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Romance Town: Episode 7

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I’ll try to give a “deep” recap without explaining my own personal “fairy tale” and how I want the drama to progress. After all, some people think my recaps are “thin” and “lack substance.” Oh but whoops – I’m writing this intro after I’ve written the recap – and I’ve “squee’d” a tad too much already… 😀

Gun Woo sits down at the edge of the stairs and motions Soon Geum to come over next to him.

Gun Woo: I’m only telling you this because of that one debt I owe you. You’ve heard of the phrase, “know your place,” right?
Soon Geum: Nope!
Gun Woo: How about the phrase, “Eon Gam Saeng Shim”? (roughly: How dare you even have such a thought.)
Soon Geum: Those are some difficult words.
Gun Woo: “Where do you think you are to dare to look down on me?”
Soon Geum: Is that what it means?
Gun Woo: Yes.
Soon Geum: And… “Gam” (Dare) is the keyword here, right?
Gun Woo: Yes.
Soon Geum: And “look down on” is part of the issue right?
Gun Woo: *pats her hair – as in, “good job!”*
Soon Geum: But isn’t our relationship on a ‘you’ level? (informal)
Gun Woo: ‘You’? As in, “Hey you”?!
Soon Geum: Like pals!

Gun Woo sighs – he’s not really getting through to a tipsy Soon Geum tonight. She asks, can he do better than her? He dares her to find a quality that puts them on equal ground, and she suggests, “Money?” (Ha – that would make her above him since she’s a billionaire and he’s broke.) “Family?” She insists that a far-off uncle was a chaebol, but Gun Woo says it’s probably both their uncle. They’re not equals in education, occupation, or salary either, and Soon Geum blushes – this comparison of qualifications sure feels like a matchmaking date! On top of that – if they end up matching up, will they both get married?

Gun Woo gets up and leaves for his room in a huff.

Once in his room, Gun Woo calls up Young Hee excitedly, getting his friend up from moping in the car about Soon Geum to his house. Gun Woo boasts that a woman confessed to him, someone other than Shi Ah. Young Hee’s sullen: “You called me over for this? Hey – lay out those judo mats.”

As soon as they’re out, Young Hee flips Gun Woo over and holds him down. (I guess his skills from Dr. Champ are all gone now, eh?) He wants to know what kind of woman would like Gun Woo, but Gun Woo doesn’t like the girl back. Young Hee: “So what’s so great about it?” Gun Woo: “I like being loved by people.”

When he was heavier, he was always the one who had the one-sided crush on someone. Now he gets to be on the receiving end of it, and he kinda likes it.

Soon Geum is in the kitchen, coating seaweed with sesame oil. Young Hee crouches down next to her and offers his ear bud so she can listen to music while she works. Soon Geum shies away, and rejects his help in salting the sesame. He is so insistent that she ends up pushing him on the ground laughingly.

Young Hee asks her out on a movie date for tomorrow, but she can’t watch movies – dark theaters are conducive to sleeping and so it’d be a waste of money. Young Hee: “Have you never been on a date?” Soon Geum: “Oh, were you asking me out on a date?” (Haha! I love how oblivious she is to his advances.) She asks if Gun Woo’s already asleep, and he looks a tad hurt that she’s asking after her master. He grabs a salted sheet of sesame and waves it over the flames. Soon Geum waves a rolling pin and rushes him out of the house – he’s making a mess! Young Hee breaks off a piece, stuffs it in his mouth, and leaves.

In the kitchen, Soon Geum continues listening to Young Hee’s mp3 in the kitchen.

The next morning, Soon Geum helps her friend Shi Ah and daughter Ji Min move into the apartment. They have very little belongings for such a big house, so Soon Geum suggests buying a bigger TV. Shi Ah thinks a bed and sofa would do, and she catches Soon Geum seriously contemplating it. “I’m not asking you to buy it!” Shi Ah yells. “Like you even have money for it?”

Soon Geum sees her “Shi Ah” phone ringing and “Gun-Night” calling. (Cute nickname!) He asks her if she wants to come with him and meet someone important to him – Granny Choon Jak. Soon Geum is shocked – he found her!?

While this would spell doom for her (because she’d be tossed out the moment Choon Jak returns to the house), Soon Geum agrees to meet and races back to the Kang Residence. She sneaks in, as it’s supposed to be her day off, and makes her way to take the 18 million Won outfit from Yoon Joo’s closet. As she crosses the large living room, San spots her from the second floor and calls out, “Ahjumma!”

Soon Geum tries to shush him, but San holds out his stuffed Eeyore and drops it to the ground. Yoon Joo comes out from the dining room, but no one is there. As soon as Yoon Joo leaves, Soon Geum throws Eeyore back up to the second floor, mimes a gesture for him to keep this secret for her, and then waves good bye.

Changed into the same white blazer and dress, with extensions and makeup, Soon Geum races to meet Gun Woo at the cafe. He has a present for her (aside from two cups of coffee) – two stick-ons that help prevent seasickness. They’re taking a 30-minute boat ride to Choon Jak’s hometown, Jang Bong Island. Gun Woo’s excited, but Soon Geum is a bit more uneasy.

Yoon Joo goes to return a painting to the Hwang residence, but she calls Joo Won first to make sure Hwang Yong isn’t home. They sit down for some chit chat; Yoon Joo wonders why Joo Won ended her engagement, and it turns out the fiance had kept asking for more and more money from Hwang Yong. It was an amount that could buy out the entire neighborhood. Yoon Joo is surprised to hear that Hwang Yong is that rich, which causes Joo Won to laugh. Didn’t the wifey know Kang Tae Won would borrow money from Hwang Yong whenever he went through financial troubles?

Yoon Joo is slack-jawed. (Perhaps she’s thinking, “Dammit – I married the wrong guy!”)

Gun Woo and Soon Geum arrive at the island and visit her house, but no one is there. An old neighbor comes by and says that she’s out digging for mud oysters at the tidal flats. That also means another boat ride.

Soon Geum looks absolutely sick on the boat; she could have stayed behind and waited, but didn’t. She finally can’t take it anymore and pukes into the sea. She checks her make-up and hair first before turning around to face Gun Woo again, and he puts his arm around her.

Soon Geum automatically leans against his shoulder, but then goes and pukes again. At least Gun Woo is sweet enough to keep patting her back, and letting her rest on his shoulder.

They trudge through the mud flats, and how the hell Soon Geum even manages to get through them in heels is beyond me. Gun Woo goes from granny to granny, in search of Choon Jak, but fails to find her. He asks the neighbor where Choon Jak could possibly be, and the neighbor’s all, “Well, she was coming here for the past few days before, but if she’s not here now – oh well.” Gun Woo flips – he’s wasted all this time then? The neighbor appeases him – why don’t he give them some fresh clams to try?

When they’re alone, Soon Geum asks Gun Woo what will happen to his household’s current maid if Choon Jak returns. Gun Woo says the maid already agreed to leave, which leaves a sinking feeling in Soon Geum’s heart. Gun Woo sweetly says, “When we get back, it should be my turn to suffer from seasickness.”

Suddenly the neighbor appears again. He dips some fresh clam into some spicy sauce and feeds the both of them.

Gun Woo: It’s really delicious!
Neighbor: It’s good isn’t it?
Gun Woo: No! It’s not good at all!

What a baby.

They continue their search, and finally Gun Woo finds Choon Jak! As Choon Jak hugs Gun Woo, she gives Soon Geum the stink eye. Before Gun Woo can introduce Soon Geum, Choon Jak drags Gun Woo ahead. Soon Geum even falls on the mud, but no one is there to help her.

Back at 1st Street, the maids are all gathered cleaning the anchovies and shrimp innards one by one. They’re annoyed that their masters would make them do such hard manual labor, instead of buying already-cleaned seafood, and wonder how Choon Jak could have handled it back then. Soo Jung notes that Choon Jak always did things her own way anyways, and loved her job. But if she were still at the Kang Residence today, it would be very hard for Gun Woo to marry – because Choon Jak despises almost everyone.

Gun Woo exits Choon Jak’s house wearing some elastic granny pants, waiting for the fresh seafood to cook. Soon Geum also changes into some of Choon Jak’s clothes, but when she cleans off her makeup, she realizes that she looks more like “Soon Geum” than “Shi Ah.” Eeep!

When she emerges from the room, she’s wearing her fancy clothes instead. She offers to help Choon Jak serve, but Choon Jak shoots her down: “A woman should make a man feel comfortable, and a woman without makeup is the most beautiful. It’s not like you’re going to a fashion show. Are you going to sleep in those clothes too?” (Strike 1.)

Soon Geum is surprised; she didn’t know they were sleeping over! Gun Woo looks away awkwardly, and Choon Jak tsks – a woman shouldn’t embarrass a man in public either. (Strike 2.) Gun Woo tells Soon Geum they can head back tonight, but Choon Jak says the boats stopped running already. She hurries them to eat, and Gun Woo goes off to get extra chopsticks.

As soon as he’s gone, Choon Jak gets on Soon Geum’s case: what’s with the half-wiped-off lipstick? Soon Geum has so much makeup on and wears fancy clothing – clearly she’s not good wife material. What is Soon Geum planning to do with Gun Woo by seducing him?

Aaaand Gun Woo’s back. Choon Jak shuts up and drinks her soup.

That evening, the weather gets chillier and Choon Jak orders Gun Woo to wear a sweater, lest he gets a cold. In the room, Choon Jak shuffles go-stop cards, while Soon Geum kneels uncomfortably because of her dress. Gun Woo offers to lay his sweater across her lap, but Choon Jak stops it: “Did she say she was getting cold?”

It’s time to test Soon Geum with Go-Stop! Choon Jak takes out a bunch of change, and Gun Woo hands her two 1000 Won bills to change. Soon Geum also hands a bill to get change for – a 50000 Won bill. UHHHHHH….

They start playing, with Soon Geum in the lead. Choon Jak asks her what she plans to do with the 5000 Won winnings she has so far, and she cheerfully (and honestly) replies, “To buy lottery tickets!” Gun Woo looks at her curiously.

Choon Jak then suggests they play it by the rules of the island – by stripping! If she gets less than three points, Soon Geum has to take off her skirt. Over three points, take off her jacket. OMG GRANNY HAS A DIRTY MIND! Even Gun Woo is shocked, but Choon Jak notes, “Shouldn’t you be excited about this?” Either way, Choon Jak wants Soon Geum to take off the fancy clothing.

Soon Geum quickly grabs the cards to shuffle, as she won the last round. She touches her nose and then touches the card lying on top. Her gesture is reminiscent of Choon Jak’s habits when she plays, and the granny flashes back to when she was playing go-stop with the other maids on 1st Street. Choon Jak would also flip her coins so that they all had the same side facing up… which is exactly what Soon Geum does.

Intrigued, she asks Soon Geum where she learned go-stop. Soon Geum says she learned it from her father, but Choon Jak imperceptibly shakes her head, as in “no way…” Later, when Soon Geum grabs a drink of water, Choon Jak follows her, completely suspicious. She grabs Soon Geum’s ponytail and pulls… her extensions off! Without the long hair, Soon Geum is more recognizable. Choon Jak rubs off some of the makeup for confirmation and she’s so shocked to see the maid lying. Did Soon Geum do it for money?

Soon Geum tearfully apologizes, and Choon Jak wonders, “Do you, possibly, like Gun Woo? But you just don’t believe in yourself because you’re a maid?” Gun Woo is calling for them, and as he approaches the kitchen, Choon Jak grabs Soon Geum to hide in the back. She advises Soon Geum to resign immediately.

Hwang Yong drives up in front of the Kang residence for a little evening party. He can’t get the thought of Yoon Joo off his mind, but forces himself to smile and greet Tae Won and Jang Chi Gook. Tae Won tells him to go help pick out a wine, and when he reaches the wine room, he sees Yoon Joo there. He immediately excuses himself, but she tells him to just pick one.

She asks if his cheek is alright (referring to the slap she had given him before), and he apologizes for having no self-control. However she acknowledges he was quite courageous to act after three years. He then approaches her. Yoon Joo swallows, thinking he may attempt to kiss her again, but he instead picks out a wine she’s standing in front of. It’s a vintage wine, one that belongs to Tae Won’s special collection and is meant for only the most special occasions. Hwang Yong deems this night to be appropriate.

When he takes it out to the dining room, Tae Won’s face falls. It’s worth 20 million Won, but Hwang Yong just uncorks the bottle and pours the contents out into a decanter. Jang Chi Gook looks at the wine lustfully; Tae Won is disgusted that Hwang Yong would open his prized wine so easily; Yoon Joo is impressed.

Hwang Yong takes out two bills totaling 20 million Won: “Let me buy the wine tonight.” Wow – heavy on the flaunting aren’t we? They all toast to courage. Heh.

Now it’s bedtime at Choon Jak’s home, and Gun Woo asks how Choon Jak answered all his letters when she was fired. Choon Jak glances over at Soon Geum, who’s rolled over facing away from them. Choon Jak lies, saying that she snuck over to the Kang Residence every so often to steal his letters, knowing that if she didn’t reply Gun Woo might not concentrate on his studies.

Gun Woo is so happy; he tells her that the letters gave him much strength when he was tired. He promises to always take care of Choon Jak, which amuses her. After listening to all this, Soon Geum says that if there’s another opportunity, she will wear comfortable clothes in front of Granny Choon Jak, make hand-made noodles, lose at go-stop, and massage her arms and legs. A tear falls from her eyes, but no one sees this.

The next day at dawn, Choon Jak is already up preparing breakfast. She falls a couple of times while getting up from a crouched position, and weakly tries to open a bottle of pills. ARGH – so she’s got a fatal disease. Here we go with the melo.

Gun Woo wakes up and finds himself incredibly close to Soon Geum; in fact, his leg is swung over her body! He gingerly lifts himself off, but takes a good look at Soon Geum sleeping. When she stirs awake, he pretends to be asleep. Soon Geum quietly suggests, “Should we stop seeing each other?” His eyes immediately open; “Why?” He tells her to go back to sleep if she’s going to speak nonsense, but Soon Geum thinks that once he knows everything, he’ll be disappointed.

She’s afraid of the consequences and would rather run now, but Gun Woo is angry. Where would she want to go now after “shaking” his heart, wondering if he can hold her hand or kiss her? He pulls her close, “Puke, puke, puke – do you know how sexy that is?! I want to see your cheeks bulge from eating lettuce wraps, so we can’t break up.”

Aww – that is one of the sweetest confessions ever.

He looks at her and smiles, but then notices that the air smells like Granny’s cooked rice. He relishes at the thought of now being able to eat it everyday. Oh great – first she’s all happy about him wanting her, and now she’s reminded that she’ll be kicked out of the house in no time.

Meanwhile, they don’t notice Granny Choon Jak packing up her belongings, and leaving. ARGH – what a Noble Granny.

Back at 1st Street, Boon Ja tells Hyun Joo she wants some pork lettuce wraps for dinner. However, the wife had already told Hyun Joo to make dumpling soup for dinner. Hyun Joo naturally makes sure that Boon Ja is OK with just dumpling soup. However, Boon Ja thinks Hyun Joo is just ignoring her requests because she’s a mistress. She yells at her for getting together with the other maids and talking behind the madams’ back, eating fried chicken and comparing the two wives like the chicken – half spicy, half fried. Her yelling brings Soon Ok into the kitchen, and Boon Ja immediately tattles on Hyun Joo.

However Hyun Joo insists that they’ve never eaten fried chicken; they’ve ordered pizza though. HAHAHA – talk about being a little too honest. Soon Ok demands to see all the other maids in her living room now, to teach them a lesson.

All the maids gather one by one in the living room and kneel on the floor, except for Soon Geum who is nowhere to be found. Soon Ok wants to know: when they last met up, what did they eat? Zar Lin says they had leftovers; Da Kyum says they had kimchi and soup; Soo Jung says they had pizza.

Boon Ja insists on validating her claim that the ladies order half-spicy half-fried chicken, so she asks what each maid would want if they did order chicken. Zar Lin and Da Kyum like spicy; Soo Jung and Hyun Joo like fried. Boon Ja cries with glee… until Da Kyum points out that Soon Geum usually likes fried chicken, so whenever it doesn’t split evenly they go with majority. They would never order half-half.

Boon Ja fans herself furiously. The wives are foiled again! But Hyun Joo is bitter she must go through such a humiliating session.

Gun Woo drives home, obnoxiously honking his car horn on the way back. He’s furious when he sees Young Hee because Young Hee was right – Granny Choon Jak really IS avoiding him. She purposely left early in the morning so that she wouldn’t return with him. Young Hee wonders if it’s because of a man, but Gun Woo says no way – she loves him only! Gun Woo even admits that Soon Geum is good – she cooks well and is good to San, but he fired her (sort of).

Soon Geum is slowly making her way home, and Young Hee greets her, wondering why she’s coming home so late. He offers her some iced tea to cheer her up, and she finds the tea refreshingly sweet. Young Hee asks her out again to a movie date, this time with Gun Woo. Oooh – will she reject the offer this time?

When she gets home, Yoon Joo asks her where the white blazer is – she was looking everywhere but couldn’t find it. Clutching her bag, Soon Geum says she’ll look for the blazer herself and runs off to Yoon Joo’s closet. She closes the door, pulls out the clothing and dusts if off. As she’s about to hang it up, the doors open, and Soon Geum offers the clothing up.

But it’s Gun Woo at the door. He’s not in a good mood to begin with, but when he notices the clothing he asks her to hold it up, as if she’s wearing it. Soon Geum winces and looks down, fearing that she’ll be found out now.

Thankfully Yoon Joo enters. (I never knew I’d be so thankful for Yoon Joo to enter.) She asks why Soon Geum isn’t hanging up her clothing, to which Gun Woo supposes Yoon Joo has the same clothes. He leaves, and Soon Geum collapses in relief.

That evening, Soon Geum, Young Hee, Da Kyum (tagging along), and Gun Woo all head to the small barbecue restaurant where it’s standing only – the same one he brought Shi Ah to – before the movies. Meanwhile, a line of trucks offering knife-sharpening services arrive at 1st Street, calling for everyone to come out and sharpen their knives. The two people in the lead truck observe Hwang Yong’s house carefully. Ominous. And freaky.

The maids gather in front of each truck to have their knives sharpened. Hwang Yong comes out personally because Zar Lin injured herself with a knife, which worries Soo Jung. He offers to watch her knife for her, and as soon as she’s gone, the leader of the trucks greets Hwang Yong respectfully. They know each other!! The leader is grateful to Hwang Yong for helping him start a new life and came to the neighborhood just to see him.

In the restaurant, everyone’s eating quietly, the atmosphere somewhat strained. Soon Geum is once again not eating, saying that the meat is too spicy. However, Da Kyum picks up on the fact that Soon Geum is uncomfortable with the charcoal. When Soon Geum excuses herself to the bathroom, Da Kyum explains to the boys that Soon Geum’s mother and grandmother died from charcoal smoke. That rings a bell in Gun Woo’s mind, who’s already been troubled ever since he saw Soon Geum with the blazer and skirt.

Soon Geum is crying, missing her mother terribly, in a phone booth outside. She hears someone call out to her, “Miss Yoon Shi Ah.” She gets up and turns around.

It’s Gun Woo.

“We should end it here. Thanks to you, my first love will end like this.”

Comments:

OHMYGAWD HE FIGURED IT OUT!!! I knew that NYU education couldn’t be completely useless!

There were plot developments galore in this episode, but the one I did not like was Choon Jak’s sickness. If you saw it coming from a mile away, well good for you. I didn’t, mainly because I thought she was going to be the “Choon Jak always mentioned but never found until the last episode.” This overused K-drama trope has the potential to make the drama completely veer off course and plunge into the Melodrama Abyss. The drama feels slow sometimes based on atmosphere and tone, but if we have one too many scenes of crying in the hospital for Granny Choon Jak, the hour will feel like an eternity.

I do like how Choon Jak tries to get Soon Geum to strip off her facade through a game of go-stop. She’s the epitome of reality and grounded-to-earthness, something that goes against the grain with the ideals of 1st Street. It’s probably why Gun Woo likes her so much, even though he occasionally falls into the pitfalls of the 1st Street values (i.e. falling for Soon Geum at first for her image). She’s the advocate of staying true to oneself instead of falling for the trappings of wealth and becoming someone you’re not, which is almost the antithesis of what Hwang Yong advised Soon Geum to do.

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Thanks for the recap! No time to watch this but it sounds good! :)

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I think that the chemistry between these two is cute and hopefully continue to make all of swoon from jealous lol.

I love how Kdramas make you feel muchy inside :)

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I meant "make all of us swoon from jealousy".
Apparently I can't write haha

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i agree! they are both cute, specially Gun-woo =). Their lovelife is going along nicely...

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yep, i agree to that, their pair is really good and k-dramas never fail to make us like marshmallow!

so far, i am so happy that he had gotten it right already and the disguise had not gotten that long :)

for those needing english softsubs of this drama, check it out here:

http://www.darksmurfsub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1341-romance-town-2011/page__pid__20531__st__140#entry20531

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I <3 this drama, even though the main dude is soooo stupid at times.

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aah... i'm annoyed at gun woo... even my love for JGW can't make me accept how crappy he acts to Soon Geum

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I'm annoyed by him too! Hes soo rude! Back when he was big he was the sweetest thing, but now hes the complete opposite! I know he dislikes soon geum cause she replaced the granny, but honestly its not her fault..

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The granny is soooo annoying and rude. I get she's trying to instill modesty and whatever, but there's definitely better ways to do that than to hurl veiled insults and grab at people's hair (seriously, was she trying launch a hair-pulling fight before the wig fell off?). Old people in Kdramas are always in the way of OTPs, and so full of themselves as they go about doing it. No exception here, sadly. I hope she stays gone for the next few episodes rather than popping up to growl and yell.

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Yeah - I don't think I'm going to be crying any tears for Granny when they decide to start killing her officially.
Sorry, Granny.

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The granny annoyed me too! The hair-pulling was a bit too unbelievable since there was no reason for her to suspect that even if Shi Ah was really Soon-geum that her long hair wasn't really her long hair.

But really, what kind of girl does she expect Gun-woo to date anyways if not a polished girl with nice clothes? She knows his status and she knows he knows his status. She should be happy that Gun-woo has found someone to be with him when she's gone.

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There are too many side stories. I wish they would just focus in on the main topic instead of cutting from one person's story to the next.

But I have to say, I love the chemistry between the second male lead and Soon Geum. I can watch their interactions all day!

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it's the funniest episode so far, the scene in mud flats reminds me of 1n2d. soon geum was in a total mess. it was really hard to walk on the mud, let alone filming there. :)

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lol, it made me think of 1n2d, too - the episode where Hodong and Jiwon had to dig for clams in the middle of the night!

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Yeah it remind me 2d1n too ^^

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Ahhh I love it I love it I love it. This show makes my week end on a good note every time. I wish more American shows were of this calabor. Great writing, great cast, off the rails chemistry. Wish I had me a Gun Woo in my life (oh wait I do:) sigh YAY can't wait til next week.

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I know that the first thing I go for after puking my guts out is a nice, big RAW clam with hot sauce.
Yummy.

:(

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I know! Ick!

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my thoughts exactly! i giggled when GW at first goes its delicious and the old fella goes "really?!" n then GW goes "NO!!" heh...somehow his sense of humor is not like the stereotypical K-drama main leads'!!

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that's what I love about GW. He's so atypical of a male lead. So funny, dorky, quirky... actually, most of JGW's characters are like that ^^.

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I've got second lead syndrome on this one.... darn SLS...

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me too!

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agreed!! he is absolutely delish in Ep 8 in the suit....@ the last scene (NO SPOILERS ;) ) i was like,"OMG don't enter the room!!"

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Yeah, I'm feeling sorry for him already. He's so much fun to watch. But hey he has his own maid to fall in love with, no? So we know he won't be too lonely at the en. ^^

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Young Hee is so cute .. I know that at the end she will end up with Gun Woo but at least give him some air time damn T__T

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I am happy Gun Woo figured it out too. Now it makes room for development between the two of them.

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Thanks for the recap! I just caught up with the show today.
I love your line:
“Dammit – I married the wrong guy!” about Hwang!

Speaking of Hwang, or should I say "Oh no, Hwang didn't!"

The sexist scene to date was that dining room scene, actually starting from the way YJ reacted to him in the wine cellar. I am glad YJ gave in a little to H's crush by praising his courage.

Then, when they went back, and he opened, decanted and poured the glasses, it felt like Hwang was seducing YJ right in front of the husband.
I was getting all flustered. I can't imagine how YJ felt.

He's saying, "You like money, honey? Does that turn you on? Here's twenty million big ones!"
YJ's relaxed, slumped body, and sly smile, holy smokes said whatever he said was pushing the right buttons!

I am confused, didn't GW figure out it was her in the walk-in closet? I thought for sure he did when he accused SG of borrowing the white jacket. No?
He had to wait until the phonebooth? He really is rather stupid, isn't he?

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I thought he figured it out in the closet too, though maybe he still wasn't ready to say it out loud.

BUT what was he doing there to begin with? There didn't seem to be a reason for him to walk into the closet at that moment except that the writer wanted him to see Soon Geum with the suit. That said, I'm really glad that he finally figured it out and they can move on from there.

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I thought the same thing!!! Why is he storming into his stepmother's closet. They could have thought of a more plausible way to catch her with the clothes. Or they could have skipped that part all together and have him figure it out just from the charcoal. That was a big enough clue in itself.

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You know Jomo...you summed up my thoughts EXACTLY about the YJ & HY pairing!

I like them soooo much! Haha. I do not dislike Yoon Joo as much now. I like her w/ Hwang Yong. I think that the money was like a "needed push" to prove FOR HER that this man is able. A top dog, an alpha dog with MEGA cheese.

His kindness and detailed attention that day when she got into a fight w/ Hyun Joo (Wow, how confusing! Writers, could YOU not come up w/ something different??) started to light a few sparks of fire in her heart. I mean the way that she asked SG to wash that hankerchief says it all...it wasn't the money...well not entirely. Haha.

I think for YJ...she likes BOLD men WITH $$. I mean HY know Kang like the ending of a good book. He knew what he was doing picking THAT bottle in FRONT of her. Provoking Kang theeen ACTUALLY opening it while romancing YJ's ego and relieving himself all over Kang. Then to make it rain, he dispenses 2 million won like it's 20 000 won...T__T word?

A man like that...? Even I could not resist!

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What I find pretty depressing is that every single person in that neighborhood, including the dry-cleaner employees calls her trophy wife. And she sees her self sooo proper as the Lady, while treating her High school friend like shit.
I can't like her

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oh Jomo! You make me blush! Now when I rewatched that scene, I'm going to, mentally, have those words dubbed into the scene.

I like the Hwang Yong and Yoon-ju pairing cuz it's sort of hot, but I really wish that Yoon-ju will reform into a nicer, more caring lady. I have hope since she was once friends with Hyun-joo.

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He definitely made the connection when he saw her standing in the closet (just look at his expression - it's like he's ready to kill her). That's why their ride to dinner was so tense and uncomfortable - because they both knew, but neither was ready to come right out say it. Hearing the charcoal story again was the final nail in the coffin, since it confirmed the truth once and more all.

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yea.... I'm pretty sure gun woo knew in the closet. and I second the confusion by floralnori.... why did gun woo walk into the closet? that's so random.

I feel like the entire drama is full of randomness. Things just happen... for the convenience of plot's slow movement.

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When he came into the closet (as opposed to coming out of the closet - heh), I thought he was carrying a bag in his hands. I was assuming he might have bought a souvenir for his step mother and was going to put it in her closet. But then, why would he be buying any kind of present for his step mother? That doesn't make any sense, either.

So what was he doing in there??

And yes, the scene with the wine was sizzling.

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Overall I'm enjoying this drama, but I do have one main gripe - who the heck is taking care of San when everyone else is obviously NOT? The kid isn't in school, and Soon Geum is supposed to be his nanny as well as the housekeeper. Show me a 3-year-old that doesn't require almost constant supervision. I can suspend belief for many things in order to enjoy a drama, but it's like San is a plot point that they keep forgetting about. I realize that they're having to work with a small child and I'm sure his screen time is limited and such, but that whole storyline feels SO incomplete.

I like Gun Woo, but I'm thoroughly enjoying Young Hee's character. He's such a playboy, but I can't help but like him. He's so befuddled by Soon Geum and his growing feelings for her. With the way Gun Woo has been acting, I'm enjoying Young Hee and Soon Geum's scenes together much more than any others, especially all the side plots which are starting to annoy me.

And one more thing...why in the heck hasn't Soon Geum put the money in the flippin' bank????

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Kang San's ability to run around unsupervised within the house and not get hurt or get in trouble in anyway annoys me too. Even if he's some precocious child, isn't anyone afraid he'll set the house on fire?

as for Soon-geum not putting the money into a bank, I can sort of understand that since she's not very educated. And it can be an Asian thing to not use a bank? In a lot of asian dramas, I notice that when a characters gets paid for her job, the money comes in an envelope of cash. While in the US, I get paid via direct deposit into my bank account.

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i live in asia so i think it's depend on what kind of job...
for office work employee most of it using bank deposit for every month salary. But informal job like housekeeper usualy employer use envelope of cash... ^^;

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Soon Geum should at least bought a safe and install it in her new apartment. That would be safer that the storage room and her bedroom closet (see next episode to understand this comment)

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love the moment with SG listening to YH's music despite rejecting it at first

yep, still can't understand SG's love for GW

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Thank you for the recap! I'm really liking this drama..the multiple side characters and their stories and all....BUT one thing thats really got me annoyed is Gun Woo. His character totally doesn't make sense...it's probably just me but I really don't see how, SG taking granny's job, is a good enough excuse for gun woo to be hating on SG. hmm.....or maybe I just have a thing for Young Hee :D

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I know! And he originally kinda liked her too (basing on his action when he first saw her again after returning to KR) and was so sweet.

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Thanks kaedejun for the wonderful recap.

I like the grandma character. She did not know it was SG immediately either.

I'm so glad GW finally knows...Next!

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heh. this was an interesting episode. i'm nervous for the rest of the series, but i still have faith, and i'm still liking it. ^^

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thanks for the recap!

and whoever said that your recaps are shallow?

i mean, do they really expect you to write a dissertation on every episodes? hahahah

ignore them! love reading your recaps! :)

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Someone named "tomato" made what she assumed were non-offensive comments regarding kaedejun's writing style on the previous recap. Just skip her analysis whenever you see her make one here. If only there's a dislike button...

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I don't like Gun Woo. He was sweet as a fat boy but I feel like his character became cynical when he lost weight (and probably noticed that people treated him differently). To be honest, 85% of my second lead syndrome is just that I don't like Gun Woo's character. They're going to have to give him one heck of a compelling story to make me jump ship -___-

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Am with you 100% His negative transformation is what has put me off the drama, and I am also not feeling the second lead that much, I am about to watch episode 8, if I still feel meh! about it then i am going to drop this drama and just read the recaps me thinks.

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I'm with Adette above. As much as I want to like GW it's not happening. Bizarrely enough, I love the dynamics between SG and Hwang Yong better and Young Hee is so sweet, regardless his confusion of his affection towrds SG or her having money. In fact I don't care. GW still doesn't deserve SG yet..

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OHMYGAWD HE FIGURED IT OUT!!! I knew that NYU education couldn’t be completely useless!

LOL! About time man-boy!

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Thanks so much for the recaps! I really appreciate it!

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awesome and hilarious show and the actors are amazing!! and i agree, i wish american shows were more of this type. There are potentially great storylines but then they mess it up with acting or actors or development or whatever the hell. anyway, i saw episode 8 and omg the thieves are hilaaaaaaarious. lmao. and granny is pretty scary. although a bit rude judging people from appearances. oh well, shes halmoni, gotta respect.

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Does anyone else think Hwang Yong is sexy? I felt this episode's plot was inconsistent with the previous episodes. In the previous episode, it didn't make sense that Chook Jak would recognize Gun Woo right away when he was on the other side. And a lot less fat then when he left. And she sure didn't act like she was unhappy to see him nor did she avoid him when he found her at the beach. Was she expecting him? Did she plan this all out? What are her motives? Also, I don't know how it never occured to Gun Woo why a rich girl like "Shi Ah" would wear the exact same clothes with the exact makeup?

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OH ME ME!! I think i'm having an ahjussi crush on Hwang Yong ^^

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*raises hand* I also think Hwang Yong is sexy!

As for Shi-Ah's clothes: I thought he thought it wasn't weird that she wore the same clothes twice because of the line he said in episode 5 "“Just wear the nice clothes when you meet me. And stop buying more clothes, because you’re pretty (as is))".

What gets me is how Soon-geum was able to do her makeup exactly like the professionals at the mall!

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'some people think my recaps are “thin” and “lack substance.”' are u kidding me!! I LOVE YOUR RECAPS!! <3

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I was a bit bored with this ep until GW started to know the dumb fact! Thanks goodness! Then it's getting good again.

'OHMYGAWD HE FIGURED IT OUT!!! I knew that NYU education couldn’t be completely useless!'

Buahahaha, this one of yours makes my day!
Thanks for your recap , really appreciated what you've been doing so far ^^

RT fighting!

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Choon Jak got on my nerves too. How dare she just try take off someone's makeup AND pull their hair? Where is her horse so that she can properly look down on people!?

Also she has such sexist views! Also, is it so bad to put in effort in looking good? Who else would feel soooo comfortable wearing their crush's "so-called" grand-mother's clothes?
She seems like an over-protective mother who only loves her son and NO ONE else is good enough! It's creepy.

Also I strongly dislike GW. Ugh...Right after he discovered that CJ was gone. Wow...he became rude, petulant, non-sensical, cynical and just plain stupid. How can he not recognize her, is beyond me!

As for SG...she's irritating me. When she started out she was full of spunk, integrity, smarts and dignity! Especially w/ the money she's suddenly gotten...I just watched ep.8...wow SG is desperate, stupid and tooooo naive and...just plain dumb.

At this point YH deserves better and it annoys me that he's also seeming to have less pride in order to pursue a girl like SG. I only enjoy watching the Hwang Yong and Yoon Joo, the other maids and lil' Kang San!

I mean I hate the 2 leads and feel bad for the 2nd lead...I'll try watching City Hunter. i'm dropping RT. I'll just watch The Greatest Love, Baby-Faced Beauty, Miss Ripley and the HOT chemistry of the 2 leads in Lie to Me. I'll start CH...right now.

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I totally agree with you, but i'm not dropping the drama yet since i still have hopes for GW's character.

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I always enjoy reading your recaps, and together with what I'm sure is heaps of other DBers reckon you're doing a fantastic job as is! Don't let a comment or two get you down - we are HUGELY appreciative of the fact that you're even recapping this awesome drama (:

Ps. I love Young-hee! *hops on boat*

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kaedejun! I love your recaps! If that person expected you to analyze every single scene thoroughly, then this recap will be 2-3 times the length and wouldn't come out for weeks! And no one here will have anything to contribute! Part of the fun of blogged recaps is that you also get to hear what other people have come up with that isn't mentioned in the recap.

I'm so glad Gun-woo found out abt the Shi-Ah. To be honest, the Gun-woo and Shi-Ah scenes were boring me, so I'm glad that this double-identity thing didn't last beyond 2 episodes. My favorite scenes in this episode are the drunken Soon-geum scene and the one where the two wives interrogated the maids (and the maids won!)

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I'm continuing to love how non-cliche cliche this show is! Instead of the main lead being a jerk and the second lead being Mr. Nice Guy, both men are a bit of both (with quirks to spare). All the romance scenes have little twists that make me feel like I've never seen them before.

I also like that I have no idea where this show is going (other than the OTP of course). I don't know if SG will get to keep her money, or how people will react when they find out about it, and I love it!

The only sad thing about this show is that Episode 8 made my second-lead-syndrome complete. Young Hee is adorable with SG, and I can hardly stand it anymore! How can she resist??

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i feel ALLL of what you just said.

i think because people don't view the show like this, they can't enjoy it or get through it. how come gunwoo isn't annoying me like he annoys so many people here? three years is enough to turn a good man weird. haha. he's not THAT bad. yeah, he has a temper and all, but his fit, skinny self has been a pretty consistent character so far.

ehh, i, for one, like this show insanely. i'm still nervous about where it's headed (mostly because i've been predicting everything incorrectly -- good, it's not a predictable drama -- haha), but i'm hoping for no melodramatic twist, just a little angst, to get the characters a little more riled up, since the fluffy lovey dovey stuff seems to be rounding the corner.

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My first thought upon reading this:

What? She's sick again and hiding it like in Shining Inheritance? [referring to Granny Choon Jak].

And well! Now Soon Geum gets found out, that didn't take long. I'm wondering when she is going to act like a rich girl [or she never will?].

Thank you for the recap, kaedejun! ^_^ I loved reading it.

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I started off really liking this drama, but it's starting to have just way to much foolishness. First it was hard to believe that he did not know she was SG, yea the clothes,hair and make up can make you look different but her voice is the same, the manner in which she speak's is the same. In the elevator one of the maids even said it.

After spending all that money on the clothes she lets TW take them from her and now she sneaking to wear her own clothes.

When GW first saw her he was happy, what did granny getting fired have to do with her. Even if she had not taken the job granny would still be fired.

I know she can't put the money in the bank because she does not want her father to take it, by the way that's some banking system where all anyone needs is your bank book to take your money, glad my bank does not work this way. Back to SG why don't she get her own locker and put her money in it at least the door does not open without your thumb print.

This whole neighborhood if filled with fakes. Look at GW father is he an ex gangster or what don't the yakuza normally have tat's like that.Then you got loan Shark/president. The old guy with a wife and mistress in the same house.

HY daughter and GW both act as if they are from such great pedigree, yet they no nothing about their own family.

Now hood's come to the neighborhood are they there to steal the lottery ticket for HY. Is HY going to try and bankrupt GW father so that he can steal TW away.

With all the things I find annoying about this drama I still want to watch it. I just don't know why yet. I find it strange that one of the characters I enjoy the most is Young Hee, because I have never liked this actor before, but he is wonderful here. Maybe I just want to know what SG is going to do with the money.

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Oh! I did not even consider the fact that the (former? reformed? pretending?) gangsters were there to steal the lottery ticket. I'm going to have to go and watch episode eight now.

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Of the maid's the older one where are the people she works for? We have never seen them.

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When I watched this episode, I literally went "Noooo!!" to my computer screen when the Granny found out that Yoon Shi Ah was Noh Soon Geum and misunderstood Soon Geum as another gold digger... Before, I wasn't even worried about Gun Woo's dislikeness for Soon Geum (due to the misunderstanding that Soon Geum had a hand in Granny's departure) because I always thought that once Granny was found that she would clear up the misunderstanding...

Anyway, I think this may be one of the few dramas where I actually want our heroine to end up with the second lead... Gun Woo ended up being such a jerk. I know that he's entitled to some angst since he just found out that Soon Geum lied to him... but he keeps stringing her along! When he had an inkling that Soon Geum was Shi Ah, he gave her an angsty stare down in the closet, then asked her out for a movie/dinner, then told her at the phone booth that "this won't work out"... then in the preview, he gets too into her personal space when he bites the tape off her mouth...

I mean, what! Is he going to be one of those people that says "This won't work out... We should forget about each other... But I'll continue to hover around you so I'll get to forget you but you won't forget me."

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>>> After all, some people think my recaps are “thin” and “lack substance.”

So what? You're a beginner at recapping, you're have a lot going on besides writing, and we still enjoy your recaps. Otherwise we wouldn't be coming back :p

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I second that as well - Just remember that you are reaching out to a lot of people and you will get diverse opinions - some want bells and whistles whereas others may appreciate a direct style. As far as I am concerned, you're doing a fine job.

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Romance Town is wed-thur 's drama with weekend drama's taste...
It's sweet and slow phase but have growing feeling for the viewer ^^
Hope the PD and writter-nim and actors will keep better potraiying all charachter in this drama.

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What a perfect way to describe it!
It's like an old B&W Hollywood film.
With jerky rich owners, and down to earth "help."
The mansions were prolly just as luxe as these are.
I guess the missing part is the funny, gets-in-the-way, steals cookies off the plate footman(valet,handy man.)
Although, now that I think of it, our playboy, YE is playing that part, too.

Wait a minute, who is the block's handyman? That character could have been the love interest for the Vietnamese girl, or the older maid.

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OMG! Good going Gun-woo!
Thanks for the recap! Can't wait for the next!

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Jae i really like what you said about Romance Town ...i've the same feeling!

And Jung Gyu Woon is my "cerise sur le gâteau"

Kaede : After all, some people think my recaps are “thin” and “lack substance.” ...don't worry about that..it's bullshXX only ..i really like your recap (simple and fresh!)

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Hey,
I love your reviews. Because you are excited for the show, it makes it easier for me to be excited. I actually like your approach for the recaps more than the other recappers because they can be too critical sometimes.

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Thank you for your recap!! I've been waiting for this.
I finished ep 8 last night and had the BIGGEST smile in my face!!
OMG!
I'm so loving this drama...it's definitely my fave amongst all the other May dramas.

The storyline is unpredictable and I really love all the side casts, the maids...and the the affair that Mrs. Kang is having with Mr Hwang....LOL.
I do have to agree with you about Choon Jak.
Why??? Why must make her sick?? URRGGHHH!!
I was hoping to see her back into the house and become the "moderator" between GW and SG :)

anyway..I can't wait for next week episodes!!!
RT, fighting!!

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I actually find this episode so much better than both from last week. I hate the fact that Gun Woo can't recognize Soon Geum after she put on make-up in the last week's episodes. Did he never looked her in the face at home? Anyway, i force myself to accept this as the plot-line. As for Granny, I am surprised that Gun Woo actually found her. I thought they are going to drag this till the end. So it is good to be surprised! So is the fact that Gun Woo found out about Shi Ah. I was expecting couple more episodes of this.

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thanks .
i like your recaps and i like your feelings in the recaps too.

THANKS AGAIN :)

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I love Yoon Joo and Hwang chemistry, they have to end up together!!!!
But Kdramas never take those risks, but this drma is quite weid so maybe :)
SG and GW ....Their storyline is foolish but the actors are so cute! The actor who plays GW has so much weird facial emotions, I can't see anybody replacing him as the WEIRD GW! I really want an explantion about his behavious! YH is adorable, I wanna see him suffer!

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They gave them a possibility of happiness by the Rich Bad Hair having an extramarital child and lying about him.

That means she can get a divorce without having to worry people will think she was the one fooling around on him.

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Oh my god, every time Soon Geum would run be in situations where her cover might have been blown i was so confused, because to me it seemed like they totally knew. like the maids in the elevator, then right after that I thought he figured it out, and then with the blazer? i thought he totally already knew and that's why he was so awkward, but every time (except for the last time...i still maintain that he figured it out then, why else would he have taken them to the standing bbq when young hee tells us it's not a place they usually go?) the cast's like uuuh noooo.... can't be SG. Well i guess that's moot point now, seems like he's pretty much figured it out.

and I definitely thought grandma chun jak had like...keeled over and died when they were having their Romantic Moment and I was like uuuhh... that's awkward... they're being all cute, and they're about to find dead halmoni... see? this drama is just really confusing in the way they cut things! Meh. she tottered out with her little bag and I was like wuuuuuh? *double take*

Last ranting note... al;kjdsflkjasdf it makes me sooo mad that trophy wife thinks the jacket is hers, because if that were me in SG's place I'd be like BITCH WTF I BOUGHT THAT SO PLS F OFF, K? and that's just damn frustrating. and now GW is going to get all sorts of wrong ideas.

*headdesk*

I want more young hee. i don't care who he's with, I just want more of him :DDD and i'm sorry, but Gun woo is a dick. he just leaves his poor girlfriend on the beach stuck in the mud (way to tell her they were going to be marching through quick sand dude, first of all...), and the way he treats her just sucks. meh. Even though I don't see YH and SG as a plausible couple, and clearly SG and GW are ending up together, I can't be drawn to the couple just because he's such a butthead. grrrr...

basically I find this drama really addicting for all the interesting characters and their relationships with eachother, and the hotness of YH, but it's getting to that infuriating point.

sorry for the really long rant.

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Thank you for the recap, I was worried they would drag the double identity for to long, but thankfully it ended. And I really hope they won't bring in to much angst, cause I like the tone of how it is now.

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Thanks so much for the recaps. I love the effortlessness of this drama.

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I think your recaps are fantastic! You have no idea how happy I am every time I see them show up on the main page. My normal kdrama buddies here are not at all into Romance Town, so your recaps allow me to have that same post-episode discussion I normally get.

(People plainly need to stop drinking the haterade.)

I was left feeling a little. . . meh. . . about this episode. It was the first episode where I felt like that, and I still can't quite put my finger down on why. There were several highlight scenes though: the wine scene was pure seduction-- just wow; and I actually loved the little sweet moment where SG promised CJ to visit her again and do all the things her 'fancy clothes' (ie: her fake persona) prevented her from doing that time. I kind of saw this as SG promising to approach GW honestly and without pretense.

GW's reaction when he found out was so petulant, but it was kind of how I imagined he would react. I think we're finally going to see how his childhood/adolescence as the fatboy affect his personality. His immediate reaction is that SG was playing around with him-- not that she was insecure herself. I like that he didn't assume she was doing it for money-- which is what I think the average pretty, rich boy would have thought.

I hope this means GW is on the way to being restored. Otherwise, I'm putting my chips with HY all the way.

(Oh! I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for Hyun Joo to trip off on her mistresses. I think even if the rest of the Romance Town stories go down hill, I will stick around just for that eventual scene. It's going to be great.)

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Thanks for the recap! I think you're doing a wonderfully job on the series and improving with every episode! ^____^

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