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Sly and Single Again: Episode 5

Hello everyone! Another newbie here! I’m odilettante and I’ll be joining in to bring you all things Sly and Single Again. Thankfully this was a fun episode to recap, although it was a headache, both literal and figurative, for the hapless Jung-woo, as Ae-ra stepped up her revenge game. On a more serious note, both our leading ladies were able to be vulnerable and honest about their pasts, and Seung-hyun continues to charm us all with his perfect dimples.

EPISODE 5 RECAP

As a way to thank Ae-ra and Seung-hyun for capturing the person who stole the company’s data, Yeo-jin and a very unwilling Jung-woo treat them to dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant. She apologizes for not being able to reward them properly due to the sensitive nature of the data breach, but promises to find a way to compensate them for their efforts.

Bringing up the dinner date with the CEO, Yeo-jin is surprised (and a little envious) to discover that after dinner, Jung-woo had driven Ae-ra to a “nice place” (aka the dream house). We all know that the date ended in disaster and Jung-woo continues to squirm in his seat, even though Ae-ra is meticulously polite and cheerful in her word choice. Yeo-jin adds that meeting such a loyal employee as Ae-ra must be fate. Oh, if she only knew.

Yeo-jin gets called away and Seung-hyun hurriedly excuses himself to use the restroom, just so he can beg his noona to not tell their father that he was actually useful to the company. Ha.

This means Ae-ra and Jung-woo are left alone at the table, and her smile quickly melts into a scowl as she spits out, “You crafty, vicious jerk.” He’s taken aback at her sudden switch to informal (and crude) language, and as they trade barbs across the table, he switches tactics to ask why she’s at Dontalk: “Do you need more money?” Ae-ra takes offense at this, and tells him her true reason: “To stay in your life and bother you forever.”

Jung-woo returns home to nurse his growing headache, and curses everything that allowed Ae-ra back into his life. He should have never kept his old phone, he should have never gone down to the police station to bail her out, he should have never let Secretary Gil make him watch that dating show. But Secretary Gil isn’t having any of that nonsense, and keeps reminding him that Jung-woo was the one who hired her.

Ae-ra returns home to find her BBF Min-young and brother Soo-cheol sharing a moment over sliced fruit, and I’m thinking this is going to be a fun pairing. After she shoos her brother out, she settles in front of her computer, planning her revenge.

Min-young, being the lovely Voice of Reason that she is, suggests that Ae-ra just forget Jung-woo completely, walk away, and start fresh. “Losing is winning, you know.” Ae-ra admits she’d already considered that, but it’s too late now: Jung-woo has gone too far, and it’s now Ae-ra’s sworn duty to crush him. As Ae-ra dramatically hits the “enter” key on her laptop, Min-young reminds her that she’d already resigned from the company. Oh no!

Ae-ra rushes to the office before anyone else arrives and frantically searches around the team leader’s desk, hunting for her resignation letter. It’s nowhere to be found.

“Looking for this?” Seung-hyun holds out her letter, claiming that it fell on the floor and he picked it up, but a flashback shows he actually took off the team leader’s desk when he was delivering a report. I’m not sure why the self-proclaimed slacker is at the office before everyone else, but all that matters is Ae-ra has not resigned from Dontalk.

Yeo-jin confronts her father over his gangster business practices, and we flashback to when she and her new husband (who I don’t think has a name yet, but I do know he’s played by the ridiculously handsome Ricky Kim) were recklessly driving away after their wedding. But this time we see a few of her father’s minions driving after them, calling out for them to stop.

But the distraction (and a couple of kisses) causes the husband to lose control of the car as he swerves around a truck, and it spins and spins, finally rolling a dozen times down an embankment. It’s amazing she even survived. “Back then,” she warns her father, “I lost my man. But this time I’m going to protect him.” (The reference to Jung-woo doesn’t carry a specifically romantic connotation.)

Jung-woo enters the office building, and cheerfully greets his employees — who all bow respectfully as they try to hide their knowing smirks and giggles. Secretary Gil comes across a group of laughing employees, and discovers the revenge that Ae-ra enacted last night: “The Four Stages of the CEO,” which is a collage of awkward photos of Jung-woo (the “fourth stage” being how he looks currently, and the “first stage” includes the adorable bowl cut he was sporting when we — and Ae-ra — first met him).

Needless to say, this spreads like wildfire among the staff, but Secretary Gil proves his worth and immediately tracks down the IP address, which turns out to belong to Min-young. Oops!

Jung-woo immediately calls Ae-ra to threaten that he can sue her for using his image without permission, and she calmly sasses back that she was just providing a “fan service” for all his employees but showing him a more relatable, embarrassing side, and she’s too busy being a productive employee to deal with such baseless threats.

Later, Ae-ra dashes to the elevator in order to “coincidentally” meet Jung-woo as he’s on his way to a staff meeting. She cheerfully offers him a bouquet of lilies that she bought to brighten up the office, but he cowers in fear, and rightly so — he’s incredibly allergic. Ae-ra is all dismayed apologies, but her smirk gives away that she knew about his allergies all along. As a result, Jung-woo spends the meeting being as distracting as possible as he shifts in his seat due to the hives that have broken out over his body.

As Secretary Gil rubs ointment on the hives all over Jung-woo’s naked back (rawr), he recommends that Jung-woo just apologize, since it’s obvious that Ae-ra isn’t going to make life easy for him. But Jung-woo just petulantly yells at Secretary Gil to get out — which he does, but only after petulantly throwing down the ointment bottle and saying all this wouldn’t have happened if Jung-woo wasn’t such a coward. (Oh, Secretary Gil, so wise and sassy; I lub you.)

Jung-woo sends a terse instant message to Ae-ra demanding to see her, and she rolls her eyes but heads to his office, only to be suddenly pulled into the stairwell and pinned against the wall. He tells her to be quiet, but she says that will only make her scream louder, so he claps his hand over her mouth before she can make a noise — only to have his hand bitten. HA! Now it’s not just his pride, but his body that’s been wounded, and he threatens that she will be fired tomorrow.

He meets with Yeo-jin, who is clearly not onboard his train of thinking, as she questions why they wouldn’t make Ae-ra and Seung-hyun, who’ve done so much for the company, permanent employees once their internship has ended. Jung-woo elegantly states that they shouldn’t show favoritism when there are other interns hoping for a permanent position as well. Yeo-jin finally agrees with his arguments, and says they’ll have to find another way to recognize Ae-ra and Seung-hyun.

Later that day, Ae-ra is called to Jung-woo’s car for yet another secret meeting, and he lays it out plainly: How much will it cost to get her to leave the company?

Ae-ra: “I’m not leaving. Why should I, when I worked so hard to get here?” Jung-woo insists that the only reason she was hired is because of him, and she retorts that it was only so he could show off his success and rub it in her face. She’s not leaving, no matter what, because she actually likes working for his company. Unlike him, she’s able to separate her personal and professional life.

But as she walks away, we hear her true reasoning: “After I torment you to my heart’s content and get an apology, I wouldn’t stay even if you asked me to.”

In order to work off his frustration, Jung-woo invites Yeo-jin on a “spot inspection,” but surprises her by leaving behind their support staff. Turns out, a “spot inspection” means making their way through the crowded subway, checking out all the people using the Dontalk messaging app as they go about their daily lives. Jung-woo is adorably proud to see that his creation is used by so many people.

Yeo-jin suggests that they hold a design competition, open to not just employees, but the public as well. Jung-woo beams at her for her good idea, and as the subway train takes a sharp turn, she stumbles against him, and can barely hold her composure when he offers his shoulder for her to lean against.

Later, over drinks, Jung-woo expresses his gratitude for all that Yeo-jin does as his right-hand woman, helping to run his company. He adds that he’s afraid he works her too hard, though, and that she doesn’t have time for a relationship and will never get married.

Yeo-jin takes a deep breath, and admits that she was married before, but it was a marriage that everyone opposed. Even so, she doesn’t regret it because she truly loved him, even if he’s no longer with her now. It’s a vague enough statement that Jung-woo takes it at face value, and says that her ex-husband must be unlucky to have let such a wonderful woman get away from him.

Jung-woo reassures her that she’ll find someone else who will make her forget all the past pains, and she agrees, adding that she hopes he’s not too far away — all the while staring directly at Jung-woo. If we had any doubt of her intentions, they’re pretty clear now (although Jung-woo seems oblivious of the underlying meaning).

Director Oh is helping President Kook play a first-person-shooter game on his phone (these two are just so cute together) when Yeo-jin returns home. Seung-hyun runs up to his noona to let her know that he’s planning on throwing a birthday party for her tomorrow, and asks if she’ll invite Jung-woo to come. She coyly says he’s a busy man, but she’ll try to see if he’s available.

At the Dontalk offices, posters are up for the new contest that Yeo-Jin proposed: submitting experiences of when a messenger service disappointed you, and then saying what you really wished the service could provide. For the Mobile Shopping team, though, it’s still business as usual, and Team Leader Wang sends out the interns with Manager Kam to do some field work on helping Dontalk’s new project mission to revitalize small local businesses by selling coupons to their establishments (think of it like Groupon or Living Social).

Manager Kam tells them to follow his lead, but he ends up being humiliated and kicked out by the feisty restaurant ahjumma, so he’s happy to have the excuse to return to the office and let the interns do the rest of the field work. Ae-ra earnestly and unsuccessfully tries to convince business owner after business owner that they need the Dontalk services, while Seung-hyun hangs out in the back, not expending any effort to help (in fact, his pretty face only seems to distract the shop-owners from Ae-ra’s sales pitch).

Seung-hyun finally convinces Ae-ra to stop and have lunch, and outsmarts her in a round of rock-paper-scissors to see who would have to pay. She takes him to her mother’s restaurant, which is empty due to a large shopping center opening nearby. Mom’s friend (who had tried to set up Ae-ra with the widower) barges in with more information about the prospective husband, and Mom tries to shoo her out. But not before the woman blabs that Ae-ra should be lucky to find such a catch when she’s a divorcee.

Seung-hyun briefly freezes at that news, but then keeps on eating like nothing happened. Ae-ra begins to defend herself, saying that she she hadn’t lied or hidden it on purpose — it just hadn’t come up.

Seung-hyun stops her: “By any chance, do you like me?” Ae-ra scoffs at the idea, but he explains, “Then why are you explaining like a person who deceived her boyfriend and feels sorry?” She sputters that she shouldn’t have to apologize to him: “Did I do anything wrong to you by getting divorced?” Seung-hyun says that that’s the kind of confidence she should always have when saying that she’s divorced, and that she shouldn’t feel apologetic about it to anyway, because that confidence suits her better.

Once they return to the office, Ae-ra is about to tell Manager Kam they were unsuccessful in finding a business, but Seung-hyun jumps in to inform him that they found the perfect business: a rice soup shop. Ae-ra pulls him aside to argue that it won’t look professional for her to recommend her family’s business, but he replies that that’s why he was the one to suggest it.

They’re called in to Yeo-jin’s office to once again discuss the fact they still haven’t decided how to reward Seung-hyun and Ae-ra. Ae-ra says that it’s okay, because she didn’t act on the expectation of compensation, and that she’s just happy to know she helped the company.

Seung-hyun sticks around to pitch the idea of using Ae-ra’s family’s restaurant for the mobile coupon. Yeo-jin asks if he’s responsible for the “Four Stages of CEO Transformation” photos, which he denies. But he begins to sense that his sister may have feelings for Jung-woo, as he notes the fond smile she gives while she declares the photos “cute.”

Team Leader Wang overhears him call Yeo-jin “noona,” and suddenly realizes that Seung-hyun is the son of President Kook. Which means she’s suddenly 100 percent onboard his idea to use Ae-ra’s restaurant for the revitalization project.

Ae-ra gets to working on the advertisement (ha, in a parody of a popular cell phone CF that starred Lee Min-jung’s husband, Lee Byung-heon), and soon the coupons are being sold like crazy. To celebrate the success, the Mobile Shopping team decides to have a work dinner, and you know what that means: noraebang!

Ae-ra is a bit tipsy as she decides her karaoke pick (Lee So-ra’s “The Wind Is Blowing”) which is a sad, slow ballad — and a total buzzkill. Once her snotty coworker Song-hee notes that Jung-woo and Yeo-jin have arrived at the noraebang, she quickly shuts off the music, cutting Ae-ra off mid-song.

Ae-ra sweetly suggests that the CEO grace everyone with his vocal talents, but a flashback shows that Jung-woo is pretty much tone deaf. Smirking, Ae-ra hands off the mic to Jung-woo, who can’t refuse and risk losing face.

Suddenly Yeo-jin offers to help him out, and as they begin their duet (Lee Su-eun’s “Miracle”), they’re… actually really good. Ae-ra seems just as surprised I am, and she bitterly gulps down the rest of her beer as her plan to humiliate Jung-woo in front of his employees falls apart. But as she watches, she seems begins to sense the way Yeo-jin and Jung-woo look at each other, and with the awareness of their chemistry as they harmonize together, a faint look of dismay creeps over her face.

COMMENTS

Is that jealousy I see on Ae-ra’s face? I wonder if she’s picturing Yeo-jin living in the dream house, and having the life that Ae-ra once thought would be hers when she first married Jung-woo.

Honestly, this episode has tipped the balance for me in terms of falling in love with the characters. I was hesitant about this drama at first because of the loose plotting and shaky characterizations, but the more I spend time with all the characters, the more I’m delighted with everyone, and looking forward to knowing them more (yes, even the ridiculous coworkers on the Mobile Shopping team).

While I do enjoy the fun and childish antics as Ae-ra and Jung-woo try to seek revenge for their past hurts, what I really appreciate is how thoughtful and mature they can be when they’re around the Kook siblings. Hands down, my favorite moment in the episode was how gracious and thoughtful both men were when Yeo-jin and Ae-ra confessed that they were previously married. Not that Jung-woo is one to talk about judging someone for being divorced (although it’s a little unclear to me if she’s widowed or divorced, because I just assumed that her husband had died in the car crash, but now I’m wondering if Daddy Kook somehow made him disappear. I get the feeling there’s more to this story than just what we’ve been shown so far). But he was left incredibly bitter and heart-broken from his divorce, so I respect that he doesn’t resent all women for what he perceives as Ae-ra’s injustices against him. I really love how gentle and thoughtful he is with Yeo-jin, even though at this point in time, it’s clear he doesn’t see her “as a woman” but just as a coworker.

As for Ae-ra, she’s held so long to the belief that to be happy in life, she needs to fulfill her dreams of being a wife and homemaker, so it’s no surprise that she still feels ashamed to admit she’s divorced. Which is why I wanted to cheer when Seung-hyun showed her that she had no reason to feel apologetic over something that happened in her past, and is instead something that she should proudly claim is a part of who she is. His optimistic attitude of just appreciating Ae-ra for who she is no doubt is a huge contributor to my swiftly growing Second Lead Syndrome (that, and his dimples, of course), and is also why I would have no problem with this show becoming about second chances and a noona romance.

Even so, I did think that, for the trajectory of bringing Ae-ra and Jung-woo back together, Jung-woo would be the first to crack. While she walked away from everything, he’s the one who kept his old phone, the model of the dream house (which he turned into reality), and who seems more intent on delivering the same kind of emotional blow she dealt him when they first divorced. To me, that signifies he’s still not over her, and still cares deeply for her, even if it’s turned to the desire to see her admit that he’s successful and he managed to do it without her.

Ae-ra, on the other hand, is more intent on pricking Jung-woo’s ridiculous pride with the hundreds of little annoyances until she finally gets that apology (for taking away her dream to be a happy homemaker) and thank you (for supporting him for so long while he was trying to establish his company). Over and over throughout this show, she’s made it clear that that is all she really wants: not money, not for him to fall in love with her again. Just an apology. But he’s too stubborn (or cowardly, as Secretary Gil points out) to admit he was wrong.

And Ae-ra is too proud and headstrong to admit that her impulsive temper gets the better of her.

In the previous recap, purplecow likened this show to Persuasion, but to my mind, it’s more like Pride and Even More Pride.  I’m not sure who exactly is the one with “even more pride” — it seems to switch back and forth each week.

But I do enjoy seeing Ae-ra standing up for herself and fighting back, so I’m hoping that her crestfallen look at the end of this episode is just a minor setback. Considering that, once upon a time, her goal in life was to become the submissive housewife, well, she’s definitely come a long way in the past few years.

If nothing else, we at least know that her bark is just as strong as her bite.

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Welcome to DB odilettante <3
Quick question
Has L's acting improved at all?
I read in the recap about his character being all sassy and smart mouthed. Is he doing justice to it. I am still not sure about starting this drama but i may reconsider if this drama provides me with some really fun characters :D

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I think it has a bit, if you compare it to masters sun for example, but I also think this role fits L better. If he continues acting he should aim for more light-hearted roles like this. However, I'm not usually bothered by bad acting if it's not on a lead role so... He's speech/articulation needs work but maybe he's heard the critique also since it bothered me more in the first episodes than in episode 6.

Thanks for the recap odilettante!

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Thanks for the reply everyone^^
Oh so I think its actually a mixed opinion. Some think he is better here and some think he was better in his previous role.
I have personally seen him in 2 dramas, Shutup flower boy band and Master's sun, and I felt that he didn't bring much to the character but he did provide us with a beautiful visual kekeke
I hope he improves in his further projects like KHJ, because beautiful looks and amazing acting chops are the best *drools at Kim Soo Hyun*

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I think L was more likeable in Master's Sun! I find him trying a bit too hard here. :(

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Haha! This is what I am telling to my friends...

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I don't think he's doing justice to the character. If he were acted better I'm sure he'd be a fan favorite since he's sassy and the voice of reason to CJW. I WANT to like the character, but it's not working for me. Plus he still smirks too much.

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Yeah, he's not doing it for me either.

I like his character though.. a shame it couldn't be well acted.

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And the intended bromance isn't really felt between Jungwoo and secretary L...

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This. Theoretically I should be loving L's character and I want to because I do like L... but he really needs to work on his acting. His company should stop pushing him so much when there are other members of his group that can act better.

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Obviously he still has strong feelings for her, notice how he thinks about her ALL THE TIME. The only thing that bothers me is. Why did ether of them contact the other in 3 years ?

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They probably waited for the other to initiate contact first, but since it didn't happen, they just fell apart. Plus she was really mean to him on Valentine's Day telling him to NEVER contact him again or not use any sort of excuse (like the alimony) to contact her - and he did just that.

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That makes sense. Initally i found it strange for two people to be so deeply in love but never contact the other.

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I should imagine that the two might have unfinished business or reopening wounds, for their abrupt separation three years ago and also for one spouse's dramatic reversal in fortune since then.

But if you are implying some kind of residual romantic feelings between the two, I think not. Nor do I believe that the two should reunite. If they were incompatible three years ago, they are even more unsuitable for each other now, as the drama makes clear.

Instead, the current encounter is perhaps the golden opportunity for the two to process all the unfinished business between them, say anything that was left unsaid three years ago, clarify any misunderstandings, heal the wounds for good and then move on amicably and search for better partners in life.

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Agreed.

Also, if a person can rise so rapidly, they can fall fast too, allowing the same problems to reoccur.

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This is a KOREAN drama both moving on is NOT HAPPENING, they WILL REUNITE

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I love this show I really do but the flashbacks-bloody hell! Literally every darn scene-geez!

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Well, you're not gonna like ep 6. It was filled with so many flashbacks. I think they're cute and enlightening but I prefer sticking to the present.

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Hello thank you for the recap. I like your style. You see the bright side of things and not much snark. I do like how you manage to insert your opinions in smoothly. Sometimes some recappers can't pull it off.

By the way, I am not watching the series but reading the recaps. That's why I said I like your style. It's not too factual and your personality came through. Congratulations on joining the Minions.

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I meant you recapped but it didn't sound really dry like in character A did this. And then this happened...

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No snark, no snickering is always good!!!

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i hope dramabeans will post faster than others place. i'm really enjoy when i read recap in dramabeans. so i hope you'll give recap immediately. thank you~ ^^

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“To stay in your life and bother you forever.”

Even if it's just to bother him, she wants to stay in his life forever. Some Lee Jae Ha logic in a way...

Okay, Ae Ra's revenge was wonderful to see. It's just soo petty, but I loved it. It's really the least he deserved for that move he pulled. The fact that she can do this simply because he hired her to gloat over his success makes it a million times better. Money and being her boss is the only thing he can throw at her and he can't fire her because of her hard work. So he has his money, which she doesn't want... So it was pretty much a massacre. He should really think twice before pissing off someone who knows him so well.

Her fighting back and not staying down for long isn't surprising. I don't think the end of the episode will be any differently. She's gotten over far worse and moved on. I'm not sure what she feels there. Maybe finally seeing he's not the person he once was? I'm not sure. I don't really know if it's jealousy quite yet.

Something about YJ isn't quite clicking for me yet. The rather laughably flashback didn't help any. I know it's supposed to move me, but it really didn't. I do wonder if Ricky is alive. It wouldn't surprise me. Still loving our cute guy with the noona crush. I know he'll get his heart broken, but man..wouldn't they make a great romance? Second chances, growing up... I can dream.

Side note, I don't think Ae Ra's dream was ever to be a "submissive" housewife. No way. Her dream was to have a dependable husband who doted on her and had a steady salary while she took care of the house. She would have obviously had him completely whipped tbh. I don't think there's not a submissive bone in Ae Ra's body.

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AR couldn't be submissive if she tried. There's a huge difference between wanting to be a stay at home wife/mother and some little mouse that does everything her husband tells her simply because he's The Man.

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Her mother is that little mouse, and she runs her own business.

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Yeo Jin is sort of a bland character for me personally. Sometimes she gives off a bit of a funky vibe, but other than that she's a very by-the-books type character. However, i do like that she's not your typical 2nd female bitchy lead. That could still change down the road (esp. after ep.6) because so far she doesn't see Ae Ra as a romantic rival but rather as a valued employee.

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It seems like far too often the 2nd female lead ALWAYS ends up as some crazed stalker bitch from hell, I hope they don't go there with this show.

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Yeah that flashback had me laughing. The music combined with the filter and the scene itself being so over the top just put it in a "funny-parody" place for me. I'm still not sure if I was supposed to take it seriously, same with the flashback next episode too.
And the recap was great but that comment at the end was bugging me a tad. Just because she wanted to be a housewife doesn't mean she wanted to be submissive. She just wanted to take care of the house and raise the kids.

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Thanks for the recap - I spy a ballet fan!

President Kook is such a bastard. If I were Yeo-jin, I would not be able to stand living in the same house as him. I assumed that her husband died, since the crash seemed too serious for him to have somehow survived: blood trickled down his forehead and everything.

Despite the serious dramatics of the flashback scene, I could not hold back a giggle. The PD evidently wanted to hammer in that this wedding took place in Mexico, so someone thoughtfully dressed the (Korean) driver of the Truck of Doom in a sombrero.

Nevertheless, I am pleasantly surprised at how much depth and backstory we're getting for a second lead female, and I do find myself sympathising with Yeo-jin. It makes a nice change from the clingy first love who cannot move on.

And awww Seung-hyun. Bless him, he is simply too adorable. I wanted to hug him when he told Ae-ra off for apologising for her divorce.

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I think it was in Peru (supposedly), even though the scenery did not look very Peru-like.

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You would think Peru, based upon the pan pipes, but I believe the original title for the wedding location was Tijuana. Maybe I'm remembering poorly, but it stuck in my mind, because Tijuana looks nothing like that, either. The bleach bypass look of the road scenes is suggestive of how a lot of American films set in Mexico were shot in the 90's.

I think in this case, it's the director just throwing a bunch of stereotypes together from Central and South America.

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I vote for the stereotypes angle also - as you say, that looks nothing at all like the Tijuana I know (I live only a couple hours drive from there). That road looks a lot like some of the access roads around Incheon, but it also looks like a thousand other roads, so probably just some random empty road in Korea.

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It's supposed to be Mexico - a sign on the road said Tijuana.

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Please help me to like this drama, cause up to ep.6, i still don't get it! sorry! (pronounced the way Cheon Song-yi does :p)

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If you don't like ep 6, esp. towards the end, then chances are that you won't like this drama.

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We can't help you like it. I thought episode 6 was pretty awesome. Especially the rooftop conversation, which definitely sold me on them getting back together . So if you can't get into by then I'd just drop it.

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Thank you for this, odilettante! :-)

I'm enjoying the show very much and also like all of the characters, but I have to admit that Ae-ra's motivation is still giving me some trouble.

Ae-ra did support her husband when he was laying the groundwork for his later success, so yes, she definitely has a large part in it. And Ae-ra is entirely right to be angry that Jung-woo never even consulted her before quitting his secure job when he finally had it, only to force her back into the same grind she'd only just escaped.

BUT. She never even seems to have voiced the reason for her anger at Jung-woo - back then, all she said was that she wanted to be supported by her husband, not support him herself. Put that way, it sounds very cold-hearted and mercenary, and it's no wonder Jung-woo was shocked. For him, it looks like his wife married him merely because she thought he'd have money soon, and totally failed to support him when he needed her most. Like she never loved him at all and was just trying to use him, dumping him when he didn't deliver by paying for her comfy way through life.

And to me it looks like he is right, in a way. While Ae-ra clearly came to love Jung-woo, she did first consider him as dating material from pretty mercenary (if understandable, given her leech father and brother) motives. And the show hasn't put much emphasis on the fact that Jung-woo didn't consult Ae-ra before quitting his job; to me this is the real problematic action on his part, part of a pattern of inconsiderate decision-making that would definitely justify her leaving him.

Why would Jung-woo thank her under these circumstances? Why would he apologize? He feels like she is the one who needs to apologize, and he is right. Ae-ra never voiced any motivations on her part that would make her actions understandable. She never even talked about losing their child.

So. Long story short: I feel like Ae-ra – while cute and fun and sympathetic as a character –, is not truly justified in her course of action regarding Jung-woo. This makes me uncomfortable about their relationship.

Jung-woo seems like a soft-hearted, dorky guy with a certain blue-eyed lack of real-world practicality. But at this point it seems like his only fault was naivete. If Ae-ra never truly talked to him (and it looks like she never did) then I can't blame him for not realizing how much she was suffering, and why, and trying to work with her to find a solution.

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You have to look at the whole picture of the marriage (something CJW needs to do tbh) and not just her hurtful words towards the end of it. She's completely justified in wanting an apology. He doesn't seem to even acknowledge she did anything for him during their marriage and he's the one who broke their vow first by quitting without telling her after he promised her something else completely just 100 days before. It doesn't even matter if she did or didn't have a miscarriage.

I can see why JW can't see why she's owed one, but I don't understand how a viewer doesn't think she's justified in her actions... even if they are rather petty right now.

And I don't see their love as any different tbh. He seemed to like her to start with because of her beauty. She seemed to like him to start with because of his promising future. Neither would have stuck around if they didn't end up loving each other in their own way.

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The thing is that she has never told JW what he was doing wrong and why she was angry - not back then, and not now either.

So going on a revenge trip is pretty pointless, because JW has no idea what Ae-Ra is taking revenge *for*. If she'd told him, and he'd laughed her off or otherwise failed to react adequately - *then* I would see the point.

She has valid reasons for her actions, but because she never shares them with Jung-Woo, to him her actions make her seem like a very different person than the one the viewer sees - and not a very likable person. So I don't see how their relationship can ever resume, if the woman doesn't just *talk* to him at some point.

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I'm pretty sure she told him what he was doing wrong when they were married. The go find funding or you can't eat or sleep here should have clued him into what he was doing wrong perhaps?

I hate to do this,... but he should know what he did wrong without her having to tell him what he did wrong. That he doesn't realize that quitting his job without telling her, being unable to pay the rent, having no gas and making his wife support him for four years might put her in a bad mood makes me question if he's really as smart as he's supposed to be.

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I have the feeling she never did tell him. Yes, somebody more clued-in would have caught on by himself that he was putting his wife in an impossible position, but JW quite evidently did *not* catch on by himself. Even smart people can be very stupid when it comes to things like this. JW seems to have been totally surprised and blind-sided by her anger, which to me suggests that she always kept it to herself until it finally erupted.

And at that point, being locked out of the house and such must all have seemed like part of the "you aren't bringing in the money so I'm leaving you, loser" narrative that she later gave him as the reason for the divorce.

Yes, JW does seem to have been enormously naive about life in the real world. Yes, he definitely should not have quit his job without talking it over with her first. It was enormously stupid and more than inconsiderate, and it is an absolutely excellent reason for Ae-ra to be angry and ultimately divorce him.

But as cliche as it is, communication is still key in any relationship. If Ae-ra's husband was so block-headed that he couldn't see what he was doing to his wife (and clearly he was), then his wife should have opened her mouth and told him in actual words. And she should have done this as early as possible, rather than stewing in silence and finally erupting in a way that still didn't clearly communicate what the problem was.

So you see, I think they are both to blame. And from Ae-ra's side, the problem seems to me to be lack of communication.

If she did try to talk to JW earlier on about what he was doing and he ignored her, I would feel very differently about everything we see in the here and now. I have actually been hoping for a while now that there'd be a flashback where she was more clear. That would make a huge difference to me in terms of letting me root for her revenge, and for the two of them to get back together.

The next best thing would be for her to say something clear *now*.

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@alex

Okay. I still can't buy that he never realized he was putting his wife through a rough time during the marriage. There might have been lack of communication of her part, but if this is true there is a total lack of support on his part (which is funny since he's mad at her about that too). How he couldn't notice the burns her arms or how tired she was... Um, well I don't get it. Though now I'm sure one episode soon something will make him realize he's equally to blame and finally see her in a different light.

But tbh, ignorance is not an excuse and doesn't free him from responsibility. Especially with the problems are so freaking obvious. But I do buy that he didn't actually think his marriage was totally doomed, but she saw it was and filed for divorce before it got worse than it already was. He blames her for that, not really seeing it was doomed in part because of his own actions.

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LOVE these comments because I think that both of you are right, based on the information we have right now. Both of them were poor communicators, IMO--just in different ways.

If Ae-ra's needs were not getting met (which clearly was the case), she had a responsibility to care for herself by saying loud and clear to Jung-woo that she was not ok with how things were, that he needed to get a day job to help her, and that his selfishness cost her their child (presumably). She needed to get angry and to shout from the rooftops until Jung-woo either did something about it, or dug his heels in (at which point, she would've been totally justified in leaving). I can certainly empathize with her tendency to keep her suffering to herself, but for her own sake, she needed to fight harder for herself & her needs in the relationship.

That said, Jung-woo had a responsibility to take an active interest in his own wife (his wife, for god's sake!), and to not neglect her in his singleminded pursuit of his business ventures. Neglect can be almost as insidious as abuse, and such long-term neglect of the woman who was working herself to the bone to support him is inexcusable. It was his responsibility to maintain an emotional connection with Ae-ra through all of this. If Ae-ra did not volunteer information on how she was doing, he should've pressed her for it. If she was coming home with burns on her arms from working too hard, it was absolutely his duty to look at his wife, notice that she was struggling, and ask how he could help. I don't care how clueless he was, he overtly prioritized his work & ambition over his wife's well being, and that is not ok.

I tend to empathize more with Ae-ra in this situation than with Jung-woo because it is really hard as a young woman to stand up for oneself in a relationship and say "I NEED THIS FROM YOU. YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF ME IN THIS WAY BECAUSE THINGS BETWEEN US AREN'T WORKING RIGHT NOW." Even the way she ended things with him let him off the hook by painting herself as materialistic & greedy, when the reality is that he neglected her for years and did not take an active interest in her life or her well-being. That clearly did neither of them any favors, since it allowed Jung-woo to play the abandoned victim and avoid any real growth that would've come from facing up to his real failings, and it didn't give Ae-ra the opportunity to stand up for herself and let out her justifiable anger at Jung-woo.

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I tried to watch this drama, but ended up just reading the recap because of the lead actress's character. I have a problem with her wanting him to apologize. She divorced him, not the other way around. Divorcing someone because he was not successful in business is a Korean thing or something? I thought one supposed to stick with someone thru thick and thin. If I had to think about it in business term, she put all her eggs in one nest and then pulled out before the chicks hatched. Now, she thinks she deserve an apology? Over his dead body, I say.

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I'm with you somewhat. I'm a little perturbed reading how so many commenters here actually put the male lead down instead of the female lead.

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I don't want to be mean, but really - i fast forwarded every scene with the 2nd lead female. Couldn't care less about her and whatever her plot story wether her being lovey dovey with anyone or even her sad flashback scenes. How can an actress be so bland, lawyer Oh from Let's Eat is so much better than her.

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Her sob story flashback was really terrible. Really drama... sombrero wearing truck drivers and bad English speaking actors....Way to destroy my sympathy for the character. I could only laugh.

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I like that Yeojin is the opposite of Aera - soft spoken, gentle, not assertive and gungho like Aera. It makes for an interesting compare and contrast.

And I don't find Kim Gyuri bland, her style of acting is just more understated compared to Lee Minjung's broad comedy because it's what is required by her character.

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Oh yes, Lawyer Oh is oh so much more interesting.
Her backstory sucks, and her acting doesn't help much. Even her body language is so stiff. I know it's supposed to make a point, but it just makes her 'difficult to watch'.

BTWm whatever happened to purplecow? Just curious.

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I think he normally does the even # recaps for Sly & Single. So we might hear from him again in the next recap. I'm really surprised with all the newbies. So many! Hopefully the recaps will be out faster then.

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Thank you for the reply. I had mistakenly thought that (s)he said (s)he would be recapping this whole drama.

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Lawyer Oh from Lets Eat was awesome! Don't insult her with comparisons to YJ.

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I actually feel kind of bad for her - not the character in the show, but how the writer and/or director has treated her as an actress. I think that is where a lot of the blandness comes from - I have seen her in other shows, and I know she can do better.

The 2nd lead could be so much better, but we alternately see little bits of depth, then long periods of bland "fill in this formula character slot" tropes. It's kind of like I want to like her, but just not seeing enough there to either like or dislike.

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It's not just her. I feel both 2nd leads are missing depth. I am touched by how they take care of the main couple. But it totally feels one-sided and flat. I couldn't care less for them unless it's to help our OTP get back together.

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I tend to agree. This is a drama where all the side characters really don't add much to the drama. Her BFF is the only real one I care about.

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thanks for the recap.. been waiting for days :)

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A giant thank you to new minion odilettante for the recap!

I have to disagree about the "submissive" housewife line though. Pretty sure the word submissive was never in NARs vocabulary. :)

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I love this drama. Thanks for recap:-)

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YJ's backstory is jarringly makjang in a lighthearted rom-con so much so I'm struggling to take it seriously.

The drama, for the most part, does seem to have settled into itself which is reassuring. Although we're only on ep6 a lot could happen from now to the finale.

AR submissive? LOL even she doesn't have that good of an imagination.

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I have to say that some of the writing seems a bit spotty. While the plot between the two leads is fairly well done, I am not impressed at all with any of the secondary characters - they seem to be just tossed in there as barely animate props for the two leads to bounce back and forth off of.

YJ is one example - I would really like to know more of her backstory, but all we get are these weird flashbacks with no real context. And AR's dad and brother just seem to be in there to provide ... provide what, exactly? Aside from being stupid, what purpose do they serve?

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" “Looking for this?” Seung-hyun holds out her letter, claiming that it fell on the floor and he picked it up, but a flashback shows he actually took off the team leader’s desk when he was delivering a report. I’m not sure why the self-proclaimed slacker is at the office before everyone else, but all that matters is Ae-ra has not resigned from Dontalk."

I think since he "hid" the resignation letter and after that soju night, he probably had a feeling that she'll come back for it, thus turning up for work earlier waiting for her. just a guess.

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I like Joo SW, but generally am not a die-hard fan of his. However, I find him excellent in this show, esp. as it progresses. He manages to portray his hurt and vulnerability really well in ep 6. Bravo.

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I haven't been too impressed either with his previous works and he never stood out to me. But I think with this drama, he does a great job like you said of portraying his hurt. He's seems so put-together but when he talks to or encounters Aera, he turns back to his goofy, nerdy, vulnerable old self again. We see a cute side to his acting.
I'm looking forward to the future episodes!

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He's infamous to me. I remember him from "Thorn Bird." Oh how I hated him and never wanted to see a drama from him again. Thanks to Lee Min Jung, I gave this drama a chance and I think he should choose rom-coms over melos in the future. He can really pull it off!

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He's doing a great job. So much so that I sort of can't wrap my head around that old CJW and current CJW are played by the same person. When he's around AR in the current time, he sort of blends the two together... it's nice to watch how he portrays the character.

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His sec calls him 'cowardly'. I don't think Jung Woo is too cowardly or stubborn to apologize. I think he felt too much pain when he was dumped, becos he clearly adored the ground she stood on, and somehow has been wanting to right that wrong, i.e. by getting her to kiss his boo-boos away.

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Neither do I think it's pride. I think it is 'hurt' on his part, the hurt of having the love of your life dump you, and the pain of taking sleeping pills to put yourself to sleep, and that leads to anger, and blame, which is always irrational. And on her part, she is pissed at the missed opportunity, the biggest one of her life, and him not acknowledging she had any role in his post-divorce success, even if it's just acknowledging that he put his business before her happiness. Therefore, stalemate!

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aera had a miscarriage???? when did it happen? which episode?? i missed it completely O_O

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Episode 1 when she was selling the coats. It's strongly implied. There are other hints like her longing look at her friend's baby and her BFF's concerned look. There is also the focus on the baby in the model house.

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That is the part that I am waiting... for Aera to say that she had miscarriage... I believe she had and that's enough reason for her to file for divorce...

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I agree that there is a strong suggestion of a miscarriage but I think he would have known of it. She had no reason to hide it from him.

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If the presumed miscarriage was true, I tend to think Ae Ra had every good reason to hide it from him at that time. Remember she has always loved her husband since the beginning. Although unconventional and harsh at times, she'd always have the best intention in her heart. For her revealing to him that he might have caused the lost of their child at his most desperate and vulnerable moment, would be cruel, especially he when he was incapable of doing anything about it. He can't go back and undo the result. He could not provide her even the basic needs, then how can he shoulder the burden of guilt and regret from a husband's standpoint. All in all, it's just better that he did not know as if it was the last noble act she could do for him, in turn sparing him the pain and anguish of a total failure. In a way, she wanted to protect him from further emotional damage than he would already have been by the divorce.

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That's exactly what I'm thinking too! I think her best friend will probably be the one to reveal Ae-ra had a miscarriage. Maybe she'll have to go to the hospital for something, JungWoo will be there, and her BFF will reveal to the doctors Ae-ra had a miscarriage some yrs back.

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honestly even last night i was also doin sum plotting planning in my head tht only way to make him realise tht how much she suffered wud b thru this topic i guess this relevation would be a major turning point for this drama wer his love which still exsists but which he strongly denies n tactfully conceals wud spring back in full force.. but by then most probably the budding noona romance wud b at its peak n aera wud b torn apart between these two.. further i feel tht second lead will turn slightly antagonist to keep the story uptight but i feel she will redeem herself later. but the more i devour the juciness of this drama the more i feel hungry! i juz cant get enuf of it!!
n the icing on the cake 4 me is aera's funny antiques n her never submissive attitude!

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That has never been confirmed, at this point it is speculation.

It comes from a very brief flashback scene in the hospital from EP1 where she was doubled over in pain.

Despite all the people saying it was a miscarriage, it could have just as well been a stomach ache or appendicitis or anything else.

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This show gets progressively better now that i've focused less on the faults of both and just sat through entertained by the comedy and Lee Min Jung's hilariouuus facial expressions. Her smirk? She is a joy to watch.

Not going to spoil ending for ep.6, but that's what really did it for me. Until then the show didn't really convince me 100% that the two could get back together, but i am FINALLY able to feel a bit more for the characters after that, and now i can watch with high hopes.

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Episode 6 is my favorite so far. That ending! I loved it and it got me invested in the OTP's reconcilement 100%.

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Hello odilettante! I'm usually a silent recap reader but I just want to let you know that your recapping style is right up my alley. Some recaps I find slightly sluggish or too matter-of-factly, while yours had none of that.

Looking forward to your next recaps! :3

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I can't help but think that Aera had a miscarriage. In one of earlier episodes where she's working various jobs to support both of them, she has cramps and is rushed home. Also, she looks so longingly at her friend's baby at her 1st birthday party.
Something tells me there's more to their breakup than what JungWoo knows...

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This was a cute episode, but I'm waiting to say everything I want until episode 6 recap is up. Perhaps you guys might want to combine them like you do for some series, but it's up to you if you feel that works for this show.

A lot of shows I watch for one specific reason, like one certain couple or just for a mystery (and fast-forward through the rest). This show, however, I'm liking on almost all fronts.

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I swore off any new Kdrama until I got some spring cleaning done, but broke down last night and marathoned every episode! Wow!
Yes, there are problems with this show, but who cares when there's a laugh-out-loud moment every few minutes? The expressions on our heroine's face are priceless. And who among us hasn't entertained a revenge fantasy or two? I kept thinking, "I wish I'd thought of that!" Ha!
Thanks, odilettante!

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Meh, I decided that I can clean NEXT Spring...

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Welcome and thank you for the recap, odilettante!

I am loving this drama more and more. I seriously teared several times during this episode and the next. Especially when SH told AR not to apologize about her divorce. I totally could see that AR was so ashamed of it and that it was something to be sorry for, and she obviously feels that way because of the way people treat her. Go SH! I feel second-lead syndrome coming on...

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Really funny how JW turning back into his oldself everytime hes with AR, he cant control her :-D

And SY, my parameter on shipping him had jump up high in that particular restaurant talk. Whats matter now is when he gonna find out whos the ex-husband is T_T...

Already excited on ep 6 recap n whats u all think bout it.

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It's hilarious that him being the CEO and super rich and powerful would be defenseless against Ae Ra. It's the little things that demonstrate how this show does rom com so well!!!

As a side note, JW reminds me of the main guy in Soon Shin. The capable and respected CEO but a dork around the girl he likes.

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Thanks so much for the recap. Am so loving this drama.

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Thank you for the recap odilettante. I really enjoyed it!

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I love Single Cunning Lady too but why can't Dramabeans do Bride of the Century recaps too? I love these two dramas. It's just painful that we have to wait 2-3 days before we can watch it subbed (BoC). Can any one from DB do its recaps as well? Please.

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BotC has been enjoyable. It is quite straightforward and can be watched w/o subs. You can always go to soompi for clues.

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Well, they are adding a bunch of new writers so maybe one of us should apply to be a minion. ;) I love it to bits but my writing is not that talented.

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If you want Bride of the Century recaps; try and look at koalasplayground :) she has botc recaps

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Pink lips are so in these days. Actresses AND ACTORS from Heirs, Man From Another Star, and this drama are all sporting it!

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I hope it's a trend on its way out. Hate it on the guys.

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Thanks for the great recap, and welcome, odilettante! (Love the name, BTW)

Seung-hyun has the prettiest eyes. I look forward to his close-ups.

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This seemed to be not fully explained in the recap --- when Ae-rae apologized to Seung-hyun about the divorce (i.e., saying she wasn't trying to hide it), I thought she was saying that there wasn't a place to indicate it on the job application and that she wasn't trying to hide from the place of employment/during the hiring process... so I thought her concern wasn't necessarily just being 'ashamed' of the divorce and him knowing (in terms of general societal stigma), but worrying about the consequences of people at work knowing. Which leads me to think that in Korea some places don't hire divorcees? (Is that the case? Can they actually do that?)

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Remember in ep 1 or 2 when she was trying to find a job, that preschool place didn't want to hire her because the parents wouldn't want a divorcée. I'm sure there's discrimination in Korea just like in America. They are not supposed to but employers will do it if they can get away with it. Marital status is not as common as race and age discrimination though.

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Hi Odilettante and welcome! thank you for the very very nice recap. it was the quality of recap that I had to leave a comment. :) A perfect blend of humour, content, analysis and opinion. Looking forward to tour nwxt recap! :D

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