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Angry Mom: Episode 12

The thing about a secret identity is, you kinda have to try and keep it secret to use it to your advantage. As the group of people in the know grows larger by the second, Kang-ja’s situation becomes even more precarious with every move she makes. Thankfully there’s also an upside to having more people on your side, like teamwork, and a newfound family of people that you can trust.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Blue Paprika – “내게 말을 해봐” (Try Telling Me) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 12 RECAP

At the worst possible moment, Sang-tae eavesdrops on Kang-ja and Ah-ran plotting to take down his father. He learns that Kang-ja is Ah-ran’s mother (at this point is it faster to name the people who don’t know?) and reels at what he sees as stone-cold betrayal.

His father’s words echo in his ears. And when Ah-ran finds him lurking after Mom walks away and calls him a friend, he parrots Dad’s speech: “There’s no such thing as friends in this world. They’ll only stab me in the back at the first chance.”

He regrets extending kindness to her, which is funny since his idea of kindness and mine are a little different. He says that he thought Ah-ran was different from all the others, but he’s lost interest in her now. He tells her to go, as if he’s not the one visiting her in the hospital, and adds that her mother’s high-schooler playtime is over.

Ah-ran’s eyes widen and she chases after him, even getting into a cab to follow his car. Thankfully her friends overheard the tail end of her conversation, and tell Kang-ja that Ah-ran went after Sang-tae.

She not only went after him—she followed him into his house! Are you nuts? She creeps up to him as he starts to call Dad, and yanks the phone away to beg for another chance. She asks him not to say anything about her mother, but he argues that his father might be a terrible person, but he’s still his father.

They’re still in the middle of arguing when Chairman Hong comes home, and Ah-ran runs to hide, her fate now completely in Sang-tae’s hands. Sang-tae starts to open his mouth, but then something about the way that his father talks to Ae-yeon and makes her flinch in terror gives him pause.

Ah-ran holds her breath… and Sang-tae clams up and stalks off to his room. Well maybe there’s hope for you yet. Chairman Hong decides that he’s let Ae-yeon’s leash go slack for too long and drags her off for a fresh beating, and Ah-ran finds Sang-tae crying in his room.

He barks at her to leave while trying to hide his tears, but Ah-ran stays and gingerly puts a hand on his shoulder. She apologizes, and then sits with him for a while. She asks if Ae-yeon is his mother, and he spits back bitterly, “When he hits them like that, what kind of mother would remain in this house?”

Man, just when you think you can’t feel sorry for Hong Sang-tae. He softens and tells her that Mom left long ago, with the emphasis on saving herself. He tries to act like she did him a favor so he wouldn’t have to listen to nagging, but Ah-ran says that even still, she’d like to have her mom around.

Kang-ja sneaks into the house to rescue Ah-ran, only to find her deep in conversation with Sang-tae. She listens as Ah-ran tells him about how she wishes that she had a father growing up. But she did have a mom, and her mom always fought to protect her, even if it meant that she’d cry.

Kang-ja is shocked to realize that Ah-ran has known all this time, and Ah-ran says that she wished Mom wouldn’t have to fight because she knew that after tucking her into bed, she’d go cry by herself. But her mom fights even when she knows that she’ll lose, all to protect her.

Ah-ran knows it’s selfish to ask, but begs Sang-tae not to tell on her mom: “If something happened to her, I couldn’t live.” He turns to gaze at her, and tenderly wipes a tear away. Then he starts to inch closer for a kiss…

But Kang-ja looks up just in time to see him making the moves on her teenage daughter, and busts into the room. OMG, I’m so embarrassed for all of them right now. The look of horror on Sang-tae’s face is pretty priceless though.

Kang-ja’s in full-ajumma mode now, and waves her arms around at Sang-tae while snapping, “Where do you think you’re putting your lips!” He tries calling her Bang-wool in banmal, and that doesn’t go over very well.

She drags Ah-ran away and comes back to make Sang-tae flinch again with the warning that they’ll be having words tomorrow at school, and Sang-tae fumes indignantly that he’s the one who’s supposed to be mad right now: “Should I rat her out? Right now [baro]? Right now [baro]?” But then he’s quickly distracted by thoughts of the almost-kiss.

Kang-ja and Ah-ran are sneaking out when they see Chairman Hong take out a stack of files to give to Ae-yeon (who’s sporting fresh bruises, ugh). They’re forged documents that make Jung-woo the sole responsible party for the annex construction. I guess it’s time to throw Jung-woo under the bus.

Kang-ja sees Ae-yeon flinch and takes note of Chairman Hong’s request for the object that Jung-woo received from his mother. Once again, Ae-yeon catches Kang-ja trying to sneak out of a place she really shouldn’t be in, and warns her that she can’t keep doing this.

Kang-ja asks Ae-yeon to turn that object over to her, and Ae-yeon scoffs at her nerve. But Kang-ja warns that none of these men will become the lifeline that Ae-yeon needs—they’ll just use her and cast her aside as soon as it’s over. She asks Ae-yeon to try trusting her instead. Ah-ran is wary of trusting that woman, and tells Mom about the conversation she overheard between Ae-yeon and Dong-chil about getting Kang-ja out of school.

At home, Kang-ja sits her husband and mother-in-law down to try and explain how dire (and illegal) the construction project is, and what she’s trying to do. All mom-in-law can do is complain that she’s messing with her husband’s job security, while Kang-ja tries to spell it out for them that Jin-sang was set up to be the fall guy all along.

But he’s drunk enough of the Kool-Aid to think that his boss isn’t capable of that kind of deceit, and even goes so far as to say that it shouldn’t matter—everyone else just turns a blind eye and endures, so why can’t Kang-ja? Why does she have to keep fighting a battle that she knows she’ll lose?

You can see the disappointment written across Kang-ja’s face to see Jin-sang’s inner weasel so plainly. But he’s just as fed up, and declares that if she continues to do this, it really will be divorce for them.

At school the next morning, Kang-ja runs up to Bok-dong, who tries to give her the brush-off. He sure doesn’t seem to mind that she’s dragging him away while he’s whining ineffectually for her to stop touching him.

Sang-tae shakes his head at her and makes a point of asking Ah-ran if he ought to go rat the ajumma out. Ah-ran gets all chummy and asks if he wants to stop by the snack stand with her, and he looks pretty pleased to have her linking her arm into his.

Bok-dong shakes Kang-ja’s hand away and tells her again not to touch him, but this time she says that she knows why he’s being like this: “You li—” He cuts her off and says he’d be crazy to like an ajumma, though neither of them can actually say the word “like” out loud.

He catches himself and starts to call her ajumma repeatedly just to drive his point home, only to follow it up with the hilarious question: “Why did you tie my shoelaces?! There was no real reason for you to tie my shoelaces in that situation. You li— me first!”

But she doesn’t even hear his question because she sees heavy machinery driving by to restart the construction, and runs off before he can finish. Dong-chil walks by and Bok-dong tenses immediately, and all Dong-chil says for now is for Bok-dong to answer his phone.

Kang-ja runs into the school just as Noah is arguing with Jung-woo out in the hall. Jung-woo has brought the education board’s director and a parent representative to sign off on the construction, and no amount of argument from Noah will make them see otherwise.

Kang-ja notices that the education board director is none other than her bar serenade sleazeball, and takes the opportunity to scare the daylights out of him by walking right up in her school uniform. He nearly falls on his ass in shock, and Jung-woo notices and tells Ae-yeon to find out what Kang-ja’s deal is.

Now that he thinks she’s a minor, Kang-ja threatens the director to press for a re-inspection. But he tells her that this isn’t something he can change—the order came from on high.

She fills Noah in on the education minister’s backdoor deal to launder money through the school and secretly fund his presidential campaign. He’s the one behind it all, and his secret illegitimate son Jung-woo is the weak spot that they can use against him.

Noah sighs that it’s too makjang to be true, but Gong-joo arrives with the DNA results on a silver platter, literally. It’s a match, and Noah declares that this is enough ammunition to fight them with.

He’s so ecstatic that he grabs Gong-joo in a hug. She relishes the moment a little too long, just in time for Princess Minion 1 to walk in on them and gasp in horror. He yanks the tiny crown off his head and cries jealously, “Are you two dating? Was this crown all a lie?!”

He throws the crown away and runs off sniveling, and Princess Minion 2 chases after him, calling noonim an idiot. Aw, you hurt their tiny minion feelings! Go make it right!

Kang-ja gets a call from Jung-hee, who did some digging and found out that Jung-woo’s mother owned a restaurant near the education ministry but passed away ten years ago.

Meanwhile, Ae-yeon sits in Jung-woo’s bedroom growing antsier by the second, not knowing which scary bastard to trust. Here’s a thought: Why trust any of them at all? She starts looking around while Jung-woo makes coffee downstairs, comes upon a tape recorder hidden inside a book.

She listens, and from the look on her face, that must be the thing that his mother left him, and it must be a doozy of a recording. Ack, she’s too caught up in listening to notice Jung-woo walking in behind her, and he remains creepy-calm as he tells her that forcing him to show his hand resets the game to zero.

Team Princess strategizes for a way to out the birth secret without blowback on them, in the hopes that it’ll put some cracks in the tenuous three-way power struggle between Jung-woo, his father, and Chairman Hong. Noah comes up with an idea.

Later that night, he talks to Kang-ja on the phone to go over their plans, and when he suggests going to the campaign rally with her even though it’s on a school day, she nags his ear off. Bok-dong listens curiously and asks what they’re doing, worried that it could be dangerous.

Noah just tells him not to worry about it and lies down on the floor, insisting that he prefers it so that Bok-dong can have the bed. Aw. Bok-dong isn’t about to have that and lies down next to him to try and force Noah to take the bed, so then Noah decides to hug him until he gives up. This is too cute for words.

Bok-dong isn’t one to back down, of course, and when he really puts some muscle into it, Noah loses in two seconds flat.

Bok-dong receives an ominous text from Dong-chil telling him to watch Kang-ja closely so that something worse doesn’t happen, and it dampens his mood. Ugh, are you now using his crush on Kang-ja to keep him in line? Noah clocks the change in his expression, but just grabs him in a new wrestling bear hug, grinning like a doof.

Team Princess attends the education minister’s campaign rally dressed as volunteers, and they go around handing out flyers that look identical to the official ones. But they offer free soup from the restaurant that Jung-woo’s mother used to own, in honor of his son Jung-woo.

By the time the staff notices, the damage has been done, and Team Princess scatters to make a run for it. Kang-ja weaves through the neighborhood on foot, at one point stopping to yell at the staffer who’s chasing her for scaring an ajumma. She feels pretty confident that she’s lost him, when somebody yanks her from behind.

The education minister fumes and accuses Jung-woo and Chairman Hong of being behind this stunt, since no one else knows about their secret relationship. The three of them immediately start flinging accusations back and forth, just as Team Princess had hoped, though Chairman Hong decides that Ae-yeon is to blame and drags her off.

It’s been a while since the team reconvened without Kang-ja, and Gong-joo calls her repeatedly but gets no answer. They decide to go after her in case she got caught, but she finally comes in and says that she was detained for questioning… and in walks Bok-dong behind her, heh.

Rewind to earlier, where Bok-dong yanks her off the street to yell at her for doing crazy dangerous things like going after a presidential candidate who could make her disappear without batting an eyelash. He tells her not to treat him like a kid and demands to know what’s going on, so she fills him in on Jung-woo’s birth secret. Yes! Is he in the Scooby Gang now?

Bok-dong suddenly pleads with her sincerely to stop before she gets hurt, and she asks if Dong-chil is threatening her to control him. Bok-dong clarifies that it’s not an empty threat, because Jung-woo killed Yi-kyung. This is the first time that Kang-ja is hearing it outright, and her jaw drops as Bok-dong whispers that Jung-woo pushed Yi-kyung off the roof.

Back in the present, Bok-dong tells the rest of them the whole story, hanging his head the whole time as he says repeatedly that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Kang-ja tells him it’s not his fault, not that he looks like he believes her.

Noah is enraged all over again, and Kang-ja says that Jung-woo is still untouchable as long as his father is behind him. They have to find a way to out that relationship permanently, and she guesses that whatever Jung-woo’s mother left behind will be the key.

Jung-woo listens to the tape recorder at home, in which his father describes him as a stain that he wants removed at any cost. Yeesh.

The school is bombarded with phone calls from the press asking about Jung-woo and his father, and Jung-woo finally arrives at work and suggests putting an end to the questions once and for all.

Dong-chil scans the footage from the campaign rally and recognizes Gong-joo right away. Ruh-roh. Gong-joo doesn’t think much of it when one of her minions runs in, battered and bloody, and she just casually asks if another ninja (aka Bok-dong) broke in.

But this time it’s the big guns, and she finds Dong-chil beating the crap out of everyone in the hallway. To her minions’ horror, Gong-joo orders them to stay out so that she can talk to Dong-chil alone.

Princess Minion 1 calls Kang-ja crying, and Kang-ja runs out of school right away after leaving Ah-ran in Bok-dong’s care. Dong-chil is leaving as she arrives, and he simply tells her to go abroad before she dies. When Kang-ja heads inside, Gong-joo is eerily still and subdued. She doesn’t look physically hurt, but she seems in shock, or worse—scared numb?

Gong-joo says that she’s fine, but hands Kang-ja the tickets for her and Ah-ran to live overseas, and asks what she thinks about Dong-chil’s suggestion to run away. Kang-ja admits that she’s thinking about it, but they seem close to making waves and getting what they want.

Ae-yeon walks in and says that she’s right—they are close. She congratulates Kang-ja for winning, because the three men are tearing at each other just like they wanted. She peels off her sunglasses to reveal a black eye and adds that this is what happened to her as a result.

But she’s not here for blame, and finally admits that Kang-ja was right—she was nothing but expendable trash to them. She takes Kang-ja up on the offer to fight for her and get her revenge, and hands over a copy of Jung-woo’s recording.

As they listen to it, we see the scene in flashback, where Jung-woo’s mother approaches his father with a DNA test and asks him to claim his son and take responsibility for his future. Dad refuses and calls him a stain on his otherwise pristine career, and wants nothing to do with them.

Mom threatens to take the DNA test public, but Dad just counters that he can make them both disappear without a trace. Back in the present, Kang-ja exclaims that a monster made a monster, and Ae-yeon suggests that the best approach will be to play up Jung-woo’s father as a two-faced lying politician.

Gong-joo is still wary, and asks what made Ae-yeon suddenly change her mind. Ae-yeon admits that it’s for selfish reasons—she wants to live, and she realized that this is the only way to get out of this mess. Kang-ja thanks her for coming to them now, and promises to take up her revenge. I dunno guys, I’m nervous. Am I being paranoid?

Kang-ja even brings Ae-yeon home with her and officially introduces Ah-ran when she gets home. Bok-dong has looked after her all day and walked her home at Kang-ja’s request, and he lingers in the doorway to pick a fight with Kang-ja for treating him like he’s invisible.

He reminds her that he’s not the type of person to be walking girls home at night, but he’s doing all this for her, so she pats him on the cheek and coos that he did a good job, like she’s praising a child for eating his veggies.

He fusses at her for touching him again, and this time Ah-ran takes issue with him constantly calling her mother a girl, and he can’t think of a comeback other than, “Must be nice having a high-schooler for a mom.”

He brushes off Kang-ja’s offer to take him home, though he announces that he’s leaving like he really doesn’t want to go. Stahp it. If you keep being this cute, I won’t know how to quit you.

Kang-ja shares the recording with Noah, and they plan to play it during Jung-woo’s press conference tomorrow, where they assume he’ll be denying his connection to his father.

Noah’s father comes home and sees that Noah has a student over, but Kang-ja thankfully manages to at least hide her face in her hair, and runs out of there before getting caught. Dad suggests that there’s something off about that girl, and tells Noah to pay her more attention.

The school is teeming with reporters, and Jung-woo makes a call to his father to announce his plans. If it comes down to it, he’ll announce their relationship and play the recording to prove it. But then he says that it’s still more advantageous for him if his father becomes president, and offers an alternative: Dad acknowledges him, gains a son, and crafts his image as a contrite but loving father.

Kang-ja and Noah are prepared to play the recording from the sound booth in the school’s auditorium, and Ae-yeon offers to man that station so that they can both go down and question Jung-woo in front of the press. I don’t like this… not one bit…

The press conference starts, and Jung-woo refrains from answering anything outright until his father arrives and tells the press that he wanted to keep his son hidden to protect him. To Kang-ja’s shock, he plays the regretful father to perfection, and Jung-woo matches his acting skills with aplomb. They even hug and look a little teary-eyed (though Chairman Hong’s expression in the background is comically incredulous).

The reporters buy it hook, line, and sinker, until Kang-ja blurts that it’s all a lie and that she has proof. Ae-yeon gets the cue and plays the recording…

And instead of the one she was supposed to play, it’s a recording of the conversation she witnessed at Kang-ja’s house, with Ah-ran calling her mom and Bok-dong teasing her for being a high-schooler. Shit. Shit. Shit.

It’s being broadcast over the PA system at the entire school, and Ae-yeon comes down to look Kang-ja right in the eye, as if to put a stamp on her betrayal. ARGH. I knew you were shady, but damn.

Flashback to earlier when Chairman Hong was about to drag Ae-yeon off to blame her for the campaign rally stunt: Jung-woo stepped in to stop him, and that’s the moment when she chose his side.

Then after hearing his mother’s recording, she told Jung-woo everything about Kang-ja, and he came up with a way to catch the lion instead of the rabbit.

Ah-ran, Bok-dong, and Sang-tae run into the auditorium, and Kang-ja wraps her arms around Ah-ran protectively. Jung-woo walks over to them with a sneer and announces, “High school play time is over, Jo Kang-ja-sshi. It’s time to return to the kitchen.”

 
COMMENTS

I’m so pissed that Ae-yeon put on the full victim act to gain Kang-ja’s sympathy. I was wary of trusting her, but even Gong-joo seemed to thaw this time around, and I thought there were genuine tears in her eyes when she came to them for help. I should have known you had changed your mind too quickly! I should have listened to Gong-joo! The thing is, I can’t blame Kang-ja for being too trusting, because that fierce loyalty and dogged trust is what makes Kang-ja a hero, and different from all the rest of us. I just also hate that she was so easy to let her in though, because it cost them their huge advantage—now she has no cover story, no recording, and no leverage. Not to mention the fact that she and everyone who knew her secret are now in deep trouble.

At least this puts the birth secret storyline to bed, because frankly it didn’t seem all that important when they SHOULD be going after Jung-woo for murder. I know they wanted to separate him from his father first, but his DNA pales in comparison to Yi-kyung’s murder, and I hope that we can focus entirely on the murder case for the rest of the series. I like that the stakes are high by putting a presidential candidate on the line, but this show is better when we’re dealing directly with the heavies—Ahn Dong-chil, Do Jung-woo—wielding actual weapons and being scary murderous villains who do scary murderous things.

I wasn’t surprised that Sang-tae softened in the end, though I wish his character had been given more time to develop. Ultimately I care less about Sang-tae so it doesn’t bother me, but had he struggled more with his crush on Ah-ran clashing with his loyalty to his father, it could’ve been more interesting. But as a foil for Jung-woo’s relationship with his father, today Sang-tae comes out on top for daring to choose Ah-ran’s side and for recognizing that he doesn’t want to be like his monster father. He’s sympathetic in his own way, though Ah-ran is far more forgiving than I would be. His fumbling attempt to be romantic does help make him more appealing—more like a teenager who’s all bluster, no bite—and I love the idea of Kang-ja watching him like a hawk just in case he tries any more funny business with her daughter. You picked the wrong mom to mess with, buddy.

Despite the monumental setbacks, it’s so heartwarming to see Kang-ja’s little family of avengers solidifying around her. Noah, and even the princess minions, have become more assertive, and Gong-joo continues to be the best mom ever, though I worry about what Dong-chil did to shake her up so badly. And now that Bok-dong is a part of the team too, I feel like everyone’s where they should be. I’m a little terrified about Bok-dong’s fierce loyalty putting him in harm’s way (Why is Dong-chil brilliant enough to threaten Kang-ja to get to him? WHY?), but I want to trust that Noah will love and protect him. Forever and ever and ever, please.

 
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thank you so much i had been waiting for this... off to read!

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ugh! how i hate AY! by this time, even she is less redeemable than dong chil. i still think that in the end, it will be DC who will be KJ and AR's life line and even ST can pitch in some help too.

well, this show just keeps getting better and better. and when in terms of cliffhanger, this doesn't disappoint!

love the BD-KJ, ST-AR dynamics. it's too cute. add some dash of Noah and BD and its just pitch perfect.

i dunno about you guys but i think this is by far the best drama well, misaeng is an exception, where you watch from start to finish and there are no scenes you will leave unwatched.

my earnest wish if for KJ and her gang to at least have some success on what they are fighting for. in reality this is a very serious issue where actions of people like KJ couldnt even move it an inch. i wish we could be given a really good ending to cap this issue as well as to cap a drama that seemed to me had been perfect since KJ appeared on the small screen.

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I am so with you on this one. It is turning out to be one of the better dramas yet (yes, I love Misaeng too!). It's got everything from suspense to interesting plot lines, funny moments, bittersweet love lines etc.

As for AY there is no bloody way she could redeem herself anymore. She and ST were the two unknown quantities and now we know their true colours.

The writing for this drama has been superb. Can't wait to see what's waiting for us next week. All seem lost at this point but my guess is either ST or DC will be the trump card?

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Omg man that was such a huge turn around, just as you thought it was going to be over, you knew it was too good to be true. Oh well just means more drama yes! I ship Bok Dong and Kang Ja haha its weird but it feels right. Hes just too cute, and his brother-like relationship with No Ah is funny. I just want Ah Ran and Sang Tae to date already haha. Can't wait till the next episode.

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so who the hell is ah ran biological father ??? dying to know

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I knew it was coming, but UGH Ae Yeon!!! Can't we just have the good guys win earlier on (instead of waiting till the final ep) so we can have a few episodes of just the Scooby Gang living happily ever after?

People over at Soompi were saying that Dong Chil might be the last bit of hope for bringing down the big 3, since he's the one with Yikyung's phone as evidence. He also has kept silent regarding Kang Ja's secret for some reason? Although I am wondering what he could have possibly said to Gong Joo.

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Scooby gang happily ever after? YES PLEASE!

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Yes, I'm pretty sure the phone is going to save us all. I suspect that Dong Chil told Gong Joo who Ah-ran's father is. I mean, I hope. I WANT TO KNOW. I'm pretty sure it's Beom, but I can't be sure.

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I'm tired that the writer did this lame plot excuse again, like they again had solid evidence and didn't make a copy, because ... just because.

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NOAH AND BOK-DONG I CAN'T EVEN DEAL

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+1

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Stahp it. If you keep being this cute, I won’t know how to quit you.

My favorite part ;)

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My favourite lines too.

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I hadn't thought of Noah and Bok Dong until the drama picked up that bromance and boy was it good! Bok Dong really needs the kind of unconditional love that Noah has... I liked how they handled his crush. Hopefully, he will continue to be the heartbroken cutie pie!

And Ae Yeon... once a cheater, always a cheater... She doesn't know he killed Yi Kyung, right? May be that will change her.

I think they could have made Sang Tae's story better if they showed his conflict throughout the drama. Besides, I don't see how he considers Ah Ran his friend.. I guess, if he acknowledges she exists, that's like a friend in his mind... or something.

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omg. Hope KYJ will have drama as lead next time >.<

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I understand Kang Ja wanting to see the good in Ae Yeon because they were once close friends, but when not one, but two people who are even closer to her -- her daughter and her best friend -- warned her of Ae Yeon's shadiness, she should have trusted their instincts. Furthermore, they should have had a back-up plan in place. As soon as everything went awry, they should have played the incriminating recording on their phones. This sucks that not only is Bang Wool going to get kicked out of school but Kang Ja may be indicted for falsifying school documents, and because this was 100% preventable makes it so frustrating. Though I have to admit Jung Woo's father admitting to his illegitimate son before Kang Ja and No Ah could reveal it was genius.

I'm surprised at how quickly Show turned Sang Tae around. I dislike him less and may even like him a little. My heart broke seeing him silently cry all while hiding his tears from Ah Ran. It was a good bonding moment for our kids, but Sang Tae choosing that moment to make his move felt out of place to me. I'm crying, she's crying, so let's comfort the girl who doesn't even like me back by kissing her? Unfortunately, it is becoming clear the writer wants us to ship them with their twin strawberry milk cartons. While here I am, misplacingly squealing at Bok Dong for taking care of Ah Ran at school and walking her home at night. I feel bad for Bok Dong getting embroiled in Kang Ja's outing. Now the whole school knows he knows and may even know he likes an ahjumma. Good thing he could care less what his classmates think of him. I cheered seeing him walk into the princess lair. Please join our Operation Takedown, and cut toxic people out of your life.

Aww, is Minion 1 is love with his noonim? I thought they were merely a mother (since Gong Joo loves playing Mom)-sons relationship. It's a relief Minions don't hold grudges because the very next day, they were out there breaking it down at the minister's pep rally. And everybody wants a piece of Bok Dong. Even No Ah can't resist. Who doesn't want to bear hug a puppy?

Thanks for the recap, girlfriday!

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Wow, you and javabeans are the fastest recappers ever! *claps* this episode made me so mad, I just watched it a few hours ago without it even being fully subbed on viki, and I was waiting for a recap so I could comment. Aghhhh I'm so frustrated and I've just spent the last two hours worrying about the protagonists... not that it'll change anything, but Jo Kang Ja has been really dumb for trusting Ae Yeon.

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Oh yeah, I'm also waiting for Dong Chil to finally switch sides. From the whole phone-Yi Kyung-murder-video thing and the way everyone treats him, we know he's probably planning to betray Jung Woo eventually. I think despite his abuse he's more of a tragic character who might end up being the one to balance out the power play. After all, now we know Ae Yeon is not to be trusted and everyone who can help has already shown all their cards.

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I have a feeling DongChil told GongJoo who the father of AhRan is and explained how dangerous it is for them to still be around. Even though I feel sorry for KangJa I think she honestly deserved that wake up call of a back stabbing. She's too stubborn and doesn't listen when she's putting herself and her family in danger.

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I never once considered a bromance option in this drama but damn did they do something right with Bok Dong and Teach!
But Sangtae Could Have used a few more weeks of maturing.
Aeyeon I dont even.........

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^this comment is perfect.

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With every episode I grow more scared for Gong Joo and No Ah's safety. Go Bok Dong too, but the other two are more involved as Kang Ja's sidekicks and a history of watching dramas has made me grow very wary for the beloved sidekicks.

I was wondering when Ae Yeon would betray Kang Ja again, as we know that is within her character and let's face it, she's let Kang Ja go one too many times.

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aiigooooo uri Bok Dongie!!!! how much I love you!!

he's just too sweet and caring and brave, but he doesn't get enough love!!!! seriously tho, how can anyone look into those cute eyes and not want to protect him??! Dong Chil has done an awful lot of bad things, like way too many, but I hate him the most because he kept hurting and abusing our beloved baby.

I could write an essay on why I love Bok Dong, but this ep had so many things happening I'll write that essay when the series is over ( let's not think about not seeing BD any more just yet though)
the scene with Noah and Bok Dong was one of the most heart warming so far.

like you guys said Kang Ja was too ready to trust Ae yeon and that was just stupid. that aside, I could never forgive that bitch. she knows KJ's life and her family's are in REAL DANGER. I can't believe she still chose that bastard's side.

finally, I just don't like Hong Sang Tae AT ALL. how can he feel betrayed when he bullied ah ran and bang-wool?? like, they owe him NOTHING. And who feels like kissing after seeing your father verbally abuse another human being??? talk about awful timing. anyway why would ahran let him kiss her after the horrible way he treated both her mom and herself?? I'm having none of it. Granted, he was a victim himself but that NEVER gives you the right to be an as*hole to other people. However, if Ah Ran was trying to get him to keep the secret, I still don't aprove of it, but I can totally see the logic behind it. Ah Ran deserves so much better, too bad baby Bok Dong is unavaliable LOL

Gong Joo and co. are just awesome, as usual.

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+99999999999 you said it all girl. :D

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i'm sorry for the duplicate comments!!! it's my annoying internet conection!! MY APOLOGIES!

Anyway as someone already said I fear for GongJoo's safety!!! Noah has his sort of influential dad so i think he'll be ok for now but Princess Minions are cute but easily overpowered, who's gonna protect Gong Joo!!!

i hope kang ja starts to be smarter regarding the real nature of people. i don't mean for her to stop being kind hearted, rather always have a backup plan when it comes to trusting people

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i love this drama and all the characters(especially Bokdong) but i think both the Ahran and Sangtae characters are the most underdeveloped in the whole show. Which is weird because isn't Ahran a central part of the story? I think it's kinda unfortunate that both the characters are underdeveloped and pushed aside. More could be done with the characters than just of them being there with one needing saving from her mom and trying to hide her mom's identity and another being an entitled jerk because his father is one and his mom is not around. The characters have potential to be more interesting and layered if they were to be fleshed out. But I guess because of the time constraint and the drama being only 16 episodes so they can't really do much.

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But thankfully there's abit of development for them this ep with them opening up and having a sincere talk about their family. I'm looking forward for more.

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+1

since ep 10ep feel too much screen just for fanservice.
KYJ and Baro such a waste.

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I was thinking the same thing too. At this point, I'm not really interested in AR and ST's relationship. Even though ST didn't rat out KJ, it was really strange seeing AR doing a complete 180 in attitude and buttering him up just because of that one gesture. He needs to do a lot more to make up for his actions. Maybe if the writer made him reflect on his character earlier, he would have had better character development.

In addition, I think the writer lost out on good mother-daughter hijinks. AR's character is so flat and I think by now she would be more open with her mom. The writer seems to put her more as a bystander role.

That being say, I do think the drama did a great job with Noah, BD, KJ, and even DC (a little) character development. As for AY, I really felt sorry for her. But now I just think she is greedy. This is the second time she betrayed KJ (unknowingly and knowingly) and I hope karma catches up with her. That's the only way she'll ever change and learn her lesson.

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Enough of Bokdong already. His part in the drama is over for me. I'm hoping to see more of Ahran and Sangtae...

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be prepare chingu..
his soompi noona fans coming to you.

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yay recaps!thanx gf..
oh and now what?aeyon that b***** i actually had hopes that she might eventually redeem herself but looks like no.she is just a pathetic character with no backbone at all. but im still hoping there might be a twist.

and also yay for the bromance!i luff it so much.and in another note how pretty is this show?

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Ae-yeon got caught by JW for listening to the tape . So, in order to save herself, she betrayed Kang-ja and told JW everything? When Kang-ja was the one who offered to help her get her revenge? Although, I am angry that Ae-yeon chose herself over KJ, I hope that this will be a wake up call for Kang-ja. That she should never have let that backstabber Ae-yeon back into her life.
So far, this show has proven over and over again that it will make sure to get Kang-ja out of sticky situations. Thus, I have faith that the Family Avengers will not get hurt by this turn in events, especially Kang-ja and Ah ran.

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All I can say is the security service at Chateau Chaebol needs to be fired.

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That is what I was thinking. Especially as all it would take would be a locked door. Unless dad and son are both terrible at.... never-mind, any excuse is just pathetic.

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LOL.
The man has a giant vault in his living room with a secret password key-pad, but can't keep folks from waltzing in and out the front door? It must be a joke from the writers.
They could have shown us how they got in by sneaking past the minions outside, but decided, "Hey, it's funnier if it looks easy."

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Same here. To my horror, I felt it is even more illogical when I saw Aeyon, Ah Ran and Kang Ja confronting inside the house. Can't one of them actually realize how dangerous to talk about such things?

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I do think some part of BD is just for fanservices. But I kinda relief that all his scene goes well with the storyline not just for sake for fans eye candy. Plus Jisoo excellent portray of BD character is one of the reason why many viewers so drawn of him (I'm one of them.... squeeze)
Yeah I do agree with some of comment Oh Ah Ran and Hong Sang Tae is just waste character. There not much development of this both whereas i believe they centers of the story. But it seems the writer forget to build their character and both just there for being sidekick.

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Well, to provide BD fanservice they need to make some room. So Ah Ran & Sang Tae development arc got cut for Bok Dong service to happen.

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I have a bad feeling when kang ja bring ae yeon to her house. Girl, how could you sell ur friend twice? Even dongchil could shut his mouth.

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haha even dong chil shuts his mouth

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Ugh, Kang Ja trusting Ae Yeon was such a mistake (though I can understand why she trusted Ae Yeon after spending years of rationalizing Ae Yeon's motives for testifying against her). I sincerely hope Kang Ja learns from this and realizes that Ae Yeon will always and forever put herself first, regardless of who and what she sacrifices in the process.

Also, interestingly, I wasn't much into the shipping of anyone, much less BD and KJ, but this episode gave me pause. Not shipping them at the current time but maybe in the later years. I think its for a few reasons: 1) BD fully knows KJ's identity and background at this point and seems to be accepting the fact that she's a mother (AND still likes and is protective of her and AR). He knows more about her than anyone else (except perhaps Gong Joo), 2) KJ fully confides in BD and is treating him more as an equal. It also shows a lot of trust to put her daughter in BD's care, 3) everyone knows BD likes KJ. I'm unsure of how KJ feels about BD's crush at this point - she obviously doesn't return his feelings romantically but she does have a strong affection towards him that may or may not change as he matures more into a man.

Also, what was going on with minion's jealousy lol - I was totally not expecting that! I need more Gong Joo and company back story!

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Also, now that the cat's out of the bag to the whole school, I'm really interested to see how Lizzie and her friends, the other mothers, Noah's dad, etc react. I feel like everyone has been touched by Kang Ja's kindness and hopefully will not throw shade or pull a Ae Yeon.

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I agree!

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why Bok-Dong so cute????
hahaha
his interest with Kang Ja.. really love every scene of this ..
cute~

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my favorite drama :)

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Arghhhhhh can't wait to start watching this properly after finalssssss.
Bok dong ahhhhh
Thanks for the recaps!!!!

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Bok Dong is really such adorable toughie. From the first ep being menacing bully and latter parts being protective, crushing then heartbroken. The acting and different emotions of Ji Soo from the get go is just impressive.

That BD NA scene is really just too cute! lav it!

This show is the best right now too bad it's not winners rating. The actors in this show really good.

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Ah another great ep! It seems they thought more carefully about where to place the BD moments; they appeared more meaningful compared to the ep when all he did was go gaga over KJ. I still love their interaction though, especially the way he talks down at her - they're such stand out moments.

And I loved the bromance this ep too, totally unexpected but sooo welcome! They need to keep that going! I think all they need to do now is give BD one BIG bear hug, and promise to be his guadians for ever! Love that Noah is becoming glaringly a lot more central to the story now. He's such a great actor!

As for Sang Tae, I kinda like him. Always have, albeit grudgingly. Which is why I was so gutted when they forgot about his character. He could have been developed to be a lot more likeable, and his relationship with both AR and KJ could have paved way for some great moments. Shame, because I think Baro's doing great with what little he's been given; they seriously should have given him more opportunity to shine.

Same with Kim-You Jung - I think she has LOVELY onscreen presence, and I really liked her moment with Sang-Tae this ep. But her place in the story definitely could have been a lot meatier, especially after her bullying phase, and YK's suicide. With regards to her relationship with her mother, I only started appreciating it once KJ started school. I think they've missed a few emotional beats in showing why AR was so cold towards her mother early on in the series. They just didn't shed enough light on it until this ep. And by this time, it felt rather forced. They make a great duo though!

And AY - sigh, I knew I couldn't trust her! I kinda see why KJ was persistant on trusting her all the way, coz she almost had me sold this ep too, with those tears and what not. But the fact that this time she knows the deal with KJ and her reasons for doing what she's doing, her betrayal becomes a lot more hard hitting. She had no excuse except to save her own pathetic self. Argh. Well, at least now KJ can draw the line clearly..I hope!

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Thanks for the recap! I think you are right about bringing Jung Woo down is more important than the father/son reveal. Especiallly in the order it'll happen. Sure it's OK that the presidential candidate has a hidden son that he loves, but when the son is a child molester and murderer? Notso fine.
Rubbing my hands in anticipatory glee...

This was a good episode for putting Bok-dong where he belongs in relationship to KJ. My fantasy-heart was OK with BK imagining elicit moments with KJ for the forbidden pleasure of it all, but let's face it, nobody wants to root for a Mary Kay Letourneau.

BD's crush was real, and would have escalated if he didn't find that Bong-wol was in fact a.) married, b.) his friend's mom, c.) 17 years older than him. She will prolly be his first love and an very interesting memory in years to come.

The scene at the Kang-ja home served two purposes: providing evil AY with the recording she needed to betray the only person who ever trusted her, and allowing BD to clearly see KJ's reality of living in a home with her family.

In that scene, I liked the visual of Bok-dong talking to KJ through a barrier, and KJ patting him on the cheek in a motherly fashion. That type of affection has been what she offered him from the get-go, and his loneliness (and the shoe tying, now that he mentions it) made her seem more of a romantic figure in his eyes. Noah embracing BD while he cried, and wrestling with him provided the physical/emotional link the young man really craved from other humans while his troubled hyung is away. (Dong-chil doesn't qualify)

AR's insistence that BD stop calling her mom "Girl" is perfect.I tried to think how I would have reacted if one of my friends called my mother by her first name. When I see it in my real life, it can be a little strange. Sure it is ok for BD and KJ to have a closer relationship than more child/adults, but it needs to move away from BD ever expecting KJ to reciprocate.

Despite all of the above, and my mature (not) adult (not) nature that I have to keep me safe, it would still be awesome if I could hear BD call KJ "Cherry Tomato" one more time...please?

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AY is a complex character ... she's been abused by pretty much every man she's had to interact with ... I think there will be redemption for her in the end when she finds out that DC killed Beom and JW killed the girl.

It's easy to hate her ... much more difficult to understand her.

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at first i thought AY deserves to be beaten to death by the chairman for what she did, but then i got this niggling feeling Just like KJ i'm not ready to give up on her yet Then i thought, would it not be briljant if this was all a set up?So far all they have against JW and his dad is that recording, and nothing against the chairman in terms of evidence And as we saw something like that is quickly covered up The chairman and JW and his dad also knew that someone inside the school other then NOAH was looking for evidence against them So now we have the bad guys thinking they are safe and they outsmarted KJ, No Ah and team princess, so maybe they will become more slack. They now also believe 100% that AY is on there side, so she is free now to help team princess from the inside in helping then gather evidence about murder, fraude, money laundring and corruption, which is a hell of a higher stake then just a "birth secret" .

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Oooh! I hope you are right.
Make them lazy so they slip up.

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ah, hoping this will happen. *crosses fingers*

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Oh! I really like your version, @cocobeans!
I hate AY, but at the same time I pity her.

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Ae Yeon m8 i rly dont liek u one bit

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Okay.. i know this will gonna happen when i realize Go Bok Dong is so much like Choi Young Do's character in looking scary n tough outside but soft n hurt in the inside.
The part that scared me n really happen is HIS HAIRSTYLE!!!!
i know the eyebrows thing is one of the reason they're looking 'badboy' mode. But changing the hairstyle is like they dont believe in their acting skill! Now i really worry this will become some kind of trend. Badboys have those slick hair and after the evolution of becoming a good boy, they'll grow bangs..

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Lol yeh, I hope they don't touch Baro's hair though - I've grown used to that side comb of his!

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I love this series, sorry just got into it now.
So I marathoned the series so far, and it seems like no one talked about this:

I founded the Ah ran - Sang tae development strange, really out of place.
It is either because of the lack of development (but then the writer does a fine job with the other characters)
Or Ah ran is not genuine. She was ready to kinda send Sang Tae off, at the beginning, and the Sang Tae was talking about betrayal and revealed he knows about her mom, and then bam Ah Ran suddenly gives a crap about Sang Tae.
And the other time right before the school, the way she changed 180, the thing is I don't buy it that she is genuine. I think she knows Sang Tae well, she knows he has power, she knows he is a sore loser, she knows he is kinda like a ticking bomb, so she is careful, trying to make him be on her side, so her mom wouldn't get hurt...
This is just my cent, but I really can't buy Ah Ran genuenly being smitten with Sang Tae....

I love how No Ah stepped up in the recent episodes so much, and I really love his character :)

I don't really ship anyone with anyone though. I do think Kang Ja's husband is not for her, so I wouldn't mind if they would have a divorce, but not for KJ to get together with anyone.
Or maybe No Ah, but the series will only have a few episodes left...
I adore her and BokDong's scenes but they are clearly not fit to each other.

I feel like this series is fine without any final romantic couple. (Unless it is Gong Jo and Minion #1)

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the small gong ju and minion #1 moment was such a cute funny surprise. just when you think you thought of all the possible pairings...

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Ae yeon is worse than kwangsoo.right?She's the queens of betrayal.lol

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What's the significance of the cracked eggs? It was most obviously shoehorned in this ep.

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Thanks gf for such a speedy recap!

@Cheryl
I've been wondering the same thing. Broken eggs appear in quite a number of episodes but there is no obvious tie in with any theme. At one time a couple of us were suggesting that the abuse of children was tantamount to breaking innocent hapless eggs,... but the current focus of the show is no longer on the children.

The other possibility might be that the eggs breaking at any time, regardless of which character was near them, suggest all the characters are vulnerable,and that all have something to hide/keep contained under an unassuming exterior. However I notice that most of the time (or is it always?) eggs break around Kang Ja.

Perhaps she is a force that could cause destruction, maybe inadvertently, not only of the bad guys but of anyone who happens along her path. I have to find time to re-watch all the egg breaking bits to see if KJ was nearby each time... but I know she was often directly or indirectly involved. :)

But with broken eggs, we can have omelette!!! Maybe something good will come and can come only after the existing order has been destroyed.

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Well, this is just an aside about eggs and the link to human children.
Humpty Dumpty, the nursery rhyme, is actually about child abuse. It could be they are constantly reminding us that once a child is broken, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Yi-kyung together again.

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Am I the only one seeing a patchwork family in the making here? >3<
Would be so awesome if Kang Ja becomes the mom of Bok Dong! And Teach can be the dad *tehee*

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who's ah ran biological father yorobun????

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Dono why I am watching this show except that I must be simply waiting for the baddies to get nailed! I am shocked and disgusted by the blatant corruption and I wonder if this do or could happen. I have to admit that the writers are doing a good job - however, as much as it has its comedic moments, I find myself cringing from the ugliness of it all.

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Thanks for the recap, it was great!

Just a few comments:
Am I the only one who is getting really frustrated with AY? Like you have been told that he may have gotten a what 16/18 year old pregnant? ummm... A teacher, come on, like if that was my love interest, there would be no more love interest between us! and then if I heard that and there was a vague inkling that he was involved in her death, no way would I be staying around and helping him do his dirty work, I mean if she didn't have a vague idea that he was involved in Yi Kyeongs death she at least knew he may have gotten her pregnant. Like girl it's not so hard to leave them and go get yourself another job, go back to college maybe? Why are you so dependent on the man? There are options, like does she not know how to use google? maybe she could find a way to get a job through google? Ugh that girl is just dumb trash, first you get KJ sent to jail and now you get her in deep shit... Your just a pumpkin pie aren't you, the icing on top of the cake... You have options, get yourself together...

And another thing that really annoyed me, was when Jung woo told KJ to got back to the kitchen? Oh hell nah, excuse you I know she works as a chef but still, tell the woman to go home or back to work, just do not tell her to go back to the kitchen... sigh..

This was supposed to be a few words, but I just ranted, I couldn't help the rant... I feel better now that I have ranted though, that's a 'weight' off my chest.

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I went and watched Queen In-Hyun's man because of this show.

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