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High Kick 3: Episodes 82-84

Hearts are broken this week, along with mine. We’ve got a lighter load of three episodes and though I don’t mind a lesser workload, our story feels cut off and I feel a little short-handed. Each of these stories could stand on its own but please sir, I want some more.

SONG OF THE DAY

Kang Ta and Taeyeon – “7989” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 82 WEECAP

A gray-haired Julien sits with his granddaughter in the future. She asks after an old photo of him and Nae-sang in a photo album. Julien tells her that he’s an old friend, and his go-stop instructor…

Back in present day, Nae-sang walks in on Julien losing at go-stop, a Korean card game. He offers to teach Julien, drilling him in shuffling and the various hands he can make with his cards. I’m not too familiar with the game but it sounds like Nae-sang’s doctrine breaks down to (1) Don’t show your best hand first (2) Observe what the other players put down (3) Don’t go for the big scoring hands.

He dominates the next game against Seung-yoon and Nae-sang’s business partner, fist pumping in victory.

Lee Juck stops by the house and is again miffed by the women of the house. There’s Ha-sun, who mentions that it’s too bad his blind date with Ji-sun didn’t work out, and Soo-jung who calls him “stupid uncle” for mixing up astrological signs. That’s the last straw for him and he burns with rage, shaking Soo-jung and calling her “stupid” times 100.

Too bad it’s all in his head, and he’s left to stew in his anger. He fakes modesty when they ask him to play guitar for them. The only people paying attention to him are Jin-hee, who compliments his singing, and Ji-won, who tells him that he lacks depth in his singing. It spurs another fantasy raging Juck to go after Ji-won this time.

Julien spots a group of ajusshis playing go-stop at the local real estate office. The sound of the cards hitting the mat, and the colors draw him in. The ajusshis scoff at his request to join them, telling him that this is the big league – no room for amateurs as this table. So Julien asks Nae-sang to help him beat the best of the best.

He takes a deep breath before stepping in the epic battle of the ages… or just an afternoon game.

Juck invites Jin-hee out to lunch, figuring her for the best lady out of the bunch. He pours her with compliments and just before he starts to talk about himself, Jin-hee asks him questions concerning Kye-sang. Like what he was like in college, if he was popular among his patients, who he finds attractive.

The more questions she asks, the more it annoys him. Then Fantasy Juck strikes again, telling Jin-hee to spit out her food if she’s only going to talk about Kye-sang on the lunch he bought for her. Leaving in a huff, his mind spins over all the women who irritate him.

Julien starts off weak, but picking up one card turns his luck around. One go, two go… and he runs home shouting ecstatically that he placed third. In a big hug, they take a souvenir shot, sealing Julien’s win in history.

 

EPISODE 83 WEECAP

At the clinic, Jin-hee and Kye-sang wonder what kind of plant they’re growing (it’s aptly named “Jinsang” which takes a part of both their names). She turns to the internet for answers and the community tells her that it’s likely a cherry tomato plant. She shares the news with Kye-sang who tells her they’ll have to split the harvest.

She talks to the plant, and gets a little carried away in her head, dreaming about feeding each other with cherry tomatoes.

One of Nae-sang’s hoobae is heading to the States, particularly L.A., a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by Soo-jung. They’re looking for a sweet and demure babysitter and Soo-jung jumps at the opportunity. But Dad has already told him that Soo-jung is the exact opposite (much to her ire), but she’s determined to transform into the perfect embodiment of innocence.

She consults her family that evening with possible ideas from kdrama heroines, (heh and Jong-seok knocks out her Shin Mina My Girlfriend is a Gumiho idea saying that she’s a gumiho who’ll eat other people’s girlfriends) but they’re uninterested and unconvinced that Soo-jung can do a successful 180.

Imagine their surprise when Soo-jung walks downstairs making a Victorian era woman look like a street gangster thug. Her modest laugh and polite mannerisms cleverly mask the death stares she occasionally shoots to her family. She keeps up the act throughout the night, taking up painting and knitting, true to her fake well-mannered persona.

So when she offers herself for the open babysitter position, the family friend says he’ll consider it.

Kye-sang invites Jin-hee out to see a musical (200 Pound Beauty, looks like), as a thank you for her hard work. Jin-hee borrows one of Ha-sun’s outfits and wonders if it’s a date. Kye-sang is the perfect companion, covering her with his jacket to make sure she isn’t cold. While he runs to the vending machine to get coffee, Jin-hee speaks to Jin-sang aloud about if she should be this happy, with tears in her eyes.

They run into one of Kye-sang’s old schoolmates, who ask him about his upcoming trip to Rwanda. This is news to Jin-hee and she stays quiet in the car. She asks to drop her off early and at the clinic, ponders alone in the dark. The tomato plant won’t bear fruit for another three months, after Kye-sang leaves.

She talks to Jinsang once more:

Jinsang, up until a little while ago, I thought that today was the happiest day of my life. Now, I’m so sad. It’s weird, right? Before, I thought I might cry because I was so happy, but now I might cry because I’m so sad. What if none of us are here when you bear fruit? It’s okay… it’s okay… it’s okay…

Jinsang, in voiceover, tells us that she wishes she could tell Jin-hee that no one knows about the future, like how she’s a kumquat plant, not a tomato one.

Soo-jung is enraged to hear that the ajusshi chose to go with an older college student in the U.S., fuming that he led her to think she was in the running. So Jong-seok pokes a little fun with his sister, lying that the other girl has pulled out. When she finds out the truth, she comes after him with a canvas in her hand.

Jin-hee finally gifts the knit gloves to Kye-sang the next morning, telling him not to forget them. He corrects her, saying he won’t lose them. But she explains that he shouldn’t lose them nor forget them, since she made it herself.

 

EPISODE 84 WEECAP

Nae-sang’s business partner is out of town and sent a replacement to fill in his absence – a sharply dressed man (cameo by Jung Bo-seok) who shares that it’s always been his dream to be an actor. Something is a little off, however, because he mistakes Nae-sang to be older when he himself is the hyung.

Ji-won uncovers a baby photo of Jong-seok by accident. But this is no ordinary adorable photo of yore – it’s one of those embarrassing nekkid ones you stash at the bottom of your photo albums. She gleefully takes a photo with her camera before running off.

Seung-yoon draws the conclusion that Ji-won must like Jong-seok. After all, girls like childhood photos of their crushes and boyfriends and Ji-won admitted to liking someone earlier on a lie detector toy. Jong-seok brushes the idea aside, but the thought lingers on his mind, slightly hopeful.

But Ji-won hands him a notebook later that night, filled with notes for him to study for the next few days – she’ll be volunteering over at the clinic to fulfill her volunteer requirements. Seung-yoon drills into his buddy that no girl would have gone to such lengths to provide such detailed notes with cutesy expressions.

So Jong-seok oh so casually meets Ji-won the following morning, offering to give her a ride to and from the clinic. Over the next few days, Ji-won comments that she’ll have to make it big one day so that Jong-seok can be her driver. He can’t pick her up that night since a friend is in town and he can’t help but note her slight disappointment. Adorable.

It looks like Bo-seok’s major weakness is math, as he fumbles with the time zone differences, and counts out how much he’s eating to the penny (by literally placing the bills and coins on top of his plate). The Ahns are puzzled, and a bit disgusted at the sight.

When Bo-seok gets wrangled to fill in for an extra as a math professor, Nae-sang is reasonably worried at the mere volume of variables and mathematical lingo. He catches Bo-seok scribble notes under the script to help him memorize, noting that it’s not “x two” but “x-squared.”

It actually shocks Bo-seok, who gets caught at another roadblock, this time with fractions. HA! He sweats during the shoot, the pressure of the numbers slowly suffocating him. His vision blurs, and he passes out.

The doc is baffled at his scans – the area responsible for math and problem-solving seems to be…a tiny dot in his brain. BAHAHA! And poor Bo-seok solemnly writes the fraction which broke him down on the window, forever to haunt him.

Jong-seok’s friend cancels plans and he heads to the clinic to pick her up. Strange then, that Ji-seok tells him that Ji-won was the first to complete her hours…

Inside, he catches a glimpse of Ji-won and Kye-sang laughing in his office and the pieces start falling into place: the Christmas carols, the admission, volunteering at the clinic. He angrily takes her phone when she comes out to greet him and deletes the photo despite her protests. His sudden outburst surprises Ji-won. Jong-seok drives off, fighting tears.

 

COMMENTS

Time to examine the Ahn siblings again. I’m glad they’re being slowly introduced back in this round of episodes because I’ve missed them and they seemed too peripheral for a while. High Kick does a great job of circulating these characters so we don’t miss them too much while they’re gone, which I appreciate. Soo-jung, oh Soo-jung, you’ll never change. Her immaturity really knows no bounds and her goals are still the same – instead of appreciating where she is now and making the best of it, she’s still clinging onto L.A. Having a dream of what you’re comfortable with isn’t necessarily bad, but constantly reflecting on it doesn’t encourage any growth either. Compared to all of our characters, she’s the one who’s grown the least.

Then there’s Jong-seok, who has really evolved over this series – he wants to study, he has a desire to go to college, he likes someone who I think really suits him. When I said that this week felt short, I was drawing your attention to this storyline. The nail’s been driven into the coffin in this last episode where Jong-seok had an inkling about Ji-won’s crush, but now he definitely knows it to be true. It breaks my heart to think that their relationship will change because of it since I found their moments together so delightful.

Lastly – Jin-hee, who finally found out about Kye-sang’s plans to go to Rwanda. I don’t understand how she didn’t know for, say the past 70 episodes, unless she lived under a rock, but it’s still heartbreaking nevertheless. The scene where she spoke to Jinsang, the plant, was extremely powerful and touching – who knows where the future will take them next?

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yay, first!

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sorry, the immature part of me just had to do that...

ANYWAY, about the recap- poor puppy jong-seok! him and ji-won have always been my favorite pairing and i feel so bad for him... hopefully they end up together in the end?

thanks for the recap, gummimochi!

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AFSDJFLSGJSLDGJS. Poor Jin Hee. Poor Jongseok. Why do my two favorite characters have to be heartbroken? Is it really that hard to give them a happy ending, High Kick 3 writers? I was a bit disappointed at the lack of Jiseok and Hasun too. :( Gahhh. I'm sorry to all Kyesang x Jiwon fans, but I really hope they don't end up together.

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Agreed. Jiwon/Jongseok and Kyesang/Jinhee PLEASE, writers, PLEASE!

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OMG, my feelings exactly!!!

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Great Recap! Thank you!

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Puahaha 청순한 Soo Jung was hilarious, especially how Jong Seok was taking advantage of her. I do wish that the Ahn siblings would show some more development in their relationship, however. The bickering is getting old, as many have mentioned :x
Jung Bo Seok is such a great actor..his character in HK2 and Giant, for example= complete opposites yet he convincingly pulls them both off!

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Aaaaaaw. Sadness all around indeed. I think this will be a great turning point for Jong-seok and Ji-won because now, there's a chance Ji-won might learn about Jong-seok's crush on her. Oh young love! How I adore thee.

Poor Jin-hee. A crush is not called "crush" for nothing. It's meant to hurt, and sometimes, we end up happy and sometimes we don't. I hope we have happiness in store for Jin-hee.

Can I just say Julie is quite a surprise for me in this drama. I don't know what it is, but it's nice to see him center stage every once in a while. X)

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*Julien

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Kye Sang is going to Rwanda in three months time? Does that mean before the end of HK3 or as the final scene?
Poor Jin-Hee.
Hopefully KyeSang will found out her feeling and his feeling soon.

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I laughed at the Jung Bo Seuk reference... because that was what he was in the 2nd season... an idiot.

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Ahaha kumquat tree...

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ahh this week's episodes were pretty sad :/
poor jongseok : ( man ji won just has to like kye sang too -.-;;
hope kyesang choose jinhee if he had to choose between the two

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i don't see how lee juck could end up with any of them.

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High kick always keeps me on my toes antcipating. I'm excited and sad for the characters. Especially sad for jin hee , I find her so relatably likeable that I can't help but root for her.
Who's gonna be lee juck's wife???
Thanks for the recap!

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thanks for the recaps!
I know there was that episode where Lee juck gets slapped by his future wife...who were all the people that slapped him?

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whaatt?? it's ha-sun! in the early episode!! how could it be possible???

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I think the recap says Lee Juck has a 'taste' of his future wife's hand -- and he 'tastes' the hands of all the ladies of the house kekekeke....so the hint does not really help

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Thank you for the great recap! ^^

I wonder if Kyesang will really end up with Jiwon? It seems like Kyesang has no interest in any females in the household...hopefully Jiwon will wake up and see that Jongseok is there!! :)

Can't want until Monday!

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Soojung was soooo funny!!! I was annoyed Soojung before, but now I love her character, such a BRAT!!! hahaha I didn't care that she's the most immature character out of all. Krystal's just so into this Soojung and I love it. The most hilarious scene was when she pretended to be the innocent and polite Soojung in front of her family. Jong Suk was almost puke. LOLOL

Now, I wonder how Jin-hee/Kyesang relationship will go, I really want them together. But it seems to be impossible. I want Jin-hee to step-up her game, just tell Kyesang how she feels, I really wanna see his reaction. huhu

For Jong Suk and Jiwon, idk I don't really feel much about this couple.

Thanks for your re-cap!! I love you.^^

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well, I'm asking you just out of the blue, why is the tittle of the song above 7879??
I've browse the lyric, read it, but still can't figure why..
Anyone knows who can kindly explain to me..?

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the title is actually 7989, '79 is the year that Kangta was born and '89 is the year is when Taeyeon was born

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i loved ep83..jinhee's feelings for kyesang isn't just a huge crush anymore..,,it's developed into an unrequited love...aside from this episode, i was really touched when i watched ep71 where she's been looking for him back & forth even if she's sick just to see him before going on a trip..especially the scene where she's running all her might leaving her slippers on the road just to catch on him...,i really loved the expression on her face doing that particular scene...hoping for some progress on their relationship..i really wish there would be a guy who would date jinhee & would make kyesang jealous...im on the JINSANG ship... =)

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Aww man... what a sad awakening for both Jin-hee and Jong-seok. They were lost in their daydreams and finally came back to reality only to see that the person they really like are slipping farther from them. Jong-seok's outburst at the end surprised even me, but it's understandable for a teenage boy to become suddenly angry over his crush. It was just heartbreaking to see him smiling each time he dropped Ji-sun off to see her own crush. I hope Jin-hee and Jong-seok find some kind of level ground that Ha-sun and Ji-seok have found. I feel like most of the High Kick 3 series has focused on the Ha-sun/Ji-seok couple, which I'm not disappointed with at all. But it's time to focus on the love square that's going on around Kye-sang. I can't wait to see what happens this coming week.

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Again, another great few episodes. I felt really bad for Jong-seok! Poor guy. And Jin-hee too.

Thanks Gummimochi!

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Awww poor Jong seok and Jinhee. They both have a one-sided crush. Jiwon's crush on Kyesang will always just be a crush. it is impossible for them to be together (sorry for those who like jiwon-kyesang couple) since of the age difference. This was just like high kick 2. Shin se kyung had a crush on Ji hoon but their age difference was far apart and he only treated her like a sister. I think kyesang will just end up alone in this sitcom...and I'm guessing Jinhee will end up with Lee Juck. I am disappointed of this week's recap..Hopefully it will get better next week and the development will be better. Thank you gummimochi for this week's recap! :)

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who else laughed at kye-sang in the backround of the jong-seok naked pic?

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i'm looking for mv of jinhee-kyesang..found nothing in youtube..can someone make a video of them?whether it's funny or cute..much better if it tells jinhee's one-sided love to kyesang (the song IF IT WAS ME by Na Yoon Kwon has really a touching lyrics,suits for jinhee's feelings for him)...please....i've found that song was also used as BGM in yunho-minjung & junhyuk-sekyung mv in youtube....really nice & touching vid..if only JINSANG can also have one..anyone?please? =)

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I don't feel sorry for Jinhee too much. She is living in a fantasy world, dreaming up feelings that don't exist. Everything Kyesang does is made to be a statement of love to her. She just got way too far ahead of herself. She is way in love with him [for reasons I don't understand, he doesn't really pay attention to her] but has barely even thought about showing it or sharing her feelings.

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Honestly, it's hard not falling for a guy like Kye Sang. He's just genuinely a nice guy. He cares for Jin Hee (perhaps not out of romantic interest, but he certainly cares for her all the same), he looks out for her and he's the character that helps her out the most (he takes her to lunch, he bought her a wallet when he noticed that hers was worn out). They're always together at the clinic, so its natural for her to fall for him.

It's heart breaking watching Jin Hee and her one sided crush for Kye Sang, but at the same time I don't really anticipate them being together. It's still a lot of fun watching their relationship/friendship/companionship (whatever you want to call it) develop even if they may or may not end up together. Because in the end they'll both grow from it.

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Completely agree with the assessment of Soojung, the writers will never do anything different with her so while I don't dislike the actress, I've categorized her in the "non-important, non-developing side characters that I'm not wasting time or energy caring about" category.

Ugh, I hate it when people's hopes are crushed and they realize that what was daydreamed about and possibilities created for will probably never happen. Jongseuk's reaction was great from the acting perspective. Totally drew me in and made my throat tight. I really like that the majority of the reactions on the show are realistic and understandable.

However, I'd be lying if I said that having already watched the next few episodes this week hasn't been awesome due to conflict. Heh.
Thanks for the hard work.

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Just in case anyone needed to know that song at the end of episode 83 was from the Spring Waltz OST; "One Love" by Loveholic. I was raking my brain to remember where I'd heard it before.

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