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Miss Ripley: Episode 11

More secrets are revealed! Some are new revelations, while others are just passed on to new people — like, say, our resident energizer puppy, who’s maybe not as big a pushover as he seemed at the outset. Oh, we’ve seen glimpses of his sharper side in brief moments, but now he stops playing the dupe and gets wise to a few things.

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Jisun – “바람아 불어라” (Blow, wind) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 11 RECAP

Miri meets with stepmom-to-be Lee Hwa, while Yoo-hyun checks out Miri’s old home, pre-orphanage, which is a run-down hovel of a building. He also researches her family registry, which was revised upon her adoption. It shows that her father died in a car accident nearly twenty years ago, while Mom Kim Jung-soon’s national ID number has since been erased.

At the restaurant showdown, Stepmom suggests — with a smile on her face — that Miri’s meeting with Yoo-hyun was rather too coincidental for belief, and that she considers it a given that Miri would have “developed other reasons and goals” after knowing who Yoo-hyun is. She says she doesn’t consider herself particularly prejudiced in her beliefs (oh, you don’t say!), but that their kind of people generally ought to stick to marrying for business reasons. She euphemizes this by saying both sides ought to “help each other” in the union, implying clearly that Miri will be of no help.

Lee Hwa adds that love is great and all, but feelings change and eventually people regret acting purely based on them. “They ruin not only themselves but others’ lives in the name of love.” I wonder how she’d know, given that love seems to be an entirely foreign notion to her. She must do a lot of reading.

Miri understands her meaning, and says (rather prettily) that she can’t prove that she didn’t approach Yoo-hyun for his wealth — it both concedes a point to Mom and implies that she’s innocent of the accusation. She adds that she knows that she’s at a disadvantage as an orphan, which is particularly significant in Korean society that is so big on connections and family, but especially so in the chaebol realm, where you have wealth and status “purity” thrown into the mix.

Honestly, it’s not clear how much of her hurt reaction is real and how much is a show designed to play the part of wounded-but-true-hearted lover, and Miri sheds a tear as she says she can’t answer Mom’s question right now regarding whether she can be pushed into breaking up. Implication being that she resists.

But Mom has more ammo up her sleeve, and says that she’s heard about her “special relationship” with Myung-hoon, which makes Miri look up in alarm. Mom advises her to leave now, before that relationship gets revealed.

Miri sits there in shock and Mom says she’ll take her silence for assent, since that’s the quieter route for all involved. Oh, and this meeting should remain a secret from Yoo-hyun, naturally.

Lee Hwa drives away looking like the cat that ate the canary, while Miri staggers along, having trapped herself with her own greed.

Having been unable to get in contact with Miri all day, Yoo-hyun waits outside her building that night. He knows something’s wrong and prods her to explain, and after initially brushing aside his questions Miri retorts bitterly, will admitting her hurt will change her situation? Will it make her no longer an orphan, or win his stepmother’s favor? Yeah, she thought not.

Miri apologizes for her overreaction, while Yoo-hyun understands and says he’ll leave her alone today. Sharp enough to read between the lines, he asks his secretary to confirm his mother’s schedule today, suspecting she’s behind Miri’s depressed spirits.

Myung-hoon goes to the Tokyo University alumni center, having found yet another hole in Miri’s backstory: The adviser she’d named was actually on leave during the time listed. The employee confirms that there’s nobody on the graduation roster by her name.

Off to the Jazz Bar of Brooding, where Myung-hoon confides in his sunbae that he thinks it was all a lie. He admits that he let himself be fooled, saying he doesn’t want to blame anyone because it was his fault. Wow, he’s got it bad to absolve Miri of the guilt, even at this juncture.

Sunbae gets on the phone with Professor Park quickly to put the kibosh on the whole teaching thing, before more trouble arises. Which means for sure that more trouble is bound to arise.

Yoo-hyun gets the word that Lee Hwa had taken a personal meeting during the day, and asks her directly about her meeting with Miri. She says that all she did was say that she hoped Yoo-hyun would marry someone of equal standing. She knows she can’t expect one woman to have everything — family, education, background — but that Miri lacks class.

That’s too much, and he points out that it’s quite odd to hear her harp on class: “I still remember the hotel uniform you were wearing when I met you.” She used to be the demure employee who’d bow to them with hands folded: “You started there, yet came all this way, didn’t you?” Ooh. Shut. Down.

She counters that she isn’t ashamed of that, and he agrees: “So I expected you to understand Miri more.” He describes Miri as someone who is hurt by the smallest things, due to her painful background.

Mom backs off a little but disagrees with that assessment of Miri’s character, saying that there’s such a thing as an intuition that comes with age. Are we sure it’s not gold-diggers’ intuition?

Yoo-hyun’s voice takes on an edge as he says that he cannot stand by while Mom interferes and scolds Miri, and won’t let her opposition stop his marriage. Ah, so the round-to-sharp hairstyle transformation does coincide with the emergence of his sharper personality. (He’s always had a steely center, but it’s lain rather dormant thus far.)

Miri is stunned to hear that the special lecture she was to present has been given to a different lecturer. Professor Park had assumed that Myung-hoon would tell her, but she’s heard nothing. Not only that, Myung-hoon orders the Hotel A promotional video pulled, essentially erasing all traces leading to Miri. Ironically, this looks like he’s acting out of spite, when it’s really his cool business temperament taking over to deflect impending crisis.

Miri calls him in a temper, saying she’s disappointed in him, suggesting this is petty behavior on his part. While part of me wants him to fling her fraud in her face, the other, more sadistic part of me is strangely gratified at how self-righteous she is, knowing that her fall is coming.

Myung-hoon tells her coolly that his friends are mixed up in her business now, and he’ll make sure they aren’t hurt. And that he’s going to bring everything back “to its rightful place.” Miri contends that things are in their rightful places now, but he assures her that this is just the beginning, and “You don’t know yet what that rightful place is.” He concedes that perhaps he had a hand in making her this way — but because of that, it’s his responsibility to send her back from whence she came.

Ooh. How can he sound so understanding and yet threatening at the same time? Miri is unnerved and asks what he’s talking about, but Myung-hoon just tells her that she’s not going to be able to just get whatever she wants from now on. “You can’t do this anymore, Miri. That kind of pain — it’s enough to inflict it on me. How many of your lies do you suppose I know?”

Yoo-hyun visits his father in the hospital, and receives some words of caution and advice about marriage. President Song tells him that parental opposition happens for a reason, even as he says that he’s glad to see Yoo-hyun looking happy, and that he likes Miri too. Still, he’d like him to be more understanding of his mother.

Yoo-hyun takes Miri shopping for an engagement ceremony dress, closing the entire store for her use, and she’s touched at his thoughtfulness. There’s a sticky moment for Miri when the store manager says that the size he’d indicated matches with another customer they’d recently dressed — the order for which was put in by Jang Myung-hoon. Thankfully, nobody else connects the dots.

And then, the parade of bridal looks.

Afterward, Miri’s in a subdued mood, saying that it’s because she wishes she could do something for Yoo-hyun to reciprocate his generosity. (What happened to his hair, all of a sudden? How did it get from Cool Chaebol to MC Mong-key, all of a sudden? It’s like his bangs are doing their damnedest to re-form that bowl shape, haircut be damned.)

To explain her behavior, Miri says that she’s been preoccupied with work matters. Haltingly, she alludes to some bad rumors circulating about Myung-hoon, playing the moment perfectly to make it seem as though she’s embarrassed even mentioning it, especially knowing how Yoo-hyun respects him.

Playing pre-emptive damage control, she confides that Myung-hoon has been making the female employees uncomfortable, asking them out to dinner and buying them wine, saying he’s lonely and dislikes eating alone. As he also did with her.

Yoo-hyun can’t quite believe it, and Chul-jin dismisses the rumors out of hand, pointing out that they’d seen firsthand that the work atmosphere was healthy when they were at Hotel A. The only thing unusual is Miri — Myung-hoon gave her special treatment with her visa and hiring. I like that Yoo-hyun hasn’t shared the source of his suspicions, because there’s nothing tainting Chul-jin’s opinion (such as his dislike of Miri) as he says frankly, “Who’d you hear that from anyway? It sounds like baseless slander.”

Lee Hwa visits her personal vault, and her password entry screen confirms what we’ve suspected — that her real name is Kim Jung-soon, aka Miri’s birth mother. We all sensed something was off about her origins, but I find it oddly hilarious that in a drama of such Big Suspenseful Moments, we should learn such a huge secret via ATM.

In her deposit box are documents in her old name, including her national ID card with the number that has since been erased from the system. As well as an old photo of Young Miri. She adds an envelope of documents to the pile.

Hee-joo goes out with Director Kang and tells her she’s quitting her job in favor of more studies. Director Kang asks her about Miri, finding her actions suspicious, and wonders if she had a case of the prince and the pauper, to explain her interest in Yoo-hyun.

It’s interesting how all the women in this drama are actually pretty shrewd to Miri’s ways, yet they come off as petty and spiteful, while the men are completely blind yet seem kind and generous. So the message I’m taking from this drama is… men are stupid and women are bitches?

Hee-joo uneasily laughs off her questions, but this flashes her back to all the evidence that Miri had hated Yoo-hyun, until one night she didn’t. And that that night coincided with that hotel party, where she was brought to meet Yoo-hyun and cried off sick.

Hee-joo entertains those suspicions for a moment, then shakes them off as though they’re too ridiculous. Oh, the girl can forge diplomas, commit fraud, steal designs to pass off as her own, and lie through her perfectly whitened teeth, but she can’t be a gold-digger?

Myung-hoon takes his mother for health checkups and learns that she’s improved, though she’s not out of the woods entirely. Mom asks if he’s ended things with Miri, and he says yes, because Miri stopped liking him. Aw, such a hard thing to admit to your mother.

What twists my heart is that Mom sighs sadly, accepting his explanation with resignation, but then asks how he could let love go so readily, at an age when it’s so difficult to come by. Noooo, don’t push him back to the black widow, when he’s just freed himself from the web!

Then, Mom calls the hotel to ask for Miri’s information. Oh honey, no…

Yoo-hyun takes Chul-jin’s advice to speak with Myung-hoon directly. I’m thankful that he lays it out honestly, although Myung-hoon doesn’t defend himself with the things he has learned of Miri. He merely says that he’ll accept whatever Yoo-hyun decides is the appropriate measure for handling this, since he’s responsible for the hotel’s image.

Yoo-hyun tells him firmly that he didn’t call him here because he believes the rumors, but that even if they were to be true, he’d believe Myung-hoon — “because there can be no awu [younger brother] who doesn’t believe in his hyung.” His wording plays on the trust/loyalty bond in a brotherly relationship more than the blood connection.

However, he adds that rumors are swift to circulate, which is why he called him here tonight. And that if there’s somebody, anybody, that this issue brings to mind, Myung-hoon ought to deal with that relationship cleanly. (Implication: Let go of Miri.)

Myung-hoon confides that things are in a troubled place for him now, and he’s trying to figure out how things got this way. He’s working to restore order to a situation whose origins he doesn’t quite understand yet, which we understand is a reference to Hurricane Miri, though I fear that Yoo-hyun will get the wrong idea from his vague terms… Eep!

Myung-hoon assures Yoo-hyun that he will take care of it — “Even if I step down, I will return everything to their places, and then step down.”

Hee-joo comes home to see Myung-hoon’s mother looking around confusedly in front of the building. She learns that Mom’s looking for Miri, just as Miri arrives and stops short at the sight of her visitor.

Over tea, Mom entreats Miri to think twice about ending the relationship, saying that it appeared to her that they were truly attached to each other and that you don’t realize what a good thing is until you’ve lost it. She starts to explain what “a good kid” he is (which sounds so strange, given his age), but Miri speaks up to assure her that she knows that:

Miri: “I truly cared for him. Other people may say whatever they want, thinking that I liked him because I wanted something from him. In the beginning, maybe I did. But as I saw more of him, as we grew closer, my feelings were sincere. He was the first person to ever treat me so warmly. He was like an oppa, and sometimes also father.”
Mom: “Then why?”
Miri: “I met someone new. And I truly care for him.”

Miri says that even if everything were to come anew, she would still want to be with Yoo-hyun. She returns her ring, given to her by Myung-hoon, overflowing with apologies. But Mom tries again to persuade her for the sake of her son’s happiness and grasps Miri’s wrist to beg.

Yoo-hyun calls Miri’s phone, which has been left at home. After hesitating, Hee-joo answers and tells him that Miri stepped out briefly to meet someone nearby. He supposes he can wait for her, and so he drives by as Myung-hoon’s mother is begging Miri not to go.

He pulls over the car and watches as both ladies cry, one chasing the other one out the cafe. Miri leaves in a taxi, and this stress is just the thing to push Mom’s weak health over the edge, and she collapses on the sidewalk.

Yoo-hyun rushes out and carries her to his car. Taking her to At the hospital, he receives reassuring news from the doctor that she’s not in grave danger, and is told that her guarantor has been called. Myung-hoon arrives just late enough to miss Yoo-hyun’s departure, and thus he doesn’t know who brought her here because the hospital doesn’t retain that info when the guarantor arrives right away.

Hee-joo ventures out looking for Miri and finds her sitting alone after her traumatic meeting with Mom, crying. That night, Miri stays up wracked with guilt, while Yoo-hyun broods over all his newly acquired knowledge.

Despite having what must be massive doubts about Miri, Yoo-hyun treats her with his usual warmth as he takes her home for a family dinner. The meal has been prepared by Lee Hwa, which Dad optimistically interprets as a peace offering. A “surprise guest” has been called for Miri’s sake, and while Yoo-hyun doesn’t know who it is, he supposes it’s a relative who’ll welcome her to the family. He’d be wrong.

Yoo-hyun asks Miri who that woman was yesterday, explaining that he chanced to see her while he was driving by. Miri thinks fast, but I’m thinking she needs to start thinking faster, with lies that won’t be so easily refuted. She waves it off as a neighborhood grandma she helped in the past, who has grown persistent. Yoo-hyun accepts her explanation, though I suspect his doubts haven’t been laid to rest.

At the table, Miri offers to help bring out the plates, which Lee Hwa declines, calling her a guest. This is the classic Lee Hwa setdown — saying something polite with a barb hidden underneath — because in most families Miri would already be occupying daughter-in-law status and therefore be expected to help. Mom’s using the distance as her weapon, even mentioning that modern couples can’t be sure of the marriage till you’re in the wedding hall. Funny how being abused as daughter-in-law is often seen as insulting…and yet, being denied the acknowledgment of daughter-in-law is even more insulting. There’s no winning here. Remind me never to marry in Korea.

Lee Hwa sits down to await their special guest, whose identity is a secret she’s been guarding with anticipation. Mom looks entirely too gleeful for Yoo-hyun’s comfort (and Miri’s) — and for good reason, since it’s Myung-hoon who is escorted in.

And then, we get a weirdly edited sequence in which still images suggest that we’re looking at previews for tomorrow, only we haven’t jumped to the preview portion just yet. Yoo-hyun stands outside a little while later, looking in through the window at Miri and Myung-hoon sitting inside, and realizes…something.

 
COMMENTS

It’s fascinating, watching Miri clawing her way out of a pit — one of her own making, no less — because one second she’s backed up against the wall by her own lies, and the next moment she’s somehow managed to flip the situation around entirely.

For example, she does this after Myung-hoon hints that he knows her secrets, and warns that he’ll be returning things to their rightful places. Yoo-hyun’s suspicions are ruffled as well, but Miri turns the situation around and gets Yoo-hyun worried on her behalf, turning Myung-hoon into the pervy villain, and herself the victim.

That’s why the only way to ever get the better of someone like Miri is to never show your hand — if she knows what you know, no matter how damning the evidence is against her, she can find a way to wriggle out of it. Case in point: Everything with Hee-joo, ever. (Although to be fair, Hee-joo’s doing a lot of helping out with that.) So in order to beat Miri, you’ve got to play it close to the vest and not give her even an inch of rope — which she’d use to hang YOU — which is exactly what Myung-hoon’s doing. He’s clever for doing it, but Miri’s even scarier because she’s fast enough to guess what game he’s playing and cover her bases anyway. Still, it’s a lot smarter than doing what I’d do, dictated by my impatient need to defraud Miri right away, if I shouted her wrongs immediately and blew my advantage. Cleverer to bide your time, waiting for your strategic moment.

Speaking of that rooftop conversation with Myung-hoon, I found the exchange very telling about her state of mind, as Miri argues that things are already in their rightful places. I don’t think she’s just lying about that (for once!); I think Miri actually believes that this is how life should have been, and that now that it has been “restored” to her, she can begin her life anew, for real this time.

She’s convinced herself that her job, her status, and her happiness are her due — that if she’d only had the life she would have had if Hee-joo had been adopted instead, this would all be hers anyway. Ergo, it’s not terribly out of line for her to claim them as hers. It’s totally twisted logic, but I can see how she has made herself believe it — therefore, she can alternately ignore her guilty conscience, and trick it into thinking there’s no need for guilt in the first place. Is she confused? Or psychopathic?

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Thank you!!

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I think Miri is mental, just saying. And an evil genius.
The ending was weird, haha.
"So the message I’m taking from this drama is… men are stupid and women are bitches?" lol!!
I already watched the ep but your recap helped me understand it so much more! Thank you again!

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If Miri can fool all well educated men there it means she is smart as in catch me if you can movie , the young character is very smart he can fool a lot of smart people but in this drama ,Miri is not smart but she still able to fool two men there it means this two men are very stupid , especially young one ,he was graduated from Tokyo university but he can not track down her education , just few basic questions regarding her classmates , her professors then he would know easily and if she has no education how can she handle her lecture especially re architect if someone ask questions . so many flaws except they make this character very very smart but believable smart otherwise his drama will crash .

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First!!!

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YAY it's up.I made the mistake of reading the ending yesterday on soompi.Bad move.

I will now gingerly read with dread the recap.

Oh since I am following the drama via recap.How is Micky's acting since SKKS?

He is just leading man material right? RIGHT?

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he's a leading man because he's popular enough to land a lead, probably without auditions and such. He's OK, definitely improved a lot since SKKS. He's smart when picking dramas because his characters don't require much acting LOL

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No matter what, he's never been a pain to watch unlike some actors with overacting.

I like how he starts with subtle acting rather than exaggerating. The same goes to his roles, he will pick the intense one when his acting got mature.

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how you guys think that playing Lee Seon Jun doesn't require much acting is beyond me.

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I dun understand why u think Lee Sun Joon and Song Yoohyun are easy role to play to be honest xD

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he was really good.
and he did audition for SKKS.
that was his breakout role.
So is he supposed to cry now that people loved him in that role so he gets offers on a plate now?

Yoochuns acting is good much better than some actors who are more famous *cough hand towel cough*
I think this was his best episode.

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I only asked :-) I am like the biggest fan but absolutely can't stomach watching scary stories.

Okay...I am happy now.He's good which means I hope he wins lots of awards and gets invited to the talk shows ( yes I know the stupid invites that never came cos he is ***.

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he is really good. Don't worry. I just wish writer gave him exposure earlier so he could show his acting more. About award, I am not sure about this year but he definitely won't disappoint u

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TBH, it is harder to play a character that seems rigid, too calm, or plain looking yet having to express a lot from the inside. so having you saying lee seon joon and song yoo hyun characters as 'don't require much acting' is beyond my understanding. Yoochun is doing an excellent job for a rookie. somehow, i think even senior actors sometimes can't do well if they were given this kind of character...

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I agree with some of the others above. I thought he was great in his role in SKKS, I was surprised. Had no idea who he was before that drama. The role he played does require a lot of acting, he had to be rigid and collected, but still compelling enough not to come off as unconvincing or bland. I'm sure we have seen others that play the same type of rigid stoic characters that did not turn out so well (e.g.,Playful Kiss). Also, acting alongside Jae Shin, the overemotional rebel, and Yong Ha, the quirky free spirit, his character is much calmer compared to those two, so I can see why some people would think his role was easier to do. But that shouldn't take away from his great performance.

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Well, Yoochun sure is 'leading man material'. I don't think Lee Sun Joon or Song Yoohyun are easy roles to play. Whatever else you may say about Yoochun, he does pick roles where there is some acting challenge involved. Otherwise couldn't he have gone for a one-dimensional chaebol kind of role for his debut? He may not be the best actor out there and there are areas he needs to improve a lot on, yet he is an actor who takes risks in the roles he chooses. He went for the unconventional Ripley also bcoz he felt it would give him a chance to improve his acting skills. What marks him apart for me is how he emotes with his eyes and he is one actor who knows how to use his voice well. So, yeah, long way to go for him, but he is definitely on the right track.

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I think cheerios meant that in MR Yuhyun is quite simple character hence it is easy.
I personally think that Seon Jun was a way more difficult role than Yuhyun, but I've watched only up to ep 10, and I feel that real challenge for Yoochun acting as Yuhyun started in this episode.

also I totally agree that he is sure "leading man material", he has great looks, rare charisma and presence.

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The roles of quiet rigid heroes are pretty easy to play decently. All it needs are good directors. Yoochun are decent in the roles so far.

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do you understand that playing in skks required the convincing that we are in Choseon dynasty? the moving, the speaking are quite different.

if you didn't notice Yoochun walked totally different way, his gestures and mimics were different as well, they had something alike in the way they walked with Insoo, Seonjun's father and all that old noble men..

I don't know why you don't see how that are acting characteristics >__>

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and I actually do not agree with you about quite rigid heroes at all.. because quite rigid heroes can differ a lot.

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I think Micky did a decent job in SKKS-not great but ok . This character is quite similar so it is hard to judge if he can do a range of emotions well. We just have to wait and see. Some rookies improve a lot quite fast and some just stay the same. At least his acting is not annoying like some idols.

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I'm so behind on this drama.....so for now I'm just reading these recaps.

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"She must do a lot of reading."

Best line eva, JB! :D

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Thanks for the recap

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Yaaaaaaaaay! Thank you! Off to read now~

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I haven't seen the episode yet, but I looove that first screen cap of Chunnie. So intense...

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And soooooo much better looking with the stylish and handsome haircut!!!

Thank you for the recap, javabeans!

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Am I the only one feeling a little disturbed that Lee Hwa isn't showing one bit of compassion for her own daughter? ...Well, maybe hindering Miri's entrance into Yoo-Hyun's family is helping Miri in the end, but this birth secret thing is played out so anticlimactically. Totally un-korean drama-like.

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Perhaps she fears that Miri's presence would reveal everything about her own past and she would lose everything again despite abandoning her daughter in the beginning?

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I don't think lee hwa knows that Miri is actually her daughter; I think her name was changed to Jang Miri after getting adopted

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She's only going to find out Miri is her daughter with the reveal of the necklace/pendant Miri was given as a child.
That's going to be the "tell".

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ooo~ i forgot about the pendant!
how perceptive of you ^^
i had assumed that maybe she would dig deep enough into miri's past to discover that miri is her daughter
but i think the pendant works better!! xD
thanks!

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Oh no.I just realised.Step siblings don't marry in Korean dramas.

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No. No they don't. But it's not like we're expecting a happy ending for Miri... By the way, this was quite a Heejoo-lite episode. X/

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Isn't this a good thing? Miri doesn't deserve anyone, anything, after all the deceit she's managed, at least in my opinion.

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I still hope she ends up with Yoochun!

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Why? Don't you think his character deserves someone better than Miri-liar-liar-pants-on-fire? She'll be lying to him for the rest of their lives together. That's just depressing.

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agree. i mean i still can accept her if she never had any sex relationship with MH.. but she did and her purpose is to get a higher ranking life. that's just so dirty & bitchy.. YH deserves someone better. seriously, if her lying wasnt up to that certain level, i still can accept her with YH.

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me too.... cause ....cause......cause.......whatever the reason is...i hope that miri ends up with yoohyun....

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Though so much I would like Miri to end up with Yoochun, I will give Miri the option to decide who she loves more and just choose one of them. I truly hope it will be Yoochun because Yoochun is cute and handsome and Miri is so fair and beautiful.
(Miri's figure looked like a Barbie doll, and whatever she wears look nice on her)

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It broke my heart when she told MH's mom that she did care for MH, but that now she found someone else she cared for even more.

I'm surprise everyone is thinking she is lying in this scene... I don't think she is. I think she is spilling her heart out... she really dies care for YH.. *sigh.

But everyone is so blinded by the lies that they can no longer tell truth from lies. And that... that is the dangers of lying. :(

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and maybe that's the reason why they don't have kissing scenes.

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We're 3/4 ways into this drama and i havent really seen the great actress that's Kang Hye Jung. I know she's got alot to offer and she did rock a few scenes in this drama (especially the baseball event and her heartbreak) but the remaining is just meh... i was looking forward to seeing KHJ again in a drama and was expecting alot more from her character. I know that LDH is the main actress in this but second leads can pull alot of power in dramas as well (exp: Queen Seon Duk and Best Love). Sigh....Pooh to a badly written character on such a great actress.

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Hear hear! I do love her, but I feel that being a second lead is equivalent to her not having enough screen time as an actress and therefore enough time to see her acting chops. Although I'm following this drama via recaps instead of watching it, I hope that she is having more impact on the audience. I am choosing to believe that she is moving hearts though. But maybe that's because I'm on the "Heejoo deserves happiness" train.

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I agree, I feel like Kang Hye Jin is being wasted in this drama. I know that the plot revolves around Lee Da Hae but I expected the Hee Joo character to have a greater presence in the second half of the drama. Especially considering that her character has a lot of things on Lee Da Hae's Miri which could have made her an excellent rival. Oh well i'll just wait till Kang Hye Jin takes on another drama.

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I disagree. I dont think the writers are bad. And thankfully, it is a Kang Hye Jin - light episode. I just cant stand her character in this drama. dont want to see her.

One thing I do agree is that Ill just wait to see Kang Hye Jin in another drama that highlights her acting.

I think Miri's biggest rivals would be the men who loved her and not Heejoo herself.

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I really like the HeeJoo character (mainly because she is such a cute character and I tend to root for the good girls). Unfortunately, seeing the increasingly dimished screen time she is getting, I think her character was meant only to serve as: (1) collateral damage, and (2) what Miri could have been.

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I'm totally with you. Hee Joo has been very passive in the last 4 episodes. It feels like the writer doesn't know what to do with her except letting her finding out "little secrets" of Mi Ri and doing nothing about them. Kang Hye Sung is such a fine actress I'm disappointed that the story doesn't give her more space to shine.

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I just feel like her character had potential to be a great supporting character and we did see a lot of potential early on however things just went downhill. She could have been an excellent rival or even a great saving grace for Miri but I doubt she'll be it.

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Right!!! Since the beginning of the drama, Miri basically stole her identity for the rise of Miri, I would have loved to see Hee Joo's impact on the fall as well! Whether it be beat down the bad with a bad or even better, beat down the bad with the good. Come on, writers!!!

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I don't know - I think she's playing the part of a resentful doormat rather well...
:)

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It's amazing how a hair cut can change the course of a drama.

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Lol!

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hm..? Do I feel a lackluster show from Hee-joo lately? It's like she's not even in the show in some episodes as of late.
More Hee-joo!

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Right!?!?!?! Why is Hee Joo not carrying a more relevant role that she should!!!

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Thank you for the recap, JB. It seems what we have been contemplating in the previous weeks is really true. Yoo hyun stepmom is Miri's mother. I would like to see her reaction when the truth is discovered that Miri is her daughter. Would she protect her or just remained adamant. I like the term
"Hurricane Miri"..... yes, she's a hurricane who caused a lot of havoc in the men's life. Until now I am still puzzled who Miri actually loved. Is it Myung hoon or Yoo hyun? I hope she will retain the person she loves.
Miri.... Fighting !!!! now is the time for you to diligently react/resolve the lies that are slowly unfolding.

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"While part of me wants him to fling her fraud in her face, the other, more sadistic part of me is strangely gratified at how self-righteous she is, knowing that her fall is coming."

Yes.....the fact that she can be both stunned and outraged about losing a position for which she had no qualifications, no experience, and which was gained through fraud does tend to make me like her even less. And look forward with greater anticipation to her downfall. Muahahaha!

Also: she gains no sympathy from me by looking so down in the dumps all the time when she's with Chunnie. You're trying on wedding dresses with Park Yoochun, and you can barely summon up a little smile?! GAH. Granted it may be because your face doesn't move that way, but still, give it a try. Or move over and let someone else have a chance.

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maybe because it IS park yoo chun...

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Yoochun is looking goooood with is new haircut. <3

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I like second leads , CJ and HJ , better , they are more normal not dump as two lead men .l

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Thanks for the recap.
I'm waiting for the shit to hit the fan. It'll be glorious!
Gawd, I can't wait for Lee Hwa to figure out that Miri is the daughter she abandoned.... or did she already? I'm pretty sure she doesn't, right? And when Miri finds out! Geez, the future angst is killing me already.

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"Miri argues that things are already in their rightful places"
I say Miri is delusional instead
It's not twisted logic; it's her own grandeur beliefs
But I do concede that she's got some guts to get as far as she has
I'm awaiting to see what myunghoon will do

On another note, I'm disappointed that the plot decided to make Yoohyun's stepmom to be Miri's real mom--once again, an overused twist that irritates me
But I look forward to see the shock between mother and daughter (and other people too) when that secret is revealed

The secrets in this melodrama are the only things that are preventing me from wanting to inflict harm to her, for in rerun of harming so many other people in her selfish quest; I rather wait to see her fall to her demises

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*for in return of harming

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Thanks for the recaps.

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She totally digged her grave.

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NOOOOOOOO.... not the secret birth mother, I'm marrying my step sister, and a K-drama piggyback ride all in one episode!!!!! WHY? WHY? WHY????? Writers PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY THE @!! you had to resort to this??
This drama has been so good and so off the beaten track from every other K-drama, so well writtten and suspenseful... I'm so perplexed as to why this birth mother theme is being introduced. To resort to this story line is sooooo disappointing.
Please let there be some twist in the plot about the birth mother that we just could not have even imagined and I will forgive you.
PS: Just cause you cut Youchuns hair it does not mean his character can never smile again even once in an episode, right??

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oOooh. heat up, UP. i liiike.

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and BOO about the less and less heejoo scenes.

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We need more Hee Joo!!!

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I need more Hee Joo T-T" I am hoping that when Yoohyun find out the truth and Hee Joo see how hurt he is she will be there for him but then again i know she will be hurting because she know that yoohyun is hurting over miri >_< and maybe that lead her to get mad at miri oh man but i can see that the next episode is going to be intense...i can already expect that miri ending is not going to be a happy ending...i just hope hee joo have a happy ending she deserve it

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Hmm if Miri doesnt get a happy ending - as in she doesnt end up with anyone, I also hope that Heejoo either is alone at the end or together with Chuljin. But then again, I prefer that everyone in the drama has a sad endig and end up alone if the main character does not get a happy ending. Rather than giving a satisfying, acceptable,okay, passable ending, I rather seeing a tragic, unfair, sad ending that would forever imprinted in the kdrama history.

Say like the Autumn Tale/Endless Love. Very memorable and sad. No one ends up together.

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Include What Happened in Bali^^ :)

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I second that! More Hee Joo scenes please!!! Still my favorite parts of the drama was when Hee Joo and Yoo Hyun was at the baseball game and when she fell asleep on his shoulder! I need more of those please to play more conflicts on the Love Square that is suppose to be.

I dont like the love triangle too much right now!

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Gosh, this drama is so good! Applause for the writer is in order. Can't wait to see Miri fall flat on her face. I hope the two men both dump her for good.

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Sigh. It would definitely suck to be in Miri's position if she ends up alone and with no gain for all she has done to improve the quality of her life.

I wonder if she works at the orphanage at the very end ... cause of the flashbacks at the start of the drama in ep 1 when the two men were recalling their love for Miri.

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you have a point, I hope it would be that way.

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Hi Honey! Yes, I kinda agree with you. When things get so heated up, then Miri will leave everything behind and just work in the orphanage to cheer up children who have the same fate as her. Meantime it can also be "soul searching" time for her what she is going to do next with her life? Go back to college and get a degree? Get married? or what.... let her decide..

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why not have MIRI have amnesia at the end of the drama... just like the bad girl in "All About Eve".

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Noooooo!!!! I am so sick and tired of evil K-drama characters escaping their well-deserved punishment with a failed suicide attempt that results in amnesia or permanent brain damage. After all, who does that really hurt in the end? The poor victims who end up feeling sorry for her and try to take care of her. I'm so glad that K-dramas took a turn from that plot line a long time ago. Although I am enjoying how this drama reminds me of the old school dramas that made you HATE the evil characters and really got your blood boiling. Make Miri suffer in the end. I know that she had a hard life and I do feel sorry about that. But she made some really poor choices later on. If she had just stopped her greed with MH, then I would be ok with her having a happier ending. But I say, stone her!

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Wow, there are only 5 episodes left? I mean more secrets are revealed, but they're going at a really slow pace. I don't know how they can wrap all these up in 5 episodes. Is it really only 16? maybe it's 20. i dunno

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I don't think that the men are stupid and the women are bitches in drama.

Miri has nothing to be respected for by director Kang, all her collegues understand that she would be fired long time ago without Myunghoon protection, because you know she doesn't work at all, she isn't event present at work for most time and as Myunghoon mentioned himself she is a bad imployee..
also I agree with Lee hwa, Miri has no class, what bothers me, is how Myunghoon never saw that she has no culture she can not be a graduate of university.
well again, if they made her perfectly intelligent that would be unbelievable giving her previous job and all.

Myunghoon is very pitiful, he has no happiness in his life and he just put his new dreams and love on Miri, while Yuhyun just was sure Miri loved him the way he was, he didn't realize that she could find out about his wealth..

maybe he realized in the end of the ep that she could know from Myunghoon that he is the heir of Mondo.

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that birth secret is rather interesting because now Miri can blame Yuhyun for receiving the mother love on her behalf, well, it would be more interesting when he trusted her and felt for her.. now when he is all suspicious.. idk

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wow u good a point! But Yoochun also love Miri and give anything he can do for her. I think the drama will going more intense , yeah.

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Ohh.ohhh..my poor heart....
I even nearly faint reading the recap...

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Thanks for the review ! Because yesterday I watched it with no sub. His new hair rocks ! :p

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A question - how Miri is going to explain to Yoohyun that she is not eh a virgin anymore if they DO get married? I am pretty sure he is going to figure that out...

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Was she supposed to be a virgin?

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Hello?!
She's Miri - she can fake anything!
:)

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bwahahahah! genius comment.

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miri is not gonna marry yoohyun! i will not let her! <.< -evil laugh-

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thanks for the recaps, i've waiting for this....

on to reading

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Why why why did they have to resort to the secret-mother-of-the-orphan bit? Not that the basic plot isn't super contrived, but this seems to me to be jumping the shark.
Chunnie's new haircut is a big improvement IMHO. I've always thought there might be something about him that attracted the pathological stylists. Or perhaps when they get close to him they lose their composure, control of the scissors, and bad things happen. So many apparent half haircuts or bangs that slide off the ends of the earth.

Well, let's see how the writers finish this off. Please, drama gods, not another Bad Guy finish. I haven't been a totally good girl, but I really don't think I've been bad enough to be sent down that hard.

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Ack, and more importantly: Thank you for the wonderful, speedy recap. *bowing here*

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I don't think the allegory of Bizet's "Carmen" should go unnoticed. Carmen is the jumping off point for Miss Ripley.

Carmen is a wild, passionate gypsy who defies convention for love her way, no rules or restrictions - and that love ends up killing her. (The obsessive, spurned lover Don Jose.)
Miri began as an ice-cold, avaricious gypsy-like character but as this drama progresses she's replacing some of the pain of her twisted childhood with the equal pain of discovering what love is and how it can hurt other people. She's lived her life in a "me, me, me" survival mode and now she's discovering her capacity for feeling love for someone and that's a foreign and painful concept.

Flowers also play an important role - the red rose, symbol of passion and love - its petals float down like drops of blood at the beginning and end of each episode. Ripley is awash in flower symbolism connected to Miri, from the names of her former workplaces, to that blood-red gown she wore, to her name itself. The rose is symbolically passion, love and death.

Passion, love, lies and betrayal killed Carmen. The same will happen to Miri - figuratively.

It's not clear as to who is Miri's Don Jose at this point. Myung-hoon could be it - he discovers the lies and has the power to achieve Miri's downfall regardless of the personal cost to himself. He brought her in - he can take her out. His knowledge of her past is his weapon.
Or maybe it's Yoo-hyun - he might be the better choice because he's the more passionate of the two men. He might weld the figurative knife to Miri in the end. Carmen dies because of passion gone awry = Miri will be destroyed by the man who loves her the most.

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Well said. =)

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agreed. I think he may be Don Jose, too.

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I had a week to mull over Lee Hwa being Miri's mother. I hated the idea at first because of birth secrets being drama cliche, but then came to realize Miri needed a nemesis even more cunning than she is. Before this episode, nobody has yet challenged her. I thought Hee-joo would be the one to do it, but her kind-heartedness and faith in human nature prevents her from ever believing there's a person like Miri in her midst. And although Myung-hoon has started to assert himself after being momentarily blinded by love, I think he still has feelings for her and probably won't try to destroy her. Plus he's now pre-occupied with damage control with his personal, as well as professional, life to be on the offensive. And Hirayama is only in it for the money. He's scary all right, but give him some cash and he stays away.

So who's the best person to go head-to-head with Miri but her own mother, who was heartless enough to abandon her many years ago and never looked back. So I don't expect any love or even sympathy when the secret is revealed to both of them. I don't know if mom would ever want her back. Even though Miri still entertains this fantasy that finding her mom would bring her the love and happiness she so yearned for most of her life, it would truly be a shock to her when she realizes, "Wait, this bitch is my mother?". I expect a battle to the death between Miri and mom. Black widow spider vs. Praying Mantis. Place your bets here.

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me felt the same...

this is a cliche that is used well.. other dramas used it just for the angst..

here the story seems to have been developed to go down this path without being annoying and obvious.. i come to term that if Lee Hwa isn't Miri's mom then the conflict of stepmom meddling will not be as heavy enough.. .

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I don't think she's a sociopath like some have suggested. We've seen moments of ~vulnerability~ and, I think, empathy, etc.

Then again, I've only read about the behaviour of white male sociopaths. I have no idea how a female sociopath would act - with all the inherent disadvantages life hands to women and particularly the disadvantages handed to Miri. She definitely ticks a few boxes, though.

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I'm so sad how she continues to lie, i'm so sorry for myunghoon and I can't imagine how will Yoohyun feel when he finds out. How could she be like this? Yet I still want her to be happy in the end. But of course she should realize that everything she did was wrong. She would really be lucky if they would have the heart to forgive her, which I doubt , oh with the exception of her Mom of course. How Miri acts is all because of her.

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Agree!

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This drama is so dame crazy. Miri is just too selfish, blaming things on other people, and turning the table around when it's not going her way. Always acting like she's the victim.

I hate people who took credit for other's work and pretends that it's their own.

Also, YH is like a little puppy, just following the pretty girl around, thinking that she is pure and loving....all because she is a pretty human being.

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This drama is so dame crazy. Miri is just too selfish, blaming things on other people, and turning the table around when it's not going her way. Always acting like she's the victim.

I hate people who took credit for other's work and pretends that it's their own.

Also, YH is like a little puppy, just following the pretty girl around, thinking that she is pure and loving....all because she is a pretty human being. Apparently, he forgot that roses has thorns too.

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Agree totally .Miri is living in Japan , rich country , no body force her to be a prostitute , that is her choice , her thought leading to her actions , to her destiny then to her life .
She can not blame anybody , this is stupid , psychotic character , i can not feel sorry for her .
But the most stupid ones are still the young rich guy and the old guy .

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are we watching the same drama?

Miri was SOLD into prostitution as a MINOR. She did not have a choice as a child...and that was her life. Miri was a prostitute. Even if Japan was a rich country she was part of a cycle of abuse that went on for years.

This is part of the reason why she's such a despicable character in the first place

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she was not sold, she chose herself that way to repay her father's dept. and she was a hostess, not a prostitute.

when she talked with Hirayama, she said "I made a mistake" or something like that, I don't remember correctly, so it was her choice.

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she was sold to pay for her father's debt. Hirayama said it so in episode 1. it was not by choice, what would a 14-15 year old girl know about paying for her father's debt? She was a child, a child should be studying in school and being taken care of... not paying her adoptive parents' debt.

she opted with selling cigarettes in the bar first, but she was pushed forth into a bar girl later on by Hirayama.

i'm sorry, a minor should not be selling cigarettes in a bar to pay for her father's debt. that wasn't by choice... and Hirayama pushed her forth into the hostess world. She was a minor, who had no choice in the dark underworld where she ended up in.

Prostitution is a debate, but really it has been implied quite frequently. as Hirayama told her... that she has to pay Director Kang and it ain't money, honey.

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LOL I meant "President Kang"... mentioned in around Episode 6 or so.

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i think more than blaming Hee Joo for her terrible life thinking that Hee Joo was the one who should have been taken to Japan and suffered in prostitution..

I never heard her yet blaming her mother for leaving her behind.... she loves her mother that she wanted to see her.. but to think of it .. her twisted logic should have blame Lee Hwa for the crappy life she had while her mom lives luxuriously..

i just hope that Lee Hwa is evil to the last bone.. and not be remorseful with her greed and ambition.. i think .. Miri winning over her mom will be her character's vindication..

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*i think more than blaming Hee Joo for her terrible life thinking that Hee Joo was the one who should have been taken to Japan and suffered in prostitution, Miri should blame her mother later on when she founds out the truth..

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I think she doesn't want to blame her mother because she's still hopeful that her mother did not intentionally abandon her. If she still believes that finding her mom is a happiness she hopes to find eventually, I don't think she would want to believe that what she suffered in life was because of her mom. I think she's also using that anger to survive. She's doing what she can, even if it's through lying, etc., to have that life she thinks she deserves or ought to have, and she's fueled by her anger at everyone and everything that kept her from getting there. :(

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JB thanks for the recap...
haven't got time to watch though

so now Yoohyun's suspicion is on... I think he won't be an energizer puppy for long...

Myunghoon and Miri... I wonder what they were talking about ... can't wait for next ep...

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'Hell hath no fury like a man conned.' Next.

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yoohyun wont be much of a happy person at the end of this drama... i can see it now.

everything is just getting more twisted.

but still i love reading the recaps. :D

yoochun ftw!!!!

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thank you for your synopsis....scene by scene details and your opinions....it really helps explains the story! i've found that this story is so good that i dont mind just reading about it (when tudou is too slow and not many other subbers seem to be subbing quite fast enough). your in depth explaination and reasoning is very interesting and versatile and ure more of a drama addict than i am. you've read into every detail clearly and you obvioulsy understand the direction of all the characters so well that you can explain the reasoning behind certain phrases and words...emphasising the complexity yet original thought into the script. i find it thoroughly joyous to read about an episode of a drama and this really has helped me understand the characters more. thank you.

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DITTO!!! And I keep finding myself coming back checking for more comments to see what other viewers think also. I love reading the recaps and the comments that come with them. Its been fun yall!!!

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arghhhhhhh!!! watched episode 12..

whoever said Yoochun cannot act and his character is weak and petty .. oohh..you underestimated the newcomer so much..

his acting was intense,,!

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Where did you watch ep 12?!?!?!?

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O_O

Whoa. Must be pretty epic in a subtle way. Hehe. I can't wait to watch it! Thank you!

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Javabeans:

Does this drama remind you at all of an old 1997 (???) miniseries called Cinderella? It also starred Kim Seung-Woo as the rich boy who was pretending to be pooor (a la Yoo Hyun). He was living in a regular apartment and he liked his female neighbor (Bad Girl/Older Sister) a la Miri. Younger Sister (the good girl) came to visit and live with Older Sister. Younger Sister was immediately smitten with KSW's character, but Older Sister thought he was a loser...until she realized exactly who he was. Terrible, terrible...even more terrible ending. Unfortunately, I can totally see Miss Ripley having a similar ending.

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thanks for the recap!!!!

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ep 12 is sooooooooooo intense!!!
yoochun is sooooo freakin good!

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I don't know why it comes to a surprse that Lee Hwa= Miri's birth mom.

If you watch closely, it has been a bit implicit throughout the drama. Everyone sort of called it within first episode in Soompi.

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"So the message I’m taking from this drama is… men are stupid and women are bitches?"

Yes, yes indeed--you are finally learning the ways of the world milady . . . at least, according to Kdramas and Telenovelas.

It's such an ever-present gender stereotype in this line of entertainment that it no longer fervently ruffles my feathers (though it ruffles me still).

On another note, I gaining so much satisfaction from watching JMR struggling to sustain her prevarication juggling act. That's right Mi Ri--liar, liar, pants on fire, dance in spirals~

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I really find Micky a revelation as an actor. Give him a couple of years and he will be an A-lister actor like the older(but not too old) handsome actors who gets to choose the roles they play. SSHeon, JWSung, CSWon are but a few of the so called A-lister ones. In no time, Micky can be classified as such too. He has a subtle way of projecting a role but the viewer gets the message. He communicates with his eyes.

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