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Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 5

I think this drama is going to exhaust me. One, because it looks like the emotions will be gripping. But also two, because it’s a drama that has little moments that pack a punch, which can be parsed in so many ways. These kinds of dramas are tons of fun to cover, but also tiring. A lot more time- and brain-consuming than, say, an easy throwaway where there’s not much going on under the surface. (I’m not dissing those; those are nice relaxers.) I think I’m going to be glad this one’s only 16 episodes — a packed, emotional, intense 16 episodes, but thankfully no longer.

SONG OF THE DAY

Casker – “창밖은 겨울” (Winter outside my window). Tonally, I wouldn’t have picked this song for this episode, but I do like the appropriate winter and window motif. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 5 RECAP

We backtrack slightly from the end of the previous episode, which we saw from Ji-wan’s perspective as she lingered in front of Kang-jin’s door, and jump to Kang-jin’s perspective.

After the near-accident in the street, Kang-jin can’t sleep and goes on an early-morning run. On his way back, he’s shocked to find Ji-wan standing in front of his door, and ducks around the corner unseen. He watches her pick up the milk carton — an item with carryover significance for both of them — and then approaches.

After she tries to make a quick getaway, Kang-jin presses her, “Do you really not know me?” At her non-response, he lets go of her arm and moves to open his door, as though to let the issue go. But he stops to ask, without looking at her, “Why did you leave so suddenly? Have you ever thought of how your parents felt, and how I… when you left without a word? Even once? Why are you so selfish, doing things your way? Could you only think of yourself?”

She answers stiffly, “I don’t think it’s any of your business. I don’t think it’s something for you to be so upset about.”

Then, she tries to wave it off and forces a laugh: “Have you been unable to forget me all this while? How shocking. So much time has passed. If you’re still like this over some childish emotions, it makes things quite awkward for me, ajusshi. How crazy, I really hadn’t thought about it at all. I’d forgotten it all. I’d even been hazy on whether your name was Cha Kang-jin or Kim Kang-jin—”

She looks up to see the look on his face. It wipes the smile from hers.

Kang-jin is staring at her intensely, and the words die on her lips. He reaches to pull the hood up over her head, saying, “You’ll catch cold. The wind is chilly. It’s good to see you again, Han Ji-wan.”

He smiles, as though her words didn’t register, and enters his apartment. But acting casual takes effort, and once inside, he has difficulty breathing. After a moment, he bolts outside and runs downstairs to chase her.

Racing outdoors, he sees Ji-wan walking off slowly, but doesn’t follow.

 

Chun-hee has changed her attitude dramatically, to the chagrin of her regular clientele. They want their cute, flirty tea madam back, but she has turned serious and professional and refuses to smile on command anymore.

Suddenly, she grips her midsection and starts moaning in pain. She urges Bu-san to take her to the doctor immediately. Panicking, Bu-san carries his mother out and starts running frantically while she groans loudly… but she’s not too sick to correct his path. Not THAT hospital, the other one! “There’s only one place in this country that can cure my disease.”

Thus Bu-san takes her to Jun-su’s practice. He bursts in anxiously and begs for help. He’s not so bright so he doesn’t catch on to her hints to leave, but Jun-su catches on to her scheme. Playing along, he dismisses Bu-san and gets his acupuncture kit out, asking where she hurts.

Chun-hee keeps up the exaggerated whimpering and answers, “Everywhere.” That’s no help, so he takes a large needle and instructs her to tell him when it hurts. With a totally straight face, he explains that he’s using an “especially strong” needle that could injure and possibly even paralyze a healthy person. Chun-hee falls for it, and when he reaches to stick her again, she sits up hurriedly and claims she’s all better.

She apologizes, and he assumes she’s referring to the faking. However, her apology also refers to something in their past: “I was wrong for not keeping the promise. You told me not to smile in front of other men, and to only smile in front of you. I’m sorry I didn’t keep that promise, Han Jun-su.”

Outside the door, Young-sook overhears the conversation, looking shocked. (I don’t think she’s surprised to hear their history, which she must know, but unhappy to have it come up again.)

Kang-jin pulls in to work to see Woo-jung drunk again in the parking garage, stumbling in front of her car. She tells an employee over the phone that she’s on her way to the presentation, and that he should stall just a little longer. She’s in no condition to drive and he offers to call her secretary, but she tells him no. She adds sardonically that since she’s being sent off to Paris, it must be good news for him, eh?

He drives. His initial disgust for her may have faded but he still isn’t too keen on fostering a friendship, so when she brings up her bad behavior from before, he suggests, “You still seem drunk, so why don’t you sleep until we arrive?” She understands that he’s asking her to shut up and that he’s not interested in flirting, and wonders, “Are you gay?” Clearly she’s not used to being rebuffed so summarily.

By the time they arrive, Woo-jung is more or less sober. Her attitude is, as ever, careless and nonchalant, but Kang-jin isn’t one to respond to her taunts or gibes. Instead, he launches into a litany of facts about the Misong company. The president’s son died in a construction accident and his current project bears his son’s name. Woo-jung looks down at her folder — Misong is the client for a proposed cultural arts center — and understands that he’s giving her business tips for her presentation.

She eyes him with new interest, and alters her presentation accordingly. As she discusses their proposal, she addresses the client with firm conviction that their number 1 priority is the people and safety. They will take the time to ensure a sound building: “People come first, and people are at its core.”

While waiting at a bus stop, Ji-wan becomes so lost in memories (the embrace in the street, and how Kang-jin said he’s glad to see her again) that she misses her bus. She reaches around her neck and unlatches the necklace to take a good look at it.

A disgruntled call from her professor jolts her back to reality; he asks why she isn’t in class. What about her insistence that it’s her life’s goal to be an Oriental doctor? Now remembering she had a class, Ji-wan hurriedly puts the necklace back on and races onto the next bus. But the clasp has been left unfastened, so the pendant falls to the ground.

Meanwhile, Tae-joon catches a glimpse of Ji-wan from the car and pulls over. When he reaches the bus stop she’s already gone, but he spots the necklace on the ground and picks it up. Initially, he takes it to a jeweler’s for a full restoration — it’s pretty battered — but changes his mind at the last minute, and asks merely for it to be wrapped nicely.

By the time Ji-wan arrives at school, her class is over. In chagrin, she berates herself for being stupid — and then realizes she’s missing her pendant. She fumbles frantically around her neck and in her bag, but there’s no mistaking it: it’s gone.

She races back to scour the bus stop, then the bus itself, but it’s not there. She writes notices describing the lost necklace and posts them at the stop. (At least this is consistent with her character — she’d always been tenacious about that pendant.)

Meanwhile, Kang-jin has dropped by the cafe to put in a food order for the office. Seeing the cafe owner with some heavy bags (electric blankets), he offers to help. His attention is piqued when she mentions that they’re for Ji-wan’s room.

He carries the blankets to the back room and takes advantage of the moment to get a glimpse into Ji-wan’s life as an adult. Slowly, he registers the shabby room with its peeling wallpaper, dark lighting, and meager personal belongings.

This is a short scene but possibly my favorite in this episode, because it’s so fraught with emotion. I freaking love how Go Soo plays this moment — Kang-jin cautiously walks into her world and takes in the sight, so overcome that he hardly knows what to do with himself.

When he gets back to the office, he’s still disturbed. He can’t NOT act, so takes out his design materials and starts to draw. Soon he’s completely absorbed in the project at hand.

Jae-hyun comes by with some confounding news — Woo-jung won the bid for the art center. It’s unbelievable; everyone had expected her to fail. But, he concedes, she is pretty smart when she puts her mind to it. Seeing that Kang-jin is hardly paying attention, Jae-hyun is shocked that he’s actually working on something other than the big presentation.

Kang-jin only gives the brief explanation that he’s working on making a window, “So [she] can see the sky, the sun, the moon, the wind and stars.” He asks for materials and heads out — he’s going to construct the window himself.

In fact, hearing that Kang-jin left early for the day also makes Tae-joon wonder why. Everyone in the office is stressing out about the upcoming presentation (particularly Tae-joon, with his competing proposal), but Kang-jin isn’t even working on it? Is Kang-jin so confident in his own presentation?

 

When Ji-wan gets back late that night, she learns from the cafe owner that Kang-jin insisted on working on her room. The owner is impressed, saying, “He must be the kind of person who can’t leave things alone when he sees someone less fortunate — just like you!”

Ji-wan bursts in and angrily demands that he go — how dare he barge in and mess with her room? The owner points out that if she wants to be accurate, it’s HER room. Surely if she can’t thank Kang-jin for the kindness, Ji-wan could at least refrain from being angry.

She’s not really angry with him, more thrown off her guard, which makes her incredibly nervous. Ji-wan’s reaction seems to stem more from the fact that she’s powerless to stop Kang-jin from working himself into her life, and that scares her. He’s clearly in control, and she’s not.

The owner tells Ji-wan to stay the night in a motel, and urges her to give Kang-jin something to eat before she leaves. He hasn’t eaten all night.

Ji-wan struggles to complete her homework with the loud noise in the background, which keeps her on edge. Feeling hungry, she checks her watch — 1am — and recalls the owner’s words that Kang-jin hadn’t eaten dinner.

She starts to cook ramen for the both of them, but when he comes out to the kitchen, he sees and tells her to add an egg for him. She vacillates between whether she should include him, and sets down two bowls at the table.

When it comes time to call him in, though, she chickens out. She claims both bowls and eats alone, then sits down to resume studying.

But that makes her feel guilty. So she gets up again and heads to the kitchen, this time making him sandwiches (which are, might I add, much nicer than the initial ramen).

Ji-wan takes the food into the room, where Kang-jin has fallen asleep. She sees his bloody finger — he had hammered a nail badly — which is wrapped with a torn rag and reaches out to touch his hand, but stops herself just before making contact. (Note that this echoes an earlier moment when Kang-jin tended her fever and reached up to touch her face, but held back.)

She leaves the food for him and covers him a blanket.

In the morning, Jae-hyun is called to bring Woo-jung some work materials, (and has to tamp down his embarrassment at seeing her in the bath). She asks if he’s friendly with Kang-jin, which makes him think she’s still hell-bent on firing him. Woo-jung contradicts him; rather, she has developed an interest in Kang-jin.

Jae-hyun reminds her that she has a boyfriend she’s crazy about, which makes her pause for a tiny moment. Rather than correct him about breaking up with Tae-joon, she returns, “It’s fun to have a spare.” Jae-hyun asks, “Haven’t you seen his awful temper? Plus, you’re not his style, and he doesn’t care that you’re the daughter to Bumseo Group’s president. He hates people in power.”

As the cafe door is closed and Ji-wan’s phone off, Tae-joon bangs on the door and shouts for her. She’s inside, asleep at her table. She’s also now wearing the blanket, brought to her at some point during the night.

Ji-wan gets up to let Tae-joon in, but maintains a cool distance. She tells him that she has to open the cafe and asks him to come back later.

Ignoring the dismissal, Tae-joon says that the soup she cooked for him (the morning after he was drunk) was delicious, and gives her a box with “a necklace that would look pretty on you” as repayment for the soup. Since the necklace is wrapped and she doesn’t see that it’s her pendant, Ji-wan’s face hardens and she tells him to take it back.

Tae-joon’s cautious smile fades, and he turns to go. But he leaves her with the parting comment, “I have nowhere to go but you now, so don’t keep telling me to go.”

Now fully awake, Ji-wan leaves the wrapped box on the table and rushes to check on her room. Magically, it’s fabulous.

She looks around in wonder. Kang-jin is gone now, but the room has been cleaned up and prettily decorated with new paper. Kang-jin has even taken her family portrait and hung it on the wall. (Yes, the room is decorated to the tastes of a prissy ten-year-old girl, but I’ll forgive Kang-jin for that.) Best of all, there’s the new window.

I’ll admit to not finding the parents’ generation incredibly thrilling, but at least it (1) has its share of dry humor and (2) is acted well. Chun-hee looks through old photo albums and smiles to see herself with Jun-su back when they were younger. That smile twists into a grimace at a photo of herself with Young-sook; they were once best friends, but now Chun-hee grumbles about Young-sook’s disloyal sense of friendship, calling her a bitch.

Young-sook calls her husband to suggest a visit to Ji-yong’s tomb, and buys flowers. Bu-san, thinking of buying some flowers for the pretty nurse he has a crush on, also comes to the shop. He thanks Young-sook for her husband’s help in curing his mother. (Like I said, no bright bulb he.)

Therefore, when Bu-san is later accused by police of a hit and run incident, he insists upon his innocence. The policeman asks for an alibi, and he remembers being at the flower shop, where Young-sook saw him. He begs his mother to talk to her to get the alibi.

This is bound to be a sticky request, but Chun-hee grits her teeth and finds the couple at the gravesite.

(It’s rather telling that Young-sook calls her husband “Ji-yong’s father” rather than Ji-wan’s, even though her son has been dead eight years. It’s also rather pathetic to see how she comes to life at Ji-yong’s tomb — at other times she’s mousy and reserved, but now she positively glows.)

Chun-hee wants to get this over with and makes her request grudgingly. But Young-sook balks, and says she didn’t see Bu-san. She must be mistaken. At this, Jun-su looks at his wife sharply, because he saw them exchanging words with his own eyes.

Chun-hee doesn’t accept this and grabs Young-sook, ready to drag her to the police station straightaway. She protests, and Jun-su raises his voice and yells at Chun-hee to let go. He tells her firmly, “My wife doesn’t lie. Surely you’re not asking her to lie and say she saw something she didn’t.”

Weak, weak man. We don’t know what happened between this trio 30 years ago, but I can definitely see how the dynamics must have been. I’m sure Jun-su loved Chun-hee, but he made his choice and built his respectable life with Young-sook, and most of the time he likes to believe that Chun-hee doesn’t exist, because her presence is an unsettling reminder.

After working all night, Kang-jin is exhausted and falls asleep at his desk. He takes some time out of the day to drop by the doctor, who admonishes him strongly — he doesn’t have tetanus, but he should be careful and not dismiss the danger. It could have been a serious issue; he’s lucky it’s not.

On his walk back to the office, a car pulls up to the curb, honking to get his attention. (Kang-jin is on the phone with Jae-hyun, and amusingly he asks, “Huh? Be careful of what?” just as Woo-jung steps out.)

Cheerfully, she offers him a ride to the office. He declines and advises that she move out of the bus lane.

Not daunted, she comes right out and asks, “Do you have a girlfriend? Well, not that it matters. I’ve set my sights on you! I’m just letting you know!” She gets back in her car and zooms away.

Kang-jin walks on, but belatedly registers something out of the corner of his eye. He turns back to the bus stop window for another look. They’re the flyers posted for a lost necklace.

Eyes widening in recognition, Kang-jin reads the description of the broken pendant, then zeroes in on the name posted as the contact: Han Ji-wan.

 
COMMENTS

This was the first episode where I was actively disappointed in Han Ye-seul’s acting. Disappointed might be too mild a word. And I’m not talking about Ji-wan’s character or her lost spunkiness or that aspect of the writing. I’ve accepted that Ji-wan was broken after her brother’s death — in essence, grief and guilt arrested her development. Rather than working through it, she tried to move on and just forget, tried to metaphorically clap her hands over her ears and insist that she was fine living her life her way. I’m onboard with that choice.

But what I DO have issues with is the… shallowness of Han Ye-seul’s acting in some scenes. I was fine accepting her as Ji-wan earlier, because there’s no use in thinking, “If only Actress X played her.” That’s just the fast track to frustration, and I thought she did pretty well in Episodes 3 and 4 in portraying Ji-wan’s uncertainty. Her crying scenes were fine, even her startled deer-in-headlights look fit the context.

In this episode, though, I was supremely frustrated in what should have been a big emotional beat — a quiet one, but big nonetheless. The camera lingered on her face for a long moment at the bus stop, and I wanted to be there with her character… but nothing. I was really frustrated — she wanted to be sad, but she just wasn’t. I wanted to feel for her, but I couldn’t.

I mean, look at that face and tell me what she’s thinking. Is she upset? Sorrowful? Wistful? Happy? Hungry? It’s just so curiously blank.

Compare that with Go Soo below — we know exactly what Kang-jin is thinking and how he’s feeling, and there is a whole slew of mixed emotions that play across his face and in his body language. You could say I’m not being fair since this is an emotion-filled moment for Kang-jin…but the necklace scene is a big moment for Ji-wan, too.

I won’t compare Han Ye-seul to other actresses who aren’t in this drama and who were not cast to play Ji-wan. But WITHIN this production, she’s starting to stick out, and not in a good way. The other actors are so present in their roles, and she’s skating on the surface. This tends to take the viewer out of the story, because it creates a noticeable discrepancy between that actor and the rest of the world they’re supposed to be a part of. I’m going to cross my fingers for improvements.

Here’s how I see the whole “Did they know each other?” issue. I’m pretty sure they both knew who the other person was almost right away. At first they were operating on hunches, but every encounter has reinforced the feeling, even though they acted like strangers. So the issue isn’t whether Ji-wan really knew it was him, but that she’s in denial. I don’t even consider her denial over whether it’s really Kang-jin, but denial that she wants it to be him. Admitting it’s him would force her to re-confront her guilt over her brother’s death, and that’s too painful.

So I interpret Kang-jin’s actions — the way he pushes her to be honest, then backs off — as trying to break through that denial. And when she tosses hurtful words casually at him, like pretending she’d forgotten all about him, it’s a rejection of his feelings and he backs off again.

It’s too bad that she has to push away one person in order to push away the other, but such is the messy entangling of people’s lives in Korean melodramas. She’s tried to staunch the bleeding, so to speak, by cutting off that entire part of her life and cauterizing it shut but good. Ironically, it’s the loss of both these people in her life that has contributed to her (for lack of a better word) broken spirit as an adult. Oh, it’s gonna hurt when she has to reopen that scar and bleed it out… but she probably can’t grow or move on until she does.

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I loved how he decided to go gentle and say ....It's good to see you again. Fav moment so far.

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I am sorry but HYS is completely out of her depth. She can't act. She looks so dumbstruck sometimes. She seems uncertain and uncomfortable and it's got nothing to do with the character she's playing.

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Thanks for the recap. Go Soo is awesome...I thought HYS did all right, although I do agree a little with the pendant scene.

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Thanks for the recap! I've started watching it while waiting for it, and it's definitely a lot different from the dramas I've seen, since it's my first melodrama. :)

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i hate myself for this... but you're right I don't feel anything for Han Ye Seul's character...proof of this: i'm rooting for Lee Woo Jung to be with Kang Jin than Ji Wan. Argh.! Why is this so!?!

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With your comments before, I began to follow this series but I have to agree with you... Han Ye-Seul is one not-so-good actor. I don't feel anything when I see her acting - it's shallow and emotionless.
Go Soo is good overall although I think he frowns a little too much lol

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i love go soo's acting
and i agree, i really didnt like yeseul's acting
that much in this episode, kinda got frustrated at times
but we'll see how it goes

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this is my first "melodrama" and someone mentioned on another thread that usually they end with one of the main characters dying. so now i don't know if i wanna finish this..it's like a car crash in slow mo...can't take your eyes off it but you know it'll end in tragedy. is it possible for it to remain a faithful melodrama without having the main couple separated?

ps when he went to the doctor and kj was given a precaution..warning bells started ringing in my head.

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Thank you for the recap:
I do think Go Soo has act superb incorporating his character to life giving him different aspect to the man then just the tough guy who's suppose to be the hero of the story. There are so many nuances in this episode that just adds to the story line making it more complex.
I do think that even though Jiwan refuse to face her brother's death and Kangjin, her mother is in deeper denial. Perhaps her mother's attitude is stemmed from knowing that her relationship with her husband only depended on her son's birth and now without it she feels vulnerable, fearful that her hold on her husband's has wane even though she still have a daughter, a daughter who is quite still alive. But a daughter none the less who probably hold less importance then the son who gave her husband.
I don't know, perhaps I'm just ranting too much.

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Owee! So looking forward to reading this. Thanks! :D

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the girl look so dumb in this serie. she was great in fantasy couple...

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I am not watching the drama, just reading your recaps and man, are they addicting!! Can't wait for your next recap, unni.

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thanks for another great recap. The moment in Ji-Wan's room where Kang-Jin surveyed her living situation was breathtaking.

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EEEKKKSS! <3 this!! Thank you for continuing with the updates :)
I think the story line so far is going great !

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I should be asleep but I waited in hopes of seeing your recap. Worth the wait. Thank you.

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i wasjust about to go to bed when i thought i was done with recaps. then, boom! 'oh there's ep 5!'

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You write well Javabeans! Awesome word weaving on this part :)
**
The other actors are so present in their roles, and she’s skating on the surface. This tends to take the viewer out of the story, because it creates a noticeable discrepancy between that actor and the rest of the world they’re supposed to be a part of.
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So far I the pacing for this drama is pretty good, altho strikes me as a filler episode.
Go Soo is still pretty awesome :)

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Penn and Venice, same here. :) And now, off to bed!

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i thought HYS did okay portraying ji-wan (but, what do i know), for me ji-wan's emotionless during the bus-stop scene was because she herself wasn't sure what really going on and what's gonna happen? wasn't sure what's her feeling towards kj and his feeling towards her. (or at least that's how interpreted it :) ) but, yeah, maybe she could do differently.

@8 kay , i would say melodrama is my fav genre. and, i really have high hopes for his drama. but i hope even if they get separated in the end, not by death. even let say the mains have to die, not of illness related reasons. that's would just be tragic!
i didn't get anything from the hospital thing until you've mentioned it.

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I have to agree. Go Soo effortlessly knocks every single scene out of the park, while HYS obviously struggled in this episode. I actually cringed over her "HA HA, you still like me but I couldn't even remember your name" speech. It was supposed to be a painful scene, and it was, but for the wrong reason!

Compare that to the moment when Kang-jin sees the pitiful reality of her life and how much it hurts his heart, so much so that he has to do something, anything, to make her life a little brighter.

I think I'm Team Woo-jung now. SLS rears its ugly head... :-(

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I think HYS will improve, she just need to give more varities to her face expression-so far all I can see is the same expression-ya melodrama is not an easy act to do, she needs time.

OT-some of you maybe don't know Go Soo another hidden talent-he is a very good DANCER- I saw one CF of his fews back ago-I will post if I can find it, those who just know him through this drama will be surprise how good he is when dancing, ...hope we can see it in this drama, -my wish.

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How frustrating! If only HYS was on par with Go Soo, so many scenes would have been mega powerful and so emotionally charged that we could really feel the pain and hurt. But since HYS is so obviously lacking, it left me disappointed and confused at times.....Go Soo, as always, is superb.

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Man, I can just FEEL the emotions just oozing out of the screen with every screen cap of Go Soo.

I hope Han Ye Seul's acting gets better too!

And despite the tiring process of writing such emotion-filled dramas, I'm thankful that you've decided to take on the project despite that! THANKS, Javabeans ^_^

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here is the CF, Go Soo dancing-
(I think I need to post this in JB's previous post on Go Soo,..sorry OT).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRc6HLKV38k&feature=related

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@24
I am crazy about Go Soo but I am sorry his dancing is awful.

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i agree with you JB, my fave scene on this episode was Kang Jin's reaction to seeing Ji Wan's room.. so full of emotion.

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*sigh* Go Soo sure is not only great when it comes to looks but this guy
oozes masculinity in spades... My favorite scene is when, after telling Jiwan that it was great seeing her again, he lets himself in his apartment then leaned on the door... such emotions... I could totally get the emotion of what his character must be going though right at that moment... my chest tightened and it was hard for me to breathe too... all i can utter at that moment while watching that scene was 'WOW'...

thanks, JB for the recaps.... since I watch the vids off viikii, I usually don't even read the recaps until after I read your analyses of the episode. I visit this site mostly for your comments right after the summaries... You have such great insights on the characters of whatever drama it is that you're covering... thank you... you help unfold each drama, each episode, beautifully...

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I'm enjoying the drama, but I do have some beef with the story. The backstory was great, but now that we're into the meat of it (to keep the analogy going), I'm starting to notice the lack of shared experiences/moments as adults between the leads. For their love to be believable, there needs to be new points of contact that have relevance to their adult selves. If moments have significance only because of their past, then I think the romance will fall flat. There's plenty of time for that to turn around, but throwing that out into the mix.

Also, the bit about hairpins in the ep 4 thread is hilarious.

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Is he going to lose the ability to draw later or something? The fact that there was an extra emphasis on his injury by going to the doctor could mean two things. One, the injury will result in another serious illness. Two, to reassure the viewer that there are no worries down the road. I am hoping it is the later of the two.

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“I have nowhere to go but you now, so don’t keep telling me to go.”
Why does he think that will make her even consider taking him back?!

P.S.: I am officially in love with Go Soo, the actor. He's so good! lol; As always, thank you for the recaps!

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i'm totally enamored of kangjin, though go soo's portrayal isn't perfect (sometimes he comes off a little stiff--it's rare but it happens). like many here have already mentioned, i really liked him in the scene where he first sees ji wan's room. he's also awesome for answering ji wan's jibe with a genuine "It’s good to see you again..." now that's what i call a true gentleman.

i'm in the minority in thinking han ye seul is doing okay. i'm still able to root for her. maybe it's because the script is so good (we're told by the cafe owner that she helps people in need and by the oriental med prof that she works like crazy--it's a great reminder that she's ji wan and, yes, they still need to convince us but we have quite a few episodes to go).
or maybe it's because her louder gestures are so reminiscent of the younger jiwan (like when she knocks her head against the wall while berating herself or when she squeezes her eyes shut in embarrassment).
plus, han ye seul hasn't overacted much, which is her usual weakness. maybe she's trying to avoid overacting to the point that she comes off as blank but it's the lesser of two evils. the bus stop scene is rather emotionless but i can live with a little ambiguity since it's only ep 5.

as for the second leads, i am enjoying sun woo sun's portrayal but my interest in tae joon is waning. maybe he'll get more interesting in the coming episodes?

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I'm following this because Go Soo is really the reason to hang in there! He's like what Lee Min Ho was to BBF as Gu Jun Pyo! Great acting and I love the way his eyes seem to look right into JiWan!

Unfortunately the female lead is not Kim Sun Ah.......

Okay...on to episode 6!!!!

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Honestly, I don't find HYS's acting is so a big problem. It's just the way she interpreted the adult JW might be different from that of some others. Since the beginning of adult time, we have seen JW as someone who has been in the state of denial, where we found it so frustration and did our best to find out what she's thinking and feeling. I feel like adult KJ and JW are like a reversal of the younger pair. Little JW appeared to be energetic, vivid while KJ looked like a silent type (except for his expressive eyes and bursting anger from time to time 'cos of his mom's business). And now we see a reversion where KJ goes straight-forward, gripping JW in his "stabbing" expression (sorry, my lack of words) and JW, after such a life-changing shock of her life which lead to her running away, is lost in confusion and maybe fear, a fear of facing her painful past. And so, her life, which has been shadowed by her brother's death is stirred strongly again by KJ. What should she do? How should she react? What is she supposed to say to him? She wants to hide, yet she can't. Even in the past, when things seemed to be going right, young JW always found it difficult to express her true feeling for KJ (of course, the revenge plan isn't counted), so I don't think it can be any easier for her now. In my point of view, adult JW is frustrated over herself, not only she doesn't know what to do with KJ's approach, but she doesn't know what to do with her own life also, as she used to say to herself (after the canceled engagement) "I met some one. It is so difficult..." Therefore, in this case, I don't find any disappointment in HYS playing a look-like-stiff-or-emotionless JW, where she is criticized for not expressing enough emotions. Actually, I like the way she interprets adult JW. Therefore, in the bus scene where JW lost the pendant, in stead of feeling frustrated over her facial expression, I like the way she expressed her being overwhelmed after the incident by grasping her chest. At that very moment, she was still at loss, I think. All of a sudden, her life is messed again.

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thanks for the recap!

poor HYS! no doubt she is feeling the pressure and that can really get to you. she is a pretty average actress...but to be paired with Go Soo, makes her look bad by comparison. I bet Go Soo even looks intense when he's channel surfing. I guess you can explain away HYS's lack of expression by saying she's somewhere in the middle of feeling numb and feeling so many things at once they confuse and cancel each other out. I would rather that she be sort of blank and pass it off as Ji-wan being just a shell...then have her overact.

"he doesn’t have tetanus, but he should be careful and not dismiss the danger. It could have been a serious issue; he’s lucky it’s not." ---> i bet it turns out to be serious! like the wound won't heal and it turns out he has leukemia (if any of you watch Scrubs- this sounds familiar)

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I haven't watched this yet, just been reading your recaps JB, as I trust your taste and insights! Thanks for pointing out this drama, it is getting quite interesting...and as soon as finals are over I will definitely actually watch it!
Just one observation, how can Ji-wan's fiance not even know or care about her living conditions? Has he never stepped into her room? You do wonder how they got to the point of getting engaged and not know much, it seems, about each other...
I watched Go Soo in Green Rose and totally was amazed by his acting, so I will definitely catch him here...haven't seen too much of HYS, maybe she is not a melodrama actress?...but yes, she still has time to develop, the sooner the better!
Ok, back to doing other kind of readings for finals...I so prefer to read your recaps! Thank you!

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thanks for the recap..

still couldn't believe i'm watching a melodrama again..

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is it just me or does the child JW in the family portrait look like a different person??

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i wish JW would give KJ his necklace once she gets it back. didn't she make a deal with her brother than the moment the necklace is found, she'd tell KJ how she really felt?

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I just watched Epi 6 and oh boy am I looking forward to Epi 7.

I like HYS as an actress, however something is seriously lacking for this role of Han Ji Wan. The parts of the show where I think she acted well is those where she is interacting with people, like with her professor, in school and when she is faced with Kang Jin, she displayed shock and avoidance well (maybe it's the deer in the headlights moments). However those parts where she is alone like the pendant scene, or when she is thinking about her childhood, or crying alone, she does not portray her feelings as strongly as Go Soo does for Cham Kang Jin. I hope her acting improves, for the viewers' sake. This show is too good to miss because of Go Soo.

And love your recaps, Javabeans! It's a gd recap to what I watched.

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I have to say I think Go Soo carries this drama. Even in recaps, my eyes can't help but zoom onto him - God, his eyes are so expressive.

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and like number 27 said - Go Soo just OOZES masculinity.

Pretty boys (you're beautiful, boys over flowers, etc) are great - but man, Go Soo makes me realizes I want my men manly! hahahahaha!

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Cheoncheonhi JB noona. You've done, what, 5 recaps in 4 days? You might want to give yourself a little time to breathe and calm yourself so you won't exhaust yourself quickly(especially emotionally) with this drama. Because I'm warning you now, the ending of episode 6 is.....no, I won't give it away. Just be prepared!

I've stopped worrying about Han Ye Seul. As I've said before, I don't think she's doing badly. Admittedly, here in episode 5, it became glaringly obvious that the other actors are in a different league to her's. But she's calmed down and held her own again in episode 6. If you stop worrying about the 'what if'(Ji Wan done by another actress- Gong Hyo Jin would be spot on I must say) then you could just enjoy the ride that is WISFC.

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just watched the eng subs of ep 5
its getting really good
kang in and ji wan are doing well in their characters
but the angst and throw and back with words are still there
is ji wan longing for kang in but doesn't want to
but kang in wants ji wan but she doesn't own up
its all getting hyped
i just hope it does get hyped and then DING, it falls into place
it may get my hopes up

i wonder who deleted his files on the next ep
maybe it was leader tae joon or maybe the computer didn't save

who will get ji wan, tae joon or kang in
and who will get their hearts broken

anyway back to the acting, all the actors and actresses have done a good job in the ep
ji wan is still being ignorant, but the fact that she is ignorant and lost all that young self is annoying me, how can she be like that when she was younger and then she becomes an adult, all the disappears, she even gets mad at him when he makes a window for her even though she was just renting it out
this is the first time in the series i really saw kang in act well, there was no real awkward silences or forced actions, really passive and flowing

now for tae joon and woo jung
since we are all going for kang in, i wonder how tae joon will ruin things for kangin, become evil and ruin things and dummy spit or be sly and woo jung taking an interest in kang in, i wonder how that will work, will it make their relationship or not affect his love for ji wan

anyway cant wait for the eng subs of ep 6 to see what going up

oh last thing, i wonder how madam chun hee's plot going to affect the story, of course jun su is going to stay beside his wife (THEN QUARREL LATER AT HOME ABOUT WHO BEING WRONG AND RIGHT)
who isn't going to back up their loved one
im more interested in the main story than the chun hee plot

i think chun hee was jun su first love before young sok stole him from her grasp
and the broken relationship happen
i also dont think that jun su and chun hee made a love child, if they did, their would been some indication of it when they were young, i.e. when chun hee met ji wan about the shoe incident or any incident really)

i just hope they dont pull something outrageoes between kangin and ji wan that prevents them from being together (they are not siblings i hope)

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Okay, I gave in and watched 3 episodes since my last post.. man I hate melos.. but is go soo hot or what?? I kept repeating his parts!!

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Wow, Go Soo can act with his eyes, just like Jang Geun Seok!

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Poor HYS, I like her and i don't think she is that bad.

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Thanks for the recaps!. You rock!
GO Java GO!

I think HYS is doing okay. JW is a very difficult character to play and HYS is doing her best with that. JW is a woman who froze herself in a time of overwhelming grief and guilt. I don't think she has allowed herself to grow up in any way. She is stuck in that moment as a sixteen year old girl who's brother was killed (in her mind) because of her and the boy she loved, hearing her parents saying it should have been her. She believes whole-heartedly that she is the cause of her brothers death and she can not and WILL NOT move past that. She has lived in that state of perpetual guilt for so long now that it's like breathing, a part of reality and life.

And in my mind that is how HYS is playing her. A lonely, lost woman living in the dark for so long that she doesn't even realize she's lost anymore and so run's away from the light. She pretends in front of people but once alone it's just natural now to let the dark consume her.

GS is doing fantastic with KJ (really WOW) and CH is the coolest mom ever. The only character I find completly reprehensible at this point is JW's father. While his wife seem's to be about ready to blackmail CH for her alibi, he is completly aware of it and letting it happen. He KNOWS his wife is lying about not seeing BS in the flower shop and is apparently choosing to let the boy go down for a crime he is innocent of. He knows she is lying and he know that CH knows she is lying and he isn't doing a damn thing to stop it. He allows his wife to talk smack on their emotionally scarred missing daughter like she was always so much garbage while living her life deifying their long-dead son allows her to make him turn his back on CH as she is being beaten down right in front of them, and leads Ch on before slamming her back down again himself. JACK...ASS!

Sorry! I didn't mean to go into a long rant.
LOVE the melodama, love the story, LOVELOVELOVE the recaps!

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please see #33- isabella.
I agree! this is a really acurate depiction of how i personally see adult JW and HYS's portrayal of her.

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Thank you for the recap JB! :)

Now, my rant about HYS.
I'm not quite sure how much of my dislike for her is because of my dislike for adult JW or because of the faults of the actress herself. But you can clearly see the disparity between GS and her when they have separate scenes back to back or even when they are together. In scenes that require more quiet and subtle display of feelings she has mostly blank expression until her eyes finally start brimming with tears. In comparison, GS has no problems displaying emotions with different degree of intensity. His eyes alone can tell you the whole story from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately, HYS is not that good.
I don't like her emotional scenes either. Every time she is nervous she is so nervous that she is almost hysterical. In some moments her reactions are very intense when there is no logical reason for her to be like that. When this happens it looks incredibly fake. I haven't seen HYS in a melodrama before so I don't know if this happens because of her acting or the character is written like that but when I notice it it's really distracting.

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I need a moment after seeing the emotional KJ at the beginning of the episode. The scenes where he hides himself around the corner and behind the door, trying to mentally oppress his emotions is just so well-done. Of course, his reaction seeing JW's room is so full of feelings. Arg!! I just have to tally agree with JB that we will be emotionally exhausted with this series.

Regarding HYS acting. I am on the fence. Sometimes I wish for more. Sometimes I am ok with her portrayal.

I won't spoil anyone, but prepare your heart for episode 6. I am glad they did not show us so many things in the preview at the end of this episode, I didn't expect the incidents at the end and my heart was squeezed big time. Oh GS!

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