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Age of Feeling: Episode 14

Our hero wins over the hearts of the people through a simple act of violence, though I’m sure the fact that they were already predisposed to love him certainly helped. While most of the gang politics tend to revolve around Jung-tae and the role he’ll play in Shanghai’s future, it’s kind of funny just how oblivious he is to all the machinations going on around him. Eventually he’ll have to pick a side, but which one remains to be seen. Oh oh! Maybe he can pick neither and just start his own gang. I vote to bring back the Dobi Family.

Ratings rose by a hair, but are mostly staying even at around the 9.7% mark. I wonder if next week will bring a meteoric rise in numbers, now that You From Another Star has wrapped.

SONG OF THE DAY

Nell – “Dear Genovese” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 14 RECAP

Jung-tae and Jae-hwa’s soon-to-be brawl is interrupted when Jae-hwa’s notified of all the bedlam outside with the Bonus Police Brutality Day, causing him to run into the fray to start greasing police palms in order to save the frightened people of Bangsamtong. Aw.

Those who can start running toward the safety of the Red Cross clinic, including Ok-ryun. Jung-tae immediately runs to find her, and ends up taking on a large group of policemen single-handedly in order to protect her and the others.

The people cheer wildly as Jung-tae takes down their enemies, even when the captain of the regional police finally gets off his high horse to challenge Jung-tae.

It’s another armed vs. unarmed fight, but Jung-tae still dominates while (thankfully) avoiding more stab wounds. Everyone’s cheers are swiftly cut off when Jae-hwa emerges from the crowd and throws Jung-tae to the ground so that the police can finally restrain him.

Jae-hwa scolds the crowd like children for allowing the fight to happen, since the last thing they need is to get on the bad side of the law. He tells them all that it’ll be on them if Jung-tae dies while in prison, and tries to do some damage control by helping the injured policemen.

When Jung-tae doesn’t understand why he’s being arrested, Jae-hwa meets him at eye level to explain their situation in choice words—they may be Korean, but they’re not in Korea. They’re refugees without a home country who mean nothing to the authorities, and since Jung-tae beat up those authorities, he’s going to have to pay for it.

Jae-hwa then hands Jung-tae over to the police captain who lost the fight (and now holds a mean grudge), before telling him that he can do whatever he wants with Jung-tae.

Leader Seol acts like a complete tool when Jae-hwa confronts him over his orchestrated chaos as the latter demands that he keep to the promise they’ve held to for over twenty years regarding the official Police Brutality Days.

The points Jae-hwa brings up are valid, like how Leader Seol’s revenue from Bangsamtong will decrease if there’s no one left to live there after all this mayhem. But after Leader Seol smiles and mocks Jae-hwa, he turns dead serious as he pins the blame on him for putting Club Shanghai up as collateral in order to borrow money from Ilgookhwe’s bank.

Jae-hwa seems to be considering whether it’s worth it to just return the money to Ilgookhwe if it means getting Leader Seol to stop messing with his neighborhood, but all chances of that fly out the window when Leader Seol adds yet another condition: that he get a whopping seven percent of all the money coming out of Bangsamtong.

This is something Jae-hwa can’t abide by, because he knows the old man is just acting out of greed. He swears that he’ll pay Ilgookhwe back, even if it means selling his organs or splitting the management rights to Club Shanghai. He won’t take Leader Seol’s help, and makes sure to rub it in that his prized possession, Jung-tae, is now in federal custody.

Kaya is apprised of all events concerning Hwangbang and Jung-tae’s arrest, but sees it as a boon for Jung-tae, who became the new hero of Bangsamtong by fighting the authorities.

She’s also sure that those who would back Jung-tae as Bangsamtong’s new leader will start coming out of the woodwork, one by one.

Meanwhile, Jung-tae is mercilessly beaten in prison by the police captain he bested in their impromptu duel. After hitting Jung-tae enough to break his ribs, the captain sneers, “Did you want to be a hero?”

Jung-tae replies that he didn’t do it to be a hero, he did it because he wanted to protect the people. And then, with conviction burning in his eyes he adds, “Now, I will protect them.”

But then we see a softer, more jaded side to the captain as he reminds Jung-tae that they’re both men without a country and therefore can’t protect anything. Methinks Jung-tae will prove him very, very wrong.

Old Man Fly pulls together an impromptu committee consisting of Doctor Jung, Ok-ryun, and some of his men to figure out how they’ll fundraise to get Jung-tae out of prison.

While they take to the streets to collect from the public, Ok-ryun gathers all the money she’s saved to make a record for herself. She doesn’t care about that dream anymore, and would rather use it to save the man she loves—so she asks So-so who to give the money to.

As it just so happens, Jae-hwa is now without a main singer for Club Shanghai’s (re?)opening, and vows that he’ll do whatever it takes to borrow enough money to make sure the club doesn’t go down on his watch—even if he has to put the club up as collateral to get it.

So-so brings Ok-ryun to Club Shanghai, and endearingly calls Jae-hwa orabeoni, the olden term for oppa. So they know each other too? (To be fair, Bangsamtong is only so big.)

Baek-san tells Leader Seol about Jung-tae being tortured in prison, which the older man thinks is amusing, since Daddy Shin was once the same way. Because he lost his country, he came to Shanghai and took out his anger through fighting and getting beat up. And somehow that translated to him becoming the God of Shanghai.

But Baek-san again worries that Jung-tae will become like his father and won’t bend to their will, to which Leader Seol proposes a grooming/brainwashing plan in order to make Jung-tae loyal to Hwangbang… somehow. I give up with these two, I’ll wait to analyze them when they do something worth watching.

So-so and Ok-ryun hand over all the money she has to Jae-hwa in an effort to get him to spring Jung-tae. He all but scoffs at the paltry amount and stresses to them that Jung-tae beat up twenty-four police officers, not to mention the captain—it’ll take a lot more than what any of them have to free him.

Since he’s desperate for a singer though, Jae-hwa tells So-so to stand so he can give her the once over. He doesn’t like what he sees and mutters, “Let’s pretend this never happened.” Ha.

But when Ok-ryun offers to do anything in her power to free Jung-tae, even sing and dance for the club, Jae-hwa doesn’t give her the time of day. At least not until Doctor Jung shows up.

Jung-tae is thrown in a cell with fellow inmates after enduring more torture, though the inmates are more than happy to help their new hero. One of them even exclaims that watching him fight the authorities on their behalf was more exciting than when Sohn Kee-chung won the Olympic gold (in the 1936 Berlin Olympics).

Doctor Jung shows the Team Jung-tae supporters fundraising for his release to Jae-hwa, and explains how Jung-tae’s one act of defiance roused the people of Bangsamtong to fight for him.

“You want to become the owner of Bangsamtong?” she asks Jae-hwa. “Then defeat Jung-tae. If not, you’ll never become its owner.” He then watches as Leader Seol donates a large amount to help Team Jung-tae’s cause—partly to teach Jae-hwa a lesson, and partly because having a hero like Jung-tae can also help them in that regard.

Jae-hwa has a crisis of conscience over the new Cult of Jung-tae, because in his mind he’s done much more for the people of Bangsamtong without even receiving a third of the praise and adoration they’re giving Jung-tae.

He’s more rueful and envious than anything as he plays a game of “He loves me, he loves me not”, only he’s replaced flower petals with bar nuts and changed the game to “Kill him, let him live.” Even though the last mystical bar nut indicates that Jae-hwa should let Jung-tae live, he squashes it between his fingers.

Jung-tae lies awake in his prison cell that night, thinking of the people of Bangsamtong. In his thoughts, he asks his father for advice on what he should do from now on.

He goes still when the prison door creaks open, and uses his spidey-sense to narrowly avoid a dagger that suddenly comes rushing toward his heart. His mysterious assailant flees as soon as Jung-tae knocks him away. Dafaq? Seriously, Jung-tae. Just move to the Bahamas.

Leader Seol seems to have arranged for Jung-tae’s release and sounds all pleased with himself when he notes that a new leader of Shanghai will be born. Meanwhile, after collecting more borrowed money from Ilgookhwe’s bank, Jae-hwa heads out the door… only to find the people of Bangsamtong standing outside to cheer for him. They were told that he was going to help with Jung-tae’s release—but judging by Jae-hwa’s face, that was not what he planned to do with his money.

However, he’s always wanted appreciation and adoration, and that’s exactly what the crowd is giving him. It’s cute to see Jae-hwa totally cover for himself, now acting like he was totally going to save Jung-tae.

He also sneaks in a little PR for Club Shanghai while he’s at it, which the crowd is more than happy to support now that Jae-hwa’s their new hero. When Old Man Fly pats Jae-hwa on the back proudly and tells him “You really are the owner of Bangsamtong,” you see his eyes light up. Aw. (Is there a chance he was behind Jung-tae’s murder attempt?)

However, freeing Jung-tae is turning into another who-gets-the-body snafu, as Leader Seol makes it to the prison only to find out that someone else beat him to the punch. And no, it wasn’t even Jae-hwa—it was Kaya.

Kaya enters the scene and comments that Leader Seol and Daddy Shin must’ve been close, to which the elder replies that they were dan geum ji gyo, meaning that they were sworn brothers with an eternal bond.

She seems to highly doubt that, and even insinuates that Hwangbang might’ve had something to do with Daddy Shin’s murder—after all, aren’t they all gangs that kill people? Baek-san looks like he wants to punch her face in, but Leader Seol stops him.

He knows Kaya wants to know Daddy Shin’s cause of death and tells her that it came from twin sword wounds… much like the ones she carries. “If what you’re saying is true, then I suppose people would say I killed him,” Kaya replies, unshaken. “Is it not?” Leader Seol asks victoriously, before proving to everyone that Kaya and her minions were at the very same place where Daddy Shin died, right before she came to Shanghai.

This does shake her just a bit, but she covers for it by admitting the truth, that she did take his last breath. However, it was because he was already so badly beaten that he begged her to give him that one mercy.

Though Baek-san wants to peg her for murder, the law is on her side—she can claim just cause if her goal was simply to free him from pain. (Was assisted dying actually protected by law in the ‘30s, or did the show pull that from its bottom? I’m going to guess it’s the latter.) She then claims that Daddy Shin was dying from internal wounds caused by someone else, and we all know who.

In order to deter Kaya from spilling the whole truth, Leader Seol dangles a carrot she can’t refuse… by telling her that he knew her mother, and knows about her death. It’s a sort-of-kind-of veiled threat for her to keep her mouth shut until they can awkwardly set up a date to discuss the details.

At last, Jung-tae is freed from prison. All the good people of Bangsamtong are there to greet him along with Ok-ryun, who immediately pulls him into a hug. I love how Old Man Fly is all, “Get a room!” before giving Jung-tae tofu, the mandatory post-prison food.

Jung-tae spots all the big players nearby: Jae-hwa, Kaya, and Leader Seol. The latter knows that Kaya suspects them for Daddy Shin’s murder but doesn’t have proof, and is confident that he can keep her quiet by telling her about her mother’s death, which will turn her against Denkai and remove Ilgookhwe from Shanghai.

The thing is, Kaya knows very well that that’s exactly what Leader Seol plans to do (minus the part where Denkai is involved). So she’s prepared.

After Doctor Jung patches Jung-tae up and everyone else pays a visit, he’s left alone with Ok-ryun. After he gently pulls her down to sit beside him, he wonders if she suffered because of him.

She just shakes her head as she says that it was only after she realized that the money she saved for four years wasn’t even enough to see him for a day—and that the fact that there was nothing she could do for him was what made her suffer the most.

Jung-tae comforts her by telling her that she did all she had to do by just waiting for him before taking one of her hands in both of his. She takes it a step further by leaning forward to place a sweet (but brief) kiss on his cheek. D’aww, he looks so happy.

After reluctantly sending Doctor Jung off, Jae-hwa demands an apology from a man who bumped into him in passing. “Shouldn’t you be the one to apologize?” the man asks as he turns around… it’s Aoki(!!!).

I love that he is so not into Jae-hwa’s little power play, even as he identifies him by sight as “the leader that the people of Bangsamtong turned their backs on.” Ouch. Jae-hwa can’t say anything further as Aoki flashes his business card/badge of importance from the Japanese government labeling him as director of their public affairs intelligence bureau. Double ouch.

Shinichi (who’s been stalking about in Shanghai this episode) finally makes himself known to Jung-tae in order to draw him out for a fight. While Jung-tae thinks that everything Shinichi did before was a conspiracy to destroy the Dobi Gang (like Poong-cha’s death), Shinichi’s response is more along the lines of, Nope. I just wanted to kill you.

He’s come to finish what he started, so he and Jung-tae start their 2983928th battle to the death.

Meanwhile, Kaya pays a visit to Leader Seol in order to learn what he knows about her mother. He keeps calling her mother by Denkai’s family name, even though Kaya corrects him—her mother became Deguchi Ryoko, because she married Kaya’s father. (Though I’m confused about how he chose to call her mother Denkai Ryoko, when Denkai’s family surname is actually Doyama.)

Leader Seol’s reaction to that is strange, as though he remembers Kaya’s father but doesn’t find him as important a topic as Kaya seems to, since she proudly reminds him that she is in fact Deguchi Shinjo’s daughter. But she cuts to the chase: does he know who killed her mother?

She threatens him with a duel if he’s been misleading her, but he smiles as though he’s just humoring her and starts off, “I’ll tell you… now…”

But of course he doesn’t, because Baek-san comes in at juuust that time to call Leader Seol away to tell him about Shinichi and Jung-tae’s ongoing fight. In order to protect their golden ticket, Leader Seol sends Baek-san to help Jung-tae… along with Dokku. Hm. Was Dokku the one who told them about the fight in the first place?

During the mandatory mid-fight conversation break, Jung-tae asks Shinichi whether he’s doing this for Kaya or Ilgookhwe—because Kaya has no interest in taking over Shanghai. Jung-tae: “If you care about Kaya, let her go. I beg you.”

Since they’ve had this conversation before, Shinichi gives the same reply: “That’s her decision.” Jung-tae doesn’t buy it, but he’s also not in this just for her, since he’s got to avenge Poong-cha. End mandatory mid-fight conversation break.

Baek-san intervenes right when Jung-tae’s starting to wear down (he’s always in some state of injury), and the ensuing greeting between him and Shinichi makes it seem like they go way back.

And though they have an old personal score left unsettled between them, Baek-san isn’t here for that—he’s here to protect Hwangbang’s preciousssss, and forces Shinichi to fight as an agent of Ilgookhwe and not as an individual. Whoever loses has to leave Shanghai.

The epic showdown begins, with Shinichi wielding a wooden blade against Baek-san’s hands of steel. It sounds like two gods are waging war, when really it’s just Baek-san pulling out his signature blunt-force-kamehameha-tactic, the same one that killed Daddy Shin and left a mean-looking bruise on Jae-hwa.

Dokku sneaks up behind Jung-tae during the fight to prod him to really watch Baek-san make his move.

And as Jung-tae sees Shinichi spit up blood because of Baek-san’s blow, he’s instantly reminded of the marks left on his father’s dead body, unique bruises which could only have come from Baek-san’s hands… which means that Baek-san is his father’s murderer.

 
COMMENTS

I wish the show had been a little defter in handling the mystery of Daddy Shin’s murder—in that I wish they had tried to make it a mystery. At this point I’m actually hoping that Baek-san is just a red herring, because otherwise it all feels too easy, doesn’t it? I mean, at least we know Baek-san didn’t kill Kaya’s father, right? Maybe the mystery we have yet to learn is how Baek-san and Aka have the same very particular set of skills. (And I’m really just guessing at this point.)

This isn’t one of those situations where we got to know a character only to suddenly find out he’s the who in the whodunit, since we weren’t given time and/or a reason to connect to Baek-san or to care about the murder as it relates to him. We also didn’t really know Daddy Shin, the man he allegedly murdered. Our only anchoring point is Jung-tae, which is fine and all, but still not quite enough to set up a truly compelling, tension-fueled plot if the focus remains on his revenge—because when someone swears revenge in this show, they’re literally just swearing to take their time.

I’m really hoping that doesn’t happen, since suspense has never really been this show’s strongest suit—or even one of its weaker, but still-pretty-watchable suits. For instance, we don’t ever see Kaya actively seeking revenge (only once she had already found Daddy Shin), and the only reason why her mother was mentioned at all this episode is because the word was dropped in her lap without her having to do any mom-specific sleuthing. And then, when presented with her first lead in maybe ever—no matter how sure she was that Leader Seol wouldn’t give her an answer—the best she could come up with was to ask the exact same question she’s been asking for over five years: “Who killed my mother?” It’s as if she’s expecting someone to eventually just up and tell her the truth, even at her current (and alarmingly inefficient) rate of asking one person per calendar year.

Jae-hwa still continues to be a surprisingly interesting character, and I especially love him for being such an open book in a library of closed ones. We actually see him working toward one of the most simple goals out of anyone else’s: that of becoming a leader loved by his people. And you know what? It totally works. I don’t love everything he does, but I always get where he’s coming from and why. And as much as I love Jung-tae, I kinda can’t blame Jae-hwa for trying to oust him from the running—especially when he’s been working decades for something Jung-tae can now take from him by virtue of his father being the Second Coming. ‘Cause that’s how business works.

 
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Okay so I was mulling this for some time now, but why exactly again is the "owner of shanghai" the leader of bamsantong? I'm not entirely aware of what was happening in shanghai at this time period but I would imagine that shanghai is still part of China, is it not? While I do realize that the real owners of Shanghai is divided amongst the chirinbang, french, and somewhat some influential japanese too - but where exactly does jungtae's father or bamsantong plays in the equation? Why must these three seemingly powerful entities so venerates the very hair of someone who was not even chinese nor whose ethnicity doesn't seem to make up a huge population of the city either? Granted everyone in this show speaks hanggul but they are of different ethnicity, are they not? Why must the "owner of shanghai" be a foreign refugee who also houses many other refugees? If anything shouldn't they be at odds at each other? Hwangbang and the french literally takes turns to antagonize these people, yet they revere shin yung chul - a man of joseon? Why is bamsantong and club shanghai so damn important?

Is there something I'm missing here?

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Silverteem ~

Why is bamsantong and club shanghai so damn important?

Exactly. What does being the "owner" of Bamsantong mean? I guess it allows you to sic the cops on your own people, as shown by Leader(?) Seol. It looks like you can also lend money. Do these guys extort "protection" money? For Jae-hwa, it means he gets a shot at dating Doc Jung.

Club Shanghai: It's supposedly a money maker for the "owner" of Bamsantong . Jae-hwa has made some money renting it out to Gaya & Co. Why she needed to rent that place is beyond me. Prestigious address? So far it's been used as a meeting place, akin to the Loyal Order of Raccoon Lodge.

Leader(?) Seol & Baek-san: What is their end goal ? At first it was to make Jung-tae as the "new" leader of Bamsantong, they they tried to kill him. Now they just spent 50,000 Simoleons to free him from the clutches of the Federal Police. The Gang that Couldn't Get Their Sh*t Straight.

Where where the not so omnipotent Chilinbang while Jung-tae was in jail?

Princess Gaya: She's moved on from, "you killed my father, prepare to die" to "How you met my mother".

Jung-tae: Still fighting. I hope he makes babies with Ok-ryun before he gets himself killed.

The show is scheduled for 24 episodes, we're past the halfway mark and I don't see any hint at answering questions, achieving goals/quests or making any sense of the mess.

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What galls me is Gaya's weird perfection. She just sits there amazingly figuring people and stuff out. And the mom/dad issues she has is supposed to make us be all proud of her skillz but the writer doesn't realize he has lost us or his heroine or both. If he brings hero an heroine together (by killing Ok Ryeon) and thinks we'll be fine with that..... it'll just show how confused he is about where he thinks he's leading us.

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"I wish the show had been a little defter in handling the mystery of Daddy Shin’s murder—in that I wish they had tried to make it a mystery. At this point I’m actually hoping that Baek-san is just a red herring, because otherwise it all feels too easy, doesn’t it? I mean, at least we know Baek-san didn’t kill Kaya’s father, right? Maybe the mystery we have yet to learn is how Baek-san and Aka have the same very particular set of skills. (And I’m really just guessing at this point.)

With how slow Jungtae seems to connect things by his own, what with his quest to find Gaya's father's killer still on hold (and was seemingly forgotten?) to finding his sister Chung-ah for the past 5-8 years, it's only safe to say that mystery and detective work isn't his strong point. I laugh and find it head-scratching at the same time that Dok-gu just randomly popped into the scene and has to literally instigate and paint the picture for Jungtae for him to even start realizing things (he's like the literal thought bubble), granted, Jungtae himself was already on a trail when he demanded to see his father's autopsy from Jaehwa, so I give Jungtae credit for that. I do however agree, that surely with how obvious the show is trying to make it, that it is indeed just a red herring; I would be half disappointed if it turns out to be Baeksan after all. Gaya though on the other hand has noted that killing through a slow death is indeed Ilgookhwae patented - why she has sent for Dokgu and have him plant ideas on Jungtae's head, is the real mystery at this point. Is she helping or simply diverting Jungtae's attention? Perhaps keeping him away from Ilgookhwae? Why? Does she plan on solving and fighting the man himself on her own? Now that's a cipher right there.

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LOL! Your comment cracked me up. Although he has superhuman recovery skillz, Jung Tae has obviously been hit on the head one time too many and as a result......

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can't wait for the next one.

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I was also wondering if there might be something more to the death of Jungtae's father than meets the eye, but I'm not sure.

In terms of characters, Jaehwa is one of the more interesting and compelling ones. It helps that such a great actor is portraying him :). I heard that Ilhwa is returning. If so, then two of my favorite characters will be on the show.

I don't know if anyone else feels the same way, but even though characters from the earlier part have returned to the show, I can't help but feel that they are shadows of their former selves. It's like we have the same characters in name but not in personality. Look at Shinichi and Dokgu, for example. What are they doing now? The latter, although slimy and calculative, was still an interesting character with a drive to survive no matter what he had to do or how much he had to grovel.

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So true about the returing characters. For me, it's as if the new writer has replaced the tonna characters from the old writer with a tonna characters. Why give Gaya another side-kick/protector if Shinichi was good enough? And what is it with Dokgu and his strange ability to reappear at just the right time with the right people?

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I think, i'm more team's gaya than ok-ryun's.. i know that ok-ryun is really care about jung tae and always be there for him,, and jung tae likes her too.. but jung tae's feeling for gaya is deeper than his feeling for ok-ryun.. with ok-ryun, for me it seems just because he feels guilty for her..
I hate how kim jae wook's character just faded away like that... i still hope soo ok will appear someday and ok ryun will be happy with him.. hehee...
And i agree that jung tae is a slow person.. he said he wated to find the murderer of gaya's father and try anything to find chung ah... but actually he did nothing for that.. he can't expect the answers will just fall from the sky in front of him..
I like this drama and the hero character.. but please be smart a little bit jung tae....!
I don't know what to hope in the end of this drama.. maybe one of the triangle love will die.. don't know which one.. but i hope gaya will find her peace... i like her character...

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I am for Gaya too. Everyone and Jt himself knows OR take care of him when he got hurt. But JT did not know Gaya save his life from Shinichi twice I think she always keep on eyes on him thro Dogoo and no one knows about it except Dogoo. She wants JT to be the leader of Bongsantong so that he is strong in political status to keep himself safe.

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I think like that too...but how I like pair of JT and OR beside that gaya did the mayor of JT life.

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Why do I feel Jaehwa is actually a good guy? He does care about Bangsamtong people (to not get involved) but his fault is the way he does it, and that makes him look bad.

And lol, I really thanked Shinichi to fight JT with sword earlier, so he could learn. Because lately JT’s opponents were all using swords.

Next week there will Ilhwa...... ooh I miss you.
(And please a training scene of JT, because it also means less fighting~)

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Why do I feel Jaehwa is actually a good guy? He does care about Bangsamtong people (to not get involved) but his fault is the way he does it, and that makes him look bad.

And lol, I really thanked Shinichi to fight JT with sword earlier, so he could learn. Because lately JT’s opponents were all using swords.

Next week, there'll be Ilhwa.... ooh I've been missing you.
(and JT training scene please. Make him stronger, I mean he's good but always get beaten at the endㅡ.ㅡ)

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to me, Bamsantong is a symbolic of power and leadership to the refugees , And club Shanghai is the money source to support the Bamsantong- that is to use the money to negotiate and get safety from the police and the big gangsters. That is why Jae-Hwa wants it. Dogoo is the intelligent source for Gaya. No one even Shinichi knows what Gaya is doing except Dogoo, Because Gaya never really trust the people in the lIGookhawe. As she suspects that she is the granddaughter and that is why they let her live. Do you notice that Gaya will kill any person that in the Ilgookhawe, But she does not kill any one from JT side after witness the death of PoongCha. She even saved Dogoo and not killing Jae-Hwa when she had a chance.
Why she wants JT to be the leader of Bamsantong. Is it because she basically want to use JT to revenge or more than that. She knows if JT become the New leader. the small gangsters leaders will come to Shanghai. Is She tried to get all of them to be killed in one shoot. I don't know. Do you remember she is part of Korean and part Japanese. Which side she is on? Is she still have feeling for JT. Right now, JT does not have a feeling for her, However, JT still wants Gaya to be free form the Ilgookhawe. Or both of them know they cannot be together because they are on the opposite side. I don't know until the end of the story.
I don't mind that some of plot does not get fully explanation because it is only 24 eps. May be the reason they change writer to focus the main story. I am more interest in the journeys of Jung-Tae and Gaya, I am interest in how the writer end the story. Will he keep both JT and Gaya alive at the end. Will he used the reconciliation between JT and Gaya to tone down the political situation happening at that time and now.

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honestly i want to see sum love budding in between jung tae n gaya! n i realy wish to see tht how vunerable gaya is n everytym concealing her innerself is gettin' too monotonous ! i want her to 'open up' a bit!
n the story seems unneccesarily dragged! why is it so tht our main threesome have got such short screen presence!!?
m down with fever but these question keep on hoverin' over my head! :P

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Heads.....

Thanks for the recap! I am still reading along with you and watching. I am curious, what do you think about the new writer episodes thus far? Admittedly, this first was clunky with lots of plot and character stuff swept quickly away. I am not finding them all that terrible, but hey, I am a novice and watch rather than deconstruct.

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If we had the answers to all the questions some of you keep asking then what would be the point in watching the show? It would be predictable and boring, so the fact you are asking questions means the writers are doing exactly what they need to be doing... keeping us guessing and interested.

The comments about Jung Tae being "slow" are kind of unwarranted. You have to remember we are seeing everything going on behind the scenes but he is not. All he has ever known is taking of care of his sister and those he cares for. He wasn't involved in any of the politics until he got into the Dobi gang and even then he was more into finding his sister and protecting people. That's why he caused the Dobi gang so much trouble. He didn't care one iota for the politics. Only now is he beginning to understand a bit more.

Quote: "to me, Bamsantong is a symbolic of power and leadership to the refugees , And club Shanghai is the money source to support the Bamsantong- that is to use the money to negotiate and get safety from the police and the big gangsters."

Exactly! It's all about power and money! To get those things you have to control the people. To control the people you have to control those in charge of the people. It's as simple as that. They lost control of Jung Tae's father so apparently they got rid of him but there may still be more to that story than we know as of yet. Jae-Hwa is too power hungry himself to be able to control so they have to get rid of him, therefore they are going after Jung Tae. Why? I believe because they know good and well he is naive at this point so they think they can get their claws into him before he figures it all out. Too bad for them but it's too late because he is already figuring out what is really going on.

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This what I am waiting AB,thank so much to speak it out what really I want to say...yap agree with you since jung tae know nothing, they easy to trap him.He only have an anger...and fight.But now step ahead he realise who he facing and what he should do.You are right about the writer...this is a drama not just question and answer right?♥♥♥ AB,hi from here...have a nice day and enjoy the drama

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I agree with you. Without these questions, the story will be so obvious it becomes more boring.

~

At first, I really don't like the new writer probably because he just threw like a piece of paper all the things happened from episodes 1-10. All put into waste. However, if ever I didn't get to watch those first 10 episodes and just jump to the present eps, I would say that they are are doing good so far. But like I said, since I already had the taste of the first 10 eps, I can't help but be disappointed. The first writer did a really good job I'm still wondering they kicked him out.

~

"The comments about Jung Tae being “slow” are kind of unwarranted. You have to remember we are seeing everything going on behind the scenes but he is not."

- THIS! lol our fellow viewers must've forgotten that we can see all the scenes behind. ;-)

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Here's the problem of the assumption that Bamsantong is the 'symbolic power over the refugees', and therefore makes it's leader influential in any sense, since that's what exactly they are: refugees. These are the very same people who gets beaten by droves, consequently, by the entities who hold the real power within Shanghai: Hwangbang, Chiringbang, French, and Japanese. So really, controlling Bamsantong means nada to the net "power" or influence by these respective entities within Shanghai, because again that's what exactly they are - a bunch of refugees - they neither have money, nor are they even legal citizens.

Which brings me to my other question, why is Club Shanghai situated at such an unlucrative neighborhood? I'm surprised that they are even able to make a revenue, much less profit, at such a poor location. Or is Club Shanghai located elsewhere? Surely, their business model will fail if it were applied in the real world.

The questions here are not a matter of a stroke of genius behind the writing team, but rather, a lack of explanation on how the inner workings of the setting of drama operates. I would call it a 'good job' if they are able to leave me questioning by throwing me an actual mystery, not me questioning the very logic of the inconsistencies that I notice within the drama.

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EDITED:

Here’s the problem of the assumption that Bamsantong is the ‘symbolic power over the refugees’, and therefore makes it’s leader influential in any sense, since that’s what exactly they are: refugees. These are the very same people who gets beaten by droves, consequently, by the entities who hold the real power within Shanghai: Hwangbang, Chiringbang, French, and Japanese. So really, controlling Bamsantong means nada to the net “power” or influence by these respective entities within Shanghai, because again that’s what exactly they are – a bunch of refugees – they neither have money, nor are they even legal citizens.

Which brings me to my other question, why is Club Shanghai situated at such an unlucrative neighborhood? I’m surprised that they are even able to make a revenue, much more profit, at such a poor location. Or is Club Shanghai located elsewhere? Surely, their business model will fail if it were applied in the real world.

The questions here are not raised as a matter of a stroke of genius behind the writing team, but rather, a lack of explanation on how the inner workings of the setting of drama operates. I would call it a ‘good job’ if they are able to leave me questioning by throwing me an actual mystery, not me questioning the very logic of the inconsistencies that I notice within the drama.

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Wew, I know I do tend to get carried away deconstructing, sorry if I sounded like a snob on this post.

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The importance of the Shanghai Club was explained by Leader Seol already and it obviously brings in money because he wants 7% of the cut. Also if I'm not mistaken it's not directly in Bamsantong. Isn't it situated on the outer edge of all the different factions?

You are looking at the power struggle too one dimensional. Back then they didn't have the easy access to information as we do today so they needed people. You had to have people in your control or in your pocket to get anything done. If they couldn't get them voluntarily or with bribery, they would get them by coercion. What better people to control then those who have no where to go and have nothing. Offer them a semi sanctuary such as Bamsantong, give them a few crumbs here and there, give them a symbolic hero, and you have them right where you want them... completely dependent on you and in your control. People do your bidding and they can't resist even if it means death, just as Jae-Hwa told Jung Tae.

I am not one of those who dwells too much on the minute details anyway. I am in it for the story. If I started breaking down every detail on every drama or movie I have watched I would have never liked a single one and would have stopped watching. I try to enjoy the story and the journey it takes me on. Isn't that what it's all about? Going on the journey along with the characters? That's what the writers are supposed to do. I personally believe that the story gets lost sometimes in the writers need to give people instant gratification. I prefer the journey myself no matter how long it takes so I will hold judgement on all the inconsistencies until the journey is over.

Oh and you didn't sound like a snob.

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"I am not one of those who dwells too much on the minute details anyway. I am in it for the story."

"I try to enjoy the story and the journey it takes me on."

I'm with you there. Life as it is, is stressful enough without us being stressed out about the life of a fictional character/characters in a make-believe story.

For me, watching a drama is just a vehicle to get away from everyday stress anyway. So, whatever loopholes there are, I'm still more than interested to see how it'll all end especially for our hero, Shin Jung Tae.

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Love your comments. I totally agree with all your points. 5 years gap is enough to allow unpredictable things to happen and people can change. i think slowly the answer will slowly come out one by one.

The politic in 1930s quite complicated especially when it involved with the gangs. However I think the drama is giving us a good picture of a dark world in that era.

I find that this drama is quite different from others k-drama I have seen in the past 4 years.

I 'm exciting to see what is going to happen in the next 10 episodes.

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In this episode, Jung tae reminds me of a piece of meat that every dog is scrambling after. Three different factions came to bail him out of jail. I'm impressed that Gaya's showing her hand. She didn't hesitate to come to Jung tae's aid to bail him out of jail if no one else was ready to do so.

So Jung tae finally figured out how his dad died? Took him long enough. He should thank Shinichi for that. Shinichi seems rather one note these days. Always picking fights with Jung tae with the purpose of killing him. I feel like I've seen that one before. Wonder if he'll survive this fight.

Welcome back Aoki, hopefully they'll give you more scenes and make things more interesting. The politics of this show is wearying.

Quick question on what side is Doctor Jung? She seems to be quite fond of Ok Ryeon, yet she went of her way to warn Jae hwa of future competition from Jung tae. Is she playing both sides? Or is she secretly fond of Jae hwa?

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Being a fighter leader is dangerous and gets nothing but trouble. For OR's sake, Dr. Jung does not want JT to become that.

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Yes Finally the Show is back ..... It won me over back because if it wasn't good this week I was not going to watch it anymore .... I like the storyline maybe Ok Ryeon will be a singer after all fingers crossed ........ Team OKRyeon :-) N yay No is coming back :-)

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Lol I meant MO lol this stupid Auto correct

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"I am not one of those who dwells too much on the minute details anyway. I am in it for the story."

"I try to enjoy the story and the journey it takes me on."

I'm with you there. Whatever loopholes there are, I'm still more than interested in finding how it'll all end, especially with our hero, Shin Jung Tae.

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Thanks for the recap!!

Correct me if I'm wrong; isn't Kaya supposed to be a half-half? Why is her Dad's surname a Japanese surname?

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I believe it deals with a Korean person switching allegiance. In turn they change their name. If you've watched Gaksital, it's the same idea as Lee Kang-to switching his name to Sato Hiroshi. Gaya's father use to be an agent for the Korean organization (the same organization that Jung-tae's father was in). When Gaya's father betrayed the organization, he switched the to Japanese organization, to be with Gaya's mother. I would assume, then he changed his surname.

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Ahh, that could be the reason. Thanks ricky!

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I was really hoping Jae Hwa was going to ask Ok Ryeon to sing at his club. She was right there... RIGHT THERE! She even said she'd sing and dance for him. Oh my god. The show gives her a 'talent' and it has gotten her no where. *throws fist in the air*

This episode just confused me even more.

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There's a lot and I really don't care the whole situation as it just makes my head aches. I JUST LOVE OK-RYEON and JUNG-TAE MOMENTS. (Point.)

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Me too,I live both of them but still I looking forward to the story line...till now it's fine for me.hi you there.

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I also like JT-OR moment . Now I hope the writer will not kill OR. However I can see that JT-OR love is not an easy path. Whatever happen I expect to see OR character develop to join resistant movement.

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Oh my gosh, Headsno2, you're cracking me up.

I've accepted that we have a hero who basically has stuff happen to him but wow...for a character stuck in such a maelstrom, why must his only response always be learning the mechanics of his enemy's fighting skillz? Surely there's more to his plot counter-punches than counter-punching. He's not a lunk-head but he doesn't seem as intelligent as his youthful self was.

Thanks for the recap.

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I was missing the younger Jung Tae...

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Two corrections to the recap:

"So-so brings Ok-ryun to Club Shanghai, and endearingly calls Jae-hwa orabeoni, the olden term for oppa."

-That is NOT Club Shanghai, it's Club Rome. The place where Gaya is staying at the moment is Club Shanghai. Jae Hwa rented Club Shanghai for Gaya and although he canceled that contract I assume she has a certain time for "moving out".
Also in the comments some people seem to think that Club Shanghai in in Bamsantong but I think it's pretty clear it's not. Bamsantong is the are for the poor refugees so why on earth would there be such a nice club there for the rich folk? Also I htink in some earlier episode we saw that it's in a pretty important crossroads/border between the different areas.

"Maybe the mystery we have yet to learn is how Baek-san and Aka have the same very particular set of skills."

-What do you mean particular set of skills? The only thing they seem to have in common is that they are good at killing people. Aka uses a sword to stab and cut and Baeksan uses bear hands to cause internal bleeding.

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1. My bad. Thanks!

2. Both Aka and Baek-san have a "particular set of skills" in that they can inflict a wound which will kill a person verrrrry slowly and verrrry painfully. It's a special kind of skill, which is why Daddy Shin had to end Kaya's dad's life early, even though he would've died from Aka's wound anyway. Likewise, with Daddy Shin, Kaya had to end his life early, even though he would've died from whatever Baek-san did to him regardless. Unless everyone who's good at killing people in this show has the ability to inflict a deadly wound and then leave for a cup of coffee, Aka and Baek-san's skills are pretty unique.

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My thoughts so far:
- The story is SO good and it is so epic. Basically, to my understanding, the story is not focusing about Gaya's searches for her mother's killer or Jung Tae's searches for his sister. The 2 characters are more like "gone with the wind". The story is about the generation during the 30s in Korea and China. It is such a big story about many characters that this production can't make it into 24 eps in TV without flawless.
I would say if they can make the story to a long movie with more people, spending more $$ then it would be good.

- Jung Tae is only a brave fighter, he is not smart so he is tricked many times. It seems Jung Tae doesn't think much, he believes to whatever people said and he doesn't have good justifications. However, he is always lucky that there are someone would scarify or help him in time. I actually don't like this type of hero.
The adult's personality is so different from the child's personality. May be due to different writer? It is weird that he kissed Gaya when he was young then when he grew up, he loves OR more than Gaya with no left feeling. May be I watch Kdrama too much, I would expect there is something happened before he actually changed his feeling even he is staying with OR longer. The young Jung Tae strongly promised Gaya to find the killer for her but then the adult Jung Tae just seems to let it go, I feel like a man is breaking a promise, promise is a promise that he at least tried to keep despite any excuses.
He probably will be like his father who was used by the Chinese gang then be betrayed by the Chinese gang and got killed by the Japanese gang.
So, I'm glad that Jung Tae said he would protect OR while the Japanese heros said they would protect Gaya.

- I guess Gaya's mother was killed by the Japanese gang as well.

- Not sure if Chinese would feel offense about this drama? :-) It shows that the Chinese gang in the story uses Korean refugees as their fighters and guards, or saying in the rude way, the housekeeping dogs. May be it is the true story at a time or may be just a fiction? I didn't see that in any of Hongkong/TW/Chinese TV series.

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The story is getting more and more interesting with the mysterious behind JT's dad and Gaya 's parents. I hope the writer will let JT grows wiser and more thoughtful rather than react spontaneously according to what others said.

I hope OR character will have her own purpose and determine to achieve what she wants in life while still supports JT. I like to see a strong woman but still be tender and reliable for people around her.

The preview of ep #15 looks very interesting I think I see some change in JT's character.

Looking forward to tomorrow night.

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I miss Lady Gaya's kimonos. Where art thouuuu???

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thanks!!! I hope the recap of chapter 15 ><

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All these stupid duels and fighting with a wooden sword! A bullet would have done the job and more time effective. The drama would have been better with shorter fighting scenes and more intrigues - plotting, scheming, twists and turns.

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