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Smile: Episode 4

This episode had a quite a bit less hustle and bustle compared to the first 3 episodes, but showcased a subtler side. It still had its energy, but maybe with a little restraint. I missed Jung-in a little bit, but appreciated the bits of tranquility.

I’m hoping that the directing will take a hint. Most of the drama to this point has been talking heads just capturing dialogue. While I love close ups of an actor’s facial expression, moderation is usually a good policy. The screencap above is one of the very few wide angle shots – Hyun-soo and Jung-kyung’s first date – and you can feel their awkwardness, in contrast to the other couples in the scene. It’s really a beautiful way to convey their emotions in a NON “I-need-to-hit-you-over-the-head” way.


Episode 4 Recap

Episode 4 starts off the same as episode 3, with the Kang family (minus Hyun-soo) kneeling in front of Grandpa Man-bok. Sang-hoon explains that he took care of the 1,800 won ($1500) bar bill, by going to Jung-kil’s house and getting it from Joo-hee. Man-bok is unhappy but lets him get off the hook and tells Geum-ja to take care of spousal issue on their own, which she does by checking his body for any signs of a woman’s touch.

We then move to the Seo family, where there is more calamity. Joo-hee greets her husband at the door, who promptly calls a family meeting to discuss his plan: “Let’s go to America!” The family is frustrated to hear it but Jung-kil is adamant that this is the only way out. Jung-Kyung won’t hear any of it, “You do whatever you want. I’ll just live as though I don’t have a family.”

As Jung-kyung is about to leave the house, Jung-in tells her not to trust in men, knowing that Jung-kyung is about to go on a date with Hyun-soo. Even though Jung-in pretends not to like Hyun-soo, we see her standing up for him, telling her sister not to slap him anymore. Jung-kyung has no idea what she’s talking about, tells her to mind her own business and worry about herself.

Hyun-soo is excited beyond belief about his date tomorrow with Jung-kyung. He looks at the stars hoping for good weather. He even asks grandpa Man-bok what he did with his grandma on their first date and runs around like a little kid. It’s super cute.

The Seo family heads to the airport to run away to the States. They wait awhile for their housekeeper to bring them the money from selling Jung-in’s wedding presents (without Jung-in’s knowledge). When she doesn’t show up, they check into their flight, only have security show up and take Jung-kil away.

Sang-hoon, in his desire to get on his wife’s good side, asks grandpa Man-bok to give them the extra room for Hyun-soo. He promises to pay rent for the room. So when grandpa Man-book tells Geum-ja and Hyun-soo to leave the room furniture, she’s confused at his words. Sang-hoon then comes in and tells them that Hyun-soo can use the room. Geum-ja is elated.

Meanwhile, the Kang family has been brought to the police station and finds out that their housekeeper was brought in because she tried to pawn off too much jewelry at once. He tries to act like he’s not behind it but it’s pretty obvious that he’s the one in charge of the operation.

Jung-kyung arrives at the police station shocked to see that they haven’t left for America. Jung-in and mom ask her to get some money but Jung-kyung doesn’t want to get involved. Jung-in is furious, “What have you done since we’ve become like this. Dad’s in jail and you’re only worried about your pride?” Jung-in may be a brat, but she’s a loyal brat and loves her family, no matter what they’ve done. Mom Joo-hee cries that they need to contact their older brother, Sung-joon to solve their problems.

Jung-kyung is back at the hospital where her doctor friend is there to comfort her. But his jealous daughter comes to take him away. Just then, Hyun-soo arrives for his date with Jung-kyung and introduces himself as her boyfriend to her dismay. Hyun-soo and Jung-kyung then head off for their date, leaving her older doctor friend befuddled.

Hyun-soo tries hard to keep the conversation alive on their way to the restaurant, but receives no response from Jung-Kyung. When they finally get to the restaurant, they miss their reservation and need to go eat somewhere else.

So their first date turns from a fancy dinner with the view of the city to a ho-hum dinner at a Korean restaurant. But even with the date going awry, Hyun-soo keeps up his spirits and tries to keep her entertained. (Although he can’t contain his nerves and starts to hiccup.)

When Jung-kyung asks Hyun-soo why he likes her, he tells her that it’s because he’s always thinking about her and curious to know what she’s like. She tell him that she has someone like that also, “I wonder what he’s thinking even when I’m next to him. And if I’m not with him, I wonder what he’s doing. This is why I came out today, to tell that you that I have someone like that also.” She gets up to leave but Jung-kyung grabs her and tells her to stay and finish eating, since it’s their first date. (It’s his manly act #1.)

Grandpa Man-bok receives a call from the Kang family housekeeper and goes to the police station to visit Jung-kil. Jung-kil tries to act remorseful and asks Man-bok for bail money, asking him to sell his auto shop. When he finds out that they still have a mortgage left to pay on it, Jung-kil changes his tune and yells at grandpa Man-bok to leave. Then as a last resort, he pretends to faint.

Jung-kyung receives a call from Jung-in and runs to the police station to check up on her dad, with Hyun-soo following her. However, she immediately realizes that her dad is faking and yells at him to get up. Jung-kil is at his wits end and asks Jung-kyung to take him to her hospital as her patient. He’ll do whatever it takes to get out of jail. Even grandpa Man-bok has had enough and leaves.

A frustrated and sad Jung-kyung goes outside to find Hyun-soo waiting for her with dessert (can of coffee). He confesses that he’s always found excuses when she rejected him but he’ll accept her words this time. She tells him that he’s a good man and that it’s not his fault that she doesn’t have feeling for him. And Jung-in comes out to witness the end of their date. She wonders how her sister could be on a date at a time like this. (I also think she’s starting to feel something for Hyun-soo. Whether that something is love or friendship, it’s not clear, and she would certainly deny such feelings. Even though they bicker every time they meet, she doesn’t want to see him get hurt.)

On his way back home, he goes down memory lane and remembers seeing Jung-kyung for the first time. He believes that her words are real and knows that he needs to let her go. He tries to throw out her picture out the bus window but can’t get himself to do it.

Back at the hospital, Jung-in and Jung-kyung argue about the situation. Jung-in leaves for the hospital but their mom Joo-hee wants to call the Kang family for help.

A despondent Hyun-soo comes home and can’t handle his mother’s energy. He asks her to leave him alone just for tonight. But he can’t any rest because Jung-in calls with her “I need something” voice, calling her oppa and all. She inquires about his date and asks for his help in honor of the occasion. Hyun-soo is not in the mood to handle her and hangs up on her. She calls back wondering why he’s in such a foul mood after going on a successful date. He yells, “Even if I’m in a good mood, I turn sour when I hear your voice” and disconnects the phone.

The next morning, Jung-in calls her brother, Sung Joon, who they’ve been trying to contact since the bankruptcy. He’s in the States pursuing a golf career. She leaves a voicemail as only she could, “Are you Tiger Woods? I never see you on TV, why do you always say that you’re in a tournament? You’d better call me immediately when you get this message. Or I’m gonna go find you!”

Han-sae is looking for a way to purchase Hyun-soo’s new product and tries to partner with the school to work with him. But Hyun-soo wants his designs to be put to good use and reminds Han-sae that he’s looking for a way to help people, not make more money.

During dinner, Han-sae receives a call from Jung-in and he makes sure that Hyun-soo knows who’s calling him. When Jung-in arrives at the restaurant, she lets Hyun-soo have it, “Who do you think you are? I don’t have any desire to get back together with you. Why are you using your mom to do this to me? Don’t worry about it, I’ll return all your presents.”

Hae-sae doesn’t know anything about it and wants to start again with Jung-in. He tells her that he was going to call her once her anger subsided and that he really did love her. She’s furious to hear him talk about love and kicks him before saying, “I chewed up and spat out your love. If you want to find love, go check the ground!”

As Han-sae tries to push Jung-in into his car, Hyun-soo comes out to see them together. He doesn’t want to get involved at first, but hears her screaming and goes to her rescue, shocking Jung-in with his aggressiveness (Manly act #2):
HS: Jung-in, what are you doing here? Oppa will take you home.
JI: Hey you, what are you doing?
HS: You say, hey you, to your oppa!!! (To Han-sae) We’ll go first. (To Jung-in) Follow me.
[Walking away…]
HS: A girl, roaming around so late at night…
JI: Can you not hold my arm so tight?
HS: NO!

They leave Han-sae behind looking dazed and confused.

Not knowing the situation, Hyun-soo tells Jung-in to stop chasing after Han-sae. He tells her that Han-sae doesn’t like her anymore, and this behavior just makes her look needy. Even though she may want to see him so much that it hurts, he’s left her. So she should stop acting stupid, and just accept it. Jung-in is quite perceptive and realizes that he is no longer talking about her. She looks up at him with curious eyes and says, “you got dumped by the slapper?”

She makes fun of him and says that it’s pretty obvious he took her on a bad date – cheap food, a can of coffee for dessert. Hyun-soo gets mad listening to her true accusations. They then have a repeat of their cute good-bye at the hospital from episode 2. Hyun-soo tells her that she’ll die if he sees her again. And Jung-in replies, “Sure, I’m really scared.” (She really gets him every time.) And he takes his frustrations out on a tree…

Sang-hoon is racking his brain, trying to find a way to mollify his wife. He decorates his backyard with baby’s breath and tells her that today is the 30th anniversary of their first meeting. She says that they started dating in the spring. But he tells her, “it’s been 10,951 days since I first laid eyes on you. They say that baby’s breath signifies death, and rose signifies love. [While giving her a rose] I’ll love you until the day I die.” Hyun-soo and Kyung-soo, who works at the auto shop, appear to congratulate Geum-ja.

Joo-hee receives call a saying that Jung-kil will be released from jail. Grandpa Man-bok is waiting for him at the police station with tofu in hand, but Jung-kil hits it out of his hands. (In Korean tradition, released convicts eat tofu so that they won’t go to jail again.) Jung-kil thinks that he was released on his own strength, not realizing that Man-bok is the one who got him out of jail.

The Seo family shows up with their bags, because loan sharks have taken over their house, and they have nowhere to go. Grandpa Man-bok offers his house to them. Jung-kil and Joo-hee says they don’t want to, but Jung-Kyung humbly accepts his offer and the family heads over to the Kang household.

MeanwWhile the Seo family is celebrating Sang-hoon and Geum-ja’s 30th “anniversary”, and is completely shocked to see Grandpa Man-bok coming in. They try to hide the signs of a party, but Man-bok brings an even bigger surprise – the SEO FAMILY! We have an awkward meeting of Jung-kyung and Hyun-soo, realizing how their families are connected. And with that the 2 Kang men commence their hiccuping. The only one that seems happy is the ever affable, Jung-in, who seems like she’s having fun with the awkwardness. Here’s the new happy family!

Comments

I fawned over Jung-in in my last recap, so it’s time to show Hyun-soo some loving. With Hyun-soo at the helm of episode 4, it’s nice to see a different side of him. He’s more forceful and has a couple of “I am man, hear me roar” moments. Some may find this behavior schizophrenic, but I think it’s because of his ardor and faithfulness to what he believes. He stands up for what he loves – 8 years of chasing a lost cause. I talked about Jung-in’s bulwark loyalty to her family earlier and we now have found a trait that the couple shares.

I loved that he followed Jung-kyung to the hospital and waited to make sure that she was OK. I also loved that he walked away without looking back, even though he isn’t quite ready to throw out her picture. It may be 8 years of foolishness, but I find his devotion to Jung-kyung irresistible. (It kinda reminds me of Poong Ho’s adorable and undying commitment to Haru in Triple.)

Now that the 2 families moved in together, I’m looking forward to the hilarity that is sure to erupt in the house. I’m also looking forward to the love triangle that’s coming to fruition. Will it be the lovely Jung-kyung or the sassy Jung-in? (Well, we probably know the answer but I’m pretty sure that it’ll unfold in an entertaining way.)

 
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I love this drama and all its characters with the exception of "the slapper" sister. She is just self-centered even when it relates to her own family.

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another awesome recap! thanks so much!

i loved the fight scene btwn Jung In and Hae Sae, hes just so arrogant. arrrrg i can tell hes most definetly going to cause trouble later on.

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another awesome recap! thanks so much!

i loved the fight scene btwn Jung In and Hae Sae, hes just so arrogant. arrrrg i can tell hes most definitely going to cause trouble later on.

and jung in's sister is really starting to bother me. why does everyone think shes so awesome? shes so mean to her family...she barely cares :[

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i kinda dont like the older sister
i mean, what's so great about her?
personally i think she's kinda rude

i mean not even saying she knows hyunsoo was just kinda......downright mean!

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love this drama!!!!

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Great recap as usual! Thanks so much. :) This is a minor detail, but I've noticed that whenever Korean dramas want to easily show a woman's wealth, they have her carry a Louis Vuitton luggage bag lol. A new cliche? Or a cliche-to-be?

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I know a lot of viewers were cursing out Jung Kyung for being snooty and acting cold toward Hyun Soo and her family, but I personally empathize with her. Here is a level-headed career woman trying to juggle her ambitions and love life, but finding it difficult to stay afloat because of the immature antics of her family as well as the obsessive/stalkerish tendencies of Hyun Soo.

Don't get me wrong--I love (x trillion) Hyun Soo and want to marry him myself. The boy may be cute and endearing, but you gotta admit, he is taking his behavior to the extreme! A girl can reject a guy only in sooo many ways, but he still clings on to her. I do, however, want to see Jung Kyung warm up to other people by the end of this drama. Fifty episodes to go!

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Great recap.. I just realized that I hadn't watch this episode with subs complete!! I was sooo impatient that I watched it w/o subs... I need to go back and watch it w/ subs again.. !! ^^

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love the part where Hyun-soo was telling Jung-in about letting go but really was talking about himself and she put it simply "you got dumped by the slapper?" Jung-in put it in directly and it was funny at same time.

Luv this drama still

Thanks for recap

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Calamity JaneDoe-

I've been meaning to come post something similar to your thoughts. I feel for Jung-kyung as well. If I had to guess at her childhood, she probably felt left out of her family. She seems so different from them. And I think she's fed up with the years of their ridiculousness and maybe hoping that this incident will teach them a lesson.

I definitely agree with you, I love Hyun-soo and Jung-in together and in no way want Jung-kyung to get together with Hyun-soo. I would agree (with basically every commenter) that she is a cold person. But I can relate with her feelings for her family as well.

This is another reason why I like this Smile. It's definitely dramatic (hence kdrama), but I think it has the opportunity to tackle real life issues.

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I am so happy that someone is recapping this drama here ! I love how Jung In calls her sister a "the slapper". I found Hyun Soo to be very adorable in this episode, hes caring and thinks about others.
Thanks for the amazing recaps!

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I just realized that watching up to the very recent episode, I'm never annoyed at JungKyung. she doesn't even seem to be a roadblock to the main couple, unless she soon sees what GREAT MAN my HYUNSOO is. honestly, the real annoying ppl in this drama are JungIn's parents. also, gotta admit, i'm sometimes so annoyed by the grandpa as well. but from the last eps, things are changing.

let's see how things unfold. i'm actually kinda hoping Jungkyung to fall for Hyunsoo somehow. and being sadistic, she'll feel the loss of not even giving HyunSoo the chance. and for the record, if this drama fails to uphold its hilarious charm, i think i'll still stay with it only for HyunSoo. good character, me likes.

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I also had a general question about long dramas, since I've never seen one: How do the writers manage to stretch out the plot without the viewers becoming exasperated? How do they keep diversity and avoid repetition?

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Well, I didn't like JungKyung either, until she rejected HyunSoo. I think there she was being honest and truthful. If she was mean, she could just let him fawn over her and enjoy his misery. But she told him she too has someone she likes, and doesn't want him to keep on waiting. HyunSoo took it hard and was heartbroken, but isn't it better for him to be "let go" than kept on a string? Which is why I like the drama, the dialogue and interactions between the lovebirds are actually honest, they're not playing games with their hearts.

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I agree w/ the comments regarding Hyunsoo. He has a very likable character (even though he's a mama's boy) and the most easy to watch. He's the only reason why I can handle all the bickering that's going on! The first one or two episodes was fine, but by the fifth episode, the bickering is reaching a fingernails on the blackboard pitch. In Sons of Sol Pharmacy, there was a lot of arguing and conflict too, but the humor and quiet moments allowed for breathing space and contemplation (or you felt like the characters didn't take themselves so seriously). In Smile, everyone's yelling all the time; it's sharp and loud and that's taking away the humor for me. Hopefully it'll change as the drama progress, otherwise I'm not sure if I'll keep up w/ this one.

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Love the recap.
I recently watched an ep and I just don't like Jung Kyung. I'm not sure why exactly. I think that we all can understand her issues with her family and her irritation with HS but then again, it seems as though she goes too far.
I think that its kinda of deplorable to sit on a pedestal and look down on her family when in all sincerity she is no better. Her overall attitude makes it hard to empathize. When we look at Jung In we see that she as well, though maybe more caught up in her parents' foolishness, recognizes it for what it is. She doesn't makes excuses but she also doesn't snoot her nose at them either, for the simple fact that they are her parents, her family. She even finds it easy to remain friendly with a sister that never seems remotely concerned about her or her parents.
I think that you had it right that Jung In is loyal. Her sister, not at all( or at least not without painful hesitation). And though loyalty isn't one of those things that is a must in life, its a little disgusting when one can't even muster a little for your own family members.

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@ Nea - You hit the nail on the head.. with your analysis of the "slapper"..
I think I hate the sis for her cold attitude as much as I hate her for being a person with no empathy.. I mean if a dongsaeng with raccoon eyes (from weeping) and a torn wedding dress comes to me.. I would at least hug her before I tell her to get her act together.. the writers have made her too 1-dimensional or the actress playing the part can't seem to make the character 'human'...
This is the only thing that I find annoying in this drama..and several other kdramas. While, Sons of Sol Pharmacy ends up showing the humanity of all the characters including the ones we hate at the beginning.. the other shows require an 'evil' character to move the plot line.. or get conflict..
maybe I'm overanalyzing and just can't stand the actress playing the character.. =P Personally, I don't care if Jung-In behaves like a complete spoiled brat.. she has nuances to her character that make her more likeable than a one-dimensional ice queen..

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P.S - Usually, I love the evil characters as much as the 'good' ones.. for example, I loved Mishil of QSD fame when I watched the show (I stopped a long time ago). I also think that ice queens if potrayed properly can be some really cool additions to the story.. but I just can't stand the actress that plays the "slapper"..

If I couldn't stand her when she's lovey-dovey with her doc bf, I don't think I can stand her when she acts like an ice queen towards her family and hyunsoo... One can hope that the character isn't needed later.. but after I watched the last episode, I think that hope is futile.. *sigh..

(After rereading what I wrote, I realized that for the 1st time I have become an anti!!! LOL.. )

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I loved your recap thank you.
I really am not fond of Jung Kyung's character...but everything else I love.

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I just have to point out something: You keep getting the names of the people mixed. I do appreciate your recap but it was a little frustrating to read. I noticed you did this over five times.

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Hey guys. Does anybody know the title of the song that was played when Hyun Soo was leaving the Police Station after the conversation with Jung Kyung? It's a nice one that one.

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this drama is growing on me.

i just saw the rating for yesterday's episode and it reached 17% not bad.

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thanks for the recap!! : )
i enjoyed reading your recap a lot!! : )

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thanks for the recap!!!!! I haven't gotten a chance to watch it and am not sure if I can commit to such a long drama, but the recap has me giggling over the characters' antics. and the two leads are so awesome!

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@14: I don't particularly care abt JK as a character. For me, she serves to move the plot along. And I agree @Icarusfalls, JK's dismissal of her families bad habits is admirable, but extremely hypocritical since she used the same benefits of living in wealth, going to a great university, not learning to cook/work, etc. In addition, no matter how horrible her family is, she should stick by them - that's what a morally righteous and forbearing person should do.

@15: "In Smile, everyone’s yelling all the time; it’s sharp and loud and that’s taking away the humor for me."

I also see that, but I think that's balanced by Grandpa's reticence. Now that's he's decided to reign in the ropes, the older generation is less likely to yell/scream, but mumble more. Plus, I don't mind the Soo-In couple bickering at all - it's so entertaining for me - it's the elders that can get grating sometimes.

@17 Icarusfalls: JK is definitely not a likeable character, but she isn't a hateful one either...yet. She's just cold and selfish, but serves as a realistic back-drop. As for the actress - I think she's doing fine. At least I must thank her for not letting me relapse into my usual SLCS disease. For that alone, I'm thankful. lols.

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I'm apparantly one of the few that doesnt hate Jung Kyung. I can emphathize with her position though. Her family is very close to crazy and I don't think she is being mean to Hyun Soo. He's clearly been obsessed with her for 8 years and for guys like that, if they think there is a slight chance, it's still a chance.
I think she knows this is the only way he will let go. At least she is not leading him on.
And honestly, if my family was so stuck up and self centred as the Seo's, I just might start inching away as well. They just take it a bit overboard, no?

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@LTK: Lols..yes, the Seos are overboard, esp. the father. But other than being stuck up, living extravagantly, and lacking manners, they aren't bad people. How many Kdramas include horrifying family members that are manipulative and malicious? Yet, so many characters who have those type of family members still learn to accept and help their kin.

It's not that JK's disgust of her family is not understandable, it's her lack of care/love for them. Just because you are exasperated by what your family does and how they behave, doesn't mean that when they are in dire situations you should just watch them flounder, and with an outright I-told-you-so attitude. If JK had said mean things and acted coldly on the surface, then went ahead to make certain sacrifices like JI did (sacrificing her pride to borrow money, etc.) I would be more inclined to like JK.

So far, JK's redeeming qualities have been that she's been outright harsh with HS - but I think it's more out of selfish concern that HS will disrupt her relationship with Dr. Boyfriend than her concern for HS's emotional well-being. She has considered his feelings, in a passing way, but at least it shows she's not completely heartless. And for that I think JK serves as a great spark to Soo-In's courtship.

I'm waiting for JI to be utterly hurt by HS, give up on love aka HS, and for him to chase her back. Cause you know ppl don't know how good they have it until it's gone. lols...I sound somewhat vindictive don't I? Haha...

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I can't wait for next week already...!

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Thanks for the recap.....great......

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really like to see jung in and hyun soo expression..
so funny...

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out of everyone
i dislike the grandpa the most
yeah grow a spine please!

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The Grandpa grew a spine!

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Am I alone in finding the Seo mother simply annoying, whiny and rather incapable of doing anything except crying and calling Grandpa Kang for help?

And yes, Grandpa is too submissive for my liking.

If I had a family like the Seos, I would behave the same way that Jung Kyung did. So I don't blame her for being selfish.

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