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Coffee House: Page 11

I suspect that there’ll be a lot of fan love for this episode for the most obvious reason, but I really enjoyed this episode because it finally pushes Jin-soo out of his stubborn emotional denial phase and into self-awareness. Finally, we get to see him being honest — not just with Eun-young, but also with himself. It’s also gratifying to see that He Who Always Thinks He’s Right realizes that maybe he’s not so right after all — and that his silly, hapless secretary is the one who sets him straight.

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PAGE 11 RECAP

After being fired, Seung-yeon cries at the award venue, sitting on the steps long after the event has ended. Finally, she gets up and leaves, so that when Eun-young returns to check on her in concern, the place is empty.

Everyone assumes that Jin-soo has immediately skipped town for another of his years-long jaunts abroad, so when he calls the office the next morning, all the employees breathe a collective sigh of relief to hear he’s still in Seoul. He is going to drop by to see Eun-young, and the employees tense up at this, because they’ve got one last chance to change his mind before he officially dissolves their partnership.

While Jin-soo heads toward the book cafe, Eun-young talks business with her grandfather about expansion and new plans for the company. To her surprise, she has a visitor for lunch, invited by Grandpa the Matchmaker, who has purposely sprung this as a surprise.

The guy is a lawyer named Hyun-seok, with whom Eun-young was once set up. He’s still interested, but she hadn’t called him back and now makes the excuse that she was busy. But we know better.

Spotting this scene is a jealous Ji-won, who grabs Jin-soo on his way to the cafe and forces him to crouch around the corner stealthily. Ever one to misinterpret a scenario, Ji-won jumps to the conclusion that Eun-young had a new guy lined up, which is why she was so quick to kick him aside. Yep, that’s the only reason she’d ditch Ji-wan, suuure.

Burning up with indignation, Ji-won calls Hyun-seok a “jajangmyun-like guy” — he’s dark and greasy. HAHAHA. It’s not even much of an insult, but what makes it hilarious is that Ji-won thinks it is. Furthermore, he’s not just any ol’ jajang, but that cheap dollar-jajang they sold near school. Jin-soo feels uncomfortable being dragged into this, and points out that he’s hardly on Ji-won’s “side” either, but Ji-won retorts, “I hate you, but you’re better than him.”

Ji-won sends Jin-soo to find out more, and Jin-soo makes his perfunctory greeting, telling Eun-young that he’ll be waiting in her office. However, it turns out that Hyun-seok is a huge fan of Jin-soo’s and excitedly introduces himself, even going so far as to cling to Jin-soo’s hand awkwardly.

Forcing politeness, Jin-soo extricates himself and heads to Eun-young’s office. When she follows a few minutes later, her employees all plead with her to take this last chance to grab onto him and keep their contract.

They’re back to their default setting, which is polite tones, friendly words, and that veneer of lightheartedness that belies that there’s anything darker or murkier going on beneath the surface. Eun-young says that she had assumed he had left the country by now, to which he says that he had initially thought to give up on this manuscript, but changed his mind because he’s so close to finishing. He’s done with the first draft and needs another month to complete the book.

Eun-young mentions Seung-yeon, but Jin-soo shuts her down firmly, stating that there’s no reason for Eun-young to concern herself with her. Seung-yeon crossed the line, and that’s that. At those familiar words, Eun-young muses, “Why are there so many women who foolishly cross the line with you?”

Understanding that Jin-soo’s here to finalize their contract termination, she grabs the paper and readies herself to sign. The mood grows tense as she contemplates this move, and she acknowledges that the moment she signs, she loses several billions of won (millions of dollars). With a shaking voice, she holds her coffee cup over the papers, joking-but-not-really-joking about whether she ought to just spill it over the documents.

But no, Jin-soo takes the cup from her grasp, and she starts to sign. As her hand poises over the paper, a tear drops on it, and Jin-soo looks at her face to see more tears falling. Her signature smears on the page.

Jin-soo wipes the tear away with a tissue, and one falls on his hand, too. Trying to make light of the moment, Eun-young jokes that she must really love money, based on her reaction. As she gets up to make copies, Jin-soo contemplates the tears on his hand.

Regaining her composure, Eun-young extends a hand to him, saying that they may as well shake on what was a pretty successful partnership.

Jin-soo agrees to clear out the studio by the end of the week, as he has found a new office and will complete his work there. It’s the office of a university professor friend who won’t be using it for the next semester.

Jin-soo gives her an awkward little wave goodbye, and even tries to make a joke as he leaves, warning her teasingly to make sure that her date is actually straight, since it seemed he was much more interested in him than her. After his exit, Eun-young sighs heavily, her composure slipping just a bit.

Jin-soo packs up his belongings upstairs and hands back his key, only to realize that the second key is still in Seung-yeon’s possession. A bit hesitantly, he asks whether she has been by, but the employee (Dong-min) doesn’t know.

While Jin-soo settles into his new office, Dong-min contacts Seung-yeon to ask about the second key.

She has returned to working her father’s coffee shop. Hearing from a customer that her coffee is much better than her father’s, she wonders if this means she learned a thing or two after all.

Dong-wook is also at the cafe, playing Go-Stop with Seung-yeon’s father and grandmother. Seung-yeon asks if it’s really okay for him to be here, which isn’t a rude question but is hardly something you’d ask if you wanted him to stay.

When Dong-min calls about the key, Seung-yeon perks up mightily to hear that Jin-soo has not yet left the country. Insistent that she has to meet him, she asks for his new address. Her interest in Jin-soo’s whereabouts isn’t romantic, but still I can’t help but feel sorry for Dong-wook because it’s clear (to us) that her heart isn’t in their relationship.

Seung-yeon shows up at the professor’s office, pleading for a chance to say her piece. In an emotionless voice, Jin-soo cuts her off, telling her that he knows what she’s going to say, so let’s skip the part where they waste time and just cut to the chase. He gives her the answer she’d get even if he listened to her speech, which is that the book will come out without her, and he neither has the room nor the need to re-hire his secretary.

Jin-soo advises her to spend her time looking for a new job, and reminds her that his decision to cut her loose wasn’t made in the heat of the moment. Therefore she has no hope of changing his mind through tears or pleas.

Dismissing her coolly, he shuts the door before Seung-yeon can even say anything.

Still, she isn’t about to give up, and sits down outside the door to wait in the school hallway. When Jin-soo emerges to go on an errand, she tries to talk to him again. Contrary to his expectation, she’s not here to ask him for her job back — all she wants is a moment of his time. He’s a little mollified to hear that she’s not here to beg for him to take her back, and grants her 30 seconds.

This catches Seung-yeon off-guard and she protests that 30 seconds isn’t enough time. Jin-soo replies that if she can’t figure out how to state her case in 30 seconds, then having 30 minutes won’t be any better. Furthermore, she’d do well to note that opportunities are not given to suit our preferences.

He rides off on his bike, and after a moment, Seung-yeon chases. When he pulls up to a building (library?), she catches up to him, gasping for breath and sweating from exertion. She requests the 30 seconds again, but this time he only gives her 20. Go!

Spurred by the (literal) ticking clock, Seung-yeon blurts out in a flurry of words:

Seung-yeon: “I’m sorry. As a secretary I overstepped my bounds. At first I felt wronged, but after a few days I realized you were right. I’m not professional and I’m a bad secretary. I’m really sorry. I hope you can remember that I am sorry. I was really depressed at the thought that you already left to go abroad and I’d never get to tell you this. I’m glad that I have the chance to apologize.”

Ding! She wraps up just as her 20 seconds end. Jin-soo’s surprised at the content of her speech, not understanding her purpose. Why did she chase him down all this way just to say that, when she knows it won’t change a thing? What’s the difference between saying those words and not saying those words?

Seung-yeon answers, “Even if the situation doesn’t change, feelings do. There’s a difference between you knowing and not knowing how I feel, that I’m sorry instead of upset and feeling wronged. I think there’s a huge difference.”

Those words bring him up short — her way of thinking directly counters his way of thinking, but her words make a certain sense and have an impact on him. So when Seung-yeon says that the end part of her speech got shortened (she’d been prepping for 30 seconds as she ran), he grants her an additional 10 seconds to finish what she’d intended.

Seung-yeon: “I’m disappointed that I had to quit without properly learning the three things you gave me to do. I only managed the pencils but not the coffee or the fossil book and I’m really sorry about that, too.”

Since she has now said everything she wanted to say, Jin-soo sends her off. As he heads into the building, he wears a conflicted expression, like he doesn’t quite know what to make of her. He even pauses on his way in, looking back at her, but he hardly knows what to say. (Seung-yeon, meanwhile, is pleased to have successfully gotten that off her chest.)

Working late that night, however, he thinks back to her words — in particular the comment about the fossil book. He doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and he has to think for a few minutes before he even remembers that fool’s errand he sent her on when he first hired her — to summarize and translate the entire reference book on fossils.

Jin-soo scoffs, incredulous that she still remembered his request, but even as he dismisses it as foolishness, I’m betting he’s just a bit impressed.

When he grabs a drink from the fridge, his mind turns to more troubling thoughts as the drink spills on his hand, reminding him of Eun-young’s spilled tears.

Eun-young has a meeting with Dong-wook to discuss changes to the cafe. The scene isn’t very important in this episode, but I suspect it’ll be a bigger point later so I’m including it: she plans to expand the book part and cut back on the kitchen. This idea meets with resistance from Dong-wook, who insists that despite being a book cafe, the cafe part comes first.

This meeting is interrupted by the reappearance of Mr. Jajangmyun, aka Hyun-seok the lawyer. His arrival is a surprise, but with Grandpa’s approval he has come to take Eun-young to lunch — a move which she agrees to reluctantly.

I love how the three cafe baristas huddle together to judge the new complication (you get the sense that they enjoy their boss’s drama as a source of entertainment). They find Hyun-seok even sleazier than Ji-won, deciding, “He’s sleazy in a different way.”

Aware of these lunch plans, Ji-won accosts Jin-soo at school and drags him along so they can crash the couple’s lunch date. Jin-soo protests, but Ji-won overrides his reluctance and urges him along: “Jajangmyun seemed to like you. Let’s join them.”

Eun-young knows right away that this is no coincidence, but Hyun-seok accepts their “We just happened to be here and saw you guys” excuse and agrees to join parties. In fact, he’s eager to sit down with Jin-soo, and fawns all over him.

The mood gets awkward as Ji-won behaves blatantly rudely to Hyun-seok, goading him with thinly veiled insults and grasping at straws to put him down. For instance, he laughs at Hyun-seok’s “comical” name, which is like laughing at “John Smith” for being unusual.

Hyun-seok has no idea why he’s being attacked, but he ignores Ji-won as he continues to praise Jin-soo’s novels, calling him a genius.

All the while, Jin-soo accepts the praise uneasily, just hoping for a quick end to this lunch from hell. Eun-young also scrambles for an excuse to leave; she slips away from the table to call Hyun-joo, begging an emergency rescue.

When Hyun-seok steps aside for a phone call, Jin-soo tells Ji-won to cut it out. Ji-won argues that he doesn’t like him, either — can he stand that guy dating Eun-young? As friends, they can’t allow this to happen.

Another reconfiguring of the lunch table leaves Jin-soo and Eun-young alone for a moment, and Jin-soo takes the opportunity to apologize to Eun-young for the intrusion.

Eun-young, on the other hand, asks why Jin-soo had introduced her to Ji-won all those years ago. He must have seen good points about Ji-won to have set them up together, so what were they? Jin-soo doesn’t have a good answer (I suspect because he’s not ready to confront it), and jokes that Ji-won’s audaciousness is one such trait.

Eun-young asks, “Do you know why I dated him? Because he’s the person you introduced me to. I trusted you.” She figured at the time that Ji-won must have been a good guy. However, the thought occurred later that Jin-soo had just foisted him on her without a thought. Isn’t that right? She sighs, “Starting back then, I mistook you for being as sincere as I was.”

Ji-won’s dick-waving contest gets literal when he finds Hyun-seok in the bathroom, standing at a urinal. He makes a deliberate show of looking over and laughing, and finally Hyun-seok can’t keep up his polite front and calls him out: “What’s your deal?”

Ji-won is just the sort of ridiculous guy who would get offended at being addressed so impolitely when he’s actually being much worse, and he bristles, getting all up in Hyun-seok’s face. The argument escalates until Jin-soo arrives at the doorway and steps in to pull the men apart.

Ji-won assumes that Jin-soo’s here on his side, but instead Jin-soo punches him and yells at him to cut it out. And that screencap below? It’s worth it just for the ridiculous expression on Hyun-seok’s face. HA!

Affronted, Ji-won sputters that he’s the sunbae (and therefore deserves respect), but Jin-soo yells, “You have to act like a sunbae to be a sunbae!”

Now the hostilities switch to Jin-soo and Ji-won, who take the brawl out of the bathroom and out of doors. In a weird twist, now Hyun-seok is the one shouting at them to calm down and stop fighting. This leaves Eun-young sitting alone at their table, and she learns from a phone call with Hyun-seok that the other two are brawling like idiots.

However, the aforementioned idiots hear enough to realize that Hyun-seok is about to direct Eun-young to their whereabouts, and Jin-soo leaps at him to snatch away the phone before he can do that. Eun-young wants to drive around the neighborhood, but Hyun-joo vetoes this idea, as she is running late for a business appointment.

Eventually Hyun-seok leaves, and the two men continue going at each other with all they’ve got. It makes sense that Ji-won the ex-boxer is “winning,” although both are in pretty rough shape by the end of it.

All the while, they continue to yell back and forth. Jin-soo growls all sorts of things at Ji-won — that he’s inconsiderate, selfish, crazy. He demands, “Do you know how much I regretted introducing Eun-young to you?”

Finally, they collapse in exhaustion, at which point Ji-won wonders, “Hey, where did that punk Jajangmyun go?”

Jin-soo, on the other hand, thinks back to Seung-yeon’s words about explaining herself despite there being no hope of changing her circumstances. He also recalls Eun-young’s remark about his lack of sincerity.

Suddenly, these words click in his brain — until now they’d been niggling at him, as though asserting their importance but not revealing exactly WHY they’re important. Now they crystallize into coherence, and Jin-soo is suddenly energized. Staggering to his feet, he walks on, then breaks into a run.

His destination is the book cafe, where the employees all gasp to see his disheveled appearance. He ignores their concern and beelines for the bookshelf, finding the fossil book that he’d assigned to Seung-yeon. Only now, the book is practically bursting at the seams, because the pages have been padded with Post-it notes and memos.

Stunned and a little amazed at the extent of her thoroughness, Jin-soo calls Seung-yeon and takes a gruff tone with her, asking why she wasted her time continuing with an obviously pointless exercise. Is she that dense? Did she actually think this project was meant to help his manuscript?

But he can’t argue with her answer: “But you never told me not to.” She knew that he wouldn’t need it, but he never told her to stop the work.

Jin-soo has to laugh — how absurd, how unexpected, how crazy of her. Referring to the seven reasons he outlined for firing her, he orders her to come up with a rebuttal — i.e., reasons not to be fired.

In a stern voice, he admonishes her for not distinguishing between what’s real and what’s not, and says that a pro must be able to reason with the other person to make him understand.

When Seung-yeon says she doesn’t know if she can come up with those reasons, he barks, “Then make them up. Didn’t you learn how to lie from me?”

Next, Jin-soo heads up to the office to look for Eun-young, only to hear that she just left on a business trip. Just as she is about to board the train with her team, she answers her phone. Jin-soo pants, out of breath from running, “Are you on the train?”

Eun-young starts to ask him about his lunchtime fight, but Jin-soo cuts her off, saying urgently, “I have something to tell you. I’ve told you a lot of lies before, but I think I have to tell you about this.”

Jin-soo: “It wasn’t because of a man’s instinct, but because you’re Seo Eun-young that I kissed you. I lied to you that day. I’m sorry. But, even considering that, I have to leave you — so forget me forever. I can’t erase Hee-soo and see only you. I don’t think it will work even if I try. To me, seeing you forever means having her by my side forever, too. This is a disease. I know that, but I can’t help it.”

She says, “If you leave me entirely, that means you can leave Hee-soo behind, then.” He answers, “That thought came to me suddenly, so that’s why I called you.”

With a rueful smile, Eun-young says, “You should have told me earlier. Don’t you know I’m on your side? What do you take me for?” Jin-soo tells her that that he’ll give this book to her: “That’s yours.”

Eun-young replies that that sounds like the words of a guy who’s indebted to her. They banter a bit, and she teases him that all his words sound like they actually mean other things to her — because he has gone so long concealing his true feelings, now everything he says sounds like it lacks sincerity.

Jin-soo: “I mean it.”
Eun-young: “Not 100%. I wonder if I’ll be able to see Lee Jin-soo being 100% sincere before I die. Just… for even a minute, were you ever 100% sincere with me?”

Those words have an impact on Jin-soo, and there’s a moment between them that’s pregnant with expectation. However, final boarding call is announced, and Eun-young has to get on the train, so she starts to wrap up the call.

Seizing this moment, Jin-soo tells her intently, “One minute can be bigger than ten years. Will that do?”

She’s confused, not getting his meaning. Jin-soo hangs up the phone and starts running — he had been calling from a pay phone at the train station. Now he dashes down the stairs, over the turnstile, and down the platform, just as Eun-young sighs and boards the train.

Jin-soo reaches the open door just a moment later and pulls her back for a kiss.

(And hot damn if that isn’t one of the hottest kisses I’ve ever seen in a kdrama! He’s panting from running and out of breath and all urgent with the importance of this moment, and the kiss is loaded with all of that meaning.)

As they pull back, Eun-young asks, “This is 100 percent, isn’t it?” He gives her a tiny nod, still breathing hard and looking intensely at her.

Eun-young tells him, “That’s enough, then.”

Then her train starts to pull away, forcing them to step back. They look out at each other as the train blurs out of focus.

 
COMMENTS

First off, this episode clears up a few lingering questions. Such as whether Jin-soo had feelings for Eun-young, which is a very clear YES. Eun-young had been more in touch with her feelings for Jin-soo, both recently and (I believe) in the past. The line was clearer for her, I think, because it appears that Jin-soo was married when she knew him — they missed their timing and thereafter he was off-limits to her. When he introduced her to his sunbae, she trusted his judgment, as she tells him this episode — but I think there’s even more behind it.

As his single friend, the younger Eun-young has this knowledge that this man cares for her — not in “that way,” but enough that he looks out for her happiness. So why not make the best of that and accept that as the most you can take from him, and try to be happy? This line of reasoning is one that feels especially real, and I can say from experiences in my life that I recognize the ring of truth in it.

On the other hand, I think Jin-soo got rid of Eun-young because he couldn’t have her, and therefore set her up with Ji-won to neutralize the situation. The sooner she was coupled up with someone else — anyone, it didn’t matter — the more at ease he could feel about it. Alas, he didn’t realize at the time that she’d forever be linked with his wife in his memory — not because he may have had feelings for her back then but because she was part of the past they shared. I think that’s why he also is so insistent that he never wanted to see Ji-won again, either — because Ji-won likewise reminds him of the past. So at that point, his feelings for Eun-young are moot — it didn’t matter that they existed because they could never be acted upon.

I wonder if this is also why Jin-soo keeps running away from Seoul — he can’t have a normal life being around Eun-young regularly, because it’s a sort of self-torture.

This is the first time I really loved Seung-yeon as a character (finally!), because not only does she grow on a personal level, she jolts Jin-soo out of his emotional stasis and provides the catalyst for him to realize that maybe his way of thinking isn’t the only (or the right) way. All along he has been thinking that he and Eun-young won’t work out, and it doesn’t matter WHY it won’t work as long as it won’t. In his mind, if the end result can’t happen, then there’s no need to understand the whys and wherefores, or to explain them. What’s the point? It’s a very male way of thinking, and another aspect that rings very true. He only sees the other side when Seung-yeon explains that even when a situation won’t change, how you feel about it matters. And that pushes him to finally show his sincerity to Eun-young.

Great way to tie in the various threads.

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Thanks JB for the recaps!!!
You are awesome!!!
Obviously, we both love CH anc KJH ~~
Oh how can I forget PSY? ^^;;

**off to read!!!**

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How I love that kiss. and YES Park Shi-yeon, u are Beautiful! :)

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Thanks for the recap. Finally some clearity! The kiss blew my mind.

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Cool, I was so looking forward to this recap. Thanks, JB! I'll comment later...just wanted to thank you for posting this up so quickly. How do you do it??? =D

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Uh oh!!
JB, You must love Eun Soo couple so much huh?
Her name is Eun Young ^^;;

But it's ok , we love you even more :P

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<3 <3 <3 I can't even write words. Haha.

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ahhhh love this episode,

and that Jin-soo finally snaps out of his emotional oblivion

until now i never realised how beautiful Park Shi-yeon was!

the drama may not be doing so well with ratings, and i usually pick my next drama by popularity, unbelievably bias i know, but this is probably one of my fave dramas this year.

thanks for the brilliant recaps JB!

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FINALLY!!! I have been waiting for jin-soo to show his feelings!! Why am i so happy about eun-young and jin-soo to get together?!? Seriously I am squealing with happiness, weird..

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this comes out at the right time...
I read and eat my lunch in front of my computer in my office...
Hahaha...
thanks for this, JB.
Can't wait for my downloading finish!!

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Thank you for the quick recap :) I don't think it's a very good episode but what's interesting is that JS has finally showing his 'sincerity' (thanks to SY).

IMO think there are 3 possible ways of how this series will end.

1) JS will finally overcome his issues, and can start clean with EY - which I believe all the EunSoo-ers would love to see it happens

2) JS and EY decide to stay as friends because they have this understanding, that they can't be together or at least JS himself isn't ready for any relationship atm. Therefore the finale will probably show JS working in other publishing company in Seoul, or going somewhere abroad with SY still working with him. Now this, does not necessarily imply that JS and SY are together atm, but more like she'd stay with him until she can really become independent on herself, and start persuing her dream. However it could also hinted to their relationship but not now. May be in the future? Maybe not? We have yet to know that.

3) Neither EY or SY stays with JS in the end. Meaning, all of them will go their separate ways, but still live their life contently. EY with her business, JS still writing, and SY continues her path and struggles hard to become a pro.

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This was such an emotionally complex episode... Now that we're at episode 11, I think I can safely say (knock on wood) that this may turn out to be my favorite k-drama ever. Or at least I have enough confidence with the writing, directing and acting to say it's going to stick with me for a long time. My head is still spinning from everything that happened in this episode... Gotta go calm down, LOL.

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Now... All we can hope is that Dong-wook's relationship work out!

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GOODNESS YOU ARE FAST! I was just watching the raw, and had no idea what was going on, except a clue here and there. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

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Next episode seems to feature on Jin-soo leaving and saying his goodbye.Can't wait to catch it.

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thanks for the recap.

move aside EunSoo-ers, SY-JS ship is about so sail :P :P

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The best episode for me.......Each character was solidify.....many things were cleared.....And the kiss is just great.....Imaginative, creative and I think its the first time I saw a kiss like this in kdrama....I cant wait to see this for myself......

Your recaps really envelopes me....as if I am inside the story....Thank you. More power.....Please dont get tired of writing great reviews....

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Thank you JB for a quick recap. I love this episode. It's about time both Jin-soo and Ji-won got punched in the face. Oh, that kiss was totally HOT!

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omg i want to watch and see what looks like one of the hottest kdrama kisses from rom-com. i haven't watched episode 11 yet but if JS and SY get together in five episodes i'm going to have to ask WTH? anyway i just want EY to be happy.

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THE KISS: I feel like Jin soo has been under water for so long now.. and the way he kissed EY, it’s like finally he’s on the surface having that oxygen to breath again!!! Wahahaha!! What a PAIR!!! I’m loving them more and more! And this is EXACTLY HOW it felt like to me while I WATCHED IT!! DAMN, THE PASSION that JS showed!! Shocks, EY is his OXYGEN.. without her, he’d DIE.. =)

now. how to survive after the separation????

this page is actually a revelation!! I feel like everything was kind of explained here.. the angle of JW and EY's relationship is clear now.. and the REAL feelings of Jin soo has finally erupted as shown with that kiss..

what a unique character is JS! I love and hate him all the same!! Hahaha! But I LOVE the way he thinks, when he’s writing or his many clever ways w/ SY.. but I HATE the way he deals with things w/ regards to his REAL feelings especially towards EY.. he’s a control freak who really doesn’t know how to control it BEST.. who only “thinks” what he does is the best, when it’s NOT.. he’s a man who badly needs to grow up, to move on to become better.. I hope this separation will do them BOTH good, EUNSOO..

I actually admire Seung Yeon's perseverance in this episode.. and she really has courage to just say what she feels and mean it! who wouldn't be affected by that.. I wouldn't mind if she's going to be beside JS now, as a friend.. i think he needs her.. just to pacify his surroundings a bit.. keep him at bay..

LOVE is strong, i doubt if it shifts in a snap.. it took JS 10 years before his big reveal.. so for him LOVE does not change, it stays.. JS is not the type who easily forgets.. ♥

JB i love the last screen cap in your comment!! picture perfect ♥ thanks much!!

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ohhhhhhh, this is a REAAALLYYY good episode. I love how SY isn't exactly the typical k-drama damsel in distress heroine. She made a huge impact in Jin Soo, and that pays back to EY & JS relationship. And that kiss was HOT.

NEW OST too!!!

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*sigghs* finally those two!!! i heart that kiss scene! this episode was definitely emotional for me... definitely hit home sniff sniff....

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So I should be commenting on some other more important stuff, like that hot kiss or whatnot..

But can I just say that Park Shi Yeon is GORGEOUS? Every time I looked at one of those screen caps I just drooled. I think I have a girl crush on her.

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Thanks JB for the early recaps! :)

Gotta make my comments quick as I'm setting up servers at present, just need to feed my CH addiction for the moment. :)

JW might look ridiculous and pathetic but hey he did help JS release all those pent-up emotions and realize something in the process as well.

For someone who likes to run away and prefers his privacy, it's kinda ironic too in how some people (like Dongmin --he gave the address to SY and JW--knew where to fetch JS to get him to join him for lunch) knew where JS was staying after he moved out of the cafe's office apartment unit. Did he just easily leave out traces of his whereabouts? It's like people which he didn;t really want to see can easily find him without any effort or at least that's what this episode seems to show.

Now about the kiss, I still stand by my belief that it may look like it's a good-bye kiss of sorts. Of course, it does. JS has finally revealed his feelings for EY and this means somehow saying good-bye to the past--the past that's full of pent-up hidden emotions of love for EY. Now, he's revealing what he feels at the present and still -- that is love for EY. The kiss says a lot and for me it's really .... hang in there....hold on...I'm getting there.....wait for me. JS is known for saying things that what he thinks what the person he's saying it to needs to hear at that moment but is actually wishing for something else. This is the same thing. His actions say good-bye for now but not good-bye forever because if it was good-bye forever then there's no need for JS to reveal his feelings for EY at the risk of hurting EY. He revealed his feelings for EY because he's hoping EY will hold on to that love so that when that time comes when he will finally be able let go of his past, he will go to EY.

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I couldn't be any more happy for the emotional progress. I really wonder if his book will relate to anything at this stage in his life. Though, I keep hoping for more poignant moments.

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@21 hurrah for girl crushes ! she looks absolutely beautiful. although i won't lie i don't love how they curled her hair in mini crimps. i think it'd look better with looser curls =]

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@22 WOW I LOVE IT. that makes complete sense (your theory of how it isn't a goodbye forever kiss because he wouldn't have revealed it if he didn't still feel that way now =])

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The kiss sure was hot. Best kiss in a k-drama ever. And I thought that I'll never see a kiss more passionate than what GY and Yoon Eun Hye did in Coffee Prince.

Kang Ji Whan...you'll be the death of me!

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I'm looking for your recaps since I saw the eps raw, wondering about the meaning of the phone call and the hot kiss.
JB, you're the best !!! Thank you !

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"Furthermore, she’d do well to note that opportunities are not given to suit our preferences. "

I really love that line, it just syncs with where I am in my life right now. It's so true though, you usually have to give something up to get something else. I mean the whole reason it's an opportunity is because it's a chance/risk to change your current state of life, thinking,...etc

“Even if the situation doesn’t change, feelings do. There’s a difference between you knowing and not knowing how I feel, that I’m sorry instead of upset and feeling wronged. I think there’s a huge difference.”

I really loved this part of the episode. I love when a drama has relatable life moments. So many times in life we regret not saying something more than saying something. Reminds me of John Mayer's song "Say." I'm learning to say what I want/need to say if I feel like it something I will regret not saying in my present or the future. Even if I end up hurt or sad, at least I tried, which is really what matters most. It's the effort we put into those moments even more than the results. IDK, I just really loved that scene, and for once could feel something for SY character.

I also loved the idea of time in this episode. 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 10 years....like the PD/write was telling us to make the most of each second we have. To say what we want to say, do what we want to do, and live well. With the 10 years, even after knowing someone for so long, there can still be a distance between you to. Sometimes when you know someone too well or for so long, all the important things get left unsaid.

Saying all that, after reading your summary I am kind of worried about JS/EY. I really hope that he doesn't end up alone or with SY. He was saying how she'll remind him of his wife forever, and God I hope not because that just speaks of doom. I really hope that leaving gives him a way to come back a better man for himself and for EY.

I love EY as a character, she's refreshing and inspiring. She's strong, and even when she is hurting, she puts her feelings for others first. She loves JS enough to let him go, and wish him happiness. Knowing his feelings is enough, even if they never get to be together. That's true and sincere love, I just hope she gets her happy ending. I hope we see more leading ladies like her in future dramas.

I'm really anticipating tonight's episode!!! CH Fighting!!!

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wow - this recap was great - AND QUICK!! loved your analysis on the story threads and JS/EY's relationship and past!

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Hrn. With this episode I really don't see the JS/EY thing working out anymore. :(

I mean, okay, Jin-soo has feelings for Eunyoung. So that is established. She obviously also had feelings for him. But as JB mentioned, she was also a lot more aware of the nature of her feelings towards him. When he shot her hopes down with those lies on the rooftop, Eunyoung, being the smart, capable, practical woman we have come to know and love, realized that those feelings couldn't go on. Hence the termination of the contract, etc.

So what I get from the last scene is that the kiss was the closure Eunyoung needed. I don't know about anyone else but it really felt like a goodbye scene to me. Like, thanks for the ten years, let's end it with perfect honesty. (Well, maybe not thanks, but you know what I mean.)

So I felt kinda sad. Because during the preview for ep. 12, all there was were scenes of Jin-soo and Seung-yeon. Eunyoung maybe had two seconds. This makes me sad because Eunyoung is my favourite character. Also because of me thinking that ultimately Jin-soo and Eunyoung definitely won't end up together, it seems to me that he and Seung-yeon will. It makes sense. He told Eunyoung that he couldn't just look at her because of the memories of Hee-soo.

Therefore a romantic relationship between them will never really quite work out because there's all that emotional baggage dragged through the last ten years. I imagine that kind of baggage is hard to ditch. It only makes sense that if Jin-soo ends up with anyone, it's Seung-yeon because she's completely unrelated to any of that heartbreaking stuff that happened earlier in his life. Maybe that's not the only criteria to fill but I think she's proved herself to be good for him, at least in a couple ways (ie. changing around his whole perspective with the 'situations may not change but feelings will' thing).

On a shallower note, I absolutely love the guy who played Hyun-seok. I watched him in Jumong and Gourmet, nyahahaha he is hilarious! Though I wish PDs would give him different roles to play other than the spiteful, immature brat he always does xD

Sigh. Looking forward to ep. 12. I suppose.

But thanks for the recap! :D

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Ahh nice progress. Will take a peek the RAW tonight.
Thank you for the fast recap, awesome as usual!

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@28 DELE - I like your post!! i agree.. making the most of every time!! I think one of the many messages of this story is HAPPINESS and living life in the NOW..

and I'm actually surprised of my personal feeling for Ji won! I actually like him =).. i mean he's uber FUN!! haha.. and good thing he finally realized what he did to EY.. JW is actually a quirky character!! instead of actually being annoyed, i find myself laughing most of his scenes.. hehe.. I love that this show knows how to insert FUN and still never failed to make me smile or laugh!!

still optimistic w/ EUNSOO.. what a ride they are having!!

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and btw, I like PSY more and more. I didn't like her in My Girl, but when I saw her natural appearance and her antics - even though only for a while - in Family Outing, I really like her. She's beautiful indeed, but I don't like her because of it, and I think EY's character suits her personality well.
I liked Park Yejin because her appearances in FO too! :D

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Thanks JB, for your hard work.
This episode brought a lot of tears for me, for it shows how in a persons mind, a single word or a phrase, coming from some one who genuinely cares, can at one point in our lives helps us to have an "Epiphany" that will set us in the road if not of complete healing, at least on the road of recovery.
This is the part that I have been waiting all along, he finally admitted to himself and to Eun-young what's really on his heart, from this point on whether he Chooses either of the 2 girls he has some chance of being successful since he is not in denial anymore!!!! But who he will choose at this point still left to the Writer!!!
But either way for me, as long as he maintains his commitment to become a whole person which is the most important part of the equation. My Grandmother always told me; "Son you ca not give what you do not have", Jin-soo finally realized that he can not give Eun-young a good life if his mind is in constant turmoil, and that is a sign of him taking the first step of becoming mentally sound!!!!!!
P.S. And like I have said before without Seung-yeon in his life non of this would have taken place, that being the reason she is my favorite charter of this Drama!!!!!!

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JB thanks for the recap! Hehe...

@ leila8mae - wow! Love that oxygen thing! LOL!

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I don't even care who ends up with who anymore because this episode just solidified JS/EY's relationship for me. Even if the two really do part ways in the next episode or in the finale, and even if JS and SY pursue some sort of relationship, the bond between JS and EY won't be broken. A part of his heart will always belong with EY, regardless of the future.

Frankly, that's kind of enough to appease me. It's, like, true love. Just mixed with a tragic amount of emotional baggage that prevents it from fully blossoming.

Sigh. (Semi) forbidden love. SO SAD. It'll be interesting to see where the writers and director take this!

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@ cheanne - me too. This is my first time that I've seen/watched that kind of kiss in a korean drama whether it's rom com or a melodrama. not even in historical. (As if I'll see one in their historical! Hahaha!)

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@dramacafe and Dele

I totally agree with all your words! :D

And I think that JS will finally realize that he can never forget the past, but he can let go of it. Whatever happens in the future, his past will forever be with him and that goes the same for EY.

Being with EY meaning JS must take the risk of getting reminded of his past with HS, of his mistakes, and he can't be with EY if he doesn't have the courage and willingness to accept that.
But we know that JS is a broken person. He's still afraid of getting himself hurt, still having suicidal tendency, and also an ignorant, but deep inside he's a passionate person who wants to be happy and all. That makes JS now in a situation where he's got to be ready to accept his past. If he doesn't, then it will haunt him forever.

I hope episode 12 show us a little sneak peek of new JS (remember the PD said that in ep 12 something different will happen?), I hope he realize something new that can change his personality. And at last, I have to admit I love how SY unconsciously helped him with her words. And somehow that makes me love this drama more!

I hope it ends well in a way that will satisfy all audiences! :D

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I hope they (the writers and PD) made this kdrama the best that it can possibly be 'till the end! CH Fighting!

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Thank you very much for your recap, Javabeans.

@ Amg1 , Lahlita, song4u2

I am a newer of this website. I did not know some rules.

Thank you for your reminding and the others.

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if this show is all about happy endings then OMG JS and EY have to be together in the end after all the angst in their relationship. i don't want the bittersweet goodbye and moving on. noooooooooooooooooooo *wishing with all my might*

three weeks and it's over.... OMO

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Thanks for the recap! Even though I already watched it with Chinese subs it's always nice to see the screen recaps and descriptions of the different scenes from someone else's point of view. I had loved Kang Ji Hwan as an actor from previous dramas (Hong Gil Dong thought I hated the storyline) but I think he has just risen onto a new level in my book. I also love the conflict and slightly... odd humor that is in this drama. The music is also super intense and meshes so well with the scenes. I seriously can't wait every week to watch and I am slowly counting down the hours till tomorrow so I can watch ep 12!

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ok i watched the kiss on raw.............. O M G

.................. HOT

*sizzle*

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Thanks JB! :)

I admit I too am of the "CANNOT. ALLOW. HOPE. TO. RUN. TOO. HIGH" camp in case my heart fails me if the endgame is not what I'm holding out for.

So the kiss worked for me- as the somewhat cheesy chinese saying goes
"不求天长地久,只求曾经拥有"
"To not ask that it lasts as long as the sky is tall and the earth old, but only to ask that we once have possessed it."

I think that's EY's take- that to once-have-had JS's full, no-holds-barred honesty is enough for her and she'll stand by JS in that she's willing to let go of him for his sake and is happy that she has this much of a memory to take with her.

(Okay, I'm going to go cry in the corner now... don't mind me!)

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the best option for me would be for EY and JS to spend time apart. There has to be something to break the taboo that separates them which I'm assuming SY will inadvertently help him out with. The end is EY+JS married. THAT'S WHAT I WANT D:!!

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what the hell, this rom-com is turning into those draggy melodramas i always avoid.

even then, i do not believe this is the end of EunSoo --- the angst has become clearer than ever that this is our ultimate couple. with that hungry, sizzling passionate kiss, i don't think Jin Soo will have a transfer of affection anytime soon. IMO, it's a bigger probability that JS will end up alone than hook up with SY.

SY is just there to fill his time until he totally forgets his ex wife and become ready to start anew with EY.

Eun Young, hwaiting!

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@Amg1 --> Totally agree with you! She's the one who can change / affect him to be a sincere person. I am and will always be Jin Soo-Seung Yeon shipper forever... :P

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Why isn't the english sub up yet!

Was sneaky and watched the chinese subs...man that is a very HOT kiss.. very swoon worthy..

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whoever is the writer i say he/she did a great explanation here. i adore the logical and emotional reasons behind Jin soo's actions. whatever love team may come in the end, i'm so grateful that complications were untangled (for us viewers).

:)

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More fan love! Finally, Jin-soo, you reveal what's going on in your head, and your feelings for her. Great angsty kiss. I hope they work out somehow, I hope they don't take the xx years later route, although it is highly possible. Seung-yeon is great too. I can sleep in peace tonight :) Damn Kang Ji-Hwan and Park Shi-yeon are two beautiful people.

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