Wish Upon a Star: Episode 11
Big episode!
There are big movements in most of the relationships, and we also find out what the big deal about Kang-ha’s pained past is. (And it actually makes pretty good sense.) Or at least, we find out about the childhood part of it; his past romantic issue is hinted at but not yet revealed.
SONG OF THE DAY
C.N. Blue – “Love Revolution” [ Download ]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
EPISODE 11 RECAP
Tae-kyu proposes, saying that although he may be foolish, “This is something I’m sure of.” The main characters tense in anticipation while the bar patrons cheer for Pal-gang to accept. She looks back and sees Kang-ha looking at her intently.
She tells Tae-kyu gently, “You’re the most fun and nice person I know.” His broad smile starts to fade as she continues, “But I can’t marry you. I’m sorry, Tae-kyu.” She gets up and leaves the bar, stopping only briefly to nod to Jae-young.
After her exit, Kang-ha regains some of his senses and takes his seat. Jun-ha looks at him knowingly, while Tae-kyu cries and drinks.
Pal-gang walks home, feeling sorry for hurting Tae-kyu’s feelings. She’s grateful to him for making her old fantasy — the romantic proposal — real for a moment, but that makes her even sorrier for declining.
Kang-ha gets up and leaves the table first. As he is being driven home, he sees Pal-gang walking on the sidewalk and asks the driver to pull over. He watches her walking for a few moments, but changes his mind and tells the driver to continue.
He therefore arrives home first, and when Pal-gang steps inside, he stares at her without saying anything. She mumbles a general greeting, then heads slowly for her room. It’s like Kang-ha wants to say something but doesn’t know what, and the words come to him a few moments too late, after she’s gone. He catches himself and holds back the thought.
This isn’t a feeling he can easily shake off, and he frowns with great frustration at the memory of the proposal. Jun-ha finds him in his room to report that Tae-kyu is still intent on winning Pal-gang over.
Kang-ha asks, “Do you really think she’s a good match for him?” It seems Jun-ha was expecting this response, or at least that Kang-ha’s reaction confirms his suspicions. He answers that Tae-kyu is better than “someone else I know.” Kang-ha asks what that means, and Jun-ha clarifies, “There was someone who was nervous that she would take Tae-kyu’s ring.”
Being sharp, both brothers know exactly what he means by that. Kang-ha’s hand clenches tightly, but when he faces his brother, he forces a smirk. Jun-ha doesn’t look fooled and merely raises his eyebrows skeptically (ugh — such a great love-to-hate-him moment there).
Jun-ha finds Pal-gang in the kitchen and asks if she really doesn’t feel anything for Tae-kyu. She answers, “Tae-kyu is like Ju-hwang to me. I think of him as a little brother.”
Jun-ha’s response seems calculated (to us, not to Pal-gang) as he asks meaningfully, “Then what about me? Do you just think of me as an older brother?” She’s a little puzzled, not sure whether to take him at face value. Jun-ha affects a serious demeanor and adds, “If that’s not the case, I have a chance. Then… I’m thinking of giving it a try.”
(The reason I call Jun-ha’s behavior calculated and affected is because he seems rather shifty all episode long, which I’ll get into in the comments section.)
The next morning, Kang-ha wakes to see a lump at the foot of his bed, and cautiously lifts his blanket: Pa-rang is there, curled up asleep. Yay! Kang-ha smiles in relief, then pats the boy’s head affectionately and covers him up with the blanket.
Ju-hwang enters the room, ready to give Pa-rang another scolding, but Kang-ha holds him back and tells him to leave him be. When Ju-hwang protests that he has to teach his brother a lesson, Kang-ha pulls out Pa-rang’s perennial defense: “It’s a disease.” (Ha!)
Although we get to see Kang-ha’s softer side, I love that he still feels the need to save face, so when he turns toward Ju-hwang he deliberately makes his face sterner. Ju-hwang assumes he’s annoyed and asks as a favor, “Please just endure it for a month.” Kang-ha sighs, “I guess I’ll have to.”
At breakfast, Pal-gang asks if the men are planning to go out today; as it’s Sunday, she intends to conduct a thorough house cleaning. Jun-ha asks about the children’s school schedule, and upon hearing that they’re going back next week, he suggests that they transfer schools to this neighborhood, since their old school is far. Pal-gang answers that it’s fine to keep going to their old school, since they’ll be moving out soon enough.
To everyone’s surpise, Jun-ha repeats his suggestion and offers to handle the transfer tomorrow, explaining, “Who knows, you may continue living here.” The kids perk up, thinking this is an indication that he’s decided to marry their sister. Pal-gang is taken aback and hushes her siblings, but Jun-ha just says, “You never know what’ll happen.”
Tae-kyu definitely finds this unusual, but he takes it the wrong way and thanks Jun-ha profusely for helping him. This was his uncle’s way of helping Tae-kyu by keeping the family around, right? Overcome with gratitude, he kisses Jun-ha on the cheek and declares, “I love you!”
The family helps out in the big house cleaning. Ju-hwang and Pa-rang clean Kang-ha’s room, although Kang-ha cleans his inner glass room himself. When Pa-rang hears that the room is for listening to music, he steps inside and announces, “I like music too. Do you have Digimon songs?”
Curiously, Pa-rang looks at the record player and wonders what the machine is. He touches the needle, scratching the record, and Kang-ha jumps up to stop him, holding his precious record as though pained. Although Pa-rang doesn’t really know what he’s done, Ju-hwang does; he holds his brother back and asks, “That’s very valuable, isn’t it?”
With words that contradict his cringing posture and aggrieved expression, Kang-ha answers stiffly, “No. I listened to it so much I was about to throw it away. It doesn’t matter.” (Aww!)
Pa-rang offers to clean the other parts of the room and starts dusting. His careless movements knock over a speaker, which Kang-ha hastens to straighten. He then picks up the boy to take him outside. Pa-rang, thinking he’s about to be punished, exclaims that he’s sorry.
But Kang-ha just deposits him in front of his computer: “You’ll be most helpful to me just playing games.” Immediately, Pa-rang perks up and starts playing Super Mario Bros.
Downstairs, everyone’s startled when Ju-hwang explains that Pa-rang is happily playing games on Kang-ha’s computer. They all know Kang-ha’s rules about not touching his computer, so it’s surprising to hear that this is authorized behavior.
Having stated his intention to woo Pal-gang, Jun-ha acts the part of the benevolent suitor by offering to take the family out for lunch, and goes upstairs to collect Pa-rang. He says rather pointedly that Kang-ha will probably stay home, right? This leaves Kang-ha out of the loop (although he does have some fun playing Super Mario Bros. after Pa-rang leaves).
Over lunch, Jun-ha pours on the charm, being especially nice (even for him) and fussing over Nam. Pal-gang is a little uncomfortable — not that she dislikes Jun-ha’s behavior, but because it feels excessive and makes her feel indebted to him. The kids don’t have that same mental block and enjoy his generosity, so much that Cho-rok feels conflicted — she’s starting to see Jun-ha’s appeal but has declared loyalty to Tae-kyu.
After lunch, he takes the kids back-to-school shopping — another act of generosity that Pal-gang tries to insist is unncessary. He assures her, “I have a lot of money, but nowhere to spend it. Help me spend it.”
After buying things for the kids, Jun-ha urges Pal-gang to buy something for herself too. She declines the offer, though he does notice her stopping to admire a dress in the window. When she goes off to change Nam’s diaper, the kids tell Jun-ha that Pal-gang doesn’t wear skirts anymore — not since their parents died. (This explains why she was giving away her miniskirts at the sauna in an early episode. This point hasn’t been played up before, but I suppose the skirts represent her formerly frivolous outlook, and now that she’s devoted to motherhood, her vanity is a thing of the past.)
When the family comes back home, Kang-ha just watches quietly. Tae-kyu expresses his disappointment at being left out, but Kang-ha isn’t the type to admit it out loud.
Pal-gang sees that the lunch she left for Kang-ha went uneaten and asks Kang-ha about it. He replies that he wasn’t hungry, so she offers to make whatever he’d like for dinner. Kang-ha keeps his gaze fixed on his book and coolly declines her offer. He’s going to the gym, so she needn’t bother with his dinner.
Despite his composed facade, we know from the furious way he runs that he’s bothered, since running is his outlet for stress. He does happen to have a trial the next day, but clearly work isn’t the only thing troubling him.
And of course, sweaty exercise necessitates showering — no not gratuitous not at all! — and the drama would be remiss if it were to skip out on this excuse very necessary reason to give us a shower scene, wouldn’t it?
Chairman Jung is feeling lonely at home, missing the company of the Jin family, and comes over for the night. He had asked Pal-gang earlier if he could come over, but everyone had been home so she had told him to sneak in at nighttime.
She wonders where he sleeps on the nights he is away, so he answers that he sometimes stays in a homeless shelter. Worrying, she suggests that he stay in this house, hidden, rather than roaming around. Grandpa gives Pal-gang some money for Nam’s milk, explaining that he managed to sell some good junk that he’d found. Naturally, she refuses, telling him to keep it himself. She’s young and able to work, so she’s better off than he is. It’s pretty funny to see Grandpa Jung thwarted whenever he tries to help out the family, because he can’t reveal that he’s stinkin’ rich and his explanations make him sound so poor that the family refuses to take his money.
Complications arise the next day at the office, when In-gu greets the Won brothers and sees Pal-gang arriving in the lobby. He recognizes her as Mimi from the room salon, and calls her over to chide her for seeking him out at the office, assuming she’s out for money or some such thing.
Jun-ha covers for her, saying that he is mistaken, identifying Pal-gang as one of their employees. In-gu is pretty sure he’s right but lets the topic go. However, Jae-young is sharp enough to read between the lines, and catches on to the truth.
She confronts Kang-ha in his office, incredulous that he would hire a room salon girl as his housemaid. Kang-ha addresses her flatly, “So what’s the problem?” In purposely crude terms, he says that he gets around with women, so what’s so strange that a guy like him would take a bar girl to be his maid?
Jae-young asks in frustration, “Why the heck are you being so protective of that one?” Kang-ha warns her sharply, “Watch what you say. Don’t call her this or that one, call her by her name. Her name is Jin Pal-gang.”
She says that this is cause for letting an FC go, but Kang-ha retorts that he knows the law better than she does: “If you misuse your authority, you’ll have to fight me.”
After she stalks out, Jun-ha notes, “You’re saying you’d fight for Jin Pal-gang. The brother who hates getting entangled in annoying issues sure is acting odd.”
Jun-ha finds Pal-gang sitting outside, worried that this will become a problem for her and the company. He waves it off, saying casually, “What do you mean? Oh, that the president mistook you for someone else?”
He sits with her at lunch, where they’re joined by a curious Eun-mal and Jin-ju, who eye him with favor and thank him for helping Pal-gang. They praise his patience for taking in the formerly Useless Miss Jin, which must have been a trial for him. They go so overboard with the gushing that Pal-gang feels a little put out at their descriptions, muttering at them to cut it out.
Eun-mal describes them as a trio who resemble celebrities. It’s purposely ridiculous that she compares Jin-ju to Kim Tae-hee and herself to Jeon Ji-hyun, but it’s a bit of an inside joke to compare Pal-gang to Lee Young-ae (Choi Jung-won has in fact been called a younger Lee Young-ae).
Choi Jung-won, Lee Young-ae
Following lunch, Jun-ha escorts Pal-gang to register the kids for a school transfer.
Kang-ha spies them leaving the parking garage together, and his mood takes another hit. He is already feeling upset after an unexpected phone call has ruined his day; the call is from a middle-aged woman named Lee Yeon-joo who has just arrived in Korea. We can guess at their relationship, but in any case he coldly informs his secretary to tell the caller he’s not available.
On the way home, Jun-ha suggests going to see a movie, since they’ve got time to kill. Cautiously, Pal-gang asks why he’s being so nice to her, and he responds half-teasingly:
Jun-ha: “Hm, why could that be? When a man treats a woman nicely, why do you think that is?”
Pal-gang: “Please don’t joke with me.”
Jun-ha: “Does it seem like a joke?”
Pal-gang: “Yes.”
Jun-ha: “Then wait and see whether it really is.”
They stop at the supermarket for some grocery shopping, where they’re mistaken for a married couple. Pal-gang isn’t sure how to respond, but Jun-ha laughs and goes with it.
At home, Jun-ha helps make dinner, and even the thick-headed Tae-kyu is starting to feel threatened by Jun-ha’s continued solitcitousness. He tells his uncle that he’s helped enough, and Cho-rok urges Tae-kyu to help, too. Unfortunately, Tae-kyu just cuts his finger in his haste to one-up his uncle.
The woman caller pesters Kang-ha’s secretary for his cell phone number, and he instructs his secretary not to give it. Still, being reminded of this woman (okay, it’s his mother, which we find out soon enough anyway) puts him into a dark mood, and he goes to a bar that night to drink alone.
When he arrives home, he’s noticeably drunk and swaying on his feet. Pal-gang prepares some tea for him, which Jun-ha offers to take upstairs.
Jun-ha asks what the matter is. Kang-ha gets to the point: “What are you thinking? You can have any woman you want. Don’t act like that with her. There are lots of women we can pass the time with.” Jun-ha replies, “You know me. Before I make my move with a woman, I always tell her that I’m going to make the advance.”
Kang-ha warns, “Don’t play around. She’s different from the women we can just play around with.” Jun-ha asks why that is, and Kang-ha says insistently, “She’s someone who’s using all her strength to survive with her siblings.”
Jun-ha’s been maddeningly flippant thus far, and asks easily, “Oh, that?” But when Kang-ha warns, “Leave her alone,” his expression hardens. Jun-ha returns, “But I’m not joking. I’m more serious now than ever. No — I may be serious for the first time. Since you’re warning me not to joke around, I’ll have to become even more serious.”
A flashback shows a younger Jun-ha joining a long-haired young woman on a swing, waiting for Kang-ha. Jun-ha had wondered if she had ever waited for him. The girl had answered, “You’ve never made me wait, so thank you.” She had said it as a compliment, but of course, this is not the answer Jun-ha wants to hear.
The next day, Jun-ha drops by to see his ex (the Jae-young clone). They sit for a friendly chat and catch up — her husband is suing her for divorce, refusing to negotiate despite her willingness to forgo alimony.
The woman seems to come from a rich family, and is in a managerial position at a hotel. Since it’s time for them to renew their insurance policy, she asks Jun-ha about JK. Selling policies isn’t his job, so he calls in Pal-gang to handle the deal, which works out for both parties.
Furthermore, he suggests to the ex that while Pal-gang is here, she should talk to the employees about life insurance as well. So Pal-gang sits down with the interested parties and (competently) goes through the explanations.
As they watch her, Jun-ha’s ex guesses, “Did she cry a lot in front of you? Is that why you’re doing this?” She reminds him of something he’d said to her before — that he’d never fall for a woman’s trap again. “But that young lady seems like a trap.”
She was unable to get through on the phone, so Kang-ha’s errant mother waits for him at the office. She sports garish accessories, gaudy makeup, and brash behavior, and it’s clear that she’s been a pretty irresponsible mother. His expression hardens and he fixes his gaze away while she complains about his behavior. She’s here from the U.S. after three or four years since their last encounter and obviously thinks he ought to treat her better.
To avoid a scene, they relocate to a cafe where he tries to get to the point: Why is she here?
Mom draws the encounter out, wanting to cover some of the preliminaries first, making small talk and asking if he’s married. He repeats his question coldly and reminds her, “I told you that there’d be no reason to see each other again.”
Apparently he had given her money a few years ago, with which she was able to save her store and stay out of poverty. However, “that guy” gambled everything away in Vegas, and she ended the relationship. Kang-ha asks sarcastically, “Did you come for congratulations on your fifth divorce?”
He’s losing patience and demands to know what she wants, so she finally gets to the crux of the matter: she needs his help one last time. She didn’t want to ask, but he’s her only son. When she says in a self-pitying way that her son had been stolen from her, he replies acidly, “Stolen from you? It wasn’t that you sold him off? I may have just been five, but I remember the events of that day clearly.”
Mom had sent him away to live with his father, ignoring Kang-ha’s desperate pleas to let him stay with her. He’d cried and begged, but she’d ignored that and taken a huge payoff from his father to leave the boy behind and go. Mom points out, “If you’d lived with me, you wouldn’t have been able to be who you are now.”
Kang-ha: “You told the crying five-year-old boy who clung to you, ‘I don’t like you. I hate your father, so do you think I’d like you? So go.’ I begged you not to do it. ‘Mom, don’t send me away. I’ll obey. I’ll be good and not cause trouble. Even if you bring ajusshis home, I won’t make a fuss.’ But you had just one thing to say: ‘I need those ajusshis more than you.’”
Mom’s a little shocked at how harsh this sounds, because she doesn’t remember this at all. Kang-ha warns, “Don’t call me again” and gets up to leave. Mom points out that if he doesn’t help, she’ll have to come back to live in Korea, which neither of them wants.
Pal-gang heads to the hospital when one of her clients — the friendly store ajumma from her old neighborhood — has an accident and injures her foot. Jang-soo (Jin-ju’s admirer) also happens to be at the hospital looking into insurance claims and joins her, assuring the family that her hospital fees will all be covered by the company.
Dim-witted Man-soo greets Pal-gang enthusiastically and again repeats his refrain about seeing her parents’ car accident. This time, Man-soo’s mother says that even though Man-soo’s story sounds like nonsense, something seems odd about it. He never repeats a false story for this long, or clings so strongly.
Agreeing that it’s worth considering, Jang-soo offers to investigate further, saying that he also has a feeling that the story may not be entirely fake.
Following his encounter with his mother, Kang-ha drinks at a bar, then comes home late that night. He staggers toward the front gate, stopping to answer his phone. The call is from his mother, who says (in a subtly threatening way) that she may just seek him out tomorrow again.
This pushes his temper over the limit, and Kang-ha slams his phone into the ground, then staggers against a wall drunkenly.
Pal-gang arrives home in time to witness this, worried to find Kang-ha grimacing and unsteady on his feet. She smells the liquor on his breath and asks what’s wrong.
Kang-ha stares at her, then suprises her by grabbing her to him in a tight hug. His face twisting in distress — for once dropping the formal language and speaking familiarly — he urges her, “Don’t add to my troubles. Not you too.”
Unnerved, Pal-gang breaks free and asks why he’s doing this. Looking at her steadily, Kang-ha starts to move in closer…
OTHER PLOTLINES
Not much in the way of alternate storylines in this episode (yay). The day after Tae-kyu’s public proposal, Min-kyung can tell from her daughter’s moping that things aren’t going well in her plan to win Kang-ha over. She prods Jae-young to give up, saying that if she can’t make him her mate, she should make him her enemy instead.
Even though Min-kyung is staunchly against Jae-young marrying Kang-ha, she explains her reasoning, which actually makes some sense: “He doesn’t even know how to love himself. DO you know what that’s like? Because I’m like that, I don’t want you to be his match.”
COMMENTS
You know, this isn’t technically the best drama around and there are a number of characters I don’t care for, but somehow I have a great big soft spot for Wish Upon a Star. It started out just being the kids who were winning, but now I add Pal-gang, Kang-ha, and Tae-kyu to that group.
If I have a criticism, it’s that aside from the Jin family, I don’t really feel the emotions of the other characters as real. Tae-kyu’s heartbreak, Jun-ha’s inferiority complex, even Kang-ha’s mother abandonment issues — they’re fine plot points, but merely plot points. If I could ask for more out of this drama, it would be to give more emotional sincerity to the other characters. Still, I’m satisfied enough with what we’ve got, because there’s enough charm to keep me hooked.
So, Kang-ha’s trauma: His mother basically sold him off to go live with his rich father, then repeatedly hit him up for cash after he became a successful lawyer. Since Kang-ha is the older brother, one can presume that Jun-ha is the product of a happier union — if not perfectly happy, then at least more conventionally stable. This would also explain why Jun-ha has a more open, warm outlook in contrast with Kang-ha’s closed-off one.
We don’t know whether or not Kang-ha had a good relationship with his father, but this may explain why he doesn’t want to inherit JK, because he doesn’t care to take over his father’s business. Yet, as the directors hinted, he does feel some personal attachment to the company that extends beyond his mere job, despite his claims to the contrary.
As for his romantic feelings, I like the buildup in this episode. We can tell that Kang-ha’s guard is slowly dropping, but it takes a strong impetus to force him into doing something about it. It makes sense that it would happen in this way, when Kang-ha is feeling bombarded on all sides. Normally his tough inner wall is up, ready to protect him, but his encounter with his mother coincides with his growing uneasiness over Pal-gang — first with Tae-kyu’s proposal, then with Jun-ha’s declaration that he’s going to go after her. In a moment of weakness, he tells her not to add to his troubles — and since she hasn’t actually DONE anything to him, we can interpret this to mean that she has been on his mind a lot, bothering him. With his emotions in turmoil, he asks her to stop bothering him — which is more like him wishing to himself that he didn’t feel such feelings about her.
Jun-ha has now crossed over from being a sympathetic shoulder to cry on to being underhanded, although it’s still unclear what his true motives are. He tells Pal-gang and Kang-ha that he’s for real, but there’s a shiftiness to his attitude throughout the episode that points to more there. The flashback to the girl at the swings seems to hint that Jun-ha may be acting in retaliation for always coming in second to his brother. If not outright revenge, this is at least a chance for him to come in first. So I suspect that Jun-ha is treating Pal-gang as a stand-in for the other women in the past who have passed him over for his brother, and in particular the girl at the swings. It probably doesn’t matter whether this is Pal-gang or any other woman, just that this is the best opportunity he has to reverse the tables.
But that’s only speculation, and I’m curious to know what the deal is. Although I don’t love Jun-ha as a person for this turn, I kinda do like him being some sort of evil mastermind in a dramatic sense. I may have liked the guy as a warm softie, but he’s more interesting as a character like this — I want to know what he’s really up to.
In so many dramas, the second lead male tries to win over the heroine but is doomed to fail because he’s the wrong guy. He can do his best but it’ll never be enough to sway her. Jun-ha wouldn’t be a match for Kang-ha as his natural self, but now that he’s purposely trying to win her over, he may be more of a challenge.
I also like Pal-gang’s reactions to Jun-ha’s chivalry. For someone who had been dreaming for years of a prince on a white horse to rescue her, she isn’t enjoying his treatment, and in fact finds it a burden because it makes her feel more indebted. She doesn’t believe he has feelings for her, explaining that he’s being nice because he’s “a nice guy.” Just as she’s settling into her role of housekeeper and getting used to maintaining a semi-professional demeanor, it’s the brothers (and nephew) who push the boundaries.
RELATED POSTS
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 10
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 9
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 8
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 7
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 6
- Wish Upon a Star: Episode 5
- Wish Upon a Star: Episodes 3-4
- Wish Upon a Star: Episodes 1-2
- The new Monday-Tuesday lineup: First impressions
Tags: Choi Jung-won, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Kyun, Shin Dong-wook, Wish Upon a Star
long review but good
i’ve had this feeling throughout the episode that junha was just after palgang so that kangha would give up on her and hopefully turn his attentions to jaeyong?
I really like Love Revolution, can’t stop listening to that song.
Love it
I love this drama and i am so hooked, it is getting better and better . Cannot wait for the romance between pal- gang and Kang-ha he is adorable.The brother is disappointing at the moment as i feel he really is looking out for that bitch (Jae- young) who doesn’t even like him.. I find her character so wrong i cannot watch when she is on the screen.
Dramabeans, don’t worry. In episode 12, you will find out what Jun-ha is really up to and you end up loving Pal-gang more after it.
@ Llama
Supposedly, that is what he is trying to do, but then again it feels like everything surrounding Jun-ha is thrown into the context just to excuse situations and behaviors, which is why his character seems fake and not because of the actor but because of the script. However, I love this drama, I find myself drawn to it for many reasons:
One, actors:
The kids
The lead actor
The lead actress
The nephew (he is so cute)
Two, the story:
Even though is a Cinderella story, which is in no way original anymore, this one has the kids and it makes it a little different in a very charming way.
Cant wait for next week!!!!
I’m really enjoying the growth of Pal-gang’s character. We’re seeing her forced to grow up, and I have to admit that I’m proud of her for rising to the challenge. Being the oldest child of a big family (bigger than this one) I know what it takes to take care of so many people and the burden it can be on your mind. I’m also impressed to see that she was serious when she said she was a mother first — I like that the writers didn’t make her fail in her resolve at the first sign of romantic pressure from TG or JH. She really has grown up and it shows.
I have to say, though, I felt so sad for TG at the top of this episode! His poor little heart is just going to get crushed and trampled on until he realizes PG isn’t the one for him.
Aaahhhh…..the adults are moving along now. I’m not sure about the character of Jun-Ha….I find him to be quite a turn off and a fake. His role is as bad as Jae Young with her hanging on to Kang-Ha in a very unrealistic way. Almost to the point of being “sick”.
And now we have Kang-ha’s mother…..oi vey….she’s so pathetic and I guess what makes her stand out as villanous is her dark red lipstick! I’m not sure who might be worse…her or Jae young’s mother!
I’m really enjoying this drama and like the way it is being played out. There is a subtle kind of unfolding….and right now it’s really hard to say how Pal Gang is feeling or who she is leaning towards! One thing for sure….she’s a pretty sharp cookie!
Good job JB!
By the way….I’ve all ready seen episode 12 so I’m trying not to get ahead of myself!
for ep 11, i didn’t know whether it was the script or the acting but i was confused by jun ha’s behavior. was he trying to make kang ha jealous? but then he seemed like someone who wouldn’t play with someone’s affections. had it ever crossed his mind that she might actually begin to have feelings for him? and at that point, would he really stay with her? maybe he doesn’t believe he will really succeed bc the shift in character seems so out of place, which would reinforce this inferiority complex he has.
To be honest, I am little confused with this drama character developments, I absolutely have no idea how Kang-ha is falling in love with Pal Gang or his brother’s feelings and even hers. It is just not clear how they reached this point.. I remember him hating her recently.. but now what’s actually going on?
Javabeans, first, I just want to thank you for your recaps, they are so well written and insightful, that they make the perfect companion after watching the actual episode. And I don’t know why but Wish Upon a Star really does have some kind of intangible pull over me too.
Second, I really have to agree with you on you assessment of Jun Ha’s character change, he really has gone from a nice guy to this complex character whose motives we’re never quite sure of. Also Kang Ha’s growth as a character has really been interesting to watch. There’s something really genuine in the way his character has begun to change, all shaky legged and new bornish.
Can’t wait to read your next recap about episdoe 12! Thanks for all your fabulous hard work!
These last two episodes were some of the best. I hope it gets better, and I hope the truth about Pal-Gang’s grandpa gets out.
:T
Thanks again dramabeans!
I am concerned with what the writers are doing with Junha’s character. I really don’t want him to turn “evil.” It would break my heart.
Watch an episode of WUAS and then read javabeans’ recap…the perfect ending of a long day for me.
I was wondering…how did you know Pa-rang was playing Super Mario Bros.? I’m sure I didn’t hear them mention the game by name, although I did hear the distinctive music. Perhaps javabeans is also a Super Mario fan.
That extra tidbit about Choi Jung-won resembling Lee Young-ae was fun to read.
Thanks again for a fun and detailed recap!
I’m really disliking Jun-ha right now, which I really like because he bored me with his prince in shining armor attitude before. I like that the writers are giving his character more layers and I really want to figure out what in the world he is up to. Is he just using Pal-gang to get to his brother? Is he doing it on purpose to get his brother to realize his feelings towards Pal-gang? Is he going after her so that the girl he likes (ew) can have Kang-ha? what the hell is his deal?!?! I’m so confused but I love it!
I’m truly enjoying this drama (minus the Grandpa’s family who bores me to tears). The kids are great and I’m loving the development between Kang-ha and Pal-gang. I can’t wait for the romance to begin! lol
I find Tae-Kyu too adorable (I swear, I get Jeremy-vibes from him. It’s the happy-go-luckness, I swear.)
And I really like how Pal Gang grew up, she’s so down to earth- I love it,
And the kids are as adorable as always. ;D
Choi Jung won totally resembles a young Lee Young Ae!
Love your reviews! I can’t wait for you to do episode 12. <3 Argghh, one more week until new episodes! Thank god this series have a total of 20 episodes, and not 16.
sweeeeeeeeet =) love the drama mucho! <3
I cannot wait to read your recap on episode 12. It has such great moments in there that got me so excited when I saw it. I love how those scenes were portrayed to represent the progress of these characters. I’m excited to see if you have also caught onto that while you were watching it.
It’s lovely to see Kangha smiling– it makes me feel warm in the insides. I want to see more of that! I esp love that he’s opening up and enjoying other activities than he’s used to. Nothing beats playing Super Mario Bros!
His mother absolutely infuriates me. Gawd, she is the worst mother ever. Shouldn’t have had a kid if she couldn’t take care of him! My blood boils over whenever I see or hear her.
Junha… he’s one heck of a character. He’s definitely up to something. I can see it in his eyes. I’m getting angry at him, but I keep thinking he’s the “Jihoo” in this drama– trying to bring his brother and Palgang together. (HAHA)
More more more! My week feels shorter and shorter as my anticipation grows. YAY TO 20 EPS!
i have been watching your site since yesterday sarah because i wanted to know what you think about ep 11 because i really enjoyed it and i think i fell inlove with kang-ha the minute i saw his fear that pal kang might accept his nephews proposal….i am so loving this drama…the story..the unpredictable third wheel..the kids..and pal gang and kang ha…i never though i would like kang-ha in this drama when i started watching it..but it’s amazing how the director did his transformation….it’s not like other drama when he just woke up and realized he’s inlove with pal gang…because at the last scene of this drama we can see that he is confuse about what he’s feeling and still trying to figure out if he’s going to act on it….and you should watch ep 12 and you’ll like him even more….anyway…i love pal gang’s character the most…because she has matured from a selfish know nothing girl to a selfless mother/sister…i like how here character is not take the easy way out kinda girl even though she has an opportunity to escape her tiresome life through junha’s proposal….. love it love it and always love java’s recap thanks again and I am looking forward to your ep 12 recap..
JB, thank you for your hard work. This drama has become my favorite of 2010 so far, the story is so simple but the added value of the kids makes it just the right combination that tugs at the heart strings, the second lead actor is trying his best to win the frozen lips girl so while pursuing P-K his true intention is to get the other girl,,, well thank you again for the recap…… : O }
Great episode, great recap! It’s very clear to me that the OTP of Wish Upon A Star is Kang-ha and Pa-rang!
This is such a lovely little drama…not the best I’ve ever seen, but it definitely has a certain something that keeps you wanting more at the end of each episode. Each hour just flies by!
Thanks JB!
First thing first…. Kang Ha’s mom is the ugliest thing ever, i have seen in my years of K drama history. I still cannot believe that he is supposed to give birth to Kang Ha and presumably Jun Ha too……..
I am loving WUTS but……the side characters are intolerable.
Am still very confused about the sibling issues. Kang Ha and Jun Ha…. and Tae Gu’s Mom. Are they real sibling, as in biologically.
i dont like junha right now….. anyways thanks for the recaps
Thank you for the caps! LOVE reading it! Also THANK YOU for the song
“Love Revolution” download link, if you don’t mind if you have more CN Blue songs please future links. I love reading your caps as much as the song links you provide^^
Great recap javabeans! I really love the Jin family especially Nam! HE’S ADORABLE.
I wonder if Man-soo dimwitted…it seems to me that he has special needs.
Thank you so much, Javabeans! The deeper we get into the series, the more I appreciate having some place to talk about it afterwards.
Interestingly enough, even though this is suppose to be a “Cinderella” story, Pal-gang has grown disenchanted (no pun intended) with that fairytale, finding more satisfaction in helping herself. She’s already said she’d rather be the Insurance Queen that the prince’s wife. But Jun-ha wasn’t around to get that memo. In contrast, even though Kang-ha isn’t actually courting Pal-gang (yet!), everything he’s done (even dealing with her creditors) still gives her full power to succeed (or fail) by her own hand. What seemed so cruel and hard-hearted early in the series (leaving her to struggle alone), now seems appealing when faced Jun-ha’s fabricated performance.
Though I too found Jun-ha shifty all episode, but it’s his dealings with Tae-kyu that condemn his intentions. He doesn’t seem to have had even a momentary qualm his nephew’s feelings before going after Pal-gang. I don’t know what Jun-ha’s motivations are, but I do not trust him and really think this makes his shift to the villainous side of the story. (All things consider it seems that poor Tae-kyu is the one fulfilling the traditional second lead role.) That said, I laughed out loud in the scene where Tae-kyu thanks his uncle for his “help.” Jun-ha reaction when Tae-kyu kissed him was fabulous.
THANK YOU Dramabeans & all Devine Writers!!!!
I agree with Birdscout, “Watch an episode of WUAS and then read javabeans’ recap…the perfect ending..” Its improved my enjoyment by 100%! I greatly appreciate all your efforts!!
Long Live the “Gratuitous Shower Scene”! LOL! I didn’t realize until it happened how I was looking forward to one….LOL! In my opinion, not as good as City Hall & Boys Over Flowers but still very decent! I guess now I can say, I’m no longer a newbie to these dramas when I fully expect to see one!
I just love this drama for what it is not for what it can be- its not meant to be a heavy, stressed filled morality tale like City Hall. For me, its just Brain Candy, but the good kind where you get the feel good, antzy-pantzy gotta know whats gonna happen next, will he or won’t she vibe. Seeing the evolution of Pal Gang & Kang-ha grow from thier centered worlds to the reality of living has been a good journey. I applauded her when she said she was now a mother. For a girl who had her world drasticaly changed shes doing the best she can and better.
Its a morality tale told in 20 episodes- what more can ya want?! Except more Nami and the Kiddies, Please! Can you say super Ahh-dorable when Pa-rang is back in Kang-ha’s bed and the look on Kang-ha face! Its that look that makes me believe that Kang-ha IS a good brother to the Stinky Jun-ha, hence his willingness to be a Super Jerk to the Nameless Obessively-ILL Kang-ha Stalker!
Once Again Thank YOu! And I can’t wait till the next re-cap!
Javabeans, thank you so much for this very much anticipated recap. I have to say that I agree with almost all written by you, except that to me this is the best drama around
Thank you for the recap! Can’t wait to see what the next episode has in store for us.
Also, I can’t remember if you’ve already covered this, but roughly how old are the brothers and their nephew? Pal-gang? Because Tae-kyu looks like he’d be a LOT younger than her, which appears to me as more of a dongseng-noona relationship. It seems like he’s crushing on her because she’s (in my eyes) older, and it’s just an infatuation phase. So basically, I guess I’m asking how close in age is Pal-gang relative to the three men.
In response to a comment above, Kang-ha and Jun-ha are half-brothers. They share the same father, but have different mothers.
Ages:
Pal-gang is 25.
Kang-ha is 33.
Jun-ha is 30.
Tae-kyu is 22.
I’m not sure yet what Jun ha is up to with Pal gang. He purposely got Kang ha to witness Tae gyu’s marriage proposal to Palgang. He saw the reaction he needed from Kang ha. He also wanted Jae kyung to witness KH’s reaction. My first thought of JH courting PG is to make KH realize his feelings for PG & do something about it.
This is quite a thriller romance. JH’s real motive on PG. KH’s feelings for PG awakened & jolting him each time he sees PG may be taken by TG or JH. How he unconsciously protects PG quietly but now openly (for this I think he really cares for her).
I admire PG for being careful & hesitant with JH interest in her & accepting his gifts.
Rejects grandpa’s money who she thinks is poor. If PG is truly his grand daughter would she still be considered as Cinderella? The search for Grandpas grand child is another thriller…till KH finds out its PG. I’m speculating grandpa will hand over the company to KH & PG.
THANK YOU. CANT WAIT FOR NEXT RECAP.
AAAAH! That shower scene…
i don’t know why but i felt really really touched during that scene when kang-ha told jun-ha not to play around with PG. this old k-drama formula never fails, ever.
thanks sarahbeans!
Loved this episode!! I watched it twice – RAW and with subs!! ^_^
Thanks for the recaps!
This episode answers a lot of my questions in term of why a certain character does a certain thing in previous episodes. For instant, I asked why did Kang-Ha is most tolerable with Parang when Parang is the most troublesome of all the kids. So, just to psychoanalyze Kang-Ha character a little bit, his past help us makes sense all of his action so far. Among all the kids, Kangha feels he identifies with Parang the most. I got a hint that in the past, he was like Parang and he knows how it feels to be abandoned. That’s why he rushed to the police station in the previous episode to find Parang. In addition, when in his car, Parang complains of hunger, he took the entire family to the Chinese restaurant and further tolerated Parang’s well intention but disastrous movements. Kangha see his little self in Parang. We see many clips in episode 11 proving this hypothesis, for instant when Kangha tries out Super Mario bros game after Parang did it
As far as Kangha’s memory montage in earlier episode of Pal-gang, I thought of it as he acknowledge her sincere effort to change and passionate in what she want to do, i.e. try her best for the kids despite all difficulties, even begging if necessary. I don’t think he see her as a woman yet. Pal-gang character, in Kang-ha’s mind, at this point is a contrast with his mother. While his mother sold her “only child” off for money and be with other “adjussi,” Pal-gang chose to become a mother to her siblings and not abandon them even though she doesn’t have any money. Therefore, in a way, Kang-ha is helping Pal-gang out because he wanted to see the results of her hard work. He wants to believe that one can do it.
I think I will comment on Junha character in the next episode.
Thanks for the recap (which made me smile a lot!)
I love this series.
And for once, I do like a female lead character in a kdrama. 
Jun-ha is quite an interesting character. There are many hints to his motivations, and also many hints that he isn’t the nice person everyone thinks he is. He certainly is manipulative, on the emotional level, and he likes to be the pupeteer rather than the person in the limelight. And, interestingly enough, his characterization is consistent, even if it might seem that he’s flipflopping around. The main beef here is definietly whatever issues he has with Kang-ha. If, what Kang-ha says, is true, then Jun-ha saw (or at least knew about) how his brother was beaten, and he knows that Kang-ha’s never one to let down his guard of cold indifference. Now, suddenly there’s Kang-ha who is clearly thrown off-balance by Pal-gang and her siblings – after outright ignoring her for 5 years! I doubt that Kang-ha gave himself much of an opening over the years, so Jun-ha is certainly reveling at having found an opening and poke his finger into the softer tissue to make Kang-ha squirm. Think about it, Pal-gang is in the house for how long, not even two weeks, and Kang-ha’s completely unhinged. “Don’t get involved if you don’t want to take responsibility.” And quite obviously, Kang-ha got involved and he took over responsibility.
Now, Jun-ha doesn’t take responsibility, he’s much too busy to feel sorry for himself and scheme his next steps. What is his goal? Getting his hands on JY is the obvious answer – but true to JH’s characterization, he is the manipulator in the background, rather than taking proactive steps and be responsibility. Like that girl at the swing said “You were always there”. JH doesn’t take risks, he lets others take his risk – and then wonders why he doesn’t get any harvest out of it except for more hurt. I wonder what his childhood was like – is this his way of survival?
JH trying to seduce PG – I think that he is 100% sure that he will not be able to sway her. After all, she has chased KH for so many years and bounced off so-many rejections (and even TKs proposal), so I don’t think he thinks she would fall for it. Why should he want to win her in the first place? Of course, there’s always the possibility that JH really does like PG. After all, he does remember her attempts on KH, so he has been aware of her all the time (though I guess that KH has been aware of her, too, just ignored her)… But I don’t believe in that option… unless JH has more shields up than KH, that is. He likes to see himself as the good guy, and I think he did enjoy the “playing prince charming” on a very honest level, but that’s about it. He wouldn’t pull through with this, unless the bets are upped quite a bit. However, I think that JH is quickly getting out of comfortable waters here, because I think that KH’s words about not playing with PG did get through to him.
I wonder if the revelation of his family history will be what will tip the scale for JH, one way or the other. It could push him from “friendly manipulation&payback” to outright villain, or it could be the piece of the puzzle which makes him forgive his half brother.
Also, there’s the older sibling who is the parent of TK – if you do the maths, that sibling has to be at least around 40. How does that person fit in? And since it’s an older sibling, where does that put KH and JH? Is JH’s mother the same mother as the one of the older sibling?
About TK… he’s getting what he’s asking for. He might be sweet, but he’s totally reckless and irresponsible. Acting on a crush (and again, it has only been what, a week, a week an a half?), he proposes to a woman who has to take care of 5 kids, while he himself doesn’t even have a stable job to feed himself.
JH playing on him might be cruel, but TK’s imagination is more cruel, assuming that this is all about him. Breaking news, TK, the world doesn’t revolve around you. ;P
[...] Wish Upon a Star: Episode eleven — Dramabeans [...]
I LOVE IT….THANKS……I like how they develop each character…….I am excited and imagining what could happen next……..
I just remember, in earlier episode, Pal Gang warned Kang Ha to be careful of having no friend. Because if some troubles come, he has no one to come helping him. Well, now the trouble is coming. Maybe it’s time for Pal Gang to help him.
I think this episode not so much fun. Is it because no bickering between Kang Ha and Pal Gang? Or because of Kang Ha’s mom? I hate her. And I hate her more in episode 12. She makes JaeYong’s mom become bearable. And no. Jae Young still unbearable.
Thank you for recaps. I can’t wait for your next recap.
FInally, a second male lead with some guts! I was annoyed by those “I’m too good to be true” males. I mean, at the end of the drama the girl usually gets the badass, and I always wonder if he’s really changed or if in a couple of months he will return an evil/badass/whatever man!
Maybe I’m the only one, but I was glad there were less scenes of the nephew. I’m starting to find him annoying. Please find him a girl! ^_^
And… I want to thank again our favrourite korean Matthew McConaughey. Well at least we know it’s a clean person, since he’s always taking showers!!!
Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss! Finally! Like many of you, I’ve been waiting for Javabeans recaps since yesterday. Was pretty confused about Ep 11 and I thought its because I was reading subtitles. Good to know that I’m not the only one not sure about Jun-ha’s behaviour. However, definitely don’t think he’s serious. How can a man spout all those teasing lines when trying to hit on a woman? Well… at least not the Jun-ha’s character. I’ve watched Ep 12 and think things are clearer but am waiting patiently for Javabeans’ recaps – stretches my week till Ep 13.
As for Kang-ha, I’m beginning to see his charms and understand all your fascination with him.
Less wooden now since his emotions are coming onto the surface. Now I wanna see a kissing scene before this show grows any older. 
thanks for the recap, javabeans! loving it so far. and yay for totally necessary shower scene… gotta have a few more of those, yum!
I honestly will never get women who go for the douchebag instead of the sweet one. Tsk.
Beside his somewhat good looks, I don’t see any reason why women would want to be with Kang-ha. In the past anyway before his transition to a human being.
Jun Ha to me seem to be the most conflicted of all the characters. He is obviously a good guy but then his affection for Jae Young just brings out his bad side.
Yesss! Thanks for the recap JB!
The last scene was the real Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! – scene eh?
I watched this episode with my hand covering my gaping mouth and was screaming in my head the entire time (more excited screams than horrified screams). Loved it!
All three have fallen for her, and she’s both indifferent or oblivious. Asa!
I like how Pal-gang’s being pretty vocal and honest about her feelings too, I was wondering how she was going to turn Tae-kyu down, she was pretty nice about it, but without encouraging him either, we should all learn from PG.
Although we know it’s still not deterred him. Hahaha!
Jun-ha, hmm… I don’t hate him, but I do think he’s being mean at this point, especially since he’s clocked his brother’s reactions to her. In a way, he did do a lot for her, but their relationship is a bit imbalanced. She is much more comfortable and honest around Kang-ha.
Aaaargh! Where do I start about Kang-ha? He’s SUCH a sweetheart! The end.
Would appreciate s’more scenes between him and Pa-rang, please, WUAS-writers.
it’s my first time reading this reccaped version of WUAS and it really captured me..i really like this kind of drama’s and i feel good that i can read recapped versions of it..btw is it still airing in korea?i’m really excited for more ep’s to come and i really can’t wait…thanks JB…
hmmh why is it so strange..ahh i’ll just ignore it but why didn’t i notice it was (shin doong wook) the boy from warfare money?ooh i really like him there as much as i like him here…this drama is so cute casted.. ;D
i think my YAB obsession is still not going away….jjejejejeejjeejejejejeje
OMG!! I love your recaps, thanks, I enjoy watching the drama, but I can’t be without reading your blog, is really amazing.
I can’t put my thoughts in order to write about it, but is nice to watch KH being more open and let us watch his inner turnmoil, it made us see that he’s human too and he can be hurt or that he can feel confused and lost.
The kids are adorable, Nami the most….
I just hope the romance develop a little more, like more scenes with them together and being a little sweet between them.
…thanks for your recaps again, JB!!! I sooo rely on them (& the reader’s comments, of course!!), since you give a detailed background on each & every scene (never mind the Jin family!!)…& these info makes my drama-viewing much more enjoyable!!!
…was about to start watching ep.12, but viikii’s links are broken!!!
Now, I ♥ that song by C.N. Blue! It just made my day~
Thank you Javabeans!
This show has become my favorite. I am really liking how Pal-Gang is maturing into an independent, strong woman without becoming jaded (so far).
I like the twist in Jun-Ha’s character. He started out as the “awww, the sweet 2nd lead guy who won’t get the girl”, but slowly the layers are coming off. But I like his character because it still leaves a tiny doubt in my mind thinking, maybe it isn’t fake…
The plot line that I’m sucked into is the grandpa/chairman-Pal Gang-Kang Ha relationship. How will they react when they find out Pal Gang is the granddaughter? How will Kang Ha react? Will Pal Gang and Kang Ha already be in love when this is revealed, breaking them up?
I’ll just pause my crazy imagination and patiently wait for the next episodes and your recap.
Thanks again!
I’m actually surprised that people believe JH to be taking a villianous turn. I didn’t see that at all. Yes, I saw the shiftiness, and I do know that he’s about to start manipulating things. However, I see his manipulations as a favor to his brother. I’m totally guessing here, but, I think JH has wanted to be closer to his brother, but KH has so many walls up that he’s never allowed anyone to get close to him. Now that he sees someone flustering him, getting to him behind his wall, he wants to help, even if he has to act as a rival. I don’t think he’s deliberately trying to hurt his brother, nor is he trying to hurt PG.
As for the rivalry for women, I don’t know if it was much of a rivalry. It appears that the women all chased after KH because he wasn’t chasing after them, and JH was there to help them pick up the pieces. I think JH is just as cynical about women as KH because of what he’s seen over the years. I’d really rather not see him paired up with JY, so I hope that he really hasn’t been pining for her.
Oh, that C.N Blue song makes me hop around like a crazy K-drama heroine!
Am I the only one who feels that Kang-ha’s and Pal-gang’s “relationship” is a bit jerky? I don’t think it’s LURVE yet, Kang-ha is obviously confused ( as the scenes with the soju bottles indicate), and romance seems to be the last thing on PG’s mind.
As for Jun-ha… I’m so happy he’s not the good guy who has to suffer in artistic silence while the girl falls for the lead guy. I’m curious to see what he’ll do next.
As for the “stalker”, honestly I don’t know whether she is a good actress or not because everytime she shows up on screen, all I can focus on is her overly-plumped up lips. It’s a sort of horrified fascination I can tell ya!
JB, you’re right. I feel that this certainly isn’t the best drama out there and perhaps I should watch more serious fare like Jejoongwon, but WUAS has such an irresistible pull on me in spite of it’s many flaws.
@ langdon813: Pa-rang and Kang-Ha forever!
Thank you very much for the recap JB, I was looking forward to it (also now for EP.12 – watched it raw again
)
Regarding Jun-Ha….he is really an ambivalent character. I cant’t and won’t belive that he is the evil man in this drama. But how he acts at the moment, its hard to get what is going on in his mind…
From the beginning he helped and supported PalGang as much as he could have done…and while doing this, he provoked his elder brother so often just to get him to show more humanity, sympathy…nearly forced KangHa to see and accept PalGang, that I really have some difficulties to figure out what is going on in his head now
JunHa has definitely a sharp intelligence when it comes to observate the action, and hidden feelings of the people around him. That of course gives him the power to be manupilative…And that is how I am starting to see him…the manupalator.
I dont want this drama to get this typical ….younger brother hates older brother because he has and gets everything (for example like Lovers in Paris). This would be really a to simple plot….
I wish….JunHa is doing all this, just to crack KangHa’s cold armor who wrappes his heart and soul and while doing this healing JaeYoungs obsession of KH.
Even if he doing this now with bad intension, just for hurting KH, taking revenge for being always the second….while he is acting like this he unconciously boosts KH to the top of hiss bliss.
By the way, I like it how blunt KH is, can be. He is the most candid of the three of them. Thats also the reason why I dont like JaeYoung, because she cant accept his rejections….I mean, does this woman has no single drop of pride running through her veins ?
She acts like a spoiled brat who set in her mind to get a toy she cant have. ..
Well this drama is getting better with each new episode….EP.12 is definetely an inflection point, well regarding that 8 more Eps. left…it was awaited.
The scenes I am looking for is….when PalGang and the Grandfather learn about their relationship. I suppose PalGang will be happy and also very angry, as he lied to them for so many years…Ahhh and of course it will be a joy to watch KH reaction when he is going to find out the truth. Espacially his reaction when he learns that PalGang has no blood-relationship with the children
While Jun Ha plans his scheme, he used Tae Kyu as a pawn. He wanted to see where everybody stands so he knows how and where to begin. His motives could be seen in 2 ways (I’m just guessing) – to help Jae Young or to spare Pal Gang from his horrible (that’s what he thinks) brother. He probably does have feelings for her; I would like to think he knows better than playing with a woman taking care of 5 siblings; he’s aware of what she’s going through. Though Jun Ha may seem scheming right now, I don’t think he’s that evil.
And I think Kim Ji Hoon’s acting improved in this episode.
My favorite part of the episode was Kang-ha sneaking in some game time on his computer and then closing it and acting all business-like when he was interrupted
But I wonder how the game was on his computer in the first place. When he pushed Pa-rang towards the computer and told him to play a game, I thought the kid would only find spreadsheets and word-processors on there 
@ 56 Emi
“But I wonder how the game was on his computer in the first place. When he pushed Pa-rang towards the computer and told him to play a game, I thought the kid would only find spreadsheets and word-processors on there”
Oh, good point!! And I’m pretty sure it was the original Super Mario Bros that he was playing. That’s not something a game that today’s 6 year old would request. But having lost many hours of my childhood to that game, it’s definitely a game that some Kang-ha would have fondness for. Come to think of it, Jun-ha said that Kang-ha never brings work home with him, so what is he doing on his computer ever night?
Wouldn’t it be hilarious is if all this time Kang-ha has been playing classic video games on his computer?! Between that and his music room, Kang-ha is turning out to be a real electronics geek.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! The website I was using died and I wasn’t able to see the rest of the episode!!!!! I think this storyline is interesting but I completely agree with you about the side plots. I just can’t get interested in them! I end up skipping over the parts I don’t want to see cause its boring!!!
Thanks again!
My Korean is very limited so I can’t be sure, but does Kang-ha speak kind of old-fashioned/super formal or something? When I hear him speak, it reminds me a bit of how they talk in saeguks. Would love it if someone clarified this for me. Thanks!
waah thanks for the recap!
ok i’ll keep this short: i was confused when i first saw it watching kangha with his mom and all those mommy issues come out, because i had not realized that kang ha and jun ha were half brothers. but thanks for clarifying that.
however – does this mean that jun ha was left with HIS father? i was under the impression they were both raised by the same father (his progeny or not it didn’t matter) – but i guess, with everyone treating kang ha as the heir and not jun ha, i guess the company doesn’t recognize jun ha as an heir too. and assuming that the mom left jun ha behind too (because their age gap isn’t that big, and that means when kang ha was left with his dad, jun ha was born already) why doesn’t he have mommy issues too?
they look like they were raised together (the flashback implies it), but i’m surprised kang ha keeps referencing himself as the only kid that she abandoned (as though jun ha wasn’t born yet). and surprisingly, the mom doesn’t go to jun ha for money (he has so much money to spend – he said it himself!).
jun ha’s seemingly lack of recollection for his mother perhaps played a role into why he had a happier childhood. kang ha must have been one good brother in protecting jun ha from bad stories about their mom or just not telling him – he kept the revenge and hatred to himself and didn’t poison others with it.
as for jun ha – his manipulations sure do make him a more interesting character – but i will hate to see his plans fall through. he knew his ex was right when she called pal gang a trap – he’s totally going to fall for her.
thank you for the recap!!!
@56 Emi
I loved how slick he was. in one fluid motion, he closed his laptop and picked up the book (and the book was right-side up too! as expected from the perfect KangHa).
@57 Quaggy
what a great thought! Maybe that’s why Kangha types so fast on his computer! he was gaming! And that’s why he got so sensitive abt people touching his laptop. And JunHa’s reaction when Taekyu kissed him- i bet that was Shin Dong Wook’s real reaction! hahaha
There are so many great things about this episode! I agree that technically this isn’t one of the best dramas (especially with really bad acting from jaeyoung and jaeyoung 2.0- jaeyoung 2.0 could have been a good character if she was better acted), but it’s got bucketfuls of charm. And even though I dislike JunHa sometimes, I’m glad he’s not the typical male lead and his real motivations are mysterious enough to make me want to watch him closely. I love how KangHa’s feelings for Pal-gang are developing. It may not be romantic at this point, but I like that he watches out for her. And I love the part where he said: “Watch what you say. Don’t call her this or that one, call her by her name. Her name is Jin Pal-gang”. I remember being so annoyed with Junha in an earlier episode when Jaeyoung was running her mouth referring to Pal-gang as that woman. Finally someone corrected her!
And Palgang, what a refreshing character! I love her to bits! It is a good testament to her sense of responsibility and maturity that she is careful about Junha’s attentions to her. Nothing in life can be taken for granted.
I can’t tell who is worse. Jaeyoung’s mom or KangHa’s mom. Jaeyoung’s mom is a murderer but at least she is classy and looks out for Jaeyoung. KangHa’s mom really rubs me the wrong way with her vulgarity and lack of any affection for KangHa.
@kaedejun,
Based on what has been said, Kang-ha and Jun-ha do not share the same mother. So Jun-ha wouldn’t have abandonment issues because he wasn’t abandoned, and she wouldn’t ask Jun-ha for money because she and he are no relation.
Kang-ha came to live with the Won family at the age of five, when Jun-ha was two. Presumably, Jun-ha was born to a married couple, while Kang-ha was born out of wedlock. I suspect (though we don’t know for sure) that Kang-ha then lived with his father and stepmother, along with Jun-ha. Either his father had a relationship with Kang-ha’s mother before marrying Jun-ha’s mother, or he had an affair. In either case, Kang-ha is the “heir” because he is the eldest son.
My husband and I both love Kdramas but he is more into action and period dramas, whereas I like romatic comedies. And so, most of the time, we watch our drama of choice separately. However, “Stars” is one of the current dramas that we watch together – the other being Chuno. We excitedly look forward to new episodes every week. I hope both will have happy endings …
).
@javabeans
hehe – i just read in soompi that that was the case, and i hurried back here to retake my comment!!!
but yeah – makes a LOT more sense they don’t share the same mother. doesn’t stop jun ha from being a little twisted in his thinking… o_O
twisted, but with good intentions!
JY makes me barf in my mouth each time I see her fishface, whereas KH’s birth mom gives me the heebie-jeebies and makes me pull out my mirror compact to make sure that I don’t have a moustache on my face, and that its not normal to have one, ergo, she is a giant freak inside and out!
On the happy side, thank you for a wonderful recap, JB. Your insightful commentary really brings out a lot of underlying issues percolating in this drama, which I can’t wait to see dealt with properly.
I love PK, for being direct without being rude, for being considerate without being solicitous, for being herself and continuing to move forward and not getting pulled into the bullshit JH is selling.
KH – sigh, he’s got so much hurt and loneliness in him. My heart aches for him.
Another great recap! Thank you, as always
I definitely agree with you about Jun-ha. Wouldn’t it be a nice twist to see the second lead in a quasi-evil light? Hhhhmm…so many possibilities! I’m rooting for that possibility because I’d like to see how that would be handled. If it were going in that direction, I wonder if he’d end up falling for her or continue wanting to wreak revenge on Kang-ha. Bwahahaha…
Like others above, I was thinking that Jun-ha decided to act like he was interested in Pal-Gang, after determining that Tae-Kyu wasn’t really going to be a threat, to get his brother to realize his feelings, or to at least make him more uncomfortable, since that also seems to be the point to all of his comments about how different Kang-Ha is acting compared to his normal cold, disinterested self. But when Jun-Ha was with his ex watching Pal-Gang’s presentation, I had trouble reading the meaning behind his expression when his ex-girlfriend said she thought Pal-Gang was the trap he had always avoided in the past. I almost got the feeling that it was the first time Jun-Ha considered his game might be more dangerous that he first considered. Which actually confused me — is he just playing, or isn’t he?
JB, thanks for another great recap! This drama has got me hooked! =)
@ 27 Quaggy,
I agree, Jun-ha didn’t just disregard Tae-kyu’s feelings; he was just plain cruel, the way he orchestrated that scene where Tae-kyu asked Pal-gang to marry him. Tae-kyu asked for his help, so Jun-ha paid for the engagement ring. Jun-ha convinced his brother to grab drinks, there. Jun-ha got Jae-young to go. It was carefully orchestrated theater. And poor Tae-kyu unwittingly had the sucker role. The depth of Jun-ha’s cruelty, knowing that Pal-gang would reject Tae-kyu, and that Tae-kyu would be crushed and humiliated in front of all those people…dude, that was really, really mean. To what intended end is Jun-ha going, with all this manipulation and messing with people? People that he supposedly cares about…? But, I don’t hate Jun-ha. His has to be one of the most interesting second lead male’s roles that a drama has ever presented. I’m looking forward to seeing where Jun-ha takes all of us. Good stuff…not so much evil…but definitely devious, with a healthy dose of mean thrown in.
I love how Pal-gang’s character has been developing…and I can’t wait to see her when she realizes what a worthwhile person she is, and that she is deserving of love.
I really disliked Kang-ha’s character in the beginning, but I am sooo liking the pacing that they’re giving his metamorphosis. When he discovers Pa-rang at the foot of his bed, his smile is so warm and gentle and his eyes give away the real fondness he feels for the young boy who thinks so highly of him.
Can’t wait to see how the story unfolds more about Kang-ha’s mother, and her history with Jae-young’s mother. Is Jae-young’s mother her mother? Wow.
Again, as I always say “Thank you so much JavaBeans!”
Thank you! Great recaps, as always, and very useful clarifications.
This is definitely my favourite drama right now. Aside from the boring and terminally strident Jae Young, and her boring family, the characters are intriguing, developing in interesting ways… and while I am assured of a happy ending (I better get one) and I know the OTP will end up together, I’m enjoying the way things are twisting here and there.
Team Pa-Rang!
Love your recaps. I love this drama so much! Episode 12 is the one!
…can’t wait for your take on ep.12 & your “most-sought-after-recaps”, JB!!!
it was for me the BEST episode to date…+ many of the above-mentioned questions are aptly answered…although a whole Pandora’s box of secrets, have also emerged!!! never expected to LOVE this drama, at first…truthfully, I only checked it out for some Kim Ji Hoon eye-candy!!! But the storyline has since been getting better each week & the characters have become endearing!!!
Hmm…I always thought that Jun-ha was going after Pal-gang because of a comment that Jae-young made about Pal-gang and Kang-ha…about why it had to be her and not some other girl. I guess I just kind of assumed that Jun-ha wanted to get Pal-gang to turn away from Kang-ha (by setting up the situation with his nephew, and when that didn’t work, by trying to win her over himself) so that Kang-ha (might) turn to Jae-young. Almost like Jun-ha’s last grand gesture to Jae-young and his acceptance of the fact that since he wasn’t going to win her heart, he should help her get her “heart’s desire.” Did anybody else get the same feeling?
Thanks for the recap… I love it very much… This episode give hints about Kang ha’s cold behavior because of his past and his mother… Cant wait to read episode 12… Aja Javabean continue to make good recaps… peace out..
@lsk4020 — I think your take on Jun-Ha’s motives makes sense. I was thinking he was just trying to get his brother to admit his attraction, based on all of the pointed comments he made about how Kang-Ha was acting so different with Pal-Gang, but it didn’t feel right. So I’m thinking you’re correct and that he now just wants (or always wanted) Pal-Gang to fall for someone else so Kang-Ha will reconsider Jae-Young. I just didn’t want him to be this pathetic. Or so thoughtless.
75 kjohn,
I totaly agree. I also think Jun Ha wants Pal Gang to fall for someone else but Kang Ha. So when Pal Gang rejected Taekyu, he stepped in – all in the name of love sacrifice. *Still can’t get through the fact that how Jun Ha loves Jae Young so much. Urgh. Such a crappy way of showing how much you care.
But somehow, I do hope that despite his motive(s), he would really fall for Pal Gang, for who she really is. He’d shown some attractions towards her after all (like when he talked about her to his ex). I think Jun Ha’s plan is going to be backfired. Instead of hurting Kang Ha/ helping Jae Young/ whatever his motives are, he’s going to really fall for Pal Gang. Then things would really get interesting.
“And of course, sweaty exercise necessitates showering — no not gratuitous not at all! — and the drama would be remiss if it were to skip out on this excuse very necessary reason to give us a shower scene, wouldn’t it?”
…MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. I laughed really loudly when the shower scene came on. Good eye candy though, of course.
Although I’ve made the transition to Team Kang-ha, I still have a somewhat soft spot for Jun-ha, and you’re right on spot about him becoming more interesting as he stops being just the “nice guy” and is “the nice guy with a purpose which we are unable to ascertain as viewers”.
I can’t quite tell if he does genuinely likes her in a romantic way- although most of the time, to us, it’s quite obvious he’s not investing the right kind of emotions in her, you can’t help but see that there are also genuine moments of emotions like when his ex (Jae-young’s clone, as it is) claims that Pal-gang looks like a trap, and he looks over at her consideringly, as though…
The only blip in the whole episode was the end with the semi-kiss scene – I understand it’s to give viewers a sense of the to-be-romantic involvement, but the set up’s a tad too cliched for this drama, and it felt oddly out-of-place to me.
Dying to watch Episode 12, but…the site I’m streaming from!!…ARG…
Anyway, JB, thanks again for the fantastic recap and the great laughs…
Dude I love CN Blue.
Poor Kang Ha! In one episode, the gut-Wrenching Workout of Woe, the Shower of Self-Loathing, the Drinking of Despair, and the Exposition of Deep Past Hurts (I’ve run out of alliteration). How many more cliched ways for Kim Ji Hoon to signal that Kang Ha is tortured? Teehee. Oh, I must have a heart of stone, because I just giggle.
i was randomly looking around the site and i read a comment that mentioned wish a upon a star. i looked it up on dramabeans and…omg thank you so much commenter!! this drama has been so much fun to watch! i dont think kang ha is that hot, but i love jun ha even though he is becoming evil >:)))))
haha lol. and i feel sorry for poor tae kyu. and its pretty much expected that all three of those men fell/will fall for pal gang sooner or later, right? hehe…