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Dream High: Episode 10

Cute, fun, and angsty, all wrapped up in a big bow of feel-good. (And then some feel-nervous.) Now that’s my kind of episode.

No Song of the Day today, because there were so many in the episode proper. It’s a veritable extravaganza of song ‘n dance.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Backtracking for a moment, we see our Misfits take third place at the awards portion of the Dance of the Year competition. They’re all thrilled about it (except for wonderboy Jason?), and Sam-dong calls out to Oh-hyuk in the audience, asking him to stay with them forever. Not betraying his promise to resign, Oh-hyuk just nods.

It’s time for the students to head out for their class trip to Japan, with the Misfits traveling separately to sing at the wedding to earn their plane tickets. At the last minute, they hear that Pil-sook is in the hospital, having fallen ill last-minute.

They’re picked up by their rich Japanese contact in a stretch limo and led to a yakuza-lined pavilion. Oh-hyuk mutters to a nervous Sam-dong that they’re not yakuza — just “important businessmen!” — but the check-in consists of a pat-down and a weapons surrender. ‘Cause the bloodbath’ll just have to wait until after the ceremony.

Sam-dong and Hye-mi take their places to sing their selection, but accidentally take up the wrong sheet music. (Pil-sook had packed it and included the music for the song Jason had been listening to in the previous episode, Lee Juck/Panic’s “Waiting.”)

“기다리다” (Waiting) [ Download ]

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Deciding to go with it, Sam-dong and Hye-mi perform it anyway, and the attendees enjoy their pretty rendition… until the one dude who understands Korean translates the somewhat inappropriate lyrics to the mobster groom, who is NOT pleased to hear that it’s actually about separated lovers who vow to be together… in their next lifetimes.

The groom cuts in angrily, accusing them of ruining his wedding. Our trio can’t understand his words, but they sure as heck can read the hostile energy in the room, and Sam-dong urges Hye-mi to run. Oh-hyuk buys them a few seconds by blocking the pursuers, and the kids flee through the neighboring streets.

They manage to hide, at which point Hye-mi scolds Sam-dong for almost getting caught when he turned around at one point. He holds out his hand to show her what he had to turn back for — the sparkly cell phone accessory she’d given him (a matching pair with Baek-hee), which I’m sure is gonna break my heart at a future point.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Kirin students check in to their hotel with Kyung-jin, where already we can see the lines being drawn between the debut hotshots, who sit off to the side and enjoy more comfortable accommodations, and the normies, who get stuck four to a room.

Oh-hyuk staggers in, hoping his students have made it here, and admits that he lost them. Mention of the Misfit Mafia grabs the attention of the Hotshots, and Jin-gook immediately volunteers to go find them, followed by Jason.

Sam-dong asks for directions to the hotel in his broken Japanese, while Hye-mi is distracted by the sight of a fancy enclosed Ferris wheel. Mere seconds after they head off, Jin-gook and Jason come by and ask (in Jason’s fluent Japanese) the same passersby for info on the kids, but since they’re looking for one guy and two girls, they get back a negative. This drama’s doing its best to push the Jin-gook-and-Hye-mi-as-soulmates storyline, and so, Jin-gook also finds himself transfixed by the Ferris wheel.

Hye-mi sighs that they shouldn’t have come on the school trip, but Sam-dong reminds her that she wanted to come, and that he knows why. But when she challenges him to give her reason, they dance around the truth, and Sam-dong chooses not to mention Jin-gook..

Right now their most pressing concern is hunger, and upon spying some street performers, Sam-dong suggests earning some money.

What ensues is an upbeat performance, albeit one that annoys me because they’re clearly singing without instruments or background music, and yet they somehow magically have an instrumental track accompanying them. (I know they do this in musicals, but not when the characters are supposed to be performing in the drama itself — is it too much to ask for an awesome a cappella performance instead?)

Gradually they attract a large crowd, even stealing the other group’s audience, and engage their audience to join in and cheer.

The song they pick is Lee Moon-sae’s “붉은노을” (Red Sunset) . [ Download ]

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As they wind down, a group of b-boys (part of the rival group) crashes their party and starts dancing, which catches them by surprise… capped off with the appearance of Jin-gook, Jason, and In-sung, who challenge the other dancers to an impromptu dance-off. Did I just type that sentence? Dream High, I love you.

Not far behind them are the rest of the Kirin students, who join in on the dancefest, including Baek-hee.

The Kirin kids “win” when a b-boy stumbles, and with emotions running high, everyone exults together. Even Baek-hee offers up a silent high-five to Hye-mi, who accepts.

Okay, we then get a series of adorably cute sequences that send my giddy little heart into overdrive. ONE would have been fine, but a whole slew, back to back? Aghhhhh, sugar overload (and I mean that in a good way):

Sam-dong crashes with Jason and Jin-gook, and I love how casually Jason asks him about Pil-sook, and then freaks out when he hears she was hospitalized for hepatitis, asking if it was A, B, or C. It’s A (the least dangerous), but Sam-dong didn’t pay attention to that little detail, and Jason bursts out that it’s really important which it was.

Hye-mi crashes with Ria and Baek-hee, and her stomach growls loudly but her embarrassed pride won’t let her accept the snacks that Ria offers. At first Baek-hee seems to be purposely mean, telling Ria to forget the offer, but later that night she casually nudges a wrapped pastry off her nightstand, then pretends to be asleep while Hye-mi takes the offering. Aw. She out of anyone knows how to work around Hye-mi’s brick wall of pride, and it’s sweet that she makes the overture.

Hye-mi eats outside on the balcony, where Jin-gook spots her and asks to talk. Still upset with him, she mutters (with a full mouth) that they have nothing to say to each other.

In the morning, Kyung-jin spots Oh-hyuk sleeping on the common area couch, since a room hadn’t been available. As she nudges him awake, he mumbles sleepily, “Teacher Shi… I have to talk to you…” and the realization that he’s somehow dreaming of her makes her aflutter with nerves. It’s hilarious to see the icy, hardass teacher reduced to schoolgirlish insecurity so suddenly — and by Oh-hyuk, at that. Well, stranger pairings have happened… (and if I have any hope for a certain leading couple, it’s that Dream High seems to be fairly consistent about the opposites-attract pairing over the two-of-a-kind type).

Another case in point: Jason hits the web to research all the various possible symptoms of the kinds of hepatitis, and grimaces when he finds one entry that lists hepatitis as a leading cause of death. LOL. I mean, death by hepatitis is no laughing matter, but Jason’s earnest concern? CUTE. Then he swipes Sam-dong’s pillow out of pique, accusing him of being a bad friend for sleeping through this crisis. HAHA.

In the hospital, Pil-sook (who has given in to her mother’s temptation of smuggled pork, despite the diet) takes a call from Hye-mi, who’s relieved to hear that Pil-sook’s all better now and will be discharged tomorrow. Jason spots her as she hangs up, and hesitantly asks about Pil-sook’s condition. Hye-mi asks, “Is this interest or manners?” and he readily replies, “Manners,” then asks for clarification of which type of hepatitis it is.

Hye-mi clocks his uncharacteristic intensity and starts to reply, “Of course it’s A…” but seeing how he reacts, she adds, “…is what they thought. But it turns out it’s B.” Jason freaks out, and Hye-mi adds with a secret smile that Pil-sook’s going to be hospitalized for a while.

Hye-mi points out that he sure is concerned for this to be mere manners, to which he retorts by accusing her of not caring at all, then storms off in a huff. Hye-mi scoffs to herself, not believing for a second that he’s so worked up over manners.

Later, the Kirin kids head over to the set to watch as the K members shoot a music video. Oh-hyuk reads over the synopsis for the MV and laughs at the absurdity, since the plot features Jason injured and bloody, reaching out for Baek-hee, who sees a figure in the distance and throws herself in front of him to take the bullet instead.

As Baek-hee collapses, Ria cries, then turns the gun on herself. Jason’s tear hits Baek-hee’s cheek… and revives her. Oh-hyuk chuckles, calling the “Midas touch” director a “minus” instead (ha).

While watching the proceedings, Sam-dong listens to the song playing in the background (it’s K’s single), and tells Hye-mi that while it’s a well-designed track, it doesn’t quite feel seasoned enough. It just needs a little “salt” to make it great, and Hye-mi agrees, thinking the repetitive tune may be the culprit.

Pil-sook freaks out about a 2 kilogram weight gain, which is why she misses Jason’s phone call. Worried to death, he’s at his breaking point and declares that he’s heading back to Korea asap, now that the shoot is over. Aww. What nice manners they teach in America.

Sam-dong recognizes one of the crew members at the shoot as one of the street-performing guys from the day before. The difference is, while yesterday he seemed like a petulant prat, today he’s much more polite and hard-working. He greets everyone respectfully, then heads out to distribute flyers for his crew’s first concert, though most of them get tossed immediately in the trash. Sam-dong muses to Oh-hyuk that today the guy looks pretty cool, whereas yesterday he hadn’t, and wonders why. Oh-hyuk smiles, and merely offers that those kids remind him of Sam-dong & Co.

It’s their last night in Japan, and Kyung-jin warns her students to keep it a low-key affair. The kids send each other winks and loudly proclaim their intentions of sleeping early, while Oh-hyuk invites Kyung-jin out later that night. She thinks he’s suggesting a date — while he remains oblivious — and accepts.

Oh-hyuk leads his kids out for the night, running into the K members on their way out. They’re heading back to Korea tonight and can’t come along — or at least that’s the excuse until Jin-gook tags along, and everyone follows his lead.

The Japanese dance crew is, appropriately enough, named Dreamer, and the hall is sparsely attended, with the audience sitting docilely on the ground. The lead singer stiffens to recognize Sam-dong, wondering if there’s going to be trouble. Instead, Sam-dong smiles and leads the Kirin kids in livening up the atmosphere.

Kyung-jin gets ready for her “date” (primping hurriedly while grumbling like she soooo doesn’t care) and makes her way to meet him, getting to the concert when it’s in full swing. Dreamer’s lead singer takes a moment to signal their Korean guests and introduces “yesterday’s enemies and today’s friends,” inviting Sam-dong and Hye-mi up to sing.

Sam-dong gives the violinist a note, then the music begins — what he’s done is (supposedly) create a riff on K’s song (the tune that needed a little dash of something extra), transforming it from empty techno beat to a catchy melody. The teachers are awed at his impromptu accomplishment, while the Hotshots recognize that this is their song and join the others onstage.

Dream High OST – “Dream High” — this isn’t a rip, but the OST track posted in a previous recap. [ Download ]

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Hye-mi takes the mic to (I presume) freestyle some lyrics, and here’s where we just set aside that whole suspension-of-disbelief issue and enjoy the effect, sort of like those old Hollywood movies where people “spontaneously” start dancing and end up in magically coordinated dance numbers. We’re just goin’ with it.

Jin-gook joins in with a rap, Dreamer dances with them, and it’s a big, warm, fuzzy ball of awesome.

Landing in Korea, Jason cabs it to the hospital and races inside to find Pil-sook. Directed outdoors, he finds her jumping rope (with her Jason doll).

She’s shocked to see him, and asks (with a teeny bit of censure in her voice) if he’s skipped out again, since he’s supposed to be shooting an MV. Upon hearing that it was hepatitis A (and cursing Hye-mi), Jason had turned to go, but at that he starts to exclaim, “Do you know what you put me through?”

He cuts himself short and says scornfully, “You really annoy me,” though it’s pretty clear it’s himself he’s upset with (though he hasn’t realized that yet). Just as he turns, Pil-sook hits the ground behind him, unconscious. He rushes to her side in worry, then carries her inside.

After the concert, the Kirin kids join the Dreamer crew for an afterparty, and Ria notes that Baek-hee and Hye-mi seem to be on better terms now. Baek-hee admits that she’s starting to think it’d be nice to get along again, but it’s a short-lived feeling; as soon as she steps out, she overhears the agency president (who’d followed the kids to the concert) talking with his assistant about how great Hye-mi is. In fact, he’s thinking of swapping her in for Baek-hee, and making her the face of the group. Ah, truce is so fragile.

The Dreamer singer gives Sam-dong two tickets to the Ferris wheel as a gift, explaining that he works part-time there. Excitedly, Sam-dong arranges to meet Hye-mi out in front, wanting to take her — but once again he’s one step too slow, because Jin-gook gets to her first, and wrist-grabs her off while Sam-dong (sob) waits patiently.

Hye-mi’s annoyed at his autocratic manner, her mood further tested when a couple of Korean girls recognize Jin-gook and snap a photo of them. Hye-mi’s about to swipe the camera away from them angrily, but Jin-gook intervenes and asks pleadingly for them to help him — he’s wanted to talk to his friend for ages, but has been unable to. “She’s so important to me that I don’t want to lose her like this. So please, help me so she doesn’t run away.”

The girls back down grudgingly and leave them in peace, but Hye-mi glares, saying that this is why she didn’t want to be seen with him and dragged into scandals. She’s more angry that Jin-gook was the one who broke the promise to debut onstage together, and he finally confesses that debuting was the only way he could stay in Korea, since his father was about to have him shipped off to America (has the script so soon forgotten that it was Canada?). If he hadn’t done anything, he would’ve just been swept away cleanly, part of his father’s messy past.

Hye-mi’s anger fades at his explanation, and Jin-gook asks her not to fight with him anymore — time’s too valuable for that. By way of response, Hye-mi takes her scarf and wraps it around his face to cover it up, suggesting that he wouldn’t be recognized with her this way.

Argh, I really, really wish this touching exchange were performed by better actors. I want to feel for them, really… but I’m fixated on how technical Jin-gook’s declaration feels. More on this later.

Kyung-jin is waiting for Oh-hyuk to make his move, so when he starts talking about how he thought she used to hate him, she listens expectantly. He, unaware of her line of thinking, asks her to take good care of the Misfits, who’ll be joining her class, and goes on to highlight their good points:

Hye-mi, for instance, seems difficult and irritable, but she’s actually quite soft-hearted and will follow eagerly if led gently. Sam-dong seems simple and foolish sometimes, but his innocence lights him up, and he’s a talented songwriter. Pil-sook’s just the opposite of Hye-mi — she looks weak, but she’s strong, though she doesn’t know it yet.

Kyung-jin comments that his statements are excessive, like someone about to leave for good, and rather than explain that that’s exactly what’s going to happen, he goes with it. Kyung-jin accepts his answer, but there’s something about his behavior that bothers her…

Pil-sook wakes up at the hospital with Jason at her bedside, having overexercised herself into exhaustion. He’s in a tense mood, and she asks if his behavior this time was also mere manners, expecting as much. He tells her no, but fumbles to explain that he only wanted to hear her sing, stammering a bit about how he likes — only — her singing.

Well, that’s not much of a compliment and Pil-sook nods glumly, while Jason grimaces — SO not what he meant. But instead of correcting himself, he digs himself deeper, telling her not to mistake things — he only came because he had nothing else to do, and he’d made sure to come after his activities were over.

With that, he heads out, though he immediately stops in the hall, upset with himself. And then, he hears the strains of a guitar playing from her room. Pil-sook starts to sing “Waiting,” and this time, the lyrics are appropriate:

Pil-sook version [ Download ]

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Waiting for you, I thought to myself
You’ve left, and you’re hurting so much
You’re crying on the road to returning to me

Watching you, the thought came to me
If the sky brightens one day
Just like I’d left you, you’ll come quietly to me
You, in front of me

Will you be able to see me again?
I’m not in your eyes
Familiar gestures and small smiles
linger dimly, and make me cry, but

You’ll return to me
If your heart calls out to me again
Don’t hesitate and come back to me, in front of me
and I’ll hold you like before

Sam-dong, still waiting for Hye-mi, hears that she left earlier with Jin-gook, and glumly trudges to the Ferris wheel. He arrives at the adjacent restaurant where the Dreamer leader works, explaining that he was stood up.

Sitting inside a car together, Hye-mi comments that Jin-gook had mentioned wanting to ride these cars before. Jin-gook explains that as a child, he’d had family for one day — his father had come on Children’s Day, and he’d gone to the amusement park. Because there were so many people there, the only thing he could ride was the cable car, and it had been surprisingly pleasant, content to spin round in it all day.

Tearing up, he confesses, “When Father abandoned me, when he used me, I could’ve just hated him. But because of that one day, I can’t throw my father away. Without that day, it would have been easy.”

Hye-mi’s moved at his pain, and cries silently as she listens. Jin-gook notes that she’d cried for him once before: “It was the first time someone had cried because of me.”

He kneels in front of her to wipe her tears and asks why she’s crying, knowing it’s because of him but wanting to hear her words. She answers that she doesn’t know, and he kisses her.

Which is, of course, the exact moment that Sam-dong looks out the window.

And, adding insult to injury (or perhaps its injury to insult), his hearing fritzes out again, and he falls to the ground in pain. While clutching Hye-mi’s heart-shaped trinket.

 
COMMENTS

Noooo, you can’t make Sam-dong deaf, d’you hear me, drama? That would be too cruel — you can’t make him lose the girl and his hearing! This is one case where I’d be perfectly happy to accept some medical deus ex machina of ridiculousness with a newfangled surgical procedure that magically restores deaf ears. Just sayin’.

My favorite episode before this one (which is still my favorite, I think) is Episode 5, which was mostly because of that street performance by the then-quartet of misfits. Despite the cheesiness of buying that these kids are just coming up with everything on the fly, I do like the impromptu performances more than the staged ones, because it’s about a more organic expression of music (at least organic in a narrative sense, since they’re actually polished and slick with dubbed-over vocals). And those moments are where music the theme collides with music the plot, and jives in this really nice, layered way. It’s like in stage musicals, where the numbers come out of the emotions of the moment more than a plot point of performance.

And I do love that each episode takes one (or more) old pop hits and revives them in a fresh way — practically after every episode, there are news articles quoting the original singers/songwriters thanking the show for such a respectful expression of interest in their work.

As for the acting… well… mostly I’m willing to overlook the flaws, because I’m so won over by the story. And I swear I’m not (very) motivated by my love of Sam-dong when I say that the Jin-gook and Hye-mi pairing just doesn’t work for me that well because of the lack of chemistry — in a romantic sense, but also an acting sense. It’s too bad, because I’m eating up their pairing in a narrative sense. I just wish I could feel for them, too.

I have no illusions that Taecyeon would bother to read this, but apparently he’s asked for acting critique, so here’s what I’d have to say:

He’s not explicitly bad. He cries at the right moments, he delivers dialogue adequately (though he can’t quite muster heartfelt yet). What I have a problem with when watching his scenes is that he feels very much like he’s performing to the camera. Which you’d think should be fine, only it’s like he’s only aware of what’s in front of him, and neglects to act with his whole being, and only acts with his mouth. Or with his face. Or with his eyes. You know how you look at yourself in the mirror and you think you look great? And then you go out and catch a glimpse of yourself walking past a window, unawares, and are horrified? You realize you’ve only dressed yourself for the mirror — the frontal, angled, prettily posed view — and forgotten that you’re in 3-D, and everyone else can see the rest of you.

That’s what he’s like for me (and to be fair, he’s not the only one). He’s acutely aware of his angles, and what exact pose looks the coolest, or emphasizes his beautiful bone structure the best, or highlights his intense scowl to the best effect… but he’s trying to look cool, and therefore he’s not in the moment. Whereas you look at someone like Sam-dong/Kim Soo-hyun, and he’s just IN the moment at all times — if you look at him from any angle, he’s there. He’s present, alive, and eminently relatable.

Anyway. My two cents.

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YAY! i've been waiting for the recap! Jason and Pil-sook is just to cute. i like how Jason, without knowing, continues to think/worry about her. i thought it was funny how he got mad at sam dong for not knowing which type of hepatitis pil-sook had and that hye-mi lied to him.

now as for JG and HM pairing i agree on the no chemistry. i couldn't put my finger on it but after reading your critique it's exactly as you say. he seems to be performing to the camera. he's not a bad actor but i would like to see more from him, especially when this is his 2nd project. i know in previous recaps comments, many said suzy wasn't as great as an actress, but honestly i think she's pretty good. you can see little changes in her expressions (but that may just be me.) i actually like her wide eyes surprise look. lol

i'm in for the SD-HM pairing. why? well looking at HM-JG i see a lot of sadness. i mean he has issues to deal with and whenever they're together they seem to have gloomy(?) faces a lot of the time. HY-SD i like how they bring out each other. from SD, HM isn't soo mean(?) anymore and HY helps teach SD new things. the last scene with him crying from seeing JG and HM kiss broke my heart for him. more so with the little trinket.

but if the chemistry btwn JG and HM gets better then i suppose that would be fine. i just don't want SD to lose the girl AND his hearing.

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You're right! The SD-HM pairing has so many more happier moments than the JG-HM. I guess those JG-HM moments are more for them to relate to each other like both our lives suck so let's bond over it.

Yeah, if SD loses the girl and his hearing, I don't know if I'll feel happy while watching the rest of the drama. Maybe this is where SD becomes the main character of the drama. I thought I read somewhere that he's the main character but found it odd that he doesn't appear as often as I thought he would.

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Normally in kdramas, the making of couple moments are somewhat like that. Happy moments in the earlier eps, some angsts in the middle and making up and happy moments at the end. SamMi couple is definitely fit into that format. For MiGook couple is like sad, sadder and saddest.

This is not stairway to haven. This is youth drama. Even stairway to haven has some happy moments of their own.

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HAHAAHAHA S youre my favorite commenter. your thoughts are spot on i love it.

i remember there is a saying that goes that "when you are in a relationship you are as happy as the least happy person in the relationship"

so if you stick onto a relationship that makes you cry most of the time you'll just become an emotional wreck. unhappy and sad and mopey

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I missed the dork glasses that Pil-sook used to wear. Glad to see them return lol.

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Yes, me too! she is just so utterly adorable in those glasses..

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Hmmm, you know what would massively fun drama for the err... drama. If Baek-hee's attack on Sam-dong is the reason he's losing his hearing (though that would probably have to involve internal bleeding the brain that would have massive migranes come with it too and... ewww).

Just saying... that would be pretty awesome.

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noooo!! poor samdong... =(

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It’s hilarious to see the icy, hardass teacher reduced to schoolgirlish insecurity so suddenly — and by Oh-hyuk, at that

I loved the bit when she chastises herself that the clothing she has are all only black. Mwahah. The idea of this ice queen wanting some other color, some "feminine" or delicate color to appeal to her crush kills me. Lurve it.

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i'm sensing a love triangle between Oh-hyuk, Ice Queen, and Jin-Man.

Lennon vs. Hammer?

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Mwahahahah!!!

Jin Man to Ice Queen: "Every time you see me [Jin Man]'s just so hype. I'm dope on the floor and I'm magic on the mic. ... Can't touch this. "

Oh Hyuk to Ice Queen: "Imagine all the people... Sharing all the world, Woah oh oh-oh-oh. You may say that I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one."

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Yaayy!!! Sunsengnim Sing-off! :)

Also, thinking about these two doing a song battle for the Ice Queen reminds me of "The Girl is Mine," which is Jackson vs. McCartney. (hmm, still computes.)

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Thanks for the recap. And your 2 cent for TY is fabulous. I think one reason is this is the very early shoots they took in Japan, where the interaction was not good yet. Even the way EJ looked at TY and how they talked were ackward too.
Reading your 2 cents I thought right away, is she talking again about another Song Seoung Heon? Don't get it wrong I am his fan, maybe because of this I like TY very much too. :)

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For people who want to know how things are supposed to end for couples, you have to watch episode 177 of Happy Together, a Korean variety show. Suzy talks about who she chose as the main lead and if this show runs like normal Korean shows, (and it may very well not) we know who ends up with Hye-mi in the end. :)

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Also, something that bothered me. What replace Baek Hee with Hye Mi? I mean LOL Ria can't sing to save her life?!?!? She'd be the first on my list of people to boot. Its no secret too that she had be dubbed in her CV by Pilsook. Geez, the managers are dumb. That or the idea of two competent female singers on the same group is just horrifying to them.

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You just described most current k-pop group.

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yeh, i thought too, they just had to further widen that rift btw them again...sigh.

oh with Ria, i can see why they wouldn't want her to go, i suppose she's like...i dunno, the Sohee or the Yoona of K? absolutely lacking in talent but possess plenty of charisma and cute, and possibly has the largest fan base.

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I thought so too, why Baek Hee but not Ria? Baek Hee can sing and dance. I guess Ria is just the pretty face, even if she can't sing. I agree with Autumn, I could imagine their company using her in variety shows and similar programs to show off her charm. She probably would have a lot of fanboys backing her up. I guess the drama has to stir the rivalry between Hye Mi and Baek Hee somehow.

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from what I understand, Baek-Hee won't be taken out of K, but merely replaced as the face (leader) of the group by Hye-Mi. So, it's game-on again between Baek-Hee and Hye-Mi as to who's the first rate artist.

but I agree that they've got to lose Ria.

taking into account the heavier weight of Hye-Mi as an artist because of her vocal quality, I suspect that Ria will have to fight for her spot in the group too once the producers hear Pil-Sook's vocal prowess. looks like Show is giving its characters their own time to climb the star ladder - one at a time. can't wait for Pil-Sook's time to shine, and I hope that before that happens, her quasi-relationship with Jason will have become stable already.

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You have to imagine if What's Up will have similar success especially when that drama has better actors.

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well i hope the story is good too, good actors doesn't necessarily mean its a good drama.

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PIL-SOOK'S GLASSES CAME BACK ♥

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Am I seeing things...? *rubbing eyes* They don't seem to have lenses! Look at them when she turns after she gets off the phone with Hye-Mi... Or maybe I'm the one who needs glasses.

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Yeah, I saw that too. She doesn't have lenses in those glasses.

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most of the glasses they use doesnt seem to have lenses!! even oh-hyuk's. theres a screencap of baekhee rubbing her eyes, her fingers rubs through her glasses, which means theres no lens.. lol

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Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JG's hotness makes up for any lack of acting. Heheh. Fun episode.

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Thanks for the recap. I really like your critique of Taecyeon. After reading what you write, I feel like my eyes have been opened to some of the good and bad points of this drama and dramas in general.

I watched this without subs, but at that part where Baek-hee is listening in on that conversation between the agency president and the assistant, I could tell that what he said was going to cause a rift between the almost repaired relationship between her and Hye-mi. Noooo, couldn't they have least hugged or something before fighting again?!

Dang, I'm pulling for an operation for Sam-dong's hearing, too! I don't care if they hype it up by saying it's a miracle or newly developed procedure.

Tomorrow's episode can't come soon enough.

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thanks javabeans for the recap!
for some reason as i was reading along i thought it was girlfriday doing the recaps.
ive thoroughly enjoyed this series! i hope that they show more performances in the future like on this ep!

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I just saw the ending....SAMDONGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(

but you know what... i'm really feeling optimistic about Hye mi ending up with SD. THis drama likes to twist and turn away from predictability (which I love about it!) and I'm really really hoping this is a case of expecting the most unexpected/ unobvious. And I agree jb, he can't lose both his hearing and the girl... that's waaaay too tragic.

nope, at least let him have a solo happy ending.... anything!

maybe no one will end up together? I'd be cool with that too... oh, except Pilsuk and Jason - they HAVE to end up together!!! ... or not
This is crazy... this drama's got me second guessing every move they make! I love it ^^

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Oh my that was HARROWING.

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Thank you for recaps !! :)
I completely agree on acting & consistence (America/Canada etc) matter. But they are so cute & the story is nice, so I can overlook that.

My fav moments in this ep:

1. Sam-dong explains to Oh-hyuk how cool the Japanese guy is

2. Sam-dong smiles to Japanese guy and he to him

3. Japanese guy says to Sam-dong, that because he is without his girl, he'll get a lot of service :D

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Sounds a little gay to me. ^ , ^

I don't know about any of you, but I started to LOL on this episode when the kids go into the wedding, while the Japanese riff of 'Mission Impossible' theme song comes on. This song started it all for me knowing I'll enjoy this episode 10.

Oh JB, finally, you are showing your addiction, by ripping each episode's song inserts. I totally love every Pil-sook solo.

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Absolutely!!! I was the same way. I knew this episode would be great just from that music!

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Good call! I had to go listen the real thing to verify I wasn't imagining things.

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Well if we did get better actors then we probably would of seen mediocre song and dance. So I guess damed if you do, damn if you don't.

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Totally agree with you.
The show would have been embarrassing and impossible to watch if the idols were really bad actors. But they are not, I think they're quite decent.

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"later that night she casually nudges a wrapped pastry off her nightstand, then pretends to be asleep while Hye-mi takes the offering. Aw. She out of anyone knows how to work around Hye-mi’s brick wall of pride"

Really do love how you pick up and point out these subtle points jb!

Thanks again for your speedy recaps. You beated the subs :)

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this was my fav episode too :D sorry to bother but the mediafire link for the song they sang on the streets is for panic's waiting instead! if its not too much trouble could you upload the link for red sunset instead?

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I was about to email JB about this... ;)

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yes i would love to know the link for "Waiting" too. thanks a lot

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i'm sorry, i mean red sunset.

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Wouldn't it make MORE sense if the agency's president want HyeMi to join and replace....Ria, since she seems to be a weaker link that Baekhee? Alas, that wouldn't create further division and cconflict between our llead and tthe so-called-female-dog

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But Ria is like the face of the group. You need those in every idol group. lol.

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i agree the so-called poster girl lol xD
but hyemi's prettier than Ria IMO =)

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aww sam-dong.. TT_TT

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Anyone else really love the teacher couple? i found the lady teacher to be so adorkable as she 'complains' while she gets ready to go on what she thinks is a date. its funny how she tries real hard to keep up her cool composure, but always trips up.

Oh and imo, Taecyeon is doing pretty well. His character is made to be the cool type in the show neway, so I'm good with the stylized mannerisms. Also in this ep, I didn't fully connect with the drama of ferris wheel scene because I felt that reason for the two characters' tears was well....not really dramatic for me. The daddy issue problem (while a legit problem..for both characters and is supposed to be a relationship builder) just isn't strong enough.

As for Woo Young, damn, his acting is downright awkward. Let's face it, sometimes his expressions just look over-exaggerated. But at least it shows a lot of effort and passion and how much he wants to show the proper emotion. So props to him. And well, the boy has lots of charm and chemistry with IU. That's all that is really needed.

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OMO..TT SD if they do that to him like you said "taking his girl and his hearing" I would be soooo mad and I think I wouldn't be the only one.. AGGG..TT

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i love the impromptu dance-off scene! and the concert when they sing the theme song too. lol at the music video haha. this drama is awesome.
and i love samdong's bromance with the japanese guy. kekeke. there seem to be no hope left for my hyemi-samdong otp but i hope they won't make him deaf! if he'll end up with no girl and no hearing, at least please let him be 'K' .

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SHOW please please don't make our dear Sam Dong suffer from too much pain (may it be physical or emotional). He deserves some love and success too, you know! He's one talented (and definitely handsome) kid.

Song Sam Dong Hwaiting!

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I know I'm in the minority, and I am fully aware of KSH being a really good actor BUT I really like Taec so I hope he gets the girl..

Though coz KSH is the main lead, I guess I'll see him become the main actor next drama!

I'm sure he'll be better at acting by then (esp if he reads JB's constructive criticism)

Thanks JB nd GF!

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wiping tears from my eyes after watching that. omg sam dong! good lord there has never been a 2nd lead who has affected me so much!

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hm i'm not sure if you noticed but both dl links link to the same song :S
the red sunset song shows up as the same 기다리다 song :S

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though there's no doubt that Kim Soo-Hyun is a better actor than Taec......but still.....am rooting for JinGook-Hyemi team, and I think am the only one here?...must be the effect of watching too much K-dramas, always rooting for the 'soulmates' LOL

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oh holy crap they did not just hurt my samdong!!

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Thank you for the recaps, JB!

Honestly, I skipped most of Taec & Hye-mi's scenes. I think I just waited for IU's hospital song to stop since it carried over to the next scenes then fast forwarded it to Sam-dong.

Completely agree about Taec's acting. When KSH's on screen, I see Sam-dong. When Taec's on scene, I see...Taec. That's why I really don't feel the MiGook pairing. With every episode I feel the drama's push for MiGook, and I'm at the point where I feel I can't swallow it anymore.

Love Kyung-jin thinking Oh-hyuk likes her. LOL. Adult love triangle with JYP's character? Oh yeah, I missed Jin-man in this episode. And of course, Jason and Pil-sook are cute as always. Loved Jason snatching Sam-dong's pillow and Pil-sook eating the bacon while protesting.

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I like Taeceon. Maybe I'm blinded by his charm. I was taken by his charm & looks in Cinderella's sister. He can just stand there & get admired. There's always room & time for this hunk young man.
I feel the chemistry between Hm & T...touching. T seems to need HM & want to protect her from the start. HM seems to sense when he's got a problem, feels for him & forgives him when he explains...
I hope Sam Dong's hearing gets fixed & successful with his talent. That makes up for HM choosing T over him. May the best man wins! But I prefer T & HM.
BH should focus on her own talent than being bitter with her competition with HM.
Thank you for the enjoyable recap.

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Seeing SD crying breaks my heart. I thought the scene after they won the dance battle while everyone was cheering, SD quietly picked up HM's scarf from the ground was very sweet and sad. I'm hoping, wishing for a Sammi happy ending. there's still hope, HM just needs to turn around and realise her feelings for SD. ty for the great recap as always.

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Oh Javabeans! You've hit the nail on the head on why exactly I can't ship Jin Gook/Hye Mi. I swore I'd never ship either couple exclusively and they would remain my OT3, but I'm fully fully on the Sam Dong/Hye Mi ship. A large part of it is because the chemistry between Suzy and Taecyeon IS there, but it's ... yes, kind of technical. I think the problem with their chemistry especially in this episode is that this ep was filmed WAY before the others, but anyway. Like you said, their ship is VERY compelling in the narrative sense but with staging a kiss in a ferris wheel, that should make me EAT IT UP like a lovestruck fool, but I was like.... oh pretty... eh.... because the build up... it was better than the kiss, but let's face it, the build up, where the two of them were weeping in the ferris wheel, it didn't feel very authentic to me either.

As for Sam Dong and Hye Mi----- why I really want them to win out in the fervent ship wars going on in the forums is because good gosh, Kim Soo Hyun, he is RAW, RAW, TALENT. Like something javabeans said, he isn't acting for a camera, when KSH acts, he's completely IN the character. And somehow I feel like he really elevates Suzy's acting---- she's completely natural, radiant and more relaxed with him, her acting is less stiff than it is with others. I think it's because IRL Suzy also gets on with Soo Hyun the best if I'm not wrong, among the guys (because she has a crush on him hahaha) but yeah.

I guess I should have known right from the start who I'd end up rooting for. I remember rolling my eyes at the JG/HM scenes for the first ep (although I was bought over in the second one) but I fell in love with SD/HM hook line and sinker the moment they went up on stage together and she stalked and flirted with him.

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also, IU------ she's really nailing her role! I think they were smart to give her plenty of chances to show off her pretty voice (I AM A HUGEEEEE FAN OF HER MUSIC) but I was so affected by her delivery during her scene with Wooyoung before she started singing 'Panic'.

and then I nearly died listening to her cover. uggghhh it was so gorgeous.

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i heard IU actually went to an acting school back when she was a teenager (or something)

i love her acting, i hope she'll get more acting roles in the future :) she just seems to glow on screen as pilsook. so endearing.

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The critique of Taecyeon's acting makes sense too b/c I imagine he's only accustomed to pleasing the audience with the front angle due to his activities in 2PM. He's always having to practice his dancing with the others in front of a mirror at all times. The performances also go by pretty quickly, and so all he really needs to do is do the perfect poses during his sections and then pass the baton off to the other group members. I could definitely be wrong in this conjecture.

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i agree with this. idols are trained to look good, and from watching bts from 2pm performances and stuff, they told him how to stand, how to flick their jacket, what expression to show to look good on camera. i think unconsciously taec is doing that to his acting, because he's taught that way.

wooyoung though i feel is slightly more natural, even though sometimes it looks like he exaggerates his expressions.

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Yeah, when I saw Taecyon rapping on the stage, it suddenly struck me: he seems to act just as he raps.
You could call that a kind of "deformation professionnelle" ^^

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"Noooo, you can’t make Sam-dong deaf, d’you hear me, drama? That would be too cruel — you can’t make him lose the girl and his hearing! This is one case where I’d be perfectly happy to accept some medical deus ex machina of ridiculousness with a newfangled surgical procedure that magically restores deaf ears. Just sayin’."
..

Agree with this. I'ts a very modern world now, everything can be cured. so plead writer-Nim give a good ending for Sam-Dong. I'm Sam-Dong's shipper. doesnt' matter who he end up with .. i careless . but of course i wish he will get what he wish and work for.

@ Javabean, below download files is actually referring to Lee-Juck - Waiting song. instead of Lee Mun-Sae.
The song they pick is Lee Moon-sae’s “붉은노을” (Red Sunset) . [ Download ]

I hope you can fix the link. And sincerely i want to thank you your hardwork for rip the song from the drama. YES i'm downloaded all coz i just loves it all. The RIP and original version.

O___O

. /thank you.

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for anyone who wants the sd and hm's version of dream high http://www.mediafire.com/?tmm3i180t993wdk

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@Javabean Do you know the original artist of the song "waiting"? I would like to have both version.

Thank You

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Panic is the original artist. http://www.mediafire.com/?i5yxnzcjmoj

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Thank you

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I refuse to accept a Hyemi-Jingook pairing. No way.
Samdong, hang in there! Everything will work out wonderfully for you, I know it (cuz if it doesn't I'm going to get someone......)

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as for taecyeon, i really think he's a bad actor. i give idols their chance like any other actor: siwon was awesome, seulong was hilarious, hyungjoon wasn't bad, and yoochun was good. wooyoung is okay, but taecyeon sounds too forced, too fake. i think the reca worded it well, its like he's acting for the camera and looking cool instead of being in the moment and feeling what the characters feel.

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aww don't be so hard on taec. i think he's at least better than khj, since his expressions are at least... varied :P

but yes, he can be spotty when trying to conjure up the more complex emotions. like in ep 9, when he cried while backhugging HM, my friend went "he (the character) is totally fake crying to her" and i was like, "umm, no, the actor is fake crying, but i'm sure the character means it." lolz.

i chuckle thinking that SD is going to be like taylor swift, writing songs after each awry relationship now :D yeah, i'm trying to lighten up me breaking heart.

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and Sam Dong will compose "Teardrops on My Keyboard" instead. :)

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hyungjoon wasn’t bad

Mwahahaha! Really? In BOF? Are we talking about the same boy? The boy whom JB & GF named the robot boy? Oftentimes, when HJ's character in BOF seemed upset, I kept finding myself wondering what that tiny little furrow and slight increase in the terseness of his indicated.

Taecyeon's problem seems to be that he's not android boy 1.0 (think Star Wars & Star Trek) but android boy X.5.8 (greatly versatile and capable of many different human expressions but not quite fully human).

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LOL! you know he's bad. he's bad. really, really bad. ;)

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actually i was refering to him in playful kiss because i didn't see bof. mind you, he didn't exactly have a lot to work with either, which is why i think he played a stony character pretty much like that, but he certainly didn't add any extra spark ....

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I couldn't bring myself to watch Playful Kiss, but I'll take JB & GF's word that his acting has improved since BOF. But you gotta watch BOF. Oh Boy!! It's somewhat comical if you really let your brain kick in.

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thanks a lot for the recaps and sharing the rips. btw, why waiting and red sunset have the same link?

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@Taber:: i found this link http://www.mediafire.com/?bjdddmflnds it's from Panic - Waiting

@j:: thank you for the link dream high version SD and HM ^^

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Thank you I love the song

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I bet a scandal will come out in the near future since the girls didn't delete the photos they took of jinguk and hyemi... wahahahaha

I wonder how will that play out...
and i still believe that hyemi has a greater chance of ending up with jinguk because as the kdrama rule states: "the couple that meets first in a possible love triangle will end up together"

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looks like samdong is gonna be like beethoven... but please let him have Hyemi even if that happens show!!!!

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Kim Soo-hyun is a great actor - he was wonderful in "Will It Snow for Christmas?". The "younger years part" was way better than the "adult years part", even with Go Soo playing his adult counterpart.

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Thanks for the recap. I completely agreed with you on Taec's acting analysis. Damn think of how awesome this drama would be if it has Moon Geun Young playing Hye Mi.

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I can't stand seeing samdong like this, i want him to be happy and dear hye mi, you will fall for him sooner or later. He makes you laugh, smile and happy all the time. i love you Samdong no matter what just be happy :')

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Thanks JB for another great recaps and even though I watched the raw episode (can't wait till sub) it was awesome to see the whole gang together and getting long, even though it was short live.

I totally agree with you 200% that I don't feel the chemistry between HM and JG..I just don't see it there..
I feel the chemistry between her and SD..but with JG is nothing/NADA.... I guess since Tae is over thinking his acting on each shot, nothing really flows naturally...and maybe that we don't feel that special chemistry/bonding.

To be honest, if the PD decides to have HM go solo at the end and just seeing her enjoy her success, I'll be happy....

However, I'm totally loving Jason and Pil-Sook, they are both so adorable, and I my heart just goes out to them..we need more Jason and PS scenes......:D :D

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"This is one case where I’d be perfectly happy to accept some medical deus ex machina of ridiculousness with a newfangled surgical procedure that magically restores deaf ears. "

The thing is, it isn't really the ears that have a problem/defect, but the brain. I don't know much about medicine, but since his ears aren't really damaged, could they fix what's wrong with the brain and restore his hearing back? They better have him checked before more serious problems goes on with his brain.

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