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Witch’s Romance: Episode 4

Hi everyone, it’s LollyPip, back for more recapping fun with Witch’s Romance. I’m loving this show so much and I’m very excited to get a chance to recap it with odilettante. I hope you have as much fun with this show as I know we will!

A lot happens in this episode, on the career front as well as in our leading couple’s relationship. Dong-ha’s feelings seem to be shifting from responsibility towards Ji-yeon to actual caring, and while her feelings are still a bit more hidden, she’s not immune to his insightful and caring nature. But most importantly their friendship is growing stronger, and I could watch them just drink wine and talk together for hours.

EPISODE 4 RECAP

We revisit Ji-yeon’s memories of her ex-fiance’s proposal. She wakes up in the hospital and thinks she sees Shi-hoon standing over her, but it’s Dong-ha looking adorably worried. When she wakes up enough to recognize him, he’s relieved enough to fuss at her for going off without him and not answering his calls.

Dong-ha tells Ji-yeon that she has a slight concussion from the knock to her head, and she goes unconscious again, making him panic a bit. A nurse tells him it’s just the sedatives they gave her and that they’ll give her a CT scan when she wakes, and then Ji-yeon can go home.

The Trouble Maker Trio plus Young-sik come running into the ER, but they freak out because the blanket is pulled up to look like the person in the bed has died. They wail and cry and shake the “body” until it sits up, and it’s the shaman, HAHA.

The shaman spits and curses at them (which I’m starting to think is just her way of saying hello), and explains that a light bulb fell on her head. She threatens to do damage to the part-timer who let this happen, then throws the blanket back over her head and lays there hissing to herself. I love her.

Dong-ha returns after getting his arm looked at and the Trouble Maker Trio accost him with questions about Ji-yeon’s condition. Considering that they were just loudly mourning her supposed “passing,” they seem awfully disappointed that she’s fine and can go home (and back to work) soon.

They tell Dong-ha that Ji-yeon isn’t in the ER anymore, and he runs all the way back to her house to find her. Poor boy, the age gap won’t matter for long because he’s going to prematurely age with all this running around after Ji-yeon!

Dong-ha finds her sitting on the floor in the middle of her destroyed apartment, and starts to fuss again. She doesn’t answer, and just sits there holding the photo of the polar bear while her fingers bleed from the broken glass. She finally looks up at him with tears in her eyes, which immediately deflates his anger.

Dong-ha notices a black jacket in the middle of the mess and remembers tearing it off the intruder during their scuffle. He picks it up and finds a business card in the pocket for an employee of Blue Eye Entertainment, Kim Jeong-do’s management company.

He takes Ji-yeon to his place and bandages her cut fingers while chiding her for touching broken glass, clucking like a mother hen. She quips that she chose a good assistant and they bicker over whether she actually chose him, and that she’ll just fire him if he keeps sassing her.

Dong-ha asks where she went earlier when she wasn’t answering her phone, and she admits she went to see Kim Jeong-do. She tells Dong-ha that Jeong-do promised to drop the lawsuit if she stops the article. Dong-ha asks what Ji-yeon plans to do, and her face sets in resolve as she says she’ll take this to the end.

Dong-ha tells her that he’s taking her back to the hospital for the CT scan she still needs. He goes into the bathroom to doctor his own wound, and when he returns Ji-yeon has fallen asleep on the couch, still holding the polar bear picture. He takes it from her and reads the message “would you marry me” written on the back, only now realizing that the story she told him about the woman who was left at the altar was Ji-yeon herself.

In the morning, Ji-yeon wakes up still on Dong-ha’s couch, though she’s alone. She finds a note from him to stay where she is until he comes back, along with breakfast.

Dong-ha has gone to confront the man whose business card he found in the intruder’s jacket. He denies everything but Dong-ha isn’t buying it, listing all the terrible things the man has done to Ji-yeon. The Blue Eye employee shoots back a question: Is Ji-yeon making up lies about Kim Jeong-do? After all, writing lies is what she does for a living.

Dong-ha lunges across the table and grabs the man by his shirt, so furious he can barely speak. He tells the man that he’d better not come near Ji-yeon again or else, but the man doesn’t look too intimidated as Dong-ha storms out.

Na-rae helps Ji-yeon clean her apartment and invites her to stay with her and her husband for a while, but Ji-yeon declines. Dong-ha barges in, upset that Ji-yeon has again gone off without telling him, after he instructed her to stay at his place.

Ji-yeon asks why he’s so upset (maybe because he liiikes you) but Na-rae interrupts before he can formulate an answer. She immediately susses out that this is the “hoobae” that Ji-yeon told her she stayed with last night, and tells him that she invited Ji-yeon to her house but she insists on staying with him. Na-rae makes a fantastic wingman.

Dong-ha insists on taking her back to his place, since he’s tired of her getting into trouble on her own. She follows him while accusing him of mutiny against his superior, but he’s not intimidated. He gives her back her polar bear picture, shyly explaining that he took it from her so she wouldn’t crumple it in her sleep, since it seemed important to her.

Ji-yeon asks if he saw the proposal on the back and he admits that he did. She sighs that the picture isn’t important, but Dong-ha knows that it’s the reason she left the hospital. Ji-yeon tells him that it was a long time ago and she should get rid of it, but he says that remembering a precious person isn’t a bad thing.

He changes the subject and brightly says that it’s his first day at his new job, and he shouldn’t be late. At the office, Eun Chae brings Ji-yeon some flowers and words of encouragement, but Ji-yeon just tells her that if she has time for this, she should be working instead.

Eun-chae dejectedly takes her flowers away, but Dong-ha stops her and asks for the flowers loudly and pointedly while shooting eye-daggers at Ji-yeon. He keeps glaring while making loud comments about how pretty the flowers are, obviously trying to teach Ji-yeon a lesson about being a nice person, but she just ignores him.

There’s a meeting of the minds between Ji-yeon, Dong-ha, and Young-sik to discuss the business card that Dong-ha found and his conversation with the card owner. Unfortunately a business card doesn’t prove anything, but there’s a fundraiser in a few days and Ji-yeon thinks that Jeong-do may announce his political candidacy then.

Ji-yeon decides that the fundraiser is their D-Day, but Dong-ha wants to find some evidence before then. The Trouble Maker Trio wanders in to dump some negativity on their theories, but Ji-yeon isn’t deterred.

The two teams face off, and Team Leader Byul declares that if she gets any breaking news on Kim Jeong-do, he’ll wear Superman tights to work. But if she doesn’t, Ji-yeon has to cosplay a girl’s idol group. Dong-ha points out that it will be fun for her even if she loses, since she dances in her apartment every night anyway. PFFT.

Soo-chul is home from his trip, and has brought a ladyfriend with him. But when she turns on his bedroom light she sees Ji-yeon’s suitcase, jumps to the wrong conclusion, and dumps him. He calls Dong-ha to crow that he’s finally rid of that girl thanks to the lingerie. Dong-ha tells him that the lingerie belongs to a friend, but Soo-chul just congratulates Dong-ha on his choice of women given the size of the bra. Can I slap him? Please?

Dong-ha nervously confesses who the things belong to, and Soo-chul isn’t so happy anymore. He immediately asks if something is going on between them, and Dong-ha’s denial is just a little too shrill to be believable.

Ji-yeon, Dong-ha, and Young-sik sit at Soo-chul’s place and watch an interview given by Kim Jeong-do and his wife about the recent scandal. Soo-chul tries to sneak past them but Dong-ha stops him, remembering that his family owns the venue where Kim Jeong-do’s fundraiser will be held, and Ji-yeon only has to crook a finger to terrify Soo-chul into helping them.

The team obtains Kim Jeong-do’s DNA by having Soo-chul impersonate a crew member on his drama set and getting him to drink from a water bottle. He also secures an invitation to the fundraiser at his family’s resort. But a wrench is thrown into their plans when they hear that Kim Jeong-do’s mistress and daughter are leaving the country.

We see Soo-jung and her daughter get into a van and drive away, while Kim Jeong-do’s lackey (the one Dong-ha met with) reports that they’ve left. But Soo-jung notices that they’re not going towards the airport, and we see in the rear-view mirror that the driver is Soo-chul. He tells the pair that they’ll just be making a quick detour first. When the car stops, Ji-yeon is there, waiting to talk to her sunbae.

And so, Dong-ha visits with daughter Yoon-ji while Ji-yeon and Soo-jung have their talk. He gives Yoon-ji a book, and tells her that she can have her mom read it to her on the plane. He offers to throw away her drink trash, and now they have the daughter’s DNA too. Smart! Ji-yeon gives Soo-jung plane tickets for the next night, and asks her for just one day to give Ji-yeon a chance to reveal the truth.

Ji-yeon and her boys brainstorm over how to get the DNA test, since labs won’t do it unless you’re a parent. But it turns out that Dong-ha was a medical student, and can run the test himself.

Dong-ha and Soo-chul take Ji-yeon to get a dress for the fundraising event, and their dumbstruck faces when the pretty is revealed are priceless. Dong-ha ain’t too shabby himself in his all-black suit, which Ji-yeon definitely notices.

At the fundraiser, there’s an announcement about a “special presentation,” and there’s Dong-ha onstage. He gives a small speech, drawing a comparison between magicians and actors. Dong-ha plays the magician as Ji-yeon comes onstage, and she gets into a box and he covers her with a curtain. He calls Jeong-do onstage to assist, and it’s obvious Jeong-do knows this is a Very Bad Idea but he can’t refuse in front of an audience.

The two men pull back the curtain to reveal an empty box. Dong-ha invites Jeong-do to get in next. He does, and asks Dong-ha under his breath what’s happening, but Dong-ha just tells him not to be nervous because his wife is watching.

Dong-ha puts the curtain down, and next invites Jeong-do’s wife onstage. They each take a corner of the curtain and pull it back, and the box is empty again. Jeong-do is now in a room with Ji-yeon, who cuts right to the chase and tells him that she knows it was him who’s been threatening her. Isn’t he ashamed in front of his daughter? He denies having any daughter, but adds that it’s a good thing they’ve left the country so nobody can prove it. Sleazebag.

But Ji-yeon has the upper hand because she has the DNA test results proving that Yoon-ji is Jeong-do’s daughter. Jeong-do starts to lose his cool veneer and says that he’ll never be brought down by a woman.

But just then there’s a voice behind him, and it’s Soo-jung. She’s heard everything. She tells Ji-yeon that she’ll do the interview, which makes Jeong-do panic so badly that he promises to get a divorce for her.

Which is just the moment when his wife enters the room. This is so satisfying. Soo-jung tells Jeong-do that if her daughter ever sees him again, even in a movie or on TV, she’ll tell the world everything. His wife declares that he had better never let that woman be revealed. His career is over.

Dong-ha calmly tells Jeong-do that it’s time to go back to the party. Soo-jung congratulates Ji-yeon on getting over her ex-fiance, and that Dong-ha seems like a good man (Dong-ha pretends not to hear but puffs up a bit, so cute).

Back at the party, Jeong-do takes the podium and announces that he has some health problems, and that he’ll be halting his career to focus on treatment from now on.

After Yoon-ji and her mom leave, Dong-ha tells Ji-yeon that she did well today, and invites her out for a drink… Oops, but she stopped drinking because of her “fits,” he teases.

Ji-yeon’s mother calls to tell her that the dating service that she signed up Ji-yeon for has arranged a date for tonight. Dong-ha overhears and creeps closer to eavesdrop. Ji-yeon reminds her mother that she has a (fake) boyfriend, and Mom says that he’s okay but he seems poor and dresses shabbily. Dong-ha’s miffed reactions to all this are hilarious.

Ji-yeon’s mom threatens to move in right this minute and nag her until she gets a husband if she doesn’t go on this date tonight, so Ji-yeon agrees. She hangs up, and snaps at Dong-ha that he should have worn better shoes, ha.

Dong-ha says she’s dressed way too nice for a blind date since it will probably just be some fat ajusshi, but he agrees to drive her. He drops her off but stays to watch her greet her date (cameo by Lee Jae-yoon), grumbling to himself that the guy probably stutters or something. Her date seems nice, and asks her out again, but she doesn’t look very enthused.

Dong-ha pouts around the house waiting for Ji-yeon to get home, getting more and more antsy at how late she’s staying out. She’s actually at Na-rae’s restaurant complaining about how awful her evening turned out.

Her date had answered a call from his grandmother during dinner, speaking to her in this awful aegyo baby voice. He even pout-wiggled and told Grandmother not to go to sleep until he gets home because he wants to sleep touching her boobies. WHAT. Ji-yeon’s face says it all.

Na-rae asks what Dong-ha thought about her date, but Ji-yeon insists it’s not like that. Na-rae doesn’t believe her, but she reels when Ji-yeon reveals Dong-ha’s age. Except she’s reeling with happiness; Ji-yeon is so lucky!

By now Dong-ha has relocated his pacing to the street; but he spots Eun-chae first who’s come to bring something to Ji-yeon, and they sit on a bench to wait. Ji-yeon arrives home and is annoyed to see Dong-ha and Eun-chae laughing together. Dong-ha starts right in with the nagging, noticing that her date didn’t even walk her home. Eun-chae hands off whatever she brought, and stands there grinning.

Dong-ha and Ji-yeon’s combined awkward silent glares aren’t very welcoming though, so she bids them goodnight, and Dong-ha offers to walk her to the corner since it’s not safe for a woman to walk alone at night, hint hint. She declines but he’s making a point to Ji-yeon now, saying that Eun-chae’s waaaay too pretty to walk alone.

When he gets back to Ji-yeon, he nags her again for staying out so late. He oh-so-not-at-all-casually asks if she’s going to see that man again, but she tells him never to mention that weirdo. She softens him up by offering to share a drink to celebrate their victory over Jeong-do, and he mutters about her drinking again but it works.

Ji-yeon asks how he knows magic, and he says that he did it to get closer to the children during his pediatric rotation in medical school. She asks why he quit medical school, and he says it was because he discovered that doctors can’t really save lives. Ji-yeon tells him that she thinks he would have made a good doctor.

Dong-ha pulls out his phone to play some music, and it’s one of the old-school singers that Ji-yeon mentioned she liked (how sweet is he to download music for her?). He points out his favorite line about wanting a woman who’s never been on a blind date, HAHA. Ji-yeon asks if he means her, but he’s all big innocent eyes as he says no, because the song is about meetings (casual blind dates) and she went on a mat-seon (marriage-minded blind date). Ji-yeon turns it around on him, singing along to the woman’s line that all she needs is a man who looks good with a great woman.

Dong-ha invites her inside, and takes off his shoes to offer to her since he noticed she was limping on her high heels (swoon). She accepts and takes his arm as they turn to go in, but he winces and cries out in pain. She didn’t know he’d been injured in the break-in, and doctors up his arm for him.

As she’s putting away the first-aid kit, Ji-yeon picks up his dead plant and asks about it. Dong-ha’s mood switches in a flash, and he grabs the plant from her and yells at her not to touch it. She apologizes, but he’s not in the mood to accept.

At the office the next day, the Trouble Maker Trio are celebrating their victory over Ji-yeon, gloating that she was no match for Kim Jeong-do. Young-sik almost spills the beans about what really happened, but Ji-yeon stops him as she walks in, dressed like a Girl’s Generation nightmare.

Eun-chae enters, dressed exactly like Ji-yeon (to support her) and Dong-ha again points out how very pretty she is, earning a glare from Ji-yeon. Eun-chae passes out snacks, but Ji-yeon leaves and orders Dong-ha to follow her (and he looks pretty happy to obey).

They go to the airport to nab an interview with a gambling comedian, and Dong-ha whines that it’s not fair that she got demoted. He goes to get Ji-yeon a snack, which is when the comedian shows up and the reporters go crazy. Ji-yeon tries to at least get a picture with her camera, but Dong-ha comes back with news that what’s happening here is a decoy: He overheard someone saying that the comedian will be in the parking garage in ten minutes.

They head that way, but Dong-ha has left his lens behind. He runs back to get it, and Ji-yeon sits to wait for him. He calls to her from a few feet away, but when she looks over she sees not Dong-ha but the man sitting on a bench near him… It’s Shi-hoon, her ex-fiance.

COMMENTS

I cannot sing this show’s praises enough. It has heart, it has humor, and it has characters that make me care so much about them even though it’s still early in the show’s run. A lot of that is the casting: this show is about as perfectly-cast as a rom-com can be, with all of the actors playing their roles so thoroughly that I find myself watching scenes more than once, just to watch each character’s reactions and expressions to whatever the main focus is doing or saying. Park Seo-joon is especially brilliant at this: he is never not “on,” and there’s not a moment when Dong-ha isn’t reacting and responding to what’s going on around him. This is my first time seeing him in a drama, but it certainly won’t be my last.

Uhm Jung-hwa is also playing Ji-yeon fantastically, giving her a depth and sincerity that I rarely notice in a heroine of this kind of rom-com. You can almost tell what she’s thinking without her having to say a word, just by looking at her eyes. A good example is the scene where Dong-ha gives Ji-yeon her polar bear picture and she says she will throw it out, but he tells her not to. You can see sadness, surprise at Dong-ha’s sensitivity, and then gratefulness all cross her face without her even needing to speak. Again, this is my first experience with Uhm Jung-hwa (other than Running Man, where I also found her endearing and hilarious) but I will definitely make a point to watch some more of her work.

I love how the show seems to zip along, introducing characters and conflicts with speed but also throughness, making it feel like we’ve seen much more than only 4 episodes but never feeling rushed. Emotions are already coming into play; I’m pretty certain Dong-ha is well on his way to being head-over-heels in love, if his mothering and worrying and jealousy are any indication, but it doesn’t feel too soon. Ji-yeon is a bit behind in that regard, but she’s definitely attracted if not actually starting to fall for him yet (though a solid case could be made). I like that they have a good solid friendship already, and seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, so that when they do fall for each other it will feel natural.

But first we have to have some conflict, and how better than to introduce an old flame? Especially one with whom you never had closure and whom you still aren’t over. Ji-yeon’s ex-fiance showing up is going to throw a wrench into her growing feelings for Dong-ha, though I’m pretty sure they’ll only accelerate his growing emotions. If he can get that twisted up over one blind date, how will he act out when faced with a real love rival? I’m not so much looking forward to the conflict, but I’m definitely anticipating some (more) cute antics on Dong-ha’s part.

And he’ll have his own admirer to deal with, though I wasn’t very excited about it at first glance. On her own, Eun-chae seems to be a sweet girl, but rather bland and boring as second leads go. Then some clues in Episode 3 led me to agree that she’s quite probably the younger sister of Dong-ha’s old girlfriend. She was talking with her mother of her unni as if she’s gone (or probably dead), and a woman at the orphanage mentioned someone named Young-chae to Dong-ha, who seemed to know Eun-chae’s mother. Not to mention that comment that “Young-chae’s mother” has a daughter recently returned from the US, which we know is true about Eun-chae. It’s probably, since the drama world is tiny, that Young-chae is Dong-ha’s old girlfriend who has passed away (and his talk of not being able to save lives could be another clue) and that he’ll find out that the new intern is in fact her younger sister.

This would certainly add a layer of complexity and angst to Dong-ha and Eun-chae’s relationship. While at first I thought we didn’t really need a female second lead because there was already enough going on to make a full story, I do think that encountering his old flame’s sister could be an interesting way to have Dong-ha work through any lingering baggage he’s carrying. And I do suspect that baggage is going to be mighty heavy.

I’m a little concerned about the entrance of the love rivals and backstories of our leads, because I love the light and breezy tone of the show as it is, and bringing in dead-ex-drama could potentially turn things dark. I could honestly watch 12 more episodes of cute and funny and just forego the exes and second leads altogether, but I have a feeling that this honeymoon period is soon coming to an end. Let’s hope that the show can maintain it’s well-balanced structure, and give us plenty more chemistry and friendship between Dong-ha and Ji-yeon (and the rest of the hilarious gang) , in between the angst and conflict on the horizon.

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Thanks for recap! I am enjoying the show more than I expected.

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Thank you for the recap. I'm enjoying this, but can't help comparing it to My Queen, with Cheryl Yang and Ethan Ruan. It's probably better for the viewer not to see the original. I think MQ was a lot better (but too long and went a little crazy with the plot) and the age difference is too great in this drama. I decided to give this a good try, tho', since I'm a fan of UJH.

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Yea, I agree that though My Queen is better, it dragged out too long at the end. I also feel that the age difference is too great in this drama. She's almost old enough to be his mother! Gasp! Nonetheless, seeing how the original script was pretty well written(for the first 10 episodes anyway), I am not surprised to find this drama enjoyable too.

P.S UJH seems to have a knack for portraying prideful middle age women who are vulnerable on the inside. Thumbs up for that!

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I agree. Cheryl Yang in MQ looks younger and match well with Ethan Ruan better. The director should cast someone who looks younger. Ji-yeon had too much plastic surgery and it makes her looks older than 39 years old even though she looks pretty but she looks too much older than Yong Ha. This reminds me of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher age difference. Still I like this story line better because of the fast pace.

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I wish I could be in the recappers' shoes since they haven't seen My Queen yet. That fresh perspective would be enough for me to enjoy this but alas. My Queen was amazing despite its flaws and this drama is really nothing compared to it.

Where Lollypip praised Uhm Jung-hwa, I can only criticize her simply because she turned Cheryl Yang's beloved Wu Shuang and made a mellower, softer, gentler, cuter version of it which completely lessens the impact of what the whole series was about. How can a witch be so cute?? She's supposed to be abrasive and justify her coworkers' aggravation towards her cutting attitude; not make them look unreasonable in their attempts to belittle her. She's supposed to be a seemingly impenetrable fortress of her own, not letting a "kid" take care of her finger wounds like the damsels in distress that she denounces. The whole point of My Queen was this woman who grew a tough outer shell after a heartbreak that fends off everyone except those who happened to glimpse the cracks in her armor and saw the soft underbelly. But if we already have a cute, practically harmless Ban Ji Yeon, then where's that storyline and character growth that delighted me so? Wu Shuang was truly THE Queen, exuding authority and power while reigning over puppy hearts. Ban Ji Yeon, unfortunately, does not justify her title of a witch. She's like a princess pretending half-heartedly to be one. Where's the fun in that?

This drama, if anything, makes me appreciate My Queen and especially Cheryl Yang for her delightful, impassioned performance.

Anyways, this will be my last ranty comparison between the two dramas. It's a little unfair to constantly be spoiling the mood for those who enjoy Witch's Romance so I will also give it a rest. ;) I just had to let this out of my system before I completely adjusted my expectations and feelings so I could join in the fun of squeeing over an OTP.

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Couldn't have said it better, myself.

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I am an Taiwanese and I do not quite agree with the comparison between the Taiwanese and the Korean versions of the show.

First and foremost, the TV culture of Taiwan is VERY different from that of Korea. For instance, like "In Time with You," 'My Queen" is a romantic drama that tries to connect romance with everyday reality. The audience of Taiwanese trendy dramas is constituted mostly college students and career women. I might risk generalization, but he gender politics in Taiwan is drastically different from that in Korea. Women are never expected to quit their jobs after marriage and in fact women choose career over marriage because they enjoy economic independence. Therefore, in both "My Queen" and "In Time with You," the main female protagonists have their career goals and there is a lot of portrayals about the women in the workplace. Even in the sequel to "It starts with a kiss, " it touches upon the self-fulfillment of Xiangqin.

In comparison, Witch's Romance is a Korean rom-com by convention. Just look at the depictions of JY's office--it is NOT realistic at all. I think that the premise of Witch's Romance is meant to be zippy and light-hearted. Therefore, I don't think that it is appropriate to compare JY to Wu Shuang. I actually like the fact that everyone is quite harmless in WR. (The second female lead in My Queen looks vicious right from the very beginning, for instance). At the same time, although I really liked My Queen, I also find that the characterization of Wu Shuang reinforces the stereotype of a career woman as bitchy and cold, and only love can be the cure.

Anyway. Just two cents. Let's enjoy the ride. :D

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@ fandomscape:

Okay, so the issue is that WR is a remake of MQ. I get that they have to adapt it to the Korean culture but that doesn't mean they take out the essence of what the characters were. That sort of thing is universal. I'm neither Korean nor Taiwanese, but I could follow along Wu Shuang's feelings and understand her thoroughly every step of the way. What does general adjectives like being cute or cold have to do with culture?

Also, Wu Shuang never portrayed the stereotype that career women are bitchy and cold. All I saw was that she was naturally standoffish to everyone around her because she formed this outer shell to protect herself. Add to that a nice, healthy ego and some petty jealousy.....and you get a quite jerk-ish Wu Shuang full of bite. So she isn't like that just because she's a career woman. Nor was she cured of her coldness because of love. She still taunts her coworkers, she still remains on the defensive, etc, etc. To the people that matter does Wu Shuang reveal the softness, gentleness, and love that had always been present there.

It's actually not a big deal as I seem to be making it. Like I said, I have to change my expectations around. And this show is pretty good on its own, without the MQ baggage attached to it. In fact, I'm very pleased with Park Seo-joon's Dong-ha. He embodied Ethan Ruan's Lucas very well while also giving him an added dimension which I like.

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I agree on the big difference in culture - especially the gender politics - in Taiwan. Even though I am not Asian, it is very obvious both in being there and in the dramas. And it is not only a lot different from Korea, but from China and most other Asian countries (probably nearest is Hong Kong).

That said, I cannot stand most Taiwan TV dramas. In fact "My Queen" is one of the only two that I can recall ever finishing. I totally detested Deja Vu, for example. It seems like nearly all are unrealistically bland and silly.

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I totally hear what you are saying, and felt the same way myself in the first 2 episodes. Ep 1 (K-version) for me just felt overdone, overacted.

But now by eps 3 and 4. I am being won over.

The two versions have different flavors.

My Queen ranks among my favorite T-dramas (few, normally I find them too noisy and tiresome ) with great chemistry between Cheryl Yang and Ethan Ruan/.

Having said that, some parts of My Queen was draggy - I hope the K version will be an improvement on those.

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I agree that 'My Queen' was draggy at times. What I really love about WR is that it's moving right along. That's definitely a nice change from how MQ seemed to take forever to go anywhere at times.

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Indeed, the faster pace is very good. I was very surprised that Shi-hoon was introduced this early in the drama when in MQ, he came on much later halfway into the series.

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I've seen MQ too, and to be honest, in the past I haven't seen a sequel that I liked more than the original, but I can really say this is my first, I like WR more than MQ, and this is why.
First, MQ acting got unecessarily exaggerated at times, WR gets the fun while keeping it real.
Second, Lucas was a jerk at times with YG, and Dong Ha really you can't help but love him he really has a nice balance in his personality.
Third, in MQ you could tell YG fell first for Lucas and in WR I like that is Dong Ha the one who is falling first.
In conclusion, of course both versions have to be different and the great thing about it is that the did a great job with the original but even though we are only beginning with this one is not doing bad at all either, I feel a lot more chemistry with this couple than with the originals.

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Lucas was a wee bit jerk-ish but I think it fit well with his hot-blooded youth character that was made to depict the sharp contrast of the age gap (since Wu Shuang was the calmer, sensible one--a mark of her maturity).

I have to admit, I liked seeing WS falling in love first but I don't mind if Dong-ha does it this version.

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The grandma's boy whom Ji-yeon was set up by her mom is quite funny. The actor played a tough quiet brother in Golden Rainbow so him playing the crazy Oriental med doctor was polar opposite of the big oppa in Golden Rainbow.

the chemistry between two leads are great and the plot is well written with good pace. I just hope that the love triangles won't get too complicated. In K drama there is always a heart breaking point but I do not want to see Dong-ha suffer from it. He is just too nice!!

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The grandma's boy act was hilarious. "I want to sleep touching your boobies." *dies laughing*

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Thanks for the recap! :)

That cameo by Lee Jae Yoon was hilarious! :D Finished watching Heartless/Cruel City (def makes it to my list of top 5 dramas of 2013) just a few days ago, so it's funny watching him play the character of a weird manchild here.

Loving this drama, so far! It's moving faster than the Taiwanese version, fortunately. :)

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Great recap! I'm loving this show to pieces :)

To add a little info, Ji-yeon dresses up like Orange Caramel, who just recently had a comeback with their single "Catallena".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Med2XipHJJM

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I did catch the reference but not until it was too late, dangit. Thanks for the link, it's a cute video!

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I thought the song sounded familiar, but the recognition really hit when I saw her little sushi hat! Love Orange Caramel's wacky videos :)

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CUTE.

This is such a breezy and fun drama to watch. I even enjoy the serious plots/story lines as well. Like atz said above I just hope the love triangles won't get too complicated.

Thanks for the recap, can't wait for next week :D

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Yes, cute and fun! I'm enjoying this too. I was checking out what other shows PHS had done & realized he'd been on an RM "Olympics" episode. I watched the episode again; he was pretty outgoing. He and his noona's personalities fit well into these characters. Even though I pretty much know what'll happen with the other potential romance candidates, the age gap is considerable, and even though I don't mind if there is NOT HEVA endings in kdramas/rom-coms, I really want these two to be solidly together in the end.

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When eun chae came out with same outfit in support of her boss, i just laughed. Very cutesy. I like

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I was surprised when soo Jung let her daughter go off with a unfamiliar man last ep but was even more surprised to see her non reactiom to bejng kidnapped. Nonetheless its good to see jeong do dealt with- didn't want this to be another drama with a creepy sitalker/killer lurking in the background. I do wonder why no one went to the police but nvm this is a fun easy to watch drama thus far. Love the chemistry between the leads and like their characters. Laughed at how proudly ji yeon strode in her orange caramel gear and was dissapointed to see eun chae show up the same, and at the fact it seemed dong hae asked her to? Eun chae is too nice its suspicious. I hope the drama stays light and focused on the leads

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This show is bit slackerish when it comes to being realistic – whether it's the non-reaction to being (sort of) kidnapped, never calling the police for that break-in (?????) or JY walking out of the hospital without anyone noticing.

I find some things a bit too ridiculous (not quite my kind of humour) but the chemistry between the leads definitely works. And Dong-ha is pretty endearing.

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yes, I agree. I'm laughing and enjoying myself for most of the episodes, but I also find myself cringing at times and definitely having to suspend disbelief. It works now because it is so light hearted - but its probably why I'm hoping it won't get too serious.

Dong-ha is definitely endearing. And very, very cute. ;)

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I stopped expecting reality in minor details of K-dramas soon after I began watching them. But I still want them to get the major details right. And I am happy if the main leads look and act their parts with credibility. (Unlike the one in A New Leaf! I will say no more to avoid spoiler.)

About the gap in age - which various people called "great" when I think they meant big - which seems to bother many here. Does it occur to you that, in the end, the "puppy" (as many of you call him) is not destined to tie the knot with the witch? Not that I don't want that outcome.

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Are you talking about Park Min-young? Because I certainly have an issue with her acting there. *shudders*

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She's a mess in it, isn't she? She wasn't so terrible in SScandal, because the other actors were also younger and a little less polished. But watching her and the other two leads in a New Leaf... wow. It's just embarrassing. And that's before you even get into the issues with the script. She gets props for doing stuff that should be getting her fired or even barred from doing law at all.

I'm kind of mad about it, because the other two leads are amazing, and I know I'm going to end up watching the whole thing, just for them. Do not get her appeal.

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Seriously! So much overacting. Where Kim Myung-min and Kim Sang-joong are exuding a silent, mesmerizing force...she's just running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I'm doing my best to ignore her.

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I do get bothered when details are off. I think good dramas with even minor details making sense are possible, but sadly most k-drama writers can't be bothered. Which is why I often end up dropping dramas with potential (like this one), because to me it's bad or lazy writing that interferes with enjoyment. We'll see how far I get with this one...

I have no problem with the age gap. They are over 18, so it's a legit and fine in my book. I don't call anyone "puppy" either, personally.

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Only 4 episodes in and it's already explosive! Up to this point, it has been a fun and exciting ride.

The main actor, Dong-Ha is a really good actor. I've not seen any of his dramas. I'm blown away by his acting chops...he is seriously AMAZING.

Uhm Jung Hwa is good too. It's not an easy character to play in a sense that she has to be full of herself and yet able to convince us that indeed she has a vulnerability that makes her likable. She gives just the right touch in my opinion.

And the most important is the chemistry between the leads especially in a rom-com. Even with the big gap in age, they sizzled on screen. What a pair! Can't wait for more naughtiness between them. :)

Oh...and I cannot not write about the blind date. Hilarious! Really? I mean...really? It took me by surprise and it's one that I enjoyed very much.

So give us more show. Really looking forward to next week.

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I first watched this actor in Warm-Hearted Words and he proved himself very charismatic there.

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I'm really loving this show and I'm very much hoping it keeps its momentum.

How adorable is Dong-ha? Yep, I have a crush. I'm so impressed with Park Seo-joon and absolutely love the chemistry between the two leads.

Thanks for the recap and gorgeous screen shots :)

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I love this show! Absolutely happy there's a cute show to look fwd to after BotC & Emergency cpl wrapped up. X wait for nx week. I even looked up the TW version myqueen. ^__^ shipping the OTP!!

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Love this drama. The chemistry between the two leads is sizzling. Thought the blind date scene over the top funny. Looking forward to more eps. Thanks for the recap.

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This drama is too perfect at the moment and I love it. But I do agree that the introduction of the exes might put a damper on things. I hope they handle those storylines well. *crosses fingers*

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That blind date scene. I have not laughed that much in a long, long time. Thank you for the recap. I can't wait for Monday!

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Best rom com couple ever..

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I'm really enjoying this breezy comedy.

The age a gap in unbelievable but they make it work.

Didn't recognized the actor who played the older brother in Golden Rainbow at first. He was dressed so nice and handsome, but played such a hilarious weirdo. Eeek!

Don't trust Eun Chae. She always has a sly smile on her face.

So far, this comedy is fun to watch.

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It's official. I'm in love with this show!! The main couple is so perfect and cute omg. I could seriously just watch them sitting and talking for an entire episode and be perfectly content. There's just something really watchable about them together...I chalk it up to the amazing acting on both sides. Hope it continues to be this good because I'm hooked :) Thanks so much for recapping!!

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I was so tickled to see Lee Jae-yoon cameoing here!

First of all, loved him in Golden Rainbow - Such a hottie as Kim Man Won.

Secondly, in Uhm Jung-hwa most recent movie 'Venus Talk' released in Feb 2014 - Lee-Jae-yoon played her younger office romantic interest - same theme - older woman + younger guy!!! So fitting for him to be here in this drama. Found his 'grandmother's boy' routine hilarious! Will never look at the badass him the same way again!

Loving this show!!! Saw Uhm Jung-hwa first in 'Get Carl' kdrama playing opposite Oh Ji Ho! That was funny too! She is a terrific actress - those expressive eyes is her most potent weapon in her activing skills.

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This lovely drama!

Despite some ridiculous prejudice about the leads age gap, i found them adorable and with great chemistry.
This episode was my favorite especially during scenes like Dong Ha at home waiting for Ji Yeon's blind date to finish and Ji Yeon having to deal with her grandma lover date lol.

Thanks for the recap!

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Hi LollyPip! Welcome to the fold. Great write-up. Also if you're interested in checking out more of Uhm Jung Hwa's work, I recommend Dancing Queen and The Man Who Still Wants to Marry. Her character isn't as zippy in the latter but I think she delivers a wonderfully understated performance there. And Dancing Queen is just surprisingly heart-warming. She wasn't bad in Ogamdo either but that short was kind of a weird piece. I'm a big fan of UJH as an actress (much more so than as a singer).

OMG, I love this drama world and these characters and I just want to hang out with them forever. This show is so much fun! The episodes just seem to fly by but so much seems to happen in them. I nearly cried with laughter during Jiyeon's blind date's phone call to his grandmother. THAT VOICE. And Soo Chul's reactions to Jiyeon, being so awkward in his own apartment, and setting up his girlfriend so he could get rid of her. He's truly a con man. And Dong Ha was so cute when he was impatiently waiting for her to get back.

Ugh, I just love, love, love these two together. I rarely get that invested in lead couples but these two have me fully on board their ship already. Their chemistry, their flirtation, their bickering. I love how positively Jiyeon responded when Dong Ha told her that he quit medical school because he saw someone die in front of him and couldn't do anything. There was so much sensitivity there which we haven't seen her show to someone else before. It's nice seeing her soften little by little thanks to him. I also loved seeing them work together to bring down Kim Jeong Do along with SooChul and her hoobae. They all make such a cute team. I kind of wish we could get rid of the annoying office trio though - they're so mean and petty in an over the top way, ugh. At least they didn't want Jiyeon to die?

I completely agree with what you said about how fully the actors inhabit their characters and how they're always reacting to things, especially Park Seo Joon. His reactions are magnificent and I think he's doing such a great job with this role. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him once he wraps this show because the boy is talented. AND CUTE.

I just really hope the show continues to be so well balanced. I don't want it to get too serious or too dramatic. So far they're balancing the more emotional elements well with the humour and cute and I want them to continue doing so. Also UJH totally rocked that OC getup, ha.

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OMG!! Thanks dramabeans and all the recappers for your love towards Witch's Romance!

This year has been tremendous for Kdramaland, not because we have exceptional dramas. Rather, we are SO SO SO lucky to see great performances from actors and actresses who were normally active in Chungmuro. First, we have Jeon Jin Hyun, then Jo Seung Woo, and now Uhm Jung Hwa. I LOVE Uhm Jung Hwa for a long time ever since 2002 when I saw "Marriage is a crazy thing." She and Kam Woo Sung were AMAZING together.

I know that there is an age gap. And I know that UJH is aging. But you know what? One thing I love about her is that she is always comfortable with who she is--she is very open about her wanting to get married soon (in real life). In this drama, she doesn't try to act cute. She is tough, sophisticated, crazy and yet vulnerable. Her acting is so sincere and yet free in a way that she brings the entire cast to the limelight. This is what a good sunbae should be! She is not interested in only letting herself shine. Honestly, does she need a TV drama under her belt? NOT AT ALL. UJH is one of the few actresses in Chungmuro who has both box office appeal and who has received critical acclaim. But it is so obvious that she loves playing this role. She has so much fun and her joy is contagious!! I LOVE her to pieces!!

And Park Seo-joon? OMG. At first, he is a bit awkward. By episode 4, I've fallen in love with him. This cutie is so natural and his comic timing is in perfect sync with UJH. I love the fact that he is not afraid of UJH and their physical intimacy makes me squeal.

One thing I love this drama the most is that they develop the relationship of OTP gradually. JY and DH talk to each other and they are great friends. And this is so unique in Kdramaland. Don't change this lighthearted drama into a melodramatic angst, please!

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Maybe the person dying Dong ha was talking about in the drinking scene was Eun chae's sister...

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I don't understand why people are saying Ji Yeon is being saved by Dong Ha and that makes her not a witch and is ruining the character. She is a force in her work place which is where her "witch" image comes from. I mean just look at how she handled the confrontation scene having not just the 2nd woman but the wife show up and finish the job. Being a "witch" doesn't mean you have to be able to stand physical attacks on your own or that she can't have soft side. She's only a witch because that's the only side the trio see, that doesn't mean that's the only side she has.

Anyways, I cannot get over how much I love this drama. I really love how they are introducing the new characters in little bits and pieces and that they aren't throwing everything out there all at once. We are learning about each character at the same pace that they are learning about each other.

Also, I really love how this show seems to go through the typical plot points and then throws a curve ball that makes it different. I was definitely like BooYah! when not only the 2nd woman but the wife showed up. I also really love how the little attention to details, like seeing Dong Ha notice her limping in her heels and giving up his shoes even if they were so close to home.

It's also great how the show takes the time to show that Dong Ha's actions toward Eun Chae aren't anything special to him. It's just him being him, like when he didn't remember about the flowers, but it obviously meant something to Eun Chae. But when it comes to Ji Yeon, it's obvious that he's making the extra effort and that his actions towards her mean something to him.

I just hope they don't make Dong Ha go the guilt trip road with Eun Chae because it just does not seem in his nature to do that. Even though Dong Ha and Ji Yeon are only in "friend mode" right now I think they are too strong of a couple to be broken up easily by an ex and dead ex's sister(?) let's hope!!

I just realized that Uhm Jung Hwa had a song with TOP before. I wonder if that's why they are using Big Bang for Dong Ha's musical influence on Ji Yeon. I also really love how music is being use to bridge the age gap.

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I don't think that Uhm Jung Hwa is under YG but she definitely has close ties to them because she's worked with several YG artists (TOP, CL, YGMA and more) on songs and I remember her saying that she had collaborated with them to help produce her 10th album and recently when she was on Running Man, she wore a hat with Taeyang's new logo throughout the show. She's also personally a big Big Bang fan from what I know. She's also supposed to be a close friend of Yang Hyun Suk (YG's CEO).

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ahhhh i freaking love this show
, the main guy is soooo sooo sooo sooo cute!!!

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eun chae is nice, but i can already tell im going to be so annoyed with that little angst triangle. ugh

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I'm actually starting to love this show.

A correction though, "...dressed like a Girl’s Generation nightmare...", Ji-yeon & Eun-chae are actually dressed as 2/3s of Orange Caramel in their song "Catallena".

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I enjoyed the drama in Ep 1 & 1 but 3 & 4 makes it a melo and not a romantic-comedy which I was expecting... Also for some reasons I am find UJH a little too old for the guy in Ep.3 and 4 and it is just so obvious now, not in a nice way...
I don't like who is doing UJH's make-up....the cheeks tint is too much and so is her eye make up. Her face looks red because of the bad make-up. She is looking older than she is because of her make-up and her her hair colour.
About the acting and chemistry, I found it very interesting in Ep 1 and 2 but in 3 and 4, I found it just too forced. The guy obviously looks smitten by her but they don't show when, how, why ...what I mean is they show him smitten by her just like that. I wish there was character development and story showing their growth and progress.... The romance feels forced.
The actors are doing a great work. UJH is an amazing actress but I am not enjoying the melo part or the forced romance.

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I just love this guy and agree that he is spot on 100% of the time. It's a pleasure to watch someone fully engaged in acting like this. It would be nice to see a lot less of the office trio and more of his con man roommate, please?

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plastic galore this drama

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I agree with you wholeheartedly. The show is perfectly cast and such a fun ride with just enough story in between the adorable to string everything together.

I hope it doesn't get too dark as well, but if it does, that it still balances out the dark with the Park Seo Joon. haha

I have seen him pass by in Running Man and saw bits of him in A Warm Word, but I wasn't fully into that drama to notice him. He's on my favorite list now though!! He would be for his acting ability alone. And his gorgeous everything is like a cherry on top!

Thanks for the recap!

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I totally loved Ji yeon's Catallena dance!! Never imagined UJH doing it.

The oriental doctor was hilarious! Ji Yeon's reaction to his aegyo was spot on.

And I'm loving Dong Ha to pieces.. ^^,

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lol...more time together for the couple = more interesting scenes in the drama! Although she is used to being treated as a witch, I am so glad that he can see through her tough exterior and see the good person she is. Someone who is passionate about her job, but also does not stoop low just to get a big scoop...

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Hi, I am getting really frustrated. I am watching witch´s romance but after the ep 4 is over and we se her ex fiance coming back at the airport, ep 5 does not pick up there but with a recap of a whole lot of things that have not happened yet. On no website can I find the real ep 5.

And the same goes for the recaps of the episodes here. I cannot find a recap of what happened after she sees her ex fiance in the airport.

Can anybody help me?

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Don't worry, you're not going crazy and you're not watching the wrong episode! The show actually never does mention that they were in the airport at the same time, and I assume they didn't actually see each other since when they do later, Ji-yeon is completely shocked to see him. You're watching the right thing, the show just made a really confusing editing choice. Keep following along with the recaps and you'll be fine!

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hi. can u tell me the name of the soft song played when Ji-yeon revisit the memories of her ex-fiance’s
proposal. please tell me where i can find tht song..

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