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Flower Boy Next Door: Episode 8

When I step back from this drama after it’s done, I feel like I’m going to be amazed at how much the characters grew, and how their trajectories were in character, complete, and most of all natural. Episode to episode the growth is there, but subtle—characters remain true to their stubborn natures, but we see little shifts as they form bonds and learn from each other. And this episode in particular marks a nice step forward in the communication department—even for Enrique. Or perhaps I should say especially for him, since he has the habit of talking so much and saying little. It’s rewarding to see that balance shift a bit in the other direction.

SONG OF THE DAY

Raspberry Field – “Can You” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 8: “There’s a Hazardous Tunnel Zone Ahead”

When we resume the scene outside the apartment building, we get a bit more from the other perspective, this time staying with Dok-mi while Enrique comforts a distraught Seo-young.

Dok-mi recalls Enrique telling her earlier (while he turned a crack in her ceiling into a painting of a tree, aw) that he wanted to give his hyung and Seo-young space—he didn’t want to be an interfering presence between them. So when she catches sight of Tae-joon approaching, she breaks up the embrace by pulling Enrique toward her.

The others are shocked, not seeing Tae-joon till he’s right there with jacket and shoes for Seo-young, who rushed out in her slippers. Enrique finally notices Jin-rak standing there and belatedly realizes how this looks, pulling his arm free.

Tae-joon ushers Seo-young back to his place. Enrique thanks Dok-mi for stepping in to prevent his hyung from jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Dok-mi and Jin-rak both head toward their building, but she changes her mind at the last minute. There’s this terribly sad moment when she starts walking back toward Jin-rak and he gets ready to say something… only to have her brush by to confront Enrique instead. Heart, crushed.

Jin-rak heads inside alone, grumbling that when he asked for a word she said she was tired. But he also changes his mind, turning around and glaring outside like a man on a mission. A bumbling spy mission.

Dok-mi requests that Enrique take her name off his book, which makes him wonder why. She transformed his half-assed manuscript into a piece of good writing, so why doesn’t she want credit for it? Is she that ashamed to be associated with his work? Aw, he would think that, interpreting it as scorn.

She tells him that writers are fiercely protective of the work they pour themselves into—they don’t just offer shared credit like a favor. She actually uses a word that he doesn’t know, and he has to pause to look it up: “Oh, it’s a good meaning.” It’s telling that he thought she meant it negatively when she hadn’t.

He calls himself thoughtless for not thinking of it her way, as befitting the cocky hollow shell he is. Dok-mi apologizes for going overboard in calling him a hollow shell, but he argues that it’s evident that that’s really how she sees him. In fact, that must be why she interfered just now, because she assumed that he’d hurt his hyung, since he’s just “human garbage.”

Dok-mi counters that she did it because she knows how he really feels and was afraid an irrevocable misunderstanding might arise: “Stop doing that, comforting Seo-young and worrying about her. That’s not your duty.”

Enrique argues that he can’t turn a blind eye to a hurting friend, and if misunderstandings arise, they can always be unfurled later. Dok-mi says in her sad way, “There are knots that can’t be unraveled.” He says exasperatedly that he’d dearly love to know what that knot is—this is the first time he’s been this curious to know someone else’s thoughts.

Jin-rak huddles by the trash bins watching when his phone starts to ring. He fumbles to silence it, popping his head up to see if he’s been noticed—he totally has—and ducks down cringing. Then he gets up and takes his phone call acting perfectly normally, like he totally wasn’t just caught snooping.

As Dok-mi turns to go, Enrique leaps in front to point out that she talked to him first, so they’re back on speaking terms (voiding his earlier agreement to leave her life). He darts off, not giving her a chance to argue.

Jin-rak’s call is with his hilarious PD, who has a few notes. She starts out as a corner insert in his screen, but gradually takes over more and more screen space as she cuts him down.

She starts with his rival character from Spain—is he for real? He’s a genius and warm and candid, all rolled into one? She muses that Rapunzel is likely to fall for him, which has Jin-rak sputtering why, why, WHY? The guy’s leaving in a month! How can that be the basis for love?

The PD informs him that it’s the perfect length of time to fall in love, enjoy yourselves, and then leave keeping all your secrets intact. A prospect that Jin-rak finds horrifying. His PD tells him to turn Mr. Spain into a dirtbag.

As if that weren’t bad enough, his PD tells him not to leave the character drawings to his assistant because they pale in comparison to the gorgeous backdrops. She hangs up (with a hilariously casual “bbyong”) and leaves him protesting sadly, “But… I drew the characters.” Oh, Jin-rak. Poor, pathetic Jin-rak.

He slumps down right there in the street, where he’s approached by an energetic pitter-patter of feet. Enrique’s head bobs into view, all smiles.

Enrique practically skips alongside Jin-rak (who’s doing more of a droopy plod) asking to watch the soccer match together. He’ll even root for hyung’s team tonight, since his own has been winning so much that it’s getting boring. Ha.

Jin-rak shoots him this incredulous look, wondering how he can be a fan who roots for one side and then another, arguing that he’s steadfast for one side through the end. But Enrique cuts through all the side talk and arrives at the conclusion: that Jin-rak will hate anything he says right now, and he’s already come to hate him.

I do love Enrique’s way of getting right to the crux of matters that everyone else talks around, and that actually has the effect of pulling the other person back. You can see it in Jin-rak, where he comes back to himself and realizes that no, he doesn’t hate Enrique after all. Enrique assures him that his own interest in Dok-mi is purely curiosity—that he wants to know why she lives the way she does, and how she can be so different from himself.

Jin-rak sighs, “That’s how it started for me too. Because I was curious, I’d get worried, then worrying would make me keep thinking of her, then thinking of her made me miss her. And so… and so… don’t be curious either.”

Enrique pouts that still, Jin-rak must be a little thankful to him for always barging in on Dok-mi and dragging her out into the world, which benefited him since Jin-rak got to confess his feelings and all. Jin-rak yells, “I told you, I haven’t confessed!” Heh, well not in your waiting-and-waiting-and-gradually-slowly-recognizing-our-feelings way, perhaps, though you’ve basically said everything but the literal “I like you, let’s date.”

Enrique points out that he’s going back in a month anyway, but Jin-rak orders him not to talk about that anymore since it just makes him seem more interesting. No more talk of expiration dates! Enrique grumps, “What, am I a tin can now? A hollow shell, cocky devil, human garbage tin can!”

Jin-rak’s idea of consolation? “A tin can has a really long shelf life.” So cute. Enrique follows after him like an excited puppy and Jin-rak grumps at him to go home. Enrique calls out a cheery g’nite and sleep well, to which Jin-rak barks, “You sleep well too!”

Enrique thinks back one last time to the way Dok-mi stepped in and pulled him away, and he smiles to himself, saying, “I was kinda touched, ajumma.”

Dong-hoon makes his way through a crowded nightclub, which seems to be familiar territory for him. He finds who he’s looking for—a pretty woman at the bar—and makes his approach smoothly, leaving with her. He offers to bring her car to it, pausing to take a call from Jin-rak. He assures him that he’s done his work for the day—all the backgrounds—but Jin-rak tells him gruffly that he’s no longer his apprentice. They’re drawing together now, so he’d better get his butt home since he’ll have no time to go partying anymore.

Dong-hoon’s date finds her friends just outside, who wonder who he is. Only now he’s no longer the smooth operator but a solicitous employee, introducing himself as her driver. HA! I knew it! Dong-hoon even has his own business card bearing the title “Flower Boy Designated Driver.” At the end of the drive, he gives his bill (about 50 bucks) a long look. He works hard for that money.

Also busily drinking is Do-hwi and her cadre of copycats, who are impatiently waiting to go to the clubs, which she suggested. Do-hwi tells her friends to go ahead without her tonight, glowering, “For me, it’s showtime.”

Dok-mi finally does open the box Do-hwi had brought over, the box containing their old memories, and finds old photos and mementos from their schoolgirl days. Just then Do-hwi calls her (while slitting her eyes on the other end of the line, vowing, “Let’s see who wins”), and after a long moment to prepare herself, Dok-mi picks up.

Immediately Do-hwi launches into happy drunk mode, slurring her name over and over. She says she’s so hammered she doesn’t even know where she is and hangs up the phone mid-retch. Lovely.

Dok-mi sighs to herself that it’s been a while since she heard her name said that way, and tries out Do-hwi’s old nickname before shaking herself out of it.

In a dark room, a shadowy figure downloads the photos from Enrique’s stolen phone—it’s his ajumma attacker. I did wonder if she knew him, and by the looks of her displeased expression at the cozy photos of Enrique and Seo-young, I’d say she does—obsessed stalker fan, perhaps.

The photos soon leak onto the internet and netizens start to comment on the “ulzzang couple.” Tae-joon comes home wearing a long face and asks if Enrique just texted him. Enrique tells him about his stolen phone, then gapes to see the message, supposedly from him, with a link to all the leaked photos.

Realizing now that some of them look super coupley, he hastily explains to hyung that they were next-door neighbors for ten years so of course they’d have a lot of pictures.

Then Tae-joon drops the bomb that he’s leaving tomorrow, actually, not next month as originally planned. Enrique gapes, then tells him that his tendency to decide things all on his own makes everyone around feel lonely. Tae-joon just sighs, “I’m lonely too.”

Enrique suddenly has A Thought, and it makes his eyes bug out and his voice kick up a few registers. He wails that this is gonna make HER (points at Dok-mi’s window) think he uploaded all those photos on his own, and has this whole tantrum in superspeed, going from despair to moaning to wallowing to hope in the span of seconds. He’s totally having this conversation to himself and decides that he’ll use his panda hat as an excuse to head over and set this misunderstanding to rights. Off he goes.

Dok-mi gets the same text Tae-joon did, which is written like Enrique is sharing personal photos with all his friends, and she clicks over to the photo gallery.

Jin-rak gets it too, and seeing the couple photos makes him think back to the other night, seeing it in a more complete light. But how is Dok-mi involved in all this?

Dok-mi anticipates Enrique’s visit, so when he buzzes her doorbell she grabs the panda hat, thrusts it at him, then shoves the door closed. At least she tries to, though he jams his foot to keep it open.

Dok-mi glares at him and KICKS his foot aside. While he’s gasping in pain, she shuts the door. Hmph.

But then the scene rewinds. It plays out the same way at first, with her scrolling down to see photos of Enrique sleeping in bed with Seo-young (clothed) in the foreground. The door buzzes, but when she reaches to grab the panda hat she pauses this time—it’s either Panda Hat or Memory Box right next to it, and she doesn’t know which.

But the face in the peephole is Jin-rak’s, nervously primping. She opens up, and he stutters his way through a nervous explanation of having received a call from drunk Do-hwi, who thought Dok-mi might not know where the bar was located and requested that he accompany her over.

She asks him to take care of it alone, though, and he bends over backwards accepting her answer. Then he berates himself for stumbling over his words and being unable to just say confidently, “Let’s go together.”

He’s briefly waylaid by his drunk ajumma neighbor, who insists she’s been drinking champagne like an elegant lady (though the security guard smells makgulli on her breath and she pulls a can of beer from her purse). Haha. Onward Jin-rak goes, just missing Enrique hurrying on his way in, after convincing himself that his panda hat excuse is perfectly solid.

Enrique warms up his fingers to buzz away at Dok-mi’s door, stunned when it opens readily. She’s stunned too, not having expected him, and then she slams the door shut. Ha. He figures that’s more what he was expecting, and starts buzzing furiously.

Dok-mi opens the door, hands him his hat, then steps out to leave. He follows.

Jin-rak finds Do-hwi at the bar and walks her home. She acts tipsier than she is as she stops him in the street to confess that she fell for him at first sight. Hm, interesting that he doesn’t react to her calling him Jae-won-sshi by accident, rather than Jin-rak.

She says she was really encouraged by his behavior, looking after her so thoughtfully, and it made her happy. He blurts, “No, I’m not like that! Don’t be happy! Why are you all happy on your own?”

Do-hwi grabs his face, then swoops in for the kill. Er, kiss. I meant kiss! (But only kind of.)

Jin-rak struggles to push her away but she gets in a good, long sucker before he finally breaks free. Do-hwi resumes her demure pose while Jin-rak looks frankly traumatized and rubs at his lips.

As Enrique bounces around Dok-mi asking where she’s headed, he brings up the strange text she may have gotten today and says he’s been hit by a sasaeng fan (the highly intrusive ones that meddle in celebs’ private lives). He holds up his scraped palm as proof and wins a few sympathy points. Surely she didn’t think he sent the text on purpose, did she?

One look at her face tells him she did, and he asks what kind of guy she takes him for. Wow, so she thinks she’s that rotten, huh? Dok-mi at least seems sorry to have jumped to the worst-case scenario, but just then they stop in their tracks: Approaching from the other direction are Jin-rak, still furiously wiping his lips, and Do-hwi. Awkward.

Mostly I feel terrible for Jin-rak, whose face falls. Do-hwi all but smirks to have “won” this round, especially since Dok-mi did in fact come out to get her—but Jin-rak tells her firmly that she has the wrong idea, and that he likes somebody else. With that, he excuses himself.

Do-hwi’s voice hardens as she asks Dok-mi, “Is it you? Do you think you’re the one he likes?”

Dok-mi asks, “Do you like having your feelings exposed to other people?” Do-hwi fires back, “It’s better than being sneaky.”

Dok-mi says resignedly, “Always so like you. When will I be able to understand you?”

Only now does Jin-rak recall Do-hwi using the wrong name on him, in addition to earlier slips indicating that she knew who he was from the start. Hm.

Dok-mi writes a new segment of her story:

“To somebody, love is like medals or trophies, the result of a victory to boast of. To somebody, love is the process of waiting endlessly on for the other person, which turns into true feeling. To that woman, love is a secret she cannot allow to be exposed, not even to herself.”

Tae-joon packs his suitcase to leave for training, while Enrique tries to get a hold of Seo-young, who’s being stubbornly unresponsive. Enrique gives some extra loving to the dog… and then a sneaky look crosses his face. Idea!

Dok-mi gets a text from Tae-joon (who IS Enrique’s cousin—finally there’s confirmation) asking her to meet him briefly downstairs. A quick peek over confirms that he’s not in his apartment, and he texts again to say he’s waiting.

Dok-mi heads out to meet him, stopping at the sight of a new Post-It milk delivery, this one showing the cartoon man proposing to the cartoon lady with a big heart drawn in. Aw, it’s his boldest non-confession yet. The note reads: “Starting anew today!”

Dok-mi primps on her way out, but it’s Enrique who pops out to surprise her. He does assure her that hyung wrote the text himself, though he knows she wouldn’t have come if it was Enrique asking to meet.

He presents her with the dog, Hippo (aw, is it for Hippocrates? Doctor hyung’s a nerd), and she lovingly fusses over him. Enrique tells her that Hippo’s going away with hyung, and proudly congratulates himself for doing a good job giving her a goodbye.

Tae-joon pulls up in his car and exchanges goodbyes with Dok-mi, just as Seo-young makes her appearance after all. She says she’s here for her final goodbye, like she’s ready to finally give up on him, and Tae-joon says he’s sorry.

She chides him not to use sorry, and the echo of her rejection of Enrique makes him step in to press his hyung—”Do you really know what that means? You’re saying it’s over, stop coming to me.”

Tae-joon says that’s right, and Seo-young tells him she’s sorry for being a pest. Also, she’s going to return to Spain with Enrique.

That startles everybody. Enrique warns her not to speak rashly, but she says she’s seen the leaked photos, some of which she didn’t even know existed, wondering why he held on to them so long. “Now that I’ve been hurt, I finally understand your hurt.” Oh, that’s sweet of her to realize how he feels, but pretty misguided if she means to give him another shot out of sympathy.

But she already has plane tickets in hand and wants to leave right away: “Let’s go together.”

 
COMMENTS

I find the Tae-joon and Seo-young couple interesting from a distance, in that I think there are enough hints of conflicted feeling on Tae-joon’s side to make it a dynamic worth exploring. When it seemed like it was just Seo-young chasing after him without any encouragement on his part I didn’t care much for it, but with little signs that Tae-joon cares more than he lets on (or lets himself admit), I’m cool with them being a couple.

On the side, that is. Waaaay off to the periphery, working through their problems off-camera, preferably. Because when you bring them front and center they have a lot less oomph, and I don’t want Seo-young to be this spoiler in Enrique and Dok-mi’s budding relationship because that emotional ship has long sailed—Enrique’s feelings seem to be well on their way to letting go, so I’d rather that continued.

But I suppose that this twist isn’t so much about Enrique and Seo-young so much as it is about putting distance between Enrique and Dok-mi, just when they’re really starting to get somewhere. And something tells me that drawing someone out of their painful shell isn’t exactly a long-distance proposition.

That aside, I liked what we got to see of Enrique this episode, and what sticks out particularly notably was the way he reacted to negative judgment—first by Dok-mi, then Jin-rak. Or should I say perceived judgment, since he jumped the gun in assuming Dok-mi was judging him in wanting her name taken off his book. His knee-jerk response was to turn defensive, and even after she apologized for calling him a shell of a person, he turned that bitterness on himself, calling himself all those names. Tae-joon noted that he never used to care about being call names before, but I think the issue is two-fold: He may not have let on that it hurt, and also, it matters a lot more when the person leveling them at you actually knows you.

So just as Dok-mi is being drawn out of her silent shell by Enrique, their association is also slowly changing him as well—we’re starting to see more cracks form in his facade, more instances where things get past the sunny exterior. It’s the trade-off, as we saw in the previous episode, where opening yourself up puts you at more risk of being hurt. But it’s also meaningful that this drama is exploring not romance as the thing drawing people together, but understanding. Before we even can get to love, we’ve got to back up and learn to communicate, person to person. I find that a poignant point to be making.

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thanks for the recap :)

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I am loving this show, but I am confused about one thing... what are those sashes and headbands the editor is wearing? What is she protesting/advocating?

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Yep. She's on protest. She mentioned it in the first ep. I'm just not sure/can't remember what it is about.

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Yay, frankly my dear, i've been refreshing like crazy @.@

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Where do TVN find their writers? One good drama after another.

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Exactly. And why is it that the major stations don't get the dibs on these writers?

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I think it's more whoever's picking the projects and deciding the staff, actually. I read the writer for the original FBND webcomic also wrote the script for the drama, which means someone found the webcomic, bought it, and then allowed the artist/writer to adapt their own story which is a pretty rare privilege.There's probably a very talented and very focused drama division at TvN.

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that is cool. and I am so, so glad these TvN dramas are so good ... I feel that there's been so much disappointment in KDramaland of recent.

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I believe that only network politics can answer that question. :P

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i was thinking exactly that , how can everything in this drama be so perfect?

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yeah! i love this drama so much! all the casts are awesome, each of them portray his/her own character perfectly. The plot is so goood and hillarious and the best thing about it is that i can't predict what comes next.

I wonder if they add the character of Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Suk) to the story (which i think is very interesting as a character) and let him fall in love with Go Dok Mi. We'll get a complete masquerade trio: the ever-waiting Jinrak, the energizer-bunny Enrique, and the grumpy Taekyung.

and if that happens, i bet i'll get a headache just thinking about whom I'm gonna ship Go Dok Mi with...

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ah! come to think of it, enrique reminds me a lot of jeremy..

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ahahahaha the You're Beautiful flower boys really do remind me of the FBND boys now that you mention it!

(and yes, Enrique is totally Jeremy, if Jeremy was a teeny-weeny bit more mature. Also Jin Rak is kind of a cross between Tae-kyung, with the grumpiness and getting made a fool of, and Shin-woo with the constant waiting/non-confessions, though at least he has his milk carton post-its and actually talks to her)

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haha! I think enrique is being both shinwoo and jeremy. :)

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I've yet to watch the last four episodes of this drama as I was concentrating more on School 2013 but now that that's finished *sniff*, I better start watching where I left off. At least I get to read the wonderful recaps so I'm just partially behind. Thanks JB & GF!

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Bwahhhh, thank you! n__n

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love your recap. thanks! after School 2013, now I will give more attention to this drama. yes, so far so good. I love all the character.

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i'm on this with you. started right off after school's over. hee!

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thank you javabeans! now off to read :)

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thanks for the recap! been refreshing since this morning! off to read!

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UGHHHH SY... seriously stop. I really hate it that she switched boys just because she got shot down by one of them. that is just wrong.

but omg Enrique's eyes in that last cap... i literally yelped when I saw that look.

thank you for the recap!

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yeah, Enrique has such a puppy face (which was particularly hilarious when he was playing with Hippo - nice catch on the nerdy medical-origin name, JB!) and in that last cap he looks like a puppy who's been kicked.

And I love that you can see so well this episode, just how much he uses his natural cheerfulness/water-off-a-duck's-back facade as a defence against the world, anticipating the dislike even when there's none, it kind of breaks my heart.

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Agree! Is she crazy or what? Her character really annoys me actually. Why can she go around the world to Spain and NOT to the mysterious island? Siiiiigh. And then she has to go and jump on Enrique. Not okay.

And yeah, he looked so pained...and ready for some loving to heal him up ;)

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maybe the island is an army base and civilians aren't allowed?

But UNF, poor bb Enrique in that last scene.

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Man, I ADORE this drama so much!!!

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This drama is love for me. It communicates in exactly the right tone to hook me for every second. And I'm always so sorry to see it end. I love all these characters with the exception of Do Hwi. Could we maybe give DoHwi's screen time to Jin Tak's awesome editor? I laugh every time she appears before she even speaks.

Thanks for the recap!

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Ditto! I HATE Do Hwi myself too (mostly cause she reminds me of the girl who used to bully me in high school -- but we all had that, right?) and I love the befuddled editor of Jin Rak. Actually, I was kinda hoping the editor really does have a thing for Jin Rak and that it gets explored further. I mean, I HONESTLY hope Jin Rak ends up with her instead of that utterly detestable Do Hwi -- that is, if Jin Rak doesn't get Dok Mi, I'd be happy to see him end up with the editor instead.

Does anyone else think Do Hwi's unflagging interest in Jin Rak has another, more mercenary motive behind it? She seems to be privy with Jin Rak's past ... which is what, exactly? It almost seems to me as if he used to be some sort of enforcer in the Korean mafia ... and that he used to have money. Although judging from his slightly thuggish personality, he doesn't seem to be an heir to some big-named conglomerate .... so ... his past remains a thinker.

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Were we separated at birth? I have been saying, on anyplace that has places to post about this show, that I want Jin Rak paired up with his editor. She is hilarious, and is probably one of the few people who really knows him--the only person really in this entire show. And I am not saying this because I really HATE Do Hwi more than nearly any other character (including outright villains) I have seen in kdrama. She gets such a negative response from me that the whole idea of having the writers putting her together with Jin Rak makes me want to run for the hills before I commit a crime.

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I agree on all accounts. What's fantastic about Jin Rak's & his editor is that they're so open with each other. It's a nice change of pace from how careful he is with Dok Mi. He treats Dok Mi like a scared woodland creature. Don't get me wrong, I find his crush adorable and very realistic (I loved a friend from afar in college, so I know how that goes). But I feel like if he got together with Dok Mi right now, it'd be because he wants to protect her, whereas if he hooks up with his editor, it'll be because he can be real with her.

Also, Do Hwi is detestable because she's so realistic. She's not an over the top villain like we see in a lot of dramas. She's a true bully--manipulative and entitled and insecure and cowardly. It's very disturbing to see her in action because I feel like I've seen her in real life. Ugh.

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yeah, Do-hwi has no pure motives for anything she does and is a selfish nasty piece of work. And editor-nim has a sense of humour plus she gets Jin-rak in a way that we haven't seen anyone else understand him, so I am all on board that ship too if him+Dok-mi is not to be.

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Yeah, I was putting my money on chaebol, but mafia heir seems more accurate.

THE EDITOR. She is so awesome. And she's even Jin-rak's foil like Enrique is for Dok-mi. She sees straight past the bullcrap and calls him out on his wimpiness. I do hope the editor gets fleshed out so that she can end up with Jin-rak.

And yes- Do-hwi is quite frighteningly realistic and not nice at all. I started out sort of liking her character for being so hilariously obvious, but that started to have more of an edge as their past came out, and she was outright cruel rather than just misunderstood.

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Oh I agree. Yes pls more screen time for JR's editor and less screen time for the ex-friend. Poor poor JR I hope he never falls for her. Thank you db & gf for your great recaps. I love this drama can't wait to see how it ends.

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Thanks for the recap! (I'm so, so happy Viki is subbing the show now -- I'm finally able to stay at pace with the recapping. :))

I totally agree about Tae-joon and Seo-young being interesting at a distance. They're like the main couple from another drama (where Enrique's the heart-clenching second lead). And I kind of adore this sense that we're just peeking into this big, dramatic story for a brief moment or two. But just a peek is enough.

And Enrique is kind of heart-breakingly sad on the inside, isn't he? I feel like he doesn't have any real friends (especially with his two mains entangled in their own drama). I want him and Jin-rak to become best-buds.

Is it weird to have second-lead syndrome over the two male characters? 'Cause I think I kind of do. I want all three of them (throwing in Dok-mi now) to be besties. But I don't see how it can be managed. Which makes me sad.

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Thanks you so much for the wonderful recap! ^^

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This episode was kind of ...depressing? , heavy?... Poor Jin Rak. I feel his pain...how i wish he ended up with the editor, but not alone u.u

I loved it when seoyong told Enrique to leave and after he realized she
was being serious, the first thing he did was looking at Dok Mi...

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Yes! As if the only thing that mattered to him was not what Seo Young was saying, or what his decision is, but how did Ahjumma react? In my opinion this is a very transparent manifestation of any feelings he may have. *crosses fingers*

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Yes. Poor Jin-rak. He tries so hard but constantly fails and I feel so, so sorry for him! Almost like he was someone I know in real life. This is how good this drama is.
I also love that Enrique's super-annoying-shell gets cracked. I might start liking him a little more once he shows what's underneath.

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Yoon Shi Yoon is really good with showing emotions just through his face. I hope to one day see him and Joo Won reunite (they were brothers on Baker King) on a project.

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Now THAT would be something SO. WORTH. SEEING!

I actually haven't seen Baker King yet (will be starting it now), and honestly have not seen Yoon Shi Yoon in anything. Or maybe I did, but I don't remember. Then I saw Gaksitaaaaaaal (*tears*, can't help but remember), and I was totally WOWed with Joo Won.

And then I saw this, and... And I have completely fallen for Yoon Shi Yoon! I hope they have a project together, but they should both be leads.

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You can also try Me too, flower! It's more digestible than Baker.

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I agree with you, I liked Me too Flower than Baker King =)

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Me too! I watched the child scenes of Baker King, and then the adults came in and I couldn't even watch one full episode.
Then I liked Yoon Shi-yoon in Me Too Flower, but his character got annoying.
So far in FBND, I like him the most. His acting is good, his character doesn't lie for stupid reasons. He's getting better and better for me.

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Haha. If you do watch and finish Baker King, watch the special (like what School 2013 got). Nice to see the cast smiling and cracking jokes (especially the villains) after all that melodrama.

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It can be tough going but stay with it - it is SO worth it - both YSY and JW were terrific in that

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I'll be disappointed if they draw out the Enrique/Seo-young thing for much longer because, like you said, Enrique has moved on. They would have to make Seo-young the clingy girl or worse yet Enrique might entertain the idea of pursuing that relationship. Both of those lines seem like steps backward which would be a let down.

Also, if Jin-rak doesn't end up with Dol-mi, then I hope he ends up with his editor because that just seems fun.

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I'd love if Jin-rak ends up with his editor, she's bananas and I love how stressed out she always is, lol. Imagine what a pair they'd be.

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Totally! Imagine him trying his sloooow method of gradual feeling expression with her. First she'd explode at him to confess all ready and he'd explode back not to interfere with his process :)

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Haha HA! I can totally see that.

Already when Ji Rak and Enrique have a joint exploding session, I adore them both. Which is funny, because I almost always find a temper a turn off.

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a total manic depressive couple!

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And I also don't want Seo Young to be the third-wheel, clingy, obsessive, pathetic girl that we always see on kdramas. I actually really like her character now just the way it is. And with this episode, I found her even more likable because she finally tried to snap out of her unrequited love.

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I liked Seo young because she wanted Enrique to be free. Now this..."i like you because you liked me and i didn't realize" thing seems like he's her backup. Who wants to be back-up true love? Even if Enrique hadn't moved on, it's not as if she is choosing Enrique out of pure love. It's choosing him because she feels responsible for him or because he's there and hyung isn't there. Either way...who can take a love like that?

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Same here! She had her own thing going and she wasn't a mean girl, and I actually really like that about her. I hope the go-back-to-Spain plan isn't about trying to start up with Enrique in the absence of hyung, or that she realises sharpish that it isn't working.

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I don't think her wanting to go back to Spain means she wants to start something with Enrique. I mean, he's practically her bestfriend. Maybe she just wants a company. And knowing that Enrique doesn't really have a reason for staying in Korea, then maybe she thought that's something she could easily ask from him. I know that still sounds selfish of her but if I was in her position, heart massively broken and all, I would've also tried to ask for my bestfriend to be with me.

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That's possible. But really, who totally leaves her homeland because of a lost love? When she kept repeating to Enrique, "What do I do?" I kept thinking... "poor heartbroken soul." But then she comes up with this move to Span and I'm like... "Uhm, does all her life depend on these two guys? Does she have no family? Does she have no destiny or purpose outside of these guys?" So, unless there's something else going on with Seo young that we haven't seen yet, she seems to be doing the "responsible" thing by trying to love Enrique because he loved her so much...keeping her pic and all.

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Carole - well, Enrique did say her parents are dead, so I think it's safe to assume she has no immediate family and no problems leaving the homeland, so to speak.

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Wow!! I hadn't remembered that. Thanks, Pogo. Poor kid. Makes things hard for her. And for Enrique. Is it me or are all the girls in this drama -- except for Bleary-eyed Editor-- all in some weird stasis..and stuck in their lives somehow? Yep, am including Dol Hwi as well (cause I'm still hoping she really wants the old friendship back.) And maybe am thinking about Ahumma.

Uhm...this is really making me ponder. So the women in the dramas are variants of Rapunzel who all need something to remove them from their world and to save them? Lotta "saving the wounded woman" undercurrent in this drama.

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I'm totally on the shiny board of the JR/editor (PD?) crackship! This would be hilarious, but also kind of cute. She's the complexte opposite of DM, loud and a bit more on the plain side, which makes this ship even more ironic, I guess.

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quite a good analysis on enrique's character and emotional development!

cousin tae joon is good to look at but pretty annoying. as women it is often hard for even the best of us to scope the situation based on silence, inaction and/or mere mistreatment. i much more prefer to be dismissed bluntly than to be led on and become the victim of the push pull and indecision. it's cowardly and not fair and that's what tae joon did to seo young. i thought seo young was a spoiled, delusional brat at first but this episode showed that her relationship with tae joon wasn't the typical one-sided faux relationship but that she genuinely waited (albeit stupidly) based on both of their feelings. but tae joon could have done them both good and saved her from being unnecessarily hurt by telling her from the beginning that they were just never going to happen . . . ever.

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Agree: If you're not interested, say so. If it's a "maybe or later" then be clear about the conditions so I can decide what I want to do for myself. I can understand than a romantic story went wrong but here it even never started. Give me back my years!

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Agree: If you're not interested, say so. If it's a "maybe or later" then be clear about the conditions so I can decide what I want to do for myself. I can understand than a romantic story went wrong but here it even never started. Give me back my years!

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I wish i knew what Tae Joon's problem is. Is he not in love? IS he in love but guilty about taking her from Enrique? Love that is real is one thing but if we have people who can't love other people because they feel responsible to someone else, that'll be annoying. And way too much noble idiocy.

Tae Joon's going off to the military, right? (Who knows? In the future, Enrique might have to do it....but he'll be better at long-distance communication than hyung.) Is Tae Joon unsure of his sexuality? IS Tae Joon insecure? I really at a loss to figure out this guy.

He seems communicative enough with Enrique, but I wonder if his silence and quietness (cause he seemed a bit solitary also before Enrique dropped by) is what drew Dok Mi to him?

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In the first ep. I remember the customs official muttering something about 'everyone has dual citizenship now to get out of army duty' or something like that, so it looks like Enrique wouldn't have to do that.
Tae Joon is a mystery is to me, too. I thought it was really striking when he admits that he's lonely to Enrique, but Enrique just totally brushes it off and starts going off about Dok Mi and the texts. :/
Carol, I always enjoy your comments about this drama! You're super insightful!! :)

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Thanks so much, Cutie! I don't know why i keep thinking about Ramyun Shop where Cha Chi Soo's dual citizenship was taken away by his dad. I keep thinking that somehow Enrique is gonna end up going to military service.

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I really like the way the writers are handling all the relationships, but I wish Jin-rak would just dare to do something riskier. I'm dying to see him interact more with Dok-mi, because right now she doesn't consider him that much.

Ughh, I hate loving Jin-rak so much because it means my heart'll break when Dok-mi and Enrique end up together :'(

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ROFL, I love, love, LURVEE the Panda Editor scenes, she's just a total riot! I'm thinking of wearing a headband just like her while I'm working at home. Please, writer-nims, we know she is your avatar but don't be shy, share with us more of her...pretty please??

And I can watch Enrique and Jin Rak testily bickering back and forth all day long *wipes my tears away, too much laughing*

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OMG I totally love the dark-circle editor!

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Me too!! lol there is a lovely pic of Jin Rak with the adorable PD/agony-aunt on Kim Ji Hun's twitter @jiraishin99 ( are we allowed to say that here? *cough* )

It made me a little sad for Jin rak when she critiqued about how the characters are not drawn as well as the backdrops, but she may yet help him realise that he shouldn't be running away from his 'real life' because talent is something that no amount of passion can ..well... produce...

I love that we have confirmed that Dong hoon ( as previous recaps have speculated that he is a driver ) is not a sleazebag hehe But its sad too to see how hard he has to work for cash to keep the ''teacher-apprentice'' life afloat, whilst his hyung thinks he is playing at the night clubs... He is obviously talented but poor, yet still loves drawing enough to be a struggling webtoonist... gaaah...

I love all these flower guys... but Jin rak most of all heehee...

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i love the way she talks. Jin rak AND the editor have this way of yelling which is SO. FUNNY.!

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I adore the editor! She's the only other female besides DM that I find tolerable, and I'm shipping her with JR so hard now.

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Moral lesson of the story: put cell phone in vibrate, better yet silence it when spying. ;)

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LMAO! I was just going to say that! I really felt bad for Jin Rok...that was preeeetttty embarrassing nyehehe

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I almost shouted "keep your head down!" while I was watching it. LOL. I wished he just crawled away and kept himself out of sight. :D

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If this drama keeps up this level of awesomeness, it's going to be a hard drama to beat this year. I am SO loving Enrique and Dok Mi and Jin Rak. I feel so bad for Jin Rak, but I'm on the Enrique ship all the freakin' way.

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I <3 this show so, SO much. In addition to everything being awesome, Jin-rak's webtoon PD/editor is HYSTERICAL. I cackled like a mad witch during that scene. Thank you for the recap! I love being able to re-live each episode just after watching it.

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i like what you said JB - that this drama is exploring about understanding more than romance. i think the writer is highlighting "understanding among neighbours" rather than romance. in reality, that is really so. we all want to live warmly with our neighbours and most of the time they are the ones who understand us because they see us, even know our schedules, on a daily basis.

and yes, hippo has its purpose too.

i love the reality of this drama. a refreshing change from the usual korean drama with predictable plots.

thank you JB

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I love this drama, especially Dokmi and Enrique
They act so well
Can't wait for next week's
Thank you for recap.

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Ahhhh!!!!! Can it be Monday again???? I seriously love this drama... I'm almost wishing I would had waited till it finished airing, that way I could just marathon all 16 episodes.

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I am really loving this drama from week to week. I love how they know how to draw out an emotional moment juuuust long enough and then undercut it with hilarity and it manages not to be jarring. Case in point: Jin Rak getting caught spying while Enrique and Dok Mi are talking. I laughed so hard :)

On an unrelated note, the song posted here is really lovely. Thanks for all the wonderful music you've introduced on your site. I might not have discovered Infinite of Sound or Busker Busker without you!

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Officially shipping Jin Rak and his editor after this episode. No shame.

Also, with this possible shift up ahead (where our main triangle is concerned), I'm more worried about how the Enrique and Jin Rak 'bromance' is going to be affected than anything else. They are my Heungsoo and Namsoon of this universe. They just need to love each other. ;~;

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yeah Jin rak is so gruff with him, trying to dislike him because he sees him as a rival, but the way he can't help himself when he warms up to the lonely Enrique, makes me smile so silly hehehe

Thanks for the recap javabeans...so, much, love!

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Me too as well. And am hoping Dong Hoon gets a nice girl as well.

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I'm becoming more and more enamored with Dong Hoon...he's a scene stealer for me. The way he sidled along the wall when #402 was confronting the two guys in black suits made me laugh out loud.

And I LOVE that editor and want to see more of her as well! She's so refreshing.

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I am loving each and every episode that's coming out... I can't believe after gushing about it to my friends, its already been a month since this awesomely cute but so well written and acted drama has appeared in my life... and we are already halfway into it, but still the momentum is only getting better and better! Yay for good guys not being completely foolish and be taken in by 'predatory' women... so cheers all round... Poor Jinrak, I feel for him... ♥

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Poor Jin Rak indeed! Just like JB said, he really did look traumatized by that kiss...

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Yeah, poor guy. Not only is he not gonna get the girl, but he gets kissed by the human llama. Sucks to be him.

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Uh, wasn't that his first kiss as well? Didn't his roomie say he'd heard he'd never been kissed? So his first kiss was forced on him, in public, with someone he didn't like who has been doing her level best to, yes, impersonate a llama.

I'd be traumatised as well.

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LOL he's gotta be the purest son-of-a-chaebol ( hardly playboy material) if he has never been kissed, and harbours such lofty romantic ideals... robbed of his first kiss by a girl he doesn't like... aaaaaaw jin rak....

the look in his eyes as he realised Dol hwi knows his origins is really.... (scary? not quite but he doesn't look like he will be letting things go does it...) afterall, he didn't get to avoid recapture? by his father's minions? for three long years, changing his name etc just to avoid whatever it is that is his life... aaargh i need more of his back story hehehe

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Poor Jin-rak.

I wish I could do my level best to eradicate the memory of that kiss, short of providing actual bleach for his brain, but I can't actually do more than sympathise.

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Human llama. OHMYGOD HAHAHAHA

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It sucks indeed. Only saving grace would be to end up with Panda Editor.

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This is getting better and better. I think the threat of separation (enrique and seo young going to spain TOGETHER) will make Dok Mi realise how much she will miss him. Fingers crossed!

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Either that, or Dok Mi will reason with Enrique that going with Seo Young will only hurt him more, since he's just being used as a rebound boyfriend or something.

I CAN'T WAIT for them to fall in love. hehe. I know they're already starting to like each other. Or at least, Dok Mi's starting to understand him, which for her is a big step.

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I can't wait for them to fall in love too! I mean, we know it's going to happen, but the how and how exactly is nowhere near clear, and I love that.

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Great episode, but I find Do-hwi and Seo-young to be really frustrating characters. At least Seo-young is sweet and knows when she's done wrong, unlike Do-hwi. Also, Tae-joon is a good guy, but I find him totally uninteresting as a character. These three I could do without if, you know, this was a drama with no existential conflict that only focused on the romance of the main couple. But, like so many dramas, that is not the case, so I put up with these three. I have very little patience for Do-hwi, though. Every time she's on the screen I like her less and less.

I liked the new glimpses into Enrique's character. He must be used to negative comments about himself if he jumps to that conclusion so readily. Which is pretty sad. I hope he gets lots of good comments from Dok-mi in the future.

The sasaeng fan thing is really creepy. Are there really fans like that? Major creepiness.

Also, the idea that Seo-young wants to go back to Spain with Enrique RIGHT AWAY to give him a second chance is really bad form, and totally mean of her. I hope he turns her down. I really want him to, so she can be taught a lesson. You snooze, you lose.

Eagerly anticipating next week. Thanks for the recap, Javabeans!

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There are sasaengs like that and ones that are worse. some sneak into a celebs home and steal their underwear. Some beat up regular fans if they dont think they are dedicated enough. I watched a documentary where it said some sasaeng sell their bodies to cab drivers so that they can follow their 'oppa's' all day free of charge. It's really scary.

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I find Do-hwi especially frustrating, and I'll find Seo-young equally so if she now turns clingy (which could very well be). Seo-young and Tae-joon should just work out their relations at a distance as Javabeans says - they are not particularly interesting characters and if Seo-young turns into the clingy girl stereotype I'm not sure I'll be able to keep watching. Even just the whole plane ticket thing has me annoyed. So, she just has lots of money around to buy two tickets to Spain and does so overnight, not even asking Enrique anything? Selfishly presuming he'll go with her just because she wants so, but not even asking what dates would suit him? Because, maybe, there is stuff he has to tie up, given that he's been doing promotional work in Korea? Of course, K-dramas never care about real life details like this...

Do-hwi... I just don't understand why no one in this show tells her to f*ck off. If I ever had an ex-friend like that in my life, I'd block her number, never respond to her calls and if I accidentally ran into her I'd cut her off after a half a minute and walk away. And everyone around Dok-mi, why do they indulge Do-hwi? Why does Jin-rak escort her when he can clearly see that she isn't drunk? And you can't tell me he couldn't have pushed her off sooner (and unfortunately since she 'got' the kiss, it may well be that she'll get him in the end which I'd hate because this girl deserves no redemption?)? The only hope I've got is that Jin-rak now picked up on the fact the Do-hwi knows both his names, hopefully meaning he has realised that she's pretending and faking and should never be trusted and indulged again. Ughhh.

I like Enrique and like the idea of pulling Dok-mi out of her little world and their developing relationship, but there is too much screen time and too much of the story line invested especially in Do-hwi and possibly soon also in Seo-young. :-(

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Oh... and the smartphone stealing ajumma that put Enrique's photos online. Other than being silly (Enrique being in photos with Seo-young makes them a couple? Plus, being the social butterfly he is, he's bound to have gazillion of photos with lots of people, male and female.), if they are going to twist that theft into something dark (blackmail, bribing, etc.), I'm going to be annoyed.

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I agree. Those are the weak points...but they have the possibility to be turned into strong points.

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We are half-way through the drama though... Do-hwi has already occupied too much screen time already.

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I don't know, it may be the sheer volume of pics with Seo-young that might have tipped Thief Ajumma off that SY is not just some fan. And given that Korean media turn even the most minor evidence of closeness between a guy and girl into a 'scandal' if it's someone famous, I can find this somewhat plausible, if absurd.

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I know... but I still hate that kind of plot point. :-(

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alua - I'm not a fan of it either, it doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the drama somehow - like it belongs on Boys Before Flowers or something, while this is an entirely different show.

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I'm thinking it's someone who E "could not walk away because of their pain" based on his personality and she misinterpreted his actions as in "he loves me"....Peeping DM across the street got more than she bargained for when E caught her ....same thing here for him only this past "project" may have some mental issues.

There are consequences to making ppl "self-aware" especially if the person is unstable. All the more reason to look before you leap into something, be crystal clear about your actions and motivations, or do things by proxy being a silent partner.

Since personalities don't change so E should be learning a huge lesson on how to get involved with complete strangers....I'm totally making all of this up. :)

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awww...we're halfway, i hope this drama would not end...yay, i do love this drama and all the characters except do hwi although she's also an impt. ingredient of the show. i esp. love park shin hye, yoon shi yoon and kim ji hoon. jb, thanks for the wonderful recap...next week again.

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I am so rooting for JinRak, it's not even funny. I know its a sinking ship but still I luff him a lot. I live his grumpiness, his earnestness in regards to Dokmi, his fights with editor (and no I'm not shipping them as you can't turn your feelings on and off in the blink of an eye. I think Dokmi could have been happy with him if only he had reached out to her earlier. I know guys say he doesn't know her as well as Enrique but I'd hd had intruded he would gave known her pretty well. I mean Enrique thought she was a pervert when he met her but now since he spent time with her he knows her better.

I can see why Enrique will end up with her but he is exhausting at times. He is like an energizer bunny and I want him to slow down at times.

Love Dokmi but I wish she would give JinRak a chance even half a chance.

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I luff JR too. In real life he would be my personal preference, 'cause I agree with you about ER, he's too exhausting. After having my poor second-lead-shipper heart broken by too many Kdramas to count, I have firmly resolved to give up the futile habit though, and so shipping JR with editor/panda girl is my way of deflecting!

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I have super hyper always-moving noisy friends like Enrique (I do love him, but he does get exhausting). When it gets to be too much, I have to sneak away and find a quiet, dark room and put a cold cloth on my eyes just to lower my heart rate and stop the brain buzz.

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At the moment, Enrique would be the type of person you would let into your life and have a life-changing summer fling with, but then you'd married Jin Rak because he's such a solid and steady sort of guy.

I think I can see myself going for Enrique in real life after he changes a bit. His noisy, nosy self seems like a facade he puts on to avoid facing reality. Maybe once we peel away those layers, he'd be a less exhausting guy to live with.

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I love this drama when it focuses on the three main leads but get somewhat irritated when I have to watch the other side stories being played out (except the one with Jin Rak and his editor-they're so cute together). Tae Joon and Seo Young are interesting in theory but the execution doesn't bring the needed interest. I'm sure there's a reason why Dong Hoon's night job as a designated driver was kept hidden for many episodes but so far not interested to know why. Poor Ryu can be taken out of most scenes he's in and nothing would change in the story. Do Hwi is just terrible. I even have little interest in finding out what Jin Rak's back story is. But all that aside, seeing Dok Mi and Enrique's growing relationship just makes me smile. And Jin Rak makes me ache for him whenever he sees Dok Mi opening up to Enrique.

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I understand what you mean but i think in every good love story, it's the background and the sub-plots that hold up the main story. Kinda like what Jin Rak's editor is saying (or what the screenwriter is saying at us in a cinematic winking) that the writer of any artform has to balance the background with the main characters. It's like listening/reading/watching Romeo and Juliet... we are totally not interested in what's going on with everybody else...all we want to see are the main characters..and in memory we think of the story as being primarily a love story...But other stuff is going on all over the place. I think the screenwriter is doing a very good job at putting the beautiful background in and NOT letting subplot, other characters, over-take the main couple. Even if they seem distracting now, I really think Ryu and Ahjumma and Dol Hwi are playing their part and contributing to the main character's story.

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Secondary character story arcs are all well and good, but if they pull some sort of redemption arc for Dol-hwi I will be seriously annoyed. I hate redemption arcs, unless they are for the main character and are the focus of the story (Mawang, for example). Redemption has to be SERIOUS to be believable, and I can't recall a single drama that has managed to pull it off for a supporting character. Instead, we get something like the secondary females in Brilliant Legacy or Rooftop Prince, whose redemption stories were shoved over our heads like a badly fitting, scratchy sweater from Crazy Aunt. Don't go there, Show.

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Wow!!! I totally understand. I did like Jae Hee's redemption in Nice Guy but she was already conflicted in the beginning so she was well on her way to hitting bottom and getting redemption.

Not sure how i feel about Jung Ho in School. Not quite buying it but at least there's a touch of realism there.

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ita, Carole - I can buy a sympathetic villain who feels bad about their actions (Nice Guy and School worked for me, for this reason) but otherwise, not really.

Though what frustrated me about Shining Inheritance was choosing to make the sister evil in the first place, she was an ok character to start off with.

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Hi Pogo.

Is shining Inheritance the same as 100 year inheritance? I'm so not up on the different titles for these dramas. (One place calls it three-generation noodle shop) The sister-in-law seems to be the epitome of apathy. She sees evil and knows it to be wrong but either isn't brave enough to challenge Evil Mom (or even confide to her brother about Mom's plans) or she just doesn't really have the heart to care about someone not related to her by blood. It's as if she is totally going along with the "blood is thicker than water" belief of her mother so --even if she doesn't hate the outsider-- she's gonna do what she has to do for the family's sake.

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Carole - Shining Inheritance also goes by Brilliant Legacy in the tags here, and is NOT the same as 100 Year Inheritance! (that's the one with the creepy mother and the ramyun shop, right? I keep reading about it in OT). This one stars Lee Seung-gi, Han Hyo-joo and Moon Chae-won and dates back to around 2009 or 10.

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Pogo,
Thanks for explaining.

I've never seen Shining Inheritance but am watching 100 year inheritance. It's a really good drama and would you believe there's a sister-in-law who is kinda NOT evil in that she never does anything bad herself to her sister-in-law. (At least, not yet...but maybe later) But she doesn't do anything good either. She just watches the evil done. Passive evil, perhaps, cause she is indifferent to the suffering of her sis-in-law.

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Love this line: "...shoved over our heads like a badly fitting, scratchy sweater from Crazy Aunt." :)

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me too me too

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I get what you mean. A story can't just be about the main leads, it has to create a balance between them and the side characters. The thing that bothers me about this drama is that it's not balanced. The interest for me lies solely with the main leads. A great drama should also have side characters that not only add to the creation of the world the main leads live in but also have an interesting story of their own. This is the only flaw for me in this drama, that my interest is strictly to just one part, instead of the drama as a whole.

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I hope Seo-young decides to use the second ticket to Spain for Do hwi :)

It'll be some good riddance ^^

Not that that's going to happen :(

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Yeah, they can go together! And talk about their failed attempts at love / unrequited loves. hehe
Though I worry -- Do Hwi's gonna be some Bad Influence with a capital B and I for Seo Yeong.

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LOL.. Never thought of that

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ugh, no, poor Seo-young is at least trying to be a nice person, why inflict Do-hwi on her?

Though it could be awesome because Seo-young does at least speak her mind and would probably snap at Do-hwi at some point.

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Have you seen the character description for TJ? Well its on the Viki page and I'm not 100% sure its from the official character descriptions they released but it seems pretty legit. It really changed my perspective on him.

It says he actually loves Seo-Young but hides his feelings because he knows how Enrique feels (felt?) about her.

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I felt like that already - glad to hear it confirmed! He seems to genuinely care for her and is very solicitous of her, but he always looks to Enrique when they (TJ and SY) are together. Like when Enrique came home to see him setting up the new TV and Seo Young popped out - he looked guilty, like Enrique had caught him out or something. I think Tae Joon is choosing his cousin over his crush (on Seo Young).

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oh, he does? I thought he might, and now I like them all a lot better now it's confirmed.

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So speedy, jb, thanks!

Such a good episode, my mind is going in all directions. I love the webtoon editor gal and Jin Rak. So funny how he is creating a webtoon based on life around him, and she is revising the webtoon in a way that gives him insight back into real life around him that shocks/scares him.

Enrique – a moving mass of colorful colliding molecules. Jin rak – when the frame is on him alone, it’s as if it is shot in black and white. It’s so funny how their conversations centered around Dok Mi sound as if they’ve known each other a long time. They want to hear what the other knows/thinks/feels so they kind of confide in one another.

Do hwi is annoyingly poisonous. She has no redeeming qualities (thus far) and is an ex-friends who should remain as such.

I realize I don’t like Tae Joon very much either. What older brother would hang with his younger brother’s recent ex- girlfriend under uncomfortable circumstances, and then give them both a day's notice before he leaves? I wasn't surprised at Seo-Young's turnaround, but am anxious to see how it plays out.

luv luv luv fbnd!

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I'm thinking that if Seo Young realizes how much Dok Mi and Enrique like each other, she will step aside. Either because she is only trying to love him because she feels responsible for his love. Or she is loving him because she feels needy and she will recognize that. Will see. I think she has a good heart. God help us if she gets dangerously needy and manipulative. Don't think she will, though.

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yeah, I think Seo-young has a good heart too, she's just a touch oblivious to things right now and probably needs to readjust - she'd want to be a good friend to Enrique after all, she's the one who zeroed in on the fact that a girl got under his skin with all those Internet words last episode.

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the writer of this post is so expressive and crystal clear...Keep up the work...loved ur recap and comments

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thanks for the recap! im loving every episode!

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I'm looking forward to another episode next week. Next week is a far wait but nonetheless it will be worth it. Thanks JB for the recap. Dok Mi and Que GeuM <3 Please get together next ep. !

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thank you!

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thanks girlfriday for the recap! i can't say just how much i'm loving this drama more and more, but i have to bear with the pain for a week while waiting for the next 2 episodes. :(

i'm really loving enrique, dok mi and jin rak, their personalities are all so unique and compelling in so many ways. though i feel for jin rak and pity him so much, i gotta say i'm definitely rooting for enrique to be with dok mi cuz i can't stand their cuteness together.

we're halfway through the drama already, and so far every episode never lets me down. hopefully this good vibe will continue for the second half fo the drama! (:

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I had a thought today during Dok Mi's narration section and combined with when she said, "Will I ever understand you?" to Do Hwi...

Do you think she's writing a book about her and Do Hwi? That maybe the book is a way to try and understand what went wrong in their relationship? Because some of the quotes seem to sometimes fit Do Hwi more. Like the quote about smiling and laughing to cover up the truth. Dok Mi doesn't really do that at all, she just gives a kind of off putting look and avoids eye contact before leaving.

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The only thing I thought when Dok-mi siad that was "Why do you care to understand her? Forget her already."

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But she keeps barging into her life! And what she did haunts Dok-mi. Bullying is no joke. I'm not surprised she hasn't recovered from that, from her parents divorce, from having no relationship with no parents who have new families. And then everything that happened post hermitdom: being ignored, pushed aside, etc.

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Maybe it'll be a sismance reunion story?

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Hi Raine!!!

I'm not surprised Dok-mi hasn't recovered either - that is perfectly understandable. But the 'barging in' is happening because Dok-mi is letting it happen.

She can recover without having to hang out with Do-hwi. She has to face the problem(s) but not necessarily Do-hwi in person. Yes, maybe it would be great to tell Do-hwi 'good riddance' directly, but I don't even that is needed to overcome a problem. She can get over the problem by going out into the world, learning to interact with other people, saying no or speaking up whenever difficult situations arise but attending a cooking class with Do-hwi, standing in the hallway and engaging in back-and-forth conversations or even mostly listening in silence don't resolve anything.

She just needs to cut her out. It's perfectly doable - I've done this myself (haven't been truly bullied but I've done it with guys who didn't want to get the message the nice way that I wasn't interested in them).

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I'm not saying I want them to be friends again. Obviously Do Hwi is poisonous and disgusting as a friend. But Dok Mi might be writing the book to help work through her issues and THAT I'm definitely on board with.

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the one laughing and smiling was about Enrique. She writes what she feels about the events of that day.

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Thank you,thank you,thank you!:)

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thanks jb

Oh jin rak you 've got no chance with dok mi at all !

but I luub your character, so just be a successful

webtoon artist cum writer and help dong hoon like he is

your brother !!. And don't end up with your zany

eyebag boss.

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I don't know about you guys, but I find Jin-rak really annoying. He did not give any space for Enrique and Dok Mi to breath, because he was there in EVERY scene. Especially for Enrique, because he would enjoy being by Dok Mi's side, but once he sees Jin Rak, he just pushes her to him..Other than this, I'm glad this drama is going somewhere, because I think this ending should wake Dok Mi up and make her realize that shes falling for Enrique. (vise versa)

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Are you watching the same drama. How many DM-plastic face scenes JR intruded in ?

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You always seem to have a problem with YSY's face or something. This is like the 2nd or 3rd time I've heard him you. Ruuuuude.

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DM-plastic face...? This fandom is getting to be too much.

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But how adorable was it that he stopped at the elevator and went back outside and hid behind the trash bins to (I think) make sure Dok Mi was okay because Jin rak sees Enrique as unpredictable. True to his character, it is distance protection mode and that gap is widening as Enrique moves in and Jin rak remains afar.

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It was super adorable, and hilarious too. But I feel bad for him, especially when Enrique is making such an effort to not come between his new hyung and Dok-mi.

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thank you for the recap! just glad to be one of those who enjoy it... IMMENSELY!!!

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Nice episode, nice recap!!! I love Enrique and Dok Mi, I love the idea of PD having feelings for Jin Rak :P And I'm really really terrorised to Psycho - Ajumma. Her eyes were... so cold!!! I'm scared she will make a big trouble!!!

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im so in love with ENRIQUE!!!!!!!!!!
like seriously it feels like im flying in the sky!
ohhh my im sooo obssessed with his character.
he is just the most amazing thing that any girl can ever wish for! so bright, shining, chattering, hyper, full of positivity n positive energy! yet at the same time sensitive, caring with so many layers of depth in his character, serious yet at the time so warm, thoughtful, mature n touching!

he is like everything that i can ever dream for.
just wow im just so amazed about the way he is and how amazing he is. even if its just a drama, wow watching him just touches me, n wish in my deepest prays to end up with a guy like him.

WOW I M SO SUPER EXCITED FOR NEXT WEEK"S EPISODES!!!

I SERIOUSLY CANNNNOT WAIT!!

yooon shi yoon got to say -- amazed by your talents in acting!!!!!

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Jin-rak and the PD lady boss is hilarious.i like to see more scene of this two.Dok-mi and enrique my OTP.

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Dok-mi counters that she did it because she knows how he really feels and was afraid an irrevocable misunderstanding might arise: “Stop doing that, comforting Seo-young and worrying about her. That’s not your duty.”

did someone in a K-drama just give advice that makes sense and isn't terrible?

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hurray for brilliant writing, acting and character motivations that actually makes sense!! =D

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but in the preview it looks like dok mi let enrique go with seo young :/

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haha their previews sometimes dont really turn out the way they project it to be!

remember the one where jin rak was chasing after the car and shouted for them to stop in the preview but in the next episode it turned out that he didnt actually do that and started coughing instead?

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Yup, the one this week that looked like Enrique confessing to Dok-mi, but in fact he was just having a conversation with Jin-rok on the roof...

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yeah! like I was - where was the part where they stopped and looked back at Jin Rak's direction?

anyway, best part of the preview for me this time is when Enrique was asked on when he started liking Dok mi. Eee! :D Here we go. Love triangle at full throttle! Well, if the drama doesn't change its mind again. :P

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