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Marriage Contract: Episode 7

The time for denial is over — though, when a man feels so much love for a girl that he can’t hide it even from himself, is denial to others even an option? And I’m not even talking about Ji-hoon’s feelings for Hye-soo yet. It’s the tiny loves that get through the cracks and get their hooks in deep, and Ji-hoon may as well admit that he’s gotten in over his head.

EPISODE 7 RECAP

Ji-hoon rushes the unconscious Hye-soo to the hospital, and brings a doctor to look at her just as she wakes groggily. She’s running a high fever but she declines treatment, and tries to run out of the hospital still looking like she could pass out again any second. Ji-hoon insists she stay, but she swears it’s just a cold and she’s fine.

He tries to stop her again, and this time she flings his arm away roughly, swearing that she can still do the transplant. Ji-hoon says that that’s not his main concern right now, and Hye-soo calms down and lies that she’s just hospital-shy, and doesn’t want to be here more than she’ll have to with the surgery.

Ji-hoon reluctantly takes Hye-soo home, who says that her fever is down, though Eun-sung calls that out as a lie. Hye-soo ushers Eun-sung into their room, but not before she and Ji-hoon exchange helpless little Whatcha gonna do? smiles.

Ji-hoon grabs some ice and napkins from the restaurant kitchen and takes them up to Hye-soo’s room, for her fever. He makes her a cold pack, grumbling at her when she hesitates to take it, but she’s too weak to fight both him and Eun-sung. Ji-hoon hesitates just before putting it on her forehead himself, and ends up handing it over to Eun-sung to do.

Ji-hoon hovers like a worried mother, handing over his handkerchief for Hye-soo’s neck, and stepping in to help when Eun-sung has trouble tying it. Something about the way his arms are cradled around Eun-sung, while his hands are busy helping Hye-soo, just gets me right here.

Ji-hoon gets up to go, telling Hye-soo to go to the hospital if her fever doesn’t get better. But later that night when Hye-soo sits up to cover Eun-sung, Ji-hoon is still there, with Eun-sung’s head in his lap. Oh, that is the sweetest thing ever. He stirs, and Hye-soo quickly pretends to still be asleep.

Everyone settles back to sleep, and Ji-hoon is still there in the morning. He wiggles out from under Eun-sung and tucks her in, then also tucks in Hye-soo before letting himself out.

Hye-soo’s health scare has made Ji-hoon miss his work trip to Jeju Island, and Ho-joon tells him that the chairman has been repeatedly calling for him. He says he’ll call his father, and tells Ho-joon that Hye-soo is too sick to work today, asking him to take her to a clinic later. Ho-joon wonders why he cares so much, muttering that this is why the staff are so disgruntled over her.

Joo-yeon startles Ho-joon as he’s trying to peek through Hye-soo’s front window, and he stammers out that Hye-soo is sick today. She goes in, and Eun-sung is ready to tell her the whole story about “that ajusshi” taking care of her mom, though Hye-soo stops her and again downplays the situation.

Joo-yeon apologizes for telling Seung-joo about the marriage contract, explaining that he was so upset about what he was assuming was happening, she thought telling him the truth would be better. Hye-soo also apologizes, for making them both worry about her.

Hye-soo drags herself to work, and Ho-joon keeps the restaurant open late for a special party, making Soo-chang grouch at him, then drag him out for soju. Ji-hoon arrives home from his trip early to find Hye-soo still in the kitchen, and he seems a little nervous around her, so he falls back on his usual behavior and grumbles at her for working while sick.

Hye-soo says that she felt better thanks to him, giving him a grateful bow. She says that Eun-sung is at a friend’s house, and Ji-hoon grabs this chance and asks her if she’s eaten. He offers to make her a steak if she’ll assist (“Because I’m shy, and not as good as you.” Awww), picking her up and setting her on the counter.

It’s surprisingly intimate, especially since Ji-hoon is smiling at her, but Hye-soo finally agrees. She cringes at his clumsy cooking style but keeps her comments to herself, and he proudly presents her with her meal — shaped like a frowny pig face. Oh no, I can’t, this is too cute. Hye-soo changes the frown to a smile and compliments Ji-hoon’s presentation, and she’s impressed when it tastes pretty good.

Ji-hoon fusses when Hye-soo tries to get him to eat too, and cuts up her meat for her. Hye-soo finally relents and eats quickly, causing Ji-hoon to gripe at her some more, but by now it only makes her smile. She enjoys the feeling of being a customer, which almost makes Ji-hoon smile at her again.

The snarky hostess, Ara, lets herself into the restaurant, and Hye-soo grabs Ji-hoon and shoves him under the table to hide. Ara notices the disarray in the kitchen and the meal still on the table, and Hye-soo’s distinctive hair tie still on the table gives away the source of the mess.

As Ara walks around the restaurant, Hye-soo and Ji-hoon skitter away wherever they can hide, ending up in the wine closet. HA, Hye-soo covers Ji-hoon’s eyes when Ara bends over and gives him an unexpected peek down her top, while he struggles to get a better look.

They very nearly get caught when they try to exit the wine closet too soon, but luckily Ara never sees them. Ji-hoon barks at Hye-soo, wondering why they had to hide when they didn’t do anything wrong. Hye-soo admits that he’s right, there was really no reason to hide, and they both laugh.

Hye-soo’s mother-in-law, Young-hee, shares some pumpkin soup with Seung-joo — she knows it came from Hye-soo just by the taste, and she complains about Hye-soo’s cheek in continuing to try to win her over, though she’s not too proud to eat it. She tosses a bag of clothes for Seung-joo to take to Eun-sung, but he can see her resolve to stay away crumbling, and tells her to take it to them herself.

Young-hee admits that she wants to get over her hatred of Hye-soo, though she was rude to her and is afraid to see her again. But she keeps thinking of her son and her granddaughter, and she wants to wish Hye-soo and Eun-sung well in their new life. She starts to cry, even the taste of the pumpkin soup adorably upsetting her (“It’s too delicious!”).

Seung-joo takes the clothes to Hye-soo, passing along Young-hee’s message to live happily, and promising that he didn’t tell her anything about the marriage contract. She tells him the surgery is scheduled for the next weekend, and he reassures her again that he won’t tell anyone the truth.

Ho-joon finds Ji-hoon fixing Hye-soo’s broken entryway light, and yanks him down to demand the truth — why is be being so nice to her? He thinks Ji-hoon likes Hye-soo for real, and Ji-hoon’s weak, “Think whatever you want,” and nervously flashing dimples don’t do much to deny it.

He tells Ho-joon that he knows himself well enough, so he shouldn’t worry too much about it. He’s already been down that road, and has no intention of doing it again. After buying her liver, he’s just trash, and he knows he has no right to ask her for anything. He’ll just flirt and have fun, then break up with Hye-soo when it’s time.

Hye-soo comes home with Eun-sung, who shrieks happily to see Ji-hoon (and he lights up in return) and drags him off to show him something. She’s got her kitten and two others in a box, and she introduces Ji-hoon to them as “the ajusshi who will be my dad soon.”

She feeds the kittens a sausage, and Ji-hoon tells her they could get sick. He offers to take her to buy real cat food later. They get so engrossed in playing with the kittens that Ji-hoon doesn’t notice his father drive up and watch him with the little girl.

The chairman catches them mid-hug, and Ji-hoon solemnly sets Eun-sung back on her feet. His father greets him with a hard slap, making Eun-sung wail and run to her mother, and Ji-hoon follows the chairman inside to talk.

Chairman Han has figured out that Ji-hoon paid for his marriage to Hye-soo (and subsequent surgery to save his mother), and assumes he’s pretending to like Eun-sung so as not to get caught. He threatens to turn Ji-hoon in to the police, scared that this could take down the business he’s worked so hard to build.

He tells Ji-hoon to end this now and cancel everything, but Ji-hoon argues that the surgery is in a week. Can’t he look the other way for one week? Chairman Han refuses, making it clear that if Ji-hoon won’t cancel the marriage and surgery, then he’ll do what he needs to do.

At dinner, Eun-sung asks her mother if Ajusshi did something wrong to make his father so angry, and Hye-soo nods that he did. Eun-sung loyally takes Ji-hoon’s side, saying that he still shouldn’t have gotten slapped, and it’s obvious that Hye-soo is worried by the way she keeps glancing towards Ji-hoon’s rooms.

Ji-hoon remembers the kittens later that night, and Hye-soo comes to thank him for fixing her broken light. He makes light of his father’s anger, but she notices his bleeding lip. He’s more worried that Eun-sung is upset to have seen his father’s violence, and he knows he should keep his distance from the little girl. But he complains that it’s not easy, so he’ll try to withdraw from her slowly.

But this time Hye-soo disagrees, and says that Eun-sung is only worried for him. She tells him sweetly to cheer up, which brings on his grumpy defensiveness, and he tells her to worry about herself and get ready for the upcoming surgery. After that, he promises he won’t bother her anymore.

He admits that he’s a bad person, but Hye-soo quietly counters that it’s not an easy thing, to give up something of yourself to save another person’s life. This time he lets her dab at his bleeding lip, too stunned at her words to object.

A flash goes off, and HAHA, it’s Eun-sung, taking a picture of the two of them with their heads bent close to each other. She smiles in satisfaction, and Ji-hoon grins back at her in spite of himself — even Hye-soo betrays a small smile.

Jung-hoon is furious to hear about Ji-hoon’s shenanigans, assuming that he concocted this whole fake fiancee story to hide his “real” relationship with Na-yoon. He insists that Ji-hoon is threatened by him, and that he’s stringing Na-yoon along just to get back at him. Geez, narcissist much?

Chairman Han snaps to just let them date if they want, which gets his wife and Jung-hoon up in arms. His wife follows him to defend her son, though it’s interesting that she’s not unfair about it, she just notices that Chairman Han favors Ji-hoon lately.

Chairman Han goes to see Na-yoon, and he can tell by her expression that she broke up with Jung-hoon because of Ji-hoon. He asks why she and Ji-hoon broke up before, and she tells him that it was Ji-hoon’s idea. He’d told her he was an orphan and she’d believed him, and he’d disappeared when her family objected to their relationship.

Ji-hoon rushes to his father’s office when he hears that the chairman somehow managed to postpone his mother’s surgery (he can do that??). He’s furious that his father rates his mother’s life worth so little, but the chairman can’t understand why Ji-hoon cares so much, when she never did anything for him.

Chairman Han orders Ji-hoon to go break things off with Hye-soo now, but Ji-hoon says that he can’t. He kneels, begging his father to let him finish this and save his mother. The chairman is so furious he looks like he might beat Ji-hoon to a pulp, but he just yells at him to focus on work. If he does well, he might not report this to the police.

Ji-hoon mopes at the restaurant that night, which Hye-soo notices. He sees Na-yoon pull up to park, but when they meet eyes through the window, something changes her mind and she drives away again.

When Hye-soo goes to pick up Eun-sung after work, Joo-yeon asks her about Ji-hoon. She’s surprised when Joo-yeon describes him as annoying and hateful, because she sees a man who’s pitiful. She agrees that she might be nuts, but she sees something painfully human in him.

Hye-soo still hasn’t been told the surgery was postponed, though she’s clearly just trying to hang on until it’s over. Mi-ran loses hope, assuming that this postponement means it will never happen.

The next day at work, Hye-soo cuts herself chopping onions, then nearly passes out cold. She hangs onto consciousness by a fingernail, and chef Soo-chang assumes that seeing her own blood just made her woozy. She looks awful, and he orders her to the doctor immediately.

Looking terrified, Hye-soo waits at the hospital to be seen, but when her name is finally called she just gets up and leaves. The doctor who’d diagnosed her tumor had seen her waiting and comes out to find her, but she’s already gone. As soon as she gets outside, Hye-soo has a change of heart and turns to go back in, but an unexpected call from Chairman Han has her hesitating again.

Ji-hoon grows suspicious that Hye-soo isn’t at work so he calls her, but by now she’s meeting with his father and declines his call. The chairman tells her that he knows she’s a fake, and he orders her to divorce Ji-hoon and return the money he paid her.

She begs him to reconsider — it took a lot to get to this point, and the surgery will be done soon, and she intends to go through with it. She pleads with him, literally hanging onto his pants legs, asking over and over for him to let it go.

But all he cares about is his business and how this could ruin everything if it got out. He yells at Hye-soo to just follow orders, and be grateful that he’s not suing her.

Young-hee calls Hye-soo while she’s riding the bus home, and says that she feels bad about how she acted the other night. Looking peaceful, she tells Hye-soo that she doesn’t resent her, she was just taking out her grief over her son’s death on her. She genuinely wishes a happy life to Hye-soo, and asks her to raise Eun-sung with love.

By the time she hangs up, Hye-soo is sobbing. That unconditional wish for her happiness is exactly what she needed to hear right then. But she’s so upset that she jumps off the bus to walk, and accidentally leaves her phone on the seat.

Ji-hoon keeps trying to call Hye-soo with no luck, while Hye-soo goes back to the bus station determined to search every bus until she finds her phone. One of the drivers clucks at her for being careless, and she listlessly says that she’s not careless.

Her voice rises in frustration as she repeats herself, until she finally screams, “I’m not that kind of person!!” It’s just too much for one day, and Hye-soo collapses to the ground, crying and screaming her fear and anger.

Because he hasn’t quite interfered enough, Chairman Han presents Ji-hoon with divorce papers he had his lawyer draw up. Ji-hoon still wants him to let this go, but the chairman says that they don’t know what kind of person Hye-soo is, and she might betray him. He says that when he saw her today she kept insisting the surgery happen, and Ji-hoon is startled to hear that his father saw her.

He demands to know what his father said to her, fearing that this is why she’s not answering his calls. The chairman says that he told her to disappear, and he wants to know what it is about her that makes Ji-hoon so emotional. Ji-hoon doesn’t answer, but just runs out of his office.

Ji-hoon rushes home, but Hye-soo isn’t there. She’s not anywhere else he looks, and she’s still not answering her phone, so he drives around growing more and more upset. He ends up back at the restaurant just yelling her name into the night, scared that she’s done as his father said and disappeared.

He sits outside stewing in worry, until he finally sees Hye-soo trudging home, looking bleak and exhausted. Their eyes meet, and without saying a word, Ji-hoon walks up to Hye-soo and folds her in a relieved hug.

COMMENTS

I’m so afraid for Hye-soo right now. I know why she’s denying that she’s ill, because if anyone knew she had a brain tumor there’s no way they’d let her donate part of her liver. She needs that surgery to assure her daughter’s future. But in pretending that she’s fine, she’s delaying her own treatment dangerously, and she may be literally sacrificing her own life to give Eun-sung a stable future. It’s a terrible position to be in, and it’s no wonder she’s so conflicted. I can’t say that, in her situation, I would do any different. So I’m worried about the chairman’s attempts to stop the surgery, not because of how it could affect Hye-soo and Ji-hoon’s growing relationship, but for what it could do to Hye-soo emotionally. Without the money for her daughter and for treatment, she could very well just give up on life. (And much respect again to UEE for her portrayal of Hye-soo — those ugly-crying scenes were so good, and her pain so real, they were hard to watch. She’s really outdoing herself in this role.)

But Ji-hoon, you are so busted! We know you care now, don’t even try to pretend you don’t. When Hye-soo got sick, he couldn’t pretend anymore that this is just about business — he was even the one trying to tell her at the hospital that he was more worried about her being ill than whether she’d be fit for surgery. He forgot to be all gruff once he settled in to help Eun-sung take care of Hye-soo, and just turned into this big old mother hen. I love it. I knew he was a big cuddle-bear under all that bluster, but I never guessed him to be such a sweet caretaker.

But it was when he couldn’t deny his feelings for Hye-soo to Ho-joon’s face that I finally fell for Ji-hoon myself. I love a guy who admits his feelings, even if he’s still in denial that anything could come of it. We don’t know the details of what happened between him and Na-yoon back in school, of why he lied to her in the first place and why he so easily disappeared on her. But whatever it was, it was painful enough to put Ji-hoon off dating permanently. And this is a character that, I have no doubt, would stand by that decision no matter what he feels for Hye-soo… if it weren’t for Eun-sung. It’s clear that Ji-hoon is starting to feel something for Hye-soo herself, but it’s Eun-sung that he has no defense against. Something about that little girl just gets under his skin and stays there, and it will be his downfall. She’s the one who pulled his emotions into this situation in the first place, and she’ll be the reason he can’t get himself out again so easily when it’s supposed to end.

At this point, I almost think he loves Eun-sung so much already, that he’d stay married to Hye-soo even if he didn’t also develop feelings for her. But he is starting to care for the mother as well as the daughter, as evidenced by his fear and panic when he thought she’d disappeared on him, and he’s toast. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried when he told Hye-soo that he’d try to pull away from Eun-sung, and stop using them after the surgery is over — just the thought of their tenuous little family being ripped apart, before they even get a chance to start, already hurts.

It’s interesting too, how the feelings are starting to move both ways. Hye-soo seems to see Ji-hoon in a completely different way from the rest of the world. Where they see annoying, she sees defensive. Where they see hateful, she sees pitiful. It just goes to show what a lovely heart Hye-soo has, and we know she’s always had it, because she’s defended her former husband in the same way. She’s just a woman who sees people in the best possible light, even though it may get her in trouble sometimes. But in Ji-hoon’s case, her ability to see him for who he truly is could be what saves him from a life of loneliness.

So I strongly agree with Saya when she mentions that Hye-soo and Eun-sung will be Ji-hoon’s key to freedom. Freedom from his own family expectations which have never fit him or made him happy. Freedom from his own crippling lack of self-worth (every time he calls himself “trash,” my heart breaks for him, because he obviously believes it). And most importantly, freedom from his self-imposed life without love or true family — as he begins to see how amazing those things are, even temporarily, I doubt he’ll be satisfied going without anymore. Hye-soo and Eun-sung are the first two people who have ever bothered to care for him for who he truly is, who have made the effort to get to know him, for no other reason than that he’s a person worth getting to know. He’s already getting addicted to that feeling of being wanted and needed, and it’s not going to be long before he moves from passively accepting their care, to actively fighting for it. And when that finally happens, I think we’re going to see a Ji-hoon we never expected.

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Wonderful recap! Hoping for hye soo to stay alive.Pray for #happyending #don'tkilloffhyesoo

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She'll DEFINITELY stay alive :D. No, they won't make us cry a river here...

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Ji-hoon has this vulnerability about him that I love so much in this story. Great recap - thanks!!!

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Spot on.

It's Ji hoon's vulnerability that so endears him to ke and wins him a huge place in my heart.

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UEE is so good here...when she broke down at the bus terminal...so powerfull...

And I squeed during their hiding dance :--)

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I was laughing out loud over their hiding everywhere, but at the same time, I was wondering what that whole scene was about. It came out of nowhere and did not add anything much, ... except some laughs and skinship, and maybe the sense that they had become so comfortable together that she could lug him around everywhere and cover his face without major protest from him. So different from just a couple of episodes ago!

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I think that was one of my favorite parts of this episode. I was laughing so hard by the time she covered his eyes. I don't know if it was out of decency or jealousy or maybe a bit of both, but it was a great scene!

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That scene, and JH and ES (and the cats), and JH lifting ES up, and HS wiping JH's lip, and ES taking the pictures, were some of my favorite scenes in the drama. I just loved them.

I felt that HS might have covered his eyes for decency, but I also wondered if she wasn't a little bit jealous, like she didn't want JH looking at another woman, at least unconsciously jealous? Because I think she is affected by him as well. To what extent, I'm not sure. I found it funny that JH wanted to look, such a guy thing to do. And did you guys see when she dropped him on the floor? And he fell? So funny and cute. They must have had fun filming that scene. I so LOVED that he wanted to cook for her, that he was nervous, and that he cut some of her food. I love little touches like that.

Thank you for the recap, also.

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Well said, Ivoire. Couldn't agree more... :)

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Hi @ cinnamon, and thank you :-)

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Yes it was a great scene

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That Chairman could be murdered and no one would convict the killer. What a jerk!
I don't really know any Korean Chaebol families but I'm wondering: is this anywhere near an accurate portrayal of how interfering and controlling they can be?

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I wouldn't be too quick to generalize. Every family is different, so I'm sure there are chaebol who let their kids do what they want. Choi Siwon comes to mind. That being said...you could Google Samsung + daughter and read the Wikipedia article that pops up. Sad stuff.

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So, why not travel to a foreign land where transplantation conditions are easier and you can find donors (legally/semi legal), or even fly mi ra & Hye soo to a country where they can perform the OP legally (less dangerous legally) like China for example, it is actually very popular in my country to go there for liver transplantation.

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The Chaebol dad
they originally hide that from the dad cause if they went to another country , the dad will knew and Ji hoon can't see his mom 24/7,
his mom is likely to escape and may choose to suicide if he can't have the control over her

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Thanks for the recap, Lollipip!!!

Anyone else squee-ed while reading the recap, despite already watching the episode (x5.... or maybe.... x7 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ) and knowing what happens??? Because I know I did!!!!

I'm wondering how many takes it took to film the restaurant dinner/hiding scenes, because many of Hye Soo and Ji Hoon's reactions during those scenes seemed really raw and unrehearsed, like when Uee squeaked at being LITERALLY PICKED UP and placed on the kitchen counter teehee <3 Whereas, if the scenes were filmed over multiple takes (due to NGs or whatever reason), it may seem rehearsed (not to mention repetitive to the actors/actresses involved in the scene) and such reactions would not seem so natural as the actual scene was =)

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Agree! That moment when he picked her up, little sparks flew. I was worried that it wouldn't happen because of the slow buildup, but this glimpse reassures me that more sparks are on the way.

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That "look" he gives her after he sets her down to get her to calm down and listen to him for once and to not always be the one doing something for someone else....
~ SWOOOOOOOOOOOON ~

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me tooo....
*swooooonnnnn*

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That scene. That scene where he picks her up and puts her on the counter. Omo! (Fans self).

They've definitely developed feelings for each other. She was so pleased to see him when he came back from his business trip. His care over her all night was what finally sealed the deal to her mind. And he was so pleased to see her, fussing over her like a mother hen, cooking for her and watching her eat. So sweet! They are my favorite kdrama couple this year to date. They've become so comfortable with each other.

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Yes, indeed that moment was so hot!
I found my self repeating those whole scene for almost 5-6 times.
His gaze to her... omo (cant hold my self).
And there is a line where he said " i once cooked for my self three meals a day..." and i was laugh, oh yeah thats was the variety show he was in.

And because of this drama, i was searching every where to see a glimpse of Lee Seo Jin.
I want to see Three Meals a Day, but the video and the engsub is difficult to search. So sad (T_T)

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Hahah Yea ~~!!! I was like, "I see what you did there!!!" when that meta reference was made and had a good laugh XD

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3 meals a day season 2 fully sub at Hottestcollab.

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ah, thank you ^_^

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I agree with all you guys have said. Also, did you guys noticed the other "look" he gave her when they came out of the wine cellar place? That was another charged moment, imho.

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Yes, I noticed that, too!! When they came out of the wine cellar and he just about walks into her

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Yes, that one :-)

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I don't see how the chairman is able to postpone the surgery I mean doesn't Ji hoons mom get a say in this it is her life at stake here and also why do I get the feeling this drama is going to break my heart pleeeeease let there be a happy ending pleeeeeease

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Thank for you recapping! This was a great episode because it set up conflicts so well = and there's always another deeper conflict under the surface layer:

Like mother-in-law's conflict with Hye-soo was actually because she was conflicted and grieving herself.
And Chairman dad's demanding his sons & wife be all obedient and listen to him, but questions why Ji-hoon is so 'filial to his mother, all of a sudden.' (that's because of his control issues - exhibited in ep 8).

But in the scene with Ji-hoon and Ho-joon, when he asks if Ji-hoon actually likes Hye-soo - I saw that as: Ji-hoon's not really sure of what he's feeling himself. He likes her, but is that different from all the other women he's dated before? He asks, "if I said that [I liked Hye-soo], would you believe me?" and Ho-joon answers "No, I wouldn't. If you said you were just playing around with her, I'd believe that." "Am I really that type of person?" "Oh, yes..." And Ji-hoon resignedly plays his role "Yea, I'm the trash that buys a liver for money. I'd probably like her for a little while, get tired of her, and then leave...."

I feel like with Ji-hoon, he's kind of passive - he went to live with Dad and did what they told him (traumatized by his mom falling apart), he left Na-yoon because her family disapproved, he works at Promise, he works at Corporate because his dad tells him to, he doesn't make a peep about Na-yoon as his brother's fiancee because it won't make a difference anyways, not in his ability to change what these people are doing....he's just slipping by in life, going through motions because nothing mattered to him... except for his mom and for Eun-sung and now, Hye-soo.

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Dang, this recap almost brought me to tears. This is too much a heartbreaker.

First off, Hye-Soo's breakdown was so painful that I had to force myself to keep watching; I was sorely tempted to skip right past it. I'd give an accolade to UEE.

Second, about the chairman. Even if he's a major outside obstacle from the surgery to the relationship, I really can't hate him the way I might for other dramas. He's the chairman, and he's responsible for thousands of lives, including that of his family. Would it be right for him to partake in an illegal situation that can cost him jail time and the downfall of his company just for one woman? In his position, sadly, I don't think I could. Some people say that one person's life can't equate anything else; that life is sacred, or whatever, but I advocate utilitarianism, the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. Even if the Chairman may be doing this for personal happiness(after all, who would want to lose THAT much money and positional power?) every argument he threw out made sense, even if he did misinterpret Hye-Soo. (Also, I don't think the chairman's too self-centered anyway; he seemed to like Mi-Ran). He's clever and know what should be done, so no faults to him.

His wife is also an interesting case, who seems to want Ji-Hoon's attention despite him being the son of her husband. I have a feeling that she, not the chairman, will be the key in Ji-Hoon's improving relationship with his father's side of the family.

Also, since this episode, I have been feeling doubts about Hye-Soo's surgery. Is there any chance of it not happening? I think it probably will, given this entire drama thus far has been built on it, and to sweep it under the rug all of a sudden would bring about huge criticism. But on the other hand, the chairman's opposition and Hye-Soo's growing sickness indicate otherwise. There's also a possible replacement: Mi-Ran's brother, who appeared briefly but hasn't made any other contributions to the show yet(and bonus! He can donate legally!). The writers can probably make this show can work without the surgery too. Probably. So I can't help but have the tiniest seeds of suspicion swirling within me that in the end, this surgery will go down the drain. What does everyone else think?

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I actually think the opposite—the surgery there are a lot of signs in the story that the surgery *can't* happen. This is one of the really interesting tensions in the show. Ji Hoon's father is almost entirely right in his objections to the surgery. It is unethical, it's highly illegal, and as much as dad is concerned about his own well-being and reputation, he is correct that his entire business and therefore the welfare of a large number of employees could be damaged if the law ever got wind of what Ji Hoon is trying to do.

On top of that, if Hye Soo, serious illness and all, actually goes through with it, Ji Hoon will not only have bought her liver, he'll have potentially contributed to making her more sick. The desperation that led them to try something so drastic is OK as far as a means of bringing them together. But for it to actually happen would make all the ugly stuff Ji Hoon thinks about himself and his relationship to Hye Soo true, even if he does love her. He would have used his daddy's money to buy the liver of a poor, desperate woman and that's pretty dark stuff. So I actually don't see the surgery as being likely to happen.

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+1

And that's one of the most interesting things about this drama. The marriage contract trope tends to be used for straightforward Cinderella stories. At worst the heroine has to lie, be gossiped about, etc. (Okay, in very makjang cases she might get murdered too…) But here the stakes are so very much higher, and reflect a very real socioeconomic problem. I hope the writer doesn't disappoint us in the remaining half of the show.

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I have doubts too. Seeing ep 10 and all. Highly doubt the surgery will likely to be happen.

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Ji Hoon's love for Eun Sung reminds me so much of Jerry Maguire movie...kids do that, don't they? They get under your skin and you can't unlove them ever again...

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Thanks LollyPip!

The picking Hye Soo up and setting her on the kitchen counter scene was so unexpected, so terribly intimate and so full of feels,... especially that long look and pause between them. I felt it even beat the Oh My Ghostess dream version of a similar scene, in terms of how romantic is was! On the practical side... I wondered how he was able to just lift a tall and not exactly tiny woman up like that and plonk her on the high counter. I'd love to see some BTS of that particular move!!!

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I'm with you on that kitchen counter scene. Your opinion about how romantic it was compared to OMG is likely because here we have two grown-up people who might feel a little bit clumsy doing such thing but reflexively still wanted to do it. Okay, JH had been with many women before, but did they feel that 'awkwardness of being in love'? I suppose, no. He probably never did that before, treating someone in such a way--except when he was with NY.

I thought the same thing. How could she be such a lightweight? lol

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I think she is not bones heavy and that makes a difference. I loved that he picked up her, and that she gulped, squee!!!! He couldn't help himself, I think, and that took her off guard. And yes, that felt intimate :-)

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That scene when Eunsung told her kittens that she's sorry because she'll get a new dad just wrenched my heart. Especially when Jihoon looked at her with such a guilty expression. It's like he truly tried to put some distance between them, but literally can't because Eunsung has become too important in his life.

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Thank U for the recap,(: LollyPiP :)!
Luv it!...

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I love how Ji hoon and hye soo interaction in this ep . . . they looked naturally comfortable, and I think the gossip waiter actually saw them, she saw the tilted glass door and she went on mirroring herself there, she has to saw that all,
and I love how Hye Soo said she didn't knew why they had to hide, it just feel like the right thing to do,
that exactly what I want to hear in almost hiding scene in Kdrama, you know you just feel it better if people didn't know just because it seems less trouble even if you at the time just act instinctively.

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I love the way this episode ended. Ji hoon could not declare his feelings more plainly and openly to Hye soo than the way he took her in his arms when he knew she was feeling down and at her wits end. The way he worried about her, practically went nuts when he couldn't find her shows that he has acknowledged his feelings to himself at least. I do hope that this couple can find their happy ending. I love this episode and the next one. I've watched them both multiple times this week, I can't wait for Saturday to come.

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I am so invested in this show and all the characters.. (well except for Ji Hoon's family).

The amount of skinship and cuteness in this episode though <3 <3 <3 :D :D :D finallly the payoff has come!!

UEE is doing such a great job.. I feel like she IS Hye Soo. She really makes this character come to life.

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Yes uee did a freat job epecialy the scene when she break doun in the bus station

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Reading this doesn't help me with impatiently waiting for the next episode! The only remaining drama that I'm watching. It even made me watch Grandpas Over Flowers because of Seojinnie.

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Same with me! I watch Grandpas Over Flowers & Three Meals A Day just to see his dimples.

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This episode was a little sad but also full of romance between jihoon and hyesoo... I hope they start their relationship sooooon
Thanks for recap... I enjoy as I read it

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LollyPip! You've done an outstanding job with this recap. and the show for me tops DOTS in every aspect!
#happyendingplease

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This is one interesting drama. So many things lacking but a lot of things stirs you up. I'd say the little girl is the heart of this drama, she managed to portray innocence and maturity of a kid with rough childhood. For LSJ, as much as I find him adorable as a grumpy ahjussi with golden heart, I must say Ive seen him portray this like million times. Uee's last role is also kinda similar although she growth a lot here portraying the single mom struggle. Her interactions with ES always tugs my heart.

For ethical reason, im kinda having a hard time supporting the sugery although by rough logic HS is gonna die anyway so it shouldnt be a problem that she donated/sold her organ. It's only a matter of time but still doesn't sound right.

My prediction is MR will find out HS condition before anyone else (that still don't know) and moved by her sacrifice for her daughter, she also sees how JH really falls in love with HS and knew the surgery will make HS condition worse. She then cancelled the surgery since thats the only thing she can do to make up the years she was missing in her son life. HS gets treatment, we gets couple of 'scares' scene where its implied HS was died but it turns out she is still alive and gets her happy ending together with JH and ES, maybe a new baby too. Credit rolls, everyone happy, heh.

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Thank you Lolypip, great recap with the addition of what Saya referenced about "key to freedom". The desperation of Hye Soo was so clear to see as she searched at the bus garage. Her character is so "level-headed" and hard-working, and yet,we see she is still human. I felt for her, she was hopeless, the culmination of everything being lost, it was agonizing to watch. Then when she arrives back and Ji Hoon embraces her, that must of done something to her even for a moment even though it was unexpected, she hopefully felt like someone who was involved cared about her, however she did not let it show. I am curious when she will allow herself to be off guard about her feelings.

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Love this drama for me is the best till now. Love how the development of the story line and the feeling as well

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Haha I really like Soo-chang as a side character. He is a tough cookie and his interactions with Ho-Joon are funny. Like when he said to his staff members "don't feed him" or here grapping him and saying without warning "let's go drink soju".

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