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Plus Nine Boys: Episode 8

YOU GUYS. Kwang-soo smiles in this episode! A lot! It’s gorgeous and it’s awesome, because surely it’s a sign of big things to come for him and, I hope, our other plus-nine boys too. This episode is just full of cuteness, as our boys turn on the charm in pursuit of their ladies with differing, but always adorable, results.

Track 8: ”Things that make men change”

Kwang-soo screws up his nerve and enters Da-in’s cafe, and she brings him coffee and cheesecake even though she’s in the middle of closing. He makes small talk, attempting to bring up happy memories of their past, but she ignores him. Finally she hints that she has to pick up her daughter, even refusing payment to get him out of there faster — but he insists with a smile, since he plans to come in often from now on.

Kwang-soo attempts to talk to her but she interrupts him as is her habit, but this time he means to say his piece. He finally, finally asks her his question, “Why did you do it? Did I make things hard for you?” He tells her that he needs to know, because he’s never been able to really break up with her. But he doesn’t get his answer, since Da-in still refuses to talk to him.

Jin-gu sits in a plastic surgeon’s waiting room with Go-eun, and they vow to make this work project perfect. She obliquely refers to their kiss the night before by mentioning that she couldn’t sleep a wink, making him uncomfortable.

At the same time, Se-young and Jae-bum visit a street food vendor and she salivates over some spicy food which is apparently very popular among Chinese tourists. Jae-bum expresses concern over whether Se-young can handle the spiciness, bragging about how he used to eat raw peppers to perk up. Cut to: Se-young chowing down on her food, while Jae-bum trails behind her with his sore tongue stuck to a popsicle. HAHA. He insists that he’s fine and it wasn’t too spicy at all, but he seriously looks like he wants to cry.

Jin-gu and Go-eun interview a plastic surgeon for their work project, amazed that people will go under the knife to look like famous Hallyu stars. The doctor points out the corners of Jin-gu’s mouth and bets he gets called a player a lot, suggesting surgery to correct the upward tilt (Dude, don’t mess with the pretty mouth, I’m not even kidding). He refuses, but on their way out, Jin-gu laments that he does get called a player a lot, which is totally unfair since he’s really very loyal when he likes someone. Go-eun looks understandably skeptical.

Kwang-soo primps in the office bathroom, dressed to the nines. Young-hoon is onto his weird behavior, thinking it’s because he might be seeing Park Eun-ji again, and when he finds out he never met her for the second date, he gripes at Kwang-soo for still being hung up on Da-in. He tells Kwang-soo that Da-in is a dead end, but Kwang-soo just cryptically tells him that he and Da-in never broke up.

He’s a different man as he goes to meet with his writing team, smiling and complimenting them and freaking them out. He invites them out for a cup of coffee and ohhh, now I see why he’s so perky, as they all file into Da-in’s cafe. Da-in, however, isn’t nearly so happy to see him. Or you know, at all.

Kwang-soo is all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he orders coffee and cake for everyone, and makes them happy by actually being interested in their show ideas for once. He stares at Da-in and smiles whenever he catches her eye, which is just so cute, but she remains stone-faced and silent. Interestingly, the head writer seems to be picking up that something isn’t quite right about this supposedly-spontaneous outing.

Su-ah walks down the street, not-looking for Min-gu so hard that she walks right into him. Hee. He’s tickled that she was looking for him, and says that starting today, they’re dating. Oh honey, you already tried that and it blew up in your face. Su-ah says they’re not a good match, but she doesn’t sound nearly as confident about that as she used to.

Min-gu backs off (good boy) and says that they can just date, and she can decide later if she likes it or not. He follows her into a coffee shop and orders the same espresso she does, saying how much he loves it, but his yucky-face when he actually tastes it makes her grin for the first time. Still not speaking, Su-ah pulls out her earbuds and studies, leaving Min-gu to stare at her.

He gets antsy and texts her from right across the table (he’s still calling himself “oppa,” which makes me so embarrassed for him) until she turns her phone over, and he respects her space for a little while but finally steals one of her earbuds to see what she’s listening to. He recognizes it as Blue Paprika, the band he knows she likes, and she’s surprised that he’s familiar with them.

She asks what other indie bands he likes and he throws out the one name he knows, but he gets stuck when he can’t think of any other bands. Su-ah tests his claim that he loooves indie bands by playing him a song, and scoffs when he doesn’t know it’s by Standing Egg.

Jin-gu and Go-eun have dinner, and her obvious delight in the food only serves to remind him of Se-young. Jin-gu comments on her good appetite, but says it’s great that they finished their work first — Se-young always wants to eat and they end up working late. After dinner Go-eun again mentions that she can’t sleep lately because there’s someone she’s thinking about, and tells him he’ll like her eventually… but she cuts him off when he tries to let her down easy.

Jae-bum gallantly rides Se-young’s bus home with her, where he accidentally spills the beans that Jin-gu doesn’t live near her neighborhood anymore. She’s floored to realize that he’s been riding this bus with her all this time when he doesn’t even live there. Meanwhile Jin-gu rides his own bus home, flipping through the numerous pictures of Se-young on his phone. Awww.

At home, Dong-gu practices choreography for a dance audition, while Mom cheers him on and Min-gu educates himself on indie music. Mom takes a call from a prank caller claiming to have kidnapped her son, and freaks out until Jin-gu walks in the door, perfectly fine. With all her chicks safely in the nest, she offers to pay the caller to take her brother instead. HAHA. I love Mom.

In the morning, Kwang-soo optimistically dresses up again and Mom notices he’s even wearing cologne. She and Dong-gu head to his dance audition (Is he wearing guyliner??), and they find out it’s a one-on-one battle, and of course Dong-gu gets assigned as contestant number nine.

Dong-gu is recognized by the judges, and when he does his dance (to Infinite’s “Back”) he’s actually pretty damn good. He’s a much better dancer than actor, and one judge (cameo by John Park) even gets up and improvs some “Single Ladies” choreography with him. But when the next contestant comes in and does a spot-on impression of Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” Dong-gu is overshadowed yet again.

Min-gu whines to his friends that Su-ah isn’t reading his texts, while she complains to her friends about all the inane messages he sends. One friend points out that he must really like her a lot to keep following her around after being rejected, and suggests that Su-ah just date him already. Su-ah admits he’s cute, but she can’t get past the fact that he’s in high school.

Min-gu’s friends, as usual, have differing advice — one tells him to give up while the other assures him that Su-ah will probably text him after school. He sees Su-ah’s latest profile update mentioning how sad she is that the Standing Egg concert is sold out, which seems to give Min-gu an idea.

Su-ah’s friends invite her out with them, but she’s in a bad mood and declines, and a minute later Min-gu pulls up on his bike (and boy, what a difference a new hair-do makes!). He says he wants to take her somewhere and convinces her to go for a ride, and soon her grumpy expression is replaced with a reluctant smile.

They pull up to the venue where Standing Egg is giving a concert, and Su-ah is so surprised that she just nods mutely when Min-gu asks her to see the concert with him. They have front-row seats, and Su-ah watches the concert with her first genuine smile of the entire show, while Min-gu is more interested in watching her.

Kwang-soo stands outside Da-in’s cafe — and gets a text from Min-gu thanking him for the concert tickets, awww — but when Da-in comes out, she yet again ignores his attempts to talk. She walks right past him like he’s not even there, only deigning to speak when he offers her a ride to wherever she’s going, and declines of course.

She’s stopped in her tracks by the sound of their song coming from Kwang-soo’s jacket — it’s playing on his phone, and he says he still loves listening to the song. She gathers her dignity again and walks away, leaving him to wistfully watch her go. Still, it’s a marked improvement from his former beaten-dog demeanor.

Se-young gorges herself on samples at a street market, and is surprised when Jin-gu joins her today instead of Jae-bum, who had a meeting and couldn’t make it. They peruse the foods, more comfortable with each other than they’ve been in months. But it doesn’t last long, and things get tense when Se-young burns herself on some hot food, and Jin-gu tries to doctor her over her protests.

Despite Jin-gu’s attempts to keep things light, Se-young’s mood is sour now, and she can only think of how Jae-bum spilled the beans about his not living in her neighborhood. As they walk to the bus stop Jin-gu takes a call from Go-eun, who needs him to meet her at the office. Se-young is still quiet, and Jin-gu jokingly calls her on her sulky mood but it just makes things awkward between them again.

Finally she asks why he didn’t tell her that he moved, and he says that obviously it was so that he could ride with her. He smiles as he tells her he was sincere about her all along, it’s just that she never believed him, and he jumps on his bus before she can say a word.

Things are going well at the Standing Egg concert, and Min-gu excuses himself for a moment. The band introduces a special guest, and Min-gu steps onstage to sing a song for Su-ah. He’s really good, and Su-ah starts out uncomfortable but soon she’s smiling and shy. So cute, these two.

After the concert they walk on their overpass and Min-gu croons to Su-ah a bit more, but she’s conspicuously quiet. Finally he asks if she has something to say to him, but she doesn’t answer. He turns serious and tells her that he really likes her, but she still has nothing to say, so he leaves her to walk home alone.

Su-ah watches him go then heads home herself, and a few minutes later Min-gu gets a text that says simply, “Okay.” Min-gu is over the moon, and he jumps and shouts in the street, yelling back in her direction, “Su-ah, I love you!” even though she’s too far away to hear him.

Da-in pulls into the parking garage, and Kwang-soo peeks out from behind a pillar to jokingly point out that she’s late. He asks her again why she left him back then, but says blithely that it’s not urgent, and she can take her time answering. He wonders if she can’t remember, because surely she wouldn’t be keeping it from him. She keeps quiet as usual until he tries to help her with her things, and she blows up at him in banmal to stop. He soberly calls attention to the fact that she’s finally being informal with him.

He smiles and says this is better, but Da-in just wants to know why he’s doing this to her. She thinks he feels sorry for her because she’s divorced. Kwang-soo tells her honestly that he still likes her, but she doesn’t want to hear it and just gets her daughter and heads inside.

Kwang-soo tries one more time, asking Da-in if she really doesn’t feel anything towards him, and if it’s really over for her. She says that she’s not the old Da-in anymore, she’s simply Eun-seo’s mom now, but Kwang-soo objects — who she is to him, is the love of his life. He says his heart pounds and he feels strange when she’s around, but asks if she’s really fine.

Kwang-soo regroups and starts over, and says that he feels good lately because it’s like the clock’s turned back ten years. All he’s done for the last decade was work, not even realizing that he wasn’t living life. But now he feels like himself again and he feels great. He asks one last time if Da-in really feels nothing at all.

She finally looks him in the eye and says it’s all in the past, and he asks why she’s so cruel if that’s true. If it’s true, he says, then she can just act normal around him. Da-in only sighs and goes inside.

Watching her go, Kwang-soo narrates that at 39, he decided to stop being Producer Gu and start being the old Kwang-soo again. On his bus, Jin-gu tells us that what makes a man change isn’t the world, or time. And as he kisses his text from Su-ah and wiggles in happiness, Min-gu says that what makes a man change, is the girl he loves.

COMMENTS

How wonderful to see our boys (well, three out of four) finally taking some responsibility for their feelings and recognizing that they have to step up if they’re going to expect things to change. This week’s episodes were so fun to watch, because I love it when people recognize that they have the power to make a difference in their lives and then set out to make those changes.

To be fair, Jin-gu still hasn’t done much to earn Se-young’s trust back, other than to repeatedly ask her to talk to him. It’s not his fault that she won’t, but sometimes words aren’t enough. He hurt her with his actions, not his words, and I think that it’s going to take actions to bring her back around. It’s a start, that she knows now that he rode her bus for a solid year just to spend a little more time with her each day — but that was ultimately something he did for himself, not for her. I want to see Jin-gu do something for Se-young, something truly selfless and honest, to show her that he’s not really the guy she thinks he is and that he truly does love her. Come on Jin-gu, you’re a smart guy who claims to understand women, I know you can think of something!

Min-gu has made some great strides, first and foremost in that he now listens to Su-ah rather than just talking at her. He still comes on pretty strong, but he’s learning that all that gets him is a brick wall in his face. He’s figuring out that if he reins it in and gives Su-ah the space to think about what she feels, instead of having to keep her guard up in order to fend off his feelings, she’ll slowly but surely come towards him. It happened when he got too aggressive early in the episode and told her they were dating, which made her lock down just like when when they first met, but when he asked her to date him she loosened up again. Then later when he pushed a little too hard for her to say what she felt, there on their overpass, Su-ah shut down on him again. But he’d learned his lesson and backed off, and gave her that space, and she came towards him again.

It’s also pretty big that he listened to her enough to learn her music preferences, actually took his own time to learn more about the style of music she likes, then set up a situation (the concert and serenade) that would make her feel comfortable to soften towards him. Music seems to be important to Su-ah, and Min-gu did a great job meeting her on her own turf. And it worked! Min-gu still has a lot to learn about women and relationships, and I imagine Su-ah is going to teach him some of those lessons the hard way — but like I’ve said before, she’s just the sort of tough cookie he needs to get him to stop living in a fantasy and start living in the real world.

But mostly and most importantly, I’m so impressed with the strides that Kwang-soo has made on an emotional level. He’s done some really important work on himself, firstly that he just decided that he was done being sad and mopey and slogging his way through his work day. He wakes up now with a skip in his step, he takes care with his appearance, and he treats his team at work with respect… if nothing else, that’s enough to make a drastic positive change in his life. If he didn’t do anything else, those things right there will make him a better, happier person. So yeah, Kwang-soo still sits around the house in his pajamas, but who doesn’t? ::Looks down at self::

More crucially though, Kwang-soo made the decision to take the situation with Da-in firmly in hand, and get himself some damn answers. I’m so proud of him that he doesn’t quake in fear when he sees Da-in anymore, and that he stands up for himself and his right to know what in the world she was thinking when she just left him without a word. He’s not afraid to admit that he’s still stuck there, or to ask her to explain herself, which is huge considering that just a few months ago he was so scared of the answer that he could barely squeak out a single word whenever he saw Da-in.

Mostly I’m proud of Kwang-soo for the realization that, if he and Da-in aren’t meant to be together, then at least as neighbors he deserves for her to treat him with respect. I think we all know from last week what I think of Da-in and her behavior ten years ago, but I don’t much care for her behavior now, either. She’s acting childish and disrespectful of him and his right to know what made her leave him all those years ago. Kwang-soo is one hundred percent correct, in that either things aren’t over and that’s why she always ignores him, or they truly are over and the least she can do is act casual around him so that he can move on. It took a lot of courage for him to say that to her, and it couldn’t be easy to tell her that the way she’s behaving right now isn’t any more okay than the way she treated him a decade ago.

Now if we could just get some of the ladies to start, I dunno, talking? We might actually see some progress in these relationships. Keep your fingers crossed.

 
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Lol the reason that kid did such a good impression of Psy's Gangnam Style is because he WAS the kid in the original music video. Poor Dong-gu never had a chance.

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HA I was thinking, Min Gu is a pretty good dancer for a little kid but he's nowhere near as good as the kid in Gangnam Style. So funny when his competition was that kid.

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Thanks for the recap.

I loved the growth and progression of Min-gu. I didn't care for his relationship at first, but this episode has made me more open towards him and his pursuit of Su-ah. Depending on how the actual age revelation and consequential fallout is played out, I might root for these two to be the end game.

I enjoyed the brighter and happier Kwang-soo (Oh Jung-se is simply precious), but I'm with Young-hoon on this one: Da-in is a dead end! I just want him to find closure and move on. It's not that I hate Da-in because I find her cute when she's interacting with other characters. Unless some major changes and growth happen in their relationship, the best result to me seems like becoming friends and neighbors for one another.

Lastly, my favorite scenes were the two parodies. When mom figured out it was voice phishing and started to pawn over Kwang-soo, I laughed. She's awesome with her wily sense of humor and deadpan delivery.
The dancing 9 kids, though, that takes the cake! Dong-gu was pretty good, but that other kid was a hoot. He had the attitude, confidence, and skills. I loved it when he flicked his glasses away and how the director cut over to Mom's face of disbelief and defeat.

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I think that of the 3 older boys, Mingu's the smartest when it comes to love. Yes, he was too pushy at first, but he's learning to step back when there's a need to, but to not up! But more importantly, he tries to like what she likes and I love that he was shrewd enough to get the concert tickets for her!

That's what Kwang Soo needed to do 10 yrs ago with Da In. Do things for her. Go on at least a trip with her since she wanted it so much.

And like LollyPip commented, Jin Gu needs to something for Se Young to show that he's sincere.

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I too seriously hope that Kwang-soo and Da-In simply remain neighbours. She kept mum about it then, and she's keeping mum about it now. How is she ever going to expect Kwang-soo to guess what's happening?
Kwang-soo, do yourself a favour and get over her. She's not worth it at all.

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I really felt the division of time in this episode - not that it wasn't obvious in other episodes too, but the 3B1U (3brothers' 1 uncle's) simultaneous stories were quartered in such a way that giving each fairly equal time makes some spots drag while other places are rushed. Like Dong-goo's audition - it was same ol' same ol', nothing really new or interesting so his "quarter" dragged. I definitely liked Kwang-soo's story this week, you summed it up well, Lollypip.

I agree that more conversation or at least comments from the females would be welcomed.

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Nice!

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Well, lollypip, i think that sitting on the bus for a year just to spend time with her and see her home safely,is ACTION and proof of his sincerity. It looks like se young might think so too in the next episode. Me happy!

As for kwang soo, me not happy. I dont want him back with her. She is not fair and i feel, not a lttle cruel too. She surely can see, even before his confession, how much he wanted to talk about the past. If for nothing else, be kind and allow the man closure. I dont think it is as some people cmmwnted that he was hung up thinking about her all these years. He managed to drown it out iwth work but her reappearance forced that memory back and he finds that he hasnt worked through that past.

Anyway, noooo to him and da in even if that seems to be where the writer is going :(. I want him with main scriptwriter!!!

As for the rest, its all cute stuff but doesnt matter to me what happens :)

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I don't particularly like Da In either. I find her selfish. She only sees her pain, and has not realised that she had badly humiliated him. Her reaction was too severe for his lack of attention.

I wish that Kwang Soo would just forgive himself and move on. It would be good to see him falling in love with someone else and treating her well because he has learnt how to be a better lover - right in Da In's face! Maybe the writer can get KS to ask DI for a second chance, but she refuses. Then he moves on, and one day, she sees him going on a trip with someone else. That would serve her right! I'm been mean, but really that girl annoys me!

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Agreed, and Jin Gu also stood up for her when boss guy was being an ass - loved him for that too... It's time for her to step up before others try to steal him away!

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@ Enz

Agree, that going out of his home route to keep SY company on her bus rides back, for the past year, is indeed ACTION. JG has always been there for SY, sometimes without her realizing it.

Aside from causing SY to realise that JG had persistently gone out of his way just to be with her, JB's reveal of JG's moving house and the reaction following, ought also reveal to JB that JG has been after SY long before JB. That reliasation would help the boys keep being friends in the event that JG and SY end up together.

Also, love the way Go Eun's hitting on JG. She tells the guy upfront that she likes him, then falls back to give him space. Repeat the next day.....Go Eun's slowly chipping away at JG's heart. At this point, I'm ok if JG ends up with Go Eun....ha ha... :-D

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I wish I had her balls. no way I could go up to a crush and do that!

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Thanks for the recap! Da-In is really stuck, isn't she?

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I agree about wanting to hear a bit more from the women in this otherwise very enjoyable show -- I think that may be why I am more than a little bored by the 19 year old's story line. So far, the only reason he seems to like her is her looks ... which, to be fair, is pretty characteristic of that age group.

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Yes, we know very little of what the women are really thinking. I also find the 19 yr old story pretty dull because she never gives him anything back (not even enough for us to know if she really is a tough cookie) and he's just a love struck fool. It will be a weakness in the show if Da In doesn't have more back story to explain her bitterness. It feels like it needs to be something really big, like she aborted a pregnancy or miscarried and he never knew she was pregnant (his fault for being so absent, and then he goes and proposes and she lost it)? I'm stumped.

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i agree- i know that the drama is centered on the four boys/men, but i hope that da in's story is fleshed out a little more so she isn't made into an irrational villain, although i understand where she was coming from when she snapped. i really like kwang-soo's character and seeing him happy for once was really cute, but i was kind of creeped out by him waiting at the parking lot. if you think about it, it's creepy. it's okay because it's a drama and we've grown to like his character. but in real life, it wouldn't be cute if your ex from 10 years ago stood around waiting in your parking lot (albeit the parking lot of the place where he also lives) for you to come back.
wasn't as charmed by the 19 year old romance too, because in the end, he knows nothing about her, and they've barely had a real conversation. i'm also not very charmed by him using his uncle's connection or kwang-soo tweaking some strings to get ahead in the line at the emergency room.
i really like go-eun's character. she's not just a flimsy second lead- we know, obviously, that they're not going to end up together, but she's fleshed out enough as a character so that she's charming and you could understand if jin gu fell in love with her.

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I like go eun too. Sweet and honest with her feelings. I wouldnt mind them ending up together.

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I like JG and Go Eun together and I prefer KS with the main script writer - I'd like to see that pairing because I don't like Da In or SY

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Woah! Didn't expect Dong-gu can dance. Min-gu &
Soo-ah, can we just give them their own show? So soo
Sooo cuuuuuuute lol

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Honestly, I just watch for these three. I wait for the recaps, so I know where to skip.

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I've never understood why Min-gu thinks he's older than Su-ah no matter how you look she's clearly older. In fact I'd probably guess more than the 4 years that Chorong actually has on Yook Sungjae.

Da-in seriously needs to talk to Kwang-soo whether she still has feelings or not so he can move on, so if stalking is what it takes to get her to talk then stalk on buddy stalk on.

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Thanks for the recap!

I am really proud of Kwang Soo in this episode except for the part where he is still pining over Da In. He totally laid it all out there which (for me) makes Da In even more of a douche with her current actions. I really hope he gets rightfully angry when she finally gives her lame explanation. To be honest though, their breakup to me was very unrealistic. Either that or Da In is a psycho. I mean, what kind of person does that?!

I am a little bit confused about Jin Gu. You feel like you want to forgive him but then you remember what he did. It's like running into a former classmate who bullied you in high school and finding out he is a priest now. I wash my hands on that relationship! lol

I am sure Min Gu only likes Su Ah for her beauty and innocent facade because she barely speaks to him. The question is.. will their relationship hold up when her real personality comes into play?

Hehe Don't feel bad Dong Gu.. if you're gonna get beat at a dance off, might as well be from little PSY.

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Watch Plus Nine Boys RAW here, very fast update:
http://www.dramaraw.com/korean-drama-plus-nine-boys-29.html

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Okay yippee to the Game of Thrones (GOT) shout-out!

Poor Dong-gu. He spent time practicing, he was stoked with confidence, and he did his very best. But, be that as it may he still ended up as 2nd best.

Fond of the mother's subtle and dry humor and her brief moments of shock are a hoot.

I couldn't help but smile at the scene of Se-Young and Jae-Bum with the popsicle. With Jae-bum's love storyline it feels like we're watching the 2nd male lead in a drama pursue the main female lead wholeheartedly as he tries to make the case for himself with the deck stacked against him. He is constantly competing to endear himself to her against the main male lead who is a jerk.

Glad that Kwan-Soo is no longer just going about his days existing and living in a funk. Nice to see Kwan-Soo in a happier mood, taking the time to primp his hair, and paying more attention to what he is wearing.

Dear Kwan-Soo,
In life, sometimes you are given the answers and sometimes you are not. However, there are legitimate reasons for why people break up, move on, and never look back. I know you want answers. And you deserve them! But please, prepare yourself. For in the case of Da-In, if she doesn't give them to you: You most certainly can move on; live life to its fullest; encourage yourself; and experience better days.

I am in total agreement with Young-Hoon. Da-In is a dead end. Don't look back (just reminded myself of Shark/aka The Legend of Orpheus). That ship has sailed and Kwan-Soo is making a mistake by trying to turn back time. He is worthy and deserves to move forward in life with a chance at a new and/or better relationship.

The love storyline for Kwan-Soo feels like we're watching what happens after the fact or years down the line when the main female lead chooses to love the main male lead otherwise known as the jerk.

At this point in time, I can only hope that the writer is trolling us and doesn't reunite Da-In and Kwan-Soo back together.

Signing off like a former coworker of mine would at the end of the day...Deuces!

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I really hope the writers are able to break conventional norms & old archetypes in korean dramas and get Kwang Soo out of the hot mess that is Da-In. If she is not willing to share her reasons for the breakup, so be it. Kwang Soo deserves so much more....

I understand Kwang Soo's reasoning and why he wants to know why the breakup happens for him to get closure. But, like you said, sometimes in life, things are unexplainable and sometimes the universe does not align the way you want it to be. Really hoping that Da-In becomes a plot device for Kwang Soo to move on and date someone else happily (although I know the chances are slim, sigh)

For the 29 storyline, I do not mind Se-young & Jae-bum dating or Jin-gu & the office maknae to hook up because it might trigger for them (Se-young and Jin-Gu) how they really feel about each other. It sucks their friendship/relationship is impacted by so many variables, but they need to approach the situation honestly instead of acting out of indifference or nonchalance.

It sucks but Jin-gu's past actions will never be erased out of Se-young's mind and she needs to come to terms of how and if she is willing to tolerate how much he has hurt her in the past. For Jin-gu, I commend him for being honest but I feel that he needs to be more selfless. Like Se-young said in the previous episode (kiss scene), he does all of his actions without caring/thinking about how it will affect the other party.

It will be great if Jin-gu can show Se-young through his actions (not words) that he can be trusted as a friend and as a romantic partner.

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Jin gu is no longer a jerk. And has not been jerk-y for a while! Cant people change forthe better? Do people have to live down their past even when they have changed? Give him a chance. Its not easy to NOT take advantage of your situation in life and in jin gu's case, he took advantage of his looks and charms because so many threw themselves in his way perhaps. But he isnt like that now. Give him a chance la.

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I agree that Jin-gu is trying to change for the better, and that's wonderful. However, when you have made mistakes/hurt someone in the past, they are not required to give you a second chance (that's why we have things like divorce). Often in life when we learn from our mistakes we have to accept the losses we brought upon ourselves and start over somewhere new, with someone new. Realizing that ship sometimes has sailed while we're getting our shit together is part of growing up and learning from our mistakes.

Whether that will be the case for Jin-gu is yet to be seen. I personally hope he can earn back Se-young's trust because I'm rooting for them, but I wouldn't blame her if she decided to move on.

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I agree with that and yes, she is not obliged to believe he has changed. Just that from what we, the audience, has been shown, he HAS changed. So, i was merely objecting on his behalf on being called a jerk :p. coz for me, he doenst seem like one now. I guess maybe, to others, he still is.

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No, you're right, he's no longer a jerk, at least from the audience's perspective. Sorry for misunderstanding you. :)

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Jin-Goo has redeeming qualities. Admittedly he is more cognizant of the player label and is focused on divesting himself from its connotations. Compared to Jin-Goo's tendencies to behave as a jerk in the past, we now see him making the effort to be concerned about and more in tune with the way women should be treated.

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<In life, sometimes you are given the answers and sometimes you are not. However, there are legitimate reasons for why people break up, move on, and never look back. I know you want answers. And you deserve them!

I'm still not liking either Kwang-soo or Da-in. Da-in's response is pretty childish, she needs to just clearly say "I don't want to talk with you / meet with you, please leave me alone". She is perfectly in her right to say that, without ever giving him an answer. Honestly, if an ex started popping up around me, repeatedly coming to my work place, trying to talk to me, and declaring that I'm "the love of his life" and that he's spent the last ten years not living life, but is now feeling it again (essentially saying he wants to restart the relationship), I'd FREAK OUT! I mean, the problems of the past haven't even been considered, and he's declaring his love.

This is also what bugs me about his conversation with his friend, this idea of that he and Da-in never broke up. Yes, they broke up, 10 years ago. He might not have liked it, he might not know or understand the reason for the break up, but break up they did. He needs to understand that he might never learn the reason and that he needs to move on, by himself. Because the thing is, sometimes in life you are not given answers, and sometimes in life you are given answers but you don't find them satisfying – but that's something you need to deal with on your own, not something for your ex to solve for you. (If it were, I'd still be stuck with an ex, whom I gave reasons that he didn't "understand".)

Kwang-soo has a lot to learn before he can be in a functional relationship I think. Da-in too, although with her it might be more about communicating her thoughts. In any case, I don't think they should end up together, because they are a hot mess.

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All those reasons are why I don't like this Kwangsoo story anymore. Plus, I just don't like the love interests of either 39 year old or 29 year old.

At least SuAh is kind of funny in her player mode.

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I am more tolerant of kwang soo, even though as you rightly pointed out, some of the things he is doing now is creepy. The reason is i feel that he thought he moved on, when all he did was suppressed his pain and memory with work. I am sure some people in real life cope in that manner too. But when confronted with her again, everything rushes back and now, he is forced to deal with the pain.

I would like him to work through that and i think she is being unkind to not at least just give him the reason she did what she did. But you are right, whether she does that or not, he still needs to get ocer it at some point. But i dont feel as you do that he was not over her all these years. My take is that he thought he was and only now realises that he hasnt gotten over her nor the bewilderment of the breakup.

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I think he's being very creepy. She might be unkind to him, but at this point she doesn't owe him anything. I don't think anyone owes anyone reason of why they want to break up – sure, we'd like to know reasons, but often we don't get them, or we get them but don't agree, or we get them, agree but still don't want to break up. I really think this approach of "You need to give me closure, I have a right to that" is unhealthy – closure comes from yourself.

I don't doubt that he's not 'over' her (and that that's why feelings rushing back to him). But they broke up – that's a different thing. He needs to deal with all of this by himself. They are not a couple anymore that should work on their problems together but two strangers that haven't seen each other for a decade.

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Closure come from yourself but people can be kind and help it along esp if they can see someone struggling. So, for me, that she sees that and keeps being being like this.. Avoiding the topic but yet goign to his house etc and shutting him off whenever he tries to broach the subject means she is one awful person. I hope he soon sees that too.

He has made progress. As he says, if you feel nothing then just be comfortable.

I just hope like almost everyone esle does that he just sees that she isnt a very nice person for himself and moves on.

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Yes, people can be kind and help along someone struggling. I don't think however the 'ex' is necessarily the one that should do this – it's nice if one person can be the bigger one when a relationship breaks up, but I don't think it can be expected. Because it's complicated and messy when relationships end – often people say they'll stay friends and help each other get over the relationship, but personally I find that's usually impossible. Because there's resentment, anger, frustration, etc. and you can't hash that out with the person that is causing those feelings. You have to do it yourself and maybe later you can be friends.

We also don't really know much about her side of the story (and then 10 years since then). She may have done wrong in the past, but, even so, she may have good reason to keep distance. Maybe because it just causes her too much pain. Maybe she fears if she interacts with him, her life will end out of control. She might still have feelings for him too, but maybe she wants to get over them – because even if the two of them still have feelings for each other, doesn't mean at all that they are right for each other and can make it work. She's keeping a distance and however much he struggling, that is her right.

I don't know, I'm looking at this situation thinking specifically of one ex I had. Who struggled and wanted me to help him along with his 'closure', but I struggled too and at some point I realised, no matter what I did he would not 'get closure' no matter what I did/said. So you end up doing it the hard way – cutting that person out of your life completely, ignoring them. Because at some point you just have to protect yourself (in DI's case she has her daughter to think of first too), regardless of how much the other person is struggling. This is what friends and family are for – they should provide support then. Even years on, I don't have contact with my ex because I just don't feel it's worth it. Some people you just have to leave behind completely.

It's easy for Kwang-soo to say "just be comfortable"... but he's the one repeatedly going to her café, suddenly appearing in the garage (is he stalking her? Probably not really, but he seems to know a little too well when she's coming / leaving), declaring his feelings. He should have approached her normally then. I don't think she's faultless here either, because I would have kept away from the Boys 9 flat, kept any conversation with the mom very, very short.

He needs to just see that she doesn't want to interact with him, not even politely or comfortably, and to realise that the pain she caused him back than is something that's not worth pursuing her now for. I think what she did back then was bad, but I don't think she's necessarily awful now. Childish maybe, because just saying "Please leave me alone" is enough.

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I am in love with Da-In, reminds me of my ex
Hahahahahahahaha ㅜㅠ

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thanks for the recap!!

I was hoping Suah would take Mingu on a ride, but things resolved pretty tamely for them.

It seems that the boys spend their days negotiating their boundaries in their relationships..In this game of pull and push, it's important that they seize the right opportunity to make their move. Mingu has been coming on too strong, and he discovers the wonders of giving Suah breathing space. On the other hand Kwangsoo has not pushed hard enough to get the answers he wanted.

Dain can't expect him to be a knight in shining armour in an emergency, and an inconvenience other times.

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Thanks for the recap LollyPip!

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I feel like not very much happened this episode. And while I agree it was nice to finally see Kwang-soo smiling and taking action, it's frustrating to see him so hung up over Da-in when she's been so infuriating and cold for the last 5 episodes or so. Like, I'm all for him confronting her and getting closure, but he's getting all excited as if it's possible for them to go back in time to ten years ago and be together the same way. The only good thing Da-in has said so far is that it's in the past and he should move on.

I'm glad to see him taking care of himself and taking initiative, but just like all of you said, Da-in is not right for him and I'm afraid if all this new energy is dependent on getting Da-in to take him back, he's going to crash even worse than ten years ago if/when she rejects him. I really don't want to see him go through that again. Every time they show that flashback of him screaming and sobbing outside her locked door it kills me.

Like I said, this storyline and Jin-gu's didn't progress very much this episode, and nor did Dong-gu's really. Though I felt for the poor kid, he did so well dancing. Min-gu was adorable and I was happy for him, but Su-ah is another frustratingly silent character and I've had about enough - I want to see her being all sassy and see how he reacts to her real personality.

Agree with all of you that I want to hear more from the women. I know the show is called Plus Nine Boys, but I need to know what the girls are thinking too.

Still love the show though, I just hope it can fully live up to its awesome potential!

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YES to Sungjae's singing. :)

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Anyone know a site where I can watch the subbed of this episode in Europe, England

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Can you get gooddrama.com?

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it's gooddrama.net

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Thanks guys, I was able to watch it on gooddrama.net

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Oops!

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Am I the only one that absolutely cannot stand Da In and the idea of her ending up with Kwang Soo is horrifying to say the least? The fact that he seems to be infatuated with her still just irks me to no end. Yes he got no closure and hasn’t “broken” up with her yet, but the fact he is daydreaming about her? Why because her friend said she cried. I cannot believe that the writers are using the sympathy card with her it is actually a sinking ship. She made her bed, so she must lie in it.

Can you tell my sympathy for her is negligible? Her character is seriously one of the most unlikeable I have encountered in TV Land. Her sense of self-righteousness and her complete lack of remorse for her actions just does not sit right with me at all. It’s beyond immature. It wasn’t just the public humiliation (which was completely unwarranted), but the fact that he cried at her doorstep. Then she goes onto act like he was fully to blame, showing of the pride of her kill to the girls. She literally has 0 empathy.

When I first started this show I was like “NOOOOO” when we were told only one couple will get together. Now I am thinking thank god. The only couple I root for is the 19 year old. Yes he is creepy, but he has grown. Plus Su-Ah is the only likeable romantic interest she is not emotionally stinted (no wander Da In and Se Young are friends). She knows what she wants and doesn’t play all these mind games anymore like the other two. She didn’t like him she got rid of him. She wanted him she accepted.

I don’t ship Se Young and Jin Gu anymore. Which is a huge change for me because a best friend to lovers is literally my favourite romantic trope. Jin Gu did mess her up big time, I can’t imagine ever accepting or trusting a guy after that. But Se Young either needs to accept her feelings or let them go, this limbo is just gross. Either trust him again or don’t.

Plus her and Jae Bum are nice together especially in realistic terms. If someone has broken your trust once doubt will most likely plague your relationship and make it fester. Jae Bum and Se Young have a clean slate and the chances of healthy relationship. Also Jin Gu and Go Eun are really refreshing. She is really proactive and isn’t it nice to see a female lead initiate in a non-Kang Se Ah way? Lovely. All the reasons the Se Young and Jin Gu ship is wrong, I never even ship second leads and main leads together. Two things I don’t do and I am doing for this ship.

This show has some lazy writing (or my tendency to skip) , so many things just don’t add up. Like how the hell does no one in Kwang Soo’s family know Da In? She publicly humiliated him on TV and no one remembers? She looks the same. Also Da In's car just magically disappears after? Doesn’t take it to the wedding so Kwang Soo has to drive her, huh. Child is extremely sick doesn’t drive her to the hospital so Kwang Soo does, huh. It just seems like the writers are trying to shove them together all the time whether it makes...

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sense or not.

I have been loving all the TvN dramas I have watched so far and it has quickly become my standard to qualify my interest, but this drama started out great and is becoming a bigger disappointment every episode. Which is a shame from a network which has such unique line of shows.

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If you read the comments above, I think you'll see hardly anyone is thinking that Kwang-soo and Da-in are a good idea.

I think she was at fault with what she did back then (though the break-down of the relationship was both their fault), but ten years own all she needs to do is tell him that she doesn't want any more interactions with him. She needs to understand herself what went wrong back then (and how she played a part in this), but it's not something she needs to hash out with Kwang-soo anymore. I wouldn't expect her to apologise or show remorse to him – they need to move on separately.

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I don't think Jae bum and Se young are a good idea either. He likes her, but as much as they would have a 'clean slate', she doesn't like him like that. Why force it? And why force it, when it's a triangle of friends anyhow, where someone is bound to get hurt?

If I were her, I would think it would be better to only be friends with both and get a boyfriend that isn't entangled in this triangle (that would be a true, clean slate). It's not worth risking the friendship, not for the reasons we've got here.

That said, my gut feeling is that this kind of couple (SY/JG) is the one that most typically works out in kdramas.

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I can't stand Da-in either, for all the reasons you said and more, she is truly one of the worst female characters I've met and she is a big factor in me thinking almost every episode of Plus Nine why haven't I dropped this show yet?
Kwang-soo is just too strange for me. I'd never have forgiven her or I would, but it's not someone I would have sympathy for anymore unless just as a fellow human being. I just don't get the guy.

Don't like SY either, she is too much like DI for me. She pretends to forgive the guy, becomes his BFF and later doesn't even give him a chance to talk. Why? Either she felt he wasn't such a jerk anymore or she didn't. I wouldn't be friends with a guy I believed was a jerk so it seems that she didn't care, as long as he wasn't a jerk to HER, which is an attitude I hate.

The kid is repetitive and only MG was mildly interesting. Writing about it I really don't get why I can't drop this show.

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Dong Gu is so cute, and the little actor is brilliant! Right now, I'm in it for him and Court Lady Choi (that name will never change for me).

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Wasn't it a cameo by Hwang Min-Woo, the actual dancer from Psy's "Gangnam style" music video? I burst out laughing when I saw who Dong-goo's competition was. :-D

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I can't wait to watch this show soon! Thank you!

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I can totally understand Da-in position in the past. You're in love with someone but you realize it will never be possible. It's not only that he's busy but he doesn't take time to see how she feels, sad but it's a lack of communication for both.

And then she prefer leaving him without saying anything because she knows that she's in fault too: she was aware of how he was but still dated him. And you can not ask someone to change, it never works.

I just regret that Da-in doesn't behave like an adult: she should have explain what happened ! Come on it's been 10 years!! Things and people are supposed to change and mature…

Does anyone know the name of Kwang-soo and Da-in song?
:)

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