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My Princess: Episode 5

The lulz, they keep coming. Between My Princess and Dream High, my weeks are looking bright and fluffy. The two dramas appeal to me in very different ways, but both also make me laugh out loud and aww for the characters, and that’s enough to make me happy.

SONG OF THE DAY

Ibadi – “산책” (Stroll) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 5 RECAP

Seol is taken to her new home, a modern palace that Chairman Park had secretly built just for her. It’s beautiful in a grand, stately way that befits a modern princess, and a butterfly even lands softly on her shoulder like she’s Cinderella, I kid you not. They take it as a good omen.

The chairman tells her to stay here for now, and in a week, they’ll hold a press conference to reveal her official entry into the palace.

Seol clarifies that she’s still confused about this whole princess thing; she only came because she couldn’t abide her father being subject to unjust accusations, and he’s the only person she knows who can fix that.

Now that the news is out, Mom has been brought to see her and Seol rushes to hug her. Unsure how to act to her newly royal daughter, Mom nervously calls her “Highness” and stammers at first, until she she gets the chairman’s permission to hug her back and treat Seol as normal.

The chairman explains the details to Mom, who brags about always knowing that Seol was quite unique as a child. She exaggerates just a wee bit with the praise of her scholastic prowess, which might be annoying if Mom weren’t sincere. We know it’s not how she actually thought of Seol, but her memory seems pretty malleable, and Seol takes just after her, happy to soak in the praise as though it were always true.

Seol requests a trip back home to collect her things, to which Grandpa asks if she’s sure she’ll be able to come back. The only person with the power to block attacks against her father is herself, as the princess — a reminder of a solid reason for her to return to the palace.

When Hae-young shows up to work at the foreign ministry, he finds he has been issued a warning for violating rules, and reassigned to standby duty. On top of that, the media is clamoring for a piece of him, having gobbled up the story of the chaebol in love with the princess, as the shifty reporter reminds him.

Yoon-ju drops by to inform Dan that in the wake of this news, bodyguards have been assigned to assure her safety. Never one to accept something gracefully, Dan retorts that if they’re not going to be assigned to her indefinitely, she’d rather not have them, because it’s an insulting feeling to have someone give you something, then take it back later.

But Yoon-ju’s not offended and just smiles, giving Dan her card. I wonder if she sees a bit of herself in Dan; I suppose we’ll have to anticipate a team-up with these two manipulators. Wonder Bitch Powers, Activate!

In her room, Dan takes out an embroidered pouch and gives it a meaningful look. The scheming begins…

The chairman offers Yoon-ju any gift of her choosing in thanks for all her help, which he’ll buy before handing over his assets to the monarchy. He’d thought of giving her the museum, but she says that’s not necessary. Instead, she asks to be put in charge of the Royal Foundation, saying that she’ll run it per the chairman’s wishes, which will in turn prevent Hae-young from interfering with the princess.

The chairman likes this idea and thanks her for the offer, but her father looks alarmed and asks her in private why she’d make the request. He wants her to rescind it, but she won’t.

Seol’s palace attendants introduce themselves and show her to her lavish quarters. (The term for their position is sanggung, which translates to court lady.)

Seol’s a pretty girl who likes pretty things, and looks in awe at the mini-department store installed in her room. Picking out one party dress, she tries it on and adds a pair of sparkly heels. They trip her up (literally), and she sighs, “They don’t fit.” Symbolism!

Yoon-ju has recommended Jung-woo to be a director in the royal foundation, and it’s like she has no understanding of her actions hurting people, because he’s hardly in the mood to accept a position working with her and tells her he’s doing fine for himself.

Unfazed, she urges him to consider the position seriously.

Grandpa begins the process of turning over his assets, beginning with Hae-young, and sends a team of men to claim all the stuff in his apartment. Hae-young argues that he bought all the stuff inside the apartment, but apparently stuff tied to his credit is also up for grabs. The men go around sticking red claim stickers on all of his belongings — down to his coffee mug and shoes — which begs the question, Wouldn’t it be easier just to tag the stuff they WON’T be taking?

The lead agent doesn’t like this any better than Hae-young does, and asks plaintively, “Are you not going to leave? Will I have to use force?” Heh. Ah, I do enjoy this rags-to-riches, riches-to-rags juxtaposition of Hae-young and Seol’s circumstances, especially since he was rather smug about being so filthy rich.

So Hae-young leaves with one suitcase, annoyed but not TOO upset because he has plenty of other places he can crash. Or so he thinks, until Yoon-ju gives him a list of all the assets to be reclaimed — all his secondary apartments, vacation homes, and the like. Including the resort he was given as a birthday present when he turned eight.

Hae-young heads to his department store to buy some essentials, and during his perusal of a pair of tighty-whities (I would’ve pegged him for a boxers man, myself), he spots Seol’s entourage rounding the corner.

She’s on a shopping spree for gifts for Mom and Ungrateful Sis, and Hae-young’s not about to admit to his embarrassing new homeless state, so he ducks behind a mannequin.

It’s too late, though, and Seol has seen him, and now it’s worse because it’s clear he’s trying to hide. He plays it off, not noticing that his hand has landed on a questionable area of the lingerie mannequin… or that he’s still holding up a pair of underwear to his crotchal region. Oh lord, this is so funny. Can we rob Song Seung-heon of his dignity in every episode? Pretty please?

Amused, Seol tells him he and the mannequin “look good together,” which is doubly hilarious given Song Seung-heon’s own reputation for characteristics associated with the like. Ha.

She gets the last word and heads out, leaving Hae-young to face more humiliation when he finds that all his cards have been deactivated. No underwear for you!

Grumbling, Hae-young takes off after Seol and forces his way into her elevator. It’s almost like he’s intending to ask her for some help, but the air in the elevator is awkward and the two of them engage in another round of looksie.

But she doesn’t engage him in conversation and he doesn’t have an opening, so when she sails out ahead of him, he’s left behind frustrated.

He gets called in to meet with the president (of the country), and asks why he approves this monarchy restoration. Even if the people like the idea, Hae-young can’t wrap his head around such an immature young girl like Seol being turned into a princess, and calls his grandfather irresponsible for initiating this whole mess. He adds that for all the interest in the restoration, it’ll undoubtedly prove difficult to manage.

Surprisingly, the president agrees with him — but he can’t cancel the vote. He asks for Hae-young’s opinion on how to handle it.

The president takes a meeting with the assemblyman who leads the opposition of the restoration, which they use as a PR opportunity as they both donate blood.

Once the photo ops are done, the president levels with the assemblyman about the princess, and chides him for creating that scandal about her father. He warns him to stop messing with the princess, as the people will have the last word in the restoration matter.

Hearing the welcome news of a guest at the palace, Seol tears out of her room to greet Jung-woo, though she pauses for a moment to primp. She’s so touched when he says he missed her that she has to stop him momentarily to soak it in, saying she can’t quite handle it.

Jung-woo advises her that her whole life is about to become full of things she can’t handle, so she’d best come to him to vent rather than shouting into the bamboo forest, “The King has donkey ears!” (That comes from a Korean folktale; a man was entrusted with a secret, which grew more and more burdensome until he couldn’t take it and had to shout it out to the forest.)

Reluctantly, she takes a call from Hae-young and tries to cut it short by saying vague but discouraging things like, “We shouldn’t do this anymore” and “I told myself I’d forget you.” Lol at her dramatics, which make the others assume that she’s speaking to a spurned ex-lover.

She doesn’t want to let him know where she is, so Hae-young warns that he’ll “cause an accident” if she doesn’t, and that makes her blurt, “What more accidents are there left to cause?” This one raises Jung-woo’s eyebrows, since “causing an accident” is also a euphemism for getting knocked up. Hae-young answers that there are a lot of possibilities to choose from, like marriage.

Seol gasps, “Marriage?!” and hangs up. Freaking out, she excuses herself to call him back in privacy, and he threatens that he’s about to hold a press conference announcing their marriage plans. He tells her that the bigger the scandals grow, the more helpful they are to him.

This is a blatant lie — he’s at a convenience store — but she buys it and panics. Frantically, Seol grabs Jung-woo — to the bamboo forest!

That’s just a euphemism for spilling the secret, and once they’re in private she tells Jung-woo of Hae-young’s threat, and begs for his help.

They’ll have to go find Hae-young to intercede, so they sneak their way out of the palace, managing to make it to the car unseen. At the last moment, the new royal kitchen boy Gun spies the princess ducking into Jung-woo’s car, where Jung-woo furtively wraps Seol’s head to hide her face. Not too bright but full of heart, Gun reads a lot more into the scene and jumps to conclusions — is the princess being kidnapped?

He goes tearing after them on his scooter and pulls up alongside them, honking to get their attention. Gun yells for his noona to get out of the car — like I said, not the brightest bulb. (I suppose the moving bike will just break her fall?)

Seol and Jung-woo wave him aside, but in their distraction they don’t see that they’re heading straight into a construction zone until it’s too late. To the hospital!

Seol moans and groans excessively and insists on being checked in despite the doctor’s confirmation that there’s nothing wrong with her. Granted, she has a reason — it brings Hae-young running immediately, which means he’s most certainly NOT giving a press conference.

Oh man, I just love when these two men are in the same scene together, because it means hilarity is just around the corner. My reaction is practically Pavlovian; Hae-young and Jung-woo face off, and I get all excited. Wait, not in that way. (At least, not only.)

Naturally the men eye each other in their macho-posturing way. Noting that the accident occurred in Jung-woo’s car, Hae-young gives her the ol’ I-told-you-so lecture about not taking rides from Jung-woo, and grabs her arm intending to check her out, since he knows she’s putting on an act. That earns him a glare from both Seol and Jung-woo as she cries out in pain and clutches her shoulder.

Hae-young hadn’t realized she was really hurt, and Jung-woo leans down to speak soothingly to Seol (no doubt going a little overboard to rub it in Hae-young’s face).

The two men head to reception to deal with paperwork, but as Hae-young tries to sign the forms, his pen won’t work. Jung-woo whips his out (LOL) and takes over, prompting Hae-young to retaliate by swiping the pen from him: “I’ll do it, since she got into an accident on the way to meet ME.”

Jung-woo grabs the pen back, Hae-young does as well, and this goes on a while. OH YOU TWO.

Jung-woo challenges Hae-young’s authority in matters pertaining to Seol, since he’s got no claim to sign for her. Hae-young replies that he does as a fiancé.

He drops the act briefly to level with Jung-woo, saying that he has a “knot to tie” with Seol today, but if Jung-woo steps aside, he’ll be able to end “this damned fiancé act” today. Taking the pen, Hae-young signs the form.

In the room, Seol (and her perfectly normal shoulder) asks Gun for a favor, replete with puppy-dog eyes and a “Do it for noona” plea. Innocent little Gun is no match for a pro like her, and he caves. Like he ever had a shot.

The “favor” entails helping Seol cover up her hospital stay by taking her place at the palace. Yep, you read that right. I know you’re an idol boy, but you’re not that pretty, LOL. He huddles nervously in bed while her lady in waiting chatters on about how handsome her professor is, clutching the bedcovers like they’re a lifeline (to his dignity).

At the hospital, Hae-young keeps watch at Seol’s bedside that night; she has insisted on staying overnight, no doubt trying to keep tabs on Hae-young. He looks at her worriedly when she starts to mumble in her sleep, her face crinkling in pain, and he makes out her tearful words, “Dad…”

He looks at her in sympathy… until she then adds, “I’m hungry.” HA.

When she wakes, she resumes the patient-in-pain act, wincing about her hurt shoulder and making it a point to ask him to help her drink, since she can’t move her hand. He guesses that she’s faking since she seems so chipper, and she replies that he can believe as he likes.

He accompanies her to the restroom, and on their way back, they see that a mother with a crying child is being turned away at the front desk due to a lack of space. The mother is frantic, so Seol offers her bed to the girl, assuring them that she’s fine to check out.

But she wasn’t entirely faking, because she has a dizzy spell outside, and falls to the ground. Hae-young wants to go back inside, but Seol mumbles that there are no beds available and won’t let him check her back in.

With nowhere else to go, a worried Hae-young drives her to his apartment, where he tends to her fever through the night. He wraps her in a robe and tucks her into bed, and in the process he spots the bruises that have shown up belatedly.

Realizing she wasn’t faking her injuries after all, he feels a bit guilty for doubting her and spends the next hours at her bedside, finally sighing in relief when the fever breaks.

In the morning, Seol awakens, and finds Hae-young cooking up some porridge in the kitchen. She eats slowly while awkwardly propping up her sore arm. Hae-young takes the spoon from her and holds it up to feed her, overriding her protests.

It’s only now that she realizes she’s in a bathrobe, so before she can freak out about him taking liberties, he assures her that he didn’t see anything. (And can’t resist the muttered dig, “There’s nothing to see anyway.”)

All this kindness is making her uneasy, and Seol suspects that all his excessive attentiveness means he wants something from her. She’s not wrong, so he starts by asking her to believe him. Warily, she asks, “Believe in what?”

He replies, “My apology. You don’t have to accept it, but I hope you can believe it.” He says he shouldn’t have let her father be slurred like that, which he means as a reference to his part in the bad press, though she remains unaware of those specifics.

Not for long, though: While changing her clothing, Seol spots the stack of newspapers in the bedroom, all with front-page stories about the possibility of restoring the monarchy.

She flips through the papers and finds an envelope at the bottom of the stack, which contains documents about her father, Lee Han. Included are transcripts of news reports about her father and his supposed criminality (burglary, con artistry). She recognizes some of the details from the report at the restaurant where she had lost her temper with the other patrons, and as she reads through, Seol starts to register more familiar words… because the words she is reading match the words that are coming from the television outside.

Shocked, she starts putting the pieces together and understands what Hae-young meant by his apology. Angrily, she confronts him with the documents, demanding to know what’s going on.

Knowing the jig is up, Hae-young sighs and asks if she thinks he’s behind the news reports about her father. He doesn’t deny her accusation that he has the most to gain from it, and takes it a step further by telling her frankly that he’s got lots more where that came from. Hae-young lays out his threat, that she can’t ever be a princess as long as he continues, and therefore she should give it up.

Seol wonders if everything was a lie to make her give up being a princess. That’s a pretty loaded question, and he takes a moment to sigh and think it over before telling her to listen up:

Hae-young: “When you were hurt, my concern was real, and my apology regarding your father was, too. But even more than all that, what I’m most sincere about is wanting you to give up being a princess. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Turning without a word, Seol stalks out of the apartment. Hae-young chases her out, but just then, his grandfather arrives, having heard that Seol spent the night here. He tells Seol that the president awaits a meeting with her, and with one last glare at Hae-young, she gets into the car.

She takes her meeting with the president, in which he advises her that attention will increase in the coming days and that the support of the people brings with it responsibility on her part.

Afterwards, Chairman Park tells her that it’s time for her to decide where to head next. She makes her decision, and arrives at the palace. She walks through the halls in a silent, dark mood, and goes to bed in heavy spirits.

When she looks up, though, she sees Hae-young sitting at her side, smiling down gently on her. He reaches down to brush her hair and check her forehead for fever. With that, she falls asleep.

I’m inclined to believe that not only is this Seol’s imagination, she’s fully aware that she’s conjured him up out of thin air. (For one, he’s wearing the clothing he’d worn while tending her fever, and for another, her next reaction supports it.)

In the morning, Seol awakens from sleep to see Hae-young waiting at the foot of her bed. She dismisses him, as though assuming he’s yet another fantasy conjured by her mind, and doesn’t react. Until he opens his mouth and introduces himself, sending her jerking upright in shock.

 
COMMENTS

Aw, Seol’s fantasized Hae-young is sweet, and theirs is a conflict that I can really buy for a couple. They both like each other, have great rapport together, and care for each other on a personal level. But he’s a chaebol and she’s a princess, and both of those are about as symbolic a presence as exists in this day and age, even more so than celebrities and other public figures. They’re bound to this status by their birth, not by choice, so the conflict becomes something deep-rooted and difficult to untangle. Plus, both stand in each other’s paths — he has to destroy her birthright to protect his, while if she accepts her position, she’s literally stealing from him.

There have been so many k-dramas where the big bad separating the couple is a mere “My mama doesn’t like you” or “You’re poor” or whatnot, and while those are very real conflicts and effective on some level, I can’t help but feel that they wear pretty thin pretty quickly. I like my romantic angst to have some meat, and this one’s got some.

While the most immediate reference/allusion wrought by this drama has been Roman Holiday, I actually think that Anastasia is a much more apt parallel (I highly recommend the Ingrid Bergman movie, although I find the true story plenty fascinating on its own). Both are about reluctant princesses, but the setups are different; Audrey Hepburn’s character has always been a princess and longs to be out of her gilded cage. In the case of Anastasia, you have the lost princess reappearing out of the dark and claiming her position, being accepted into the fold, and falling in love with someone she cannot be with as the princess. So her dilemma becomes a matter of choosing between her duty — one thrust upon her late in adulthood, not one she has grown into — and her heart, with a healthy dose of confusion about her responsibilities to the royalty mixed therewith.

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win! i've been refreshing forever!

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You go banana! :)
I like the wy you claimed the spot. better then those annoying, "first, second, third" kind of comments. Oh mighty dramabeans, how I wish to be a manager or moderator or security or someone who can cleaned up your comments spaces.

Btw. Can someone photoshop that darn red panty on him?

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It's a WIN WIN for us all Dear! A real sweet pick me up kind of drama. After suffering through a bad case of food poisoning, a marathon of all five episodes did the trick of boosting my spirits :D
Javabeans, thank you for the speedy and wonderful recap :D
I'm going to watch Dream High since that also comes highly recommended by you. I'm gone for three weeks ( with no internet connection), and when I return I find these pleasant surprises. What a wonderful way to start the new year. I hope that 2011 is full of well made dramas :D :D

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My Princess Ep5 Part 1/6 English Subbed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AkEg-ACUsk
Enjoy

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Second!!!

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What the?! Is there a convention of people out there just out to claim spots on the comment section of the posts on Dramabeans? Surely you can't be serious?

P.S. Dude, at least pretend you got that last jab at your name. If not, here, a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A5t5_O8hdA

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Dude, just let them be. Mind your own business. They like being first, second or whatever.

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Dude, None-ya.... I have this feeling this is going to get childish. Heh. X/

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It's not the being first/second/whatever that bothers me, it's the fact that they're taking space for some of the people who actually have something to say about the post, even if that something is a "Thank You jb/fri" or even the usual "Sooooo cute". Even if it's a free country, it doesn't keep it from being annoying... And jb herself once commented on how "we don't do that here". X/

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am i first?

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No, just an EPIC FAIL, but that's ok.

P.S. Thanks jb for all the hard work you put into the these recaps. I'm sure it's not easy, especially when you get it posted almost immediately.

P.P.S. That look imaginary Hae-young gives Seol just makes me all warm and gooey inside. *drools*

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damn! love the show to pieces!

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i felt like this episode... was just fluff. LOL
it didn't really have a purpose but it had a FEW things that were needed to move along.

like, seol entering her palace. that's it. oh and finding out that haeyoung's entire belongings are being robbed from him. (and he wants to marry her... lol)
besides that, she gets sick, yaddayaddayadda. the two boys fight, etc.

i'm waiting for tmrw's episode. :) gonna be great!
thanks for the recap~ <3

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I have to agree that this episode was a bit "Eh" for me. But then, every drama has its Eh episode. And usually around the 5th or 6th episode. The pacing was slow and not really much going on with the story. I did enjoy the mano-a-mano scenes.

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Didn't realize Wed is here so is My Princess. Thank you so much for your recap. I really enjoy your comment. Glad that SSH and KTH are doing well in this drama!!!

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Just saved that screencap of Jung-woo. His smile slays me at fifty yards. *sigh.

Also, I L.O.V.E this drama. So swiftly are the trespasses of MSOAN forgotten. Though if I get screwed over again, by this or Dream High, it's gonna take much longer to recover.

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Omg same!! that screencap is just..unf!! lol
I wanna put him in my makeup compact thing.. lmao

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LOL been there done that ;D

Thanks for the recap JB :D

BTW anyone else think that SSH & KTH should get together irl? :p
They sure would make super cute BABIES!!!

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yeah! love Jung-Woo's smile too! ;)

This drama is where I first saw the actor, and at the first eps I didn't find him cute. But when he started smiling, oh boy! In my eyes, he just transforms from so-so to swoon-worthy - when he smiles. ;)

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AGREE!! I can stare at that smile for hoooours! Seul can have Hae Young! I want Jung-woo! ^^

I love, love, love this drama! ^^

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I just did that. Thanks for the idea.

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thanks for this recap!

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Thanks for the awesome recap! This drama is so light and fluffy, it balances out Dream High, which although hilarious has a totally different atmosphere. Jung-woo's king with donkey ears reference reminds me of My Girl. Speaking of which, wasn't Lee Jun-ki's character in My Girl named Jung-woo as well?

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been waiting patiently for this! THANK YOU!!!

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YAAAY!!!!!! ok now all i have to do is wait for the english subs... The wait is almost painful :D

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kinda love Jung-Woo.. and I can't help but think his layers upon layers of shirts/cardis (etc), resemble a Bullet Proof Vest, lmao, albeit a quirky-dorky in a loveable way-man high five stylists** sorta way.. :D

this drama is all sorts of rom-com win for me, great for my soul.. keke

Kudos JB!

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Javabeans I love your recaps. "Wonder Bitch Powers, Activate!" LMAO and I'm stealing this line and maybe my head is in the gutter but your description was oh so very suggestive. Anyways this drama was an unexpected surprise I really didn't think SSH could be anything other than pretty but turns out he can be funny.

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description of the pen scene.

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Seol's fantasy was soooooooooo sweet. I kept replaying that scene.

Is it just me or do the episodes go by way too fast. Can't wait 'til tomorrow!

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Random note, number One: If I were a princess (or If i had the money), the first thing I would ask for it would be a Glam Squad. 24/7. Being a princess is almost all about the look. She is very pretty, she just needs a little glam. I’m jealous, all that shoes…

“The King has donkey ears!” Hmm, curious. I read this in the translation of “Hana Yori Dango”, the manga.

“ Hae-young and Jung-woo face off, and I get all excited. “ That makes two of us. =)

Ahh, this Happy Drama always make me laugh.

Thank you for the recap!

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Honestly, this drama started to disappoint me in the last episode, and today's episode lost me completely. I fast-forwarded through most of the scenes because they were so predictable and uninteresting. I had higher expectations for My Princess than for Dream High, but I've been enjoying the latter a lot more, what with its sing-offs and bromance.

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lol a dream high promoter. Sorry but dream High is too fake too (the only saving grace is KSH acting). The bad girl suddendly became bad to make lead girl nice and loved by everyboys...I watched the latest episodes I didn't see what Java and Girlfriday found so great about it (it was the case with YAB and MGIAG). the previous episodes were mediocre at best.

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well,thats your opinion,,why the need to lash out at other people who merely speak of their mind?

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yes yes suddendly girl wants to promote DH here when there had been a debat in the previous MP's recaps about how people tend to like the latter better than the former...sorry but DH is mediocre too (especially the sucky second lead female storyarc, no comment about the mediocre acting)

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…why is that I have the feeling that GF and jb were over praising Dream High and MP. Is this something to do with their …and I missed JB critic/comments specially how should/ what’s new/it would have been great comments …coz like everybody else in kdrama we’ve seen all those style-bathrobe, feeding damsel in distress or girl got sick and boy watched over, etc… we’ve seen all those way, way back and its not something new… that’s why I was wondering whats so exciting about it coz its the typical plot unlike SG body swapping… which make us grave more…but DH and MP are so just like the typical drama we’ve seen so far… hey I’m not complaining but yea I kindda missed the canny comments of JB and GF that make me lol.

...and yes they were so predictable...

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we have seen many of these things before, but this is what we expect from k-dramas. Because they've been done before doesn't mean we don't squee every time they happen in a new k-drama. i actually have missed these happy types of recaps - not filled with snark and disappointment, but with blissful enthusiasm for a drama because JB and GF actually enjoying what they're watching. it's not like we don't know to some extent how the whole thing is going to play out; it's that the journey is still fun, nonetheless. especially when you have adorableness and hilarity, which both Dream High and My Princess have in spades.

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Yeah, the premise is essentially the same, but the impt. thing is developing characters that are endearing/not 1 dimensional, as well as making the changes in the relationship believable.

This is something that SG utterly failed to do (the body switch was a cheap trick and they even failed in making the most out of it).

Add in the lackluster dialogue and lack of real funny moments or emotional scenes that made you feel it (not to mention the awful music/soundtrack) and SG pretty fails in pretty much every area that makes a good rom-com' besides, SG was as cliche ridden as any K-drama.

As rom-coms go, MP has the potential to fall somewhere in-btwn MGIAG and Coffee House, w/ Coffee Prince being the standard.

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It is a shame that not only you did not enjoyed SG, in fact you actually HATE IT!
I wonder how a drama with lackluster dialoge, music and lack of funny moment???? cliche ridden k-drama was able to get so much love out of so many people. Just look at 500+ comments there are in here for the drama for the final recap which 95% were possitive responds( probably half of the other 5% negative comments were made by you). Not even the amazing MGIAG and Coffee Prince were able to pull out those numbers. I have seen many dramas in my life, Latin dramas, Korean dramas, Brazilian dramas,etc.......the fact is that a good drama that makes a big impact in general only comes once in a while, and whether you agree or not SG was one of them, and I just feel lucky and honored that I was able to watch it.
I am enjoying MP very much, and just hope they keep things up the way they are doing, and I do agree with you this drama does have the potential to fall in between MGIAG and Coffee house maybe even better. There are still many episodes to come so we will see if they eventually achieve it, I just hope they do because nothing makes me happier than to see a drama that I like get the recognition it deserves, in fact I am still a little sad that coffee house was not a success as it should have been.

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Even though they're things we have seen before, it's the characters that make this highly interesting for me - they're very likeable to me! They made all the cliche storylines so much more interesting. Sorry to say, but even though SG has things like body swapping, I didn't care for the characters, so didn't care for the drama like others!

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This is it!

For me, I don't care how ordinary, how cliche the plot is. As long as the characters come through for me, it's what matters the most. I don't care how original the plot is, if the characters don't work, there is no way I can keep watching.

Not every kdrama has to have exciting new plots. I get that there's a limit to creativity, because sooner or later, every plot may have been contrived. It's just like here in the US, how many crime shows have we got?? CSI, NCIS, Law & Order, Bones, Psych... And what reels in the viewers? The plot each episode is somewhat similar - there's nothing extremely exciting about the plotlines. The CHARACTERS. People keep watching because they're interested in the CHARACTERS.

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not to mention the medical dramas. the teenage dramas. and dramas about the practice of law. :)

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clichique! you nailed it! thanks. you could not have said it any better or clearer. Shakespeare has already thought of it. the Bible has lots of it. we're not after any new plots or storylines...because by this time there is no plot that has not been thought of already before. what is vital are the characters..their unique journey and development and dynamics. we want life breathing through those characters...so the allusions to a classic story and ancient plot is not frowned upon but we are interested how the new characters will play within the old story plot.

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I agree with you, while this drama is not re-inventing the wheel, it's enjoyable. It's light and fluffy. It also comes down to the main character interactions (not so much Yoon-Ju) are great and they have charisma. I'm usually not a fan of Kim Tae-hee's acting, but here I find her cute.

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…but that’s not the point...its not about the plot nor the comic stuff therein but I kindda missed JB’s dissecting comments on each scene ….the you know sometimes bitchyaa analysis. I missed her angst in every possible way… that’s why I’ve said those were familiar scene but she seems being lunatic, maybe because of “battle of delusional hope” with GF that affect their judgment in the drama… we love you jb and gf as always this site is fun land to exercise our freedom about our fav drama.

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Hmmm, I don't see the point why you're questioning Javabeans' and Girlfidays' critiques on Dream High and My Princess either. Try to review all the previous posts (excluding recaps) here about those two dramas and I tell you, you won't find even 50% rave observations from the said entries. Why? Because honestly, JB and GF didn't have high expectations (or if there was any at all) for both dramas to begin with -- more on snark-inducing remarks. And since you are actually pointing fingers from their Battle of Delusional Hopes entry, you might as well read between the lines. "Overpraising" huh?

Simply put...When something that started off as shaky and vague pleasantly suprises you or goes way beyond your expectations, how can you not speak well of it? Same goes when something great begins (or even continue) to falter, will you still flaunt it as flawless? :)

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"that’s why I was wondering whats so exciting about it coz its the typical plot unlike SG body swapping… which make us grave more…but DH and MP are so just like the typical drama we’ve seen so far… "

Now, let me just quote what another critic Ockoala said:

"My Princess is exceedingly breezy....
MP is definitely not pretentious drivel...
It knows its strengths and executes it fluidly and simply."

It's not fair to judge a drama just because the plot or scene is recycled. Somehow, it all boils down to execution and connection. :)

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To add... it's pointless to question the initial story set-up/theme because ohmg, all these years that we've spent in Kdrama world, there were countless rags-to-riches and still a growing number of cross-dressing dramas to name a few!

Nonetheless, there are numerous of them who stood out simply because at some point, such shows were able to give viewers a renewed feeling, perspective that we didn't see, feel, or get from the earlier ones.

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Still need another dose of Secret Garden...lol..

*sigh..

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Thank you for the recap, I was anxious to read it.

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i can find the similarity of this dram with another taiwanese drama entitled Romantic Princess.

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yeah till nw it is pretty much on d same track...maybe d story will change later.

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lol i can see it too

i loved that drama ^^

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thanks for the recap! i'm enjoying this show so much.

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Yay thank you! I've been waiting for this all day :D

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You had me at "Crotchal Region" LOL!!! I am officially head over heals in love with these recaps.

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I've been waiting all morning, been refreshing refreshing refreshing!!

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felt like a set up episode fore the princess training stuff.

anyways, MP is like the definition of fluff, and I hope it stays that way. I like LS and HY's-friendship, and it's nice to see two genuinely nice but not self sacrificial people try to navigate a preposterous situation.

Hopefully YU and LD's scheming doesn't cause some big angst. I'd like how MP doesn't really have any super dramatic conflicts. It's a nice change of pace from the last drama I watched.

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For me, this episode was a little less...."fun," compared to the first four. I FF-ed through most of the episode. Hopefully, tomorrow's is more interesting.

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why do i keep thinking the grandpa is trying to set them two together on purpose~

first..by taking all haeyoung's posessions and now stating him as seols instructor!! :]

fairy godfather, indeed!

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really??? if so then.. l lov grandpa... omg i have to wait for eng sub to know what's really going on there!!!

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YAY been waiting all day! thanks javabeans :D can't wait for ep 6's recap!

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they're so cute together...

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thank u!!!!.

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but i want seol to end up wit mr hottie prof!!..arghh.but hea-young damn sweet toooooo~~darnnn~~ha3

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Thanks so much for the recap, JB!

I literally LOLed my way through the episode; every scene had me either snorting, chortling, giggling, cheering, or, as already mentioned, laughing out loud. I even LOLed through your recap.

I was expecting this episode to be kind of boring with montages of Seol getting-acquainted-with-palace-and-staff-and-royal-life, with her trying on pretty dresses and eating yummy, fancy food, and I was not really looking forward to that.

Instead, oh boy, we got so much else. HY's entire life is repossessed, including his coffee mug and shoe (so cute and so funny) followed by hilarious sequence of Prof. and Seol escaping from palace grounds (so, so, so cute), followed by accident (scary, really), and then ending with half an hour of glorious scene after scene of Hae-Young and Seol bonding.

As the last scene unfolded, I realized with a jolt that an hour-plus had passed by without my even noticing.

The mall-mannequin scene was delightfully slapstick while the final scene was tender, comforting, and sexy -- and both parts of their relationship fit comfortably with each other. I love this slow buildup because the layers are believable and not just there for "character development". In fact, I am almost dreading the first kiss and the first acknowledgment of real emotions. I want that to come in the final scene of Ep-16! Until then, please writer, just let us stay with this dance.

I liked that in the same episode we not only got our first injection of genuine tenderness (HY taking care of Seol and Seol fantasizing about HY stroking her hair), we also got our introduction to what will later tear them apart -- mistrust and betrayal.

I also love that Hae-Young and Seol both have had (so far, at least *knock wood*) equal screen time and screen presence. Seol is given her own space and has her own heartache and dreams -- independent of Hae Young. She is her own person, and it makes me adore her even more. (But I am jaded enough to know that this probably will not last, but I am hoping that it will.)

Hae-Young. Oh, Hae-Young. Where do I start? Perfect, perfect man, you, right down to the streaks of red-brown-auburn in your beautiful, beautiful hair. (And, SSH?...sigh. Dreamy sigh).

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everything I wanted to say, you said it! I'm also dreading the acknowledgment of their romantic feelings because I am loving the dynamic they have right now. Haeyoung is like the perfect oppa (in the older male friend sense)!

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You people are so disappointing!
I read ALL of the comments in this thread, yet, nobody, NOBODY mentioned Mr. Hand Towel's screen debut.

He called me and was very upset, because he really felt it was his best work.

He absorbed water.
He became twisted and cried.
He lay convincingly still on a forehead.
His miracle powers cured HY of fever with no pharmacological assistance.
He was awesome.

He also asked me to mention that he doesn't think Speedo is all that.

PS Did anyone notice "Candidate number 5" like in City Hall?

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jomo, i almost missed mr hand towel's screen debut if not for you! thanks! LOL!

...but i think you wanted to say he cured LS, and not HY, of fever :-) right?

no worries! mr hand towel was understandably upset by all this and so he must've created some stir that got you a bit confused and all...

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My thoughts exactly!!

I know this drama is meant to be cute & fluff and I like that it's kept this tone... therefore, I am seriously dreading the angst! the drama! I just want things to be happy, like they are right now.

You know what else I love? How Haeyoung is actually believable. He's got daddy-grandpa issues, but he isn't some extreme bitch to the world because of that. He's rich and he does like to show it off, but he's not obsessed about it. He's actually..... normal. I know. Shocking, in the world of kdramas and wounded, ass of men who turn into angels in the end.

Sigh. I love this drama so much... so, so much...

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for real. Finally a NICE broody hero that has HUMANITY lol.

I honestly think I sympathize with HY a little bit more though; I was hurting for him this whole episode.

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I know, SERIOUSLY. He's actually nice!! Sorry, but it becomes too difficult for me to like complete jackasses. Even if the saying is, "Girls go for the bad guys," sorry this does not apply in real life (to me, at least). This is the sort of guy I'd actually end up going for... And I especially like how Haeyoung and Seol start working up the relationship ladder one step at a time, from a working friendship-ISH sort of thing and up.

Man, I am really liking this drama. A lot. A lot.

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I know, it was a little sad. I still don't understand how they can confiscate the stuff that he bought. I know some probably came from Grandpa's money, but doesn't he have a job that he made money at? How does giving your fortune to the public allow you to not work and make money?

Also, can't she just choose to only take part of his fortune, or reward a suitable amount to the Dae Han contingent for services rendered?

Oh well. Such logic has no place in kdramaland,and then we wouldn't have him forcing his way into the palace for adorable hijinks, if the preview is any indication.

I am loving this drama. Much better than expected.

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Did you just read my mind? I think Brookeeve's psychic pigeons are at work here :D That's exactly what I felt! :D

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thanks for the recap...i too have been waiting for this...

i love this show and would continue to watch it...i just wish they also had a better OST...

i do anticipate watching The chaebol and the princess together..i love how they are starting to 'like' one another...

he's starting to care for him and she's starting to 'fantasize' about him...

can't wait for tomorrow's next ep...like the preview on the bed...

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Oh, and by the way, you could not have picked a more perfect screencap for your lead-in :-D . The lulz, they sure do keep coming.

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Sooooo cute episode Was refreshing this page every 10 mins love u db n gf

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Thank you for the recap, I can't wait to watch this!

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Thank you for the recap, javabeans!

"Can we rob Song Seung-heon of his dignity in every episode? Pretty please?" --- HEAR! HEAR! I agree!!

SSH going through scenes like the mannequin scene and KTH/Seol getting diarrhea and farting are just too good to pass up!

And did you all notice how they make Yeon-ju look even less attractive in this episode. Seriously Show, we know she's a baddie!

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Yeah, they're crazy! She was already looking horrible like a mummy (no relation to the one in Egypt), then they gave her this awful curly fringe hairdo omg! It's like a throwback to the 1920's and Great Gatsby.....it doesn't work here. She looks super olddd...she looks like grandmama now. Poor girl, they really hate her!

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"They’re bound to this status by their birth, not by choice, so the conflict becomes something deep-rooted and difficult to untangle. Plus, both stand in each other’s paths — he has to destroy her birthright to protect his, while if she accepts her position, she’s literally stealing from him."

Good point~

Let's just hope this can carry halfway, and then cross fingers for yet 'another' twist to carry till the end~

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it was funny when the henchman was like "it looks bad huh? but we need to do this so it looks like we're working..."

heh.

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Yoon Ju looked like an ajummma in the first 4 eps. Now she looks like a halmoni.

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LOL yeah you're right! Looks like halmoni who has undergone plastic surgery to look like ahjumma.

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exactly! and i swear every time I see her it feels like there's a wooden hanger at her back to keep her shoulders straight and stiff. v v stiff indeed.

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noticed in one of the prev eps (the one where she ran to the prof to be comforted), she was on the bed lying on her left side while her fringes remain unmoved, swept to the right side of her face. and when she got up as the prof talked to her, not a strand was pulled out of place. i wonder how many bottles of wax was used on her hair. and if the wax was Madame Tussauds-grade.

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Javabeans, I'm definitely rooting for you! Haha, cause there is just something about my princess that makes it so wonderfully perfect, like jigsaw puzzle pieces that at first I wasn't sure of how good it would be together, but now am convinced (as more pieces come together!)... Oh, plus the bonus of a GORGEOUS cast!
Dream High is still quite disappointing, and I don't think it would ever beat My Princess in terms of acting, plot, chemistry... SO HOPE YOU GET THE MONEY! HAHA.

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Am I sensing that in the run of the story, the evil step sister will try to jeopardize Seol's life by taking the crown from her???

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I also see that happening soon. T.T

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I know how to increase ratings to 50%:
have Shower scene 10 min long. HY and Seul in shower....showering. Lots of soapy bubbles, water, steam and 5 full length mirrors: one on the ceiling and 4 at the sides. Shower to be accompanied by HY and Seul singing Hokey Pokey duet and showing sleek moves:

You put your left foot out
You put your right foot out
You put your left foot out
And I'll scrub it all abouttttt....
You do the hokey pokey and you turn your butt around, That's what it's all abouttttt......

Bathtub scene would also drive ratings through the roof ....can alternate shower scene one ep and bathtub scene next ep. Yes, the song performed by a TRIO: HY, Seul and Prof:

Rub-a-dub-dub
Three bodies in a tub
And who do you think are in there??????
The princess, the hero, the charming professor,
Rub-a-dub-dubbing awayyyyyy.

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In case you're wondering where's fishlips, they drowned her in the tub cos she kept on whining about needing more space.

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they drowned her cos of her ugly new hair...such a pain to watch.....so they drowned her to put her out of her misery.

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Ummmm....won't they slip and break their necks while hokey-pokeying in the shower?

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hilarious ROFL! There's even a shower song now!

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Why is everybody so obsessed with showering? Why not show other habitual routine stuff that ppl do?
Like HY brushing his teeth?

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in a speedo? Yeah, nice!

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hahaha! :-) crazy speedo mania :-)

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oh, goodness! here we go again. :D did I mention about us not being able to move on from the shower scene? :D

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"Like HY brushing his teeth?"

or pedicuring for that matter? that way you don't have to zoom out to get him entirely in frame since he'd be bunched up in fetal position. (YY, restrain yourself. Hae-Young pedicuring in Speedo is asking for too much. have mercy on my liver.)

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HAHAHAHA pedicuring in a speedo omg LOLOL thanks to you izzie I can't get that image out of my mind....it's SEARED there forever HAHAHAHA

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it's like an LSS, no? :D

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I love this so much but... amigoo my hae young is being evil oh...

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javabeans banzaiiiii!
totally love ur recaps and comment^^
can't wait to watch it!

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I like that HY isn't the typical rich spoiled brat; but he isn't perfect either. He is very believable as a character. Hence, when he does sexy things like take care of Seol and feed her when she's sick...it's ten times sexier. I think it's the little endearments these two are accumulating that are far more winning than the usual grand gesture. The chemistry is a slow build up. I see the rest of you guys are with me on the 'let's keep this relationship a not-quite-a-relationship' train. Glorious. Let's all cross our fingers collectively.

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i LOVE this show so far. im glad since i havent really been hooked to one for a while ^_^

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dude, this show's too good at previewing the next episode. they take out literally ALL the super breathtaking parts and leaves you on a hanger....my goodness i might not be able to sleep tonight. (to wait for the next episode with subs :))

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Wouldn’t it be easier just to tag the stuff they WON’T be taking?

But I bought all these stickers... Wait, no. That's right! I found these stickers right here in this desk I'm taking! Man, these stickers are nice. (Puts a sticker on a sticker) Yeah, I'm taking these too.

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It's class war fare with Post Its - the bodyguard is just drunk on the power those little sticky things give him....

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Save trees, brave paperless.

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Hmm I definitely like my princess, but I dont think i'll be watching this one ep by ep. Too much hatred for the Yoon Ju and Dan hee already. Yuck. But I love Love LOVE Hae-Young, The sexy professor and lee-seol. Even her name is cute, lee Seol.

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Javabeans, enjoyed this recap as much as the raw episode I just watched...I was LOL all the way :-)

"....and adds a pair of sparkly heels. They trip her up (literally), and she sighs, “They don’t fit.” Symbolism!"

- exactly my thought!

"Ah, I do enjoy this rags-to-riches, riches-to-rags juxtaposition of Hae-young and Seol’s circumstances, especially since he was rather smug about being so filthy rich."

- hehehe...tables turning...

"Can we rob Song Seung-heon of his dignity in every episode? Pretty please?"

- i second the motion!

"..leaving Hae-young to face more humiliation when he finds that all his cards have been deactivated. No underwear for you!"

- hahahaha! poor Hae Young!

"Lol at her dramatics, which make the others assume that she’s speaking to a spurned ex-lover."

- she's fantastic!

"Oh man, I just love when these two men are in the same scene together, because it means hilarity is just around the corner."

- oh yeah! ;-)

"There have been so many k-dramas where the big bad separating the couple is a mere “My mama doesn’t like you” or “You’re poor” or whatnot, and while those are very real conflicts and effective on some level, I can’t help but feel that they wear pretty thin pretty quickly. I like my romantic angst to have some meat, and this one’s got some."

- good point here! it looks like you may be right!

Gazillion thanks, javabeans! :-) Can't wait for episode 6!

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can't wait for it too! :)

There's something about this drama that pulls me in - despite what others say about the storyline as being old and recycled.

Also, the Hae-young character that makes me think that if I were Seol, I'd definitely be attracted to him but at the same time be wary because he seems (and claims) to be someone who's trying to be nice just to a certain extent and then at a crucial turn of events, become ruthless. Hae-Young's line, "Don't get me mad. Because when I get mad, I become a really bad person." gives an ill feeling about the character (of all characters, it's the leading man!) which I couldn't shake off despite all the swoon-worthy things he does for Seol. But it also brings on the "attraction to a bad boy" element, which is a girl's common bane.

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like the Hulk...don't make me angry....You won't like me if I'm angry! GROWLLLL

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although The Hulk can't (or shouldn't?) run around in a speedo. (oh! the horror of the thought!) *shakes head* not the same! not the same!

come to think of it, SSH delivering the line “Don’t get me mad. Because when I get mad, I become a really bad person.” - in a speedo or towel would make it sound entirely different, no?

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This is totally beside the point, but I've always wondered how The Hulk gets to wear sexy purple underwear after transforming. Logically, he shouldn't be wearing any underwear, right?

Ooooh at SSH getting mad in a speedo/towel....delicious! LOL sounds wicked...

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“Don’t get me mad. Because when I get mad, I become a really bad person.” – in a speedo or towel would make it sound entirely different, no?

Although it might work. I have a pool scene in my head now, with him looking very indignant and all Lord and Master, and LS semi-contrite but in the midst of cooking up a scheme to get herself out of trouble.

It's worth trying out....

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hahaha picture him wearing the red hot underwear that is a xmas image I just cant stop laughing about.... hahah ahulk in red speedo....... oh no better SSH in hulk like purple torn short?.......

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hulk...SSH...speedo...towel!!!! hahaha! this is taking the shower scene to the next level! izzie and YY you are at it again, LOL!

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