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It’s Okay, It’s Love: Episode 12

It feels like only last week that these two bickering lovebirds were still finding their footing relationship-wise, but if it were up to Jae-yeol, we’d already hear wedding bells ringing. Just because there’s a life commitment on the table doesn’t mean that they don’t still have their small everyday problems to deal with too—because we all know that without those, these episodes would be all of ten minutes long.

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HA:TFELT – “핫펠트(예은) (Ain’t Nobody)” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 12 RECAP

Hae-soo just blinks at Jae-yeol’s sudden marriage proposal, and she finally just starts misinterpreting his question in the hopes that she heard wrong. But nope, he meant what he said: “Let’s get married.”

She tries to pass the situation off lightly, and scoffs that he’d have a hard time if he found a woman who would say yes to a proposal like his. Obviously, she’s not that woman.

After Tae-yong breaks down into tears when Sunbae Jo tells him that Jae-yeol will need treatment, we find our couple at a bar where Yoon-chul and his schizophrenic wife work.

As usual, Jae-yeol is keenly interested in how Hye-jin has a successful relationship and career with her condition, which Hae-soo claims is perfectly healthy.

“Let’s get married,” Jae-yeol mentions again suddenly. Hae-soo asks him how he can ask it so lightly, to which he asks in return whether she’d like him to get a ring and turn the proposal into a production. That’s not what she wants, as she explains how she couldn’t handle being married right now, what with her family’s debt and her career.

Jae-yeol accepts her explanation at face value, and says it’s fine—they just won’t get married. Then Hae-soo gets upset that he dropped the matter so easily, but it’s clear that she’s deliberately antagonizing him because she seems to find it fun. Or something.

“I’m just wondering… How long do you think we’ll be happy like this?” she asks. “What would be the reason if we were to break up?” She brings up how it always happens in makjang dramas with the disapproving parents, and wonders whether she’ll receive an envelope of money from his mother in order for her to disappear.

He just chuckles that his mother doesn’t have the money, and even if she did, he’d want Hae-soo to bring the money to him so they could run away together. Ha. But in the absence of parental rejection, he claims the only reason they’d have to break up is because of their tempers, which has Hae-soo spitting up her drink.

Serious now (for real you guys), Hae-soo asks if he really has plans to marry her. She can’t seem to believe that she’s the first woman he’s ever asked, and that he’s dead serious. She wonders why he’d want to marry her when she’s iffy on the kids issue, terrible at housework, and prefers studying above all else. So why would he insist on marrying her?

Jae-yeol would rather call it a night, but Hae-soo demands that he tell her his reasons now. He’d rather give her a gift he got her—a new wallet, complete with a picture of them and money inside. (Does this practice exist across all cultures? I also grew up being told that you never give someone an empty wallet or purse. Bad luck or some such.)

But Hae-soo won’t let him leave without telling her why he wants to marry her, and makes it easier for him by closing her eyes to hear his answer. Only then does he tell her:

“I sleep in a bathtub instead of a bed, and my mom sleeps in her cold living room with the windows open every night, even in winter. And the fact that my brother has spent the last fourteen years of his life in prison… I don’t have the courage to share those stories with any other woman but you. Even after hearing and witnessing all that about my life, you don’t feel disgust or pity toward me. Do you think there’s another woman out there who can listen like that and like me for who I am, like you? I don’t think there is. Hae-soo, if you know of another woman like that, please tell me, so I won’t have to cling to you as much.”

He apologizes for not giving her the lighthearted answer she was expecting, and the two part ways with much to consider. Hae-soo calls him later that night with a heavy sigh: “Jang Jae-yeol. If I told you I don’t want to marry you, would you stop dating me?”

“No,” he replies simply. She seems surprised that he wouldn’t, and asks whether he wouldn’t see any other women, either. Again, his answer is no. Hae-soo: “Why not?” Jae-yeol: “Because I love you.”

When she asks why he loves her so much, he admits that he’s not quite sure himself. After a bit more back and forth, Hae-soo confesses that she misses him and wishes she could hold him right now, but he tells her she’ll have to endure being apart for now.

The next morning, Hae-soo tells Sunbae Jo about how she rejected Jae-yeol’s sincere marriage proposal. Now that he knows about Jae-yeol’s illness, he tells her she made the right choice, only to switch to what she wants to hear instead.

But it’s clear that the issue is weighing on him all throughout breakfast, as Hae-soo gives Soo-kwang the laundry list of reasons why she doesn’t want to get married—since she likes having her own space, having a boyfriend for one day a week actually works out pretty well for her.

Soo-kwang mentions how his parents are coming to the cafe to meet So-nyeo, since they’ve always been worried that he’d never meet anyone with his condition. He knows meeting So-nyeo will make them happy, even if his roomies aren’t as enthused.

It’s only when Soo-kwang defends himself by mentioning how Sunbae Jo has something going on with both his wife and Doctor Lee that Sunbae Jo explodes at them. After he leaves, Hae-soo and Soo-kwang joke that he must be going through menopause, before Soo-kwang mentions that it’s probably because of Tae-yong, who he saw sobbing in Sunbae Jo’s office the day before.

Afterward, Tae-yong tells Sunbae Jo that “Kang-woo” first started to appear to Jae-yeol three years ago, when Jae-bum stabbed him with a fork. Tae-yong never thought much of it, but Jae-yeol’s been mentioning Kang-woo much more then usual recently.

Soo-kwang’s parents are not as enthused as he hoped they’d be, since his father could care less about him having a girlfriend and instead chooses to berate his son for not curing himself of his Tourette’s. He’s in such denial of his son’s condition that he actually tells him he should hold his episodes in, as if he actually could control them that easily. Wow.

At least Soo-kwang fights back by telling his father that maybe he would’ve been cured if he hadn’t been raised by a father who constantly made him feel like a freak. When his father storms out, Soo-kwang stops him to absolve him of any guilt. “It’s not your fault,” he cries. “I’m happy with my life… and I want you to be happy too.”

But nothing gets mended, and both Soo-kwang’s parents leave. So-nyeo witnesses the entire exchange, but says nothing.

Tae-yong takes Sunbae Jo to Jae-yeol’s childhood home, where Sunbae Jo sees the events of that fateful night play out like a movie: In his struggle with their stepfather, Jae-bum had thrown him off, and it was by accident that their stepfather fell on Jae-yeol’s knife.

Jae-bum then immediately took the blame as he hoisted his brother onto his shoulders to rush him to the hospital. Mama Ok-ja was left alone in the house, only for her undead husband to reach out and trip her. According to the prosecutor Sunbae Jo talked to, that’s the last thing Mama Ok-ja remembered.

In an interesting twist, it turns out that the psychologist who examined her at the time believed she suffered from dissociative disorder, a defense mechanism where the mind can be detached from physical actions to create a sort of out-of-body feeling. (Possibly more in the realm of dissociative amnesia to protect her psychological state?)

But then Sunbae Jo sees the scene continue past what Mama Ok-ja admitted, to where Jae-bum and a conscious Jae-yeol were still in the house when their mother lit the fire. Her husband was still alive and reaching for her as she ran out, leaving him to burn alive.

So what likely happened (according to their former lawyer) is that Jae-yeol witnessed what his mother did, and when he heard that the cause of their stepfather’s death was asphyxiation, he spared his mother by blaming his brother instead.

Hae-soo calls Jae-yeol to ask what he called her mother about, and he plainly admits he told Mom that he proposed to her. “Let’s get married, not right now, but after a year,” he proposes. It’d give her time to take that year off, and works with their goal-oriented brains.

Jae-yeol says he’s already included her in his life plans, and that she should start doing the same. It’ll take compromise, since he’s lived his life the way he’s wanted to, but now he’s adjusting in order to match with her. Hae-soo scoffs, “I like the way things are right now.”

When he asks why, she claims that all the tension will seep out if they date with the intent to marry, because it’ll turn their relationship stale and boring. Jae-yeol says that won’t be a problem—if she starts to get sick of him, she’d just leave him.

But if they were married, he argues, they couldn’t betray or abandon each other because they’d be forced to be more considerate, loving, and dedicated to making the marriage work. Hae-soo begins to make an argument about how this doesn’t work with her career, but Jae-yeol hangs up before she can really get into it.

After Sunbae Jo tells Tae-yong that they have to break the news about Jae-yeol’s mental disorder to Mama Ok-ja and Hae-soo, we find Hae-soo visiting her parents’ restaurant just as Mom receives some disturbing news.

Hae-soo’s unni explains to her that Ajusshi Kim will be moving away forever with his terminally ill wife, so what Mom got was like a breakup call. Hae-soo’s unni then admits that she ignored the affair because she didn’t want Mom to run away from home and leave her to take care of their father, and that Hae-soo did the same because she wouldn’t have gone to medical school without Ajusshi Kim. Now, suddenly, Hae-soo claims she understands Mom too.

Sunbae Jo invites Jae-yeol out, but when he tries to weasel out of spending more than one hour with him, Sunbae Jo uses his elder powers to order him to clear out his entire day. Which means Jae-yeol can drink now that he’s not going to be writing anytime soon, and the guilty pleasure aspect of it makes him giddy.

Hae-soo stays with her mother as a way to comfort her in the wake of Ajusshi Kim’s move, but her attempts to get Mom out of bed for retail therapy don’t work. Mom would rather talk about Jae-yeol’s marriage proposal instead, but Hae-soo quickly changes the subject.

After a few drinks and stories about how Sunbae Jo treated a habitual flasher, he asks Jae-yeol if Kang-woo ever went to the hospital, since Jae-yeol had asked him where he could go. This segues into Sunbae Jo asking him how he became friends with Kang-woo, and Jae-yeol answers that it was because of writing.

But then Jae-yeol muses that it could be because they both came from an abusive family, only for Sunbae Jo to ask when he started to see Kang-woo more frequently. Jae-yeol drunkenly answers that Kang-woo’s been coming around more since he started seeing Hae-soo.

Since Sunbae Jo is using the guise of a drunken conversation to get into Jae-yeol’s head, he asks if he’s always been this optimistic, only for Jae-yeol to admit that it was only after their stepfather’s death that he forced himself to practice smiling in order to give his mother strength.

Jae-yeol references the desert camel paintings he keeps in his bathroom when he tells Sunbae Jo about their psychology—how they’ll stay rooted to the same tree even if they’ve been untied from it, because the memory of being tied remains.

“I don’t want to be like those camels,” he slurs. “The camel should realize that the sun has risen. So that’s why I try to control my mind. The past is the past, it doesn’t exist any more. I’m free. I tell myself that I’m strong, very strong. Like the sun that chases away the darkness, bright and vibrant. Just like the light that swallows all the darkness… very, very bright, and strong.”

Sunbae Jo asks if he compares himself to his brother, but Jae-yeol claims that his brother is weak, and he has nothing to fear from him. Even though he’s given him everything he has monetarily, Jae-yeol’s optimistic facade falters as he wonders (mostly to himself) whether it’ll be enough to compensate for Jae-bum’s suffering.

Things turn even more serious when Jae-yeol waves his phone in front of Sunbae Jo’s face, claiming that Kang-woo is calling. During the imaginary conversation, Kang-woo tells Jae-yeol that he lost a writing competition he tried out for, and is worried that Jae-yeol will be disappointed in him.

“Even if everyone else in this world may be disappointed in you, I never will be,” Jae-yeol replies. He then invites Kang-woo to come out with them, but Kang-woo’s already promised to meet his mom.

After they hang up, Kang-woo rides his bike into the street… and into the sound of screeching tires and honking horns. Is this the accident Jae-yeol envisioned?

Though Kang-woo’s fate remains uncertain, Sunbae Jo and Jae-yeol turn up on Hae-soo’s doorstep completely wasted. Jae-yeol more than Sunbae Jo though, since he needs Hae-soo’s help just to get to his old room.

When Soo-kwang pokes his head out to ask whether he should see So-nyeo or not, Jae-yeol drunkenly gives him the go-ahead—but with a warning for Soo-kwang to keep his dignity above all. It’s cute how everyone cheers him on before he goes outside to see his kinda-sorta-girlfriend.

Soo-kwang is embarrassed that So-nyeo saw his exchange with his father today, and explains that his father doesn’t hate him even if it seems that way. So-nyeo responds to his worries with a kiss.

That a girl would initiate a kiss with him takes Soo-kwang by such surprise that he starts having an episode, which is definitely his most tragic (and best) moment thus far. So-nyeo seems to have finally grown up, since she doesn’t react other than to put her headphones over Soo-kwang’s ears.

It’s enough to calm him, and he kisses her. Sunbae Jo watches from the window and smiles in pride. Jae-yeol and Hae-soo do the same, all but giggling as they close the curtains to give the two young lovebirds some privacy.

After sobering up, Jae-yeol leaves a note outside Soo-kwang’s door that reads: “Out of all the men I know, you’re the manliest, Park Soo-kwang.” Aww.

Hae-soo pouts that Jae-yeol didn’t leave a note for her, and asks why he hasn’t brought the marriage question up these past few days. He replies that it’d be boring if he kept asking her before they say their fond farewells until their next once-weekly planned date.

Jae-bum calls his little bro to request that they have a private meeting once he’s released, without letting anyone else know. That way, Jae-bum claims, they can sort out who really stabbed their stepfather.

The memory of watching Mama Ok-ja light the fire flashes though Jae-yeol’s mind right before he tells his hyung that everyone knows he was the one who did it. Jae-bum doesn’t care what his brother says, because he just wants Mama Ok-ja to know (what he assumes to be) the truth.

Hae-soo makes her hospital rounds, which includes a Russian woman suffering from pseudocyesis, aka a false pregnancy. She later collapses in exhaustion next to Doctor Lee as she wonders aloud, “What do I do?”

“Just get married,” Doctor Lee replies. Hae-soo replies that she has too much to lose if she were to get married, only for her colleague to advise her to weigh the pros and cons carefully—if she has more to gain than lose, she should go for it. (Is no one going to bring up the fact that they haven’t even known each other that long? No? Just checking.)

Doctor Lee speaks from the heart when she admits how regretful she is about being so full of herself back when she was married. Now, she questions how she could have given up the man she loved and the possibility of a child for her career. More importantly, what has she gained?

Hae-soo reminds her how far she’s come as a doctor, but it’s not enough for Doctor Lee anymore: “If I had a baby and became a mother, I may have become an even better doctor.” But since she can’t change the past, she can only focus on doing the best by her patients.

Sunbae Jo drops in just then, and stops Hae-soo when she gets up to give them some privacy by asking seriously, “You’re strong, aren’t you?” Hae-soo doesn’t know what deeper meaning he’s hinting at and leaves none the wiser.

Once they’re alone, Sunbae Jo tells Doctor Lee that Jae-yeol has a psychiatric illness. After she reviews his files, Doctor Lee comes to the conclusion that Jae-yeol must be suffering an intense amount of guilt over his brother, and the lie he told to save his mother.

Sunbae Jo claims that Jae-yeol would’ve been better off if he could’ve actually convinced himself that what he did was right given the situation, but since he’s too kind to forgive himself, he created someone similar to him he could actually protect: Kang-woo.

Doctor Lee reasons that Jae-yeol probably wanted to leave his mother in her dissociative state so that she could live her life without being haunted by guilt, which likely pressured him to conceal the truth even more. Sunbae Jo acknowledges this before adding that Jae-yeol’s hallucinations have been going on for three years, and have just been getting worse.

Which brings up the concern that Kang-woo has become so real to Jae-yeol that there may be no way to convince him that he isn’t real. Doctor Lee wants Hae-soo to know about Jae-yeol’s psychosis—it’s bad enough to where he’d be forcefully admitted to a mental hospital if the tape of his phantom fight was ever shown.

Sunbae Jo is reluctant to tell her, but his ex-wife convinces him that not doing so would put Hae-soo in danger. With a sigh, he calls Hae-soo to come to his office after work.

Hae-soo calls Jae-yeol up, and in the course of their short conversation, mentions that she doesn’t want to get married. Jae-yeol just replies that he knows, and doesn’t press the subject any further. (I think he was probably right about the subject becoming boring if mentioned too much.)

Instead, he sends her a photo montage of the different traces/messes she’s left behind in his house. Even though he’s OCD, he misses her so much that he can’t clean up her messes because it’d erase the fact that she’s been there.

“I hope that one day, these traces of you will become an everyday presence even if we don’t get married. I love you, Ji Hae-soo,” he writes. She replies that she’s fifty-one percent won over now.

But when Hae-soo gets home, she finds Doctor Lee and Sunbae Jo waiting for her. “What is it?” she asks, oblivious. “Why do you both look so serious?”

 
COMMENTS

And we’re one step closer. It’s interesting how the story line with the most forward momentum is one about the past, and less so the more immediate romantic thread involving Jae-yeol and Hae-soo. While the side characters have their own murder mystery going on, things with our main couple have stayed more or less the same these past few episodes—though I imagine that’ll start to change after Hae-soo learns the truth.

I do like how what really happened during that chaotic murder scene keeps changing, since we’ve been led from the assumption that Jae-bum was the murderer to the suspicion that perhaps it was really Jae-yeol the whole time, and now we’re finally faced with what seems to be the most reliable version of events thanks to Sunbae Jo. Though we knew from the beginning that Mama Ok-ja was somehow involved in a cover-up, I hadn’t considered the possibility that she would turn out to be the actual murderer.

So if Sunbae Jo’s account is to be believed, Jae-bum has not only suffered for her crime all these years, he hasn’t even known about it. Jae-bum is the one true innocent party in all this, fork-stabbing aside, since he wasn’t the one holding the knife. Even though Jae-yeol was, and even if that had killed their stepfather, it could be argued that it was all in self-defense. But what Mama Ok-ja did? That was some cold, premeditated murder. She was abused and had her reasons, but knowingly burning her husband alive seems to rate higher on the list of offenses as compared to Jae-yeol holding a knife his stepfather happened to fall on.

Watching that scene play out was chilling, especially with the realization that Jae-yeol was the one to dictate who in his family would be punished. No wonder he’s started to crack under the weight of his guilt—not only has his brother suffered irrevocably because of him under the wrong assumption, his mother has also spent years living in an alternate reality where she either thinks Jae-bum did it, or that she sacrificed one son to save the other.

Either way you slice it, it’s a pretty messed up familial situation, and it’s a wonder that Jae-yeol made it to adulthood before he started experiencing his incredibly-realistic hallucinations. It’s difficult not to feel bad for someone who practiced smiling so much for someone else that it’s become an automatic response, but then again, it’s also difficult to reconcile the Jae-yeol who lives every day knowing he’s done his brother a terrible injustice with the Jae-yeol who just wants to get married to the only person in this dramaverse that doesn’t.

 
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First of, what the f**k was she wearing when visiting her family? A black apron-thingie over a dress?! (Or something that resembles it) I didn't know Wednesday Addams created a fashion line, but moving on....
The domestic scenes were definitely hard to watch, and the younger actors were very good with their facial expressions. As much as the cutesy moments were awesome, the whole drama so far has been emotionally/mentally draining and exhausting so far, with Hae-Soo as leading the pack. I don't know how anyone can stand to be with her and truthfully, with all the mental illnesses shown here so far, she may be the most effed up character here as well

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I normally like the clothes she wears but, yeah, that dress was hideous and an assault to the eyes. Criiiiinge.

Hae Soo annoyed me in the beginning but I am tired of hearing all the hate directed at this character to be honest. Broken record, anyone? Let's pick apart other stuff, yeah?

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Hey I actually liked that dress. Could have been a little shorter. But it was chic!

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Me too! I wanted to have a better look at it actually, because it looked like a neat layered dressed!

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ME THREEEEE!!! :)

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"A black apron-thingie over a dress?!"
LOL. The first time I saw that dress, I honestly thought Hae-soo was going to help in the restaurant. No matter how much I love the one wearing it, I found that dress funny.

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The apron dress and the pin-striped pant suit thing were both so hideous. Especially after how cute she looked in the colorful dress on the beach. Just wear the Jesus Save Me night shirt, (Master's Sun) and no worries about a 300-day promise, then.

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"That was some cold, premeditated murder."

Huh? I don't seem to recall this situation to be premeditated at all? In fact, she was about to leave but dad grabbed her back and started insulting and/or threatening her so she took the lighter and did what she did.

I'm not justifying or applauding what she did, but under the circumstances of constant abuse, her reaction is not something uncommon even in real life.

I cannot condone how she chose one son over the other, though. However, the situation is extremely difficult, and I wouldn't jump to demonize any of them (let's not forget that Jae-beom was an abusive brother, and she probably had a twisted view of how to protect Jae-yeol from all the violence against him). They are all victims.

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I thought the implication is she does not remember anything after her husband grabbed her, that she doesn't remember setting the fire. Only JY does, which is why he carries the whole weight of the situation on his shoulders. Even though his choices are understandable were they right is another question, but his brother was also one of his abusers, but his brother was not a murderer. Really all in all the whole situation was ugly and I think the legal team holds most of the blame. I mean, while JY apparently choose to testify in order to save mom, how much weight does the testimony of a minor have in Korea (or the USA for matter)? He was a questionable witness and I question without a lot of illegal legal maneuvering which JB layer has implied, anyone getting convicted in this case.

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Aarrggh, the typos, sorry about that. *JB's lawyer

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Oh, right, you just reminded me of one more thing. Curse you, presiding judge! I curse you to lose all your retirement funds the day right after you've retired! According to the drama, Jae-bum got that sentence because his judge was retiring right after his case and wanted to go out with a bang. Wth?!

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I'm finding it very difficult to feel sorry for JY -yes, he was a 16-year old kid who was trying to protect his mother, my head gets it and I understand the child but I can't forgive the adult who lives reasonably well (atleast to his own knowledge) with the knowledge that he helped put his brother in prison for a crime he didn't commit. JB was just a 19 year old kid too.
Plus, he could have claimed self defense and nobody would have gone to prison for it, atleast not for a decade.
Either way, what a tragic story.... made me feel depressed for days

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<the adult who lives reasonably well

I don't think he lives reasonably well, I think he lives in a personal hell and he isn't even aware of all that hell. He seems functional, but he has serious mental issues, so I really don't think we can judge him like someone normal, indeed, it's very doubtful Jae-yeol has any real sense of 'normal' given the very twisted life he had for years as a child.

I'm also not sure anymore whether he's aware at this moment of the fact that the Mom killed the step-father (or that he held the knife that the stepfather fell on), or whether that isn't something he has repressed. He has changed in the show from saying "Jaebum, you killed him" (phone conversation with Jaebum) to "Prove my brother is innocent" (with PD Choi)... so I'm not sure his mind is all that clear on what happened even if originally (as a 16-year old) he knew what he saw and what he was doing.

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Yes, I'm not sure JY really knows what happened either. I'm very curious about that. I know he has a pretty good idea even if unconsciously that his brother didn't kill the stepfather but I don't know if he feels he did it. I don't even know if he knew the mom did it or if it's something he had already forgot. Just like I don't what the mom really knew at the trial. The only character whose memories we know is JB.

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That's what I was going to say, too, that I don't think he lives reasonably well.

I am wondering if/when the manuscript titled "Two Brothers" that he placed in the file at his officetel will resurface with the whole story written out. It was the manuscript he read from Gang Woo that made him ask if it revealed that JY was the culprit. We haven't seen it again thus far, but considering he is hanging out at the officetel again, surely it will play a part in revealing what he has been holding in all this time.

I feel sorry for everyone in this pitiful situation - mom, JY, JB, and even HS now that she is romantically involved.

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I feel like the longer I've been watching this drama, the bigger the whole issue has become. We knew from early on that something was wrong, but at this point it has reached levels I didn't dare to imagine at first. It's not an issue of just JY having hallucinations, but Jaebum and the mom all needing serious therapy – long-term. I also don't think that's just an issue they can simply resolve anymore (when initially the truth coming out might have sufficed) but something that will mark them for the rest of their lives, even if they receive therapy, manage to pull themselves together and lead reasonably happy lives from then on.

That sounds terribly pessimistic, which I don't mean it to be. It's kind of like Soo-kwang's Tourette – he'll always have it (because it's syndrome that can't be cured, just like the past can't be changed), but he can learn to live a happy life with it, with his own strength and the support of others.

It's very very difficult, but I'm sort of glad this drama is bringing such a heavy topic out into the public in, so far, surprisingly realistic manner.

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It has all com to a head because of the brother's release - that's when Kang Woo first apearred - up until then from what we've seen the incident could be pushed away to enough of an extent to live life daily by the mom and JY. But with JB out, things can no longer be distanced in that way. I want them all to be okay or be able to work toward that so badly. It will be hard but interesting to watch. It seems that HS will crash over JY's condition, too - of course, she loves him so it will be very hard to see his deep wounds exposed.

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is having mental illness living reasonably well? ...seriously. Maybe I like JY a lot and that's why I'm getting all worked up here but any person can see that he isn't living a very glorious life. Sunbae Jo even said "you gave him half of everything you have isn't that enough" and JY still thinks it isn't enough to pay back his brothers wasted life in prison. Also you can't blame JY the only person you can blame is the judge and the mother.

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Agree with you - seems too harsh to call it cold premeditated murder.

Mom's action of starting the fire (if that was actually the cause of step-father's death) would tie-in to JY's understanding of self-defense. Remember the conversation he had with Sunbae Jo regarding the rape victim returning to kill her rapist and was found not guilty by the court, a few episodes back? In the instant case, Mom acted to defend herself and her two children from future physical/mental harm by an abusive man. The abuse may even be worse than before as the husband was stabbed by JY (even if unintentionally), who had previously just taken the physical abuse without fighting back or at least fleeing away (much to JB's fury, causing JB to then beat up JY). Not sure if it's self-defense in real world law though.

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I know some people are blaming Mama OkJa for the step-dad's death and it's true. But I think that the real culprit was the step-dad himself. If he hadn't beaten them all, I doubt that they would have become so desperate and unhinged. Physical abuse can be as traumatic on the mind as it is on the body. Step-dad being stabbed was an unfortunate accident (actually, serves him right, that bastard. Good riddance) but all their chosen actions after that would haunt them all were wrong and I think all stemmed from their intense hate/dislike of step-dad and weren't done in full and complete rationality.

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Long before step-dad's been killed, he's killed three people already. The bodies were still alive, but he's killed JY's family's souls all along. I agree, good riddance.

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Sung il dong is the real standout in this episode, and the film montage of him watching the fire literally gave me chills (also that awful realization how messed up the family was)
The next episode will be hard to watch, esp knowing the brother will be released soon and his threats of stabbing jae yeol. omg

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I am worried about watching the next episode, too when it all hits the fan. Big time. The replay of that day was terribly sad and the " awful realization how messed up the family was" hit hard.

I also think the camel picture above his "bed" is telling too - a symbolic message to himself daily just how he feel.

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Can we all please thank god that Jo In Sung with scruff is back in this episode? Because wow and I thought he was already hot before, but that scruff mhmmmm ;)! I digress though, onwards to my actual thoughts.

1. When Jae Yeol said Kang Woo was coming more often ever since Hae Soo's presence kind of broke my heart, I'm not sure if I am the only one. But when he said that it really seemed to me like the happier he seemed to be, the worse his situation was becoming almost as if the stepfather incident has prevented him from fully moving on with his life. There seems to be a part of him that just won't let him be completely happy and to me that's awful because he deserves a happy ending.

2. I still see nothing that compels me to support Soo kwang and So Nyeo mainly becaus I think So Nyeo is just a brat and after the shit she has done to Soo Kwang I think she should just go away, kind of harsh but I just don't like her character.

3. Jae Yeol's confession/proposal and how he says he does' know why he loves her is a big part of the reason I have loved this drama so much and I've cut it slack for it's flaws. I find the writing(not talking about the psychological stuff) extremely beautiful, poignant and almost everything seems to resonate with me. I know people dislike Hae Soo's character and while I do find her annoying at times I can understand and I know that she does mean well and she does care about Jae Yeol. I just think that she's unsure about their relationship because she has never come close to these stages of the relationship. Their relationship has already went through leaps and boundaries and I think she's trying to take control and slow it down to figure herself out.

4. I'm scared that we ONLY have 4 more episodes to close everything out. Shit is about to hit the fan next episode and I'm curious as to how Hae Soo will deal with this. Will she change her mind and decide to marry him? How will she break it to Jae Yeol?

5. I'm even more scared about Jae Yeol's future. He has believed all this time he has taken control of his life after all his trauma and to be told Kang Woo is fake and he's extremely ill? I'm scared of what that will do to him and I wonder how he'll react if Hae Soo is the one to break it to him. Has anyone ever thought about how this will possibly end? I was thinking about how Jae Yeol mentioned that without his writing he has no reason to live and I was thinking if writer Noh Hee Kyung would ever take a suicide route. If Jae Yeol goes on meds and his writing is affected or just his lifestyle in general, I'm scared of the consequences.

As usual please excuse all my random thoughts and I would love to hear all your thoughts and comments!

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#3 Yes, I thought that Jae-Yeol's confession/proposal was poignant too. It didn't just move Hae-Soo to tears, let me tell you (T_T)

This episode was much cuter (what's with Jae-Yeol's confession and Soo Kwang's kiss) and had momentum.

My only rebuke is that Jae-Yeol's illness should have been revealed sooner. Seriously, he is psychotic and nobody had an inkling until there was a recorded proof. What is he, a patient with superhuman capability to control himself?

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I completely agree! While most of us suspected Kang Woo to be imaginary, the drama confirmed it by the 4th episode! But it's taken us 8 episodes to come close to Jae Yeol finding out and I feel like a lot of time was wasted and could've been used for later on. We could've gotten to see more of jae Yeol struggling against his inner demons, struggling to take back control and that would've certainly been much more gripping especially with an actor like Jo In Sung.

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I think it's much easier for drama viewers to see this kind of thing though. We only get a glimpse of their world and the people in it – but the characters live in a larger world, where there are probably more people that one person talks about but another person never meets so that they don't necessarily suspect anything off right away.

I do think Jae-yeol has been able to keep in hallucinations under control, but meeting Hae-soo pushed them to the forefront – probably because by liking her, trusting her and showing himself in his most vulnerable state to her, she got deep into him, there, where his fears and suppressed past are hidden.

I think the drama could have had his issue come out two episodes ago, as indeed, four episodes are very little to deal with it. But it all depends on what kind of approach the drama takes from now on: if they go for a perfect-happy-after approach, they would need more episodes to tackle the issue, but they could well just be intent on revealing the issue and Jae-yeol starting his path to recovery rather than fully resolving it, in which case four episodes can be enough. I actually would prefer this, because I think it would be more realistic. Which doesn't mean I'm not worried that they might rush things in the final episodes.

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technokeats, many sociopaths and psychopaths have charmed or showed such highly eccentric-like behaviors to mask their mental illness. When he says to her why she's perfect for him to marry that answer was framed with the fact that he's aware of his illness. The CCTV showed him harming himself and if it goes on unchecked he'll kill himself and/or Hae Soo. What is sad is that the entire family needs to be hospitalized and treated.

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5- I'm pretty sure they will sort of go with a happy but realistic ending. What's the whole purpose of the singer-friend couple characters? Time and time again they show up, only for us to hear Hae-Soo say how it's possible for them to have a normal life. It feels rather contrived to me, not that they can, but the way they keep appearing. Of course there will be bumps on the way and show has already hinted taking meds and keep writing will be a problem to him but I bet they will make it work.

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Tori,

I agree with you about the points you made for # 5. This is just my thought but I feel as though the couple that the wife is schizophrenic, has some symbolic connection to JY and HS relationship(Is their story a also being used to foreshadow that of JY and HS? Will JY try to commit suicide like the wife did? Or will JY and HS be able to get assistance in order to have a stable relationship as well?).

One reason why I enjoy this drama is the fact that it brings out the theme of "disability" to the front-lines. As viewers we get to witness various people with disabilities, some severe while others mild learn to cope with their disability while also trying to find a sense of belonging regardless of their limitations or the limitations in which society has placed one them. I definitely feel like there is a deep message present in terms of the scene where SK was meeting with his parents. We see that his father is in such denial of his son’s condition that he actually tells him he should hold his episodes in. ( This is common for a lot of cultures and families where having a disabled child appears to be disgusting or shameful)

At the same time, we also get to see the point of view of the disabled when SK fought back by telling his father that maybe he would’ve been cured if he hadn’t been raised by a father who constantly made him feel like a freak. This scene is a reflective piece. I think SK confession is the reality and it's I am glad that SK expressed it constructively. In the end, whether we chose to accept or not, we all in some sort of way are disabled sometimes due to no fault of our own or better still because we as a society believe that some differences is a taboo (especially in the case of sk dad).

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I hope you are right about the significance of the couple with the schizophrenic wife – that they are a foreshadowing of sorts for YJ/HS's future life together.

Yeah, there is a message that comes with this drama – and SK's meeting with his parents is part of it. I think someone else pointed out with the first or second episode, Hae-soo's words to the transgender patient (that she must understand herself first, before her parents) is part of that too – reflecting on society that won't face taboos and that we are disabled because of that, more so than because of the disability itself.

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Taking meds for this illness doesn't necessarily mean that he will be unable to write. Psychiatric medication is meant to stabilize/normalize the brain, so that a person can function "normally", or at least better than they do without the medication. If given the proper medications, and they work, Jae-yeol is actually more likely to go back to writing the romance novels that he used to write before Kang-woo appeared, because his mind will be in a different place. I think that he only started writing the dark novels that Hae-soo doesn't care for after he was attacked by his brother and his mental condition began to deteriorate.

What is really interesting to me is that Hae-soo is falling in love with the guy that is struggling with hallucinations and revealing his angst in his writing. She's never known the Jae-yeol that used to write romance novels, and who was keeping his life relatively on keel. I wonder how different he will be once he is stabilized on medication, and how that will affect their relationship.... Trust me, people on the right medication can be very different from those suffering without help - I live with it every day.

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Lol - I'm glad you pointed it out HeadsNo2. I felt like I was the only person thinking they haven't even been dating that long and JY already wants to marry HS. And everyone else too! What is with them all wanting HS to marry JY! Are they that desperate for her to get married?

Truthfully though - the romance between HS and JY is the aspect of the show I find least interesting. I find HS a bit callous in her treatment of JY. I feel like she's constantly belittling (not sure if that is the right word) and questioning JY's shows of affection and the sincerity of his feelings. Must she bring up his previous relationships EVERY TIME he does or says something. How she has gotten the idea that he is a player, I'm not sure. Didn't his previous relationship last 3 yrs? And we haven't had any evidence to show that the relationship wasn't monogamous (unless I've missed something?) Eh. She does my head in.

I'm really just interested in JY and how they go about treating his psychosis. And I'm hoping for some bromance with Soo
Kwang and Sunbae Jo . Love bromance. If only all problems in the world could be solved with bromance :P

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<How she has gotten the idea that he is a player, I’m not sure. Didn’t his previous relationship last 3 yrs?

Because he openly admitted to this (before they started dating and after), and because that was, apparently, his public reputation for whatever reason.

Not sure if the previous relationship lasted 3 years or if it was monogamous, but I had the impression it was more of "we have sex, but no real emotional involvement" sort of thing. Like not a serious, equal relationship like you'd expect for something going on 3 years. The fact that none of his past girlfriends knew he was sleeping in a bathtub would suggest that he only ever went to their places/hotels (he even says HS is the first woman in his apartment) and that he doesn't spend the night there – i.e. just goes to have sex. He might not have been playing around with multiple people, but he was playing around with the relationship.

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Yes, all this marriage talk is a bit unrealistic to me, and not because the schisophrenia or whatever illness he has. Usually its advisable for people who want to marry to try to live together. But apperently its too hard on JY, he needs solace of his writing.

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Well, they already did the 'living together' part even if that was mere months. lol.

Marriage after about a month or two of dating does seem crazy fast, but maybe it works for some people (some very rare people). Besides, they've been pretty upfront about their nasty personality flaws from the start. Instead of acting nice and perfect in the beginning of their relationship and revealing the unpleasant stuff later on as the relationship progresses, I guess they're moving in reverse.

Blah, I don't know.

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In Korean dating culture, once you hit 30 you're friends and family can't get you married off fast enough.
That's why, although HS is freaked out by Jae Yeol's proposal, everyone else is taking it completely in stride.

I've had two colleagues who had just two/three months between the first date and the honeymoon! o.0

(Shakes head in bewilderment. )

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The thing is though that Hae-soo was dating before (as was Jae-yeol) – and no one was trying to marry her (or him) off then. They were only a few months younger than, and in one case in a 3-year relationship, in the other in an almost 1-year relationship. Hae-soo's family and friends seemingly had been okay with her "I'm never getting married" status. Hae-soo's sister then suddenly brought up marriage (before Jae-yoel proposed), which I thought seemed like a change (well, I still think it was a lazy narrative technique that didn't quite fit with the character as it had been presented before but was needed to bring in a conflict).

I would buy the 'cultural' argument for having 3-4 characters pushing for marriage (4 if we include Jae-yeol's mom's 'long time together' when meeting Hae-soo) and not a single character even raising any questions (I'm not saying objection, just raising questions about length of being together and Hae-soo's baggage) if there was any hint of it before, but I don't really feel there was. They all seemed pretty okay with Hae-soo's "I'm not marrying".

The 'living together before' – I wouldn't expect that, given the Korean context. I imagine statistically most couples only start living together once married. In their case, they've done some living together (share house), though again that isn't the same type of living together as a couple – the latter, Hae-soo clearly isn't ready for.

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I don't like HS very much all the time but I feel she is realistic. Even if I don't like how the show dealt with her trauma and I think it was all created and resolved too easily, still she is yet a rather problematic person as far as romances go. She has no real experience of a full realationship and that makes her extremely insecure. I agree she is sometimes annoying always wanting reassurances but it's realistic to me.

I liked how he proposed out of the blue because for me it really wasn't all too sudden. It was subtle. I think JY has slowly but surely felt that he is slipping farther and farther away from reality. As he becomes happier and feels he is capable of depending on someone his walls begin to crumble, KW shows up ever more often, always in more dangerous situations. He is unconsciously trying to grab the thing in his life he knows to be real. It's not really about his love for her even if he does love her.

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Guys is it just me or are the two young actors playing the Jang brothers amazing! Especially the big brother. I'm not saying I'm loving D.O here too but young Jaebum is amazeballs...
Plus is it just me or is the music really well used in this show!

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Totally agree with you :) Check check check!!

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Ok, if Jay Yeol already knew that his Mom was the murderer, why would he want his brother's case investigated by Hae Soo's Ex-BF?

He might have wanted to incriminate the judge and the lawyer for being greedy, but wouldn't it eventually reveal the truth about his mother?

I also wonder if Jae-Yeol is self destructive? But then again his relationship with Hae Soo is blossoming. So... ?!

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Hae-soo's ex BF is investigating Jae-yeol's case for his tv show which is about young convicts.

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Jae-yeol didn't ask for his brother's case to be investigated, the ex-BF just picked his older brother's case.
I have been watching these episodes multiple times waiting for new ones, so I feel like I have a stream of information lol.

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Watching Soo Kwang's face during his bout after she kissed him, gave me a whole new appreciation for Lee Kwang Soo and his acting ability. I was so moved.

Um, this has probably been mentioned before, but I keep hearing references to Dr. Jo's wife. He's married? Can someone explain? Please.

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Yeah Dr. Jo got remarried and I'm pretty sure they showed him and his wife canoodling in his office in one of the early episodes.

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Thanks!

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Actually, when the rumours of ALS and Jae-yeol were flying around, I was scared whether they'd go the suicide/euthanasia route...

So, in the end, despite Jae-yeol's choice all those years ago and his overwhelming burden of guilt, will Jae-yeol again be faced with a decision to save either his mom or his brother (or Kang Woo)?

And will Hae-soo have to make a choice about standing by her man, much like her mother before her?

I still think this drama is still unique and gutsy in terms of its subject matter, but I'm a bit sad that, even though Hae-soo and Jae-yeol have reached important milestones like physical intimacy and marriage, the OTP's growth as a couple has been glossed over a bit.

I like the complex and realistic set-up, though - in the end, it's not a clear-cut tale about finding out who killed the stepfather, getting everyone to confess, and bringing them to justice. Yeah, the abusive stepfather died, but even though Jae-yeol, Jae-bum and Mom were all victims, they all paid a price for his death. And now, the people around them and the people who love them are still dealing with the fall-out.

I hope the show can continue to present a meaningful and hopeful message, though, and that there will be similar shows in future.

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Dating a successful and extremely handsome guy like Jae-yeol for only a brief period is exactly why Hae-soo couldn't take the proposal seriously at first. That's the reason she needed assurance, hence all those teasing and questions. It's like, Are you kidding? Why me, why choose a non-wife-material? Although she was flattered (and her heart most likely fluttered), she made a smart move of making sure he was serious before providing an honest answer as well. In short, I thought she handled the proposal and topic of marriage very well given the circumstances.

And while I partly dread the consequences of revealing to Jae-yeol about his psychosis, I think the timing could not be better--now that he and Hae-soo's relationship is finally relaxed, with both of them assured of their feelings for each other (BTW, they're no longer bickering. It's all lighthearted exchange of views). With Hae-soo and the others' support, Jae-yeol can finally start healing.

Again, I enjoyed this episode. So much love and camaraderie among the characters. Ah, and superb acting as always (from the main characters to the supporting characters).

Unfortunately, the enjoyment of this episode was cut short by that ominous preview of the next episode, with 3 characters crying and Doctor Lee's statement about the peak of psychosis.

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<Dating a successful and extremely handsome guy like Jae-yeol for only a brief period is exactly why Hae-soo couldn’t take the proposal seriously at first.

Whether successful and handsome or not, I personally wouldn't take anyone's proposal seriously after such a brief period. In fact, if they were deadly serious about it (as in, insistent to marry NOW) I would take it as big, red flag... because, why rush? Good thing that Jae-yeol later said "Let's marry in a year".

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Exactly.

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Random thing to start with but can I just say I love Gong Hyo-Jin's makeup in this. She freaking rocks lipsticks like no other, I actually want to buy all the lip products she wears.
Okay but really, shit's gonna hit the fan. How is she going to react? Does Jae-yeol have ALS? What is going to happen when Jae-beom gets out of jail? Is everyone going to find out the truth? Are we going to get a happy ending? Can I see another hot kiss? Can Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung go out in real life? Lol. I feel like I'm one of the few still enjoying this drama and not being bugged by the characters, but I freaking love watching this and I'm excited to see how it's going to end.

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The characters all have their flaws and "annoying" things like Hae-soo's use of "Is that what you did with your past GF's" but aren't we all flawed as people? I think it's interesting to see these types of I guess real things in kdrama characters and not some "perfect" one-sided type of characters with no real opinions, worries, and etc. I think in relationships you can get insecure and petty sometimes and I think it's interesting to see that in this show. I feel like these characters are real people, full of emotions, whims, minds and moods that go through sometimes rapid changes like we all do in real life. I'm fascinated by these people and now that we've really seen and gotten to know them over the past few weeks I'm excited to see what will happen now that it seems the truth will come out.
I also have to say I love these "homemates" and Soo-Kwang's kiss scene was just especially sweet. They all love and support each other and they get each other and all their quirks. And I loved Jae-yeol's post it note to Soo-Kwang too.

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<How is she going to react?

The preview hinted at denial... I really, really hope that won't play out. I mean, she can have a minute of denial but that's it. She's got the right background to know better. She's seen signs that should allow her to put the pieces together and say "Now all this makes sense". She knows Jae-yeol is more traumatised than he lets on. She knows he sleeps in a bathtub. That he falls apart when he starts writing. That he has had terrorising 'nightmares'. That he picked up the phone when she didn't hear it ring. That there have been promises of meeting Kang-woo that never realised. etc.

<Does Jae-yeol have ALS?

Please not. We do not need an additional tragic twist.

<Can Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung go out in real life?

Gong Hyo Jin is dating Lee Jin Wook in real life. That's tough competition for Jo In Sung, me thinks. ;-)

So agree with you on the "real people" with "real worries" in this drama btw.

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Haha. Can she date both? :P

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Only if she gets permission from Kim Min Hee too. Jo In Sung is also taken. :p

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Soo-kwang/So-nyeo: I’m not a fan of this couple and I can’t claim I really understand what Soo-kwang sees in So-nyeo. However, in this episode I didn’t really care, because it was indeed Soo-kwangs’s most tragic and best moment. I also think that love doesn’t always make sense and I’m sure we all have friends and/or acquaintances who love someone that we personally find a little off. So-nyeo is annoying, but she isn’t a bad or evil person. I don’t care for her personality, but at this point I don’t see any reason to object to their relationship just because I personally don’t like So-nyeo (when she was underage it was a different story). Plus, it’s not like Soo-kwang has had many or long relationships: it’s probably his first, real relationship and I’m sure if we look back on our first (or first few) relationships, we’d be like… ‘that’s not someone I’d date now’. After this episode, we could also compare Soo-kwang’s liking So-nyeo a little to Jae-yeol liking Hae-soo: So-nyeo accepts his ‘flaw’, which none of his previous girlfriends did as they apparently all broke off with him when had an episode.

Sunbae Jo / Jae-yeol confession: I was a bit concerned by Sunbae Jo’s “Let’s get him drunk” approach, but, boy, that confession was a punch in the gut. An amazing scene really.

<Jae-bum calls his little bro to request that they have a private meeting once he’s released, without letting anyone else know.

Jae-yeol should know better than to meet Jae-bum. I also don’t buy that Jae-bum will be able to deceive people around him about his release date. He’s in prison, not on holiday somewhere, so coming out a day early is not something he can hide. First of all, no prison guard that is professional should agree to tell others that Jae-bum is coming out a day later than he actually is (it’s such a problematic request that the prison guard should report it to higher authorities), and, secondly, there should be official records of Jae-bum’s exact release date which anyone related to the case (family, Sunbae Jo) should be able to check.

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(Part 2, sorry again)

<Is no one going to bring up the fact that they haven’t even known each other that long?

Me! Me! Me! Why are they all pushing marriage after such a short time? Makes NO sense.

<Either way you slice it, it’s a pretty messed up familial situation

Absolutely. And, as I’ve said before, I like the complexity of this messed up situation. Even with the truth out, big problems remain and will take time to be resolved. I am not sure we still know the full details of the ‘event’, or the mental state of everyone at the time. I don’t think Mom’s murder was ‘premeditated’ but it might have been a homicide indeed. Or she might have been in an impaired mental state that would not make her fully culpable. I don’t mind either way, I think a reality where people aren’t all good and innocent is quite realistic. She was a victim, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t do something that was wrong, or that she didn’t in fact prefer one child over another. I did appreciate the revelation of 'disassociation', because that explains a lot about her present character (which I have found hard to get a read on).

I also wouldn’t call Jae-bum “all innocent”. Yes, he did not commit the murder and he was done very wrong by being imprisoned, but he also abused Jae-yeol and stabbed him. AND he’s out to stab him again. He’s a victim, but he is also a criminal, just of a lesser crime. He probably needs therapy more so than further prison time, but we can’t just say he’s “the one true innocent party in this”.

Overall, I rather like the fact that this drama isn’t “one” thing. It has got romance, murder mystery, family drama. All that makes its development and pacing a bit unusual (compared to other dramas), but I like that. I like Jae-yeol and Hae-soo’s romance but also the fact that it’s not the sole focus of the story. I hope the approach taken so far stays this way to the end, i.e. that not all problems get solved but that we finish in the middle of life, with a glimpse of Jae-yeol and his family beginning to face their demons (the past, the pain since then, Jae-yeol’s mental health) but not every conflict resolved and everyone perfectly loving each other. The trauma they've experienced in the past is too great for that to be believable.

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Well, it might not seem that unrealistic at all because different people born with different perception. My father married my mother after meeting 10 times equal 3 month dating period since they were having long distance relationship..and there are still people in this age that married after meeting for the first time and still lead a happy marriage life. Some people might think that Jae Yol were rushing the marriage thing, but if we think on Jae Yol side, he feel chemistry with HS, so he want to tie the knot quickly, doesnt want to waste any time. Either he regret it or not, it doesn't matter. He just wanted to have a happy life with his loves ones :)

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I'm not saying it's not realistic (i.e. that it doesn't happen, incl. with happy results) and I'm perfectly aware of things like arranged marriages too. I do think it's unexpected coming from Jae-yeol (but possible), what I'm questioning is multiple people (Hae-soo's sister, Hae-soo's Mom, Dr. Lee) advocating "Marry him!" when they well know of Hae-soo's past issues and barely/don't know Jae-yeol (and Jae-yeol's mom implicitly suggesting the same after meeting Hae-soo once). The only one that hasn't taken that approach is Hae-soo herself and Sunbae Jo – though at that point he already knew about Jae-yeol's mental issues.

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>Me! Me! Me! Why are they all pushing marriage after such a short time? Makes NO sense.

Really? I felt very natural. They all knew about her problems, they don't think she'll find anything better than this charming, rich guy that not only was able to make her more healthy but also has no issues about her family situation which includes a sick parent and lots of debt. I know they are not being romantic about it but it feels real, they also had a somewhat tough life.

As far as JY I posted about it above on 6.3, I loved it. It was just what I was thinking he would do.

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Btw, totally agree about JB, he is a very complex character, in fact I wish the show was more about him and lost less time on other developments I don't like much.
He was already a violent kid and a victim before going to prison and spending 11 years for something he didn't do while blaming his family all the time really made him much more unstable. He needs lots of therapy but I do hope he gets a happy ending too.

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"...that confession was a punch in the gut. An amazing scene really." I agree 100% :D. Let me just add that Jo In-sung's delivery of a drunken man pouring his heart out (with gestures/punches in the air as he described what he had resolved himself to think and act) left a big impression on me. It's been long established that he's a good actor, but scenes like this remind me of just how GREAT he can be.

"...there should be official records of Jae-bum’s exact release date which anyone related to the case (family, Sunbae Jo) should be able to check." I can only hope the writer took this fact into consideration as well. I appreciate you pointing this out, making me less worried.

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I'm worried! The writer could easily be lazy about this... that happens in dramas all the time. :-(

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Sorry just checking if comments are working

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They sometimes (but not always?) take a couple of refresh's to show up.

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They USUALLY take a couple of refreshes before showing! :-)

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I think it's time for Lee Kwang Soo as lead in a drama.

Kwang Soo every month it's more handsome.

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The Soo Kwang And So-Nyeo Kiss it's really cute and the headphone scene it's really sweet

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Kwang Soo Kiss (Drama)

http://youtu.be/cxPNnE2bTsQ

Kwang Soo Kiss (Running Man)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHX4fzIhFVw

Xddddd

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All Kwang Soo Kissing Girls List:

Nicole Jung----- Seven Days Of Summer (Kara's Secret Love)
http://asianwiki.com/Nicole_Jung

Lee Yoo Bi------ Nice Guy
http://asianwiki.com/Lee_Yoo-Bi

Kim Ye-Won------- Nice Guy
http://asianwiki.com/Kim_Ye-Won

Lee Sung Kyung------- It's Okay That's Love
http://asianwiki.com/Lee_Sung-Kyung

Goo Jae Yee----------- Dating Agency Cyrano
http://asianwiki.com/Goo_Jae-Yee

Choi Song-Hyung -------- Potato Star 2013QR3
http://asianwiki.com/Choi_Song-Hyun

Pitful Kwang Soo?????????

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Uhmm, sorry but I just couldn't resist posting when I read all the comments about how unrealistic it was that JY proposed so soon and it would never happen in real life. My boyfriend proposed after 3 months of us going out together and granted my immediate response was "Are you joking?" to which he replied "I have never been more serious in my life". We have been happily married now for 20 years :).

Can I say that I predominantly watch this show for the relationship between JY & HS (I am not focusing that much on the JB/JY/Mum murder angle which I know is silly because I realise JY's psychosis/condition stems from all of this). However, I have enjoyed the realistic portrayal of a dating couple with all the insecurities, bickering and then making up. I am trying hard not to let JY's mental condition affect how much I love this couple and I think that's what the show is trying to teach us. I am holding out hope for more romantic moments but I just don't know how they will handle this aspect while unraveling JY's mental condition. HS better not be his treating doctor but a supportive partner. DM and YJ should treat him jointly.

By the way - whoever mentioned how hot JIS looks with that "scruff" (Tori?) I second that! Very manly. Especially the way he looked in Ep10, thank you Writer Noh and the Director :)

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I don't think anyone has said that it's unrealistic for it to happen. Of course it happens in real life and it can even work out (as in your case :-) ).

I just think it's 1) out of character for Jae-yeol and 2) strange that multiple characters in the show are telling Hae-soo "Just marry him already so he doesn't get away!" when they know Hae-soo's issues with relationships in the past (Dr. Lee is well aware of Hae-soo's phobia, as is Hae-soo's sister) and/or when they don't really know Jae-yeol at all (Hae-soo's sister has met him very briefly one or twice, beyond that just hands him a cup of coffee in the café; same for Hae-soo's mom, and for Jae-yeol's mom who advocated staying with Haesoo for a long time after meeting her once).

The more normal approach would be to say "He/she seems nice. You seem to like each other and are well suited. I hope your relationship continues to go well and I'm cheering you on" and leave it at that, not "Marry! Now!"

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This drama is just full of surprises and I love it!! Predictable is soooo not in their dictionary. Its nice to be wrong with my assumptions, it keeps me hooked.

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Hi! Thanks for you recaps. I can't watch a show now without checking the recaps later.

I'm glad things are starting to move forward finally, especially regarding the truth behind the step-father murder incident. Of course getting more and more frustrated with Hae-soo's awkward indecisive behavior the more we go further, but I'm trying my best to be understanding, and putting it all on the fact that the couple's background is only a mere few months.

I just have a few points I would be delighted if you shared your opinions with me on.

Now, supposedly at court the public defender had explained how the evidence pointed out to the victim having died of asphyxia & not the knife wound. And they say that Mama Ok-ja's last memories of the incident was the point where she was tripped over by the father (or am I wrong?)

Now to my questions:
1. Even if we assume that mama Ok-Ja really has been under a dissociative disorder since then, subconsciously erasing memories of her murder, still didn't she guess something was off when she heard about the COD? (which if we suppose I'm right interpreting the scene and the last part she remembers was tripping makes things even hard to swallow)
2. We're being told that jae-bum has been blaming his little brother of the murder because he was the one who dragged the knife that his brother had been brandishing from his step-father's *un*-dead body. Got that! So how come he still kept thinking that way even after hearing that the knife couldn't have killed him, and that the fire did? remember the fire ensued right after he took off the house piggybacking his little bro, didn't he find that kind of fishy? He should have been able to add 1+1=?

In fact, out of this whole new turn of events, I find jae-yeol's choice to cover up for his mom and put the blame on his bro the most believable! Can't be 100% positive, but I believe I might have done the same had I been in a similar situation.

Thanks again, and keep up the marvelous job bringing us the best dramabeans experience!! (^^)">

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<1. Even if we assume that mama Ok-Ja really has been under a dissociative disorder since then, subconsciously erasing memories of her murder, still didn’t she guess something was off when she heard about the COD? (which if we suppose I’m right interpreting the scene and the last part she remembers was tripping makes things even hard to swallow)

I thought her dissociative disorder was from the fire. Like she set the fire knowing what she was doing, but then disassociating herself from that she had done it later but somehow still recalling Jae-bum with the knife (seeing him as the murderer) OR choosing to protect Jae-yeol despite knowing that Jae-bum was innocent (accusing Jae-bum of being the murderer or simply saying nothing and letting Jae-yeol be the only witness).

<2. We’re being told that jae-bum has been blaming his little brother of the murder because he was the one who dragged the knife that his brother had been brandishing from his step-father’s *un*-dead body. Got that! So how come he still kept thinking that way even after hearing that the knife couldn’t have killed him, and that the fire did?

Good question. He might not have believed/known that the step-father didn't die from the knife wound. Or he might have been out to protect the mother and wanted to blame Jae-yeol. Or he's blaming Jae-yeol now not so much for the murder (although he's said "we know you killed him") but for Jae-yeol's testimony putting him into prison when he definitely neither had the knife nor set the fire.

Who knows. At this point I'm not clear at all what exactly they are aware of now and believe to be the truth, what they might be manipulating despite knowing it not to be true. I'm not sure they know anymore what really happened.

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Many THANKS for your reply. Always glad to share thoughts!

(QUOTE) I thought her dissociative disorder was from the fire. Like she set the fire knowing what she was doing, but then disassociating herself from that she had done it later

rewatching that part, the public defender's narration that goes "Back then, that's all Jang Jae Beom's mother could remember. The psychologist said that there is a big chance that she has dissociation." is played right at the moment when sunbae jo is watching her being dragged slightly by her undead abusive husband.
I believe she did it, whether with premeditation or being temporarily out of her mind. Even if as you say the dissociative thingie happened after the fire, then as you say she must have chosen to blame her child....cruel mother!!!

(QUOTE) Or he's blaming Jae-yeol now not so much for the murder (although he's said "we know you killed him") but for Jae-yeol's testimony putting him into prison

I was thinking on the same line for a while, until I saw the note he wrote his mother inside the book: "why didn't you believe me. I will show you what the child you didn't love will do to your precious child"....one explanation, he's either an idiot, or her was too preoccupied with the trial and his chances of a long imprisonment to bother with the defender's words.

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- Now, supposedly at court the public defender had explained how the evidence pointed out to the victim having died of asphyxia & not the knife wound.

Asphyxia as COD was not established by the defense as the body was incinerated by the prosecution before that could happen, as narrated by the lawyer at the tail end of episode 11. Prosecution's evidence tendered were the knife and the lighter and the offical COD, I suppose was the stab wound. Asphyxia as COD is the defense lawyer's view and we do not know if Mom or even JB is aware of this view. This would explain JB's fixation that JY is the actual killer, being the person who was holding the knife when step-father ran into it.

Truth be told, the legal narrative in this drama cannot be used as the basis for any accurate logical deduction of any events in the show, for they are simply, off. Take for eg. JB's narrative, that he voluntarily took the fall for JY but subsequently decided to tell the truth when the prosecution gave him an eleven years sentence and that was when JY put the blame on him for the death. Generally, unless the procedure is really different in Korea, sentencing will come at the very end of a trial, after all witnesses have testified. So, after getting that 11 years sentence, JB could not 'change his story' and JY could not testify to tell the truth and to put the blame on JB instead.

Leaving aside the legal accuracies, what's portrayed by the show is that this family has been screwed by the legal system and society. By the legal system through a judge harsh on delinquents; by a prosecutor intent on making a name for himself and by a new lawyer unable to do much for his client. Let down by society for failing to help an abused family when help was asked for and needed - as per JY's narrative in the scene where Sunbae Jo asked JY to report JB to the police for his attack on JY during the latter's prison furlough.

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Heh. I am the one who gave your comment all the "up" arrows, no one else will do that here. If you would have posted about how handsome the actors are and how well done this "realistic" show is, you might have gotten some love around here. On that note, welcome to my world of trying to reason (on earlier episodes threads) the "unreasonable" points. No one really watches these shows to learn anything, and we are just too ashamed to admit it. The critique of show's procedural legality, common sense, societal response is not popular. I gave up and suggest you do the same.
Think about it. Life is hard and dull. Why spoil someone's joy by asking too many questions? I also came to understand how people from many diverse situations (this is an international forum) compare their own experiences, and easily relate to the variety of abuses and non-stop bullying of most characters by ... EVERYONE (think: high school, work place, family, parents, husbands, in-laws, chaebols, bankers, gangsters, siblings, step-siblings, politicians, law, evil second leads, evil Cinderellas, evil ahjummas, doctors, maids and CEO's) in Kdramas. Come to think of it, I came to expect nothing but abuse in any show: rom-com and dramas alike. That's why we are all so ...business like (seen it all before) when it comes to this show. Years and shows of watching people being daily bruised up in Kdramas will do that to you

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Hey, I gave that comment a thumbs up as well....
Even though I honestly believe most of your opinions are well-founded, I hope you don't mind my joining in your discussion by commenting on the parts that I beg to differ.
I'm one of those who watch this drama without expectations of learning; I'm watching for pure entertainment. However, I'm not embarrassed to admit this. Like you said, "Life is hard and dull" so we all need a break from reality. And while not all reasons (provided in the series) are plausible, years of watching all sorts of series (not only Kdrama) has made me more tolerant of the questionable aspects. Of course, there is a limit to what the mind can dismiss, and this series hasn't ended yet, therefore I can't judge if it will reach the stage of no-longer-making-sense. Moreover, this enjoyment of mine, which some may deem shallow, isn't diminished by intelligent questions. In fact, those thoughts are most welcome, and I hope the writer has taken those into consideration while finishing the script (if not, then there's nothing I can do about it).
I know so well the frustrations of watching poorly written scripts (there are tons of those where I'm from). But "It's Okay, It's Love" does not fall in that category, not yet in MY opinion.
I wouldn't discourage anybody from expressing their thoughts and logical questions (popular or otherwise) because some viewers do appreciate them and perhaps even learn from the more intelligent reasoning by realizing that these dramas are not to be taken seriously. In fact, I don't have a "solid" view on the legal aspect of this story because it is admittedly confusing, and I'm reading the comments here in hopes that someone would make sense of it all.

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Thanks loads for your reply, so grateful you reminded me of this point which I had totally forgotten all about. But now thinking about it, doesn't that proves even mlre that the mother might as well haven't and isn't under any dissociative disorder whatsoever. Since you know it's highly unbelievable that the body was cremated at such a timing by coincidence, the last remaining family must have structured them to i.e. mama Ok Ja!
Anyway we'll leave it out to the final two episodes (I'm crossing fingers they don't give the drama any extentions)

As for the court procedures technacilities being off, I totally agree!! But now that we're putting all our effort to give excuses to the story's akward details, I can argue that he may have been given the tip (predictions) of the outcome / verdict from someone like thw defender himself. You know since the guy seemed to have an explanation as to why such a harsh sentence was given despite all the evidence of common DV.

Anyhow, I usually don't give such contradictions or unrealistictness much thought, since I agree with everyone here that pure reality and acurate informations should not be expected from dramas. But the ironic thing, is that I turned mlre meticulous after aquiring the habit of reading everyone's comments on the recaps. And you know although it's a bit tiring to keep tryjng to find logic, it's still kind of fun.

Whichever way, although illogical points might decrease the credibility of a story, it rarely ruins the overall experience of the show, on the contrary, some of the best and most memorable classic dramas suffer from the worst cases of technicality issues.

BTW, I gave your reply a thumbs before reading the above comments ;-)

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Thanks for the recap. My favorite moment wad when Sunbae Jo was reliving the murder of Jae Yeol's dad. That mirror was a huge twist esp. Since Jae Yeol Mary have used that to see that his mom did the murder instead. It was chilling to see.

It saddens me that Jae Yeol and Hae woo's romance will hit an emotional turn. I wonder how Hae soo will cope with Jae Yeol. It's interesting to see that the writers have given us stories about couples with psychotic illness, and now we must see our OTP go through this.

I'm also super excited to see Jae Yeol response to this. I think he'll take it the worst since they'll have to tell him that his reality is basically unreal with Kang woo. I'd be expecting major acting skills from Jo in sung to portray that reality shock.

As for the marriage question, Jae Yeol Mary sound like he's pushing it, but he's also someone who's honesty and hours with his guy feeling. So if he feels ready to marry Hae soo then let him go through that. Jae Yeol had to see for himself if he's truly ready or not.

And for Hae soo saying no, I can see that she isn't ready. She's not ready emotionally. I hope they dig more on her relationship with her mom just a tad more. Maybe they'll do that in the next episode, kinda like she leans on her mother for support.

And someone mentioned that Hae soo should not be in huge denial because of her background. I agree about that, but there's a difference in helping patients who have psychotic illness or mental disorders and then having someone personal in your life having it.

Thanks again for the recap. I love this show, there are flawed and icky questions but overall this show is one of the only show grabbing my attention. Plus Jo in sung and Gong hyo Jin are golden together. ?

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I love this character they've created in Jae Yeol. My heart literally aches for him. He's just an intelligent naive soft hearted person that has lived through hell as an abused child. He's pushed even further beyond his nature by seeing his beloved mother murder his father. He then makes the decision (in survival mode) to place the blame on his brother; in a way choosing the lesser of two evils. So sad that the character/family has to go through this situation. My thoughts are that he is fully aware that his mom murdered his dad (it makes the lyrics of the Hero song all the more poignant). Now he has lived his life up to this point carrying that unbearable burden of sending his brother to prison to protect his mom. He's so stressed out that he sleeps in the bathtub. Now he's found love with Hae Soo who accepts him despite all his flaws (he consciously doesn't tell her the big secret though and probably intends to take it to the grave). But here's the thing, he hates himself. The closer he gets to Hae Soo the more undeserving he feels to have a happy living relationship/life. That's why Kang Woo appears more often. He wishes his past never happened to him and fiercely tries to protect Kang Woo from impending tragedy. I don't think a happy Jae Yoel and Kang Woo can exist in the same place at the same time. One of them will have to die.....

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"But here’s the thing, he hates himself. The closer he gets to Hae Soo the more undeserving he feels to have a happy living relationship/life. That’s why Kang Woo appears more often. He wishes his past never happened to him and fiercely tries to protect Kang Woo from impending tragedy"

GOOD POINT!! That I believe will eventually be the explanation they will give for his hallucinations escalating and happening more often since meeting Hae-Soo.
In a sense, he might have been subconsciously serious relationships because he felt he doesn't deserve it.

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subconsciously *avoiding* serious relationships

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I've been in an abusive home. My father abused my mother. She abused us. My older sister abused me and my mom.

I relate to JY a lot. The mom is used to patching the wounds JBinflicts on JY (because JB is likely angry and feeling the need for an outlet on someone weaker -- that's all he's known). Then, by pure chance JY sees an opportunity to try and help his brother which leads to a scuffle and an accidental stabbing.

JB then tried to protect JY (because you can abuse those you love). Mom's perspective is tough. "let's protect the baby, ok, take him out of here we'll use JB's story" becomes something else entirely when the source of all the abuse and hatred is still alive. So she acts, in what could be viewed as self defense or maybe manslaughter because she doesn't act to save him after the fire.

Now this is where the psychology of abuse becomes interesting. In order to protect herself, mom likely has very little recollection of any of her own abusive behaviors. (My mom is like this, too... though our domestic situation didn't lead to any deaths). I honestly think the flashes of memories we see from JY and his mom about their mistakes are largely repressed and ignored by them...basically they are for the audience to see and process. I honestly don't believe this character would have let either son go to prison if she remembered committing her crime.

And, while it isn't right, who do you protect if you're JY? The mom that you NEED to see as the one that loves and cares for you (even though she might be abusing you in other ways) or the brother that actively beats you up and puts you down?

Now if we're being realistic, even with the testimony, JB got royally screwed. The authorities were responsible for investigating and, thus, irrevocably damaged the entire family by ignoring the cause of death and relying on a witness that was only semi-conscious during the crime.

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Thanks for sharing your story & perspective thesaratea. I hope things are good for you now.

You are right, there were no easy choices for anyone here, and some of the choices made were probably the better of two terrible choices. The authorities let the family down even before the stepfather's death happened and yet again once he died.

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I was so shocked after watching this episode. What a twist !!!!! For 14 years all three of them have been mentally suffering because of this tragic story. Jae Bum has depression, Mom has dissociation disorder and Jae Yeol has schizophrenia....

I still remember when Jae Yeol told Hae Soo that her friend, Hye Jin looked completely normal even though she has mental illness.... Look at you now Jae Yeol :((

At first I felt so bad for Jae Bum not receiving love from his mother, I felt even worse that though he abused his dongsaeng all the time, it wasn't because he wanted to but because of lacking love from his mother, and deep down inside he loved them a whole lot. Then I felt so terrible he had to spend all those years in jail blaming his brother, without knowing the exact reason why his brother and his mother did so.

And for 14 years Jae Yeol has been living under pressure of hiding the truth. How long does this guy have to suffer from this guilt?

The only thing I wonder is does Mom know about this? Does she really not remember anything? I understand she had been abused, and cornered that's why she decided to burn the house. But after all, if she was really the one that murdered Step dad, she needs to be treated and realized the truth. Afterall, they are both her sons. She couldn't protect JB in order to protect JY, and in the end both of them all suffer.

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wait! i have it! The guilt actually gave JB grey hair and Jy a brain tumor, that's why he sees KW, it's not mental illnes, it's a tumor. JB stabs brother, he collapses , the do a scan , find tumor, operate him and presto, happy ending for him en HS.

Brother and mom are so shocked they both remember what happend, decide to go into therapy together and reconcile.

JB starts working in HS 's moms restaurant, falls for sunbae Jo his ex ('cause he likes noona's and she likes men with anger management issues it would seem)

Soo kwang and his girl have a hippy wedding.(i actually like those two)

Everyone lives hapily ever after..
there you have it, show wrapped up in 4 episodes with very plausable happy ending :) i'm getting good at this Kdrama thing.Think they would give me a job as a writer?

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Ok am i the only one to wait for episodes 13 and 14 recap ?!! This drama is just sooooooooo goooooood damn !!

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Liking the music, and the way that Sunbae Joe figures out the past by going to the scene of the crime. If I can take his interpretation of the events as fact, of course. I thought that the reflection of the mom burning the paper in the mirror was very well done.

The romance is just eh. I think I'm just not a Jo In-sung fan, because every time there's a close-up on his face I lean back and say "TOO CLOSE," lol. Aside from that, the romance is whatever. I mainly wait for Hae-soo to discover that he's been hallucinating himself for 3 years, then they'll be some real drama around here. I hope.

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