52

Introverted Boss: Episode 10

Hwan-ki finds himself at a crossroads where the need to protect the ones he loves makes him face the best and worst parts of himself. As Woo-il’s well-oiled survival instincts kick in, simmering rivalries in Brain surface again. Now, Hwan-ki has to weigh his fear of attention against his need to have Ro-woon close.

 
EPISODE 10: “The Pointless Yet Most Helpful Confession”

Hwan-ki cooks for Yi-soo, who visits him at the penthouse. She asks him to congratulate her on her upcoming wedding, but Hwan-ki just says: “Do you have to marry him?”

“I will marry him,” answers Yi-soo, and then says that if he doesn’t congratulate her, she’ll be very unhappy. Hwan-ki falls silent.

Yi-soo sits in her room and rings up Woo-il, asking him out on a date. He demurs and says he has work, and as always, Yi-soo cheerfully tells him she understands while hiding her hurt.

Woo-il is at the small theater where Silent Monster is holding a grand opening with a horror theme. He spies Hwan-ki and Ro-woon sitting close together while Ro-woon puts ghostly make up on Hwan-ki’s face. The awareness between them is apparent from a distance, and Woo-il turns to leave.

Just then, Yi-soo arrives and says she decided to have her date with him while he works. She takes Woo-il’s arm right when Ro-woon comes out of the room. She sees them and extends congratulations on the wedding, but then her eyes fall on Yi-soo’s necklace.

Ro-woon blurts out that she has exactly the same one, and Woo-il remembers drunkenly giving Ji-hye the necklace he’d bought for Yi-soo. Yi-soo smiles and says that the necklace has a special significance to her, at which point, Woo-il abruptly excuses himself and leaves the theater with Yi-soo.

They arrive at a radio broadcast station where Assemblyman Eun is being interviewed, and Woo-il shakes hands with the producer after being assured that only approved questions will be asked.

But the very first question asked by the interviewer is: “Didn’t you pass down the company to your son?” Woo-il looks at the producer, who shrugs. They’re on air now, and there’s little anyone can do to interfere.

The assemblyman explains that Hwan-ki used to be one of the CEOs but has stepped down now. The interviewer is persistent as he mentions that the current CEO is his son-in-law. He presses the politician about passing down businesses to family members of privileged upbringing.

Assemblyman Eun saves face by revealing that Woo-il was raised in an orphanage. As Woo-il sits stunned with a helpless Yi-soo beside him, the assemblyman toots his own horn about helping talented young men from poor backgrounds rise up in life.

Woo-il wonders if this is why the assemblyman was in a hurry to announce their wedding before his election. He leaves the studio room and washes his face in the bathroom and comes out to find Yi-soo waiting, but can’t look at her. He tells her that he’ll be away for a while, and when she stops him, he tells her he can’t face her… and he can’t go on like this.

Woo-il apologizes and leaves. After a stunned moment, Yi-soo runs after him. She finds him as Woo-il crosses a street, but when she tries to follow, the light changes. Yi-soo watches Woo-il walk away and thinks to herself that he can’t leave, he has to stay. From the corner of her eyes, she sees a car speeding towards her. Yi-soo closes her eyes tightly and walks straight into its path.

Woo-il stops as screeching tires and a loud crash are heard behind him. He looks back to see Yi-soo’s prone body lying on the road, blood seeping out of her head.

Ro-woon meets Reporter Woo and hands him her press release for the horror theater. He asks if she’s found out anything about Mr. Smith, which reminds Ro-woon that she hasn’t received any flowers recently. Her friend asks her if she intends to stay at Brain and give up performing for good.

This makes Ro-woon realize that though Mr. Smith hasn’t sent any flowers in a while, she didn’t even notice. She walks to her house and thinks to herself that looking for her secret admirer was just an excuse. “What was I doing?” she asks herself. “Did I want to be complimented by him or something?”

Ro-woon thinks of all the times she did something for Hwan-ki or looked forward to his arrival or prompted him to say something nice to her. She looks at her employee badge, while back at the penthouse, Hwan-ki looks at her number on his phone.

He makes the call, and Ro-woon receives it with surprise. “You did a good job,” he tells her. “And also… thank you for staying by my side.” Without waiting for an answer, he hangs up on the amazed Ro-woon, who’s now smiling to himself.

Ro-woon comes home at the stroke of midnight, her father sighing to himself as he tries to nonchalantly hide that he was waiting for her to come home. As always, he asks: “Have you eaten?”

Ro-woon stops and says that she got a job at a PR agency. She goes in, and her father smiles slightly to himself.

Hwan-ki gets the call about Yi-soo’s accident (suicide attempt?) and arrives at the hospital to see Woo-il sitting beside her. She opens her eyes and tells Woo-il that she didn’t see the change in traffic light.

The doctor tells Hwan-ki that Yi-soo’s injury isn’t serious, just a cracked rib, but the more worrying discovery was the scars they found on her thighs. The doctor asked if he knew that she’d tried to injure herself and he admits that he did. (Oh god.) Hwan-ki asks that this information be kept secret.

He sits with Woo-il in the hospital hallway, and Woo-il admits that he told her that he was leaving. Hwan-ki realizes that Yi-soo had jumped in front of the car on purpose, but doesn’t say so aloud. Woo-il says he feels this is his fault, but Hwan-ki stops him and pleads with him to stay with Yi-soo for now.

Hwan-ki apologizes for asking it of him, but he explains that Yi-soo needs Woo-il right now. In return, Woo-il asks Hwan-ki to fire Ro-woon.

Ro-woon arrives in office and stands in front of Hwan-ki’s massive office doors. She thinks to herself that initially, she wanted to open these doors at all costs, then at some point, she began waiting for them to open. Then, she was all right with them staying closed at times, and finally… She thinks back to Hwan-ki’s phone call. Finally, she thinks, he unexpectedly opened the door from inside.

Ro-woon sighs and steps back from the door, just as Hwan-ki really opens the door and comes out. He blocks her entrance and she looks at him shyly. Then — still working with her door metaphor — she asks him if she can come inside.

Before Hwan-ki can say anything, the Silent Monster staff comes out and informs her that she’s been reassigned. Se-jong hands her all her things in a box. Hwan-ki pulls up his hood and walks off, leaving Ro-woon flabbergasted.

She follows him to the elevator and asks him to explain. Hwan-ki thinks back to his conversation with Woo-il: Woo-il had pointed out that though Hwan-ki was asking him to stay with someone he didn’t love, Hwan-ki was trying to keep Ro-woon by his side. He has also said that sooner or later Yi-soo would find out about Ji-hye if Ro-woon remained in the office.

Knowing Hwan-ki had no concrete intentions regarding Ro-woon, Woo-il had directed him to step back and do nothing, and that he would find a way to fire Ro-woon.

Hwan-ki can’t meet Ro-woon’s eyes in the present and closes the elevator door on her face. She goes out drinking with Yoo-hee and Sun-bong that night and tells them she didn’t sense any impending reassignment during Hwan-ki’s call the night before. She’s clearly still pumped about the call, but it turns out Hwan-ki had called Yoo-hee and Sun-bong too. Heh.

Yoo-hee had received the call while her children made noise in the background, so she hadn’t heard him. But Sun-bong had a long one-sided conversation after receiving Hwan-ki’s compliment, where he explained his ideas about another project in excruciating detail.

Se-jong arrives and makes it clear that he got the same call as well, completely deflating Ro-woon. Everyone asks after Kyo-ri, who enters the restaurant looking deeply uncomfortable in flashy, expensive clothes and bold makeup. It becomes clear that the makeover was Se-jong’s idea, and Ro-woon huffs in frustration.

Ro-woon goes back to office wondering why Hwan-ki reassigned her. She notices Woo-il in his office and decides to ask him — only, she’s lost her special privileges now, and is stopped by her superiors who explain the office hierarchy to her.

Ro-woon is shown to an isolated office cubicle filled with paperwork. She’s told to go through all the articles and find relevant ones for their client by the morning.

In the meanwhile, Hwan-ki is seeing Ro-woon everywhere. Everyone in Silent Monster notices, and Sun-bong tells him to bring her back if he misses Ro-woon so much. Yoo-hee asks Hwan-ki to have lunch with the staff, but he politely tells her that he has plans and remembers to thank her.

Ro-woon finishes her work and gets up to find that everyone else has left. Yeon-jung walks in just then and tells Ro-woon she’s here to see Hwan-ki.

Hwan-ki sits alone in his office as someone saved as “kindergarten” calls Yoo-hee’s phone. She must have left it behind. Ro-woon walks in, and Hwan-ki tells himself that it isn’t really her. As he stands there blankly, Yeon-jung enters the room and walks up to him.

As Ro-woon wonders if she’s Hwan-ki’s girlfriend, Hwan-ki asks her why she’s there. Ro-woon explains that she thought she’d be having lunch with him. Then, as Yeon-jung apologetically shows the packed lunch she brought, Ro-woon explains that she meant her colleagues — the boss and her just exchange greetings, and they don’t even do that now. Looking almost tearful, Ro-woon leaves.

Hwan-ki sits with Yeon-jung, picking at his food. His thoughts linger on Ro-woon’s forlorn face, and he realizes she didn’t have anyone to lunch with. Yeon-jung asks what he’s thinking about, and he explains that he’s worried about an employee.

She suggests that he send the employee away, and when he says that he already has, she tells him to bring her back. Yeon-jung astutely guesses that he’s worried about the girl she met earlier, and says that he’s doing better than she’d thought he would, in caring about an employee instead of hiding.

She tells him not to wait too long to bring Ro-woon back, and tells him to take herself for an example: “Hitting on someone too late doesn’t work too well.” But when Hwan-ki offers to introduce her to Woo-il’s team since his team can only handle one project at a time (she’s trying to hire him to do work for her), she says that she’ll use personal instead of work reasons to get close to him then.

Yoo-hee’s phone rings again, and Yeon-jung points out that it might be urgent, so Hwan-ki takes the call. Turns out that Yoo-hee’s son is complaining of a pain and the school wants him picked up. Hwan-ki arrives at the kindergarten, but the teacher is reluctant to release the child to an unidentified man.

Yoo-hee, in the meantime, is visiting Ro-woon at her exiled post. At Ro-woon’s grumbling, she explains her theory that Hwan-ki was doing Ro-woon a favor by giving her a position in the main company, since Silent Monster will likely be dissolved in the future.

Ro-woon gets a call from Hwan-ki, who’s trying to reach Yoo-hee. Once the teacher gets assured by Yoo-hee that Hwan-ki is trustworthy, he grabs the kid and runs to his car. On their way to the hospital, Hwan-ki puts Yoo-hee on speakerphone so she can calm her crying son down and find out where he’s hurting. But Yoo-hee starts wailing as well, and Hwan-ki has to calm them both himself.

Hwan-ki correctly guesses that it’s constipation, and Yoo-hee arrives at the hospital to find her son being treated. Impressed at how quickly he figured out what was going on with the kid, Ro-woon asks if he’s telepathic. Hwan-ki admits that he used to be embarrassed to go to the bathroom during daycare too.

Yi-soo gets a message from Woo-il telling her that he’s dropping in for a visit, and this sends her into a panic. She shifts her IV drip to a wheelchair and tries to hurry out of her room, but is caught by Woo-il. As he tries to get her back to her room, Yi-soo coldly tells him to leave her alone.

Surprised, Woo-il agrees, but says he’ll leave after she’s back in bed. This crumples her, and Yi-soo admits that he hasn’t washed her hair recently. Laughing with relief, Woo-il takes her back to her room and washes her hair.

After tying up the towel in her hair, he asks if they still have to be this careful around each other. Yi-soo tells him that she knows he doesn’t see her as a woman, so she has to try harder. She tells him that she can’t let him go, and that since her father uses him, Woo-il should use their marriage to get ahead.

Hwan-ki cooks for Yoo-hee and her kids at her house, while Yoo-hee and Ro-woon watch. Yoo-hee asks Ro-woon if this transformation is through the power of love, which confuses her. As Hwan-ki tries excusing himself, the two boys plead with him to stay, so they all sit down to a meal.

Ro-woon says she can’t drink beer since she drove, and Yoo-hee tells Hwan-ki that he can drive Ro-woon home. She ends this with a wink directed at Hwan-ki, which makes his eyes twitch oddly. He catches sight of a wall of scribbles, and Yoo-hee tells him it’s the work of her son.

Yoo-hee apologizes for the mess, but Hwan-ki notices a story in the drawings — a child’s “present” day. He says that Yoo-hee’s son is trying to tell her something. Yoo-hee thinks back to a few days back when she scolded her son for drawing on the wall and never saying anything.

She asks her son if he’s trying to tell her to come to his “present” day, and he nods. She sighs that it’s the same day as a client’s presentation in their office. Ro-woon volunteers to do it for her, but Yoo-hee points out that she’s not part of their team any more. Ro-woon looks at Hwan-ki, who quickly looks away.

Hwan-ki looks at the disappointed faces of the kids and volunteers to do the presentation himself. Yoo-hee and Ro-woon are elated at this, and the kids rejoice.

While Hwan-ki drives Ro-woon home, she thinks back to Yoo-hee’s reference to the power of love, and asks: “Boss, do you love Yoo-hee?”

At his denial, she explains that love makes people do useless things like volunteering to present when he’s never done it before. He says: “The person who makes me do useless things is someone else.” Pfft.

Ro-woon asks if it’s the lady who visited him at the office, and Hwan-ki says no, not now. Before she can think too deeply into the “not now,” he clearly says it’s not Yeon-jung. Ro-woon pipes down with a smile.

Of course, at the next signal, she starts asking who it is again, and if she knows the person — Ro-woon says she wants to thank her for taking care of Hwan-ki. Then she smiles at him, and Hwan-ki nearly snorts in her face. Ro-woon has a bit of green stuck on her teeth, accentuating her broad smile.

His thoughts go into hyper drive, as he tries to suppress his laughter: He should ignore it, but how can he ignore it when her red lips make the green leaf stand out so much? He should tell her, but how can he tell her without embarrassing her?

His stare keeps going to Ro-woon’s mouth, until Ro-woon begins to wonder if the “person” is her. He finally says, “It’s the green light,” and points to his lips. To Ro-woon, this looks like he’s giving her the green signal to kiss him, and she asks, “Right now? Here?” Hwan-ki promises not to look. (Oh my lols. Why are these two so funny?)

He politely shuts his eyes to let her pick her teeth, but Ro-woon shifts close and puckers up to place a kiss on his lips. Then the signal on the road changes, and the cars around them begin to honk. Hwan-ki opens his eyes to find Ro-woon inches away from him.

Ro-woon moves back, embarrassed, and protests: “You’re the one who confessed. Why are you asking me for a kiss?” Hwan-ki blinks at her in confusion as she adds that her feelings for him aren’t there yet. Then, he realizes the misunderstanding, and instead of trying another roundabout explanation, he pulls down the mirror and tells her to smile at it.

Ro-woon finally notices the leaf, and runs out of the car in mortification. Belatedly, Hwan-ki realizes that Ro-woon had been about to kiss him and wonders what just happened.

Back in his penthouse, he swivels in his chair and recalls her words: “My feelings for you aren’t there yet.” Then where are they, he asks himself futilely. The only thing he realizes clearly is that those “feelings” are definitely coming along.

As Ro-woon reaches her home, writhing in embarrassment, Reporter Woo steps out of the shadows. He asks if she likes Hwan-ki and has forgotten that he drove her sister to her death. In the face of her silence, he tells her to get Hwan-ki out of her life.

The next morning, Ro-woon walks into the office with her resignation letter in hand, only to hear Woo-il’s team discussing the project Hwan-ki is supposed to present to the client. Hwan-ki meets Woo-il and asks why he’s taking over a Silent Monster project. Woo-il says that while Hwan-ki is exceptionally capable, he can’t do presentations, and this client is important for Brain.

Hwan-ki asks what happens if he does the presentation… without Woo-il. Woo-il asks if he’s implying that he’s been a roadblock for Hwan-ki all these years. Hwan-ki says that if he pulls off the presentation, then Woo-il will have to send Ro-woon back to Silent Monster. Woo-il puts a counter challenge: If Hwan-ki does the presentation, then Woo-il will do one too, that way Brain will have a backup when Hwan-ki fails.

Se-jong hears much of this and realizes that the two friends are fighting over Ro-woon.

In the penthouse, Hwan-ki has to convince his team that he’ll definitely do the presentation. When alone, he practices in front of the mirror in his bathrobe. Ro-woon watches him then intercedes, telling him to put on his jacket and meet her outside. In the night air, she encourages him to run, but all Hwan-ki can see are her lips, which had been so close to kissing him the night before.

Finding him staring, she gets behind him and pushes him to run while discretely checking her teeth for food debris. They stop at a point overlooking the city, where Ro-woon gives him pointers for standing with confidence. She tells him to flex his legs and stand so he can’t be knocked off his feet, then fakes a punch to the face to check.

Hwan-ki falls back, and Ro-woon catches him in her arms. They stare into each other’s eyes until they break apart awkwardly. Ro-woon explains that she’s trying to help him, and calls him “Boss.” Hwan-ki suddenly says that he never liked being called that.

He explains that he didn’t think he deserved the title. Ro-woon asks if that’s why he kicked her out. Hwan-ki tells her not to bother staying by his side, and gets scolded by Ro-woon for talking down to himself. She says that she was grateful for being part of her team, and silently adds that this is her last gift to him. She offers to train him to overcome stage fright and extends a fist to seal the deal, which he bumps with a smile.

Cue practice montage, as Ro-woon slowly builds up Hwan-ki’s posture and volume when he speaks. He does mock presentations in front of the team, where his voice keeps dipping, but they keep practicing his delivery.

On the day of the final rehearsal, he puts on a suit, and looking sharp, walks out in front of the team. He introduces himself confidently, earning applause from everyone. But then they wait for the next line, and Hwan-ki stands there fidgeting. With much effort, he pushes out a few words of the painstaking practice speech while everyone sits down in disappointment.

Hwan-ki falls silent, then turns and leaves. He walks into his bathroom and yells out his deep frustration. Ro-woon follows in and tells him that it’s nearly time. He looks up with red rimmed eyes and apologizes for wasting her effort.

Ro-woon sighs and tells him that she was going to resign after the presentation, but she might as well say her goodbyes now, if he won’t speak. Surprised, he asks why, and Ro-woon thinks to herself that she had opened a door she shouldn’t have.

As a final favor, she asks him to do the presentation regardless of consequences. She approaches him where he sits on the rim of the tub, and tells him to only look at her while he presents and pretend there is no one else in the hall.

She sits by him and takes his hand while he looks at her with a pained expression. She laughs and pulls him, trying to get him to stand, but he accidentally jars something and the shower turns on. Startled, they sit there getting soaked, until Hwan-ki looks up at Ro-woon.

They are inches apart, and something in the air changes. Hwan-ki thinks back to Woo-il saying that he always steps back and just watches. His hand moves up to Ro-woon’s face and he pulls her in for a soft kiss. Ro-woon pulls back at first, but when Hwan-ki goes in for a deeper kiss, she closes her eyes and falls into it.

 
COMMENT

Phew. This guy. I could watch him kiss a wall, but Ro-woon is infinitely better. I have been completely won over by Ro-woon and Hwan-ki’s chemistry in the last two episodes. While the initial road to Ro-woon’s sympathy with Hwan-ki was rocky at best, I can now understand how this easy interplay between two strong comic actors would attract the creators of the show to this casting. They just took their sweet time bringing it out on screen.

As I’ve said before, the show did Ro-woon a disfavor by introducing her to us as almost an antagonist, a character whose sole purpose was to torment and misunderstand Hwan-ki. For a period of time, Ro-woon lacked any other dimension, and that made it hard to sympathize with her. But now the puzzle pieces of her past have had time to settle into place, and her real character has undergone the litmus test of revenge and came out much more balanced. The only thing left wanting was a connection with Hwan-ki that would really sell us on their romance. And here, the show has outdone itself by using their wonderful ease with each other to build a camaraderie that feels real.

The “green light” confession is going down as my favorite not-a-confession scene in all of K-drama history. And this is why I watch these shows. How they come up with moments so ridiculous yet telling, I’ll never know. I adored the fact that in a very real sense, the show had Ro-woon confess her own feelings before Hwan-ki could admit his own. It’s only fair, given that Hwan-ki is perennially feeling wrong-footed by his lady love.

We got a very important answer in this episode, and I’m glad at how organically it came out. As fair minded as Hwan-ki is, his silence on Yi-soo and Woo-il’s relationship has always struck me as odd. I assumed he stayed out of it because he didn’t feel capable of supporting his sister through her grief, but it makes more sense that he remained quiet to save her life. His sister needs psychiatric help, but short of having her institutionalized, Hwan-ki’s only option is probably to hope Yi-soo ends the relationship on her own. Asking Woo-il to stay with Yi-soo is clearly the wrong move, yet it also felt like his last attempt at preserving the status quo. Woo-il is finally growing a spine and trying to break out of the deathly grip of his family, and Hwan-ki knows perfectly well that this is not a clock that can be turned back.

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , , ,

52

Required fields are marked *

Yun Woo Jin was incredible in this last scene! So much feelings but frustration and sadness were so true! It hit the right spot!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

He did kiss a wall once. Shin Se kyung, her name was. hahaha.. in the most awkward kiss/love scene of all time. Yeon Woo Jin is simply adorkable!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

“He did kiss a wall once. Shin Se kyung, her name was.”

Lmaoooooo!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I decided to give Introverted Boss a shot last night and ended up marathoning it in one sitting. I cheated a little though, having read some of the negative comments, and jumped right into ep6.

I don't usually watch dramas this way, but I was so put out by the criticism of earlier eps, that I figured I may as well start midway to avoid hating on characters who, it seems, weren't very likeable prior to the change in writing. And I think I made the right decision because it looks like I jumped into the show right when the tone shifted from darker revenge territory to being more comedic and lighthearted.

Despite skipping the earlier eps, I was surprised by how quickly I warmed up to some of the characters - especially the office workers and their interaction with the socially awkward boss. I've read comments that he was painted as a more complex character to begin with but they toned him down along with Ro-woon's character. And perhaps I might have been disappointed with the character trajectory had I watched it from the very beginning, but because I've nothing to compare it to, watching it from ep6 feels like I'm watching a drama progress the way it was intended from the outset.

The chemistry is there, the acting is great, and I'm loving the heartwarming interactions of the professional world too.

And because I didn't experience the complexity of the initial eps, I found myself enjoying the flow of ep 6-10 like it was a whole new drama.

And talk about ending it on a steamy note!! Hwan-ki is pure <3<3<3

0
8
reply

Required fields are marked *

Something else I'm really enjoying about this show is the dialogue - they're so well crafted. I remember enjoying Marriage not dating for its dialogue too. Always gets you in the feels!

Thank you for the recap, festerfaster! x

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

*it's so well crafted.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Obviously, Hwan-ki is the most interesting character but his interactions with others make them interesting too. I am, for example, thinking about Sun Bong. I just find their bonding so cute haha

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeah, although they have different personalities, its cute that both have same inner monologues.telepathically chemistry bromance

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

It really makes me happy to see so many giving this show a chance. I really do think it's worth it, despite the flaws here and there.

I was a huge MnD fan, which I think led to me being a bit disappointed with the first few eps of this, especially since I found the first few eps of MnD to be particularly strong. But that's also a huge reason why I was willing to have faith in this show's creators to pull it together and give us something great.

Something that's kept me coming back to the show since the beginning has been Hwan-ki's inner monologues, which have been truly well-written and hilarious from the beginning and only continue to get better. I can't wait to see the ones we'll get now, as he awkwardly trys to navigate his romance with Ro-woon. It's going to be fantastic!

1
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ah, his inner monologues are gold!! And I've got to say, I can't imagine anyone but Yeon Woo-jin in Hwan-ki's role. He strikes a great balance between wanting to remain in his shell whilst desperately trying to escape it, and his expressions capture all those inner conflicts perfectly. Love watching the guy act, period!

Yeh, I did think that it couldn't be all that bad, especially knowing that it was coming from the same team who wrote marriage not dating. It was simply a matter of giving it a chance, and hanging in there it seems. But perhaps that's what threw a lot of people off, coz as you said, Marriage not dating started out pretty strong, and remained consistently so. Ah well, it's a learning curve for the writers, I guess.

Another thing, I actually rather like the female lead in this; her acting's not at all as green as people made out to be, especially in the last two eps - she really shines when doing comedy, but I even enjoyed some of her more subtle moments. She may not be as nuanced as Yeon woo-jin, but I'm sure that will come with experience. For now though, I'd say she's holding up her end pretty well.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

On Park Hye Soo the female lead - I think she was quite lacking in the beginning, because she is still quite inexperience. Especially when her character written that way... But I am glad they re-write her character. She is good, and I know she has potential to grow big when the right time comes. Her performance in Age of Youth was also great. Park probably better than some experienced young actressess / idol-actress and she is taking all the criticisms professionally. I may not huge fan of her as an actress but i really love her as a person. She has both talents in singing and acting, and I know she will grow bigger in the future. She is cute and pretty too. I hope she wont loss weight, I like that she is a little chubby now. ?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

MND started strong but after second half I found myself bored. And now I love this drama more than MND. ?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Phew. How hot was that shower kiss?! More of this please. Hee. :)

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

If that kiss is one of his fantasies of what he wants to do and actually hasn't done yet... then I am going to loose my ever loving S*&T and toss my laptop.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

* lose

damn you autocorrect!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

+1
Lol

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeon Woo-jin's acting when Hwan-ki breaks down in the bathroom is just wonderful, he really is the perfect actor for this character. And that kiss....whoo!!! ?????

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

They are inches apart, and something in the air changes

Shower steam ?

That scene was contrived and corny even by kdrama first-kiss standards, which is saying A LOT.

And after all those kdrama shower scenes with only men, *that* was what someone finally does instead ?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Amen. I mean, let's be real, who gets unexpectedly sprayed with water and just sits there and let's the water keep running?

Cheesy ans unrealistic. I could have enjoyed the kiss more if they had shut off the spray, laughed awkwardly, and then done the typical stare-at-each-other's-faces-for-a-billion-awkward-moments before going in for the kiss.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Silly Passenger Car of Doom can't even get the job done when the pedestrian is TRYING to get squished!? Where was ToD when he was actually wanted?

1
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

ToD cannot accept to be used by a character like that. If the victim wants it, that spoils the fun. ToD likes to separate lovers by death or amnesia... If the other one isn't even in love, what's the point?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Excellent. I totally agree that ToD has higher standards than to be used like that.

Plus, as a seasoned kdrama veteran, where's its opportunity for growth as a character? Hit the whiny second lead forcing the man she wants back to her (without any amnesia even) ... where's the challenge in that?

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Actually, amnesia would be helping Woo-il to escape from doom! There is no way that ToD would go with that plan!

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

ToD love good guys. Its a bless from god, a chance to meet each other in the heaven.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Outstanding! This episode was perfect! I wish the ratings were higher ! The crew and actors need lots of love!

One of the best kiss scene ever!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

So mad that Hwang Gi asked Woo Il to stay with his sister, and I don't even like Woo Il. I'm so frustrated by how people treat mental illness. I completely blame their parents but honestly Hwang Gi needs to stand up for his sister and get her help not indulge her. Woo Il can't fix her problem and she's not realising that herself. Come on.

In other news. That was a great kiss.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I've always suspected that Yi Soo has deep, dark demons, compared to her, Hwan Ki is a beacon of mental health development.

Their parents really did dem strong tins, Chai!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap @festerfaster! I'm with you on all points - I feel this show has finally hit its stride, which is such a damn shame given we're already halfway through and that its lost so many viewers already :(

Despite its teething problems, I must be one of the few who continued rooting for the show ever since the start, and I feel like our patience has finally be rewarded. The comedic timing was on point from the two mains, especially the 'spinach in teeth' scene (I was cringing so hard I had to hide behind a cushion out 2nd hand embarrassment for Ro Woon!) and the boy-girl reversed 'catch me when I fall' cliche which just really tickled me!

I also had trouble buying into their chemistry up until now, but this episode had me sold, especially through cute moments like when they teased each other (Ro Woon mimicking his "Eun Kwan Ki imnida" and him mimicking her mocking him - ha!).

And don't get me started on the kiss scene. I'd rather have spinach stuck in my teeth than admit to how many times I've watched (and rewatched) the last minute of this episode. SWOON. This show is my first outing with Yeon Woo Jin, and though I've been falling hard since a couple of episodes back (Was it the all-black Doc Martens ensemble? Or how cute is he with kids?!), this really sealed the deal.

Onwards and upwards, show! Introverted Boss mansei! x

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Me too! First outing with Yeon Woo Jin, fell in love already....through recaps! I'm a gonna. When I finally watch, I'll be suppressing squeals every time he appears on screen.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Poor Yi Soo is just as damaged as her brother but she has no outlet for her pain. The parents have set up this nasty, toxic triangle where Hwan Ki, Woo-il, and Yi Soo are made to depend on and/or tear each other down while they (the parents) benefit. Someone save her.

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Every time Hwan Ki stares at Chae Ro Woon's lips, I'm having palpitations. Seriously, I've never really thought of Yeon Woo Jin "hot" before but his portrayal of Hwan Ki is giving me the feels. And don't get me started on the kiss scene...

On another note, I'm enjoying the interactions between the Silent Monster employees and how they are gradually changing how they perceive Hwan Ki and trying to help him with his weaknesses. I particularly like Sun Bong right now and hope for more bromance with Hwan Ki.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Park Hye Soo has such a beautiful voice! I watched Hidden mask singer with her and she's amazing :-D

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes agreee. She was in Kpop star, although she was not in the top 10 list. As I know she sang ost for Yong Pal and Lucky Romance. Her voice is so lovely.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

her song for YongPal OST part 6 is constantly playing on my phone.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Same. I wish she will do more ost in the future.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I have been enjoying this show to varying degrees since the first episode, and I steadily love Hwan-ki more and more. This is my first drama with Yeon Woo-jin; I will definitely be looking for more!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

My love for hwan-ki increase directly proportional to the number of episode and by the end of story, It would be infinity.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm starting to wonder whether this writer-director pair know what Yeon Woo-jin + water does to me. No, seriously. The first time he actually became attractive to me was in MnD when he swept his wet hair back in the hotel doorway before barging into Jang-mi's life. And then that ending kiss in the rain! I genuinely have thought to myself, on many occasions while rewatching MnD, how Yeon Woo-jin looks best drenched in water, grapefruit juice, anything. And then they gave me this scene. Like, what am I even supposed to do with myself now? I guess watch it again. Ok, I can do that ;)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

*producers see your confession and giggle mischievously*.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Shower kiss scene ??? More to come pleaseeee. If possible bed scene also lol ??

This episode is too hilarious, especially the car's scene. hahaha.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

lol @Sera, bed scenes! Be careful, that's soft core porn level *snort*.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hahahahahahaha.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well, I'm right there with you. Bed scenes!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love this show i love the kiss scene and in the car was funny to i love it all

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

phewww!!! to me,, the drama was so boring at first, because of the revenge syndrome....but after i watched episode 9/10, i was like....."this drama got it. and i think a love triangle is breeding..(or it has already bred). to be frank, i was praying for a kiss and i got a sweet, and romantic one(but i don't know what's gonna happen next.)!.. anyways......i know episode 11 is gonna be something else.... and i can't wait!!!!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The shower kiss is da bomb! So much feels!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm one of the few who has watched and enjoyed this show from the beginning because I gave the writers the benefit of the doubt that the characters would grow and change. And change they have!!!

This show just gets better with each episode. And that kiss! It happened to replay *cough cough* a few times on my iPad. Whew!!! There certainly was some sizzling chemistry there. But no preview? Come ON!!!! I was yelling when it was done - NO fair!!!!!

So many things to comment on, but the rest of you have said for the most part what I think.
Things are gonna start getting even more interesting now. I hope that Ro-woon opens up and admit that she does really like Hwan-ki. When that happens then we will have to address the rest of the plot.

I will admit a great deal of surprise to hear that Yi Soo has been hurting herself. How does that tie in with the suspicion that she might be responsible for the "suicide"? This part of the story is confusing to me. Obviously, she is mentally ill and so is a sad person - but so sick to drive someone else to their death? I wonder if the father might have something to do with this. Her brother protecting her instead of getting her help is a BAD decision all around.
And Woo Il just gets worse with each episode. I don't know if I should hate him or pity him.

Hwan-ki is such a cutie - and the looks on his face as he does all that mental gymnastics. I'm going to have to go back and rewatch MND for that water scene. And Park Hye Soo is just getting better with each show. She is adorable and a wonderfully strong, confident young woman. The perfect match for Hwan Ki.

Anyway - this show has become my new crack and I've watched each episode at least twice. For all of you who are waiting - watch it from the beginning and make up your own mind!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Her brother protecting her instead of getting her help is a BAD decision all around.

But a common one for abusive families - or families where a parent has an alcohol problem. Kids learn to take care of their own/sibling issues because the alternative is bigger problems or loss of the home.

Makes for really screwed-up adults, sometimes.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Me too. I watched this drama from ep 1 all the way to now. I already know from the start that the characters will change, so I enjoyed the show. I still cannot understand why the Korean viewers couldn't accept the female character's actions.

She has to start somewhere wrong in order to learn along the way and do things right.

For Yi Soo, I think she is extreme. She desperately wants to gain the favour of Woo-il and is at the same time deeply hurt by his nonchalance towards her. Similar to her brother, she keeps all thoughts and emotions to herself (even if she seems outward and extrovert). When she cannot hold it anymore, she hurts herself and her brother knows it.

Perhaps he has seen her done it and so he is silent on his sister and Woo-il's ill-fated relationship. He hopes that things will only get better with time.

He avoids upsetting the status quo, just like how he tends to escape when he could not overcome his fear, hiding behind the hood that shields him.

Ro-woon is slowly pulling him out of the shell and forcing him to make decisions, just like how he decided to do the presentation because he wanted to bring her back to his team. However, when he could not overcome his fear at the final rehearsal, he escaped again. Just that this time Ro-woon did not allow him to escape. She is changing him, like how he is changing her as well. Her misunderstanding towards him is being dissolved as she comes to know him better.

I am literally screaming at their kiss! So hot I feel :P

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I can't say everything I want to on this topic.

But Yi Soo is evil!

She's worse than the dad at this point. I know people who struggle with self-harm, doesn't give you reason to harm others. I know people who have been manipulated, doesn't give you reason and right to manipulate others. I know what it feels like to be depressed and then content, kinda think she might have bipolar ii with suicidal thoughts, but you can't demand everyone else be on the same pattern as you.

Because that is what she's doing at this point. She knows Woo-il is hurting and lost, and she wants to keep him in limbo emotionally. So far from what I've seen she preys on the little things, even with her mom. When eomma was discussing botox Yi Soo said "What would dad think?" She knows her father is her mother's emotional Achilles' heel. And she drove the dagger right in.

It seems like she knows the world won't be happy all the time, but her part of the world can't be depressed while she is happy & vice versa.

I know kdramas have a tendency to show mental health issues askewed. We all have mental health, we just don't all have mental health issues. Just like any illness or virus, it's different in everyone. Some people only sneeze and cough while others are doing both of those and throwing up and still others have a different mix-up of symptoms.

Mental health issues is just the same. And unfortunately, Yi Soo is one of the fiercest forms. Even sociopaths can be raised to understand that even though they don't personally feel compassion, there are things one simply cannot do to others.

This beautiful, emotional scarred young lady refused to learn that. Most of true life mental health community help each other, give advice, cheer each other on. I doubt she would given the opportunity.

I'm almost joining the party who believes Yi Soo murdered. Idk if I want to go that far. But something happened besides them looking at each other.

That was still a rant. Sorry.

And I'm open to the drama changing my condemnation of her. If they do it well I might be able to forgive her stunts.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi

So i was googling for written episodes of saimdang-lights diary

When I came across this site and i saw that the recap is exactly same as that of Javabeans.

http://dramacoffee.com/drama/saimdang-lights-diary-episode-1

So i just checked for Introverted boss and found this
http://dramacoffee.com/drama/introverted-boss-episode-9-eng-sub

I dont know the relasionship between the sites just thought if you were not aware i will post here

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gah, am I the only one who found the premise of this kiss too ridiculous and contrived to be believed? The horrendous fall and stumbling into opening the faucet.... unlikely. Beyond that, the first thing ANYONE getting sprayed by water would instinctively do is turn the stupid thing off, not sit there and stare at each other is stunned, frozen surprise. Gah, it is so unbelievable.

Let's rewrite it to be somewhat possible.... He gets startled by her touch on his arm and abruptly leans back, knocking the faucet on. They both scramble to shut it off, inadvertently ending up with her in his lap, the two of them dripping and face to face. Maybe a shocked laugh about the whole thing that suddenly stops as they realize how close they are to each other. And then... our hero makes the move to initiate a slow kiss.

BOOM! SERIOUSLY, writers, is that so hard? And no awkward, unbelievably uncomfortable first kiss with water dripping in your mouth and going up your nose, because really, if anyone has ever made out with someone in the shower, you sure as hell know that it is painfully awkward to be under running water when lip locking.

Not every kiss has to have a gimmick....

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *