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You’re Beautiful: Episode 14

Once again, we run the gamut of emotions from light to heavy, which I always find to be a welcome thing when a drama heads to its more serious moments. Yes, some of the conflicts amp up in this episode, but it also has more of its trademark goofy parody sequences to lighten the in-between moments. The threesome parody in this episode is possibly my favorite Hong sisters parody ever.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jang Geun-seok – “Good Bye.” This song plays late in the episode. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 14 RECAP

Tae-kyung is about to tell Mi-nyo something, starting, “Go Mi-nam, I… you…” But then, he’s interrupted by excited fans, who wave excitedly as they arrive in buses.

Tae-kyung is annoyed with the interruption, particularly since Mi-nyeo takes it as her cute to excuse herself. Explaining that she’ll act as though he’s just sending her off, she starts to leave.

He holds her back, saying, “Hear me out first.” Leaning in close, he says, “I like you.”

(Omo!)

Having gotten that out in the open, he lets her go, but now she’s so shocked that she stands in a daze. As the fangirls swarm around him, Mi-nyeo wonders if she heard right. She thinks, “I wish the world would quiet down so I can hear the soft words in my memory.”

She thinks back, confirming that he had indeed said those words, and suddenly the world around her is all roses and butterflies. LITERALLY.

As this finally sinks in, Mi-nyeo starts giggling out loud in glee, exultant. She doesn’t see Tae-kyung sitting in his car a short distance away, who smiles and says, “So she did hear me properly.”

On the plane, Shin-woo looks at the empty seat next to him and tells himself, “I knew she wouldn’t come. But since I told her that I’ve already begun [to have feelings], that’s enough.”

Almost immediately, photos pop up online of Tae-kyung and Mi-nam at the airport. Heyi is annoyed — why would Tae-kyung go to the airport to see Mi-nam? — and displeased. Meanwhile, may I take the moment to point out the HILARITY of the top 3 online star searches, as seen in Heyi’s web browser??

  1. Dong Bang Single
  2. So Nyeo Junior
  3. Super Shidae

 

Tae-kyung gives Mi-nyeo a ride home. Mi-nyeo wonders how to handle herself around him, given his declaration: “Should I tell him that I heard him and give him permission too?” However, she imagines him issuing a gruff response, and considers trying the opposite instead — she could say she didn’t hear what he said and ask him to repeat it. But she imagines him sneering at that, “You didn’t hear? Then cancel it!”

Mi-nyeo decides to accept his statement gratefully, and figures that she doesn’t need to hear him say it anyway, because “if I hear him say that he likes me again, my heart may burst.”

Tae-kyung breaks the silence by suggesting they grab something to eat, and asks if she likes spaghetti. Mi-nyeo hiccups. Puzzled, he repeats the question, and she hiccups again. Testing out a theory, Tae-kyung enunciates clearly, “Do you LIKE charcoal-grilled kalbi? Do you LIKE naengmyun? What about sushi, do you LIKE it? I LIKE sushi.” She hiccups every time he says the word LIKE.

He prods her to answer (which is his way of getting her to say she likes him back). Mi-nyeo answers, “I really, really like [it] very, very much.”

Sushi lunch. Mi-nyeo takes all the shrimp and crab off his plate because of his allergies, happy to eat them. When Tae-kyung tells her to give him two pieces in exchange for the ones she took, her face falls — she was counting on eating them. So Tae-kyung relents and tells her to eat them all, so as not to lose points. (“Why is it so tough to preserve my score?”)

When Mi-nyeo brings up the issue of photos from the airport being made public, Tae-kyung answers that he’s not very worried. There’s nothing scandalous about him seeing her off, although he is aware that fans often create stories out of nothing. He adds (with a perfectly straight face), “There are a lot of love stories that don’t even feature women.”

He’s talking, yup, about fanfic. (I love it!) In what is my favorite giggly sequence this episode (possible this drama?), he explains, “Most of them are a love triangle between me, Shin-woo, and Jeremy.”


LULZ! Imaginations run wild in his exaggerated examples: two hands cover Fanfic Tae-kyung’s eyes and he asks hopefully, “Shin-woo?” The hands move aside to reveal a hurt Jeremy, who says, “You’re always looking for Shin-woo.” Holding Tae-kyung’s hand to his chest, Fanfic Jeremy says, “You’re inside my heart.”

At that moment, a glass shatters — Fanfic Shin-woo has walked in and seen this intimate moment. Angry at being thus replaced by Jeremy, he vows, “I’m going to destroy you both!”

(OMG. I love that the writers work in details incorporating some of the more ridiculous aspects of idol life. First Sung-chan’s ridiculous English, and now yaoi fanfiction.)

Jeremy logs on to read the latest stories online, getting a kick out of them. He’s waiting at the broadcast station where he is going to make a surprise cameo appearance at the end. He plans to use this as his platform for telling Mi-nam how he feels in the form of a song.

However, his web browsing leads him to the airport photos of Mi-nam and Tae-kyung, which makes him wonder what’s going on. With the question dangling in the air, he can’t concentrate until he confirms the truth with Tae-kyung, and heads out. He only has an hour before he has to make his appearance, and if he doesn’t make it there will be trouble.

Hoon-yi sees Tae-kyung and Mi-nyeo arriving at the agency together, and gapes. Why did Tae-kyung interfere and go to the airport? A little triumphantly, Tae-kyung tells Hoon-yi, “Take a good look.” He whirls Mi-nyeo around and hugs her, prompting her to press her nose. Having proved his point to the manager, he heads off to work.

Hoon-yi can’t believe it — so her pig-nose was because of Tae-kyung? She asks anxiously, “Does he know what that means?” Hoon-yi can’t understand why, of all the people in the world, she’d fall for mean ol’ Tae-kyung. She answers, “At some point, I started to feel electric shocks.”

Jeremy arrives in time to catch the end of this conversation. Staring at Mi-nyeo intently, he asks, “Do you like Tae-kyung hyung?” She’s a little surprised by the blunt question, but nods. Jeremy’s face twists to hear it, and he runs off.

When they learn that Jeremy is still missing from the studio, Hoon-yi and Mi-nyeo try to track him down. They have no luck, but Mi-nyeo remembers the bus and follows her hunch to the bus stop.

She sees Jeremy sitting alone in an empty bus and races after it. She climbs onboard and starts to approach Jeremy, who looks up and glares: “This is my bus. Get off.” Seeing how upset Jeremy is, Mi-nyeo feels horrible as he continues, with wounded confusion:

Jeremy: “When I thought you were a guy, I was okay with it. When I found out you were a girl, I was okay with it. But if you like Tae-kyung hyung, I can’t be okay with it. Why? Why wasn’t it me? I told you about my treasure bus, and I let you close to Jolie, and I was going to sing a song only for you. Why don’t you like me?”

They sit in silence on opposite sides of the bus for a while. Jeremy answers a call from the studio, and agrees to sing his song over the phone instead. He’s chosen a cheerful children’s tune called “Such Good Words.”

As Jeremy introduces his selection, he looks over at Mi-nyeo, directing his words to her: “These good words were so precious to me that I saved them up. If I keep them inside too much, they turn into words I can’t say again. But I hope they’re not disagreeable words, useless words, or words that make you sad.” Knowing he’s talking to her, Mi-nyeo gestures that no, she doesn’t think that.

He starts to sing: “I love you, these words are such good words. When our family goes to bed, they give and receive these words. I love you, these words are such good words. These are words Jeremy wants to give to her.”

Lee Hong-ki – “참 좋은말” (Such Good Words). Again, ripped from the episode. [ Download ]

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When he finishes, she tells him, “They’re very good words.” He answers, “But you can’t accept them. Right, Go Mi-nam?” That’s true, and Mi-nyeo apologizes.

Jeremy tells her frankly, “I can’t say it’s okay right now. When this bus returns to its place, then it’ll become okay.” When the bus rolls to a stop, he tells her, “When I get off this bus, I’m going to return to being the happy Jeremy. Forget everything I said here. If you don’t forget them, I can’t return. Got it, Go Mi-nam?”

True to his word, when he steps off the bus, he puts on a cheery face and talks in his usual energetic way. They head off to eat ice cream together, with only the fleetingest of looks betraying that Jeremy isn’t as happy as he’s acting.

 

Tae-kyung and his producer meet with a former singer who once knew Go Jae-hyun. The singer explains that Go Jae-hyun was a nice, ordinary guy who had dated Hwa-ran. The relationship fell apart when she went to another man, and afterward he got together with another woman, who was preparing to be a singer herself. Not knowing of Tae-kyung’s personal connection to this story, he insinuates that Hwa-ran had quite a lot of men in her day.

Tae-kyung mutters to himself, “That grand love sounds quite messy when discussed in other people’s words.”

Hwa-ran hates the idea of “that woman’s daughter” and her son being cozy, and decides to do something about it. She presents Mi-nyeo with a gift — a dress — and says meaningfully, “I picked right, didn’t I?”

Hwa-ran assures M-nyeo not to worry — she doesn’t want to mess with her. Mi-nyeo asks Hwa-ran to pretend not to know until her brother returns soon, and that her bandmates are not to blame. Hwa-ran concludes, “They knew and covered for you, and were your friends. You did something very dangerous. It’s complicated to explain to you, but Hwang Tae-kyung and I have a special personal relationship. Be careful not to get involved and make things complicated.”

Mi-nyeo promises, “No matter what happens, I will make sure not to cause trouble for Hwang Tae-kyung. I cannot let him be hurt.” Hwa-ran replies, “From his perspective, it would have been better not getting involved with you.”

Mi-nyeo chalks Hwa-ran’s statements up to being a protective mother, but still, this whole situation makes her uneasy. She can’t let Tae-kyung know that she knows about his relationship with his mother — he was so sad on his birthday that she couldn’t bring herself to say it — but feigning ignorance means she’s caught in the middle: “It feels like I’m lying to him, and it doesn’t feel good.”

I appreciate the way the writers turn the situation from serious to funny in a natural way: After everything that’s happened, Mi-nyeo has had quite a tiring day. However, Tae-kyung doesn’t know this and wonders why she hasn’t called him all day. He concedes, “Well, I did tell her not to inconvenience me, so she must have spent all day waiting.”

To his surprise, she answers the phone in a sleepy voice. Disappointed (and offended), Tae-kyung retorts, “Forget it! Keep sleeping, you sleepyheaded Pig-Rabbit!”

Not satisfied to end things on that note, he calls her out and takes her to the movie theater. When she warns him that she may fall asleep, he insists that he didn’t call her out to watch the movie (i.e., as a date) — he just needs a guide in the dark. He didn’t need HER, he needed her EYES. He orders her onward: “Go Mi-nam’s Eyes, guide me.”

He takes her hand as she leads him inside the darkened theater, but balks at her seating choice and orders her to move. He complains at her next choice, too — but it’s clear to us that he just likes holding her hand and is prolonging the moment.

We can be sure of that because he doesn’t strictly need her hand-holding — at one moment he forgets himself and starts to lead her instead. Surprised, Mi-nyeo asks whether he can see. He clears his throat and says, “Go Mi-nam’s Eyes, eyes can’t talk.”

Afterward, they step out on a deck overlooking the city, and the lights are so bright that she can’t see the stars. Noting that he can’t ever see the stars, she breathes on the glass and draws a star in the mist. Seeing another star — a lamp — she comments, “Even when it’s not a dark night, there are a lot of stars around us. After I stop acting as Go Mi-nam and go far away, I’ll search for stars and think of you.” After her brother returns, it would be better for her to be at a distance.

Tae-kyung answers lightly, “Go looking for those stars. I’ll check up on you to ask how many you’ve found. I’ll be expecting you to see a lot.” She thinks to herself, “But the star I like the best is one I can’t take with me, so I’ll miss it a lot.”

Tae-kyung promises to show her more stars and motions her closer — then holds up his knuckle. If he were to give her a noogie, she should see five more stars.

Mi-nyeo wonders worriedly if he would really do it, and braces herself as he pulls back, winding up for a big one…

…but instead, he swoops in for a kiss.

(I don’t know if there were spoilers for this kiss but if there were I AM SO GLAD I didn’t know about them. Full squealing effect preserved!)

Shin-woo returns from his trip to Busan, and Mi-nyeo feels sorry and uncomfortable around him. He has brought back a gift for her from his mother, because he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the full story. He doesn’t expect Mi-nyeo to accept it, but wanted to show her his mother’s gesture.

The time away seems to have been good for Shin-woo, because he talks with more assertion now. He tells her that he’d been a good hyung to her, but their relationship lacked tension. Now, he intends to add a sense of pressure to her, which sounds bad but means merely that he’s going to take a new direction: “I’ve stepped back until now because I’ve been comforting you. Now I’m going to step forward and comfort myself.”

Planning progresses for Mi-nam’s solo album, and Hoon-yi announces with great excitement that the real Mi-nam is returning the day before the showcase. Jeremy wonders what the real Mi-nam is like, and gets back the answer that Mi-nam may look like his sister but his personality is different: “He has Tae-kyung’s charisma, Shin-woo’s softness, and Jeremy’s brightness.”

Although this should be good news, each member has his own subdued reaction to it.

Hoon-yi is so psyched to have his Mi-nam troubles nearing their end that he lets slip to the stylist that Mi-nyeo and Tae-kyung like each other. The stylist had believed that Heyi and Tae-kyung were dating, so now she tells Heyi that she knows the truth.

Heyi’s reaction to news is sheer shock: “They’re for real?” This pushes her over the edge, and she bursts out, “How can that he set me aside and go for her? I really hate Go Mi-nam!” Shoving items off the counter, she sobs angrily.

Per their half-joking “agreement,” Mi-nyeo shows Tae-kyung pictures of all the stars she found today: a star-shaped shirt pin and a tomato stem, for example.

He teases her for only finding three, so she responds bashfully, “Right now, the star I like the most is with me every day.” Then, afraid she said too much, she points up to the sun as though saying she meant the star in the sky. Not him, of course!

He plays along, “Ahh, that star you said is the coolest. Where is that?” Mi-nyeo doesn’t want to admit the truth, so she says, “You can’t see stars anyway. You don’t have to know.”

Tae-kyung offers to watch her favorite star with her tonight, and they set a date. He wonders if they’ll be able to see any in this weather, but decides, “I don’t need those stars anyway. I’m the star she likes best.”

Sung-chan takes Mi-nyeo to meet the producer, who has finished work on Hwa-ran’s remake song. As she listens to the song playing in the background, knowing this was her father’s work, she decides to tell Tae-kyung about her father tonight.

Spying a star-shaped ashtray, she picks it up as the two men gossip about the songwriter and Hwa-ran having been lovers. Shocked, Mi-nyeo lets the ashtray fall from her grasp, and it shatters on the ground. (Ah, the familiar destruction of a symbolic trinket to foreshadow impending troubles! This has been used in more than one Hong sisters drama before, and is frankly a tactic I could do without.)

Not knowing that Mi-nyeo has broken her star (in a symbolic gesture), Tae-kyung takes out a star-shaped necklace wherein the star is meant to represent him. He plans to give it to her later, and (very adorably) taunts Pig-Rabbit with it, saying, “This isn’t yours.”

Mi-nyeo asks her aunt whether her father was really involved with Hwa-ran. Aunt Mi-ja hadn’t told her “because I thought it would upset you to know your father left your mother for Mo Hwa-ran. You were looking so hard for your mother. If you knew that she’d been abandoned and died alone, you might hate your father.”

Mi-nyeo is devastated and still half-disbelieving, so she decides to confirm the truth. She heads to the hotel, where Hwa-ran’s assistant informs her of Mi-nyeo’s arrival. Deciding to get the truth all out at once, Hwa-ran calls Tae-kyung to summon him too, saying, “It’s someone you know. I want to confirm it before it causes trouble for you. It’s a girl named Go Mi-nyeo.”

Hoping that the information is false, Mi-nyeo asks Hwa-ran to confirm that she and Go Jae-hyun were just friends. Hwa-ran answers, “We weren’t just friends. We loved each so much that we can’t forget each other for the rest of our lives.”

Shocked at his mother’s revelation, Tae-kyung bursts into Mi-nyeo’s room looking for some proof. Spying the photo of the young twins with their father, his eye then falls on the autographed photo of Hwa-ran. Mi-nyeo’s handwritten note wishes him a happy birthday — and although that’s not exactly incriminating, it makes him wonder why she wouldn’t have given it to him on his birthday.

Mi-nyeo isn’t very impressed to hear of Hwa-ran’s grand love, and says, “You abandoned and hurt the person you should have treated as the most precious in the world. I can’t believe when a person like that speaks of love. That’s not love.”

Hwa-ran laughs: “You say the same thing as your mother did. She ignored me and didn’t believe your father would return to me.” Mi-nyeo insists, “My father had no reason to love a person like you.” Hwa-ran holds up the CD as proof — he wrote the song for her, and even her mother acknowledged it.

Hwa-ran: “Do you want to insist it’s not true? My son Tae-kyung may not have understood, but he acknowledged it. That’s why he remade this song. I told you I saw you once as children. If your father hadn’t died early, I could have become your mother. Tae-kyung knows that, too. …But you didn’t tell him you’re Jae-hyun’s daughter, did you? Does he know that you know he’s my son? If you didn’t say that, you must not have told him that I know you’re a girl.”
Mi-nyeo: “I didn’t mean to deceive him.”
Hwa-ran: “Tell him that. See if he believes you.”

Tae-kyung bursts in, half-incredulous and half-reproachful to see Mi-nyeo standing with his mother. Hwa-ran makes things worse by turning Mi-nyeo around to face Tae-kyung, and announcing, “This girl is the daughter of the man I loved. She says she didn’t intend to deceive you.”

Tae-kyung walks out without a word. Seeing Mi-nyeo’s reaction, Hwa-ran asks, “Is the reason you wanted to deny it because of my son?” She tells Mi-nyeo to recognize the truth and give up.

Reporter Kim works on his story about Mi-nyeo and Shin-woo’s relationship, but something is niggling at the back of his mind. Every time Mi-nyeo made an appearance, Mi-nam was absent. It’s the Clark Kent principle, and he puts two and two together.

He tries to confirm this with Heyi, but she no longer wants to be involved with A.N.JELL. To which he responds, “Go Mi-nam and Go Mi-nyeo are the same person, right? Is he a guy, or a girl?”

Working off this assumption, the reporter tells Sung-chan that he wants to delay printing the story until he can interview Mi-nam and Mi-nyeo at the same time. Sung-chan asks Shin-woo to handle this with the twins.

As Shin-woo steps out of his meeting with Sung-chan, he sees Tae-kyung stomping upstairs, with Mi-nyeo following close behind and pleading for him to listen.

Tae-kyung asks when she found out about his mother. Hearing her answer, he says, “So there was a reason that whenever I felt upset about my mother, you showed up.” Has she also been meeting with his mother for a while? He adds, “My mother loved your father so much she abandoned me and wanted to be your mother. Did you hear that?”

Mi-nyeo starts to talk, but he cuts off her explanation: “She said you were close enough that she used to bring you cookies. Do you remember? Try getting along well with her from now on. But don’t involve me.”

She holds his arm and pleads for him to listen. He throws her arm aside, snapping, “Don’t be where I can see you. I don’t want to see you.”

He storms off, leaving Mi-nyeo to crumple to the ground in sobs. But he doesn’t get far, and wipes at his own tears as he listens to Mi-nyeo crying a level below — as Shin-woo watches from across the lobby.

 
COMMENTS

Half the time, I find Hwa-ran to be such an excessively hateful person that it’s hard to find the truth of her character — is she TOO awful to be a credible villain? The best villains show complexity, and don’t explain their reasons in one-dimensional, simplistic terms like “I loved him that much.”

The other half of the time, I think that there must be more behind her actions and find her fascinating. If you see her as a supremely selfish and weak woman, she’s more intriguing than if you were to write her off as a stock villainness. For instance, take her desire to separate the couple. Initially, she sees Mi-nam as an extension of his/her father and looks upon him approvingly. But then, Hwa-ran sees flashes of Mi-nyeo’s mother in her, and therefore finds the idea of that girl with her son to be abhorrent.

It’s not that she loves Tae-kyung so much to want him to be with a good woman — Tae-kyung is just an extension of herself. She looks at the world through a twisted perspective, like looking through a fisheye lens: she and her love are at the center, and everything else is skewed around to fit the frame, shoved off to the side.

We can’t leave out mention of Lee Hong-ki‘s fabulous bus scene, can we? GREAT SCENE. Like with Jung Yong-hwa yesterday, the beauty of the acting wasn’t in the big, dramatic emotions, but the way both guys found the quiet little beats to twist your heart into a painful knot. He didn’t rage at Mi-nyeo, but asked plaintively why she didn’t like him back when he liked her so much. We know it doesn’t work that way, but Jeremy’s heart has its own straightforward way of working.

The way he sings his song is just killer, because you can’t fake that, folks. You can fake crying to some extent, but cry-singing isn’t something you can reproduce authentically without actually going there, and Lee Hong-ki goes there. Ow.

I have to give mad props to Park Shin-hye for rounding out the bus scene so well even though she hardly said a thing. I love that she respects his pain to give him his space when they sit in silence, and I love the look she gives him to assure him that his song isn’t worthless. I wondered if it was out of character for Mi-nyeo to understand so readily that Jeremy liked her — when she was so dense with Shin-woo and Tae-kyung — but I suppose Jeremy was the most straightforward in saying, straight-out, that he liked her.

Criticisms:

The Hong sisters do comedy and angst very well, and manage to mix the two so that most of the time the drama doesn’t get too sunk down in the melodrama. However, I think in every one of their dramas except (surprisingly?) Fantasy Couple, their Big Misunderstanding has been just a wee bit too much for my tastes. Hong Gil Dong wasn’t so bad, but I recall that at the time, the Big Misunderstanding in My Girl closely echoed the setup of Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, and that was a complaint for some fans of My Girl. Instead of feeling like a natural development in the couple’s romance, it felt like it was forced conflict, and it didn’t quite ring true. But I’m sure the Hong sisters took complaints to heart, because when people assumed they’d use a similar structure in Fantasy Couple, they announced that they wouldn’t. Thankfully, that drama avoided a time leap, and I hope this one does too.

To take a look at this episode in a critical light, I’d say we’re dealing more with forced conflict than natural development. Tae-kyung’s response at the end is probably understandable given the context, and I think he’s right in feeling hurt. But he’s overreacting, and his negative opinion of Mi-nyeo is one that would take five minutes of explanation to dispel. All he has to do is calm down and hear how she came to find out the truth, and I think we’d be good. She was wrong in hiding the truth from him, but even so, honestly this is hardly a big enough offense to rend asunder a Love That Is Meant To BeKDRAMA.

To play devil’s advocate, we can also take an apologist standpoint. Tae-kyung has put Mi-nyeo on something of a pedestal, since she has been so good and so forgiving this whole series long. Hearing that Mi-nyeo actively deceived him must shake his entire faith in her. It doesn’t help that it was his hated mother who uttered a defense of Mi-nyeo (“She didn’t mean to deceive you”). Coming from those lips, it sounds like an excuse rather than the truth. And worst of all, his mother issues are his blind spot, so he reacts to the emotion rather than sorting out the facts. It may be that Mi-nyeo meant well, but he sees her standing with the mother who abandoned him, who all but declared she’d rather have raised Mi-nyeo than Tae-kyung. To know that Mi-nyeo knew the truth and was still able to treat his mother civilly, well, that feels like a betrayal. Almost like she chose his mother over him.

It’s not expressly logical, but such is the heat of the moment. (Honestly, I don’t entirely buy the apologist argument, but I thought I’d put it out there.)

 
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LEE HONKI acted so well in this episode i felt so sorry for him and this episode was so sad and so exciting at the same time. I JUST LOVED IT. Hoping for a not so sad ending a happy one will be the best.

THANKS JB FOR THE CAPS YOU MADE MY WEEK.
LOVE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL CAUSE YOU ARE.

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Oh, and one more thought...
I know everyone is ecstatic about the kiss, but isn't it a little disconcerting that MN would just stand there if TK really was to punch her? Of course we know he wouldn't, it's supposed to be playful, but I am a little taken aback that the Hong sisters wrote the scene this way...instead of punching you, suddenly he kisses you so that you can see stars...hmm...is that really romantic?

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Thank you JB for your recaps. It is quite enjoyable to read them :)

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Thoughts on Real MN:
He doesn’t seem so Nice like Mi-Nyeo. I like that he smirks/sneers for being able to come back to Korea.

His smirk gives me impression that TK, TK’s mom, and (possibly) YHY will meet their perfect match. (He seems to have constant contact with manager Ma, who only knows that TK has been mean to Mi-Nyeo. So he may probably know how his sister has been suffering.)

He has to be the one who is brave enough to stand up for Go family’s legacy. Right now, from MHR’s grand love story, Go family story is pretty messed up. She is making their father a bastard who abandoned all of them for her. That’s not just right.

Mi-Nyeo may not remember because she takes after her mother and she is naïve and simple-minded. But I hope real MN remembers MHR and tell her how much he rejected her since he was young. (He didn’t even like her touching his ear based on MHR’s remark.) Yea, I want real MN to be a hero for his sister. ^_^
From a glance of real MN, he seems pretty cool. He (she) does look like a BOY. I think PSH will do a good job playing a boy. Well, at least, I hope him to be cool.

I’ve seen many K-dramas, but I have never cried for supporting character like Jeremy until I meet Jeremy. Oh…Jeremy…He is AMAZING. I don’t know how to describe how good he is. Thumbs up!

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OMG!! Angst and tissues....luckily I anticipated these with tissue boxes in tow since there're only 3 eps left.

I do understand how TK can be so mean at the ending though. TK has always felt unloved since his mother hated him so much and he has always tried to gain her love in every way but failed at every turn. He has finally found someone who loves him and he cld finally open his heart to her (MN). Then, suddenly, the person whom he love turns out to be one who is 'in league' with his mother. I think he has always been jealous of the Go siblings esp when tht MHR keeps raving abt how well she treats them etc. To him, they are the ones that caused his being unloved by her. So, for me, TK's feelings are totally understandable.

As for MHR....I really dun get her motivations for wanting to split em up. I mean, she was searching high and low for the Go twins and then what? Now, she hurts one of them ON PURPOSE!? She is the one I felt was shoehorned into becoming the ultimate villain that HY cldn't be.

Jeremy...sweet Jeremy...he did the heartbreaking scene very well as did SW yesterday. Its like the directors are giving these individuals more screentime to shine and they did! Very well too.

I like the fact that SW is breaking out of the perfect-understanding-gentleman mold. Hope to see more on that in the next ep since the rift btw MN n TK will allow him to do smthg...whtever it is. I still am a TK-MN shipper but do want to see SW break out of tht gentleman mold nd take action. I cant wait for next week!!!! Bring on the angst full-fledge! :p

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Poor Jeremy. He does wear his emotions on his sleeve, which in this bunch is refreshing, and since we've heard of his coping method before, the scene logically unfolded and worked, and Lee Hong-ki nailed it. Kleenex were required here.

I do wonder, sometimes, about the telephone system in kDrama land. Rarely does anyone seem to be able to say...call their brother in the US. Or locate their father and say "sorry, it's important, but WTF really happened?" I willingly suspend disbelief for my kDrama fix, but you do really wonder sometimes!

I'm hoping the real GMN shows up, takes names and kicks some butt. LOL!

Thanks so much for the recaps, DB! Considering the way we seem to be eating bandwidth from livestation and TUV, I'm betting we darn near kill the poor systems come next Thursday. I'll be up that early anyway for Thanksgiving prep, and my laptop will be tuned in as I chop my veg. LOL! I'd love to find out if either system has mapped their traffic.

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Thanks again for the recaps JB you are a legend!!

The episode made me laugh and cry and then really cry with GMN in the end. That mom is a witch.

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thank you thank you thank you JB!!!!!

i have to say i loved jeremy's bus scene the best. i hated seeing him so upset and sad, but he nailed it and i really truly felt his heartbreak at that time. amazing.

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Awwwwww jeremy! my heart aches for you and shin woo. :(

Wonderful recaps as usual!

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I agree with most things in the recap, DB!

@102: the kiss. I love it. It is so cute and honest. As for MN’s reaction, it is expected from a nun-in-training you know. She’s surprised. But you can see her drawn into the motion. So yes. We will see more of her womanly emotions with TK I think.

**

And the real GMN. He really should be back by now. It is time. I am waiting to see PSH’s moments. She has been great all season. But her real challenge is portraying the real GMN. By the glimpse of it, he is totally different from his innocent sister.

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Thanks JB for your enjoyable recaps very much appreciated.

This has been a very entertaining drama PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give us a HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!

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It would be so funny if that song Mi-nyo's father wrote isn't for Hwa-ran. LOL She's just blindly believe that. That would be a nice kick in the face. I don't really follow her story so I'm just going with what I want. ^^

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Thank you so much JB! Yeah, for the nth time!

I am so glad that the writers didn't leave out Jeremy -- that they let him have his meaty parts too. I haven't seen the episode but I heard his song, thanks to you. It gave me goosebumps. These guys are really good. I cannot wait to watch this episode, especially the last scene. I feel giddy just thinking about it. Oh boy, how long will I have to wait to watch it. Mysoju, please hurry up!

Just one more week to go. Oh no, no, no. I wonder how it will end. Another week of tormentingly waiting for the remaining episodes and your recaps...

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@57 deeta
I have to agree that yes the whole Jeremy thing was "odd" but I liked it because it layers him in a way that I think works. I've wondered about him and this explained my hesitations. As someone else mentioned though, it would have been nice for their to have been so prep.

@83 raahmose
I read some of the things that you said early on soompi I meant to say I loved your assessment. The moon and sun analogy was just beautiful. Loved your comments. Mind if I steal?

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Gosh, if someone like MHR really exists, that person should seriously consider going into therapy. That character compels me to egg legislators to pass a bill that makes it mandatory for people to take a psychological battery-slash-licensure exam to qualify them to become healthy and committed parents. It's frightening how she is sucking our two lead stars into her black hole.

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Thanks again and again JB. I feel sad and happy watching this episode. Sad coz of Jeremy scene on the magic bus. We have the same opinion JB on his crying and singing at the same time. It was acted beautifully. Loved it and broke my heart. I tried my best not to cry coz I'm at work but I gave up the moment he get off and turn around with a happy face. My tears were all over the place. Jeremy , you're so good. Now let me tell you, Lee Honki, I'm your officially "pen".

On the other hand, I'm happy and giddy coz my wish was granted. I've been longing to see them date and it happened. The kiss was the big bonus...jackpot!

JGS is really an amazing actor, even at his young age, he can portray different kinds of emotion . From his facial reaction to the movement of his eyes and eye brows to angry TK , happy TK and jealous TK name it... it's all superb. He's "multiplayer". I wonder how he is , years from now? Goong Yoo , watch out for this young man.

I would like to see the come back kid, the real GMN. Is there a possibility that his personality is the same with TK? If that's the case ..hope he'll give TK a hard time. lol

To all co-YB addicts, let's begin to ask Mother Superior for a happy ending. We deserve to have one ...don't we?

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What a great recap, thank you very much! I was tired of waiting for the subs so came here to get the details.

I think I'm buying the apologist argument, maybe because I empathize with TK more since I have parents abandonment issue too. I think more often than not it does evoke strong feelings and reactions even though we may not want to feel them so as not to show weakness. If I find out that my significant other is going behind my back and trying to 'fix' things, I'd probably react the same way especially if I'm as stubborn and prideful as TK.

The fact that MN did it out of good intention is only secondary to the hurt. Even though MN may have forgiven this dreadful mother of his, TK hasn't come to terms with that. Her action inadvertently forces him to come face to face with a big issues he's not even ready yet. TK is messed up, his character's pride is over the top, given the context and character, this development doesn't feel so forced to me since his mom is dead set on meeting MN and would eventually lead to TK's disappoval.

I think this kind of conflict is typical of kdrama, and the foreshadowing is just so in your face. I agree that it is a no biggie since TK will calm down and think about it later. He'll probably regret throwing a hissy fit at MN. But I liked that it's being address at the budding beginning of their relationship because working this out together will only strengthen it. Other cliche conflicts in kdrama usually develop suddenly at the finale and would either end in tragedy or miraculously get resolved in the last ten minutes so as to create tension and attract ratings... but this is needs to be addressed or else we get a bunch of loose strings at the end and we'll all go wtf at a disjointed ending trying to tie them all up.

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I hope there isn't a time leap, but i feel it coming on. I don't know how they can resolve it.

Also wouldn't it be weird for the real GMN and the band members to keep working together if she leaves with all this drama.

I can't imagine what it'll look like.

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wow I didn't cry with the last scene with TK and MN but Jeremy did it. He was so good and as he sang and his voice broke from tears/emotions I lost it too!!! So heartbreaking!!!!!

I've realized that TK and MN relationship takes parts of SW and Jeremy's characteristics in his interactions with her. TK shows that he can just as much as the thoughtful gentleman as SW but also the childlike simplicity that Jeremy has. He rounds it off with his unique quirks and logical thought process.

I believe Jeremy will really get over his pain in being rejected by MN because he was honest with her right up front and allowed her to see him at his most vulnerable state. It seems like he was more in like with her than love because their interactions. I think Jeremy will get mad at TK when he finds out what happened in Ep. 15.

SW on the other hand, it'll be interesting what he does next.

And I can't wait for the real GMN to come!!!!!!!!! I agree that I hope he totally kicks ass and stands up for his sister. I'm surprised she hasn't called her oppa and cried her little heart out, but I'm sure she probably didn't want to worry him (would fit her personality) so she just holds it in. I'm really hoping though that they are reunited soon so we can have someone really defend her with no other intentions.

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@ 115 diwata. you said it! i'm a biggy on crappy parents. this mother needs serious help.

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WOW! Great recap JB!Thanks a lot!
I'm crying for Jeremy of all the 3 guys he's honest of he's feeling towards MN.

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fanfic was so funny!!!
i so can't wait to watch all these after my exams!
thanks so much to Javabeans!

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Thanks JB!! I am always looking forward to your recaps!

Well, I think that the whole point that Jeremy suddenly got all emo and sensitive is on his bus, which is his true self. Remember how he told MN that it's the only time he has to work out his emotions? Despite all his silliness off the bus, acting blur and all that, I think that he's the most sensitive of the three, only with the greatest inner strength, biggest heart and acceptance for MN. He simply loves her. Fullstop, No buts, no whys, no I must get loved too. Just her. He's angry at her and very hurt, yes. But he also loves her enough in the purest sense of the word to tell her he loves her and asks her why not and give her absolution for her non-feeling for him despite him feeling WAY wretched inside. It's the "I rather be sad than let her be upset about this but I'll still love her and watch over her in my special way but I cannot harbour hopes" love. This kinda guys? The best kind. And the kind that always loses out.

Ok. Done rambling. HAHA. And I think TK needs to get a grip but you can't blame the guy for being upset. His mum is EVIL.

As for SW, come on already. She doesn't like you that way. Give it up. Learn from Jeremy, will ya? Heh.

Sad episode. Thanks again, JB, for your recap!!

and much broader character

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Oh, Jeremy.. I can feel your heartbreaking =( That scene was wonderfully acted that I feel my heart aching for him also.
Some say that Jeremy's sudden burst of emotions came out of nowhere but for me, it seemed like a natural reaction. In the old episode where Jeremy took Mi-nam for the bus ride, we saw how much Jeremy liked her. And thinking Mi-nam is a guy, only while they are inside his magic bus that he let himself like her. Even then, we can see how sad he is that they were not meant to be.
And when he learnt that Mi-nam is a girl, he was so giddy with happiness. If Mi-nam is a girl, he is now allowed to like her and have a chance to be liked in return. Knowing that the girl you like likes someone else would hurt. And Jeremy has got such a pure heart, almost child-like, that his reaction is quite fitting. She likes somebody else so he's upset, he's hurt so he cries.

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i wouldn't have minded if they had prolonged the cutesy dating scenes (even though others would feel that the story would be dragging). to me they were not enough, and now they're heading to angst again.

i just hope that the ending won't be too short. i often find endings disappointing because they are too abrupt, not showing too much about what happened after. (sbs season 2 please).

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I really like the sweet sweet first part of this episode. Hwang Tae Kyung really has the ability to make romantic moments funny. For instance, when he kissed her, he pulled away and said "don't make the pig nose" and then resumed his kiss... hahahaha... halirious.

Often time, when I watch Hong sisters' series, I always come to a point when i don't really understand what their conflicts are. At first i thought it has to do with cultural differences and i may not totally get it. Now, thanks to you, i know that the story plot is not convincing enough. Well, to make myself easier, i always just overlook their conflicts and hoping for their happy ending.

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WOW!GREAT RECAP JB YOU ARE MY HERO!
I am crying for my simple minded Jeremy of all the three guys he is honest of his feelings towards MN...as much as i love TK...
this is the first time i got teary eyed for Jeremy while singing and crying at the bus scene :(

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WOW!GREAT RECAP JB... YOU ARE MY HERO!
I am crying for my simple minded Jeremy of all the three guys he is honest of his feelings towards MN...as much as i love TK...
this is the first time i got teary eyed for Jeremy while singing and crying at the bus scene :(

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does anyone know what the instrumental song played when there’s a dramatic scene?

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# 13

I agree. That made me go 'squeeee' haha

thanks again for the recaps JB ^^

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Thank you SO much for the recaps, Javabeans!!! You're doing a public service by supplying all of us non-Korean speakers our You Are Beautiful fix!

"Tae-kyung’s response at the end is probably understandable given the context, and I think he’s right in feeling hurt. But he’s overreacting, and his negative opinion of Mi-nyeo is one that would take five minutes of explanation to dispel."

This is very true and it's going to be a very big flaw in an otherwise enjoyable series.

But... Tae-kyung and Mi-nyeo are still technically in the the same room. He may have moved to where she is out of his sight, but she's still within earshot. I very very very much hope that in the next episode, Tae-kyung calls down to her and asks her to explain (because he can't see her and try to get his emotions under control at the same time) and they work out their misunderstandings that way. In other words, instead of a dramatic estrangement, the Hong sisters pull a fast one and this is actually just a new couple's first fight.

And bonus points, if the watching Tae-kyung and Mi-nyeo making up is what finally gets Shin-woo to GIVE up. That way we can move on to other plot points. (Like the introduction of the real Mi-nam, who is bound to bring drama and tension with him.)

@ 66 Nom-Kitten

"I feel a sense of dread that the mopey, weepy Shin Woo is going to be back in force in ep 15."

You and me both. If they are going to go with the whole "Tae-kyung storms off and leaves Shin-woo to comfort Mi-nyeo" scenario or, worse, "Tae-kyung suffers in silence as he listens to Shin-woo comfort Mi-nyeo", they should have just put me out of my misery and done it this episode, so I wouldn't be nursing some hope that it won't.

@ 36 lalala-drama ( 66 Nom-Kitten & 73 Asianromance too)

I'm really hoping that Hwa-ran is delusional. That would be an excellent twist and give her evil-ness some explanation: she's a psychopath, she doesn't need motivation! It also makes a certain amount of sense. Just because she's the only one who knows what happened back then, it doesn't make her a reliable witness!

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Lee Hong Ki was a surprise is this episode. I couldn't take my eyes of him in that bus scene. And THAT boyish look, with THAT voice, seeing THAT song....awwww......

Tae-kyung made me shed tears of happiness in this drama. SW made my heart ache so bad in Episode 13. Mi Nam made me want to cry each time she cried. But it was Jeremy who made me cry like a baby. Whatta surprise!

Two more episodes. Can they at least give us an extension? :-(

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I think I'll pass the episode today and watched the entire thing next week! i just skimmed through the photos, i love torturing myself!

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hi guys!!

i dnt knw if its true or not but aparently sbs have announced season 2 of YAB!! someone wrote on viikii that this news can be found on their website. i went their personally but couldnt read a word of it unfortunetly TT^TT. so if dnt mind JAVABEAN u can break the good news on here! ^0^.

btw is anyone else having problems with viikii this morning? it jus will not work for ME! AAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHH!! TT^TT.

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i stopped breathing... lol... wish i could watch it now!!

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OMG...such a great episode!!! Jeremy's scene on the bus totally had me in tears. One of the best moments of the episode. BUT, the scene at the end where TK is standing at the top of the stairs was the best part for me. The subtlety of his emotions and the pain etched across his face...omg...HOW GREAT IS THIS DRAMA!!!

I've been a lurker for a very long time but I have to say, this drama is bringing everyone out!

Long live Javabeans!!

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sob... sob... more heartbreaks...
WOW!! O_O just by reading you recap, i was crying twice, on the bus scene and the last scene TT

one more week, NOOOOO!!!!!

and i do agree about the forced conflict at the end, i was hoping that the both of them (TK & MN) can join the band wagon of MHR haters... well... idk what the hong sisters thinking but we'll see for next week...

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thanks for the song~
the more of 장근석의 목소리, the better. ㅋㅋㅋ ㅆ
it seems that he got a lot better at singing even between the other a.n.jell stuff and this song. not to say he was bad previously but he's sounding more and more like a real 가수. woo~

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what's the brand of the smiley face ice cream they keep eating in the drama? omg. it's too cute...

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@pig rabbit , I hope it's true. After reading your post I checked messages at soompi and they're talking about it too. Happy dance in advance!

Someone posted the YT video from raine of the airport bts of TK and MN. I think @4:48 , JGS hands were inside PSH 's coat like hugging her. They were freezing cold. Guys what's your take?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojZrJkKAi_M...

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I'm so happy with season 2 ;) this is a drama for all ages. ;)

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Thanks a million JB! I now read your recaps first before I watch the video clips. Even without the English subs, I can now understand each episode fully.

There has to be an extension. There are just far too many conflicts going on that 2 episodes won't be enought to cover them.

You're Beautiful is TOPS!

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Thank you for the recaps dramabeans! :)

My heart broke during Jeremy's scene at the bus stop. It was so painful seeing him be his 'normal' self again after the ride and pretend nothing happened, asking MN for an ice cream. I can tell deep down, his heart is crushed yet he still has to pretend to be his happy cheerful self for everyone's sake. I really feel for him in this episode, perhaps he's the most forgiving character I've ever come across. Really hope he'll have a happy ending sad.gif

Same goes for Shinwoo, seeing MN not even sitting next to him in the kitchen was painful to watch. MN doesn't feel at ease with him like she used to and seeing the bond being broken is really upsetting. sad.gif poor SW, I'm sure he'll go comfort MN once again in the next ep only to have his feelings crushed in return.

I do look forward to the real MN in the future eps. That'll be fun to watch PSH portray both roles.

2 more eps! ohmy.gif then no more YB sad.gif time really flies.

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Thanks for the recaps, omg, when I saw glimpse of real MN, I didn't recognize it was PSH at all. But then after looking closely, it was her and the BTS pics confirmed it. I'm looking forward to the real MN, I wanna see how PSH portrays a boy lol.

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i'm really glad that the hong sistahs didn't go with the typical "omg they missed each other by one second" thing with minyeo and jeremy on the bus. and dayum, that girl can run!

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way to go jb! you again in awhile. have errands to do!

good job with the recap!

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to those that are wondering about jeremey's-seems-like-forced outburst, the truth it really isnt.. the PD editd out a lot of scenes.. there was a leak of ep 13 script and there were sweet and cute scenes that wasn't aired.. like in ep 12, jeremy's askin MN to go to england, etc, Jeremy saying to TK that he likes MN even when MN was a guy.. SW told TK about him liking MN, after the piano scene of TK-MN, TK kissed MN's hand.. so many cut that should hve been aired coz it may be showed how the characs really really likes MN and how it progresses..

i think that instead of editing out a lot of cute scenes they should hve just extended the episodes to one or two more..

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thanks for the recap!

i'm not that worried about mi nyeo and tae kyung, to be honest. they'll get through it i'm sure. if not, then that's the time that i will really worry, lol!

jeremy made me cry. that scene was heartbreaking. one of the best scenes throughout the entire series, hands down.

and that kissing scene! WOW! i was trying my hardest not to scream out loud because my family (and neighbors!) might jump out of their beds in fright. it was 1:30 in the morning, lol! i think that that scene was meant to tease us. the cameraman panned the camera to the right at the crucial moment. but at least we got to see their lips actually touch. and then i had to restrain myself from jumping up and down the bed lest i kick my laptop off the bed when Tae Kyung pulled off, said something...and then kissed Mi Nyeo again.

i am sooo excited about the real Go Mi Nam's appearance. at first i thought it was a different actor because the back looked very manly. but the moment i saw him smirk, i was ecstatic to see it was Park Shin Hye. she pulled off being a man in that brief glimpse. i actually thought she was handsome! oh, no. i think i have a girl-crush on Shin Hye. i don't think that Mi Nam is a bad boy in a negative way. maybe mischievous and naughty. a troublemaker like Mi Nyeo but far from being innocent, lol!

can't wait for next week. i will definitely stay away from spoilers this time. i want the real Go Mi Nam to surprise me. and Tae Kyung and Mi Nyeo's reconciliation to wow me. keeping my fingers crossed for season 2. but if the ratings dropped... crap!

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@147

that's really sad if they edited out those scenes. actually, i think they've been cutting out some scenes since episode 3. i hope they'll add them all up in the dvd, though...

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Could someone please tell me where I can download this drama with english subs ? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease I am dying to watch it

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