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Big: Episode 8

There are twists and turns and major decisions, some of which I wish we didn’t decide so hastily. We also start to unravel Kyung-joon’s backstory and the mystery of Yoon-jae and Kyung-joon’s connection. The way that’s being teased (one excrutiatingly teensy drop at a time), I certainly hope it amounts to something worth waiting for, that subverts our expectations. Please?

 
EPISODE 8 RECAP

Kyung-joon proposes with Yoon-jae’s ring… and says that as long as she wears it, he will never love her. He tells her to take the bait – this time it’s Yoon-jae – and bite now if she doesn’t want to lose him.

At the same time, Choong-shik tells Mari about the marriage-or-nothing condition given by Dad, which is still ludicrous, given that their problem was that they rushed into marriage, so maybe dating is the better thing? But nobody listens to me. Mari runs off to stop it.

Da-ran looks down at the ring, more confused than ever. Did Yoon-jae want to marry her after all? She asks what’ll happen to Kyung-joon if they get married, and he says that it’s not real for him, and he doesn’t think it’s a bad solution to growing up and becoming an adult.

Is anyone else screaming MISTAAAAAKE? I’m torn, because I get that fake marriage means fake marriage hijinks, but I worry for Kyung-joon’s heart. Besides the fact that for Da-ran and Yoon-jae, it’s just plain ol’ crazy.

She contemplates the decision, but there’s little time for quiet reflection when Mari comes whirling in, declaring that this sham of a wedding cannot happen. Am I nodding my head along with Mari, of all people? To that end, she’ll just tell Da-ran’s parents the truth—the REAL truth. She takes off running.

Kyung-joon freaks out and runs after her, and then Da-ran chases him. Choong-shik arrives at the house just in time to see them each run out one after the other, and then he takes up the caboose.

Mari tells Mom and Dad that she’s got big news, but Kyung-joon gets there fast enough to cut in. They turn their attention to Seo-suh-bang, of course, demanding that he only appear when he’s ready to marry their daughter.

But when Da-ran arrives, everyone sees the ring, and they realize the proposal has been made. Kyung-joon quickly says that he did propose, but he’s awaiting Da-ran’s answer, so it’s not a done deal.

Kyung-joon drags Mari back to his house, and she warns him that if he goes through with the marriage, she’ll blow the lid for real next time. He argues that she’s just a kid and if an adult says she’s lying, that’ll be the end of it.

She counters that when a kid whines relentlessly, adults can never win. She reminds him of their parents—because of her, they didn’t marry after all, right? Kyung-joon: “And what happened to my mom because of that?” Ouch. He leaves her reeling.

Da-ran stays up that night, pondering the ring over a can of beer. She imagines what Awake Yoon-jae would say if he woke up a married man. Scenario 1: He smiles winningly, thanks her for her smart real estate choices, presents her with flowers as the family cheers and confetti comes from nowhere. Cute.

But then she realizes that it could easily go the other way. Scenario 2: He glowers, Se-young sidles up to him, and they present her with divorce papers as they smile. Da-ran shakes her head in confusion – which one is it?

Well I’d argue that even if he had every intention of marrying you, he’d want to, oh I dunno… choose to marry you, or remember walking you down the aisle? And that’s even in the best-case scenario, in my brain.

Mom sees her worrying over her decision, and tells her not to be swept along by Yoon-jae like she was before (THANK YOU, MOM). She asks Da-ran to follow her own heart this time—don’t think about what Yoon-jae feels, but ask yourself what YOU feel. With a mom like this, how did you turn out like that?

She’s left asking herself what her feelings for Yoon-jae are now. But her thoughts go to Kyung-joon, as she remembers him saying that he’d never ever love her.

Mari asks Choong-shik how much Gil Teacher loves Seo Yoon-jae. Choong-shik says that his sister would wait alllll day for a phone call from Yoon-jae, and was pretty pathetic, if that’s an indication of how much. That puts Mari at ease—she won’t have to worry about Teacher as competition then.

Choong-shik takes that opportunity to ask Mari: “How much do you like me?” He knows that she likes Kyung-joon, but they’ve accumulated affection, over pizzas and the like, right? So… if Kyung-joon is 100 points, how many does she like Choong-shik? Thirty? Twenty? He meekly adds that even ten is cool…

Mari ponders it. Choong-shik holds his breath. Mari: “Zero!” (bbang = zero, also the sound of shooting a gun).

She points a finger gun right to his heart, “Bbang, bbang, bbang!” Poor kitten. He ends up a lifeless carcass on the couch, still holding a hand to his broken heart.

Kyung-joon sits with his colleagues in the hospital cafeteria, (I’m still confused as to how this kid is playing doctor on a daily basis.) bored by the mundane conversation. He looks over at the next table and sighs heartbreakingly at three teenage boys laughing and horsing around.

This, I love—when he was eighteen, he just wanted to hurry and grow up quickly as we all do, but now that he’s experienced adulthood, he misses acting his own age. It’s why old people always say things like “youth is wasted on the young.”

He hides out in the pediatric ward again (I guess it’s a good thing Yoon-jae is actually a pediatrician) and despite his outward dislike for children, he’s already developed a cute rapport with them, calling them by their nicknames Bunny and Teddy Bear. Around them, he doesn’t pretend to be an adult.

Da-ran meets with Se-young to ask her how far her relationship with Yoon-jae went. Se-young scoffs and without flinching, says that they slept together. Da-ran calls her bluff, and Se-young wonders if she’s found some new confidence, because she had such an inferiority complex before.

Da-ran says this time around she does feel confident, and she’s going to go where her heart tells her to. She asks again about whether or not they were cheaty cheatersons, but Se-young refuses to give her the satisfaction of knowing, and lords it over her: “I’ll never tell you.” Well… did you really expect the Hateful One to be helpful?

She heads over to Kyung-joon’s and watches him as he waters the lawn. His smile sends her heart skipping a beat, and she puts her hand over her heart as she tries to suss it out. Is she wondering what I’m wondering? Is that heart jumping for the soul or the shell?

He makes it rain for her by spraying water over the patio umbrella, and then they take turns sitting in the rain. It devolves into a water fight, of course, as they run around the yard screaming and laughing and getting soaked.

Inside, they do damage control over the wet contents of Da-ran’s purse, and then she discovers that the ring is missing. You… weren’t wearing it? That’s telling.

They go outside to look for it on the lawn, but after a cursory look, she says they should forget about it—if it’s lost, it’s lost. He looks at her quizzically. That’s telling too. Did she WANT to lose it?

He asks her as much—is she happier now that it’s lost, and it does the deciding for her? She doesn’t argue the point, saying that things were clear before, and that ring just turned everything upside-down.

She’s happy to let the ring’s disappearance be the answer. But Kyung-joon calls her a coward for not facing the thing she’s really afraid of—sticking it out with Yoon-jae until she can be sure whether or not he loved her. He calls her out for being too scared to find out the truth.

She argues that she can’t just marry Yoon-jae one-sidedly – that’s not an adult thing to do. But Kyung-joon counters that the real adult thing would be to wait it out, get rejected, and THEN give up, not any time before. “Like I did.” Aw.

Da-ran says he’s right, and she’s not a grown-up, so he should stop leaning on her then. She storms out and he screams after her that he’s just going to marry whichever girl Yoon-jae’s mom shoves in his line of sight then, and she’ll have lost her chance.

They each sigh, angry and all turned around.

Mari asks Choong-shik about his sister, and he says that she still hasn’t made her decision. She gets up to leave, and he starts in on this really cool speech about setting up shop in her heart and waiting as long as it takes to earn that first point…

…which Mom interrupts by asking him to take out the trash that she found under his bed. Porn alarm! His eyes go wide and he races to sit on the evidence before Mari sees it, but the damage has been done.

He screams at Mom that he hates her, even though she’s pretty much the coolest mom ever—her complaint isn’t the porn, but the clutter. Ha. But later that night, Choong-shik gets dressed in all black and kidnaps his piggybank with a hand over its mouth. In case he squeals?

Should I even be asking why he’s dressed for Mission Impossible if he’s running away from home?

Meanwhile, Kyung-joon stays up late reading his textbooks, and scowls at the very important file for school that Da-ran left behind in her haste. He tells imaginary Da-ran that it’ll serve her right to get into a crapload of trouble with the vice principal.

Cut to: Kyung-joon with said file in front of the mandoo restaurant. Hee.

He peers in the window, and sees the whole family pacing in worry, after discovering that Choong-shik has run away. Da-ran hesitates with her phone, realizing that she could call Kyung-joon who could call Mari, whose calls Choong-shik would answer… but she stops short.

Suddenly, someone zooms past Kyung-joon into the restaurant. It’s Na Teacher, who races to the rescue to start the search for Choong-shik. Kyung-joon wonders why he was called, and then sighs that she should make it work with him then, and turns to go.

But Mom comes out and finds him there, impressed that he came running over because he was worried about Choong-shik. He’s like, yup, yup, totally why I’m here.

He gets brought in, and immediately the search for Choong-shik devolves into a suh-bang war. Dad’s on Team P.E., while Mom’s on Team Doctor, and Da-ran gets foisted on one after the other.

The two men eye each other up and down warily, each posturing that they’ll be the one to find Choong-shik first. Pfft. This is hilarious. Suddenly which team Da-ran goes with is a Big Decision.

Kyung-joon heads out first, calling Mari into action. (He adds for her to not take P.E.’s calls, heh.) Da-ran comes out with Na Teacher, and Kyung-joon refuses to share information since she’s on the other team. So petty.

But she tells Na Teacher that she’s going to join the other team after all, and comes back to Kyung-joon. So while Team P.E. goes the CSI route (epically, I might add), Team Doctor just sits back and waits for Mari to work her magic.

Da-ran asks how he can be so calm and do nothing, but he counters that all they have to do is wait for Mari’s call. She accuses him of not understanding since he’s never rebelled. He says she’s wrong, and Da-ran scoffs, “What, did you say you were going to Harvard instead of Seoul University?” Okay, that’s pretty funny.

But judging from his stoic reaction, she realizes that he really must’ve had quite the rebellious episode. Mari calls, her face twisting when she hears Da-ran’s voice answer Kyung-joon’s phone.

She purposely separates them, sending Da-ran to the train station and asking Kyung-joon to come to the jjimjilbang. That’s where Choong-shik is, of course, and Kyung-joon finds him right away.

Choong-shik swears he’s never going back home and he doesn’t care if he never sees Mom again. But Kyung-joon tells him his own story (couched as a second-hand Kyung-joon story, natch) – he rebelled once and then his mom died.

He had said the same thing, thinking he wouldn’t care if he never saw Mom again… and yet never once actually thought it would come true. Sweet little Choong-shik immediately asks, “Is my mom okay?”

Kyung-joon advises Choong-shik to rebel often and in little spurts, not to keep it in and let it blow up like this. That’s actually really good advice. He offers to help Choong-shik negotiate the terms of his return, if that’ll help him salvage some pride.

But they’re interrupted by Mari, who thinks it’ll be fun to spend the night there. Choong-shik lights up to realize she’s been looking for him.

Kyung-joon asks after Da-ran, thinking that she went to a jjimjilbang near the train station, but Mari corrects him—she sent her to the underground train station, where homeless people spend the night.

Both boys gape, you sent her where?

Da-ran wanders the train station, calling out Choong-shik’s name. Her fear grows, but she just keeps going, until drunk men surround her on either side. Someone grabs her and she lets out a scream… but it’s Kyung-joon.

He yells, “Are you crazy? How could you come to a place like this alone?!” Her voice shakes as she insists she’s fine and asks why he’s getting mad at her. Because he’s worried!

They linger for a moment, until Choong-shik runs up. Da-ran hits him, breaking down in tears, and Kyung-joon leaves them behind. Mari watches all this with a heavy heart, and Kyung-joon pointedly walks past her like she’s invisible, angry for her stunt.

Da-ran brings Choong-shik home, and Dad growls at him, while Mom just grabs him in a teary hug. Choong-shik just ekes out a “Mom” that kind of kills me.

Dad is surprised to hear that Seo-suh-bang found Choong-shik after all, and asks to see him. It’s not open arms, but it’s tacit approval. But I’m just wondering if anyone remembered to call Team P.E., or if he’s still out there sniffing leftover ramyun in the street.

Da-ran comes out to find Mari in tears, worried that Kyung-joon is mad at her again for lying. She confesses that Kyung-joon doesn’t like her because his mom died because of her.

Flashback to the night that Mari’s dad was planning to propose to Kyung-joon’s mom. She had hatched a plan to lie to Dad and play sick, to keep the proposal from happening. She told Kyung-joon to keep his mom from coming over.

But she tells Da-ran that the same night, his mom was shot and she died… which would never have happened if Mari hadn’t stopped her father.

Da-ran comes to see Kyung-joon, who’s thinking about that same night. Return to his side of the flashback, when Mom tells him that she has a date, but he tells her not to go—”If you do, I’ll never see you again.” Aw, so he really blames himself.

Mom agrees not to go, and then later that night, Mom and son leave the restaurant… and Mom gets shot in the alley, right in front of his eyes. Her blood splatters all over him and pours out from her wound as he stands there, shocked.

Back in the present he explains absently to Da-ran that he didn’t want Mom going to someone else. (So for Mari it was her love for Kyung-joon, but for Kyung-joon it was his dislike for the idea that Mom would remarry.)

He says that he threw a tantrum like a little baby, and then Mom died and he never saw her again. Da-ran just quietly puts her arms around him, “It’s not your fault. You were just being like Choong-shik. It wasn’t because of you.” I love everything about that moment.

The next day, Mom and Dad have lunch with Na Teacher to thank him for his help with Choong-shik, and Ae-kyung and even the vice principal tag along. It turns out that the VP is one of Dad’s old colleagues… which means she’s ALSO Mom’s high school teacher. HA. Okay, that’s not weird or anything.

At the same time, Kyung-joon’s uncle comes back hoping that Mom will recognize him, and wonders if it’s because of his mustache that she can’t. He watches with his finger over his lip, but his face falls as he watches Mom and Dad fawn over each other like the happy couple that they are.

Uncle and the VP lock eyes and then recognize each other. Flashback to Scandal High, where High Schooler Mom was flirting with Teacher Dad, while jealous onlookers VP and Uncle had seen each other for the first time. With adults so immature, who needs kids?

Choong-shik tells his buddies at school that he was going to stay away, but since Mari was searching for him so desperately, he returned. They point out that he can’t seem to put his butt down on a seat like he got spanked.

But Choong-shik corrects them—he allowed himself to be beaten by Mom to make her feel better. Hahaha.

Kyung-joon finds Mari crouching in front of his gate. She’s adorable when she thinks he’s mad at her. She says she brought him his favorite ice cream, but her face falls when she realizes it’s all melted now.

He takes it anyway and tells her it’s not her fault. “And Mom… that wasn’t your fault either.” I love the round robin of everyone clearing up everyone else’s guilt. She promises not to force everything to get her own way anymore, and he just drums his fingers on her head like he used to. She smiles.

Da-ran sits with Little Kyung-joon in the hospital, thinking again about his proposal. And then she meets with Se-young again (WHY?) to declare that she doesn’t care anymore about their past. So then… why are you calling her out to coffee if YOU DON’T CARE??

Anyway, she says that she’s going to be an adult and become a tree that doesn’t waver, so he can lean on her. That sounds like she’s talking about Kyung-joon, not Yoon-jae.

Se-young counters that to test her unwavering tree-ness, she’ll have to blow some wind her way every so often. Wind, my ass. You’re more like the opossum that won’t get your tail off the damn tree.

Da-ran slams her fist down and challenges her to try, because she’s going to be like the tree in the national anthem and be strong like she’s chained to the ground. To that end, she goes back to search for the lost ring.

Kyung-joon finds her and lets her fish around for a while before presenting her with the ring that he already found. He holds it out, and she stares at it for a while first. She finally admits that she still has feelings for Yoon-jae.

Kyung-joon: “I know that the person Gil Da-ran is looking at right now isn’t Kang Kyung-joon. I’m not going to be a little kid anymore, and block someone’s heart from going to the person they like.”

She in turns says, “I’ll help you grow up well, by your side. Kang Kyung-joon, marry me. I’ll raise you well.” That’s actually cute—she’s proposing to raise him. She takes the ring with a smile and then pets him on the head. Adorable.

He goes over the terms with her, deciding that if he’s still in this body by age twenty (legal adulthood), then they’ll split up and go their separate ways. She gives herself a little pep talk that the ring is like the tree’s chains, and vows to stand firm.

She goes to put it on, but Kyung-joon stops her. He knows it won’t be like Yoon-jae putting it on her finger, but offers to do it in his stead. He promises once again not to be nice to her, just in case she forgets who he is and jumps his bones. So Dog Manners get reinstated, to her great dismay.

And then they argue over a little cheer, but I’ll tell ya right now—you two don’t get to hoi-hoi over this.

Mari returns to her Moon/Sun shaman to exchange her first talisman for a new one—this time one that will ensure that no matter how stuck together two people are, that they won’t end up liking each other.

The shaman sends Choong-shik to the other room again, but this time Mari protests that he’s not pure. Because of the porn? Pwahaha. He swears that it’s his dad’s, and goes to serve his part. Mari tells the shaman that this time the talisman has to work.

Se-young meets with Yoon-jae’s mother to tell her that she still wants to be in contact, even if Yoon-jae gets married. Well that’s just weird. Anyway, she notices the Miracle book on her stand and asks about it.

Mom tells her that it’s an unpublished book. Yoon-jae’s father drew it himself when Yoon-jae was still a child, and it’s about one child saving another… so that child can save someone else.

Wedding prep gets under way, and they’re seriously rushing this thing. With a day left, Mari tries on her bridesmaid’s dress… which looks like a bridal gown took a detour in a shrinking machine.

Choong-shik goes googly-eyed but has enough sense to tell her that wearing a dress like that isn’t really kosher at a wedding. Wouldn’t that steal the bride’s thunder? She says that’s the point, duh. This is going to be one fantastic wreck of a ceremony, isn’t it?

Da-ran and Kyung-joon go over last-minute things the day before the wedding, and Da-ran illustrates a point with a can of beer and a vitamin water. She says that the day he becomes an adult, she’ll crack open a can of beer for him herself.

He makes a move to open it now, but she stops him, saying that this is the line they cannot cross. She’s beer, and he’s soft drinks, and they are to abide by that rule.

He agrees to it—the day he becomes an adult, he drinks that beer, and they part coolly, like adults. They drink to it.

The wedding happens… offscreen? Hm. And Dad adds a wedding photo to his rock collection lineup. We catch up with the newlyweds (still trying to wrap my head around that fact) as they drive away from the wedding to the airport.

Da-ran is ecstatic about her honeymoon trip to China… which she’s going on alone. Ha. She’s using the time off as an excuse to go on a vacation. Kyung-joon is in a foul mood about it the whole way, and he drops her off, disappointed that she never once thought to ask him to come along.

But after she’s gone, he looks down and notices her ticket and passport, sitting there on the seat. That smile on his face is priceless. He just leans back and waits, and then pretends to be far away when she calls in a panic.

He says he’ll try to hurry… and then waits till the plane is in the air before sauntering into the airport with a huge grin. “Oh no… am I too late?” Pffft.

He takes her to eat Chinese food instead, suggesting she practice her Chinese with the cook in the kitchen, which is the worst consolation prize ever. She sighs that they should just go home, but he suggests that they go on a trip anyway – not a vacation, but a honeymoon. Her jaw drops.

Yoon-jae’s mom calls his father, disappointed in his lack of presence, though she seems quite used to it by now. He tells her that something important came up—he found out that “that child’s” mother was shot and killed.

She gasps and asks what happened to the child then, and Dad says he’s looking for him right now…

Kyung-joon and Da-ran walk through the airport discussing honeymoon destinations, and she says she wants to go to China, to see the long gil-da-ran Great Wall. He smiles, “Okay, we’ll get Gil Da-ran on the gil-da-ran Great Wall then.”

She wonders belatedly how he happens to have his suitcase and passport handy. Heh.

She admits that she wanted to ask him to come with her earlier, but thought it would be weird to be on a honeymoon with him. He totally raises his eyebrows knowingly, “Why?”

She gets flustered trying to explain that what people go on honeymoons for is… well… And he laughs at her. Sometimes I do wonder who the adult is in this relationship.

She makes an excuse to run off and get cash, and wonders aloud why her heart’s all aflutter at the thought that he’s coming with her. She slaps her face to get it together and not let it show in front of Kyung-joon.

He looks at all the possible destinations and grins like a fool in anticipation. But suddenly a strange feeling comes over him, and he falters.

We get a vision of Little Kyung-joon in the hospital. His body jolts…

Da-ran comes running up, “Kyung-joon-ah…”

I’m holding my breath…

He comes to, and says, “I think I just went to my own body and came back. Congratulations, Gil Teacher. It looks like Seo Yoon-jae is coming back.”

 
COMMENTS

And… I don’t even know if that’s a good thing anymore. I know it has to happen eventually, but the thought of a switch-back makes me nervous, and Da-ran seems damn near terrified of facing Yoon-jae now. As well she should, since she off and married his body while he was asleep. I still think actual marriage was a big ass mistake, since she could find other less permanent ways to protect Kyung-joon without marrying Yoon-jae’s shell. I… just don’t understand her. I’ve tried so hard to, but every time I think I get close to liking her, she throws me for a loop. I spent the whole episode thinking that the only person who made any sense was Mari. And she’s crazy. I don’t know what that says about me, but I swear, crazy girl was the only one talking any sense today.

If Da-ran had married Yoon-jae in the beginning and then Kyung-joon got swapped in, we could have had the marriage hijinks without Da-ran choosing to marry a teenager now. I know it’s not real—she’s not marrying Kyung-joon to marry him, but it’s still in no way the only solution that could have come out of the situation. I know they tried to make it a backed-into-a-corner thing with the parents, but that’s just stretching my story logic a bit too far. Body swap makes perfect sense, but this marriage does not.

That’s not to say that I don’t like the relationship, because everything about her choice to stick by Kyung-joon’s side and help him grow up is what I do really love about her. (Though in my estimation, it took us way too long to get there with the character.) I love that she’s choosing to be his tree, and that her intentions are (I think) finally in the right place. But the idea that they HAD to get married to preserve that makes me roll my eyes. Because that makes the kind of sense that doesn’t.

What I do like is that in the course of the episode, Da-ran goes from asking herself what Yoon-jae’s feelings are, to figuring out what HER feelings are. And then the conclusion isn’t actually about Yoon-jae at all, but about Kyung-joon and the fact that she wants to take responsibility for him, in the adult-to-child way. I’m with her when she decides to be his tree and not waver, so he can lean on her and grow up. That gets me in the heart. I just wish that they had come up with a method that didn’t involve a sham wedding. ‘Cause even a sham engagement is something I would’ve been onboard with, but sealing the deal?

I’m beginning to realize why I wasn’t invited to the Mistake Parade that was their wedding. Because at the “speak now or forever hold your peace” part, I would’ve been Head Nerd in a classroom, hand in the air going, “Oooh, ooh ooh ooh, pick me! Pick me! Me! Over here! Yoo-hoo! Ooh ooh! Me! Not wanting to hold my peace! Er, whatever that means!” *arm cramp*

 
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Thank you! I just finished watching it, too!

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After thinking about it, did YJ's father ever really say what his relationship was to KJ and his mom? Is YJ's father also KJ's father, or do they have a different relationship? I'm not sure how to interpret the whole "that child" thing.

As for the sham wedding and going through with it, how could GDR have protected KJ since YJ's mom was pushing him to marry SY? Could they have run away together? Either way I agree it's a bit of a mess because when the real YJ comes back GDR is going to have to explain to him why she married his body without him in it. One good thing out of the sham marriage is that she at least prepared herself for a breakup, granted it's with KJ in YJ's body. So if YJ comes back and he wants to get divorced then at least she's ready for that.

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well, if she fell for KJ first, she´d really want to divorce YJ if she married him.
unlike many others, I am not so hysterical about Mari. She is not THAT amazing.
the so called "robbery DID seem more like an assassination. perhaps KJ´s uncle had his eyes on the money and ordered it? but then he should havehad KJ killed as well.
I think, still, everyone is misinterpreting YJ and treating him based on assumptions. I think he is just introverted and doesnt let on what he is feeling.

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I seem to remember several dramas where, for dramatic convenience, people are killed in America (sometimes violence and sometimes vehicular manslaughter). In this case, my guess is that it is to create an orphan to propel the plot and not because of a conspiracy. Still, aunt and uncle are really creepy so maybe you are right.

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I agree about Ma Ri. Why is everyone so into her? As for the real YJ, whenever he comes back he's going to have to re-explain himself for all the things that KJ did/said while in his body!

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I hope you're right that it's an assassination; otherwise it's the worst filming of a "mugging" that I've ever seen. And if it is supposed to be a random crime act of violence, it's telling proof that I've heard blacks are feared in S.Korea to the point they would be depicted as shooting a woman for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. There was no attempt to grab her purse or anything. The black guy says "Hey you! " and opens fire. Although, since the only black people shown in our own USA media are criminals, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that's what we export to other countries as well.

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Couldnt she tell Yoon-Jane that he fell for her and proposed again? I mean, no one else knows about the body swap - YJ certainly doesn't know that she knows anyway - so ethics aside, I think the plot logic could still be saved. Thoughts?

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I agree with you that she can save face that way, but if he really doesn't want to be married to her (the mystery of the show) then won't she just have to go through the pain of rejection/divorce once he wakes up? Or even worse, stuck in a marriage with a man who doesn't love her...

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or she can pretend that she thought KJae is YJ afterall..
so she accepted the proposal and marry him..

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Ohhhh Let it rain. Lol going to start watching from eps 8.
Thank you GF :).

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Agh... so confused now who to root for.

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totally agree

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Am rooting for they all become a big hybrid family with no romantic entanglements as the whole thing is messy for everyone involved.

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I'm so with you on the big happy platonic family thing. I was thinking the same thing about Fashion King... let's get off the confusing merry go round already. This will never be healthy!!!

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whoa. the frig? why'd they go there? glad to see she wants to be his tree, but what the heck is up with the wedding? i guess??

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thanks for the recaps!

waaahh!!!

I am still rooting for KJAE!!!

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Gosh, this is the first Hong Sister drama I dislike (not that I was that in love with My Girl). It's like A Gentleman's Dignity; it started so well, but the plot just stopped after episode 2.

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I agree with you...i find this plot totally unconvincing...something 'Big' is lacking...

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Ack same here. Well, I mean I like it, but I don't love it. And I don't love the main characters, particularly Gil Dan. I just can't understand the characters, or the plot (i.e. the ring being so significant or the wedding that happened offscreen)..

Before, I thought that I liked a lot of aspects of it, but that the sum were just less than the parts. It was missing something that would usually elevate a Hong sisters drama to crack-level. But now, I think I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I'm not really that fond of this drama. The things that keep me going are curiosity and Gong Yoo.

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agree completely. sad day. i genuinely dislike a hong sisters' drama! curiosity really is the reason i'm around.

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Gil Da-ran*

sum was*

lol I shouldn't have written this while I was sleepy..

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"The things that keep me going are curiosity and Gong Yoo."

This. I'm reading the recaps out of curiousity but watching the actual episodes just to look at gong yoo. It's just not reeling me in at all...

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Couldn't agree more!! Ahh..

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Same here.I stopped watching and I'm reading recaps.I'll be back if anything gets interesting.I'd rather watch Dr Jim.its a straightforward boring drama but at least its straightforward.

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I jumped ship awhile back on Big and have just been reading the recaps. But...my twin sister assures me that Big is adorable and I plan on coming back.

As for A Gentleman's Dignity, logically I know that there is much lacking, but I am deeply distracted by all the eye candy.

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of the Hong sisters dramas av watched gotta say 'My Girl' and 'MGIAG' have to be the ones i yawned my way through, actually i didnt even bother going past 10 mins of Gumiho, bored to tears. am watching Big more out of curiosity now for the different 'mysteries' but not so much cuz am hooked on it. and Mari, anybody else think this drama cud totally function without her? i mean the bitchy doc love triangle is pretty good enough for me i don't see what she's contributing plotwise (and no Suzy fans, i wouldnt have liked Mari even if she was my most fav actress!)

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Totally with you on Mari.

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Yes, i'm with you girl. i don't know why am i reading the recaps because they dissapoint me so much. It's sad that the hong sisters got it wrong this time, sadly everybody has a bump on the road.

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things are getting exciting! but like i said i don't want it to end yet *sigh*

but thanks for the recap! will watch the 2 eps later ehehhehe

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The part with Mari, Choong-shik and his mom was soooo funny!!!! couldn't stop laughing. I love that there is focus on the other characters as much as there is on the main ones!!!

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LOL i love that parts too. CS is so adorable. What a perfect timing for mom to interrupt..lol I really really like CS. I hope Mari will open her eyes and see him the one who truly loves her just the way she is.

My other favorites part the search for missing CS.Omg..when the CSI music come out, i couldn't stop laughing.So epic!

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Ahhh Choong-shik, my favorite character. HAHA he's so hilarious. And I love how accepting his mom was about his stash. Their entire family (including side characters like Mari) is so adorbs ^_^<3

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I was pretty shocked that Gil Da Ran went through with the real wedding. And then the possible switch anytime soon?

Hong Sisters, what do you have in store for us?

Monday, please come soon.

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I'm really not sure if they'd make the body re-switch so quickly. I mean, if it works out that Yoon-jae is the second half of the OTP, then by all means swap souls since Gong Yoo still gets lead billing. But at this point, it seems like Kyung-joon's hero status is pretty much set, so I can't really see Gong Yoo relegated to third wheel. I mean, why pay the salary if he's not the main event?

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Great point! I'm sure that the focus will shift YJ's secrets (providing full employment to GY) but then I will really, really miss spending so much time with KJ (a totally lovable character).

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Ladies, I love how we're all concerned about how much bearing the overall plot of the show has on Gong Yoo's personal finances. Cuties, all of you.

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!spjork
Hehe, I think most people are just thinking logically here, although some may be concerned about how much money GY is raking in :P

It's just that the way the drama is advertised is with GY in the spotlight, so we just all assume that he will end up with the main girl. He's such a big name, and in all the interviews, it's always Gong Yoo with LMJ and Suzy.
But the way the drama is developed, it seems like there is too much time spent on the romantic/more-than-friends relationship between "KJ" and DR for KJ not to end up with the main girl. We only get flashbacks of the charming yet boring Dr. Seo.

At least that's the way I'm looking at it. So my conclusion is that somehow, it's going to be Gong Yoo as KJ with DR.

(Why do I feel like I'm playing Clue? "It's Ms. White in the Kitchen with the Candlestick," haha.)

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Haha! Looking at this post and the replies to it says just how good an actor GY is because he's managed to make everyone forget whether he's Dr. Seo or the young boy. ..it's still him! Even if the switch happens at this point, even if DaRan chooses the young boy (in his own body) at the end, GY has had (and probably will have) plenty of screen time.

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So many things to ponder! What I like about BIG is that I can't really fathom which direction the show will take. Just when you think you have an inkling of an idea, it throws you for a loop. There have been many complaints about Da-ran as a character and I completely agree that she's acting pretty juvenile and not very realistic. But I'm hanging in there, simply because I love Lee Min-jung and Gong Yoo.

There was a small moment in the episode while Yoon-jae's dad was talking to his wife and the camera zoomed in on a photo of him, Kyung-joon, and Kyung-joon's mom. Urgh, is it as I feared? Are Kyung-joon and Yoon-jae related? Is the ending going to be Yoon-jae and Da-ran being married and then Kyung-joon joining their little "family?" That's a bit squicky, especially considering that hearts are a flutter on all sides of the triangle right now.....if Da-ran left Yoon-jae for his stepbrother, I can't see that being kosher. At all.

Also, does Kyung-joon's uncle really just want Kyung-joon's money? There was a scene in a recent episode where he mentioned something about wishing he had funds to set up a restaurant so that he could take care of Kyung-joon forever. I don't think he was saying that with false sincerity; it's almost like his wife is the only one really finding Kyung-joon annoying. And yet his uncle is the one who put the house up for sale and just dumped Kyung-joon's things outside. Does he care, or does he not?

As for Da-ran and Kyung-joon, I really was shipping them together, but I doubt that's how it will end. After all, Yoon-jae is bound to come back into his body. I don't agree with Da-ran marrying Yoon-jae while his soul isn't there. How's she going to explain to him, when he's in his proper body, "Oh hey, I figured we were going to marry anyway so even though you didn't get to participate, surprise, we're married!" If I was Yoon-jae, I would feel immensely betrayed that she couldn't wait. It's like, "Oh, so you just decided to parade around with my body?" Once again, squicky and not a mature decision to make.

I pondered a little as to how Da-ran and Kyung-joon would work out, ignoring recent developments, and even then it's a bit strange. I'm loving Kyung-joon as a character, but on screen, I'm seeing Yoon-jae. When Kyung-joon returns to his 19 year old body, will it be the same? Or will I feel a disconnect because I've been watching Gong Yoo and not Shin romancing Lee Min-jung.

Ooh, let's not forget that he has a large inheritance. He can provide for Da-ran so it's not like she'd be the sole breadwinner until he grew up and learned how to make a buck. Pretty convenient, eh?

Sorry about the rant (I'm normally a silent reader/hoverer!) but I just had to get this out. :)

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Your thoughts are spot on about the marriage.

Never been in a coma but I'm sure I would like waking up from it with the same marital status I had when I fell into said coma.

It irks me tremendously.

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LOL You summed up what I thought in a much more humorous way. Thank you for making me laugh. I'm feeling so frustrated right now about the marriage! Not to mention that it's really hard to accept the fact that they're newlyweds when the wedding happened offscreen.

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No no, I'm glad you commented. You totally nailed everything I was thinking about!

As for the marriage, it was a terrible thing to do imo. I was imagining the same conversations as you. It's hard enough to adjust to coming back from a coma while you were in another body, but I can't even imagine learning that you were also married in this time period. Uhhh I would never want to be "married" off when I had no say, regardless of whether the person was my fiance or not!

As for Da Ran- Kyung-joon.. I had been shipping them until this episode. I thought last episode was an indication that she was getting over Yunjae because she lost the ring and her declaration to Seyoung seemed to be directed at Kyung-joon. I wasn't sure how that would work out, but now I'm thinking that this couple is not going to happen, especially since Da Ran said that she thinks she still liked Yunjae.

In response to your other question, I was wondering about that as well. When I was imagining Kyung-joon coming back and still being with Da Ran.. I cringed because I can't imagine it. There's the fact that Gong Yoo is charming and looks mature, but it also has to do with us only being attached to him as the male lead. We only saw Yunjae's exterior (even if Kyung-joon is inside of him) for the past seven episodes. It would be terribly hard to adjust, and this episode just confirmed it for me. When I saw that flashback with Mari and Kyung-joon at the restaurant in NY, the effect was incredibly jarring. It was odd to see Kyung-joon acting in his own body, and I felt this disconnect because I was seeing a different exterior. I feel bad for Kyung-joon, but it's incredibly difficult to accept and wrap my head around it. It's also why I wished that Kyung-joon could have been around us for more episodes before the body swap. (Then we could have seen more of his personality, too!)

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This show kind of reminds me of 17 Again.
There is just something disappointing about watching a character for a large portion of a show, getting attached to their acting, and then seeing the swap back.

In 17 Again, you watch approximately two hours of Zac Efron being the main character, but in the last minute you see Matthew Perry come back and snag the girl. Even though it's the same "person," just an older version, I felt sort of let down about it.

I hope the same doesn't happen here.

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But I still think that a switch has to happen. If KJ and DR are our OTP. I mean if not, KJ (and me!) will never be sure if DR really loves him or just his outer shell. And the same goes for DR. She won't be able to tell wether she loves the real KJ or his outside. This drama is about how we should love the inner of a person...That's why I want to see DR and young KJ together. That would prove (at least for me) that she really loves KJ and does not care what other people might say about them.

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i'm really rooting for mari & kyung joon xP

anyone else?

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I am actually rooting for Choong-shik and mari cuz they have really cute chemistry. And as a girl, I think its better to have someone who always stand by and care for me than having myself to stalk and go all crazy on a person.

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yes! they are adorable together!

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I like their flash back.They seems adorable and Kyungjoon doesn't seem to hate her that much judging how he spent time with her and caressing her hair while she's sleeping. But the current Kyungjoon dislike her so i don't think he will like her again. I do enjoy their cute bickering chemistry.

Right now i like her with Choongsik. I wish Choongsik step up his game a bit because Mari won't noticed him if he continue acting like a lovesick puppy (which is adorable i must say). But Mari didn't think so.

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The current Kyungjoon doesn't dislike her at all though. He likes her, and she's one of the few people who even care about him (which he recognizes as well). The problem before was that he also associated her with his mother's death. I'm sure that made it difficult for him, but now that he's maturing, he realizes that it was wrong to blame her. The Mari-Kyungjoon couple could still end up happening, but I doubt it. Kyungjoon seems to care for her in a friend or little sister kind of way, whereas Mari likes him partly out of guilt. Not a good foundation for a potential relationship haha.

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There are a lot of kdramas where patting a girl on the head and arguing with her evolves into romance.

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meeee!!!!!! mari n kyung joon. the story will interesting. maybe mari is kyung joon's first love????

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At the end, I half-expected Gong Yoo to say "Da Ran sshi?" which would've led to our instant realization that they switched back. I didn't realize how much I missed Shin until we got the flashbacks today. I'm itching for the switch to happen...

The Bunny and Teddy Bear scene made me giddy. That trio is adorable, especially Kyung Joon's "We're playing the whoever-holds-this-bear-doesn't-talk game."

Thanks for the recap, girlfriday!

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I was waiting for the "Gil Da Ran-sshi?" too. I mean, I would have loved to hear Da Ran explain:

"Ah, you're back. Feeling ok? That's good. Nothing much happened - I just married your body while you were away..."

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Or maybe the conversation would go something like...

GY: "Gil Da Ran-sshi? Woah, what just happened?"
DR: "Yay, you're back from your coma and body switching!"
GY: "Wait, wha? Why am I in an airport?"
DR: "Because we're going on a honeymoon, silly."
GY: o______o

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Don't know where this thought popped out from, but what if Kyung-Joon is actually Yoon-Jae's uncle? The tone of Professor Dad's voice on the phone definitely seemed to indicate a strong dislike for "that kid." What if it's the kind of dislike that comes from a very old man who already has a grandson (Yoon-Jae) starting a new family and having a young son, only to pass away and leave all of his inheritance to the new wife and kid?

Then again, I need to stop overthinking this drama and get some work done!

Thanks for the recap, GF!

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Okay, nevermind what I wrote. I just remembered that in the early episodes, the uncle wondered if KKJ had gone to meet his dad. Also, KKJ's last name would be Seo, not Kang, if he'd been the product of SYJ's grandfather's second marriage.

Why am I trying to make sense of a plot that so far has not made sense?

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Kyung Joon probably has his mother's last name. It's common practice in Korea for the child to be placed on his mother's family register if the parents are not married.

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after this episode, I am confused... so the doctor actually does like GDR. I thought kyung joon is going to pair with GDR, but I feel like he is just gonna be the helper now. At some point i feet that GDR see him as Kyung joon and enjoy spending time with him, but also she is still having a crush on the shell, and thinking about how life would be with the doctor. I really never expect so much twist, that make me think back and forth.

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I'm looking forward for some future episodes.. I really like this drama.. I'm curious on how they will switch back.. and how will GDR feel?....

Well, thanks for the recap.. and I really get excited to watch this drama.. =p

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Funny how marrying students runs in Da-ran's family ;P

Also... [SPOILER?] Seems like they're brothers, but is there something there that I'm missing?

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The brothers idea isn't a spoiler since the drama has been teasing us since the beginning with that thought. It would be disappointing at this point if they did turn out to be brothers because it would be too obvious.

I love your point about marrying students runs in the family. It makes me think that at some point in the future, DR and KJ will get back together (with KJ in his own body).

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I didn't like this episode. While the possibly switch-back or whatever that occurs at the end is an interesting plot twist and DaRan's comforting of KyungJoon was somewhat touching, I just didn't connect with much else. i.e. The way the flashback (to KyungJoon's Mom's death) was played out seemed too simple. The flashback was a gunshot from afar which is totally odd because 1.) I thought YoonJae's father said that "that child['s]" mother died in a robbery [to me robbers usually demand the goods before considering shooting] and 2.) shooting from afar seems more characteristic of an assassination plot than a street shooting

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Who do you think would arrange for the assassination? Mari? She seems non-threatening but she has a dark side (breaking windows, wearing a wedding dress to someone else's wedding, etc)

Or maybe Young Jae's mum, getting rid of competition

Or Kyung Joon's uncle and aunt who seem to only want money

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Mari wouldn't arrange for the assassination. That would be a bit too extreme even for her.

But I agree with JenJen, the whole flashback scene wasn't very compelling. For a robbery it doesn't make sense, only as an assassination. Because why would random robber shoot the mother but KJ whose right there as well?

There are probably other things we don't know, but I'm really not seeing who could have wanted the mother assassinated. Of the people that are there, no one is compelling enough and if someone else will appear later, it's just all going to get overly dramatically tangled.

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Don't you think that the murder in an LA alley was just a lazy way for the writers to get rid of mom?

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That's the problem! There is quite a bit of lazy writing in this drama, certainly in this episode!

But unless the writers are absolute newbies (they are not!), they should have something better up their sleeves...

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I agree. Things like that were bothering me. But then again, I thought the pacing for this entire episode seemed rather rushed, which could explain the flashback seeming too simple.

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being*

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Was I the only one insulted by that whole scene? I'd like to know in what city that black robbers shoot folks without assessing the situation. Okay, Hong Sisters, I was offended!

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There was a white man there too... the other robber was white. He just didn't do the shooting bit.

But I think it was a hired hit and designed to look that way.

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I think the 'first child' is YoonJae, who saves the 'other child' KyungJoon by letting The dying KJ borrow his body for some time to save 'another child' who I think is Gil Da Ran. That means KyungJoon is bound to die after he is finished saving Gil Da Ran.

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Death? D:
I don't think so... that would turn this story very sad, in my opinion. I think it's supposed to be a cute summer kdrama with some thought provoking issues about age.

As viewers, we just spent half of the whole drama watching Kyung Joon's soul interacting with everyone. I don't think the writers would just go and off him like that. T__T

At least I hope.

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You get half the Korean watchers watching makjang and the other watching romantic comedy and then a few in between.

I agree, it won't go down that way. This isn't a makjang drama. It's too funny.

The original Big also had no characters dying...

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But what about Hong Sisters' Gumiho? That got a bit angsty towards the end with Miho losing her tails and her inevitable doom. I get the feeling we might be heading for something of that tone.

How could the OTP be Yoonjae and Daran?! We don't know anything about YJ!!

Also, am I the only one who's somewhat suspicious that KJ might actually be stuck in YJ's body forever?

If not, forget explaining to YJ about marrying his body while he was comatose and then wanting a divorce, I'm more interested in how Daran is going to explain that to her family.... "Well, I'm divorcing my successful, good looking, doctor husband so that I can be with his step-brother who just happens to be my student and Choong-shik's classmate....uhm..."

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Still ended up happy. It was in the original set up. The only Hong sisters drama that side swiped you was Hong Gil Dong, but if you pause and think about it for a while, and the warnings from the Hong Sisters WELL in advance, you see it was in the set up too.

The original Tom Hanks movie--despite what seems scattered right now for this drama, they are following the structure fairly closely. It's just the ending that's in question because the original movie ended up with the kid and the adult separating never to see each other again. (Also some awkward lines about seeing her.)

I have a relatively good story memory.

So far the set up, and the small wish by KJ shows up in Episode 1. This corresponds with the wish of the kid in the Big movie.

Then the whole "growing up fast" and leaving bit corresponds to the kid in the movie blowing off his childhood friend and becoming an adult.

The whole marriage thing, I think, is supposed to be a clean rating version of the sex scene in Big. (Though people are griping over it, the reasons for the marriage were pretty well set up, but was played under the radar--Hong Sisters don't do silver platters for everything, despite their often the over the top writing.)

The fortune teller (Technically a mudang), is a double allusion--one to Moon Embracing the Sun, and also to the fortune teller in the movie. (Which was a game slot machine)

The mother dying in this is kind of a reference to the mother in the original movie, who thought her son was dead. My memory is a bit vague on this one, though.

(Mari also is a reference to a character in the film, though the original wasn't so manic)

Inheritance refers to the TON of money he made in the Big movie as a top exec in the Toy company.

So the correlation is following. The question mark is at the ending--in effect in the original movie the "adult" version of him dies and the OTP separates permanently. However, the Hong sisters like to twist you with endings. (Chun Hyang (based on the tale), Gumiho, Hong Gil Dong and Fantasy Couple[Based on overboard]) They almost always rewrite the endings to the things they adapt (which always leaves people to lament to the end.)

I'm pretty sure due to the set up that the ending will be emotional, unpredictable, but not tragic. Hong Sisters just will make you think that way to the end, especially in the last third of the drama--but all K-dramas pull that kind of thing.

Probably or maybe might help to watch the original movie. I can see the Hong Sisters trying to hit the beats in that movie fairly closely.

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Oh and I wish they'd make a light reference to Chopsticks from the movie... but that's just me liking that scene from the movie.

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I swear that in the original movie that the kid's mother contracts cancer??? It's the thing that gets him to finally go home. But I don't remember clearly that part. (Also his mother is divorced in the original which is why KJ's mother is single.)

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This is where I get all mean and heavy and Cassandra.

YJ is dead. He died. We saw it.
He is NOT out there in KJ's coma body, ready to come back. At the end of the this ep, when KJ says he returned to KJ's body, where was YJ?

Now, I will ask a Korean language question.
It seems that the polite terminology for dying, similar to "passing on" in English is the same word for return.
So when the characters keep talking about when YJ returns, I hear when YJ passes on.

When [the thing happens that supposed to happen] happens and the universe is happy with the results of the body swapping experiment, KJ steps out of YJ's body back to his own. YJ dies again. Everyone cries.
We will find out that YJ and KJ are brothers, and 6/24 is an important date because it is when YJ was born again because of some sort of transplant little KJ provided.

But YJ was already saved by KJ so his life so far was a gift from him. He owed him this body time.

I stand behind the idea that YJ cannot come back. The wedding sealed the deal as far as I am concerned.

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It's an interesting angle, but what about all the mystery that has been set up surrounding Yoon Jae, all the questions that only Yoon Jae will be able to answer? It would feel like a wasted opportunity if Yoon Jae doesn't come back, as least briefly.

I wouldn't rule out death entirely, maybe just not yet.

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I thought I was the only one! I've been convinced the YJ is dead since KJ's body has stayed in a coma the whole time.

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Also, I have arbitrarily decided that YJ was gay.

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That's really cool, Jomo, but I want you to know that if YJ doesn't come back as YJ in his own body ALIVE, sweaty and in need of an immediate shower, I'm getting behind my 18-wheeler and gunning for YOU.

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Maybe they aren't brothers, but KJ donated some organ to YJ--that would be an interesting twist and explain the second picture.

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OK YY, I'll give you one sweaty and subsequently showering Gong Yu, and raise you one slow mo towel-off...
It is the least I can du.

Ha! You can't find my house on google earth any more anyway...and except for this direct line into DB, I cannot be traced. I had Daniel Choi dressed as So Ji Sub help me.

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Ooh, I agree here. YJ's body was in the freakin MORGUE before KJ's soul flew in there. KJ shouldn't come back and unravel the mysteries for GDR. She should learn to make up her own mind and learn that you can never *truly* know the mind of another person.

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I'm wondering if YJ was the child that was saved (by KJ's father?) so he could save another child, who is KJ? And that is why YJ's parents are so concerned about KJ because his father sacrificed himself for YJ?

Aahhh mindboggles....

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oh, no, please don't go all 49 Days on us

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Noooo! That would be awful. I would never forgive the Hong Sisters.

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Yay, thank you for bringing up this plot point! The whole swap centers around KKJ saving another child... but there are so many possibilities about who's getting saved and how.

- If it's GDR, how come the switch needed to happen for her to be saved? Couldn't SYJ have saved her? He sorta did before, by nursing her back to health. He's a doctor!

- If SYJ had to go into a coma to save KKJ, does KKJ have to go into a coma to save the mysterious "other child"?

- If the souls are about to switch back, then shouldn't that mean that KKJ's other-child-saving mission is almost accomplished?? Sorry, but I didn't se any child-saving - just a lot of flirty flirty at the airport...

- If the "other child" is GDR and "saving" her means swaying her heart from SYJ, isn't it kind of weird that YJ technically, like, gave up his life so that his naive little fiance wouldn't be stuck with him?

Arg! I hope this makes sense at some point, 'cuz if it doesn't... *shakes fist at sky*

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I'd like to think part of the reason why she chose to go through with the wedding is because Kyung-joon is making her falter, and she's confusing these feelings as still liking Yoon-jae (referring to the part where she says "I think I still like Yoon-jae"). Maybe? Maybeeez ...

I think going through with the actual wedding is taking it a bit far (in terms of realistic-ness), but I'm going to roll with it. Too addicted to Big to let it get to me XD

Thanks for the recap!

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I wish they took an extra 5 seconds for Kyung-joon's Mom's murderer to at least act like he was going to rob her. A "stick 'em up" line would have sufficed. The guy basically just said, "Hey you," and then shot her. Were we to infer that he had a reason other than homicidal tendencies? I know the U.S. has gun control issues, but it's not crazy town 24/7 random shoot ups for the thrill of it.

Other than that, I also have trouble liking Daran. She's a little stupid, fairly childish, and plagued with poor judgment. Although I do love Lee Min Jung, at least in theory.

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"Hey you" - that's one poorly written line/scene for such an important traumatic event in this storyline.

I also like LMJ, usually, who is charismatic, talented and has a lovely 1950's pin-up figure.

But Daran drives me bonkers - I'm convinced she gets lost every morning trying to find her way out of her own bed.

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Seriously!! And what's with the random sidekick? Was he just there for kicks? A midnight stroll? And it really bugs me that they clearly went out of their way to find a black foreigner in Seoul to play the murderer. As if the only people in LA to rob/shoot people are black. It just bugs the crap out of me that in K-Dramas the only time I see black foreigners are when they're trying to rob or kill a character. (Except for Manny but that's hardly a trendsetter) Although most of the time when there are foreigners in a K-Drama it's not for a very nice role (see TK2H).

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Seriously. And if they're going to shoot in cold blood, why not kill the kid while they're at it? It would have made more sense if only the mom had been killed in the altercation if the scene showed them actually robbing her.

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Ah you guys are making me laugh over this.

Some of the subs also refer to her murder as an accident.
There were these thugs who shot her accidentally with no motive, and who kindly alerted her with a cheery "Hey YOU!" Didn't take any money. And after they shot her, just stood there.

We Americans are not only very violent, but pretty much the stupidest people out there.

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Man, that scene drove me nuts. It was supposed to be a sad reveal, and all I could about was how ridiculous it was. Also, Kyung Joon has just witnessed the whole thing and seen their faces, but they make no effort to get rid of him? I don't know why I expect logic though...

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Sometimes I just pray that kdrama crews could at the very least find some random English-speaking person if they want to include English scenarios.

While catchphrases such as "Uh oh!" and "Stupid." are funny (and slightly ridiculous), just by adding one person for English scenes would make them much more realistic and bearable. Especially the "robbing" scene.

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" who kindly alerted her with a cheery “Hey YOU!” Didn’t take any money. And after they shot her, just stood there."

I don't know why but this is making me laugh so much rn..

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Contrary to girlfriday, I actually enjoy episode 8 and fall in love with Big. Maybe I don't see Big as a drama centered on romance but about growing up, I sort of neglect all the crazy setups. Admittedly, I don't know why Hong sisters have to toy around the plotline of marriage since Big starts out as an examination on how Da-ran has fallen into the idea of marriage instead of really knowing the partner she was about to marry.

It's kind of strange that once I don't really care about the question whether Daran still have feeling towards YJ or she starts to fall for YJ, everything in Big starts to make a little more sense. Love has so many different definitions. What I am concerned about is the journey that all these characters take us. I don't care about the end result and the pairing. What matters is that Big is really like a miracle that these characters learn to care and "save" each other. YJ saved KJ in the water, and KJ saved a wounded DR. And in this episode, DR became an angel to KJ, and in turn, KJ to Mari.

Yes. Marriage is stupid but if they learn something from the process, it's not necessarily a bad plot setup.

I know people either love or hate Big. But this is the first time in a long time I am that invested in Hong Sisters' drama. I am enjoying the ride so far. It's an uneven experiment but I will be open to see miracles, including disappointing ones.

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The only thing I'm sure about with this drama is that I'm not sure about anything. But I'm along for the ride because I would watch Gong Yoo wash windows for 20 hours if it was televised. The end.

And actually the episodes and characters are very entertaining. I just don't have any idea where the story is going.

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I am with you.
Love this show, am grinning like a crazy person with every sigh and smile from GY the magnificent.

Sometimes I scroll through some [of the hundreds] of the screen caps I have for this show...then start all over again.

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Hahaha, I'm with you on watching GY wash windows. Is it sad that I think it'd actually be pretty funny? XD

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I'm of the opinion that pretty much anything he does is entertaining. He's just adorable.

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It would be beautiful and amazing...Gong yoo washing windows shirtless for 20 hours on a hot summer day...laughing and having a great time....like in this video:

http://youtu.be/4mX8raD7SRc

He has such an awesome personality and is also so respectful and smart, that's what takes him to husband status for me.

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Aww, that's so cute....just picturing all these women glued to their tv, face in palm, sighing as they watch Gong Yoo wash windows, water the plants, whatever for 20, 30 hrs... :)

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Am glad I am not alone! Wash windows, clip toenails, anything la

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What a mess, but I cannot wait to see the fun and close development on the "honeymoon"!
Thank you girlfriday for the recap!

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This episode has kind of ruined the series for me. I'm still going to watch it just to see how things resolve because I really liked the episodes before but the execution of the sham marriage and the episode as a whole just seemed jumbled.

And did anyone else think the "Hey you!"/gun shot robbery scene was laughable? It didn't even look like a robbery lol

I also don't know what to make of the scene with Yoon Jae's parents...I really hope they're not brothers because that would be lame and cliche. I'm hoping for something more interesting.

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Brw thanks for the recaps! This is my first time commenting because I've never really finished an episode so unsatisfied, lol. But after every episode of a drama i watch, i go on here to read your awesome recaps!

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Perhaps KJ's father died to save YJ when he was little kid? Maybe that's why YJ was planning to go to the states, to look for KJ because he owes his life to KJ's family. But then KJ's uncle was talking like the dad was still alive, just not part of the family.

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KJ's father is alive. He talked about him in the earlier episodes.

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I think the storyline needs to speed up more. I don't like Daran at all because she's more like a child than Kyung Jae. In just this episode, she forgot her passport and airplane ticket and Kyung Jae had to bring them to her. She lost the ring and Kyung Jae also found it for her. She was the one who sprayed water at Kyung Jae first and ended up wet contents of her purse.
Mari is more interesting with her craziness. She looked so beautiful in the white dress.
Choong-shik's Engrish is just so funny and his love for Mari is so cute. At the end, he and his two friends were forced by Mari to sing 2AM's song "Even if i die i can't let you go" I laughed like crazy.

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omggg hahaha i was like what.. what are they singing?.. why does it sound so familiar? lol granted i watched it without subs so i was more lost haha but it was soo funny.

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I love Mari and the trio. What a perfect song choice..lol

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My parents, my aunt, my cousins, and many adults I know forget to take the keys to the car when going to the car. You know, respectable functioning adults. And then can't find them. And then say, "There they are".

Losing things and forgetting about them isn't a mark of adulthood. =P Unless you are calling grandparents also childish.

Daran took responsibility for losing her passport/ticket by saying it was her fault. I also think it's OK to remember what it's like to be a kid once in a while. Kyung Joon reminded her of some of those things within the episode.

Daran is a bit flaky around the edges... but I still think she works hard and takes responsibility. She's just incredibly naive.

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It's interesting that koala held completely different opinions for DR and Mari from girlfriday and people here.
http://koalasplayground.com/2012/06/26/big-episode-8-recap/

Personally, I have no problem with Da-ran. I guess my narrative center is on KJ and whatever works for KJ, I am fine. HA

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^Agreed. I honestly have no problem with Da-ran. I think that yes, she is incredibly naive but, in my opinion, not annoyingly so. Like many people have said on this thread already, Gil Da Ran is a child or a woman with a young undeveloped sense of thinking that saw the world simply in black and white and only took things at the surface level. She was a woman who wanted to marry a shell and live a happy life with rainbows and sunshine. But now, she's starting to do a little bit of growing up, thinking and evaluating her own feelings and intentions, her actions and the consequences it has on others (of course she needs a little bit of a push from KKJ or even Se-young). But either way, she's a heroine you want to root for to grow up with a good sense on her shoulders. You want her to be able to take care of herself and the people around her, whether it be KKJ or SYJ.

And as for the wedding. I know many people are feeling like they've been hit by car or smacked with a frying pan- and I know this drama has dug itself a giant hole that I'm totally looking forward to seeing how the writers handle this debacle- but this wedding I feel had to up the stakes and move the plot along a little faster. For if KKJ and GDR chose to get reengaged where would have that put all of us? Back at square one? To where KKJ and GDR are dealing with body swap, their crazy relatives and stalkers, and dealing with planning a wedding again? Been there, done that, refer to previous episodes.

So I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes and I'm trying not to get too invested with the coupling pairing. I think once you start looking at this show with a perspective of seeing how the characters grow up or become "Big" then it becomes less stressful I feel.

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I am wondering why everyone is so harsh on Da-ran while nobody questions KJ's motives?? I know we all are Gong Yoo's fans. But I wonder why everyone blames Da-ran since it is KJ who makes this proposal first? And KJ made it an either/or choice. Either you get married with me or we will never see each other again. What kind of love confession is that?! It's a threat not a confession.

Yes. He is still a little child so you cannot reason with him. So everyone can accept a childish male lead but a childish female lead should be penalized??? ! ! Dokko Jin from Greatest Love is unbelievable childish at age 40 and few people have problems with him. I wonder whether Kdrama fandom needs to reinforce an already male-biased tendency in Kdramas.

Yes. Gil Da-ran is a noble idiot that gets into a scam marriage for the sake of shielding KJ from YJ's mom. But what choice is she left with? Her heart tells her to go to KJ but KJ only gives her the only option, which is a scam marriage. Therefore, she needs to use YJ as an excuse to rationalize her attachment and decision to go to KJ. That's why before Da-ran proposed to KJ, she mutters to herself she does still have residual feeling towards YJ. In a way, KJ's (mis)interpretation of DR's emotional state do not help (the audience or DR) either. Because he is also misguiding DR by saying that all she does (by getting married) is returning to the state before the soul-swapping, but it IS not true.

Think about it. The stake is too high. Everyone is concerned about KJ's emotional well-being but how about DR's? I mean, we all know KJ is suffering and he wants to gain a chance with DR by making the proposal. But put yourself in DR's shoes. Would you stay in KJ's side? NO WAY. There is no chance they can make it to 16 episodes if they don't portray DR as a self-sacrificing character. lol. At the same time, KJ is also digging his own grave since he has the appearance of YJ and he is incapable of seeing DR's affection towards him.

DR chooses to commit herself to KJ, but at the end, she is the most screwed either way. She either ends up marrying someone she doesn't love (YJ) or she has to divorce YJ to marry her former student? I would prefer to stay in a state of comatose than facing the social ostracization.

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finally! someone who thinks the same. also i cant understand, why the hue and cry NOW? this marriage thing was brought up before and nobody balked at it and most even thought it was romantic and sweet when kj wanted to marry da ran coz he liked her - at that time, rightly she rejected it

now, i dont see that they have much of a choice.. she does this to protect kj. nobody knows (until the end of epi 8 anyeay) that yj was ever gonna come back and if he did, what would he remember and know. its a solution to the present situation - they cant possibly keep worrying about a future that they dont even know will happen - ie a reswap

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obachan

actually in the6th (?) episode, he mentioned that due to their past as perceived by others, there was no way that they could be in each other's life, supporting or caring for the other without this drastic measure of marriage. it was either they do that or they would have to not see each other again. and i think that makes sense

then, with added pressure from her father, i really dont think of the marriage as being so unexpected.

anyway, am excited to see what happens next :)

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I thought the marriage bit was quite well set up from episode one and you kinda feel for YJ (and I do mean YJ) after you meet his MOOOOMMM~~~ Was she ever the third wheel or what?

Those who felt like they got sacked--I don't understand that at all. You have traces waaaayyy back.

1. The rushed wedding date from YJ and DR.
You originally think that DR was the one that rushed the wedding, but if you put the mother's disapproval, plus the fast engagement, plus YJ watching her from afar during the wedding, plus crazy key lady, I think it was YJ that rushed the wedding forward. But then he paused, which is what confused DR. DR is too naive to have pushed up the date that fast.

2. YJ has unfinished business from crazy key lady.
If crazy key lady has been acting that crazy from waaaayyy back claiming he is hers and so on, then YJ would want to shut her up and push forward the wedding. KJ feels the same threat. DR also tries to rescue him. (Two scenes before the wedding in this episode)

3. His mom is nuts!
His mom, according to some throw away lines from KJ is pushing on ladies every single week--sometimes two or more. His motivation is that he wants to shut her up. It's a kid motivation, but still.

4. If DR caved before in concern to YJ, then why not for KJ?
She's naive, she really doesn't stand up for herself (commenters here said she's spineless) and she tends to border on codependent much? She's been showing that she tends to concern herself with others over herself.

5. KJ asked DR repeatedly to "protect him." and DR repeatedly agreed to protect him. She also kind of wants to save KJ from buckling, which he's been threatening to do. YJ would be madder, in DR's mind if KJ married him to some girl he didn't know. It's not all about the purity to DR. Also her feelings for YJ are unresolved...

6. KJ has been threatening her from the get go since he returned. A little threat here, a little threat there, and DR being naive and not very attuned to her own feelings, wants and desires, buckled. (Again, codependent much?)

The seeds are all there, but they weren't slammed in your face. They were planted gradually and repeated again and again. DR is spineless and a bit too considerate (said by her father and by her mother.) and she tends to buckle to other people's wishes a whole lot. She's also not sure of her feelings. and KJ pushed her quite a bit and threatened her quite a bit. DR has a long ways to grow as a character too. She's not immature so much as naive. (Sheltered quite a bit by her parents, I think--you can see she followed her father's wishes by becoming a teacher rather than figuring out what she wanted.)

I'm taking bets YJ pushed for the wedding faster. (especially considering the flashback scene).

I'm still surprised people missed it. It's pretty consistent with the character history and the character personalities... you just have to add it all together. (I was doing this in Hong Gil Dong, too, also frustrated people missed those things and also in My Princess...) Under the radar writing not up people's allies? Do they get shot with "Hey You!"? Ah~ I tend to like subtle writing, so I tend to pick up on it faster.

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@ enz & @Kim Yoomi:
You know, I am not saying that DR is mature or something. I definitely agree that KJ in is in many ways more mature than DR and that's why I never have problems with this pairing since they can learn from each other towards maturity.

Also, in a highly fantastical and abnormal situation like this with body-swapping, how can you expect a woman with a common sense to be the female lead? People treat DR as a real person and scrutinize her character relentlessly. The drama is called Big and the nickname of KJ (in YJ's body) in DR's cell phone is Big. DR, together with all other characters, revolve around the narrative center that is KJ. For instance, without DR's naivete and ignorance by going to the subway station alone, how can Mari and KJ have the chance to open up the wound from the past and try to heal it together? In a way, Mari and KJ can grow out of the pain with the expense of DR being labelled as stupid. I just really hope that people can pay attention to the intention of the overarching narrative and the dynamics of characters instead of dissecting and insulating each character out of the context.

At the same time, since girlfriday talked about the unreliable narrator and perspectivism in the comments for the earlier recaps, it occurred to me that it's for the same reason that they didn't show the wedding scene in episode 8. For DR, this is not a real marriage and therefore, all the wedding scenes are omitted. The only scene that shows about the wedding is Mari's wearing the gown because she sees it as a potentially real wedding for KJ and DR since KJ likes DR.

Anyway. I still hold my opinion that Big is much more nuanced than it lets out.

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I have always been terribly forgetful and it has only gotten worse as I have gotten older. So, thanks for your support of absentminded adults! Don't you think that Daran's forgetfulness is not nearly as troubling as her poor judgement?

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I see Daran as sheltered. Part of the reason Kyung Joon is more mature than DR is because he's seen and experienced a lot. He's been in the [super rough and dangerous ^.~] United States as part of a single mother family who was running a restaurant on LA (which is near to impossible.)

Meanwhile Daran has been living in somewhat luxury. Her father has a respectable job (in Korea), got to retire, marry his sweetheart. She has a steady family that's always been there and protected her from all kinds of ill. She hasn't traveled the world at all, and the most she's thought of herself is probably wanting YJ. The decision to become a teacher was for her father. The decision to move up the wedding, I would think is YJ. She does lots for other people, and in exchange they kinda folded her into this bubble world. She hasn't seen the harshness.

Despite this she's shown a sense of self (she just doesn't listen to it much), respect for boundaries and ability to love herself (Breaking up with Yoon Jae and claiming the boy is mine *song reference). She's also faced herself several times and realized how naive she really is. She's taken responsibility for her actions. And she works hard, though it doesn't always produce the best results. She also takes responsibility for others. I think she thinks deeply about her actions, but I think those thoughts are probably shallow because she's really got little real world experience. There is no sign she knows what death is really like. She's had pretty much easy street--when she failed the exam for all those times (See episode 1), she had a family to fall back on and a family job--Kyung Joon had nothing but the money his mother left him, a bed and a house. She got unconditional love.

Her judgment is merely poor for the reason that she's never faced real hardship before. It's right there in the character background. She's now facing lots of hardship, but is entirely clueless from being sheltered.

So she's mature... she's just not experienced. Whereas Kyung Joon is immature, but very experienced (and a bit jaded from it.) In terms of writing OTPs you want something like that where the two characters balance each other out (though this is a horrible practice in trying to find your inclusive OTP for yourself--just saying. Reforming doesn't usually work.)

Kyung Joon doesn't have a very firm sense of self, doesn't take responsibility for his actions, likes playing pranks, doesn't always work hard (he shows streaks of laziness, which in Hong Sister language is immature), he doesn't particularly face who he is and he really doesn't take responsibility for others (How long did it take for him to tell Mari it wasn't her fault? How many years? That's really irresponsible), but kind of expects the world to take care of him. He often hides his actions behind excuses (I'm still a kid), etc.

Fairly subtle hand on this. I find it interesting that people favor experience over maturity. I know a lot of adults a lot more experienced than DR, but a whole lot less mature. I also know mature people who've never seen the world. (It's said that the majority of people in the US have never been to a foreign country. I
m betting that's true of Korea too.) So I can buy both character set ups. Especially since this is a RomCom and not a Slice of Life.

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Interesting you mention about Daran took responsibility by admitting his fault. because yes, it's a very adult thing to do. People aren't perfect and they make mistakes. but what makes them adults is the fact that they admit their faults instead of blaming others when things go wrong. sort of taking responsibility of one's action and don't play the blame game. she would be childish if she were telling him off for not getting to the airport fast enough.

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^ This. I agree with you about Daran. Being naive, pure, innocent and whatnot the necessary traits of Kdrama heroine is okay but don't take it too far. It irk me that she is too immature for her age at some point even crazy Mari seems like a grown up, even with all her shenanigans. I can't relate to her character in this episode. le sigh

*darn, i'm complaining too much*

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I thought the opposite. She seemed like a total kid in this episode. I think Mari is adorable and hilarious, but a lot of my lenience on her character has been solely out of my love for Suzy. One thing that really irked me was when she made the talisman asking that the two never like each other. I know it's hocus pocus, but it doesn't change the fact that she wished for it. Who is she to decide? Mind you, this comes only a couple of minutes after Kyung-joon tells her he forgives her and after she says that she won't butt into his life anymore.

^ Signs that she is still very immature (and, for me at least, that she can sometimes even veer into being slightly annoying).

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I think I would like this show better if Daran was a little bit more frivolous (and a little less straight laced and grim). So many of the Hong sisters' characters are adorable because they capture some of the childishness (and playfulness) lurking in adults; but Daran is meh. :( Her character is immature and naive, but her personality is horribly 'adult' and boring.

I think Big has had some good moments, but right now I'm not sure about where we are going. In order for the audience to fall in love with the characters, they need to do more loveable things. (It can't just be cute scenes with GY and side characters). And in order for the audience to care about what happens to the characters they need to have actual goals and some kind of direction. How can I care about whether the main characters get married or fall in love (any of them! in any combination!) IF they don't know what they want or care about it themselves?

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I loved episode 8... I thought it brought heart back to the plot. Before it was a mind ride, of trying to catch up, but now that the characters are caught up, you need a heart moment in between to get a beat.

You kind of feel for Kyung Joon in this episode. Things about his father and mother are revealed. But at the same time, you get moments where Kyung Joon is trying soooo hard.

The OTP is not so fuzzy, but at the same time, there are so many things hanging and so many good jokes in this episode. I loved it. The Mudang scene, the referenced to "two schools before" (two dramas). I felt some of the Hong Sister flare with some of the slap stick.

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After a poor start, "Big" was on a pretty decent roll, but there are simply too many issues, esp. in this ep for me to overlook.

1st off, the whole "keep seeing him, or never see him again"/decision over whether to get married was getting a bit tiresome, since the situation was basically a repeat w/o any real new developments.

And what is up w/ that ring?

The couple sent out wedding invitations, were about to close on a "lovenest" and Yoon-jae hadn't given Da-ran an engagement ring?

And the fact that Yoon-jae had bought a ring (a bit small when it comes to the rock, I might add) now makes Da-ran ponder whether Yoon-jae had wanted to marry her after all?

And the Hong sisters are trying their best to make the character of Da-ran unlikable.

I had thought we had gotten a bit away from the "clueless" Da-ran (starting w/ the baby-talk when spoke to Yoon-jae at the beginning), but she loses the ring (and spends all of 20 seconds bothering to find it), forgets her airline ticket/passport in the car when she was just looking at it and, most irritating of all, she repeatedly meets up w/ Ae-kyung (for what purpose? other than telling Ae-kyung things she doesn't need to know).

Da-ran's best quality is wanting to look after Kyung-joon (aside from always seemingly hitting bro for causing trouble - hehe), but I'm not so sure if that is enough anymore.

Kyung-joon calling Da-ran out for not facing the thing that she really is afraid of - was the best moment in this ep.

The development w/ Kyung-joon's character/feelings, otoh, has been more interesting. Kyung-joon is battling his own feeling for Da-ran w/ wanting to see Da-ran happy (which is for her to end up w/ a loving Yoon-jae).

While as jealous as KJ is about DR still having feelings for YJ, he is also protective about ensuring that no one else gets btwn DR and YJ.

Mari as the stalker was pretty much harmless (broken glass and all) while being funny and cute at times, but she crossed the line into being dangerous when she sent DR to the subway station (also another not-so-bright moment by DR); and so much for her promise to no longer stir up trouble.

Also, Teacher Na's and Choong-shik's infatuations are starting get a bit tiresome (otherwise, I really like the character of CS, a good deal due to the actor's winning peformance); that whole CSI scene w/ Teacher Na fell flat for me.

And that whole Uncle and VP each having a one-sided love w/ one of DR's parents is the Hong Sisters "jumping the shark" (we already have one-sided love galore in "Big" - ranging from the leads to a good bit of the secondary characters - including Teacher Na and AK being part of a one-sided love chain gang; the whole Uncle and VP one-sided love is totally overdone and unnecessary and really take away from all the other one-sided loves).

As for YJ's father not being able to make it to the wedding - he just found out about KJ's mom (over a year after the fact) and he couldn't deal w/ the issue and still attend the wedding?

I really hope YJ's father is not revealed to be KJ's father as well since that would not only be ick, but also ridonculous (yes, a lot more ridiculous than the whole body-swap thing).

And btw, what ever happened w/ that "family meeting" that YJ's family was supposed to have?

The Hong sisters can't seem to keep the plotline and character developments on a straight path w/ "Big."

They did a much better job w/ "The Greatest Love" and MGIAG (even tho MGIAG had its flaws).

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K-dramas universally have had brothers fighting, cousins fighting, Uncle/nephew fighting, best friends fighting for the same girl. Also estranged _fill_in_the_blank_ fighting for the same person. Because something about Korean culture loves the automatically and often illogically connected people. Despite the population of Seoul, in K-drama land you always find out that all of the people in the drama are magically connected by some red string of fate. It makes it even more compelling if you talk about past lives with it. And if you can't have that--well, they met in childhood, so you know they were fated to meet again.

It's just a bit cheap to do so--which is why we ask "Don't say it's so." Because I'd rather have a good twist over makjang. It's been done too much and I don't like Jerry Springer.

I think the Gil Restaurant scene with the VP was kind of a play to stab on that, though it was subtle parody.

As for the whole family meeting thing, kinda puts a wrench in things when your son claims that he doesn't remember anything after having his accident. You can't quite have a family meeting about private matters if one of the members of your family simply can't remember, can you?

"So, what do you think about your cousin running off with the man that donated his eyes to his ex-lover?"

"Uhhh... I don't remember that person... Who has the memory problems now?"

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Yeah, I know all about the competing family members, etc. - which is annoying enough (unless really well done like in "Coffee Prince"), but this took the one-sided love thing a bit too far w/ the Uncle and VP pining for Da-ran's parents? (That means pretty much every regularly occurring has a one-sided love which is beyond stupid).

As for the family meeting, yeah, I understand that KJ as YJ is pretending to have lost his memory, but the Hong sisters could have addressed that w/ a phone call to pops instead of leaving it out there as one of those things which seems important, but not properly resolved/addressed.

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That's too costly, though. You have to pay for the actor's time and also pay for the location.

I think one can figure it out from context, not every plot point needs to be shelled out on a silver platter. I think the scene where he says he forgot everything is enough.

That's how most people figured out the connections in Rooftop Prince... the whole hand didn't have to be tipped to figure out the secret of Buyong. If you keep waiting for the silver platter, that's kinda lazy storytelling and a lazy watcher too..

I saw the Uncle and VP thing as a kind of parody--they set up several allusions in that scene (which girlfriday didn't have room to illuminate). Like the VP says, "We worked in a school together before, twice." Count the Hong sisters dramas in which they appeared together before--two. Also talking about "past relationships" in those two dramas they were married (Chun Hyang), then lovers (My Girl), and now they are apart (Big). So it's kind of a reference to that. They didn't make a reference to the VP being "alone" in between (which would have been Hong Gil Dong" The Hong sisters have to have their allusions. Made me laugh.

They already added the Uncle in an earlier episode, so I think it really was a long set up for a joke, which is Hong Sisters style. Especially over the top jokes.

Makes me remember they are writing this drama.

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Yeah, a scene for a 15 sec phone call would have been too "costly."

And yeah, I get the whole "Hong sisters thing", but sometimes their attempts at humor falls flat.

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I agree with a lot of what you said. Especially the “keep seeing him, or never see him again” decision.. We've seen it so many times and it really has gotten tiresome. Not to mention, who thinks marriage is that easy? I know this is a drama, but people really need to give Da Ran some time to think before her decisions. (i.e. Kyung-joon when he counts to 3 about the ring)

I mentioned this last recap, but I was also confused about the ring. I don't know why she wouldn't have an engagement ring when she was already settling the house. To me, the ring still isn't a strong enough indication that he really cared for her because 1) he could have bought it well before and 2) he still hadn't given it to her.

One thing I was happy with at least was the direction that Da Ran's character is going in.. She's definitely growing a backbone! Though that was definitely some questionable judgment about the wedding, I have to say that I think the line of thinking is consistent with what I'd expect from her character. Especially since I felt that she had been backed into a corner by her family and Kyung-joon.

Oh and I still don't get Kyung-joon's logic behind marrying, but oh well.. After commenting multiple times, I think it's time for me to stop trying to make sense of it and roll with the punches.

/rant over

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Thanks for the recap.

Erm... I guess I'm the only one who still not fully on board on this. Dunno how I feel about this episode, or the whole drama actually. Probably because I'm kinda irked by Daran who acted too immature for my liking. i know she suppose to be the standard happy, pure, naive, innocent kdrama heroine but at least gives her a bit of EQ and mannerism as a grown up and a teacher. Well, at least she start to grow some spine.

Feel like the wedding just complicate the matters. I know her intention is to take care of KJ, but there are other ways, u know. So what will happened when the real YJ woke up and find that he married to Daran. Suprise!! I marry you when your soul is out of your body. But don't worry, I still love you! What if Daran fell in love with KJ (feels like she starts to like him)? I don't think Daran have enough gut to tell YJ for a divorce later on & tell him she fell in love with his (maybe)dongseng. meh. No wonder they do the wedding off show, it was unnecessary.

So far, the only part I like is when Mari and/or Choongsik around.

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"I… just don’t understand her. I’ve tried so hard to, but every time I think I get close to liking her, she throws me for a loop. I spent the whole episode thinking that the only person who made any sense was Mari. And she’s crazy."

I'm with you here. I've tried so hard to become invested in Da Ran's character; I thought after episode 6 that I was back to tolerating her, but I just can't now. Even though I like the Da Ran/ Kyung Joon relationship, I concur with you that this "wedding" was unnecessary. So many things in this drama are, unfortunately (e.g. any scene where Da Ran asks stupid questions from Se Young or any other person).

What I do enjoy are the scenes with Mari and Choong-shik. Although part of me hated that she caused danger to Da Ran, I'm glad that it's a reaction that fits with her character and later adds to her distress. Choong-shik might be the cutest thing on the planet; when he's heartbroken, he's the sweetest little kid.

I'm just not sure what to think about this drama anymore. Each new episode either draws me closer or pulls me away--sort of a "one step forward, two steps back" thing. I will stick this drama out, if only to see Little Kyung-Joon come back.

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I really not liking this show anymore but thanks for your recap!!

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I love every moment that Gong yoo comes on to the screen because of how wonderfully he emotes with his face and body language to convey a man-child that is both adorkable but mature at the same time. However, I can't quite place my finger on why I can't enjoy this drama as much as I enjoy his acting. The story is both choppy and stagnating at each episode, but I'm also at the edge of my seat to find out what happens to the relationship triangle between Kyung joon, Da ran, and Yoon Jae.

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Thanks a lot.

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Mari is a crazy girl but somehow all her actions so far fits her characters.After watching all her scenes,my reaction is always "of course Mari would do that" or "that's so Mari". She's consistent.

I know some people find her annoying but i think she's really harmless. She's so childish and sometimes she reminds me the old KyungJoon.

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andom thought, but in the original movie big (and for those who aren't that mature) there was a sex scene which was a bit weird and squick for me. Tom Hanks and the female lead sleep together.

The marriage might be a "clean" way to try to get that beat going from the original.

Also, random, but I liked the Hoi Hoi and the other random references to other dramas... (Almost like the Hong Sisters telling us it's still their drama).

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Let's scrap the whole thing and remake it about Mari and her singing minions.

Why, oh why, in the name of Gong Yoo, am I still watching this wreck? The answer is obviously in the question.

I'll be a little sarcastic and say that gays cannot marry in k-dramaland but "comatose" straight people can? Absurd!

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Thank you for the recap!

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I'm really struggling to get into this drama...despite my wholehearted attempt to love it. I think it's because the drama itself doesn't know where it's really going and we see our characters running around in a little circle.

I find myself rolling my eyes at Da-Ran's character (i love lee min jung though!) because she's so passive. Her character is the reason I don't feel the chemistry between our leads. Lee min jung and Gong yoo look amazing together but how is it that I'm not feeling the heat!

There was so much filler in this episode and I'm hoping our story gets moving next week with some sexy smooches to boot!

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hi, maybe because you're thinking of the student-teacher idea.. hence, you are not feeling the heat between LMJ and GY..just my opinion.. *peace*

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I don't think it's the teacher/student thing...I feel like DR needs to start feeling something for KJ....I know it is a hard decision but of the conflicted emotions but it needs to happen. Additionally, I'm not fully onboard with the character's motivations for what they're doing.

Lee Min Jung and Gong Yoo are doing an amazing jobs considering what's been given them though. I just hope things wrap up nicely...without wonky birth secrets and crazy side character filler.

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this drama is getting really interesting with the twists and revelations.. yes it is confusing but it keeps the drama alive and make you stick till the end..

DR's character of weakness and childish thinking (i love how LMJ plays DR's role), matches with KJ's character (in YG's body) and offsets it, its like she grows in character because of KJ..i also think that she's starting to like KJ already and she really sees KJ in YG's body..

i also think the body switch situation is hard for DR to bear with not only for KJ, since she is starting to like the soul (who is just a teen) on the body of his ex-lover who he is trying to forget, so i dont blame her if she gets confused with her feelings along the way and have crazy ideas..

i dont like YG and KJ to switch back, im starting to like the KJ (in YG's body) and DR, they so look good together, when they are together they can be in their true selves and i think they grow with each other..

though, i still want to know if YG really loves DR and is really willing to marry her..so i hope the real YG will be given time or scene to explain his real feeking to DR..

lastly, im not against with the sham wedding, maybe it has a purpose..both for DR and KJ to learn from in the end..im still holding on to how the Hong Sisters will end this drama..i am really enjoying this show..

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Even though I love Gong Yoo, and both main actors are doing a great job-- I was pretty happy that this episode focused on the side characters. I think they are the strongest point of this show right now... which is sort of sad.

And it does seem like a cheap cop out to me that we didn't get to see the wedding.

They already gone to 2 weddings together, with interesting results, soooo why this one wasn't shown, eh? I'm still expecting another wedding scene in the future. Either dude with Da Ran.

And are we about to get a .... BIRTH SECRET?

I like my cliches, but somehow they aren't feeling uber fresh in this drama.

Drama, make me love you!!

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Thanks for the recap.

Is surrogacy illegal in Korea?

This drama has my imagination going all over the place.

I'm taking the child to save the child line literally. There have been cases of parents conceiving a second child to "save" the first because they need a genetic match from the cord blood or some such thing.

I'm thinking that the KJ was conceived through surrogacy to save the the YJr. The the 'fee' for the surrogacy is the seed money KJ mother used to start her restaurant.

That would be kind of weird--

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Wow, you've got me thinking about this. While I have no idea about this surrogate thing I happened to read ockoala's take on this:

http://koalasplayground.com/2012/06/26/koala-drops-a-theory-on-the-big-soul-swap-mystery/

If that's the case, then those two being blood brothers is not because of the father is having an affair or whatever but because of a life-and-death situation. I think I can accept this plot development more than the cliched one.

But, is that ethical? Oh well, the Hongs seem not to care about ethics anymore in this drama--case in point is that wedding which I don't want to elaborate anymore because I agree with what has been said about it.

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I'm totally with Koala. The moment YJ's mom explained about the Miracle book and the child saving a child, it flashed through my mind "There's a debt here! YJ had a debt to KJ!"

Whether it's because he was a saviour sibling or a life-saving donor in some other way, I haven't a clue, but I'm quite convinced KJ somehow saved YJ's life in the best before YJ saved KJ's during the soul switching accident.

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Based on Girlfriday comment about "Da-ran choosing to marry a teenager now" - who can blame her when that teenager is acting more like an adult then the adult himself (Yoon-jae)? I think Da-ran feel more comfortable and feel confidence in Kyung-joon’s soul then Yoon-jae, because that kid is more mature now and can make decision like a man do and protect her - like when he defend her in front of his mother.

What matter is the soul, not the shell, cause in the reality some of men act like teenager, but some teenager think like a men. That's all I'm saying :)

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i agree on this! :)

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But how do you separate the soul from the shell? It isn't as easy as you are making it seem.

We still don't know Yoon Jae's story so you can't say he is immature.

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You're right, I don't see what's so wrong about their relationship (other than the teacher-student thing, but in a few years it'll be okay haha)

Da Ran is 6 years younger than Dr. Seo, and Kyung Joon is 6 years younger than Da Ran. No "Big" deal! ;D

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I have to admit that usually I can't stomach an entire Hong sisters drama, the slapstick is just too much for me. However, Big is definitely an exception. Lots of heart without going overboard on cheesiness.

One thing though, and it might just be me...but I can't help but think in the back of my mind how mortifying it would be for Choong-shik if he ever finds out that his sister married a kid his own age. Poor, innocent puppy.

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how bad is it that I want KJ to stay in YJ's body and be with GDR? :P

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And about those who say that Da-ran is too passive of a character. It's definitely a valid argument and a problem I feel is in a lot of kdramas. Most of the time, the female lead's characterization is defined by how she reacts to her emotions towards the guy. They are almost always reactive characters. Maybe that's the formula for a crack drama? I dunno. Anyhow, right now, Da-ran doesn't truly feel anything towards Kyung-joon. She's just not emotionally there yet, so it almost seems as if her character is stagnant because she's not making any romantic advances. For instance, if Mi-nyeo didn't have a crush on Tae-kyung until later on in the show, she wouldn't have been an adorably dim lovesick girl, but just plain dim. Her crush is what defines her.

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LOL @ Opossum line.

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i just wanna know who is the
"one child saving another… so that child can save someone else"
We can all guess it involves The doc and KJ, now who is the third person?! that the big clue to y they switch.....and that the sad part i find myself watching only to see why the switch happen, not really because i like where the plots and characters are going =[

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The third child could be Mari? Something happens at the end that involves saving her? KJ saves her but sacrifices his own life for her? I doubt DR needs saving - unless it's from her stupidity.

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Let's say that DR/Mari/Choong shik (pick one)

ends up in some horrible situation where she/he could die?
KJ in YJ's body saves him/her...
As a result, YJ's body dies again and KJ gets rewarded by going back into his own body.

I am the 18 wheeler truck gunning for YJ on the highway of Big.
He WILL NOT get out alive.

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Has anyone thought about Mari's visit to the Shaman, and what she asked of the shaman? What if the shaman is taking it to the physical aspect so YJ and DR will never love each other, and it totally leaves KJ out for grabs...

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Yup, I was thinking although Mari is asking for one thing, it could totally turn out to be another... namely that DR and YJ (the real one) will never love each other.

Gotta be careful when you make these kind of requests, because in all the fairy tales one reads, wishes have to be very carefully worded or they can go very, very wrong. :-)

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I like this, although, it depends on what name is written down. Does she say KJ or YJ?

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I got the idea that she had to marry KJ since the mom was pushing for a marriage with Se Young or one of his many eligible colleagues? And didn't KJ say that the fact that he's living off of her means that he can't very well go against that one wish of hers, and if he had to get married, he'd rather it be her? And the mom seems to think that Da Ran is better than nothing, since at least it'll give him someone from his past to depend on and "return to his old self" with.

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