for witnesses. K must have bought the soju somewhere in the vicinity.

Det. Kim’s sharp eyes spot the taxi that Shin hasn’t noticed, which is parked at a distance and turns away a prospective customer. Working on a hunch, she approaches the parked car, and Shin follows.

As they near, K turns on the engine — and without an exit path, he charges the two. They dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Shin races to his car to follow but has to give up, while Det. Kim calls in the license plate number.

K ditches the car, which they find abandoned a while later. Since the car is stolen, it probably won’t yield much information. Det. Kim figures Shin had better stay close to her, 24 hours a day — it wasn’t HER being followed, so K must be watching Shin. If he went so far as to steal a car to do so, that’s mighty suspicious.

Eun-soo moves in, apologetic to Kyung-ah for intruding on their newlywed home. Kyung-ah is welcoming, and assures Eun-soo that it’s no problem, although Eun-soo is still uneasy about the setup.

Do-woo is all smiles now that his sister has moved in, and is eager to show her his plans for the future. He describes the city as a place where “dirty, debased things won’t be able to live. This will be a world where nothing can cause your heart pain.” He suggests she drop by the next day so he can show her around.

In contrast to Do-woo’s excitement, Eun-soo can’t hide her sadness, as though this is proof of how far gone his obsession is.

The lawyer explains the supposed libel that got Kyung-tae imprisoned, which neither Kyung-tae nor Jae-myung understand. Kyung-tae is charged with spreading false information about the Myungdoshi casino and hotel deals.

Jae-myung says in America, they could use the media to their advantage, to get public opinion working for them. The lawyer says that this tactic won’t work for someone who isn’t a famous celebrity, but Kyung-tae perks up at that. Adorably, he points to himself and says, “I’m pretty famous. I’m Mazinger Hunter. Don’t you know who I am?” The lawyer shakes his head, so Kyung-tae says the lawyer is obviously not up on the stock world.

With those three working on Kyung-tae’s case, Shin works on Mun-ho’s. Since Mun-ho is innocent, somebody must have set him up, which brings them to the home of one of Mun-ho’s acquaintances (and the probable rat).

Because the man is not home, Shin and Det. Kim wait outside and kill time. (All the while, watching from around the corner is K.) Det. Kim asks what he’s thinking, and prods him to spill his thoughts even though he says he probably shouldn’t confide them in a cop. Shin says, “Maybe I should just kill him. I’d told him if he messed with my people again, I’d kill him.” He wonders if this would all be over then.

The detective looks at him a little incredulously and scoffs, “You sure had a nice upbringing, if you’ve only met one guy in your life like him.”

After a fruitless night of waiting, Shin gets back to the café and returns a call from Eun-soo. Eun-soo asks how Kyung-tae and Mun-ho are doing, and Shin responds that the only thing he can do is keep running around trying to help: “But it’s getting harder to keep running around.” It’s suffocating, and he’s having trouble breathing.

She (mis)interprets that to mean that he’s not feeling well, and launches into a barrage of questions — is he sick? does he need to go to the hospital? should she make him an appointment? — which makes Shin smile. A bit hesitantly, he asks whether it would be possible for her to make porridge for him again, like she did when he was sick. And this is the closest thing we’ll get to a confession from Shin, as he tells her, “It’s not strictly because I want to eat the porridge…”

It’s with disappointment that Eun-soo tells him that she can’t make it for him right now. She doesn’t explain that she’s living with Do-woo, but cooking for Shin is a scenario best left unexplored at the moment.

Chairman Chae calls Kyung-ah to let her in on his next step to bring down Do-woo, which takes them to a secret meeting held in a darkened room. The faces of the members are left in shadow, but there’s no doubt these are rich, powerful men, and Chae is one of them.

Kyung-ah is introduced as Chae’s daughter-in-law, and the financial planner in Myungdoshi’s planning committee. However, because she’s Do-woo’s wife, the men tell Chae it was a mistake to bring her alone. They’re wary and don’t see any compelling reason to help Chae recover his company.

Chae gets to the point bluntly, saying they all know Do-woo’s dream city is absurd, and reminds them of how much he’s worked and gained to build up his business over the past thirty years. Now he wants their money (as investments).

Kyung-ah drops by Do-woo’s office, but Do-woo dismisses her concerns at leaving Eun-soo home alone all day. Now that he got his way, he’s back to being leisurely and unhurried, and says coolly, “You don’t need to worry. Eun-soo is fine alone. She’s always been that way.”

Kyung-ah frowns: “Always? Is she just someone you leave alone next to you? To be on her own?”

I’m going to read Kyung-ah’s next questions as giving Do-woo one last chance to change her mind before she goes ahead with her plans to cross him, because she asks if he’s really unwilling to give up on the farming venture land. She reminds him that she holds 17% in Chae Dong stock, and her entire worth is sunk into the company. Therefore, if the company falls, so does she: “To protect that, I can even oppose you.”

That doesn’t greatly shock him, and Kyung-ah adds, “Hold onto me before it’s too late.” But Do-woo finds this kind of talk tedious:

Do-woo: “‘Hold me, help me.’ Why do people say things like that? Is it because you need someone to blame later if things don’t turn out well? So you can say, ‘This happened to me because you didn’t hold onto me’?”
Kyung-ah: “Do-woo, I’m not just anybody. I’m your wife.”

Do-woo tells her that she’s flirting with danger, and wonders if her intention is to betray him. Far from being angry, Do-woo instructs her like a patronizing teacher, “Calculate wisely. Look at the costs and risks of both sides and see which is better.”

Then he shows her to the door, literally. That’s cold.

Shin and Detective Kim once again wait outside their target’s home, bored but committed to sticking this out. Shin is impatient and offers to barge in — if her morals as a police officer won’t allow her to let him do that, she can just look aside for a moment while he peeks in.

But that’s not necessary, since their guy finally returns home. They corner him and grab him before he can flee, and explain that they’re here about Mun-ho. The man is startled to hear how much Shin knows — that he was approached by someone at Chae Dong and bribed into setting Mun-ho up.

Kyung-ah calls Shin out to talk business, which starts out friendly enough as she comments how much he’s grown up. She asks how much it will take for him to give up the farming group and offers to give him enough money to retire in luxury. Shin immediately rises, unwilling to cut a deal with Do-woo. He turns to leave until she stops him short.

Kyung-ah says that she had been acting as Do-woo’s representative up until this point. What she will say next is her own deal, independent of Do-woo: She’ll offer 49 billion won for the land. Shin sits back down.

He’s not interested in negotiation; all he wants is to fulfill the promise he made to himself to rid the world of Do-woo. He takes her up on the offer, however, and brings the farming group president to sign the contracts selling the land for an amount that would enable the people to build their apartments, schools, and health center.

Meanwhile, things are also looking up for Kyung-tae, who meets with the prosecutor. The court has received thousands of messages criticizing them for imprisoning “the guiltless Mazinger Hunter,” and the internet is full of pro-Kyung-tae support, who believe he is being wrongly held.

The prosecutor says he will seek a prison term of 1 year and 6 months. That won’t work for Team Shin, and their lawyer answers that they’ll deal with this lawfully, then, in the courts.

Jae-myung intercedes to point out that if they go to trial, people will keep talking, saying Myungdoshi’s developers lied and that the former mayor’s death was suspicious. The prosecutor asks if he’s trying to threaten him, to which Jae-myung feigns ignorance and merely says that dragging this out will be bad for everyone involved.

The planning committee is facing difficulty now that they’re out of money, so Kyung-ah proposes one last tactic — to issue new stocks. It’s a drastic maneuver and they would still need to find someone willing to take them, but Kyung-ah answers that she can get 250 billion won from a source she can’t reveal yet.

Do-woo tells her to do it, and issue a 40% increase in stocks. Combined with Kyung-ah, Do-woo has more than 50% of shares, so they can make this decision without a stockholders’ vote.

Mayor Oh bursts into the meeting with news — the farming group sold their land. Some group called MOK bought the entire thing for 40 billion won.

Do-woo slowly turns to look at Kyung-ah, and guesses that she knows who that is. She does, and returns his chilly look a little nervously. She replies, “Master of Korea.” They were the group she was going to get the funds from for the stock increase, and she asks if he still wants her to proceed. Do-woo tells her to take care of it, and his response (or perhaps lack of one?) frustrates Kyung-ah, who seems to have been bracing herself for more.

Do-woo leaves to meet with Eun-soo, who has arrived per his promise to show her the land. Eun-soo looks at him hesitantly, then brings up Mun-ho and Kyung-tae, describing them as her friends. She asks him to let them go.

Do-woo either pretends not to know who she’s talking about or really can’t be bothered remembering their names, because he says he doesn’t know who they are, and chides Eun-soo, “Don’t make friends. They’re just using you. See, even now you’re asking me this because of them.” Eun-soo reminds Do-woo that he is the one who had them arrested, but he brushes her worries aside and takes her out on his motorcycle.

Shin arrives at Chae’s home and looks around for Eun-soo, and is told by Myung-sun that she moved out to live with Do-woo. This shocks Shin, and when he enters Chae’s study to talk with him, he can’t get past his uneasiness, ignoring Chae’s good mood.

Chae offers Shin a job: “You said you wanted to destroy him.” He offers Shin the CEO position of the MOK fund, and lists the numerous benefits of such an arrangement. The group could use an American lawyer and a guy like Kyung-tae — heck, he could even hire Mun-ho. They bought the farm land and will buy up the newly created Chae Dong stocks. And last but not least, this would drive Do-woo crazy.

Shin regards Chae a little suspiciously. Chae tells him, “There are only two names he remembers properly. First is his sister. The second is you.” Therefore, he’s in prime position to deal the deathblow: “You’d tell him, ‘I, Kim Shin, bought the land you wanted to buy. Thirty percent of your Chae Dong is mine. Your wife brought me in, so her stocks will combine with mine.'”

Chae cackles, and Shin says, “If I do that, you’re saying it’ll drive him completely insane.”

Chae: “If he holds out, you say one last thing.”
Shin: “What is that?”
Chae: “Kim Shin, you have feelings for my daughter. Take her away. Take her from right in front of him.”

The old man takes Shin’s hand: “Then, that’s the end of him.”

But Shin yanks his hand back and jumps up, in both shock and disgust. Chae presses his point, that if Shin does this, he can take everything and all he has to do is give Chae Dong back to the chairman.

Shin sums up the situation succinctly:

Shin: “You’re saying, ‘Kill my son and give me back my company. Then I’ll give you my daughter. I’ll throw in some money too. Now say thank you.’ That’s it, right?”

Repulsed, Shin grabs a mirror and holds it up so Chae sees his own reflection:

Shin: “Your completely crazed son is in here. Can’t you see him? You should be able to see him clearly. It’s an expensive mirror.”

Seeing Shin’s reaction, Chae calms down and attempts a more persuasive tone. But Shin is so infuriated, he flings the mirror at the wall and storms out.

He tells his sister-in-law to pack her bags immediately and get the kids out before they’re infected by this corruption. As he says this, Chae comes out, genuinely not seeing Shin’s perspective, and wonders, “What’s the problem? I told you I’d give you money and the girl!”

Once Myung-sun and her girls are outside, Shin turns his fury full-blast onto Chae — and onto himself:

Shin: “Do you know why I’m so angry? For the briefest few seconds, your words sounded sweet, and I fought with myself, my heart! That’s why I’m angry.”
Chae: “This is the chance for us to both get our revenge on him. You’re the only person who can ruin his mind!”
Shin: “And I’m angry for thinking a person like you could change.”

Shin stalks out, leaving Chae shouting after him pathetically, “Leave the kids behind! Ajumma!”

Do-woo takes Eun-soo for a tour of his undeveloped land, explaining his dream city for his top 10% of society.

Eun-soo wonders, “After you make your dream city, what are you going to do?” Do-woo answers that it will take a long time for him to build it, but Eun-soo points out, “But it’ll end someday. What next?”

One gets the sense he hasn’t really thought that far ahead, which is unusual given how minutely he details his life and business plans. Do-woo cuts her short. “When that time comes, tell me what you’d like next. Then I can do that.”

The mood is light and pleasant, and he holds out his hand to Eun-soo, but his phone rings and interrupts their conversation. Eun-soo urges him to answer the phone, and his mood immediately darkens to hear his father’s blunt message.

Chae wants Do-woo to send Eun-soo home. He lies about the reason, determined to carry out his plan even without Shin: “Didn’t she tell you? The wedding is next month and there are many things to prepare. Will you do all that?”

Do-woo isn’t terribly surprised — his father is always trying to sell Eun-soo off for political gain — and asks who the guy is this time. But the answer has a different effect today, because Chae insinuates that it’s Shin, and that he can’t help it since the two kids are in love.

Shaken at this, Do-woo then asks Eun-soo in a roundabout way, “Do you like Kim Shin?” Even if the marriage bit was a lie, Chae is right about the Shin and Eun-soo liking each other, and Eun-soo can’t lie. So instead, she answers in a roundabout way as well.

Eun-soo: “He’s a good person.”
Do-woo: “There’s no such thing as a good person. Eun-soo, do you like him?”
Eun-soo: “He always reads my feelings first. He takes care of me, and I’m thankful to him. Oppa, he’s a good person. I wish you could know that.”

Do-woo forces himself to smile tightly, but he looks sick to his stomach. On the way home, he reverts to his former habit of closing his eyes as he speeds along. It’s freaky and intense and I half-expect him to fling the two of them over a cliff at any moment.

Thankfully, he doesn’t. They head back to the planning office, and he sends Eun-soo home with a chauffeur. She tries to protest, getting very unsettling vibes from her brother.

Next, Do-woo calls Shin, who’s having a lunch break with Jae-myung and Detective Kim.

Do-woo: “I hear you’re marrying Eun-soo. You may know this already, but I’m a little crazy. I don’t know which side of sanity I’ll shoot off into, or whether I should force Eun-soo back, or kill you. Which should I do?”

Shin gets off the phone and feigns stomach pain, pretending to head to the bathroom outside. He does this to evade suspicion and leave alone, because Do-woo had challenged him to meet one-on-one, saying, “Haven’t you considered it too? You and me, meeting without interference.”

Eun-soo, feeling increasingly uneasy, calls Shin but gets no response. She then calls Jae-myung, and the detective sees that the bathroom key is still hanging on the wall and realizes something’s wrong. She checks her phone — she’d put GPS tracking on Shin’s and Jae-myung’s phones when they’d been jailed — and tracks his movements, heading toward Myungdoshi. Neither she nor Jae-myung knows the roads very well, but Eun-soo can hear the location and asks her driver to take her there.

All the while, Do-woo is in his offices alone, tapping away on the tabletop in the dark.

When Shin pulls up, he calls Do-woo, who instructs, “Come inside. One of us has to die for this to end. Let’s do this in a comfy place.”

However, Do-woo makes no move to meet Shin downstairs. Over the phone, Do-woo guides Shin into a large, empty warehouse, while he takes a stroll in the office hallway and asks his employee for the time — it’s creepy-brilliant because I’m sure this is to establish his alibi. Outside, Eun-soo pulls up and sees Shin’s car.

Shin can’t find his adversary, but Do-woo prods, “Come a bit further. Can’t you see me? I’m waiting.”

Meanwhile, K waits, in the dark, with his gun.

When he has a clear shot, he fires but misses. Shin ducks, realizing this is a trap, and scuttles for a hiding place, leading to a game of cat and mouse.

This leads to a fistfight, where Shin sees with some surprise that this is not Do-woo, and he struggles to disarm K.

 
COMMENTS

I haven’t commented on the directing in a while, but take a look at this shot. It’s the exact same hallway, about five seconds apart as the lights come on (as Chae joins the shadowy MOK investors). It’s not only the juxtaposition that is nice, but the transition from one to the other, taking the moment from dark and spooky to mundane.

I think we’re also seeing an acceleration in Do-woo’s downward spiral, because he is still refusing to give up the farming venture when everyone is suggesting he do it. Strictly speaking, not acquiring that land wouldn’t kill them — they could work around it — but Do-woo tells his planning team that he will stick with his plan because he chose it from the outset. I had felt Do-woo was so successful because he knew when to back down (see: taking the drinks and calling his associate “father” in an early episode). Chae crumbled because he let his pride get the better of him, whereas Do-woo knew when to gracefully (on the outside) concede. (See: the calm way he reacted to being fired from Chae Dong.) But his stubbornness about the farmland has turned into an obsession, linked together with Shin, and this suggests Do-woo’s not so different from his father.

Shin and Eun-soo: Cute. It’s also a relationship handled pretty subtly, since we are 18 episodes in and we haven’t been hit over the head with heavy-handed tactics. It makes sense that both have handled their attraction to each other with reluctance, and even now it’s still in its budding stages. I really like how this drama has developed Eun-soo, because she’s the stealth character who wasn’t hyped but who is hugely important to the plot, and she carries off this part extremely well. For once, we have an innocent, sweet kdrama woman who isn’t also a damsel in distress or Too Stupid To Live.

And when you think about it, it’s natural that they’d develop feelings for each other, because they share a certain similarity in that they’re both intrinsically nice, good people. Shin has taken on this revenge mission, but it’s a recurring theme that he’s too nice to pull it off, and while we’ve seen him toughen up over the years, he’s still a really decent person. Which is why I have hope that he’ll still have his soul when all is said and done, which can’t be said of some others.

The bike scene had an intriguing vibe to it, particularly after the missed handclasp between Eun-soo and Do-woo. The simple interpretation is that this signals the upcoming turbulence once Chae drops the (fake) bomb about Eun-soo’s wedding, but does it also signal a more significant, official break in their relationship?

I suspect some viewers will be gratified to see Chairman Chae brought down again. Some comments said he’d been redeemed too easily, and now we see that that was only a misconception Shin had harbored, which he realizes was a mistake when he is confronted with the old man’s malevolence. He’d been lulled into a false sense of familiarity and perhaps even affection, thinking the old man had reformed after being stripped of his money and business. But he sees that Chae is just as deranged as Do-woo, gleefully anticipating his son’s destruction.

I had wondered at the outset of this drama whether Shin’s revenge would be compromised by his sense of humanity — he may have to give one up to save the other — and while I still have two episodes to go, I can see that scenario working. He is horrified not only with Chae, but with himself for falling so easily into the trap, and I think it’s apt that he feels more angry with himself. That shattered mirror is as much Shin’s illusion as it is Chae’s sanity.

And his sanity IS going, as we see Chae cackling to himself after calling Do-woo and lying about Eun-soo’s marriage. After he hangs up, he calls for Yuri, then looks around as though realizing she’s not there. Perhaps he just forgot, but it could also be a sign that his own mind is waffling in and out. It’s fitting that the man who arranges for his son to lose his mind would also lose his own.

 
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*speechless* ........wow

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JB, same thing happened with me in the morning, I wasn't expecting people to have posted the spoilers without any warning :(

They ruined the ending for me too <_<

A lovely drama nonetheless and I will continue to read it till the end, because that's the only way I will get to know the details since I am not watching it.

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“It’s not strictly because I want to eat the porridge…”

Really? He said that? Awwwww!!! :)

I watched this episode unsubbed, I didn't know he said that to her. I'm happy, it's confirmed, they do like each other!

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For some reason I feel sorry for Do-Woo for growing up with such a father. No matter how insane Do-Woo can be, it's not like his father is helping and I can understand why Do-Woo has no close friendship with the world.

I cant wait to see what will happen to Do-Woo and Shin in the next episode :O

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When I saw this pic,
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm96/javabeans122/drama/iyagi/iyagi2/iyagi18-178.jpg
He reminds me of Joo Ji Hoon. Slightly. Or maybe it's just me.

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Wow, what an incredibly intense drama. I love how its played out and how the pieces connect. I also love your recapping.

The romance between Eun-Soo and Shin totally crept up on me, I love that. This drama is great on persuading and convincing me of its validity. That's a sign of a good drama! Hurrah!

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This is awesome!! It's really interesting to me how they eventually wrote out Chairman Chae.. it was a bit unexpected for me. Who wouldn't "turn good" because of Yuri/Nuri cuteness? Thanks so much for the awesome recap, AND a non-spoiler one at that! I completely agree with you : spoilers are so anticlimactic!

I really hope Shin and Eun-Soo get together in the end! Although this drama isn't remotely a melodrama, it would be really sweet for them since they're such good people. Kyung-tae would have been cute with her too, but I feel like after what they're been through these past few episodes, they deserve it! (Who thought the porridge scene was soo cute! But, whatever the case, Shin BETTER NOT END UP WITH KYUNG-AH!!!

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Thanks Javabeans for the recap! I'm sorry a future plot point has been spoiled for you!

@ Biscuit. I feel sort of sorry for Do-woo too for having such a father. I think he could have been helped if his father had been more nurturing during his childhood. But his father distanced himself and feared him. And now i think the madness might be hereditary. I hope Kyung-ah is taking her birth control regularly!

Two more episodes! The only way that I could think of to end this is for Do-woo to 1. die while protecting Eunsoo or 2. commit suicide due to his insanity or sudden realization of his crimes. Getting killed while standing there alone wouldn't seem too memorable for such a wicked character-whom we can also feel sorry for. and throwing him into a mental institution is too sad and not very do-woo -like ending. I think chairman Chae will probably die of a heart attack or something and K will be killed. And kyung-ah will probably move to America or something to study and make something of herself, the clean way. We need to get rid of the tainted characters.

I'm a bit disappointed though that this series might end up in a shin and eun-soo couple. i like the eunsoo and kyung-tae couple better.

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It's funny how I went into this drama expecting Kyung-ah to be the death of either one of them, instead we ended up with the always reliable "sweet and innocent" heroine, Eun-soo. Kyung-ah,who??

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@4 Biscuit

No, it's not just you. I actually made a comment few episodes back on how K sorta looks like JJH.

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I really am glad that the Eun-soo and Shin angle is/was handled subtly. I finished the series without subs and all I will say I was conflicted throughout the last two episodes, especially episode 20 and that I kind of guessed what the ending was going to be like even before watching that episode. I totally have mixed opinions about it. However, I'll wait until you post recaps for those episodes to comment on ending :) I can't wait for the subs (or your awesome recaps) so I can understand what exactly is going on.

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This episode has such good moments between Do-woo and Eun-soo. The motorcycle scene where he claps the helmet on her head and shuts the visor is such a great moment, because it shows instead of tells us that Do-woo just wants her to support him and not ask any hard questions.

Also, I literally gasped when Do-woo was riding the motorcycle with Eun-soo and closed his eyes. There was a really striking shot where she was behind him, holding on, quietly looking off to the side, and he was so intense. I think one of the biggest markers of his downward spiral from sanity was exactly this moment. Eun-soo, who is his world, his heart, is relying on him and trusting him on the motorcycle, and he risks her life in addition to his own-it's a familiar move that he would close his eyes on the bike, like the drama showed, but I never expected him to do it with Eun-soo with him.

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Brilliant recap as always! Wish I'd avoided the comments section of the last recapped episode, but nothing to be done about that now, I guess. I'm still looking forward to seeing how it all ends up. Story of a Man is going down in history as one of my all time favorite shows; easily in my top five!

See you guys in the comments again after Episode 20...I'm not taking any more chances on spoilers!

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the way i see the next episode is that Eun-Soo gets killed or hurt from a shot n do-woo gets out of himself n turn himself up....

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"Too Stupid to Live" -> LOLLL. han yeo woon is really doing a fab job. i think her kind of character is... easily dismissed? if it were a different actress i'd probably be completely annoyed and bored by her, but i'm not, so yay!

and ditto the phone conversation about the jook/porridge.. SHIN WAS SOOOOOO KEUTEEEEE!

about the scene where dowoo asks two of the workers what time it is.. i didn't get it at first, especially since there was a clock on the wall right there, LOL.

you didn't cover it but i LOVED the scene where jaemyung/shin/d.kim were eating and jaemyung kept asking WHAT the hell this chunk of meat (?) was in the soup and everyone kept ignoring him. haha. what WAS that anyway?

i wonder which spoiler you heard about... was it the really really really really BIG one? ^^ haha.

edit: btw watched younha sing this live on yoo hee yeol's new show sketchbook; twas awesome.

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Thanks again for another great recap ^^ This episode was so good! We've got a sweet phone conversation between KS and ES, highlightening the budding romance there (they're so compatible...) and the interaction between DW and ES in the latter half. And never forget the Chairman Chae getting his due punishment (though it really isn't sever enough! He deserves much worse!!!)

"For once, we have an innocent, sweet kdrama woman who isn’t also a damsel in distress or Too Stupid To Live." <<< I totally have to second that! Han yeo woon really did a wonderful job~ I'm totally keeping an eye out for her in the future (she's only been acting for three years or so?)

I also totally agree about that chosen pic at the beginning featuring the siblings about to join hands... it really strikes one as meaningful and seems to speak volumes somehow (it stuck with me).

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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! yes! reading now!

thanks java!

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I stayed away from all spoilers!

I'm so not ruining this for me. Must stay off the intarwebs!

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@9 Snikki:

I guess that means while JJH is gone, at least we get to see a a JJH clone to look at til the real one comes back?

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omo omo
Shin and Eunsoo!!!!
sweet!*^.^*

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noooooooooo...as much as i like the character of eun soo, i don't want her and shin to end up together b/c i thought there was going to be a thing with her and kyung tae

i think that eun soo and kyung tae look more compatible together than with shin and for some reason i always felt that shin's feelings, if any, for eun soo were like the same as a brother being protective and caring, but after you mentioned the porridge thing i'm like aahhhhh oh no no no...i mean i guess it wouldn't be a bad thing, but for me i just can't see it

but man oh man you've got me hooked...at first i was just reading your summaries because i didn't want to bother with allnighters anymore since school's done with, but with all this awesomeness you're writing i just had to, so trying to avoid these freaking allnighters has pretty much been impossible

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This drama is getting more and more interesting!!! I can't wait for the rest of your recaps.

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i'm telling you, i think eun-soo was do-woo's original grace kelly. it's creepy and weird, yes, but let's face it. it's also a little bit kyaaaaa >.<.

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i'm surprised that eun soo still being a nice, good girl after living with such family, really!! and here i also thought chae had changed!! i even liked all those family scene (with myungsun and her daughters)... it's no wonder dowoo turned out like that...
well, i'm happy that eunsoo n shin finally admitted (in a round about way) that they like each other... i just hope they will have a happy ending...
too bad this drama is going to end soon...

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Ooohhhhh it gets more interesting! Thanks for the recap - now I can't wait for the final 2 recaps, and then I'll try and get my mitts on the DVD asap.

JB also thanks for the tip about spoilers - i actually thought the episodes weren't aired yet. Oh well I like going by the JB/DB 'viewing' schedule anyway :)

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omo! omo! omo! tooo much!!! ^-^!!!! Ill comment at the end of this series, i guess...!!

@4 BISCUIT
hahaha! not really! It's just you! LOA!..... not even close to that last picture JavaB posted (you know...the fatter JJH with probable 1 year jail sentence...)

THANKS JAVA-B!!!

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crap it all, i was also a victim of a spoiler - who actually posts the ending in the main comments section of the video channel?? who does that stuff? it just reminded me of this brat who was in front of me at the midnight opening for deathly hallows and she opened up the epilogue and read it out loud to the crowd. arghhh

can't wait to read your reactions on the last two episodes!

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awww im so sorry JB was a victim to being spoiled on the ending = ( but thats also the reason why i skip some comments and i got VERY lucky and havent read any spoilers yet

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Hi JB,

" It killed my excitement in the series just when it should be hitting its crescendo, and that sucks."

Same sentiments with regards to the spoilers. i was reading the comments and couldn't believe my eyes when i came upon the spoilers. wanted to stop but too late. argh!

anyway, i think this ep clears up the relationship between Doo-woo and his sister - ie. not romantically inclined - which is good. i always wonder whether his sister could actually save his sanity at all esp since he has a soft spot for her.

Thanks for pointing out the alibi bit. i did wondered about that scene esp there was a clock in the foyer and facing Doo-woo!

maybe insanity is in the Chae's male genes, seeing how Chairman Chae is becoming.

looking forward to next recap!

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I LOVE THIS DRAMA !

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does anyone know is Kim Kang Woo and Park Si Yeon are a couple in real life?

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“‘Hold me, help me.’ Why do people say things like that? Is it because you need someone to blame later if things don’t turn out well? So you can say, ‘This happened to me because you didn’t hold onto me’?”

^I <3 this line...

Gawd. Even from the first few eps, I knew Do Woo's father is the root of his twisted thinking. Gah~ they both just failed to see that....

Huwaa~ This is officially my favoritest ep! ^^ Thanks again Javabeans!

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seriously, what is up with the spoilers?? JB you should just ban that "janet" person if that's at all possible. I've already finished the series but no way would I ruin such a great drama....and particularly one that's almost entirely built on the suspense it creates! That is just ridiculousness....

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@30 rl

No they're not, but they look good together.

KKW is engaged to Han Hye Jin's sister.

Here's a link:
http://www.hanfever.com/2009/03/03/han-hye-jin-gives-her-opinions-on-future-brother-in-law-kim-kang-woo/#more-2672

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hi,JB..

i've been a silent reader all this while but reading this recap, i can't hold on to my excitement. i just have to leave some 'footprints' here. i truly regret that i missed the first three episodes, perhaps the 'shock' was too big for me to handle, i.e. from the light-hearted BOF to SOAM. but truth be told, when i read your recaps, i've been following the series @ KBS World quite religiously. [the same goes for Iljimae!]

i've never been a fan of PYH, as i'm not into Winter Sonata, but upon watching On Air, i slowly accepted his good acting and as far as SOAM is concerned, he's definitely one of my fav Ahjusshis..[or Oppa?!] as for KKW, i've watched him in a variety show once and he was quite funny in it. so seeing him in SOAM just amazed me.

at the moment i'm re-watching Kim Sam Soon, and actually felt sort of 'proud' to see how mature 'Eun Soo' is in SOAM as opposed to her character in MNKSS. and the love his brother has for her in SOAM is very intriguing. something new for me,the approach is so different from ALL the kdramas i've watched.

i agree with everyone, that this drama is great! definitely worth seeing. and dearest JB, please keep up the good work. 파이팅.. & 사랑해!

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While I was watching this episode I came to realize that I really do like Eun Soo's character now. Initially there was the potential for a relationship with An Tae Kyung, which I was opposed to because he shouldn't belong to anyone! But the scriptwriters have done a good job of developing the story, I have completely warmed up to Eun Soo now and hope she ends up with Kim Shin. I'm OK with romance sometimes, but it's rare to see a case like this where it isn't a major part of the story. But I'm still looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Is this the way to watch a drama? Anticipate reading your recap after each one? Haha.

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JB, thanks for the heads-up about the spoilers. Helped me decide to just leave reading the comment section until the end (which I refuse to spoil!)

I'm SOOOO grateful this drama didn't go for the "cheap forgiveness" afforded abusive, vile parents in other dramas. Grandpa Chae's the Senior Evil Spawn to DW's Junior. That whole scene w/Shin was supremely satisfying: Shin confronting him with the truth and aware of his own temptation. Just great!

It's cruel, tragic, but oh, so apt that Grandpa should trigger DW's further unhinging by lying about marriage btwn ES and Shin. Nothing else seems to "get" to DW like losing control over his sister. (Which some see as "love", yada, yada, yada)

I would've cried at DW's entrapment of Shin in that abandoned warehouse w/K while he orchestrates from his tower. Except I was too MAD! Okay, DW was abused as a child. So were millions of other people who haven't become so murderously HATEFUL!

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