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Triangle: Episode 16

As much as it defies the laws of physics, Triangle just keeps getting better and better with each passing episode. For once it feels like we’re building up to a proper ending rather than simply counting down to the inevitable moment where the show will drag itself across the finish line just to put itself out of its own misery.

Orrr maybe I’ve just become jaded after watching so many shows falter at this point in the game, which means I’m more than happy to report that this power hour delivers an emotional wallop that couldn’t be more gratifying if it tried. If I had only one request, it’d be that we cut all the phone conversations used to plan meetings that are then used for more planning. If we can cut out even one step of that process, we’d get a much more streamlined experience, don’t you think?

As far as ratings, Doctor Stranger kept its moderate lead at 11.8%. Triangle is on the rise and took second with 8.6%, while Trot Lovers brought up the rear with a dismal 5.4%.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jung Joon-il – “안아줘 (Hug Me)” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 16 RECAP

Yang-ha makes his refusal of Young-dal in the boardroom loud and clear to everyone present as he questions Elder Ahn’s judgment in bringing him, as if he wasn’t aware of Young-dal’s reputation as a street thug.

Of course, Elder Ahn knows all this very well and announces to the board that he used his own personal experience and wisdom in choosing Young-dal for his unique talents—especially when it comes to Young-dal’s knowledge of the inner workings of casinos.

But again, Yang-ha strongly interjects that he won’t accept Young-dal, no matter the agreement they made. Chairman Yoon finally intercedes to quiet his son when Elder Ahn says he’ll take back his offer to invest in Daejung if they won’t take Young-dal, and invites the snazzily dressed young man to introduce himself to the board despite Yang-ha’s protests.

Young-dal is up front about his past when he speaks to the board, and honestly elucidates that though he may have once been nothing more than a beggar at their casino, that experience gave him the tools necessary to understand Daejung from the viewpoint of their customers.

Yang-ha seethes impotently as Young-dal wins the boardroom’s approval with his eloquent speech and his promise that he’ll work toward creating a brighter future for the company.

Young-dal gets a title and a fancy new office, which comes with a warning from Elder Ahn: Everyone will be waiting for Young-dal to show even a hint of weakness, so he has to be careful.

And he’s right, since Chairman Yoon orders Director Hyun to dig up any dirt they can find on Young-dal as well as to keep a sharp eye on him. Chairman Yoon has to also put aside Yang-ha’s argument that Young-dal is nothing but trash, if only because they can’t risk losing Elder Ahn’s investment.

Jung-hee is in the dealer’s room when word spreads that the infamous Young-dal is now a casino executive, and tries to piece together this new development with what little she knows.

Remembering her conversation with Young-dal and how he claimed to know who was responsible for making his life a living hell, Jung-hee seems to be wondering whether Young-dal’s sudden appearance has something to do with his vow to fix the past.

After Jang-soo and Jailbreak make casino buddy Jun-ho promise to take care of Young-dal, Dong-soo suddenly flatlines in the hospital. Shin-hye stands by worriedly as the initial attempts at defibrillation fail.

Meanwhile, Boss Min also proves to be looking out for Young-dal’s best interests, since it’s revealed that casino Manager Bae has been acting as her informant in Daejung Casino. Now she’s asking him to watch over Young-dal.

Manbong has changed his tune when it comes to Young-dal now, because despite Young-dal’s promise to give him his life if he couldn’t pay him back, the gamble Young-dal is taking with regard to bringing Daejung down could make them both rich.

So in that vein, he promises to help Young-dal to achieve his goal. First on the list is taking Chairman Go down, which Manbong admits will be no easy feat—they can’t rely on the law to help them, so they need to find some other way to prove that Go had a hand in Dong-soo’s attempted murder. He knows of one way…

A text from Shin-hye about Dong-soo’s critical condition sends Young-dal rushing to the hospital. After Dong-soo is tentatively stabilized, Detective Tak decides to tell Shin-hye about Dong-soo’s mother, who he never went to visit even after Tak told him her whereabouts.

Poor Detective Tak is worried that Dong-soo could die without ever meeting his mother, which is when Young-dal cuts in: “Where is she right now?” He’ll be the one to pay her a visit—after all, she’s his mother too.

Standing outside the shabby place where his mother works, Young-dal thinks back to Shin-hye telling him how Dong-soo never went to see her because of his resentment toward her for abandoning him and his brothers.

When asked what Young-dal planned to do once he met the mother he can’t even remember, Young-dal simply replied that he had no idea what he’d do.

Young-dal ends up at a small dive bar/restaurant, where he’s served by a chipper ajumma who can’t help but pry into why such a handsome young man would come alone.

If he’s looking for someone, she claims she knows all the young ladies in the area and can help—but he just sighs ruefully. “I doubt you’ll know who it is even if I told you.”

Methinks Young-dal has already found who he’s looking for, since something inside him seems to break as he watches the ajumma flirting with some other handsy men in the restaurant.

Young-dal also watches, in silence, as the ajumma’s son(?) comes in to demand money, treating the ajumma like a piggy bank he’s willing to break open if that’s what it takes.

When the other patrons asks why she lets herself be treated that way, the ajumma sighs heavily as she says that she’s being punished for her past sins. “I committed the worst sin I could have ever committed, and deserve to be boiled alive in the depths of hell for it.”

Whether or not she’s talking about abandoning her children, Young-dal has had enough and gets up to leave. He mentions nothing about Dong-soo, but leaves the ajumma with a one hundred dollar bank note.

Only when he’s outside does Young-dal allow his tears to fall. Poor Young-dal.

With fire in his eyes, Young-dal tracks down the ajumma’s/Mom’s good-for-nothing “son” and gives him a solid and well-deserved beating. “Get your head on straight and treat your mother well,” Young-dal warns him.

But when the kid (cradling his broken fingers) asks why Young-dal is doing this to him, Young-dal replies: “Because you’re living your life like a piece of trash, the heavens are punishing you for it.” Oooh, I could watch a whole series of Young-dal as The Dark Avenger.

At Dong-soo’s bedside, Young-dal heartbreakingly calls him “Hyung” for the first time, even though Dong-soo can’t hear him. He still talks as though he can, and begins to tell his hyung how he built up his image of their parents as these larger than life figures when he was at the lowest points of his horrific childhood.

Young-dal: “Because I couldn’t have endured the life I had to live without doing that. If I’m right about what I’m thinking, then you must have done the same… which brings me to say this: I think it would be better for you if you don’t see mom. I think it would be better… if you kept the image of her you have in your mind.”

Grandma has heard about Young-dal’s new and prominent position in the casino, though her attempts to get more information out of Jung-hee don’t work because Jung-hee knows no more than anyone else.

It’s cute how Grandma assumed otherwise since she was sure the two of them were dating behind her back, which, ha. But it’s clear that Jung-hee is more frustrated than anyone about being left out of Young-dal’s life.

Yang-ha is driven to drink as he flashes back to a confrontation he had with Young-dal after the boardroom meeting. Young-dal was as cool as a cucumber as he told a furious Yang-ha not to get so worked up over a street thug like him, but in a patronizing way that only made Yang-ha angrier.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I haven’t accepted you yet,” Yang-ha spat, causing Young-dal to comment that despite his ignorance, he’s still good at playing janggi (Korean chess), and that there’s a move that translates to a checkmate. That’s where Yang-ha is: stuck in checkmate.

But Yang-ha, always the petty one, sneered back that he would just flip over the chess board. Young-dal, unfazed, remarked that though Yang-ha had stabbed him in the back using Chairman Go before, those kinds of cowardly move won’t work on him anymore.

Young-dal: “For a smart guy like you who has everything to resort to using dirty tricks just to get rid of a piece of trash like me… Don’t you find that humiliating?” BURN. Oh, that burns so good. No wonder Yang-ha can’t help but imbibe thinking of that.

Detective Tak and his crew are reluctantly forced to let Chairman Go free by morning, since they have no solid evidence to tie him to Dong-soo’s current critical state. It’d help if they could find the Scarred Man…

Except for the fact that Chairman Go has already taken care of him. Now that he’s free, the first thing he wonders is why Dong-soo won’t just die already, before he tells his minion that Young-dal is really Dong-soo’s little brother. He plans to do something about the two of them.

Since Boss Min fooled Chairman Go, he sends his minions to abduct her for a chat. The normally proud and haughty woman is brought down when one of the men gut punches her before dragging her off. Ouch.

Boss Min is tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse (y’all know how I feel about these), but try as she might to threaten Chairman Go about the retribution he’ll face from her frightening husband if he lays a hand on her, Chairman Go is way too upset to care.

He demands all the information she has about Young-dal and Dong-soo now that he knows they’re brothers, and when she doesn’t speak, he smacks her hard across the face. Nooo, I like her!

Elder Ahn introduces TUTOR MOON to Young-dal in order to teach him everything he needs to know about casinos so that he can fight Yang-ha on more even footing.

However, Young-dal’s late night study session is interrupted when Boss Min (now safe and sound, thankfully) calls to tell him that Chairman Go abducted and humiliated her. Apparently Chairman Go didn’t believe that Young-dal and Dong-soo were actually brothers, probably because it reminded him that he killed their father.

Now that he’s losing a hold of his sanity, he’ll be coming after Young-dal with a vengeance—but first he has to wrap his head around the fact that Young-dal is now a director at Daejung Casino.

Yang-ha wears his sour face while out at a club with his kinda-sorta-girlfriend(?) Jiyeon, who asks if he actually hates the time he spends with her. With an unchanging expression, Yang-ha honestly replies that “hate” is a strong word. He’s just not having any fun.

Jiyeon plants a kiss on him and asks if that made it any better. Yang-ha retorts that he can’t tell from just a kiss. If they sleep together, though…

“Let’s go then!” Jiyeon chirps happily, which takes Yang-ha by surprise. “I kind of like you,” he wryly admits, and Jiyeon seems confident that he’ll come to like her more once he realizes how much fun she is.

Chairman Go meets with Yang-ha to demand that he get Young-dal out of his casino at all costs as he drops the bomb that Young-dal and Dong-soo are actually brothers with a clear agenda against Daejung.

Boss Yang’s attempts to woo Madame Jang are interrupted when a group of thugs start trashing her place and beating her customers. She meets them fearlessly (even though her faithful lackey, like Boss Min’s, proves to be capable of taking only one punch), but lacks the manpower to fight the gang now declaring ownership over her casino.

Luckily for her, Manbong comes to the rescue and takes the group of thugs on single-handedly. You can all but see the hearts in her eyes after Manbong sends them all home beaten and bruised, which puts a serious damper on Boss Yang’s comparatively pitiful attempts to win her heart.

After Jung-hee rescinds her letter of resignation so she can keep working at Daejung Casino, she runs into Young-dal inside. Their conversation is strained even with Jung-hee trying her damnedest to have an inoffensive chat with the man she loves.

When she asks if Young-dal will ever come home, he responds that he’s been too busy trying to learn about the casino business. It’s a cold reply, but Jung-hee takes it in stride and offers him a sincere smile as she expresses her hope that he continues to take care of himself no matter how busy he gets.

She turns to leave, and Young-dal, feeling guilty, stops her. “I don’t want you to fall victim to this filthy world I’m having to rot away in… I can’t ask you to keep waiting for me. Just forget about me and move on.” Omo. He’s breaking up with her?

“No,” Jung-hee replies. Gah, she doesn’t even need to say more—I totally love her for rejecting his rejection. “What upsets me the most right now is that there’s nothing I can do for you except watch over you and wait for you to finish what you need to do before you can come back to me. Whatever battle you’re fighting… end it soon.”

Yang-ha tells his father about the blood tie between Young-dal and Dong-soo in the hopes that Chairman Yoon will oust Young-dal from the casino, since he clearly has ulterior motives.

But Chairman Yoon is actually of the opposite mind, and doesn’t see a reason to get rid of Young-dal now that they know his game. He even chides his son for being so afraid of someone he himself called street trash, and tells Yang-ha to man up.

Even if Young-dal’s hiding a metaphorical knife up his sleeve, Daddy argues, then all Yang-ha needs to do is stab him first.

Acting as Young-dal’s informant within the casino, Jun-ho warns him in advance that Chairman Yoon plans to sit in on Young-dal’s meetings to check on his performance.

Shin-hye is the one at Dong-soo’s bedside when he finally, finally wakes from his coma. But it’s not clear whether he recognizes Shin-hye… ohh, you guys BETTER not pull the amnesia card.

Jang-soo and Jailbreak get all dressed up in suits (without floral prints!) because Young-dal wants them by his side at the big meeting. They’re clearly awkward in front of so many board members, but Young-dal doesn’t allow their presence to be questioned.

Meanwhile, Boss Min addresses a small army of her jailed husband’s gangsters like a general preparing her troops for battle. And that proves to be exactly what it is as Manbong, acting as her second-in-command, declares that they’re officially going to war with Chairman Go.

We find Dong-soo with his wits about him (phew!) but still very weak. Shin-hye updates him on what’s been going on since his attack, and Dong-soo knows well enough that if Chairman Go hired someone to kill him, it’s likely that the would-be assassin is now dead.

Shin-hye struggles to broach the topic of Young-dal recovering his memories as she tells Dong-soo that Young-dal remembered his brothers’ names. Dong-soo is glad but not all that interested, though when he asks what their names are, Shin-hye considers him for a moment before saying, “Jang Dong-soo… and Jang Dong-woo.”

When she’s met with disbelief, she continues: “Young-dal’s real name is Jang Dong-chul.” Dong-soo’s eyes grow wide as his face goes slack with shock. “Young-dal is… Dong-chul?”

The subject for the meeting at Daejung seems to be the casino’s declining profit margin. While Yang-ha’s solution leans more toward offering something for the whole family like casinos in Vegas do, Young-dal thinks differently.

He provides statistics to back up his theory that the casino has been losing money because it’s been losing its high rollers to casinos overseas. He posits that they need to lure their VIPs back along with wealthy Chinese gamblers in order to increase profits.

Chairman Yoon is the first one to approve by clapping, and the rest of the boardroom joins suit. Yang-ha looks fit to be tied as everyone forgets about his plan in favor of Young-dal’s, even when Young-dal introduces Jang-soo and Jailbreak as members of his special task force formed to net more overseas clients.

After the meeting, Yang-ha receives what he’s been most afraid of: his father’s disapproval. Chairman Yoon is the first to say that Yang-ha completely lost to Young-dal in that boardroom.

Young-dal runs off to Seoul as soon as he hears word that Dong-soo is conscious, and bursts into his hyung’s hospital room… only to stop dead when his eyes lock with Dong-soo’s for the first time as brothers.

“Dong-chul-ah,” Dong-soo breathes. “Hyung,” Young-dal replies with tears welling up in his eyes. As both of them flash back to the exact moment they parted as children, Young-dal rushes forward into his brother’s waiting arms.

“Hyung! Hyung!” Young-dal cries into Dong-soo’s shoulder as they hug each other fiercely and weep openly. At long last, they’ve finally found each other.

 
COMMENTS

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

You know, with all the dramas I’ve recapped (including the few that were actually good), I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a cliffhanger that ended on such a warm and uplifting note. I feel ill-equipped to handle it. Then again, Triangle does seem to be the rare white elk of reunion-based shows, since you’d be hard pressed to find a story dealing with a reunion that somehow isn’t about romantic love. And if you can recall a show that based its premise upon a very belated familial reunion, then—and let’s just be honest with ourselves—there’s a very high probability it was more about fauxcest than family. This is dramaland, after all.

So watching a story play out that’s genuinely about three brothers unknowingly finding their way back to each other after spending twenty years apart has not only been refreshing, but surprisingly engaging. It helps that the important emotional beats have been handled with extreme care, enough so that each one resonates without feeling overwrought or hokey. Young-dal’s realization that Dong-soo was his brother was everything I’d hoped for and more last week, and his long-awaited reunion with a conscious Dong-soo was pitch-perfect this week. I’d be worried that the show wouldn’t be able to top itself next week if not for the fact that it’s had a pretty stellar track record for self-improvement thus far. Which, again, has become a quality we should be seeing more often in other shows but don’t.

It’s no secret that Young-dal gets the lion’s share when it comes to character development and scenes, but it’s also hard to complain when he’s just so fascinating to watch. Especially when all of his scenes have been revelatory in one way or another, without a moment wasted—gone are the days where he’d aimlessly wander about waiting to be kidnapped, or the days spent acting like a dog flitting from one bad master to another. The fact that he’s grown exponentially as a person is something I’d write songs to if I had any musical talent, but for now I’ll have to settle with a (limited) amount of words to simply declare my love for Young-dal and his amazing ability to adapt.

The saying that two’s company while three’s a crowd does seem to apply when it comes to Yang-ha though, since he’s mostly distanced from the bulk of the action by virtue of being Crazy McCrazerson. I know for a fact we’ve seen characters like him before, ones that are too emotionally repressed to show their feelings in any normal fashion but who have them nonetheless (Heirs is probably the most recent), but even knowing what makes Yang-ha tick doesn’t make it any easier to sympathize with him. On the one hand, it is kind of sad that he’s spent an entire life unloved and has seemingly pinned all his dreams of ever knowing what that’s like on Jung-hee.

On the other hand, if Yang-ha is self-aware enough to recognize the psychology behind the weird things he does, then he has adequate space to do something about it. Unlike Young-dal (and Dong-soo, to a lesser extent), Yang-ha refuses to change to suit his wants. He actually did the best job of summing himself up when he responded to Young-dal’s chess metaphor—like the petulant child that he is—by claiming that he wouldn’t even need to play his stupid game when he could just as easily flip the board over.

You’d think there’d be at least a small part of him that would want to study what Young-dal may be doing right when it comes to matters of the heart, because he still can’t seem to grasp why Jung-hee wouldn’t jump at his (creepily) sincere proposal, even though he’s intelligent enough to realize that he wouldn’t be able to protect her from his father’s persecution when he can’t even protect himself. If only he knew how much he’s been distancing himself from the family he’s longed for his whole life. Irony, thy name really is Yang-ha.

 
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Thanks for the recap! Finally! Finally! Finally gets exciting.

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My Favorit episode... LOVE this episode so much, so many amazing scene, beside the brother reunion i love young dal moment with his mother, its so heartbreaking when he try so hard not crying seeing his mom acting flirting with some man like that ... and when in the end can't help young dal cry...beautifully lol

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I agree. That must be really painful to see. He finally finds his mother and she is like this. :(

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watching this show makes me so happy because

- we get lots of little pay-offs, be it family reunions or progress in a relationship or the good guys getting one up on the bad guys
- people generally make decisions that I can understand, even if I don't always agree (Yang-ha being one notable exception)
- the story progresses in a largely logical and natural feeling way
- Jung-hee's quiet strength and no-nonsense attitude is really growing on me, very refreshing compared to other drama heroines
- the drama has a lot of heart, it makes me feel emotional but not emotionally manipulated

my masochistic side won't let me drop Doctor WTF but Triangle keeps me sane

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I so agree with everything you said that a thumb up doesn't sufficiently express it.

(except I understand Yangha more than I does Shinhye)

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I like this episode! <3

Young-dal wears suit and look handsome~ he also study till late night. :)

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He is killing with that suit. Not literally. XD
He is a very handsome man.

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I loved the reunion at the end of this episode - happy but heartbreaking at the same time. All through the series the depth with which Jaejoong expresses Young Dal's need for belonging has been impressive. I also loved how he chided Yang Ha about letting him get under his skin.

I still don't understand why no one seems to know Yang Ha's parentage. Surely the men who took him from the orphanage did. Surely adoption law in SK is not that backward. Surely Yang Ha went looking himself. In the U.S. at 18 you can go searching. Anyway, I am looking forward to that reveal and how everyone reacts - Young Dal who feels so guilty about losing his baby brother, Yang Ha who may deny and try to kill them off, etc. Lots of possibilities.

Thanks for the recap!

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Many people do wonder whether YH or Mr. Yoon know about YH parentage. Here is what I think so far:

1) Im not sure if the people who took YH knows who his father is, because Mr. Yoon doesn't act in a way that tells me he knows DS and YH are related, and if he knew who YH's father is he will immediately know he is related to DS, right?

2) Does YH care who his real family are? I wonder how old he was when he found out. He has everything money can buy and a golden future ahead if things go the right way. Yes he may not have love and affection from a family but the way he talks, is like money and power is more important.

Im also looking forward for that moment when the truth is revealed because there is just no way for it to be as peaceful as YD and DS reunion

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Maybe he doesn't want to know . Maybe he is afraid to know.

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Surely adoption law in SK is not that backward. Surely Yang Ha went looking himself.

We're talking about something that happened 20+ years ago. And considering that there are accounts of real life adoptees from SK in the late 80s being adopted out under shady circumstances with adoption agencies lying about their orphan status, I can actually believe that baby bro who is now Yang-ha, was actually given away under similar circumstances.

I mean, the baby was literally torn from his brother's arms at the orphanage, it's not surprising that they'd conceal the truth from anyone who came looking.

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Actually it was even worse than that because his brother was barely a toddler back then.

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Thank you for the recap. My favorite episode so far.

First we get the reunion with the mother who is not part of an unbelievable weaved-up conspiracy to make her children's life miserable, but just happens to be selfish and self-serving. This mother arc is so real and consistent with the rest of the story, which makes our protagonist's pain even more touching and worth sympathizing.

Then we get the tear-inducing brothers reunion, which is like Headsno2 said, awwwwwwwww...w. They fit into each other arms so perfectly. (Sorry, I really can't find something less romantic and more brotherly to describe what I see.)

Now that Dongsoo is up, we can expect more bromance in the next episodes, yes?

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I hope we get lots of both bromance and romance. The brothers need to recover their lost time and DalHee just needs to be.

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Great recap. I agree with you, the drama gets better and better.
Just as Young-Dal who is been constantly improving himself and I wonder if we can thank his past as a street kid for that incredible skill to adapt. Anyway, I'm pretty pleased to see our anti-hero become better and better even when he goes to the dark side. His revenge, I wonder, how it will go.
He still aware of his flaws, it breaks my heart when he said "I don’t want you to fall victim to this filthy world I’m having to rot away in… "
As for JH I keep falling and falling in love with her character. Never, not even once, she let any of them play with her and push her from one side to another or make decisions for her.
her rejection of his rejection is so in tune with everything she had said and done. How often you see that in a drama? I stop fearing she will one day give into Yung-Ha advances... now if only he could see that.
i do pitty Young-ha, sometimes. Like when his father said he lost to YD? That must have hurt deep oh so deep inside. Not only Young-dal got the girl, now the street dog is working at his casino (who gave you the right to step here when I have to endure so much to reach this point!) and now his father praises him?
I'm waiting for the moment the boy snaps.
The reunion was perfect, it wasn't over the top, it was just so heartfelt. I can't wait for next episode, will the dynamic change between the brothers? What will YH do to get rid of YD? GBT and chairman Yoon

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Side note: I love many female characters but Shin-hye. Boss Min who is such a strong woman as well, not cowering when it comes to other gangster. Her motherly love for YD. The detective who I forgot her name, even Noomin (I want to see her face when she notices where her ex-lover is at now..). I love that, beside the non conventional heroes we have, we also have a different kind of woman. We don’t have the damsel in distress, we don't have weak females not even Shin-hye. One of the reasons I love the drama.

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I love Jung-hee too! In fact, all the female characters in this drama barring Shin-hye, are awesome just like you said. Boss Min is a badass and I love Madame Jang in her own way lol.

And yes, it is super rare to have a heroine get rejected and then bluntly say that she doesn't accept it, and flat-out tell the hero to finish his noble idiocy and come back to her. Great going, Jung-hee <333

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Awwwww indeed. I've only been reading the recaps for this show, but I had to watch that reunion scene (and bits more).

Now they just need the third brother to join them, but that might a much harder battle, given that he's still stuck on some madness that doesn't allow him even reflect the tiniest bit.

Really hope that there'll be a happy ending for all of them in store, no dying off in self-sacrificing manners please!

Really happy that Jaejoong is doing so well here, I've got a soft spot for him.

Big yay for Jung-hee being the strong and straightforward girl too.

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Some way of self sacrifice will happen for sure. It probably won't require a death, but one of them will have to give up on something for the other.

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YH needs to give up his adoptive family (no great loss) and Jung-hee (that'll hurt his pride).

Hopefully no more than that, because I want them all alive! And reunited and happy.

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I just hope in giving Jung Hee up the writers don't stick him with that new girl. I don't think he's in the right state to be dating at all honestly.

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Agree with you there.

There's a lot of things YH has to figure out first before getting into a healthy relationship.

Plus, I don't like the idea of a substitute option. It's too easy (and a cop-out). It's perfectly okay if he doesn't end up with a girlfriend by the end of the drama.

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love it! this ep15 so good..triangel fighting!!can't wait for next week ep^_^

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OK this episode is by far my favorite. The reunion at the end is so beautiful. Heartbreaking and beautiful. You can almost feel how happy they are. They are finally not so alone anymore :')

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“I committed the worst sin I could have ever committed, and deserve to be boiled alive in the depths of hell for it.”

Yes you did. At least 2 of your sons are trying to do better now,

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yeah, I feel like the true punishment is her sons choosing to stay out of her life now because they just can't face her. Truly sad.

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My favorite episode so far. I really really love JungHee, her "you can't get rid of me that easily Youngdal" attitude is so enjoyable to watch. And I don't remember seeing a scene of her crying in the drama, so rare character indeed. YoungDal's reunion with DongSoo would probably be my favorite moment in the entire series, and I am so excited to see their interaction as brothers next week. ^^

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Junhee's is a strong girl, he won't accept a rejection ;)

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What I love about how this love line went is that Jung Hee dismisses the rejection because Young Dal actually tells her the the reason behind his actions. There's no desperation behind her words, just understanding of his circumstances and determination to support him until he's finished with it.

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I'm really falling in love with Young-dal's character with each passing episode. He is mesmerizing to watch.

I love the quiet no-nonsense attitude of Jung-hee; she nips things in the bud with a quiet no and walks out before she can be used as anyone's pawn. What a change from the usual K-drama heroines who get themselves into sticky situations and end up crying all the time and wring their hands!

This show is turning out to be a classic and I hope it continues on this front, it's the kind of show you can go back to watch after it ends, it builds up to the climax slowly and steadily, but surely.

I couldn't help wiping tears from my eyes. The reunion between the brothers was heartwarming. Two grown men crying tears of joy because they found each other; words escape me.

I understand from the subs that the bully who was terrorizing Young-dal's mom is her step son; one of the men in the restaurant was asking her why she had to put up with that behavior when she didn't even give birth to him? I'm interested in the back story of the woman and hope they feature her more in coming episodes. What would make a woman walk out on her three under-aged sons?

All I can say about this show is "Give me More!""More". Monday can't get her fast enough.

Another passing thought - are they setting up Jiyeon with Young Ha as a possible romantic substitute for Jung-hee? If it does happen I would be very glad, as it would stop his obsession with Jung hee and we can focus on his rebuilding his relationship with his older brothers. Although, I wonder if Jiyeon would accept Young ha when she finds out what his true back ground is. I wonder if the show would go that direction, we have a few more episodes to find out.

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Another passing thought – are they setting up Jiyeon with Young Ha as a possible romantic substitute for Jung-hee?

I wonder myself, I feel like she'd be a good match for him since she's so frank and direct. Like a rich and slightly nutty version of Jung-hee, if Jung-hee was actually interested in him too.

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I like Jiyeon's character here, too. And I kind of hope the show would go to the direction AdAI said, by revealing what would Jiyeon (the character) do about Yang-ha once she finds out the (unpalatable?) truth. I hope she wouldn't just leave. She seems nice, in a (slightly) crazy way.

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I like Jiyeon's character, too. I kind of hope she'll stay even when she finds out who Yang Ha actually is. She seems nice in a (slightly) crazy way.

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my fav scene of epi 16:
yeongdal quiet sadness after meeting with his mother;
when junhee say 'no' to yeongdal rejection (daebak. she's really gutted)
and of course two brother reunion.
the story naturally falls and fits in just fine. no more no less no nonsense.
a special bonus to us is jaejoong handsomeness in his designer suits and his amazing eye acting.
finger crossed to next 8 episodes!!

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ahhh, the suit.

He does look really handsome and suave with his hair like that, but I confess I like him better with his hair in his face and scruffy jeans/jacket.

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And his motorbike, I missed that motorbike.

I wouldn't mind if they have him wearing that suit, riding his motorbike to work.

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Riding a motorcycle in a suit. That would be... different. XD

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Guys.....have you seen him in THIS suit?

http://jyj3.net/2014/06/09/pics-140610-mbc-cupitter-share-pics-of-triangles-bts-poster-shooting/

Just...appreciate please....

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I really like Junhee. Even though she may look delicate and too soft in the outside, she is actually very strong in the inside. She isn't afraid nor she does feel insecure. She is the perfect girl for someone like Youngdal if you think about it.

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thank you for your recaps! this is so far my favorite recap from DB.

I read previous comments from viewers saying why writer must added extra scenes like for example: a bully scene between senior dealers and Junghee. That extra scenes and extra characters are another additional reason to make viewers see how strong and determine Junghee is.

I will wait for more DalHee moment in next episode. One more bonus point for Triangle, I like how Youngdal always being honest to Junghee and I think it's rare to see this in other dramas couple. I think that is another reason why Junghee is sticking like a glue to Youngdal. hehe. Honesty is the main point in relationship.

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Well when this show gets out of various board rooms with endless talking and gives its characters something to do, it's pretty great! Even the shots of Dong-soo lying comatose in his hospital bed in episodes 15 and 16 showed more dynamism than any of the dull chitchat scenes in the previous 6. Those just seemed to be marking time with what seems to be very little pay-off. But I am excited all over again for what's to come.

The reunion scene between Dong-soo and Young-dal was just perfect, very true to life and the actors played it just right. No big dramatics, not overdone for maximum heartstring tugging, just two men who have spent most of their lives apart finding each other as brothers once again. What else can be done but fall into each other's arms and weep for both the joy of reuniting and the sadness and suffering of all the years lost to each other? There is no guilt or recriminations about the ways and wherefores, just happiness and relief. I was very moved.

About Yong-ha and his disinterest in finding his birth family, in my experience this is common in young adopted men in their 20s or even older. Often it's an external event, like the birth of their own children, that triggers a need to find out their origins. This isn't true of all adopted men, of course, but the two adult male adoptees I know didn't express any interest until they were much older. In one case, this search was triggered by a medical issue and in the other, his wife kept bugging him to find out as she was the one who was dying of curiosity.

I am very sympathetic to Yong-ha. He's a spoiled, over-entitled brat in some ways. He's used to getting what he wants and doesn't know the meaning of the word no. But he is also raised without any real love or emotional support. He's meant to be the heir, not a son, to the Chairman and he's smart enough to realize that what's been given can just as easily be taken away. So he is kind of lashing out but picking targets he thinks are easy, like the "piece of street trash" Young-dal.

I knew that there would be a moving reunion between Dong-soo and Young-dal; these men have needed each other for most of their lives. But I am most curious about how their reuniting with Yong-ha will go, how he will react to finding his real family and whether or not he can give up all his so-called advantages to be with his brothers at last.

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yeah, I feel sympathy for Yang-ha too, despite the fact that he's a crazy bastard who has some warped views - we can see perfectly well HOW he got to me that way, and that makes all the difference. Of course, that also depends on how he's going to face up to the revelation of his origins and the knowledge of what he's done to his own family while in the grip of jealousy and greed.

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I was actually comparing Yong-ha to the character of Kim Tan in Heirs. Both are young men who have been raised in a very dysfunctional and emotionally stilted wealthy family environment. With both, the word "no" simply isn't in their vocabularies, at least as far as other people saying it to them. Both are entitled, self-important brats who use their money and position to get what they want.

I find Kim Tan to be the creepier character here. His stalker-ish, controlling and manipulative behaviour towards Eun-sang was very disturbing to me. I thought she should be seeking a restraining order against him rather than ending up with him as his girlfriend. And yet it seemed that most viewers found their relationship somehow romantic.

Yong-ha is messed up but he has suffered from depression and anxiety and been a patient of Shin-hye's since his mid-teens. He's needed help and an effort has been made to give it to him. There was no acknowledgement of Kim Tan's emotional instability as he seemed to have been written as textbook case studies of antisocial personality disorder and bad boyfriend character traits. Of course it helps that Jung-hee is no Eun-sang. She sees his bs and calls him on it every single time.

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That's a great comparison - one is presented as a tragic romantic hero deprived of love, while the other is most emphatically not and gets called on his behaviour by everyone around him including the object of his romantic interest, but they could be the same person. Only, well, Yang-ha has never known true affection of any kind from anyone, and Tan at least had a mother and pre-estrangement hyung.

And I totally agree that Kim Tan is the worst of the two because at least Triangle's narrative calls out Yang-ha's selfishness and doesn't reward him for being creepy and childish. (seriously, Yang-ha is in the wrong drama, he would totally get the girl in Heirs)

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I can't bring myself to hate Yang-ha just because I remember how pitiful he was as a little toddler. But then again not all pitiful children grew up horribly, so...
And then I remember he probably was raised in a loveless sphere, what with power-hungry Yoon as his (adoptive) father and all.

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The one drama I'd like to see a sequel to is Heirs, like Heirs 2 or Heirs - The Real Story which would take place 10 years in the future. It would start with Kim Tan's romanticized and self-serving vision of the future and then cut to "now". Eun-sang is living under an assumed name in some nameless Korean town as far away from Seoul as possible while still remaining in country and with several failed restraining orders against Kim Tan behind her. Maybe she's got a small child or two with her as well. She meets Young-do, who has decided that being heir to a hotel empire isn't what he wants from life and is running a small motorcycle repair shop, also in the same small town. Hey, it's a drama! Kim Tan shows up in all his chaebol-lichious glory and still the same abusive, controlling, manipulative guy he was in his late teens. And, as they used to say on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hijinks ensue.

Whadaya say, Kim Eun-sook?

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@AFN - I don't hate him either, Im Siwan somehow stops that, as does the memory of poor baby Dong-woo. Terrible Dad also helps of course.

@Lindy12 - I like your story. Though I always believed Young-do and Rachel would eventually get together after the ceaseless flirting and break away to do their own thing/not get tied to corporate engagements, I wouldn't make any changes to your version except for maybe Daddy Wheelie getting driven off a cliff with his wheelchair on fire.

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While I'm also curious about Youngdal and Yangha's reunion, I'm afraid at the same time. It was easier for Youngdal and Dongsoo because they already had brotherly affection for each other, but there's nothing like that between Youngdal and Yangha. They hate each other too much right now. I seriously don't know how the writers will solve this.

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It just keeps getting better and better - it looks like our months-long spell of messy/mediocre/middling dramas is finally at an end, and we hit crack at last! There's so much fantastic in this episode, and literally everyone seems to be firing on all cylinders (both in the literal and metaphorical sense). There's so much attention to detail here, and I love that we've got our romance underway already (sorta) combined with immediate establishing life-and-death stakes. Even the supporting characters are perfectly cast, from Soo-in's maid to the respective parents to the gunmen, and I really look forward to seeing more of Hye-won, I find her intriguing even if she scares the bejeezus out of me in that scene with the horses. (i kind of love her already)

If there's one fault I have to find, it's Soo-in. I like the idea of the character, but aaaah, her cutesy petulance is so irritating. I love Nam Sang-mi's chemistry with LJK and was looking forward to their reunion, but I am not fond of this character except in moments where she's not behaving like a child. It just comes off as contrived, and like the part should have been cast with a younger actress. I hope the character changes those mannerisms at some point and grows up a little, because I can easily love her if she was a bit more adult about things instead of behaving more immaturely than the actual teenager, Yeon-ha.

(and omg the cliffhanger!!! literally! I swear oppa has ended up at that same cliff for three dramas now)

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ooops, ignore that. Posted in the wrong post, damn my brainfart.

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(apologies for the wrong post above)

I loved this ep, it was pitch-perfect in almost every way and easily the best one Triangle has had till date. Now that things are finally happening, it's impossible not to be gripped by the story, and the things that do happen are pretty amazing. Again, it's Young-dal's episode to carry, and Jaejoong rises to the task - he's spot-on in the boardroom when he speaks frankly about his past with no shame, and even better when he's out of the boardroom - he may have been out of his depth at first, but he is no dummy.

And his scenes with Dong-soo, both conscious and comatose, nearly broke me - he's found his family at last, and it's impossible to say just what a monumental thing that is for both of them but especially Young-dal, who initially didn't even remember he had a family at all. It's the same when he goes to his mother - he does a lot of shouldering heavy burdens this ep for Dong-soo, and his scene with his mother and her stepson was perfect. I actually think it makes more sense not to reconcile with her, and I'm glad they didn't try to force that. And the end.....talk about perfectly played. This drama really gave me everything I wanted from this reunion.....now we have just one to go.

And Yang-ha goes further into crazy territory this episode, because Young-dal really does drive him nuts and makes him nuttier when he's in Yang-ha's territory - ie the casino. For him to snap and lose control in front of a crowd like that, you know he REALLY hates the guy. And even though he's still fixated on Jung-hee, I like his new sorta-date Jiyeon - she seems just wild enough to match his crazy side, I was impressed when she was unfazed by his attempt to put her off my propositioning her. But for all the insecurity he has about his position and his place in the world, he's in for some big shocks, and even though he is a brat I can't help but feel sorry for him - such is the power of Im Siwan,

(and yay for the Jung-hee love too! I love that she and Young-dal are so honest with each other, that she sees through his attempts to push her away and flatly rejects that. And I love that there's no noble idiocy or misunderstanding here - the only time they ever had one was when he got out of jail and saw her with Yang-ha, and she's a champion at nipping that in the bud quickly)

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I agree with you, Pogo. Im Siwan keeps getting better, doesn't he? Some of his scenes were overacted (still), but this is a big improvement from his Man from The Equator days (I haven't seen him in The Attorney yet, and sageuk isn't my thing so I skipped The Moon That Embraces the Sun).

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yeah there is definitely some slight overacting, but I didn't really notice it until pointed out.

But he's definitely a good actor, and has a talent level on par with some It Boys of the moment for sure. He did well in The Attorney and this two-episode drama special called Waiting For Love starring BoA and Daniel Choi - he really surprised me there by making his second lead character layered and sympathetic where it would have been very easy for him not to be.

And his groupmate Park Hyung-shik is also quite good at acting, I'd love to see them both take larger roles in more things but I respect that they are willing to start small and work their way up.

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I spot a fan in here. haha
He is doing good so far. As I always say, the male cast is love (add Baek Jin Hee there too)

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I confess I've never seen him in his idol group, haha, but I am definitely a fan of his acting. He's taking a wide variety of roles and is good at them so far.

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Thanks so much for the recap! I loved this episode♥

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Young-Dal has become one of my favorite characters ever.
he’s just too fascinating to watch from ep. 1 to ep.16.

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I do agree. The changes he went/goes through make him even more interesting.

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Jaejoong looks like a hot vampire to me

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I am soo glad to elder brothers now found each other! And you are right, Yang-ha makes it still very difficult to sympathasise for him, and his lonely childhood comes up more like an excuse for his bad than revokes an actuall feeling of pity. Like Young-dal had it any better! (but he still managed to become a person). So, Young-Dal better not do something stupid at the end as giving his llife for Yang-ha (I don't know, but taking bullet aimed for him or smth) in exchange of not being able to protect him as a child.

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This episode had all kinds of awesome-ness. *hands down*

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Absolutely love this show for the reasons mentioned in recap. It is a great change in seeing lost family loves reunited and it is done so well.

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This was probably the best episode for.......hell, the strongest episode thus far. period. full stop.

Everything just seemed to be moving at a faster pace and not so coincidentally, flowed alot better and held my attention more.

Jung Hee is growing on me quite a bit. The only little bit of regret I have for the dalhee ship is.....not enough skinship! Cmon, this is like gradeschool romance right now. I don't think they've done more than hold hands and hug one time.

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yes. more skinship please!!! i was hoping, one of those working late night and youngdal find himself terribly missing junhee and go back to his old room, surprisingly yet unexpectedly finding junhee sitting there under dim light, touching his belonging and missing him at the same time, understanding eyes met, then saying nothing, just sitting there side by side, holding hands, savouring each other togetherness, and …… ok i should stop here. suddenly *pervert mood on* help me!!!

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DalHee really need to have more skinship, they do. I appreciate showing us how different this relationship is for him, but I'd really like them to kiss at some point.

Hugging is also good if it's as filled with skinship as the one in episode 13, but a kiss is long overdue when they get back together. I mean, they like each other and they know it and it's not fair to have Young-dal kiss other people but not the girl he loves.

**insert NOW KISS gif here**

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young dal is a shy person when its come to jung hee, i'm curious how the kissing scene between them..lol

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well, she isn't shy when it comes to him, Jung-hee fighting ;)

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I cried at the reunion, it felt like I had found my long lost brother!! And I tweeted excessively!! :)
I was completely blindsided by this drama as I only picked it up because Jaejoong and was wary of how he'd play a street thug but wow!! 16 eps later JUST WOW!!
I don't know where they'll go with the hyungs finding who Baby Dongwoo ended up becoming cuz Yangha has already screwed them both up, sent them to jail and helped the men who murdered their Daddy! I dont think he'll take kindly to finding out! There will be lots of drinking, and smashing of laptops and whiskey glasses! It kinda scares me!

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I liked almost everything that happened in this episode, but if I had to choose my favorite scene, the last scene would gain for sure. The reunion scene was too good. I literally had tears in my eyes. I love their bromance ♥

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Heads, thoroughly enjoyed reading your recap as always, many thanks <3!

"Oooh, I could watch a whole series of Young-dal as The Dark Avenger."

Ooooooooh, I want to see this show! *Writes to Santa*

" It helps that the important emotional beats have been handled with extreme care, enough so that each one resonates without feeling overwrought or hokey."

Love, love that they went with what was realistic and genuinely heartfelt, instead of what might have been considered more conventionally dramatic.

Also, it has just dawned on me that the women in this show have collectively done more pursuing than being pursued- Jun-hee (and Noona Kim) for Young-dal, Shin-hye (and less directly the female cop) for Dong-soo, and the new girl on the block, Jiyeon for Yang-ha. It really is quite refreshing to see ALL the women in one K-drama being decisive and forthcoming about who they want to have a relationship with =)

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This show is really different from the others, and it's really a refreshing break from the typical korean dramas with all their cliches and weak masochistic female leads (although I still watch them anyway.) It's hard not to appreciate this show and I LOVE IT!!! If the show can just keep up its streak. :) GO TRIANGLE

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wooww jiyeon love you forever...

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Fantastic episode!

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