337

You’re Beautiful: Episode 8

So good! Certainly still high on the angst factor, but still gets a lot of chuckles. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this level of excitement and anticipation about a drama. There have been a few gems that I adore, which are excellent examples of quality dramas, but I think You’re Beautiful taps into something on a more gut level. The drama is less intellectual, for sure, but for what it is, it’s not only written well but also hits the right emotional buttons. Given the fan response, I have to think many would agree on that. The last drama to do that for me was… Coffee Prince, I think, and that was over two years ago. (Man I feel old.)

Also: Jang Geun-seok, you break my heart. In a good way.

SONG OF THE DAY

Loveholics – “아픔” (Pain). This is from the rock (now-)duo’s first album since losing Jisun, but I think that this song — courtesy of the vocals by Jang Eun-ah — actually recalls classic Loveholic the most.
[ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
EPISODE 8 RECAP

When Mi-nyeo races out of the studio in tears, Shin-woo chases immediately. Tae-kyung remains behind and asks Hoon-yi if something happened prior to the recording session. Hoon-yi says that he’d advised Mi-nyeo to let her emotions burst, and this is the result: “They’ve burst onto Kang Shin-woo!” (Oh, I love this. It’s too bad for Tae-kyung, but dramatically, it’s great.)

After sobbing all over him, Mi-nyeo apologizes to Shin-woo, then glances up and sees Tae-kyung. She leaves right away, prompting Tae-kyung to follow, but Shin-woo holds him back.

Shin-woo: “Don’t go. You should leave her alone.” They exchange intense stares, but Tae-kyung stays put.

Hoon-yi is relieved that Shin-woo’s explanation (that Mi-nam is stressed) shows that he hasn’t caught on to Mi-nyeo’s supposed feelings for him. But when he asks Tae-kyung what they should do now, the latter gets snippy. This isn’t his business. Tae-kyung walks away feeling peeved that Mi-nam’s feelings have “burst” for Shin-woo, and gripes that it’s absurd.

Mi-nyeo sits alone and prays, as her image slowly turns transparent: “Mother Superior, my feelings keep trickling out. I wish I could become invisible, so that my feelings won’t be discovered. If I gradually disappear, nobody will see me, right?”

But as she is about to fade completely (figuratively, in Mi-nyeo’s imagination), a voice calls her back to solid form. It’s Jeremy, sitting on a bench in front of her.

She asks, “Jeremy, can you see me?” Smiling, he answers, “Of course. I’ve been watching you for a while.” She sighs, “So I didn’t disappear because you were watching.”

He takes her hand and says, “You can’t disappear. You have to come with me to a party to celebrate your first recording.” She notes how much he likes to throw congratulatory parties, and he replies that congratulations are good things.

He can tell she’s feeling down, so he promises, “I’ll let you cry to your heart’s content.”

What does he mean by that? Spicy food!

Eating spicy Indian food gives Mi-nyeo (and Jeremy) an excuse to cry. Afterward, they eat ice cream to cool their tongues, and he announces that since that she’s had her cry, now it’s time for some laughs. Off to the arcade they go.

(Jeremy is so cute. I’m so glad they gave these two some bonding time. It’s also good to see Jeremy move beyond the comic relief into a more substantial role.)

Next, he takes her to his special bus; he’s letting her in on a secret. This bus is pretty empty and completes its circuit in one hour. When he’s depressed, he rides this bus, which allows time for his feelings to “return to normal.” She wonders if that’ll happen to her feelings, and he assures her, “Of course! My bus is a magic bus.”

He says, “Let’s meet in an hour,” then sits back to give her space.

As he watches her silently, Jeremy wonders to himself, “In an hour, will they return to normal? For an hour, I’ll like you, Go Mi-nam.”

(Awww.)

Mi-nyeo apologizes to Hoon-yi for running out. He is glad that she’s let out her emotions for the sake of the song, but she needs to learn how to manage them so they don’t get out of control. As a tip, he tells her about various pressure points that a person can press to “control” different reactions. You can touch your ears, hand, or temples to help endure things like temperature or sleepiness. For instance, when she has trouble managing her feelings, touch her nose.

Mi-nyeo takes the tip to heart and thanks him, leaving Hoon-yi feeling guilty for giving fake advice. But he figures that if she busies herself making that pig-face, at least her feelings won’t be discovered. (It’s a good thing for him that Mi-nyeo has a childlike trust, because as long as he gives Mi-nyeo an explanation, she’ll be distracted enough that the problem doesn’t hit crisis point. It’s the placebo effect.)

Tae-kyung reacts with some shock when he’s faced with Mi-nyeo’s pig-snout face. She’s just trying to tamp down her unruly feelings for him, but he thinks she’s mocking him about the pig chase in the previous episode. Not only is she like those detested rabbits, now she’s also playing the part of a pig.

He tells her, “Listen up, Pig-Rabbit.” He has been working on a plan: to tell Shin-woo that she’s a girl. She wonders why, and he answers, “Because I hear you like Shin-woo. Of course when I heard, I couldn’t believe it, but after thinking about it calmly, I saw the path. Go Mi-nam, I’m passing you over to Kang Shin-woo.”

She protests, “That’s not what it is. You have seen the wrong path.” Cutting her explanation short, Tae-kyung holds up a chart he has drawn:

In the Event You Confess to Shin-woo

The X’s indicate a bad result, the O’s a good one. As we can see, this works out nicely for Tae-kyung. lol.

  Accepts Doesn’t accept
Kang Shin-woo      X          X
Go Mi-nam      O          X
Hwang Tae-kyung      O          O

 
Table translation (In Tae-kyung’s words): “Case 1, he accepts you. You may feel sorry to Shin-woo but it’s good that you can get your feelings into the open, and I’ll be glad to be rid of you. Case 2, he doesn’t accept you. This is only good for me, but try hanging on to Shin-woo and begging him so this scenario doesn’t happen. If you only do that half as much as you did to me, you’ll be able to cling to Shin-woo. ”

Mi-nyeo mulls over the chart while telling herself that it’s good that Tae-kyung didn’t catch on to her true feelings, but on the downside, he’s totally misunderstood the situation.

She nervously hides the paper when Shin-woo comes by and makes the excuse that she’s folding paper airplanes. He knows she’s just trying to hide it from him, so he shows her how to fold it so the inside doesn’t show. He calls her clumsy, and relates another story of a clumsy girl who harbored “a really big secret.” She was so bumbling that she was actually discovered right away, but didn’t know it.

Shin-woo explains, “At first he was going to see how it played out. He was a very bored guy.” As he speaks, we see flashbacks of Shin-woo witnessing Mi-nyeo mucking up her boy impersonation.

For instance, Mi-nyeo had accidentally caused a ruckus by entering the ladies’ restroom. Shin-woo continues: “But the more he watched, he found that she was really bumbling. It was both funny and a little sad.” In another scenario, Sung-chan had pressed her to go to the sauna together (a guy-bonding thing), which Shin-woo saved her from by taking her to eat out instead. Shin-woo: “His eyes kept going to that girl, and it was the first time he’d had such an interest in anyone. And at some point, he started to help her.” When Mi-nyeo had struggled with equipment, he had taken the heavy case from her. When she nodded off in rehearsal, he swooped in to provide a shoulder for her to sleep on.

As they are speaking in generalities, Mi-nyeo has no idea they’re talking about her, and wonders why he didn’t tell the girl the truth. He answers that it was to preserve her peace, but he’ll explain his feelings when the time is right.

After he leaves, she thinks, “Shin-woo hyung is a good person. I can’t tell him.” She decides she’ll have to beg Tae-kyung to reconsider.

Meanwhile, Tae-kyung is unable to concentrate on his work, for which he blames Mi-nyeo. He scribbles her name on the sheet music as he vents, “She likes him so much she bursts into tears? So this is the accident she said she caused! I’d really better not let my guard down — that rabbit-like guy!”

Vexed, he wonders if she’d already confessed to Shin-woo and is sucking up to him now. That spurs him to look around the house for her, starting to feel concerned that she may have confessed. Thankfully for his pride, he’s spared from dealing with his jealousy (although he doesn’t recognize it as such) when Mi-nyeo texts him the plea, “Hyungnim, please don’t pass me off to Shin-woo hyung! I promise not to be a pain!”

I love that Tae-kyung’s uneasy frustration gives way to that self-satisfied smirk, because we all know he’s pleased to have regained his equilibrium, even if he doesn’t admit it. Therefore, when he returns to his room and sees Mi-nyeo buried under her covers, he acts put-upon despite feeling relieved.

He addresses the lumpy bedding on the ground, asking whether she’s intending to burden him with the truth, and whether she knows what a great inconvenience she is being to him. The lumpy pile nods its head to acknowledge this.

As he goes to bed, Tae-kyung sighs, “Ah, what a pain.” But he peers over to check on her, and half-smiles as he goes to sleep.

Meanwhile, the management team discusses their next move, which is to come up with a killer music video to showcase the song. Hoon-yi suggests getting Tae-kyung and Heyi to appear in it, and provides the story: an action-packed blockbuster!

In it, Tae-kyung (“lonely killer”) and Heyi (“sexy killer”) jet-set around the world on secret missions.

It’s definitely a Bond parody, but the Hong sisters get in a poke at their competition, too, with a nod at IRIS. Sung-chan vetoes the spy plot: “Just because you go abroad, blow stuff up and shoot guns doesn’t make it good!” HAHAHA.

The stylist suggests an erotic love story, but Sung-chan says no to that, too — he wants a young, fresh image. He strikes upon the concept: a first love that came and went “without a word.”

With the theme in place, the MV rolls into production with a high school setting. Mi-nyeo and Tae-kyung, who have roles in the video, are costumed in school uniforms. Tae-kyung is not looking forward to working with Heyi and instructs Mi-nyeo, “When Heyi gets here, stick to my side.” Thinking of her promise to not interfere, Mi-nyeo says she’ll stay away, but he insists she stay nearby.

During a shoot in a classroom scene, Tae-kyung notices an extra staring at Mi-nyeo. She ducks in alarm to recognize her brother’s best friend from high school. What to do? Tae-kyung advises her to greet him like a friend, but the problem is that Mi-nyeo can’t remember his name.

She pleads with Tae-kyung to help, so he finds himself reluctantly getting involved. He catches the extra in the hallway and tells him that since he kept looking at him, he must be a fan. He offers an autograph, which gives him an excuse to ask his name. Too bad the extra declines the offer politely. Tae-kyung glares and grits out: “Your. Name. Is?”

Hearing that his name is Kim Dong-joon, Mi-nyeo is able to greet him like an old buddy. Overjoyed, Dong-joon grabs her in a hug: “Do you know how sad I was, thinking you were ignoring me now that you’re a celebrity?” Yet when Dong-joon grabs her hand in an enthusiastic handshake, he notices that a scar — from a bike accident they experienced together — is gone.

Thinking fast, Tae-kyung tells Mi-nyeo that there’s no need to hide the surgery from a friend. She explains that she’d had a little work done before debuting, and Dong-joon says he understands.

She finds herself in a tricky situation when the director announces their last call for a bathroom break, and Dong-joon perks up. They can go pee together, for old times’ sake! After all, they’d used to bet who could pee farther.

Major lulz! Oh, Hong sisters, you sure do like your toilet humor!

Mi-nyeo turns pleading eyes to Tae-kyung to save her, so again he finds himself reluctantly stepping in. He takes the urinal on Dong-joon’s other side and distracts him with questions, so that he can’t notice that Mi-nyeo isn’t actually using hers.

Dong-joon isn’t really familiar with A.N.JELL’s music, but Tae-kyung has to keep distracting him, so he interjects, “You probably know this song,” and starts to sing “Promise.” Dong-joon recognizes the tune and picks up the chorus, while Mi-nyeo takes the cue and “finishes” up.

I love Tae-kyung’s muttered comment that if he had rid himself of Mi-nam, Shin-woo would probably have swooped in to save the day instead of him. No he’s not jealous, no not at all!

Next is a lunch scene. Mi-nyeo comments that her character is rich, so her lunch is yummy. Tae-kyung scowls as she points out, “Hyungnim, you’re a poor student so all you have are anchovies. I’d like to give you an egg roll, but it’s too bad I cannot.” She’s having fun taunting him and it is adorable.

Seeing her egg rolls, Dong-joon reminisces that they remind him of Mi-nam’s sister, since she liked them. Mi-nam used to gather them from schoolmates and give them to Mi-nyeo. Dong-joon: “I don’t like them, but that’s why I asked my mother every day to make me egg rolls. Because she would eat them.”

Tae-kyung smirks, saying that he must have liked her, then looks on in surprise when Dong-joon bows his head bashfully. Dong-joon admits, “I’m saying this now, but I used to really like your sister. I couldn’t say anything since she was my friend’s sister, but she was my first love.”

Dong-joon is heading off to the army tomorrow, and had thought a lot about Mi-nyeo: “Now that I’ve seen you, it’s like I’ve seen her.”

All the while, Tae-kyung watches the exchange with distaste and shoves food in his mouth grumpily. He’s further dissatisfied when Mi-nyeo reacts with sheepish pleasure to the revelation.

Tae-kyung’s displeasure grows after lunch, when Dong-joon asks if Mi-nam’s sister ever visits the house. When Tae-kyung confirms that he’s seen her, Dong-joon sighs, “Isn’t she beautiful?”

Tae-kyung replies, “Since you’re about to go to the army, try asking Go Mi-nam to let you meet her.” But Dong-joon says no — he’ll see her after he’s discharged. He’s studying pharmacy, and he plans to return to their hometown and set up a pharmacy there. He’ll seek her out then: “It’s my dream to marry early, set up a pharmacy, and live happily.”

Filming an outdoor scene next, Tae-kyung can’t resist mocking Mi-nyeo: “I didn’t know you were a future pharmacist’s wife.” She’d better send him vitamins and medicine later!

He’s pushing her buttons, so when the director tells them to act friendly, Mi-nyeo grabs some dry leaves and “playfully” tosses them at Tae-kyung’s head. Tae-kyung returns the gesture, and things escalate as both use the mock leaf-fight as an excuse to annoy each other. He wrestles her to the ground and continues tossing leaves on top of her.

At one point, though, Tae-kyung’s laughing goes from sarcastic to genuinely happy. Looking up at his smiling face, Mi-nyeo’s feelings start bubbling to the surface again, and she makes her pig-nose. Of course, this makes him think she’s mocking him again.

Heyi arrives on the scene and has to contend first with the persistent reporter, who is still sniffing around about the photo. He knows the woman in the picture isn’t Heyi and threatens to ask Mi-nam. Heyi intends to warn Tae-kyung about the reporter, but seeing his cozy interaction with Mi-nyeo makes her jealousy flare.

Heyi interrupts, fake-sweetly “congratulating” the two of them on their natural acting. She deliberately asserts a possessive air over Tae-kyung, which makes Mi-nyeo feel left out. She leaves while Tae-kyung tells Heyi to lay off.

She responds, “Why? You were good just now. Laugh like you did then. If your acting is good, I’ll give you a prize.” He replies, “That wasn’t acting.”

Tae-kyung leaves, and a miffed Heyi decides that she’d rather not warn him about Reporter Kim’s snooping after all.

Aunt Mi-ja meets the fan club members, offering them some of the A.N.JELL boys’ personal items like Jeremy’s face wash, Shin-woo’s razor. They’re disappointed that she couldn’t swipe something of Tae-kyung’s, but at least she can offer some gossip: Mi-nam is shooting a music video, and Tae-kyung will appear in it wearing a school uniform.

Aunt Mi-ja doesn’t quite see the A.N.JELL charm, though, and asks why they love the guys so much. Surely they’re not all that.

Blasphemy! Sayuri answers that if Aunt Mi-ja knew “the oppas’ legends,” she wouldn’t say that.

For example: Shin-woo’s “legend” shows him as a badass fighter who had once roared up to a gang of delinquents on his motorcycle and taken them on in a 17-to-1 fight.

(Note: This seems to be a riff on Lim Chang-jung’s famous line in the 1997 film BEAT, which popularized the “seventeen-to-one” phrase. The movie starred a young Jung Woo-sung; you can watch a clip here.)

Jeremy’s legend features him as the grandson of a Scottish aristocrat, and he was once engaged to a princess. He gave it all up to pursue music in Korea, which is, according to Sayuri, the princess’s loss but her gain!

Meanwhile, Tae-kyung’s legend speaks of a huge birth secret. This one has the ring of truth (to us), as she describes his mother as a beautiful, famous woman who is unknown to everyone except Tae-kyung and his father. Even his real birthday is a mystery to the public; the one that people know is just his “official” birthday.

As it turns out, his real birthday is actually today, which we find out when Tae-kyung’s father calls to wish him a happy birthday. Tae-kyung had forgotten and says that “today doesn’t mean anything to me.” Still, his father has sent him a gift from the States, which he should be getting in the mail today.

Heyi wanders around looking for Tae-kyung, and spies Mi-nyeo with Dong-joon. (She complains, “Is she pretending to be a guy just so she can hang out with guys?”) She figures she can have some fun bringing the reporter into this mess, and goes off to find him.

After Mi-nyeo signs Dong-joon’s shoe, he looks at hers and notices something weird about it. She doesn’t pick up on the reason why, and says her goodbyes before heading off with Tae-kyung.

As she walks away, however, she realizes what’s odd: Mi-nam and Dong-joon have the same size shoes, and her feet are much smaller than her brother’s.

Mi-nyeo runs back, but by now the reporter has found Dong-joon and is chatting with him. She realizes that Dong-joon will have figured out that she’s not Mi-nam, and they all exchange loaded looks, anticipating the moment when Dong-joon will announce that this isn’t Mi-nam.

But Dong-joon looks at Mi-nyeo and answers, “Mi-nam is my best friend. He’s a good person, and he’s a really cool guy.”

Aw! Dong-joon knows this is Mi-nyeo, but he keeps up the ruse out of respect and uses the name Mi-nam. He assures her that once he’s off to the army, he won’t have reason to see anybody, nor is he the type to gossip.

Mi-nyeo is grateful for his graciousness and thanks him. At the last moment, he’s overcome with emotion and grabs her in a hug. He tells her earnestly, “I really liked your sister,” then he runs off in high spirits. Once again, Tae-kyung is NOT happy to see their closeness.

But next, it’s time for Mi-nyeo to feel left out, because Heyi claims Tae-kyung’s attention. She demands a ride home, and with one last look back at Mi-nam, he leaves with her. Mi-nyeo watches them go sadly, but reminds herself not to be an annoyance.

Just as Tae-kyung drives away, Shin-woo pulls in, having come to take Mi-nyeo home. She wasn’t expecting him, but since he’s here she may as well go with him.

Having passed by Shin-woo’s car, Tae-kyung keeps an eye on the rearview mirror to watch Mi-nyeo, while Heyi points out how nice Shin-woo is to Mi-nam: “He still doesn’t know she’s a girl, right? If he did, he’d really feel bad.”

Heyi wants some spaghetti and instructs Tae-kyung to take her to the restaurant. Just then, Tae-kyung gets a phone call from Mo Hwa-ran, who requests a meeting. So he pulls up to the restaurant, tosses Heyi the keys, and points out, “Like you said, I brought you here.” He didn’t promise he’d eat with her. He leaves Heyi pouting in frustration.

On his way to meet Hwa-ran, Tae-kyung notes that this is the first time in 10 years that she’s remembered his birthday. But when he arrives at the table, he finds that she’s waiting with a few others. A reporter enthusiastically greets him, saying that once he heard Tae-kyung would be remaking Hwa-ran’s song, he was eager to interview them.

Tae-kyung sizes up the situation, then makes the excuse that he cannot stay due to a personal issue. Excusing himself, he leaves. It’s particularly sad, because although he’d told his father that his birthday doesn’t mean anything to him, he was obviously feeling hopeful when his mother called him for a special meal together. How crushing it must be to realize that she wasn’t calling him to wish him a happy birthday, but was only doing it for her own PR.

Mi-nyeo finds that Aunt Mi-ja has already opened the package containing Tae-kyung’s present, and tries to figure out how to reseal the package. A note drops out, which she reads: “This is the album you wanted so much. Happy birthday. From Dad.”

Thinking of a nice way to surprise him with a birthday present, Mi-nyeo brings out the autographed photo of Hwa-ran, which she’d gotten from the singer at the music festival. Mi-nyeo thinks it’ll make Tae-kyung happy, since he’s a fan.

When she asks if Jeremy is throwing another party tonight, she’s puzzled to hear his answer that it’s not Tae-kyung’s birthday; they’d already celebrated it earlier this year. Furthermore, Tae-kyung won’t be home tonight because he’s working at the studio all night. Deciding to go to him, Mi-nyeo heads off to the agency.

Hwa-ran finds him at the office, confronting him for humiliating her at the dinner. He sneers that she must no longer be afraid that the truth will leak out, and she admits openly, “What do I have to lose? To be honest, I’m considering revealing that you’re my son. That’ll draw some attention.” She sees his hard expression and asks, “Why, are you afraid now?”

Hwa-ran explains that she’s very ambitious about her new project, and in order to command a lot of attention, she needs him. Understandably, he’s not exactly moved by that proposal, and he jeers, “Did you love the songwriter that much? The reason you left me is because of that love, wasn’t it?”

Hwa-ran answers coldly, “Don’t sneer like that. That was the most precious thing to me.” (Ouchhhhh. Hard words to hear from a mother)

Tae-kyung returns, “That was the most terrible thing to me.” He turns to walk off, and she bursts out, “But I gave birth to you!” She makes her case, and as awful as the words are, they do have a ring of honesty about them (not that it makes them any better):

Hwa-ran: “Because of you, because I gave birth to you, I lost that precious thing. Yes, you probably thought it was a terrible thing because I abandoned you. But because of you, it was horrible for me when I lost him. Since I lost him when I had you, help me keep that love as a memory.”

Not a persuasive argument to say to an abandoned child. Tae-kyung faces Hwa-ran, the tears in his eyes belying his cool words: “If you want to take credit for giving birth to me, at least you should remember when that was.”

His reaction makes Hwa-ran guess, “Was it today?” Tae-kyung walks away, leaving Hwa-ran standing alone outside.

Only… she’s not actually alone. Mi-nyeo has witnessed the exchange, and claps a hand over her mouth in horror.

Tae-kyung’s coldness to his mother is really a front to cover his hurt, because once inside the building, he slumps against the wall, bravado crumbling. He tries in vain to choke back his tears.

Down the hall, Mi-nyeo witnesses his pain and cries, too: “Mother Superior, my star is crying in the dark. What should I do?”

 
COMMENTS

Damn. These things are getting longer and longer. As someone once said, if I had more time I would have made it shorter. I’ll try harder next time, promise!

Yesterday had the awesomely sweet “I can only see the moon” line, and today had the equally touching “My star is crying” line. Sigh. There’s something very poignant about Mi-nyeo calling Tae-kyung — in a completely non-possessive, un-ironic way — “my star.”

I don’t have that much to say in addition to what I’ve already said, except to marvel at Jang Geun-seok. He’s been great all series long, and I don’t want to suggest that the only way an actor can show he’s good is to cry a lot — but his crying scene was really, really well-done. Completely believable because it wasn’t one of those self-indulgent actorly weepfests, where it seems like they’re saying, “Look at me, look at how prettily I can cry!” (We do tend to get a lot of those in kdramas, don’t we?) I love Tae-kyung’s vulnerability in that moment — how he tries to tamp it down even though he believes himself to be alone and doesn’t have to hide from anyone. He doesn’t want to give in to the tears, because he doesn’t want to admit that his mother has that kind of hold over him, but he can’t help it. He’s a big ol’ softie, and now it’s his turn for the feelings to “burst out” of him.

(I wonder if this is an emotion that Mi-nyeo has prompted in Tae-kyung. I don’t want to attribute every little thing to the love relationship — that gets tiresome — but I do think that Mi-nyeo is the one who showed him that forgiveness can be more powerful than turning your back on the one who hurt you, as she proved with the ring scene earlier. She’s primed him for this emotional vulnerability to break through to the surface, so now I wonder how he’ll be able to bounce back from it, because I don’t think he’s ready to accept that emotional vulnerability can be a gift rather than a character weakness. He’s certainly not ready for forgiveness yet.)

And just because I have to say it: I love jealous Tae-kyung!

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , ,

337

Required fields are marked *

@52 Jaye

LOL! Tertiary Character Syndrome...I think I've caught it too. Jeremy is so cute!

I haven't watched Episode 8 yet, have only read javabeans' awesome, extra-detailed, extra-good recap, but I think viewers are showing signs of "Bit Character Syndrome" as well, with the introduction of Dong-joon:)

I am really looking forward to watching this episode!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dear Javabeans,

Love your recap and like your writing style a lot.

I think JGS is a fantastic actor which surprises me.

To the entire You're Beautiful filming crews, keep up the good work! You have changed my point of view / interest on Korean drama in a good way!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

JGS sure loves styling his hair in this drama, hahaha. But every hairstyle so far has been awesome :D anyway, episode 7 and 8 honestly took me by surprise - i didn't see this plot coming, i was thinking that they were going to jeer off into typical K-drama plot somewhat, but here i am, after the 2 episodes - still impressed!

(i'm still unfortunately though, not diggin' the Second Guy Syndrome thing, even though he's such an sweetie but... i rest my case about this one - better a nice guy that a nasty one i guess!)

i waited for your recap while while also waiting for the vids to upload on viikii (shows how valuable your recaps are haha) so as usual, thanks for being so speedy with YB! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

As for the chart: the way I see it, SW ends up with 2 strikes while TK has the two o's. Hmmmmmmmm interesting. Regardless of what happens, SW has two strikes.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks heaps for your recap...really great comment...i love the way you describe jang geun suk crying scene/acting..he is really a gifted actor..i hope he won an award on this drama..i hope everybody will win an award..i hope they show this drama here in the Philippines and have a.n. jell visit..that would be superb..super thanks javabeans..you are the best ^^

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

there were so many scenes of tae-kyung looking on jealously today. it was hilarious and adorable. i love it that mi-nam isn't always the bumbling apologizing one anymore; now that she's getting closer to tk, they tease each other and banter SO CUTELY.

i love love love this drama. i wonder if the actors know how many people love it online, regardless of ratings.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dear JB,
your recaps are just sooooooooooooooo amazing!!!!
thankyou!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap ~ I haven't seen episode 8 yet (still waiting for it to be fully subbed) but just by reading, I feel so much emotions going on inside me. It's wonderful, it's even better when I actually watch it =D Love this drama, and the Hong Sisters <3 “Just because you go abroad, blow stuff up and shoot guns doesn’t make it good!” haha I agree, IRIS is okay for an action drama but it only does so much and doesn't really touch viewer's heart like YB does.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ #80: i can't remember if i read it here or somewhere else but if i remember correctly, it was mentioned that BBF probably did well cos it aired during the school holidays so the kids were watching it during prime time. becos it's not the school holidays now, they only watch reruns which doesn't contribute towards ratings. personally, i think YB is way better than BBF. i could hardly tolerate BBF after the New Caledonia episodes.. and that's very early on in the drama. I probably would've liked BBF a bit more if Jang Geun Seok was one of the F4 boys though. I <3 JGS!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

the end of episode 8 is just like the end of ep 4, except it's TK who is crying....Minam should go and comfort him as TK comforted her--they should have ended the scene like that!!! oooh...so frustrating...I just hope HY doesn't show up and get to him first...argh...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ahahahahahahahaha the bit about IRIS. XD
and sorry shinwoo, i still love you times a million, but JGS's amazing acting is changing my opinion ...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love this drama so much. I love re-watching the little interactions between the characters. Like everyone else, I love jealous TK and especially love his barely controlled annoyance when dealing with HeYi. I thought I would die laughing when she was trying to get him to carry her purse... like real boyfriend.

I find my self counting down until the next episode AS SOON AS I finish the last one.

I'm extremely impressed with JGS acting; everyone in this drama is spot on in their characters, but he continues to impress. Hopefully as time goes on more people will appreciate the show and the ratings will go up.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks so much for the recaps! I really loved this episode, it was so jam-packed with every human emotion from all characters. Jeremy's date with Mi-Nyeo was so adorable! :D

And the last scene with Tae-Kyung and his mother, wow was that heart breaking. I was pretty angry when she blamed his birth as the reason that she lost her love. :|

Looking forward to episode 9!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Merci Beaucoup, JB. Brevity may be what a writer strives for, but I would love a
for you to write whatever you want, because more words devoted to YB is always a plus. I am just enjoying this experience of watching such a fun and special drama and happily waiting for the next episode to bring more wow.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"As someone once said, if I had more time I would have made it shorter. I’ll try harder next time, promise!"

aww, then I hope you'll never have time to make it shorter.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh I completely forgot... I love your recaps. There is no need to edit them, keep spreading the love.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

that was fast! I was just watching this ep this morning!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ok read the recap, watched the episode, love it all!!!!!!

btw, who else thinks MN's high school friend is a cutie?? and omo, love TK's eyes whenever he saw them hugging. jealousy!!

glad jeremy got some more screen time as he's adorable. and everytime TK called MN a pig-rabbit i laughed :)

and once again the end.. leaves me wanting more. until next week....

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ 111 niki, for a moment I thought the proud TK was really going to carry her purse because he didn't reject her straight away. Luckily he walked off!!!

@117 lovenyc52, me me!! He is really good looking and well cast too!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

my korean must be improving
cuz i watched d raw... understanding almost all of it..
den coming here to read ur summary & it matches up
hehe
iM SOOO LOVIN DIS DRAMA
i admit it isnt as good as ep7 [the best epi]
but it had its moments..
aww.im sooo obsessed.haha.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I haven't watch episode 8 yet but I love reading your recap on it, it makes me feel all bubbly inside to know the story from other viewer's point of view. I, of course, squealed a couple of times and giggled like a kid with their every interaction, and how beautifully you described them. And I laughed out loud to your explanation on the table chart and how it benefits Tae Kyung either way because he gets to get rid of her ^o^ but we all know he doesn't want to! And Dong Joon appearance in this episode which triggers jealousy in Tae Kyung is so adorable!!! I love how he tells Mi Nyeo in the end that he likes Mi Nam's sister and runs off ^_~ And Jeremy, despite not knowing Mi Nyeo is a girl, admitting to his feeling and wants to like 'Mi Nam' for an hour. Squeal~~~~ Too many reason to squeal for this drama, to the point I'm willing to lose my voice to, haha.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dude...who cares if these recaps get longer! They are AMAZING and so is this drama. I am totally feeling it and I agree with you; since Coffee Prince, I hadn't been able to find anything as addicting and emotionally poignant for me. Finally, You're Beautiful has come and is working its magic on me too!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The last part of this episode made me cry, it dealt with a very difficult subject in a non patronizing manner, the fact that a grown up man can cry when he has been betray by the person that matters the most it is quite moving, we may forget all the humor that they used for the filling of this episode but the end was executed almost to perfection Kudos......

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I LOVE THIS EPISODE!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I feel like such a fangirl for saying this,but when shinwoo put the towel over minam when she was sleeping. I got reminded of Jaejoong and Yunho. Jaejoong apparently does it cause Yunho looks terrible when sleeping :D

okay ignore this comment

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think for me what strikes me and made me tearful at the last scene was that not only was TK abandoned by his mother, he was not even acknowledged by her as her son. That must be doubly painful. In fact, if she had just abandoned him, it might have been better, since his father could have lied to him plausibly.

But he knows, knows without a doubt, how little regard she has for him. Wow. To know your mother doesn't even love you enough to hate you. To know your mother doesn't care enough about you to know what makes you sick. That's what tugs at my heart.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Awesome recap,JB! Can't thank you enough for the weekly recaps of this wonderful Kdrama gem. Kudos!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@javabeans : 50.000 page views? that's incredible! unpopular blog would get that much hits in...like 5years? and you got it in a day! awesome.

thanks again for the recap. I love your long recaps, so please do not ever think to shorten it again! :D
( i think that it's compulsory thing to thank you for every recap you've made, hehehe. )

I'm glad Jeremy has more screen time, it's always fun to see his interaction with Minyeo, they're so cute.

Now we know that Hwaran is real Taekyung's mother. She must know who's Minam & Minyeo's mother then... Will she allow TK having relationship with her rival's daughter? ( the standard K-dramas' formula )
I hope no one ( and that's include Jolie ) will die in this serial! :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@127 djes, I really LOL when I saw "hope no one ( and that’s include Jolie ) will die in this serial! "

I hope not too! Love Jolie as well~ =D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

THANKYOU JB! I love your caps as alway, they're not long at all! :D I've been lurking here for a while now, and this drama is TOO good to keep quiet about! I'm pretty sure that YAB has got ALL of our 'emotions bursting out.' Seriously. I haven't felt so excited about a drama in a LONG time (probably since CP too, but even then I wasn't as excited as this one).

I've got final exams in 3 days but I can't stop obsessing about this! YAB was the first time that I watched a drama live (boy, am I tired as), but I guess it goes to show how much we love it!

As for JGS: hotness overload. I posted on Soompi saying how I've never noticed him before until now, and I am SO impressed! I love how he pays so much attention to detail, to make sure that TK really comes to life (Example: OCD behavour - smoothing his hair back after taking off his headphones in Ep 6; wiping the can of juice that Dong-joon gives him.) I'm interested to see how TK will change once he realises his true feelings for MN... To be honest I'm having a hard time imagining him becoming a total softie (for some reason I keep picturing Goo-jun Pyo once he loved Jandi!). Till next week!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

waaaaaa...i can already see how the conflict between minam and tae kyung will start...i think he'll know that mi nam is the child of the man that his mother loved and the reason why she abandoned them.....whew! i wonder how they're gonna play this conflict....maybe he'll realize by then that he really loves her and make up right away....heheh i hope they won't drag that conflict too long....(if they'll think of putting that in the story...heheheh...i love this drama...even more than BOF.. ilove the 3 guys...mi nam is one lucky gal!! see you next week...thanks JB

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ah yes, once again, you put into words what I can't. Jang Geun suk did portray a very realistic vulnerability when he was crying and that is why it moved me so much.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi,
So, I always watch new eps ASAP. even without subtitles. Your recaps really help hold me over til the HD sub versions are out.

Thanks!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks jb ... for the great recap!
this is the one thing i have been waiting for the whole week!
thanks for the effort!
Luv your recaps!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

how i love your recaps...please...oh please don't try to make it short...because it's just perfect...when i read it, it feels like i'm watching it online streaming eventhough i'm not...thanks javabeans for every details and each comments which i think were definitely right...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

once again amazing ep. i am wracking my brain trying to figure out the whole mom/dad situation for mi nam and tae-kyung, but not comin up with much. who knows...

JGS's crying scene was really really well done. i hate the crying scenes where the actor still manages to look handsome and just has tears coming out of like one eye or whatev. i think it was great how he was trying to hold back sobs...thats how a real person would cry!! you can just tell how committed he is to making tae-kyung a real character that people can identify with.

on a lighter note....jealous tae-kyung!!!! squeeeeal! i know its wrong to love the jealousy, but i couldn't help it haha. it was just sooo fun :) i'm so glad that everyone else is enjoying this drama as much as i am! i've missed getting excited all together like this!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

gosh, thanks a lot for the recap, :D before i would watch the raws in YT i would always check your site because i love your recaps and also your take on every episode..

i really love this series, i love JGS ever since Hwang Jinyi..for someone so young he's such a versatile actor, and of course the rest of the cast are also good, they really complement each other...

and no need for you to shorten your recap, it's a good read.. :D ;D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi,
So, I always watch new eps ASAP. even without subtitles. Your recaps really help hold me over til the HD sub versions are out.

Thanks!!!
PS
I Have NO Idea what their talking about, but the fantasy sequences are still just as funny (maybe more so......hehehe)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks so much for the recap JB! Longer is better in this case! The explanation of the chart was a real help (and hysterical, as it turned out). This is honestly one of the funniest and touching shows I've watched. The parodies and allusions they manage to include of virtually every genre, both obvious and slightly more subtle, are a riot.

It's very very well acted, and very very well written. The leads are all adorable, and the supporting crew is outstanding.

I have no clue why this wouldn't be getting better ratings, as it seems to have totally taken over the web audience, and rightfully so. The only dramas I've ever watched raw are this and QSD, and this is the only one where I keep refreshing a window to see if it's posted yet. I doubt they'll shorten it, since it's only got 4 more weeks anyway, and the sales of the OST have been very strong as well. But I really hope the cast and crew find out just how popular the show is around the world.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love the chemistry between Jang Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye, the funny parts are very funny and the sad parts (i.e. the end of this episode) are close to heartbreaking....kudos to both of them for their obvious hardwork! (And the rest of the cast of course!)

Wow, PSH really impresses me with her ability to convincingly do sad scenes and cry, she's really liked a seasoned veteran actor when it comes to those scenes!!

I wish I hadn't seen her in Goong S first, that drama ruined her for me (along with a lot of other things).

Ahhhh....YAB makes me feel like I'm falling in love with cutie Tae Kyung at the same time as Mi Nyeo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

If anything touched me, it was definitely that last line. I love how you can feel her genuine feelings for him, especially when she starts crying when he is crying.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ 139 fluffyrabbit19, same! When I know she is going to act in YB, I'm quite turned off because the only time I saw her act was in Goong S and I don't really like her from then on.

I'm glad she proves me wrong and really act very well in YB with her puppy eyes and everything. I'm loving her now! She look so much better in short hair than the one in Goong S.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Clap clap clap Java Beans for your wonderful recaps. Reading it made me cry and you fully translated all the major scenes.Please don't shorten it. The longer the better.

Joicy thanks for mentioning about JGS eyes. As I said yesterday, he is a great eye actor. Yes in deed. He played the TK role to the fullest and owned every episode.

All the characters are lovable and there's no dull moments that you'd like to fast forward it to get to the main stars.

Last time that I was obsessed with Korean drama was with Coffee Prince. And now it's happening again. I'd like to burst out my feelings and overflowing love to the point that it drives me insane.

I like TK's jealousy and the crying scene at the end. Mn innocent looks and pain were well acted. Their playful moments was good too, that their chemistry was oozing on the screen.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi JB,

HONESTLY I STARTED READING YOUR RECAP AFTER I SAW YOU'RE DOIN IT WITH YAB...YOU ARE REALLY GREAT! YOU MADE ME UNDERSTAND THE FLOW OF THE STORY VERY WELL...
tHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT!

AS PER THE RATINGS OF YAB, IM REALLY SAD ABOUT IT...THE RATING DIDN'T JUSTICE THE DRAMA...THEY SHOULD GAIN MORE!!! IM WATCHING THE SUBBED OF THIS DRAMA FROM VIIKII.NET AND THEY'RE HAVING A DRIVE TO SUPPORT THE YAB TEAM...THEY WANT THE YAB TEAM TO KNOW THAT MANY FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE SUPPORTING THEM NOT JUST ONLY PEOPLE IN KOREA. SOOMPI IS DOING IT ALSO...

I WISH YOU COULD DO IT HERE SINCE MANY FANS ARE READING YOUR RECAP. I JUST WANT KEUN SEUK AND THE TEAM TO FEEL THAT ITS NOT ONLY THE RATINGS THAT COUNTS...PEOPLE LOVE THEM AND THEIR DRAMA SO THEY SHOULD NOT BE UPSET...

PLEASE HELP US FANS OF YAB TO REACH THEM...YOU WILL BE A GREAT HELP FOR US AND FOR THEM TO FIGHT TILL THE END...PLEASE HELP US TO REACH SBS THRU THIS SITE FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT THEIR DRAMA IS GREAT...

THANK YOU SO MUCH....

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi JB,

HONESTLY I STARTED READING YOUR RECAP AFTER I SAW YOU’RE DOIN IT WITH YAB…YOU ARE REALLY GREAT! YOU MADE ME UNDERSTAND THE FLOW OF THE STORY VERY WELL…
tHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT!

AS PER THE RATINGS OF YAB, IM REALLY SAD ABOUT IT…THE RATING DIDN’T JUSTICE THE DRAMA…THEY SHOULD GAIN MORE!!! IM WATCHING THE SUBBED OF THIS DRAMA FROM VIIKII.NET AND THEY’RE HAVING A DRIVE TO SUPPORT THE YAB TEAM…THEY WANT THE YAB TEAM TO KNOW THAT MANY FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE SUPPORTING THEM NOT JUST ONLY PEOPLE IN KOREA. SOOMPI IS DOING IT ALSO…

I WISH YOU COULD DO IT HERE SINCE MANY FANS ARE READING YOUR RECAP. I JUST WANT KEUN SEUK AND THE TEAM TO FEEL THAT ITS NOT ONLY THE RATINGS THAT COUNTS…PEOPLE LOVE THEM AND THEIR DRAMA SO THEY SHOULD NOT BE UPSET…

PLEASE HELP US FANS OF YAB TO REACH THEM…YOU WILL BE A GREAT HELP FOR US AND FOR THEM TO FIGHT TILL THE END…PLEASE HELP US TO REACH SBS THRU THIS SITE FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT THEIR DRAMA IS GREAT…

THANK YOU SO MUCH….

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

wonderful recap as always.......and I am also wondering and waiting for smile recap.....hope Can read it also......I am dependent with your review......Its my weekly novel......

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

hi,

though many disagree that coffee prince and you're beautiful are different from each other, the fact remains that both dramas are excellent. and i think, maybe that's because both dramas are written by females. and since, most of these drama's fans are women, these writers really know our weaknesses because they are what we are, purely romantic at heart.

i hope that, just like in coffee prince, there'll be sizzling kisses between the two leads in you're beautiful. so that would topple the "best kiss" right now in "iris".
we would surely want our couple to be the best couple in the next awards ceremony.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"The last drama to do that for me was… Coffee Prince, I think, and that was over two years ago. (Man I feel old.) "

- JB if you think you're old then i can say that i'm ancient...hehehehe i'm 24 and still feels like a 16 yrs. old girl watching this stuff... what can i say i'll always and forever be a kid at heart...

Loved your recaps. And I can say that the likeness (if there is a word) for this series if not as much as I LOVED Coffee Prince but it's definitely getting there...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was ORIGINALLY not going to read this yet. But I can't take the suspense any longer! O_o LOL Thanks for the recaps! :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

:-) Merci Beaucoup JB:-) Shall I compare your recaps to the chocolate sprinkles on the perfect ice cream or the icing on top of a fabulous chocolate cake?hmm :-)Well the warm feeling I get after both is the same:-) I love your recaps and I also love the fact that I can share my love for the drama here:-) Otherwise I think I would have just 'burst' and driven people around me crazy:-)Thanks again:-)

And hey doesn't the scene with Shin woo fighting 17 guys remind you of the entry scene of JGS in 'Baby and I'?:-)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *