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Wish Upon a Star: Episode 15

Not the best episode; I thought it felt rather flat, particularly compared to the many adorable moments we’ve seen in recent weeks. There are a couple of reasons for this, namely: too much Jae-young, not enough kids. That, and almost everyone annoyed in this episode, except Pal-gang. (The kids don’t count, because they weren’t really featured.) I hope tomorrow picks things up and makes up for it.

SONG OF THE DAY

Wish Upon a Star OST – “그대니까 (내 사랑 너니까)” – Because It’s You (Because You’re My Love) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 15 RECAP

After the family comes home, Jae-young maintains a fake-friendly tone that all the adults understand is not actually friendly. Kang-ha clenches his jaw and retreats to his room in silence, followed by Jae-young.

Now in the privacy of his room, she lets her anger show. What’s going on, and why is his face bruised and cut up? Tae-kyu bursts in to congratulate the couple, oblivious to the negative vibes in the air. Kang-ha feels tired from dealing with all this, and asks to be left alone.

The kids don’t sense the tension in the air, and just conclude that Kang-ha is out of the picture as their sister’s possible suitor. However, Pa-rang insists, “No! Mr. Lawyer ajusshi likes noona!” Cho-rok asks, “Would a guy like that marry someone else?”

Jun-ha faces his brother to ask what everything means — his face, his taking the kids to the park, everything. Kang-ha tries to dismiss it as merely fulfilling Pa-rang’s wish, but Jun-ha isn’t convinced and asks, “Since when have you ever listened to others?” He advises Kang-ha to figure this out between himself and Jae-young, without using Pal-gang.

Kang-ha asks, “Are you okay with me marrying Jae-young?” Jun-ha plays it cool, saying that she’d be a great sister-in-law, but he’s curious to know why Kang-ha changed his mind so suddenly. He doesn’t get an answer.

Alone in their respective rooms, both Kang-ha and Pal-gang think back to some of their happier moments. She can’t deny that she’s affected by news of Kang-ha’s impending marriage, but she tries to rationalize her response. With tears in her eyes, she says not-quite-convincingly, “Still, it was five years. That’s why you’re like this. It’s nothing — it’s just because it was five years.”

The next morning, Pal-gang oversleeps and hurries into the kitchen late to get breakfast started, but to her surprise, Jun-ha is cooking. With a smile, he says that she was probably tired from yesterday, so he took it upon himself to fix the meal. He declines her offers to help, and sets the table.

The kids all love the cooking, and No-rang in particular sings Jun-ha’s praises, calling him prime husband material. (Tae-kyu, feeling threatened again, is less than gracious.)

March means schooltime is back for the children, and Jun-ha offers to drop them off. The family piles into Jun-ha’s car, leaving Kang-ha to look back at them as he heads off alone. I wouldn’t say he looks wistful, but that’s what he’s got to be feeling, since not long ago he was the one in the middle of the big family whirl.

Jun-ha even accompanies Pal-gang to talk to the school administrator, acting the part of the concerned father, which makes Pal-gang uncomfortable. (They drop Nam off in daycare, where Pa-rang will also stay for a few days until his school starts.)

Jae-young wants Kang-ha to meet her parents again, since he missed the first opportunity to officially greet them as her groom. Kang-ha reminds her that she agreed to give him time, but she says that if he waits too long, he’ll just overthink things. The best thing for him is to follow her lead without protest. Knowing that Kang-ha has particular respect for Chairman Jung, she warns him not to upset her grandfather. He should show at least that basic level of courtesy. Fine words coming from a spiteful blackmailer.

But Chairman Jung already knows how Kang-ha feels, and expresses quizzical concern over Kang-ha’s change of heart. Not long ago he had been firm about not marrying Jae-young, so what happened? Does he love Jae-young?

Kang-ha ignores that and replies, “I will marry her.” The chairman won’t be fobbed off with non-answers, so he asks again. Kang-ha can’t lie, so he says, “I’ll do that later, after we marry.” Chairman: “And if you can’t do that later?” Kang-ha says grimly, “I’ll just live, then.” The chairman sighs, and Kang-ha apologizes: “This is all I can say right now.”

In the office elevator, most of the passengers exit except for Kang-ha, who hears a sniffle. It’s Pal-gang, crying to herself in the back of the elevator, who looks up and sees him. Caught, all she can do is try to leave quietly, but Kang-ha grabs her arm. Concerned, he asks, “What’s wrong?”

She stammers that it’s nothing, but he won’t accept that obvious lie and repeats his question more insistently.

He takes her to a nearby cafe, where Pal-gang remains quiet and declines to explain her tears. Kang-ha persists, purposely wording his question a bit harshly (“Are you just going to cry at the office all day?”) to get a rise out of her. She doesn’t respond, so he furrows his brow: “Aren’t you going to snap at me for saying that?” No reaction, so he continues, “You’re supposed to lose your temper and say, ‘I have a reason for crying. Why wouldn’t I, when the situation is bad enough to make me cry?’ That’s more like you.”

At that, she sighs and starts to explain, “Being like me is the bigger problem.” She was just starting to think she was doing good work, but now it appears she’s as useless as ever. She had been really thrilled about winning a new account, a particularly big one worth 2 million won. Yet only today, she found that their factory had caught fire. The grace period on the new policy expired so she couldn’t return their money, which means that they can’t afford their policy and have to cancel it. (I’m not sure about the finer details of insurance policies, but from the way she’s talking, it would appear that the 2 million is something like a deductible, which means that they have just lost that amount with no way of getting that back from the company.)

Kang-ha sees why this is bad but doesn’t think it’s something to cry over, because these things happen often in the insurance world. If she’s crying because she won’t get her bonus, well, she’ll just have to accept that.

But no, Pal-gang continues to tear up as she explains that this is her fault. She pushed the large policy on the clients, so it’s her fault they’ve wasted 2 million won. Kang-ha obviously feels bad to see her so immersed in guilt, but I suppose he’s not comfortable with being the shoulder to cry on (not to mention that he’s purposely distancing himself from playing that role) so he puts on his stern face and chides that it’s no big deal.

They’re sort of dancing around that unspoken issue of his engagement, but it’s there in the air; now there’s an awkwardness in the air between them. Pal-gang hesitantly begins, “Your marriage…” which makes him look intently at her. But she merely concludes, “Congratulations on the marriage. You two look good together.”

Having seen Kang-ha’s reaction for himself, Chairman Jung tells Jae-young to reconsider the marriage, since Kang-ha doesn’t love her. She maintains her position, and even points out that because of Kang-ha’s father, there’s always the possibility of company strife between the two factions. If she marries Kang-ha, the future of the company would also be stabilized.

The chairman shrewdly notes that it sounds like she’s putting the company first. Jae-young answers that the company is as important to her as a person: “I think it’s fortunate that I can have both important things at the same time.” She’s confident that she can succeed with both work and family.

However, Kang-ha sits down with In-gu and requests to be transferred to the U.S. branch, for six months or a year. He says he wants more work experience before marrying, which doesn’t make any sense to In-gu because Kang-ha hardly needs the work experience. Kang-ha requests the transfer anyway.

Confused, In-gu asks his daughter what this means, but she didn’t know either. Angrily, Jae-young bursts into Kang-ha’s office to demand what this is about. Kang-ha growls, “I just want to leave.”

Because Jun-ha had followed her into the office, Jae-young veils her threat in vague words. She reminds Kang-ha that there’s also something she can do in this situation, insinuating that she will reveal his secret as she warns, “Don’t make me do that.”

Of course, such cryptic words don’t slip past Jun-ha, who asks his brother what this means. It there something that he doesn’t know? Kang-ha answers that Jae-young just said it out of anger because he’s running away.

Jun-ha doesn’t buy this, so he confronts Jae-young about her threat. However, Jae-young’s threat loses its hold over Kang-ha if she spills the truth, so she uses another explanation: “It means I really could die.”

Jun-ha reminds her that she used that threat before, and it didn’t work. Jae-young reveals that her mother had poisoned herself in order to force her marriage with her father, and vows that as her mother’s daughter, “I’m not just threatening. I really can do it.” She had told this to Kang-ha, and that must have been what changed his mind. Amazing how Jae-young can sound so proud of something utterly mortifying to anyone with a normal sense of shame.

Pal-gang feels guilty for her unfortunate clients and apologizes to her supervisor, who must see that her remorse is sincere because she doesn’t scold her. Rather, she advises Pal-gang to offer her help to the clients; that’s as much as she can do as the person who involuntarily contributed to their financial difficulty.

Thus Pal-gang helps out at a client’s clothing shop. Since she has to work late, she tells Ju-hwang to pick up Nami from daycare. I think it’s telling that she chose daycare (which costs money) even though Tae-kyu offers to take care of Nam — it shows that Pal-gang doesn’t want to be indebted to Tae-kyu (or the Won family). Even if it makes her life harder, she wants to be independent of them.

(Cho-rok also takes this moment to point out that Tae-kyu’s losing ground against Jun-ha. The pizza Tae-kyu buys them is nice and all, but how does that hold up against preparing a full breakfast spread?)

The brothers drink at the jazz bar after work, where Jae-young joins them (uninvited). She sits down, intent on getting Kang-ha drunk and changing his mind about going to the States. He, on the other hand, is irritable and says that he’d asked for the six months to have some time to think things over: “I don’t want to marry you. But I have to. Then can’t you give me six months to myself?”

Clearly not: Just as Jun-ha joins the table, Jae-young says leadingly that Jun-ha looks exactly like his mother, while Kang-ha doesn’t. Why is that? Furthermore, Jun-ha’s personality resembles his mother’s while Kang-ha is starkly different.

Jun-ha’s perplexed, but Kang-ha tenses. Angrily, he grabs Jae-young’s arm and drags her away to the staircase landing, where he demands, “Do you really want to play dirty like this?” She counters, “You’re the one who made me into this!” At the end of his rope, Kang-ha loses his temper and yells, “Fine! Let’s go through with that damned marriage, then!” He storms out.

Jun-ha approaches a tearful Jae-young and points out, “You got what you wanted. Why are you crying?” She says, “It’s more ridiculous for a woman facing ‘that damned marriage’ to be laughing.” Jun-ha says that it’s not like her to cry, and since she’s getting what she wants, she’s better off laughing anyway.

Maybe she wants more sympathy, because Jae-young cries, “Won Jun-ha, how can you be like this too? You shouldn’t treat me like this. You’re my friend. In times like this, you’re supposed to tell me, ‘My brother’s a mean bastard. But since you’re marrying him, congratulations anyway.’ You’re supposed to say that!”

For once, Jun-ha eyes her with a disapproving look. He explains that he had always been on her side when she’d been proud and confident. “But strangely, seeing you crying doesn’t hurt my heart anymore.” (Thank goodness!)

That night, Jae-young comes home drunk, where her mother confronts her about Kang-ha going to the U.S. Does she really have to marry a guy who is so obviously running away from her?

Jae-young turns the tables on her mother, saying, “You did that too.” After all, Min-kyung risked her own life by taking pills in order to get the chairman to change his mind and consent to her marriage. Therefore, shouldn’t she be satisfied that her daughter is getting her way, and without injuring herself?

Min-kyung hates when Jae-young compares herself to her, because at least her well-off daughter didn’t have her own disadvantages, such as a helpless mother or worthless father, or three siblings to feed with money she earned at a hostess bar.

Jae-young retorts, “Isn’t this the life you wanted?” She tells her mother that Min-kyung did it all out of selfish reasons: “For choosing a marriage for ambition rather than love, you should pat me on the back. I learned from you, so you should be proud of me!”

Min-kyung slaps Jae-young, hurt by her daughter’s callousness.

Min-kyung: “That’s what everyone says. That Lee Min-kyung used a child without love as an opportunity to change her life and succeed. That she even used a suicide attempt to hang onto an indecisive man. She didn’t really mean to die, but did it for show. Yeah, my mom and dad did that, they told their daughter who took drugs and tried to die that she did a good job. That that’s the way to succeed. Why can’t I be proud of you? Because I really did mean to die. I didn’t want to bring you into this world where you’d be suspected of not being your father’s real child. So I can’t pat you on the back.”

Min-kyung says that it doesn’t have to be Kang-ha — she’d rather her daughter be a woman who is loved. Realizing she stepped across the line, Jae-young apologizes. She doesn’t know why it has to be Kang-ha, either — it’s just that when she was young, Grandfather doted on him instead of her: “He received a love that I couldn’t receive. After a while, I felt I had to marry him.”

Min-kyung starts to understand, and asks, “Did you want to receive the acknowledgment that your parents couldn’t earn from Grandfather?” Jae-young answers, “When I was younger, I think so. That’s what I did at first, but now I can’t see anyone but Kang-ha oppa. So don’t say this is because of ambition. Even if I can’t receive love, I want to live with the one I love.”

All in all, a pretty solid scene. (Surprising! I know!) Min-kyung now understands that she and In-gu have wronged their daughter, and wonders what they can do for her now.

Jun-ha waits outside the subway for Pal-gang, suggesting a(nother) round of drinks. She sits with him at a pojangmacha, although she doesn’t touch her shot, explaining that she doesn’t drink these days. She used to before her parents died, but not anymore.

Jun-ha had figured she would feel like drinking today, after hearing about Kang-ha’s marriage. On the contrary, Pal-gang explains that despite the one-sidedness of her love, it wasn’t a heartbreaking experience. It was actually a refreshing feeling to go around confident that she could win him over eventually, even if everyone laughed at her for it.

Jun-ha asks how Pal-gang knew he loved Jae-young. She answers that whenever Kang-ha came in with the kids, he looked to Jae-young’s reaction, looking like he wanted to punch his brother. Pal-gang wonders why he never confessed his feelings to her, since he knows that Kang-ha doesn’t love her. He says that it was because she loves Kang-ha. Plus, his mother always told him not to mess with his brother’s things

As they make their way back home, Jun-ha stumbling a bit drunkenly on the front steps, he confides another secret. Tonight he turned away from Jae-young even though she was crying, which is something he could never have done in the past. For some reason, he could turn away today.

Pal-gang reasons (perhaps speaking of herself?), “It could be that you felt even more hurt so you couldn’t stand to see it.”

Sneaky Jun-ha spies Kang-ha walking up the steps, and the brothers meet eyes for a moment. Suddenly, he grabs Pal-gang to him in a hug, saying with (false) urgency, “What can I do to make you believe that’s not it? Just as your one-sided love is over, I’m telling you mine is too.”

She starts to pull away, but he holds her tighter while Kang-ha looks on. Jun-ha asks, “Or are you not over it? Is that why you don’t want to hear I’ve given up?”

With more force, Pal-gang pushes back and tells him to stop: “If you’re sad, endure it on your own. This won’t provide any comfort. The most I can do for you is being your drinking partner.”

She heads past him to the house, not seeing Kang-ha’s arrival.

Kang-ha (thankfully!) is not fooled by Jun-ha’s act, and tells him, “You can cut it out. I’m going to marry Jae-young, so you don’t have to work this hard.” He points out that Jun-ha is persistent, and doesn’t change his feelings easily, “So quit that awkward game you’re playing with that woman.”

Jun-ha smirks, “And if it’s not a game?” Kang-ha doesn’t buy that Jun-ha’s for real, and says that there’s a key difference between them — Kang-ha doesn’t ever mess with a woman’s illusions, and he’s not interested in women who are otherwise taken. But Jun-ha, on the other hand, can’t let go — “Even if you don’t make her your woman.”

Kang-ha: “Have you ever thought that that could be even crueler?”
Jun-ha: “Are you worrying that Jin Pal-gang will be manipulated by a cruel guy like me? You’re marrying Jae-young, but still you’re worried that she’ll get used by a mean guy like me. Be honest — that you’re worried about her. That you don’t have the courage to choose her, but that you don’t have confidence that you won’t fall for her so you’re forcing yourself into marriage. Or if not, just quit everything. Let go of the woman you’re falling for but can’t choose, and don’t go through with a marriage you don’t want. Then Jae-young doesn’t turn into a wretch either.”
Kang-ha: “I’m marrying Jae-young.”
Jun-ha: “Then why worry about Jin Pal-gang, whether I play around with her or not?”
Kang-ha: “Because I don’t want you to be tormented wondering why you turned into such a cruel guy! That’s the only thing I’m worried about.”

Jun-ha has been making Pal-gang feel uncomfortable all episode by his excessive kindness, and now his pseudo-confession makes things worse. As a result, Pal-gang calls Grandpa Jung that night to ask him about his request to find her mother’s friend. If she can find the woman, will he really give her the 30 million won? She doesn’t have the information yet, but she needs the money in order to find a place to live.

Things come to a head the next morning, when Pal-gang walks into a chaotic kitchen. Spurred to compete with Jun-ha, Tae-kyu taken it upon himself to make breakfast, only his dishes are a mess and he has fallen asleep midway through.

Tae-kyu insists that he has to prove his love for her, but Pal-gang is at the end of her patience. As she loses her temper, Jun-ha and Kang-ha emerge from their rooms in time to overhear her raised voice. She declares that she will move out when the (new) contract is over, because she’s sick of this. She’s sick of being a toy for this house of rich guys! At that, Kang-ha shoots a look at his brother.

That night, Kang-ha finds Pa-rang sleeping in his bed again. This time, he carries the boy out of his room and heads downstairs, where he runs into Pal-gang and unceremoniously dumps the kid into her arms, then silently turns back to his room. Once inside, he turns back toward the door, almost ready to go back and take back his actions. But he refrains.


Of course, this means he wakes up to an empty bed. He looks a little regretful to find the bed lump-free, but as soon as he opens the door he sees Pa-rang sitting just outside, asleep.

I’m sure this is a touching moment, but Kang-ha is in a repress-all-emotion mode and marches the boy downstairs. He faces Pal-gang coolly and instructs her to get Pa-rang’s sleepwalking checked out by a doctor. Also, make sure he doesn’t come upstairs anymore. His curtness, once the norm, is so unexpected that Pa-rang asks his sister worriedly why the lawyer ajusshi is acting like this suddenly.

Once again, Jun-ha insists on escorting Pal-gang to the doctor, who says that the boy’s sleepwalking problem should gradually ease as he grows. However, for the time being he will prescribe medicine to prevent him from getting hurt.

Today, Pal-gang tells Jun-ha frankly that she finds his constant attention burdensome. Jun-ha asks, “Do you know you’re really mean?” but to us in the audience, this seems more like an act than a genuine sentiment.

Meanwhile, Kang-ha and Jae-young entrust Jun-ha’s ex with the engagement party and wedding plans. (Arg, TWO Jae-youngs in one scene? Granted, Jae-young Clone is nowhere near as offensive as the original, but she hardly helps matters.)

Jae-young v.2.0 helps Jae-young try on wedding dresses while Kang-ha waits outside disinterestedly. The Clone asks (as a compliment) whether all the company’s women have such nice figures, explaining that a woman named Jin Pal-gang came by a while earlier regarding insurance policies. The Clone had thought it odd that Jun-ha would introduce her, so she had put her in a wedding dress to see his reaction and gauge what kind of relationship they had. She also freely admits that she likes Jun-ha. All this is a surprise to Jae-young.

(Can I say that I kind of love how this drama isn’t even trying to make Jae-young appear attractive, either with her personality or her appearance? Compared with Pal-gang’s wedding dress glamour shot, Jae-young’s dress is dowdy and unflattering.)

Still, the Clone presents Jae-young to Kang-ha with a flourish, expecting a grand response… only Kang-ha isn’t there. He had received a phone call and rushed out.

At the hospital, Jun-ha and Pal-gang race through the hospital in search of Pa-rang, who had managed to get lost when he stepped aside for a bathroom break. Kang-ha spots Pa-rang walking on the sidewalk as he drives by, and rushes to check on him.

Pa-rang explains that he got lost, but Kang-ha wonders why he called him rather than Pal-gang. Then, a thought occurs to him: “Did you really lose your way?”

Starting to cry, Pa-rang hugs Kang-ha and admits that he didn’t really get lost. The reason he called was because he has something to tell him: “Ajusshi, don’t marry someone else.”

 
COMMENTS

This is lukewarm consolation, but I like the episode better after having written about it than I did immediately after watching it. Plot-wise, I suppose we needed this stuff to happen, so it’s not like the tedium was wasted on unnecessary threads. However, you could argue that Episodes 2 through 14 have been great about balancing the dramatic with the funny, heartwarming bits, so it’s not like it’s impossible to have a better (more enjoyable) balance.

(That said, I’m sorta hating Jae-young so much that it’s almost — almost! — fun to hate her. She’s an enjoyable villain, in that it’s SO not even a contest that it’s ridiculous to pit her against the lovable and caring Pal-gang.)

So the crux of this episode is to hammer in that Kang-ha and Pal-gang Cannot Be, which is part of why it’s both a necessary development but also a bummer to watch. At least in previous episodes, we could see them trying to fight the attraction in a funny way, but now they’re both pretty aware of their feelings and are walking away consciously, thereby bringing us up to our kdrama angst quota. I did appreciate that this episode was full of Kang-ha throwing lingering looks Pal-gang’s way, and disapproving ones Jun-ha’s way. Like I mentioned, previously he was the one who got to enjoy being in the midst of the bubbly family hubbub, but now that he has decided to marry Jae-young, he’s forsaken that role and has to keep himself apart. Hence the removal of Pa-rang from his room.

Jun-ha, in contrast, is really pushing it with his Prince Charming role, because it’s so false that it’s irritating. I can see why Pal-gang is frustrated with it, because she’s smart enough to realize that he’s not being genuine. It’s one thing to actually be helpful (and I think in previous episodes, he was being helpful) but it’s another thing to pretend to care. That’s what Kang-ha insinuates when he says he never plays with women’s fantasies — he’s always straight with them, but Jun-ha keeps jumping in to play the part of the good guy. Not to actually BE the good guy, but just to act the role.

I’ve rarely come across a drama that didn’t start to lag a bit in the last quarter, so I’m not surprised that we finally hit the rough patch here. I just hope that the drama recovers quickly, because it’s the better dramas that will get back on track quickly after the obligatory angst slowdown.

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OK, I MUST find time and watch this drama! I've heard such wonderful things about it!

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Come on, WUAS, bring back the fun and cut down on the angst! I really hope the next episode answers those nagging questions about hidden births and brotherly rivalry.

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This episode was sooooo good!
Thanks for the recaps.

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YAY! Thanks for the recap!

Good gracious Jae-young is so annoying. Does she know no shame?!

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Agreed! Too much of Miss Botox face and not enough of the kids and Pal-gang and Kang-Ha. This episode felt like I was staring at stagnant water.

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I wonder if the poison that the DIL took affected fish face's brains... LOL
Either way I love the fact that we get solid explanations regarding JY's stalker like love and JH's "I don't touch my bro's things"...
That said.. I'm sad we couldn't get more of the kids... my fav part was when Chorok looked at Norang's overly happy reaction to Team Leader's cooking.. Her face said WTH! Stop over-reacting!! hehe.. even the other part where she scolds her unni for envying the little one's day care made the episode for me! Not to forget the JJANG emotionals scene at the end.. Parang's crying action has improved a lot.. I wanted to go into the screen and hug him!!!

Another GREAT part was the grand showing of the bride with the missing groom! I laughed so much at the part.. hehe

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Oh my gosh, the last scene between Pa-rang and Kang-ha....SO SWEET. Just when I think the directors and writers have exhausted every possible bit of cuteness between PR and KH, they surprise me yet again.

And does anybody else think that Jae-young is getting way too much time in this drama, much more than she really needs? Half a minute would be an idyllic quota...

I would like to see the other kids more. Ju-hwang had a great role earlier on, but now he seems consigned to the sidelines. And Cho-rok and No-rang rarely speak unless it's in defense of their "heroes."

That said, I would like to see SDW playing a lead sometime...I still can't figure out his Jun-ha character. I get that he's still being insincere, but I also feel that he does care about PK, although it may not be in a romantic way.

ARRGHHH!, can't believe we only have 5 more eps left! What will I do when this drama ends???!!

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omgoodness! i thought so too! that the episode was rather boring and flat... there were moments - but i found myself half-watching and half-doing other things

parang-kangha interaction made my day - and that lasted only what, five minutes?

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Best thing of this episode, Jae Young being slapped! Way to go, Min Kyung!

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a so-so epi, i agree, although things seemed to move faster, relationship-wise. my burning question is, however, how long this drama is. 16 eps or 20? feels like too much stuff still has to be wrapped up for 16 to be the last.

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I agree w/ JB - We saw way too much of JaeYoung in this episode.
It's near the end with only a few more episodes, so I think they should really get JaeYoung OUT of the picture somehow. (It would be nice to see her have a change of heart finally and fly to the U.S. like they do sometimes in Kdrama-land, but this character is soooo ridiculously centered on herself I don't see how that could happen.)
And Ohhh, I'm so tired of Mr. Fake Charming Jun-Ha. Stop hangin' around Pal-Gang, dude. Make like a leaf and blow away. -- And what's so terrible about telling your brother that you like JY? Things are blown out of proportion.

We need more Kang-Ha and PalGang time!!!!!!!

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Definitely too much JY in this episode! No wonder it bummed me out. And JY and her clone together..at the same time? A double dose of disgust!

I hope tomorrow's episode gets back on track with a little less angst, and a lot less JY.

Oh, and why does JH still look surprised every time he finds out that PK sees right through his act? I mean, anyone who could carry a torch for JY that long must have a screw or two loose, but PK has been so straightforward with him, you'd think the message shouldn't have gotten through already.

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thanks for the recap!!! a sliver of light after a horrible 2 days. I agree that this episode wasn't as great as the others but it's the necessary angsty 3/4ths-way point episode.

--->He explains that he had always been on her side when she’d been proud and confident. “But strangely, seeing you crying doesn’t hurt my heart anymore.” <--- in yo' face, JY!! it's a pity that JY's mom is a murderess. Or else i would have liked her and truly felt bad for her. JY is so ungrateful and spoiled. She should be glad she didn't have to end up being a hostess in order to support a family. now she can look down on hostesses instead of being one.

I also loved how Palgang's reason for crying in the elevator was because of the insurance contract. I was sure that she had lost herself for a moment and was crying over KH's engagement, but it turned out to be something totally different. It was a pleasant surprise!

and it turns out the theory of JH harboring an incestuous crush on KH is incorrect. =/ I still can't believe he had such a huge reaction to PK finding out abt his OBVIOUS crush on JY. I have a sinking feeling that the big blackmail secret really IS just KH and JH not having the same mother. I hope they try to explain the overreaction away. I remember reading a novel where this dude had a crazy overreaction to being an illegitimate child himself even though his best friend is also an illegitimate child- but i think it was explained by him having an evil adoptive mother who wouldn't let him forget it.

anyways- i can't wait till the next episode! I hope we get more screen time with the kids and a heck lot more info abt her parents' mysterious car crash and more grandpa x palkang interaction!

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@ Anya - Is it you sunbae??

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@7 Anya
I agree that the other kids don't get much of a role anymore. I haven't heard any great lines from JuHwang for quite a few episodes now. I hope we get to see KH win ALL the kids by ep 20. I think JuHwang is sort of on Team KangHa, though he probably wants to seem neutral. KH really needs to win over Chorok and Norang. How can Chorok and Norang bless the KH+PG marriage if they've still got their hearts get on JunHa and Taekyu!

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Darn....listening to that song got me all teary and I will have to bear it all by watching episode 15....it's like having to clear out all the junky stuff and sweet, sweet Pa-rang who loves his sister and loves Kang-ha..

Sighhhhh.....hopefully I'll be able to handle the emotional ride!

Thanks JB.....as always...great recap!

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Awww! Thank you JB big time. I've been waiting for this all day long.

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PalGang! I'm cheering for you!

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Thanks for the recaps javabeans. As always, I end up coming to your site after watching the episode for in-depth analysis :-)
Did anyone else feel utterly irritated by this episode? Much of the angst came from the fake acts of so many characters- JY, JH, KH and even PK. Everyone except the kids is faking what they are really feeling. So, the last scene with Parang and KH was more than welcome and like a breath of air in this episode.
The one thing this episode did do for me was confirm that I do not like JH. From the previous episodes, I kept wavering on what his true character is. Although he did turn his back on JY, he feels a grudge with KH because of KH's rudeness towards JY or simply to test KH's feeling. In either case, PK has warned him before to not use her. Why oh why does he continue to put her in a spot ? Does he simply not see other people's feelings?
Reedeming factor is that PK is not taking this behavior face down and plans to move-starting with asking Grand daddy for the money for locating his daughter-in-law.
Hopefully things will pick up in the right direction in the next episode.

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Someone needs to let fish lips know her 15 minutes are up. I can't remember the last time the evil 2nd girl irritated me this much. When she was going on about being able(like her mom) to commit suicide all I could think of was GREAT! I double, no make that triple dog dare you! How sad is it when I have more sympathy for her mother than I do her? And her mother is a killer for crying out loud!

I vote for someone, anyone to tell JH the truth what ever it may be. He is a grown man after all. He also needs to seriously back off. Maybe it was just me, but he's starting to be a little on the creepy side.

Poor little Pa Rang, lawyer ajusshi better be careful, he could lose his Power Ranger status. Those two together totally get me everytime. They are my favorite couple.

Thank you for another great recap!

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Thank you for your recaps. True that this is a not so fun episode. I hope it will be different tonight.

I love how Kang Ha treat Jae Young now, because Jae Young will get them a lot when they marry. Kang Ha will give the marriage, but he will ignore Jae Young for the rest of his life. Well, it will be so sad and pathetic for Jae Young.

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no worries, i looked it up on hancinema and we've got 20 episodes. happy happy joy joy!

that said, i agree: way too much JY. i'm mesmerized by her lips. something doesn't look right. her mouth looks the way a mouth looks when its had surgery to correct a cleft lip (otherwise known as harelip). the mouth looks much better after the surgery but still is slightly off. i wonder if thats why she never wears a strong colored lipstick?

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@Dramabeans: Actually, I think KH turned back to lock his bedroom door, after returning Pa Rang to PK. And, that's why he finds Pa Rang sleeping outside his door the next morning.

Thank you for another great recap. I totally agree that there was too much JY. However, it is the last quarter of the drama. So, I guess the adult aspects of this drama need to be developed, in order for everything to be resolved by the end of the drama.

And, I think JY will come to a crossroad very soon. I think she will have to choose whether or not to join her mother's evil schemes or choose the righteous path.

Frankly, I hope she joins her mother. Then, both of them can get their comeuppance and worse.

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:( too much JY this episode.. couldn't handle it..

I hope the writer give a really bad ending for her.. how about in the wedding ceremony Kang Ha suddenly wake up from his stupid dream left her in the altar w/o saying i do

And she's will be alone there in the party.. humiliated.. with all the guest.. mocking her.. even JH wouldn't care about her since he knows about the blackmailing thing.. she can go kill herself after that I wouldn't care..

Btw thanks for you review javabeans! :) always cheer me up at work!

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Argh! my eyes are still hurting after watching too much of JY this ep. But the last 2 mins makes me sigh in relieve, maybe things will pick up again. Pa-rang and Kang-ha are absolutely too cute together. :P

@23 AuntieMame
Exactly my thoughts too - that Kang-ha turned back to lock the door and that's why Pa-rang was sleeping outside.

Thanks for a wonderful recap. Looking forward to the next one!

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UH. i think the REAL couple is parang and kangha.... they have ultra-sweet scenes with each other, and bicker back and forth... this is really new. usually, 'ajusshi, don't get married to someone else" would be said by the female lead or something. LOL.

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Your recap makes me less excited to watch Episode 15. But thanks, as always

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@22 moana OMG you noticed the same thing I did!! I kept wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me because her lips has been like that for...well...since the start of the drama, but ONLY at certain angles, strangely enough. If the camera faces her DEAD ON, then she looks strangely fine? So I'm not sure what's going on there...

Anyway I wish they would insert more scenes of the kids because the kids were SO GOOD at the beginning and now it's sort of slowly fading away (and YES I AGREE with everyone who says that JY's overused her alloted time slot of about half a minute in the drama).

Wonder how they're going to tie things up in the next 5 episodes and I hope they won't rush it too much so that the ending just turns out to be...hastily put together and incomplete. If they leave too many threads hanging, I suspect that's what it'll turn out to be.

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This episode was not as exciting as the last one which had me bouncing up and down, while this episode had me a little subdued in the chair, I had trouble keeping focus and doze of a few times; maybe because there was too much JY. We were riding along just well until we smacked head on into the angst. I hope this does not last more 1-2 episodes.

When KH saw PG crying in the elevator, and took her out for a cup of coffee, somehow, I think he thought that the news of his pending marriage was the cause of her crying... he was so adamant to know why she was crying, and once she revealed it was related to work it seemed to not be a big deal to him. When she congratulated him regarding the marriage, he took a round-about-turn... he was going to wait for her to drink her coffee and then go back to the office together, but instead, he just couldn't stand it and had to leave. That was the last thing he wanted to hear from her, and that was really heartbreaking. I really hope that there is more to the story, and it is just not that KH and JH don't share the same birth mother.

KH trying to separate himself from Pa-rang was also another segment of this episode that gave me a crushing sensation in my chest. This little boy who had grown so attached and in love with this man/father-figure is now experiencing confusion and pain and is being rejected and pushed away. The door now locked and his ability to break thorough that barrier burdened me.

The only other wrenching moment in this episode that brought tears to my eyes was Pa-rang pulling the strings of KH by placing the call stating he was lost, just to get him alone so he could beg him not to marry JY. I am hoping during their conversation together that Pa-rang will reveal some important things to KH about his sister/family.

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The thing about Jun-ha is that, even if he's being nice to PK for JY's sake, I still get the feeling that he's doing the "acts of niceness" sincerly. I didn't get the feeling that he tried to get closer to PK, but it seems that he's comfortable around her as a friend. Howver, the moment Kang-ha enters the picture, his attitude and behaviour change drastically, there clearly is an act there. Maybe it's PK's honestly and no-nonsense behaviour that gets through to Jun-ha, but he's finally forced to face up now - the next few episodes should become quite interesting. :)

As for Kang-ha - poor him. I guess that deep down inside, he's such an old-fashioned and upright person that the entire birth-secret stuff must be more horrible to him than it is possibly for Jun-ha. I guess, in the end it turns out that all his worrying was for nothing and Jun-ha knew already.

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Funny enough, I rather like the pace of WUAS.

Including this episode.

I just hope Jun Ha can stop, the 'don't want to touch my brother things'

From his persfective, he love JY (before) than his brother. On the contrary, Kang Ha love his brother more than anything. How could you, knowing the pains, hatred that your brother had for a woman and still pushing OUT of limit his brother disgrading his brothers feeling.

How can you didn't understand your brother like that!

He made me mad. Not because he approach Pal Gang, I can still believe that he want to courting her for real but his action towards his brother is darn crazy.

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yayy parang is so cute :)

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Yeah, part of Jun-ha seems to actually enjoy poking his finger into his brother's wounds and make him hurt. Perhaps, that is his subconscious "revenge" for Kang-ha being at the receiving end of JY's "love"? But I think that Jun-ha has no idea how much Kang-ha is really being hurt by this, how impossible it is for Kang-ha to actually go through with this and stay sane. However, there's hope. Indicator might be Jun-ha's reaction to Kang-ha's outburst over getting married.

Fact is, Jun-ha sees what he wants to see. And unless he opens his eyes and sees something other than his own self-pity, he won't be able to move on and grow up.

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@10 moana : Naah 16th's not the last one...derz gotta be 20 eps...and anyway junha hasn't yet completely fallen for PG...itz gonna happen for sure ^^...ep 16 preview didnt reveal anythng interesting...15th was borrrrringggggg! I am in the office and i cant even focus on my work just thinking whatz gonna happen 2nite...hopefully sthg good...i ve a feeling that sthg big is gonna happen in 2nite's ep...maybe at the end...plz let it come true...aah y is the day so long???
love ya KH!!!♥♥♥

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"his mother always told him not to mess with his brother’s things "----->how strange to hold onto that line even when you're approaching 30. I wonder if JH's mom, in order to protect KH and to give KH a sense of worth (I bet 'his father would ahve been like JH, you can take all KH's toys. he doesn't deserve them') may have said that a lotto JH and triggered some sort of subconscious jealously/resentment. JH's mom probably paid special attention to KH because he was the unwanted child. maybe JH felt that his mom preferred the staid, quiet KH? he must think, wouldn't it be nice to see KH trip up and squirm?

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Angsty episode, much, but had its golden moments nevertheless.

Yesss! As long as there’s a good dose of Pa-Kang cuteness in the episode (and even if it’s tinged with sadness as in this episode, it's still there), I’m happy -- happy as a clam in the sand.

And Jae-young got slapped! (Goes into hysterical hyena mode.)
Jung Ae-ri proves how brilliant she is as an actress once again. I still don't pity the character, she's selfish to the core but the actress can sure add dimensions, layers onto a character even as dead-ended as Min-kyung – and come on people, she slapped the J-to-the-Y!

I know Pal-gang was snivelling pathetically in the lift-followed-by-cafe scene, but it was such a cute scene. And I like that she's realised she still loves KH, though I would have preferred it to have been him who was falling for her (properly) first. But I suppose it's ok even this way.
We understand why he's still cautious about his feelings. Sensible man. But not letting Pa-rang sleep in his bed..? Aww, come on, man!?

Yeah, JY & JY clone both in the same scene, could not breathe!
The wedding dress scene - wahahahaha! Maybe if she did something about that 'default bitch' hair? Naah, not even that will make her any prettier.

I've given up on Jun-ha, as jubilant as I was that he isn't your average second lead and someone who chases stupidly after the lead girl only to be dumped in the end, his character here is just TOO weird. I miss the Jun-ha of the early episodes.
This 'secret's' bound to reach Jun-ha eventually, just tell him already KH! You reckless idiot of a guy.

Looks like there'll be more angst in today's episode, judging from the preview. And JY is going to slap PG. Just when you couldn't hate her anymore, and seeing as we're hoping to see a wee bit less if her, she's all up in your face!

Something about Tae-kyu sharing screen presence with JY just tickles me... oh! The possibilities... haha!

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Thanks for the recap.

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boooooring! The last 2/3 episodes were boring for me, not only this one. Anyway I'm really starting to hate the nephew. He's so dumb >_>

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Thank you, Javabeans! I actually liked this episode a whole lot more than I thought I would... mostly because I was expecting a big, painful angst-fest. Instead we had a lot of very sweet moments.

Even though this is the episode that kept throwing barriers in Kang-ha and Pal-gang's way... it also highlights how well they would work together as a couple. Kang-ha knew which buttons to push to get her to tell him what had happen and Pal-gang actually looked like she felt better just by telling him. In crisis, they still turn to each other.

I still really hope the birth secret turns out to be more than just the half-brother thing. (Current theory: Jun-ha believes that Kang-ha is his biological mom with someone else and that their father adopted him along with his brother as part of the price of getting his heir. But if it turns out that Jun-ha is actually the child of his step-mother, then the question is who is his dad... Back around episode 6 when Grandpa's brain was still fuzzy, he had this half memory of someone other than FishFace's mom telling him she was pregnant. I thought it was Pal-gang's mom, but that's clearly not the case. What if it was Jun-ha's mom... making him and FishFace half-siblings! That's a secret I think Kang-ha would sacrifice his life to protect.)

But even if it's not, I think this is Jun-ha's path to "redemption" (he's not really evil, so he doesn't technically need to be redeemed. He does however need a swift kick in the butt to be a better person.) He's going to finally get it through his thick skull that not only does his brother love him, but loves him enough to sacrifice his own happiness. And maybe (finally) that will be enough to get him to protect his brother from FishFace in return. But in the meantime, what's all this about "not messing with his brother’s things", but still insisting on messing with Pal-gang? Your actions are contradicting a little bit here, don't you think, Jun-ha?

But I love that Kang-ha knows that Pal-gang is smart enough to see right through Jun-ha's smarm, so he's more concerned about how his brother might get hurt, because he knows that Pal-gang can take care of herself. Kang-ha see someone capable and strong in Pal-gang and Pal-gang, in return, see someone warm and loving in Kang-ha... which is completely at odds with their outward impression. Both have fallen in love with the person within.

On a completely separate note, I actually have more and more sympathy for FishFace's mother. For an evil, cold-hearted murder, there's something very tragic about her. Like the road that Pal-gang might have gone down if her family hadn't been so warm and supporting. (Like the fact that Pal-gang's siblings would rather starve or go to the orphanage rather than see her work as a bar girl.) I also genuinely believe she loves her daughter... even her husband. I'm wondering how this will all play out when her crimes come to light.

@15 asianromance

"I hope we get to see KH win ALL the kids by ep 20. I think JuHwang is sort of on Team KangHa, though he probably wants to seem neutral. KH really needs to win over Chorok and Norang."

Yes, I totally agree. As much as I adore all the Pa-rang/Kang-ha scenes, it's time to show Kang-ha has the ability to be father to all of five kids and has as strong of a connection to the girls as he does to the boys. We only have five episodes left, after all!

Oh, man. We only have five episodes left!

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I fast-forwarded through the JY scenes (as usual), so it only took me about 17 mins to watch this episode... sadly. Bleh, I can't stand JY and I really need her to go away. Far far away.

I know that there has to be this angst, but it could have done with some comic leavening. And it better not go on too long. I'm not so optimistic for today's episode, but I still have hope the tide may start to turn. I loved the last scene with Pa Rang and KH. Pa Rang is just so gorgeous, you can't help but want to hug him.

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@ Quaggy:
"What if it was Jun-ha’s mom… making him and FishFace half-siblings! That’s a secret I think Kang-ha would sacrifice his life to protect.)"

But then KH wouldn't have been encouraging Jun Ha to examine his feelings for JY in those earlier scenes, he would have been warning JH off JY instead of insisting JH admit he loves her (ewww, yuck).

I like your theory that JH's mother was trying to give KH some dignity, telling him to leave KH's things alone, and JH, as a child misinterpreted that. ... although it seemed like, until JY showed up again, there was genuine affection and respect from JH to his brother.

I still think the secret has to be that JH is not his father's child and therefore has no claim to the company, inheritance, etc... and KH is protecting him, so his brother doesn't lose and so he doesn't lose his brother.

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Yeah, that would make sense, also in connection with the vanished/missing will of their father. Wasn't it mentioned earlier that both, JH's mother & father are dead? Maybe the mom isn't as dead as we all think, and there's more to the father's death than meets the eye? Maybe KH's involved in this - if not actively, then as a witness, and if he says anything, this will be the end of JH in the Won family?

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@41 reluctantbutaddicted

"But then KH wouldn’t have been encouraging Jun Ha to examine his feelings for JY in those earlier scenes, he would have been warning JH off JY instead of insisting JH admit he loves her "

Oh, damn. Forgot about that! And if they were siblings, then it wouldn't be nearly as fun to watch FishFace get all put out that Jun-ha is no longer infatuated with her. (I loved that CloneWoman got FishFace upset by insinuating that there was something romantic going on between Pal-gang and Jun-ha!)

Okay, then let's just up that the bigger secret (IF there's a bigger secret) is that Kang-ha and Jun-ha aren't related at all.

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U know wat's d most heart wrenching moment for me in this episode- when KH tried to distance himself with PR- tho' it good tht thy didn't dwell too long on d matter- with PR querying about d lawyer ahjushi. I know PG as an adult will b strng enough to endure. I believe that children with their innocence n honesty sometime may have a better perception of another person better than of an adult as in d case of Parang =he connects well with the lawyer thn the other brother JH & nephew as he knows that KH is honest & kind despite all the coldness at the exterior...

@Supah -luv yr response to JY getting slapped- hysterical hyena mode:))))
@Quaggy & @15 asianromance - definetely agree with your observation N wld luv to see more rebonding with Cho rok n Na rang
Thank u Javabean v much for a wonderful recap..

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@asianromance

I initially started watching this drama for the kids, and that hasn't really changed, although I do confess I repress inappropriate amounts of squealing when "lawyer ajusshi" comes onscreen.
I never even dreamed WUAS would be the drama I was watching, but I was between dramas, and I picked up WUAS because I was intrigued by the premise of a heroine struggling to look after her siblings in today's Big Bad World.
I've really missed Ju-hwang in the later eps, and I think that's slightly unfair, given his capability and his talent. But I think that that might be the drama's problem; there are too many subplots, and 20 eps might not be enough to tie them up satisfactorily.

And WHY did I get only half a minute of Baby Nami???? Haven't we all agreed that that was supposed to be JY's allotted time? I don't think I like this daycare idea...

@ Quaggy

Haha, I love your conspiracy theories. You should really write dramas.

@ Bee

I agree with you that JH puts on his act whenever KH's around, but I also do believe that he and PK did (or do) have a genuine friendship, which JH might just destroy because he's... confused.

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Thanks for the recap javabean, i love this drama how well the writer and director
did a good job on this drama. the story flow very well everyone acting super job.
include adult to children, especial the baby in the back ground.
I cannot wait to go home and watch the ep 16.
KH married JJ because he wants to protect his brother.

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I liked this episode a lot. (in spite of psycho JY. I haven't hated a 2nd lead girl as much since Phoenix) Heh, when JH said he was going to confess another secret to PG, I was really hoping he would say "KH and I are only half-brothers." I think it would be awesome if all this time he already knew the big bad secret (and din't think much of it), thus removing JY's blackmail material. Ah well.

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thanks for the recaps jb!!
it's always KANG-HA, FTW!!!
although i kinda agree that this ep was slower than the previous ones, i still love the ending! <3

x's:
someone, please lend me a voodoo doll, DIE, FISH LIPS, DIE!!!!

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I just finished reviewing the Episode 16 in its RAW form, and it appears to be back on track. A lot of things going on here. I can't wait for this to be subbed. If you cannot wait then you can view it at http://www.dramastyle.com/drama/Stars-Falling-From-the-Sky/

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I think the best love story in this drama in between Kang-ha and Pa-rang. Maybe because I'm a mom, but I just want to scoop up Pa-rang and smother him with kisses whenever he has such sad scenes.

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