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Strong Woman Do Bong-soon: Episode 9

Love isn’t easy when you’re a pint-sized superhero trying to live a quiet life. Bong-soon finally settles the score with Boss Tak as the investigation on Do-bong’s most nefarious criminal ramps up. But despite the chaos around her, it’s Min-hyuk who sends her into disarray. Gook-doo makes two crucial discoveries and in both he finally recognizes that the clues have been around him all along.

 
Episode 9: “Life-risking Love”

Boss Tak and his boys ready themselves to rumble: They start off three at a time but Bong-soon quickly overpowers the first team without breaking a sweat. The second wave sets off and Bong-soon thinks back to Min-hyuk’s advice during their training sessions, where he had told her to look her opponent in the eyes in order to anticipate their movements.

She pulls over her pink hood and puts his words into action, dodging punches and knocking out thugs in quick succession. More men race out, but things are clearly not going as planned as Jaws screams out for his boys to take Bong-soon down.

Min-hyuk arrives first to the warehouse and he hurries in to see Bong-soon jumping around and kicking ass like a deadly spider-monkey.

Bong-soon catches her breath after a round, and for Min-hyuk, her silhouette mirrors the hooded girl from his recurring dream. This time the hood falls away, and Min-hyuk is able to confirm at last that Bong-soon was the one who saved him on the bus that day.

Gook-doo enters shortly after and tries to make sense of the scene before him. The last remaining guys approach Bong-soon, but they’re smart enough to immediately plead for their lives.

They grab onto Bong-soon’s arms as they beg, and she lifts them all at once before launching them across the room. Gook-doo looks like his brain is ready to explode, while Min-hyuk watches on with a mixture of awe and pride.

Bong-soon prepares to finish off the last man standing, Boss Tak. She stares him down as he trembles, but then Kwang-bok emerges from his hiding place behind her. He sneaks up on Bong-soon with a knife in hand.

Min-hyuk and Gook-doo spot Kwang-bok at the same time and sprint forward to stop him. Min-hyuk gets to Bong-soon first, and he jumps in front of her just in time to shield her from the blade. It pierces him instead. Gook-doo follows up with a powerful kick, knocking Kwang-bok into the ground where he punches him over and over.

Min-hyuk slumps over as Bong-soon cradles him in her arms. She sobs as she holds him and puts her hand on his bleeding wound. He puts his hand over hers and shudders from the pain, but his first words are to ask if she’s okay, and then slowly he fades.

A distraught Bong-soon accompanies Min-hyuk to the hospital where the ER doctor determines that Min-hyuk’s wound isn’t that deep and he should be fine, but they’ll run some tests to be sure. Bong-soon hovers over Min-hyuk frantically, as Gook-doo takes notice of her reaction.

She remains at Min-hyuk’s bedside while he sleeps, and cutely prays for him to wake up, promising that she will do whatever he says if he does. He comes to and upon seeing her, the first thing he says is, “It’s a relief that I got stabbed instead of you. And that you didn’t get hurt…” Then his tone suddenly turns light and he adds, “…is what you were thinking, right?”

He starts complaining and asks why he’s in the bed when she’s the bodyguard, haha. He groans in pain with every little movement, causing Bong-soon to fret each time. After throwing a tantrum over the scar he’ll have to live with, he looks over to her and asks seriously if she’s unharmed. His concern lasts about two seconds before he starts freaking out that the surgeons may have accidentally removed one of his organs, because it feels like something’s missing.

Secretary Gong comes in and begins sobbing once he sees Min-hyuk lying in the bed. But Min-hyuk cuts him off to tell him to save his tears until it’s clear that he won’t die of surgery-related complications first, and then he can cry all he wants.

Eventually, he orders Bong-soon to go and get something to eat since she hasn’t had anything all day. When she protests, he tells her, “Do you think I will get better if you starve?” LOL. He assures her that she can take good care of him when she gets back.

As he sends her off, he slowly becomes delirious, alleging that he’s hearing things and in a feeble voice, he asks her to come back quickly to his side, then pretends to pass out. Once she leaves, his eyes pop open and he tells Secretary Gong that he’s A-okay because his wound isn’t that deep, and basically that Secretary Gong can go now.

He orders his secretary (doing his best Yi Soon-shin impersonation), not to tell any of his employees that he was stabbed. (Admiral Yi Sun-shin’s famous last words were to a similar effect. He had instructed his men not to announce his death and weaken his soldiers’ morale after he was fatally shot during the height of the Battle of Noryang.)

Gook-doo sits alone in the lobby and thinks back to that day in high school where he had knowingly told his friend the kind of women he was interested in, in hopes that Bong-soon would overhear and take the hint.

Right before he walked passed Bong-soon he told his friend that he wasn’t interested in the popular girl that liked him. He had said specifically (but we hadn’t heard) that he doesn’t like tall girls. He added the bit that we heard before about liking girls that are like flowers and need protection, as Bong-soon snapped off the water spigot. He thought it was strange how the water began spraying all over the place, but dismissed the thought.

Later, he recalled seeing the night patrol officer swearing to a repairman that a “tiny girl” bent one of the metal high bars. The repairman accused the man of being drunk, and Gook-doo thought nothing of it at the time.

In another instance, their class participated in a tug-of-war, and at first Bong-soon stood on the sidelines as a cheerleader. But after the class lost the first round, she stepped in and lightly tugged at the rope from the back, resulting in their victory. Gook-doo congratulated his classmates, then turned around and noticed Bong-soon sneaking back to the sidelines trying not to be caught.

Thinking of all the evidence, everything suddenly makes sense to Gook-doo now. He agonizes over the truth he had been too blind to see.

Meanwhile, Min-hyuk ruminates over his own revelation (Bong-soon = mysterious hooded dream girl). Gook-doo walks in at that moment and asks if Min-hyuk knew about Bong-soon’s secret, and if that was the reason he had hired Bong-soon as his bodyguard.

Min-hyuk tells Gook-doo that Bong-soon does not want him knowing about her powers, and hopes that Gook-doo can continue to act like he doesn’t know. But Gook-doo can’t unlearn the truth, and starts to ask Min-hyuk why he would take a knife for Bong-soon. As he says his question, he seems to also figure out the answer.

Min-hyuk throws Gook-doo’s unfinished question right back at him, and his eyes lock onto Gook-doo with a resolute glare. Kiii! Shots fired, right at my heart.

Bong-ki finds Gook-doo sulking outside Min-hyuk’s room, and Gook-doo reveals that he knows everything now. Bong-ki apologies for keeping him in the dark about his sister, then begs Gook-doo to help cover up the fact that Bong-soon used her powers, or even has powers, since the hospital is overflowing with Bong-soon’s victims and it’ll be hard to keep everything under wraps.

Gook-doo can’t really see the big picture, and swears that he’ll see to it that Kwang-bok is put behind bars for attempting to stab Bong-soon (but not for actually stabbing Min-hyuk?). Bong-ki argues that Min-hyuk also doesn’t want to complicate things and since he’s the victim in this situation, he hopes Gook-doo can follow Min-hyuk’s wishes.

Mom, Dad, and Kyung-shim rush through the hospital in search of Bong-soon. Once they learn that it was Min-hyuk and not Bong-soon who was hurt, they fight to be the first ones through the door.

Min-hyuk is overwhelmed to receive his new visitors, and Mom immediately becomes adamant that they should repay him for his act of kindness. Min-hyuk tries to insist that he’s fine, but then Mom solemnly offers Bong-soon as payment. This is so wrong, so then why am I laughing so much?

In the Dungeon of Doom, the brides put their heads together when their “groom” is away. Bride #1 suggests that they scream for help at the same time and hopefully someone might hear them. Their screams can be heard above ground at the junkyard, where the Bride Collector watches his captives from his many monitors with a smirk.

He heads immediately down to his dungeon and the women begin panicking to have been caught in the act. He enters Bride #1’s cell and says that he shouldn’t have been so nice to them before violently beating her with a metal pipe.

Down at the police station, the mother of Bride #3 cries to Gook-doo’s team leader, but he apologizes and tells her that he’s been removed from the case. She heartbreakingly says that she wants to go in her daughter’s place, and voices her theory that the person to kidnap her daughter was someone she knew.

Gook-doo listens to the exchange and remembers Bong-soon’s description of the kidnapper’s aroma, and his mind goes back to the junkyard.

Dad criticizes Mom for treating Bong-soon like cattle, and asks if she’s lost her marbles. Mom fires back that in a dream scenario Min-hyuk would take both Bong-soon and Dad off her hands, but doubts that Dad is of any value.

Kyung-shim swoons at Min-hyuk’s act of selflessness, and Mom concurs, then immediately gets pissed off as she remembers that some bastard was aiming for her daughter. Dad joins in her ire and starts cursing raring to fight.

Back in Min-hyuk’s room, a nurse redresses his wound and is impressed that Min-hyuk is coping with his injury well. Min-hyuk confirms his lack of pain, and is only interested in when he’ll be able to remove his stitches. The nurse is then taken aback when suddenly Min-hyuk begins crying out in agony, immediately upon Bong-soon’s return, ha.

Hee-ji drops by the hospital and tells Bong-ki about Gook-doo’s one-sided crush, and how dissatisfied she was during their relationship, which in retrospect she attributes to the feelings Gook-doo didn’t know he had for someone else. She confesses to doubting if they were actually in love. But with Bong-ki, she says, her feelings are so clear.

Bong-ki reiterates his stance that he’s Gook-doo’s friend and says they need time, but he doesn’t refuse her outright. She pushes back that timing is important and if they miss theirs, then one of them might start dating someone else.

She requests five dates, and if after those dates he still doesn’t want to be with her, then they can give up without any regrets. Bong-ki looks agreeable to the setup and says that as the guy he should be the one to say those kinds of things.

Boss Tak visits the hospital again, which is now filled with all of his men. He asks where Kwang-bok is and Jaws accidentally points out Hyun-dong, whose face is wrapped entirely in bandages, so Boss Tak starts hitting him and scolding him for using a weapon when he had instructed them not to.

Jaws stops Boss Tak and redirects him to the real Kwang-bok, who has even more bandages than Hyun-dong and is basically in a full-body cast.

However, before Boss Tak can hit the real Kwang-bok, Mom barges in and demands to see the scum who went after her child. She recognizes Boss Tak, then makes the same mistake as Boss Tak and starts beating up Hyun-dong.

Boss Tak sends Mom after a bedridden and mummy-like Kwang-bok, but he’s so injured that even Mom realizes that there’s nowhere left to punch him.

Boss Tak tries to assume responsibility by apologizing, but words aren’t enough for Mom and she demands that Boss Tak take Kwang-bok’s beating in his stead. She raises her arm, but just as she’s about to make him into a punching bag, Chairman Ahn swoops in and steals her thunder by tackling Boss Tak to the ground.

Following the smackdown, Chairman Ahn visits his son, who requests that his father not make a big deal out of the situation since Kwang-bok wasn’t actually trying to stab him. Chairman Ahn asks why he would get stabbed in someone else’s place like a fool, and Min-hyuk replies that he isn’t afraid of knife wounds because he’s had more painful experiences than this.

Chairman Ahn reels at his ungrateful attitude when he took Min-hyuk in and raised him, and at that, Min-hyuk spitefully hisses back that he isn’t his father’s real son, but a beggar who rolled in off the street. He asks why his father didn’t abandon him like he abandoned Mom. Chairman Ahn says that he told him never to speak of his mother, and Min-hyuk tells his father to leave because he doesn’t need him or his company.

Bong-soon stands outside Min-hyuk’s room and listens to the entire exchange. Min-hyuk’s stepmother comes by and Bong-soon overhears her talking on the phone about Min-hyuk, stating that he isn’t that injured and has always been a loner, so he’ll be fine by himself.

Chairman Ahn comes out of the room kicking and screaming, and the stepmom starts acting like she’s suddenly so concerned about Min-hyuk’s welfare. Bong-soon looks back into the room where Min-hyuk is alone and sees him throwing things in a fit of frustration, then leaning back to stop his tears.

Gook-doo follows his suspicions back to the junkyard and is shocked to see the Bride Collector, whom he recognizes as the witness from the first woman’s murder. As a witness he had cleverly provided fake details of the suspect in order to throw the cops off his scent, and specifically pointed out the criminal’s abnormally large feet.

Looks like Gook-doo is wearing his smartypants today, so he asks the Bride Collector to examine his engine, while he uses the opportunity to take a look around. Gook-doo peers inside an unlocked door that leads to the underground warehouse where the women are hidden deep inside, but the Bride Collector grabs a crowbar and starts heading that way…

The Bride Collector calls out to Gook-doo before he can investigate further and tells him that his car looks fine and that they are closing for the day, so Gook-doo is forced to leave. But he’s onto him now.

Gook-doo hurries back to the station to tell his team that he believes the reason that the criminal committed his crimes in the same place twice at first is because he wanted to leave fake footprints and create confusion. Gook-doo tells his team that the witness (whose name is KIM JANG-HYUN) is also the owner of the junkyard and suddenly the clues begin clicking together.

Bong-soon loiters around in Min-hyuk’s room as he continues to brood over his dysfunctional family. He tries to dismiss Bong-soon for the day, but she points out that he always hides when he’s feeling blue. She adds that they already pinky-swore that he wouldn’t do that anymore. She tells him that they should stay together, and this time he doesn’t argue with her.

She asks if he’s hungry and he admits it, but when she asks what he wants, he says he wants the food he had at her house. So Bong-soon deploys Mom, who cheerily packs some banchan for her future son-in-law.

Bong-soon sweetly dabs Min-hyuk’s face and hands, cleaning him in some kind of quasi-sponge bath. She finally asks him why he shielded her from the knife. He smiles and says that she had the same expression on her face when they first met at the police station as she does now, and orders her not to look at another man in the same way.

With his suspicions confirmed, he then tells her to fess up and admit that she’s the same girl who saved him years ago on the bus. We flash back to that day, where Bong-soon was on the other side of the road and saw the bus beelining for the mother and daughter. She sprang into action and grabbed onto the speeding bus with all her strength, ruining a pair of shoes in the process. Then she quietly snuck away.

In the present, she tells Min-hyuk that that incident was the first time she used her powers to help other people, when all her life she was always hiding her strength.

Min-hyuk can’t believe it was really her, because he always thought that girl was an angel sent from his mother. He explains that he had ditched his night class to go visit his mother’s grave that day, but then Bong-soon cuts him off at the mention of cutting class, figuring out that if he was still in high school then, he’s either the same age as her or younger.

She’s angry that he acted like he was her oppa, and so Min-hyuk has to utilize his patient status and begins groaning in pain to distract her. Bong-soon, who hasn’t figured out his deceit, offers to call the nurse. But he commands that she just sit beside him and finish wiping him down, then smiles to himself when she isn’t looking.

Meanwhile, it’s night in Do-bong and the Bride Collector strikes again, snatching up his fourth bride.

Mom and Dad arrive at the hospital with dinner, and Min-hyuk salivates as Bong-soon preps their family’s super special bibimbap. Bong-soon serves Min-hyuk his first bite of the day, but right before he can get a nibble, Bong-ki bursts in to stop them since Min-hyuk isn’t allowed to eat on account of his big boo-boo.

The entire Do family gathers around to stuff their faces while Min-hyuk watches on, famished. Tortured by their full bellies, or rather his empty one, Min-hyuk tries to send everyone home for the night, including Bong-soon.

He explains that it’s been a long day for Bong-soon as well and she should rest, so Mom volunteers herself to stay by Min-hyuk’s side. Mom announces proudly that she is extremely adept at caring for patients, and that Min-hyuk has “no idea how many people I’ve hurt and put into the hospital.” Haha, oh god.

Min-hyuk tries to refuse on the grounds of sheer terror and the fact that he would be more comfortable alone, but nearly loses his nerve when Mom gives him a menacing look. Thankfully, Bong-soon and Dad know how to contain Mom’s brand of torment and ushers her quickly away.

A very badly beaten Boss Tak slips into Min-hyuk’s room when the Do family is gone. Min-hyuk turns serious upon seeing the gangster and tells him threateningly that had Bong-soon been the one injured today, Boss Tak would already be dead.

Boss Tak tries to give Min-hyuk a box of juice as an apology and a get-well present, but Min-hyuk flat out refuses his conciliatory gift. He asks again where Min-hyuk found such a rare and talented person like Bong-soon, and Min-hyuk shouts at him to get lost, hee.

In the hall, Boss Tak runs into Bong-soon after sending her parents off. He offers her the juice (which she also rejects) then tries to explain that Kwang-bok wasn’t acting under his orders and what he did was dirty. Boss Tak acknowledges their defeat against Bong-soon and they both agree to keep things between themselves as it would ruin both their reputations.

Boss Tak emphatically agrees that if word gets out about her super strength then it would ruin her chances at marriage. Bong-soon stops him right there and barks that that’s not the reason, rather that she wants to live quietly. He practically begs her to join his team, and she snaps at him to “live kindly.”

Bong-soon surprises Min-hyuk by returning to his room, and after she convinces him that he’s stuck with her, he suddenly asks for a bath. Omo! Min-hyuk clarifies that he only meant washing his hair, but he clocks her weird reaction and accuses her of being disappointed.

A little later, Bong-soon towel-dries Min-hyuk’s hair, and when she pulls away, he holds her hand in place to stop her, then looks deeply into her eyes. They stare at each for a long moment as the pieces of their long day fall together, until Bong-soon closes her eyes and clenches her fist, readying herself. Omg, omg, omg.

He studies her for a beat, and starts leaning forward, but he looks conflicted and then tells her to go to bed. SHE CLOSED HER EYES! What’s wrong with you!? I’m so mad.

She’s confused by his reaction, but recovers without visible embarrassment, then settles into the couch and immediately closes her eyes. Min-hyuk glances over at her and whispers to himself in amazement that he’s found his mystery girl, then closes his eyes as well.

Having only been pretending to be asleep, Bong-soon opens her eyes a moment later and watches Min-hyuk as she thinks back to when he was stabbed, and his emotional clash with his father.

Min-hyuk struggles to find sleep, and his eyes open once more as his gaze finds Bong-soon’s like a magnet. They remain in the silence as they observe one another, unable to take that missing step forward. But why? I don’t understand. It’s KISSxKISS=KISS2. This is simple math, people.

Elsewhere, Unit 3 learns of the Bride Collector’s fourth victim, but the problem now is that since they were removed from the case they can’t act in an official police capacity. Interestingly, one of the detectives says that Jang-hyun hadn’t left the junkyard at the time the latest kidnapping took place, confounding the team.

At a PC-bang, Bong-soon’s crew tries to edit Bong-soon’s face out of the video they are planning to post online. Jaws finds the video in the morning and is mortified when the faces of his men are clear as day.

Two of Gook-doo’s teammates stakeout at the junkyard, and Jang-hyun watches them on his monitors. He looks down at Gook-doo’s resume in his hands and a photo of Hee-ji. Ruh roh. The detectives follow after Jang-hyun when he sets off on the road, but he’s well aware that they are following and loses them easily.

He’s on his way to do his own bit of staking-out on his new target: Hee-ji. We see how he previously planted a bug in her purse after staging a collision with her, then listens to a conversation she has with her mother.

Secretary Gong helps Min-hyuk prepare in the morning and he asks about Bong-soon’s transfer to the game development department on tomorrow’s agenda. Min-hyuk revises her transfer date to until after he is discharged from the hospital, but when Secretary Gong asks when that will be, he acts like he’ll live at the hospital forever and ever.

Bong-soon joins Min-hyuk, and Gook-doo arrives shortly thereafter to report the fourth woman’s disappearance. Gook-doo asks for Bong-soon to come down to the station to verify some information and she agrees right away. Min-hyuk, on the other hand, isn’t keen on the idea and blurts out, “I don’t want you to get hurt! It’s okay if I get hurt, but I really hate you getting hurt.”

Determined, she tells Min-hyuk that she’ll be back and takes her leave. When she’s out of the room, Gook-doo growls to Min-hyuk that he’ll be the one to keep Bong-soon safe and stomps off as Min-hyuk shouts after him.

As she and Gook-doo walk out of the hospital, Bong-soon brings up her strength and he acts like it isn’t a big deal, and says that she should have something she’s good at too.

He gets a thoughtful look on his face as he says, “Our timing has always been off.” He adds that he isn’t the least bit grateful to Min-hyuk even though he got stabbed in her place, and wonders why.

Bong-soon tries to change the topic by bringing up the case again, and Gook-doo is certain that the same man is responsible. But now that his team can’t investigate the case officially, Gook-doo wants Bong-soon to see if she can identify Jang-hyun as the Bride Collector.

At the police station, Bong-soon listens to Jang-hyun’s testimony and confirms that it’s the same voice. Right at that moment, another detective comes in to tell Gook-doo that the culprit has been apprehended, but it isn’t Jang-hyun. Alarmed, Bong-soon argues that Jang-hyun is the guy they want!

 

COMMENTS

I swear this show is secretly a medical drama because of the inordinate amount of time we spend in the hospital. But if the hospital is the only place that we can get these kind of charged romantic moments, then I don’t care where we are as long as it isn’t in the Dungeon of Doom.

Regarding the kiss that wasn’t, for a second, Min-hyuk looked like he was totally going to kiss her and then he changed his mind! It’s clear that Min-hyuk’s created this larger than life image of Bong-soon in his head, and sees her as one of the heroic female characters from his games. It’s consistent with the first thought he had after their not-kiss, which was to marvel at the fact that the angel who saved his life, and maybe even changed his life, is Bong-soon. And for him that was a truly surreal and fantastical moment that has clearly sustained him until now. So maybe he feels protective over that memory since he cherishes it so much.

For him, his feelings for Bong-soon maybe don’t necessarily differ from the same kind of adoration he has for strong female heroines, and has more to do with his view of himself, rather than Bong-soon. Maybe he doesn’t exactly see himself as a hero, or a leading character. Maybe to him he’s just a lonely boy hiding in a closet, and being with Bong-soon conflicts with the image he has of himself. He might think that he is somehow undeserving of a stable, loving relationship, as evidenced by the way he lashed out at his dad. But what do I know? I know nothing, but I want answers because I don’t know if my heart can take another fake out.

It’s clear that a shift has occurred in Bong-soon and she has never really been the type of person to question what she feels. She just dives in and hopes for the best. I really hope they aren’t dragging this out for some stupid reason, but I’m so all-in with this loveline that I’ll cheer them on from the sidelines as they work their problems out.

You know, Gook-doo is really the poster child for the phrase “too little, too late.” Both in his love life and in his work, and he seems to know that about himself, especially in his relationship with Bong-soon. That moment they had at the end when he was trying to tell her that he’s loved her all along, but never realized it, but Bong-soon was clearly on a different page than him—that scene made me so sad.

Overall, I’m impressed that Gook-doo handled Bong-soon’s secret with such maturity and it was nice to see how he realized the signs were there for him all along. I also appreciate that the ideal woman he painted aloud to her in high school was based around her, and when she proved to be far from that image, nothing changed about the way he felt about her. Because to him, Bong-soon has always been Bong-soon and not a mysterious hooded dream girl. So maybe at least he’s figured that part out, whereas Min-hyuk still needs to.

 
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Min Hyuk is perfect, but Gok Do isn't as bad as I'd assumed. :) I just wish our rom com cops would get something done though...

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Right?? I love this show, but I hope this is it for the gangsters and we can actually progress with the story. I feel like I've been watching the same episode for two weeks now...

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The gangster issue has been resolved, just like the stalker issue. Now it's on to the bride-napper and the love triangle (if it's a triangle)!

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Where can I get a man who looks at me like Min Hyuk does at Bong Soon? I mean, the way he glances at her furtively & smile when she wasn't looking. He's redefine bf goals right there.

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When the recap is better than watching the show itself. Well, I watched it in 2x speed just to get to the juicy parts, hee. Then it's a non-kiss, a fake-out, almost doesn't count, see.
But it's ok, that's all we're waiting for, am looking at you ep 12, you better have it or else. But after that pls. be generous with the kisses like Park Hyungsik with that girl in High Society. coz we all know Park Bo Young can kiss the lights out of him. Am not interested with whatever is happenin with that psycho bride collector and Gook Do can just go catch him and beat him to a pulp. Coz Gook Do needs to release some anger. His was a badly written second lead character, more like an afterthought. Oh, we have to cast JiSoo coz he is a popular 2nd lead everybody pines for him to get the girl. But it's not only late now but the OTP started early like ep.1, the ship sailed already. Then this show gave him a girlfriend who is not even worthy, oh, geez, what is he even doing here? he should up signed up for a family drama that lasts for 50 episodes as long as she gets the girl and he gets a good role. My poor puppy, Jisoo.

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Really, I am also curious why GD seems to be angry all the time. It is not realistic.
Second lead, but all that is from him is being obsessed with work, and not having even a family life. There is a mother and he is never seen with her.
Bad writing I would also say. And I love him.
In "fantastic" he was not even the second lead and he had more time ob screens!
I don't get it!

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Perhaps he is just short fused, or he is on a tight leash for some reason, having to juggle his unresolved emotions for BS and his work. I don't think the writer would resolve that question for us.

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+1 Minhyuk is so perfect. I started the drama thinking "How could one not fall in love with Bongsoon?" but now I think "How could one not fall in love with Minhyuk?"

"You were like this back then too. When we first met at the police station, you stared into my eyes just like now. Don't look at other guys like that, okay?"

Swoon swoon swoon.

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This episode was the first one to feel a little slow to me, and it took me a while to figure out why – I feel like this show is weakest when it focuses on our cops and kidnapper, and this episode seemed to do that more.
However, with that said, I still really enjoyed the ep! Some observations:
-GD’s face when he saw BS beating up the gangsters cracked me up so hard. Props to Jisoo because that reaction was hilarious.
-MH made me SO MAD in that hospital almost-kiss scene. BS closed her eyes! She wanted you to kiss her! Why did you pull yourself out of the moment?! I almost threw my laptop across the room. The one bright side was how beautiful that moment was – like they were staring at each other for so long, and the scene could have so easily started to drag, but my heart was pounding right along with them, ugh.
-One thing that I’ve noticed in this drama is that many of the female characters have a lot of characteristics that are typically seen in male characters, whether good or bad. BS’s strength and sass, HJ’s forwardness (pushiness?) romantically, even BS’s mom – all take on traditionally more masculine roles in bringing the plot forward. While HJ and especially BS’s mother bother me, I think it’s still interesting how much agency they have in the story, and how they’re more than the stereotypical jealous second lead/nagging mom. BS’s mom in particular is obviously really problematic but I at least like that she’s a well-rounded character – toxic people like her aren’t mustache-twirling villains, but can be genuinely nice and caring while also having a very awful side.

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Sorry if I was unclear! I didn't mean that they were masculine characters, but that their characters are given the same freedom and agency as male characters typically are in dramas and other media as opposed to female characters. They're well-rounded characters with flaws and strong personalities, rather than being confined to only stereotypes. I probably could've explained that better, whoops.

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I completely agree.

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As much as I would have liked a kiss scene I understand why there wasent one. Besides that stare had my knees weak. BS &MH hwaiting ?????

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True... Though there is a disappointment, i still understand why our hero didn't go for it when BS was ready... That there is the very difference between them.... BS is straightforward and goes with the flow of life... She has held up till now living trying to hide her powers and failing very much recently.... She is liking this new open life with MH where she doesn't need to hide her powers and our MH very much admires her for that...
Whereas MH has led a painful life with us father abandoning his mother, his brothers harassing him and him living alone.... He fears taking a big step towards BS because he is afraid of getting hurt... He knows she likes GD and he stayed back for the fear of getting hurt... Hope he comes out of that and go for the girl... She too has already fallen for him badly and she is yet to acknowledge the truth to herself.....

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I like the almost kiss scene. I like how BS clenches her fist, though she closes her eyes for the kiss that is to come. It implies she is still apprehensive about the kiss, but the atmosphere and mood signals otherwise. I like how MH seems to be able to sense that apprehensiveness and interrupts the kiss on his own accord.

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Thank you!!! Not saying I was happy about the fake-out kiss scene, but I saw that he read her as being kind of ready but still apprehensive (see the focus on her hands being fisted and body language was pretty tense, even if her eyes were closed). He's probably worrie, too. What if she lets her emotions control her for a split second and forgets about controlling her super strength? Ouch. Maybe that's why she was so bracey at the time. I walked away from the end of the episode cussing about holding out, though. Trolls!

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It's refreshing to watch the straightforward nature of Bong-soon and Min-hyuk's relationship. They never felt the need to play that push-pull game and pretend to be someone they weren't. They didn't deny their feelings for each other and just assessed it carefully. They didn't dwell on their own assumptions about the other party, and instead opted to just talk about their issues and how the other actually felt.

It took me by surprise when Min-hyuk confirmed Bong-soon's identity as the pink-hooded angel directly after his realization. I thought he would be brooding for some time, thinking about its impact on his feeling for her. But nope, he simply asked her about it, and then proceed to joke like his usual self. And Bong-soon just as readily confirmed it and let him in on the secret.

That straightforward nature also apparent from Bong-soon's reaction after Min-hyuk's emotional outburst. She let him have his own space to fume and cry, but then told him that she would stay with him just like what they had promised to do. I love how she gently told him to share his sadness and hard times with others.

And that almost kiss!! I'm still hyperventilating over it. Actually I like how Min-hyuk decided not to do it in the end. After all, he could see that Bong-soon was still unsure about her feelings (despite her closing her eyes at that exact moment). And I want them to not have any regret when they finally become a couple.

What I really love though, was the fact that neither of them pretended to be asleep when they accidentally caught each other gaze across the room afterwards. It was such a simple, yet meaningful gesture. They let each other saw their honest feelings while mulling over their own. It almost looked like a private, silent conversation about how they want to proceed, now that they are very aware of it.

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Random bits I love in this eps:

-Min-hyuk channeling his sageuk speech.

-The nurse told Min-hyuk that he can hold pain really well, then he proceed to whine loudly the moment Bong-soon step into the room (Lucky for him, the nurse has such a poker face).

-Bong-soon found out that Min-hyuk is either a same age friend or a younger guy.

-Min-hyuk's hungry, totally craving expression while Do family eat their bibimbap in front of him.

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even though they're of the same age, but he's her boss so that sorta gives him the right to speak banmal to her, right?

and lol i should've been annoyed by minhyuk hamming up his pain like nobody's business to get attention but he's so adorable it just comes off as uber cute XD

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Technically, yes, he could use banmal with her since he is her boss. But usually people still use jondaemal to show respect to their employee (At least, that was what I get from dramas. Real life could be different, though). It seems like using banmal only considered polite when you are much older than your employee (Or when you are close enough with them. In Bong-soon's case though, Min-hyuk already used banmal since she was accepted as his bodyguard. That must be why she was so miffed about it).

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And did you notice Minhyuk's crying expression when Bongki took away the bowl of bibimbap. That was hilarious!

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That puppy face, OMG. I wanted to coo at him and feed him nice things.

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The whining that MH immediately does when BS steps into the room although he doesn't complain of the pain to the nurse is pure comedy gold. It has me in stitches even though it is a commonly played out scene in scenes like this.

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Thank you for enumerating those 'straightforward' moments of Min Hyuk & Bong Soon. I have to say that i really love this kind of relationship development unlike the hiding & pretending until one of the character burst out, confess then there you go, you got a couple!

I like that Min Hyuk and Bong Soon aren't rushing things but also not hiding what they feel in the process. They are weighing their emotions and obviously, it is just a matter of time until we get that 'kiss' which will seal everything out. I'm preparing my heart 100000x more because I'm palpitating so much over that 'almost kiss' and I don't know how will it be with the 'actual kiss'

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@gadis, I totally concur on all your points. I like that you mentioned that Bong-soon and Min-hyuk are both honest and while not taking a step-forward, not denying their feelings for one another either. It's refreshing to see that.

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you're totally right, & i PRAY that this straight-forwardness continues throughout the series!

even tho i was also dying for them to kiss, i totally understood why minhyuk didn't do it. i think he wanted to but then thought about bong-soon's crush on gook-du & wanted to be 100% sure she'd be into it.

for a drama that has some problematic moments, it's really nice to see minhyuk as a male character who's not dragging around the female forcefully (not like he could if he wanted to LOL) or planting unwanted kisses on her (looking at you saemmaekjong!!)

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i've never been this desperate to see other people kiss before lmao

those staring sessions are so intense i always feel like i'm intruding on an intimate moment. like, i literally had my hands over my face during that whole almost kiss scene. their stares are almost if not more intimate than real kisses imo

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Ugh! Like literally Min Hyuk almost tilted his head up to kiss (I mean if you look at his lips and you'd see what I mean *ehm* yes, I did that lol). That was pretty much as good as a kiss to me. I could feel that he wanted to kiss her but held back...

What wouldn't one give to get someone to look at them the way Min Hyuk looks at Bong Soon?!?! Totally swoon worthy and then some...

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I believe Minhuyk didn't kiss Bongsoon because of his own uncertainty over their relationship. He's aware of Gookdoo's feelings, but at the same time, he knows that to Bongsoon, she thinks she's having a one-sided crush all on her own. While her infatuation with Gookdoo is just an innocent crush, Minhyuk still doesn't want to lose her as a friend and a confidante. He's being cautious and considerate.

This reminds me of how Bongsoon confronted Heeji last episode, that feelings can't be controlled but one shouldn't hurt another person. Minhuyk is the same. As much as he likes Bongsoon, he's not one to selfishly confuse the girl.

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You might be right. Initially, I thought MH is holding out because of BS's apprehensiveness toward their kiss, but after watching the latest episode, I agree that it might also be over his own uncertainty. Unless that is also cleared up, we won't be seeing a kiss any time soon.

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I know some might feel frustrated that he didn't kiss her, but in real life, I wish many guys can be more like him. Unfortunately, often people act on impulse then blame the emotions that drive them round and round.

"Your friend is probably tricking himself that you're just a friend. Or maybe he thinks that keeping her as a friend is the only way he can hold on to you."

I hear you, Minhyuk. I hear you.

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I also was squeeing but glad that they didnt kiss. The physical tension electrified their awareness of each other and the shift in their relationship. It gave the following love gaze scene so much more depth. (So delicious!!!)

Had they kissed impulsively "in the moment" it could have ended with awkwardness and the often used, but totally irritating trope of... "that was a mistake" only because it would been a tiny bit early in the relationship. That backpeddling would be out of character for both of them.

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The chemistry between the 2 leads is magnetic. I groaned so loudly after that fake out kiss.

Now, onto my OCD... Was anyone else distracted by that hanging bit of white ribbon (tape?) dangling off the bottom of Bong-soon' pink hoodie? Drove me buggy!

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I think she is feeling apprehensive over the kiss.

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That ribbon is also in the past memory so it's got to be part of the pink hoodie's style- no I have no idea why it would be but it distracted me too!

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Me, too! That white ribbon was distracting.

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I was so torn on whether or not I wanted them to kiss there! So good!
I think, though, that Min-Hyuk is afraid she's imagining Gook-Du since she closed her eyes. I believe he's worried he'll scare her off - remember during his confession he said maybe her friend's pretending because he thinks it's the only way to keep her around?
It's really neat to see a more realistic expression of their insecurities. The romance is actually progressively at a balanced speed similar to the other changes in their lives.

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I'm just disappointed because I'm used to early kisses in dramaland (all them forced kisses and random surprise grab-you kisses)... but I think MH is unsure of whether BS really likes him or if she's still hung up over GD... and I feel like with his past (mum died and left him, a crappy family relationship with his brothers and dad) he probably finds it difficult to really let her get close to him in case he gets hurt. It's easy to be interested in her and tease her and view her as his dream woman, but it's harder when you think about how she could potentially reject you and break your heart.

So now I'm like yes, it makes sense he didn't want to kiss her just yet, but on the other hand I'm like ARGH where is my kiss LOL

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I think Minhyuk really wanted to kiss her, but held back to protect her from complicating her feelings. He's always putting Bong Soon first.

He's methodical, but not cold. Calculating, but not conniving.
Driven, but not blind.
He's been purposeful in everything, even his playfulness.
Though Bong Soon had indicated she chose him by closing her eyes and pursing her lips, Minhyuk will want her choice of him to be purposeful too.

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Min Hyuk's eyes, when he stares...melts my heart! I really thought he would kiss her in this episode.

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How can both leads be cute like puppies?! They're both so adorable together with their antics

I love both of their 'eye acting' during that almost kiss scene, you can feel the tension and chemistry between them

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Seriously! The way he looks at her... *swoon*

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the tension i felt in their staring sessions sort of reminds me of Healer, when holding hand was even more intimate than an actual kiss lol

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yes i agree...but for me if i compare it my personal opinion the difference is that in healer i felt the sexual tension between the leads but here it's a mixture of innocence and sexual i dont know if i make sense lol

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Yes! Didn't realize that. Thanks for sharing!

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Poor Min Hyuk when he wasnt allowed to eat. Lol his comedy is great.

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I learned in this show that Park Hyung Shik have this comedic timing. He is born for RomComs

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+10000000

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Yes, this! If PHS continues in the same vein, he might be the next king of rom-com.

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i do hope he doesn't just stick to romcoms though, i believe he could do so much more. hwarang shows he's adapting well to sageuk, and he could probably do melo and action pretty good too. i even want him playing a villain sometimes- basically i want him on my screen as much as humanly possible lol

i think he might be the next jisung (they look kinda similar too lol)

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yes for him to play as villain but i'm just wondering if i will be able to hate him if he does lol coz he really does have a unique characterization of his characters so far even the way he talk.

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haha! agreed, siesta. i, too, think that he would make for an amazing villain. as for action, i was suddenly reminded of ji dwi's awesome sword fighting from hwarang after reading your comment. also, i cracked up every time i played that food/ no-food clip, and each time my roommates looked at me as if i was an alien! :D our cutie pie looked like a lost puppy with wide eyes and pouty lips and everything! even the sound effects were spot on in this episode! :D

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it was even sadder than when he got stabbed lol.. his forlorn face just tugs at my heart

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I always though of Lee Jong Suk as the puppy (from I Hear Your Voice days) but Min Hyuk is so close to stealing that spot with that scene! I too felt more sorry for him that when he actually got stabbed hehe

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i still can't believe a tear escaped my eyes at that scene! i usually don't cry while watching anything or even reading, but at that moment when phs oppa fell down, my vision blurred and i had to pause the video for a minute to start breathing again!

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In my mind PHS can do no wrong... LOL. Especially not after High Society and Hwarang, where he shone so much brighter than the actual main couples (IMO, that is). He is fantastic at romcom!

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OMG same thought as yuo lols...for me he can do no wrong at all hahaha been following him for almost 6 years now so proud of all this attention he is getting that i want to cry :(

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Yes!! I was so glad he got a lead role in Hwarang, where I thought I would have issues with who to root for because I really like Park Seojoon as well - but clearly it was Hyungsik all the way for me... and then now in this show, I thought it would be near impossible for me to choose between Jisoo (he does the adorable puppy so well too) and him but... clearly not. He can do no wrong. And I'm so happy that this show is doing so well. T_T

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Have you seen him in what happen to my family? He is awesome there as well. His character there is flawed and somewhat of a loser but he manage to make it sympathetic. And don't even get me started with his emotional scenes it was heart wrenching. It's those damn expressive eyes they're to much for this noona's sensibility.

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Yes I have!! I didn't watch the whole drama because I'm not a fan of such long family dramas but I did catch quite a couple of his scenes (plus there are Youtube videos that cut all his scenes out nicely into one video). He was good at tugging at the heartstrings even then as a rookie actor!

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I took Min Hyuk's decision in not kissing Bong Soon a little differently. I was thinking that he understands Bond Soon has an one-sided crush on Gook Doo and doesn't want to kiss her until she totally processes her feelings and figures out what she wants. He doesn't want to push it. It is such a sweet and lovely gesture of love.

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I agree with you.

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I agree.

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Yes. Up until ep9, Bong Soon aren't showing any clear signals to Min Hyuk she likes him too and for him (which ia different for us viewers) Bong Soon is still into Gook Du.

It is what I really love about MH. He is not pushing himself to BS. He gives her space to process her feelings and be sure about it.

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yes, yes, agreed. i wasn't actually that disappointed that they didn't kiss because i also saw it as him being considerate of her feelings first. --> also swoon-worthy

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I agree✋

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As an aside, I like the medical portrayals in this show compared to other non-medical dramas. They had catheters, I think I saw IV Tylenol (or just generic acetaminophen) hanging in the glass bottles. What made me especially happy as a nurse is seeing the nurse doing Min-hyuk's wound dressing change. Like, that's actually a thing nurses do in real life!! Usually in dramas the nurses seem to just walk in with the doctors, write some notes down, and leave with the doctor.

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wow, you paid so much attention to the details! i'm not that sharp when it comes to any things medical, but your comment caught my eye and i'm so amazed that dramas do get such things wrong. but, i'll admit to being jealous of even that nurse!

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I like that you brought the medical observations! I do that with scenes with horses. I pay special attention to the horses and their gear, how well they're handled by the actor, etc. It's nice to see others' views of details they know through experience!

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Not sure if I'm the only one, but I absolutely loved the way the kiss went, for trope subversion reasons.

As much as I love k dramas, I've always had to grit my teeth during the myriad kissing scenes where the women shut their eyes and brace themselves as if any smidgen of romance or sensuality is a terrifying notion. I've always viewed it as part and parcel of the tendency of k dramas to infantilize women and deny them any sexual agency whatsoever. And it gets even worse when we consider the fact that k drama heroes are always encouraged to take the woman's reluctance (i.e. fear) as a sign of womanly virtue. Blech.

That being the case, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the scene turned out. When they were staring so intently at each other, I was squeeling like an idiot, but as soon as Bong Soon closed her eyes and clenched her fists, it killed the moment, for the above reasons. But here's the thing, Min Hyuk's reaction was so refreshingly normal, and gender atypical from a drama standpoint. For most drama heroes, consent, or even participation on the woman's part, is optional (which disgusts me to no end). But Min Hyuk, like a normal person, doesn't want to kiss a cringing person who looks less than enthusiastic at the idea of kissing him. He wants to kiss, and be kissed by, a girl who actually desires him. It takes two to tango, folks. He looked kind of sad and wistful, and definitly dissapointed when it didn't happen, but he reacted the right way. Any emotionally healthy person would be turned off (and feel slightly hurt) if their crush had to "brace" themselves to kiss them. And I'm so glad this drama acknowledges that a woman should not have to kiss someone when she isn't ready or comfortable, and that a man should not only respect her wishes, but should respect himself enough not to take what isn't freely given, not to mention, fully reciprocated.

Anyway, the show could completely ruin it by including some gender normative (by k drama standards) forced kiss between these two. But I sincerely hope not, cause this was definitely a step in the right direction, and really deepened my appreciation for Min Hyuk's character.

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+100000000 L perfectly laid into words how I viewed that 'almost kiss' in a deeper way. I envy people who can exactly put into words what they think because I find it hard sometimes and it is frustrating haha

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I'm right there with you, Joyee!

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I love your analysis of that moment! I was caught up in the scene and definitely disappointed when MH backed off, but you summarized the potential issues in BS's behavior very clearly. MH definitely is a gift as a kdrama lead, and I hope he continues to be that way - please don't let us down, show!

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Nope, you weren't the only one. I felt exactly the same. I think the show did a wonderful job in the camerawork there, zooming in on the clenched fists, allowing Minhyuk to show a 'normal' reaction as you said, by accepting that Bong Soon wasn't ready yet.

Although I was squealing internally over their blazing chemistry, I was also screaming about how it was not the right time yet! Bong Soon had only recently started to become more aware of Min Hyuk as a person, beyond her prickly eccentric one-of-a-kind CEO/boss, and this episode only cemented it even more. But Bong Soon has not yet closed her chapter with Gook Du (which dear god, I hope it'll happen soon because I've had enough of Gook Du) to even have the space in her heart to consider another love interest.

Min Hyuk has took that one step closer to her, in that scene by the river and repeatedly throughout this episode by (unintentionally) revealing other layers to himself, thereby making him more approachable and more humanized. But Bong Soon has to be the one to take that final step forward, even in a relatively simple act such as the one to kiss first. Because that is very integral to Bong Soon's character development. She has grown from the girl who lived her life passively and always trying to hide her powers, to a young woman who has now embraced her powers, wants to use it for good, and is willing to undergo training to hone those skills. Min Hyuk understands this struggle of hers and knows that she needs to be the initiator in these important milestones in her life. Rather than being acted upon (him kissing her first, reacting to baddies), he wants her to be the one in complete control of her powers, of her body, and how she wants to act.

Ah Min Hyuk understands this well. He ran away from home because he no longer wanted to trapped in that toxic environment, wanted to stop being the victim to his bullying brothers and subject to his fathers' whims. Min Hyuk knows well how important it is to be a free agent who can self-direct the course of your life, because when that happens, every action you take, every word you speak, will be entirely on your shoulders, your responsibility to bear. You answer to no one but yourself and have no one to blame but yourself when things go south.

That is the stage our Bong Soon needs to get to before she can start a romantic relationship with anyone, to be honest, not just with Min Hyuk. Because then she cannot blame Min Hyuk (or whoever her love interest may be) or her mother for forcing her hands.

When our strong woman Do Bong Soon kiss, it has to be because every fiber in her body wants it. Her hands have to move and curl around the other's neck/head and be 100% involved in the kiss.

SWDBS, you're still a drama filled with problematic issues, but at least on the romance side of our OTP, you're doing great, so please don't let me down. You better uphold the bar you've set so far or I'll curse you to eternity!

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I love how you put it!! (Though part of me wonders if the clenched fist and all could just be dramaland's typical portrayal of a nervous girl who's never kissed anyone before).

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That's what I assumed. that her inexperience would cause her to brace herself. she doesn't know if he'll embrace her, hold her face, or be more extreme than that. We know she dreams about romance and kissing (romeo and Juliet scenes, and such). Lol

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YASSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! +100 to all of this! For a show that's about the strength of women and those in vulnerable positions not being taken advantage of anymore, I love it that this was not another kiss "forced" upon the female lead in stereotypical k-drama manner.

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Yes!!

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i'm not that disappointed by the non kiss either. in that situation, bongsoon seems ready to go with the flow but then minhyuk would not be sure of her feelings and if she was confusing gratitude with romantic feelings. the physical attraction was definitely there but as far as he knew, bongsoon was still hung up over her long time crush on gookdu

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On a completely different note to our adorable-hurry-up-and-kiss main couple, I'm dying for some villain backstory and motivation here.
Who is he? Why does he have Hee Ji's photo and Gok Du's resume?? Why does he have to be so smart?
Why is he here? Why is he stealing girls? What happened to him? Does he have a link with one of our main leads? Please tell me we have a proper story for him, writer-nim? PLEEEASE. 제발!!!!

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Yes!! I thought I'm the only one actully anticipating the reveal of his story...

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You are not alone don't worry! Now we've crossed the half way point, I'm even more painfully aware of it. Especially because at the moment I can't see how to join the MHxBS story with the Kidnapper story well? Like yes, it's BS's area, and he targeted her friend, and he knows her face, and he is (I'm guessing) a reason for her to use her powers for good... but I still don't know anything about him, or why he exists at all...

On her powers note though, is the whole thing of losing her powers if used the wrong way gonna come back into play at all?
I can speculate all I want but really the only thing I can do is wait and see what happens.

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Omoo Sicarius, on Bong-soon potentially losing her powers, why do I have a bad feeling since the beginning that this could happen at a crucial moment? K-dramas always like to play us. If it is shown, I just hope its not too frightening @.@...Idk if I can take that...

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It's niggling me a little too. That or they completely forget about it and leave me eye-rolling at dropped plot points...

But more likely it's the last conflict and she has to chose between her powers and Minhyuk or something.
My brain is not coming up with a logical scenario in which that could happen at the moment though...

Not to mention, so far there hasn't been any side effects on HER for her using her powers? So clearly nothing she's done is deemed bad enough by the Super Power Provider in the Sky.

She mentioned a while back that her emotions and strength were getting harder to control recently... and then she learnt to control it via MH so that comment maybe didn't mean anything? But it seemed like it could
I DUNNO I'M JUST RAMBLING AT THIS POINT

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Hm I can see why her powers wouldn't have been taken away already...and hopefully there wouldn't actually be reason to do so in the future (or at least while we're watching).

I see it as that she really hasn't done anything consistently wrong with her powers thus far. The women that had all gotten their powers taken away, ie. that one joseon woman as well as Bong-soon's mom, had been deliberately and consistently using their powers to manipulate what people thought of them (i.e. win competitions unfairly), harrass and beat people just for the fun, and in general be obnoxious about it. So thus far since there have been only two cases of this in family history (am I right in thinking there have been only 2 cases?), I further assume this is not just rare but that drastic circumstances merit such removal of powers, as in the case of these ladies. The way I see it, Bong-soon-ah has so far only lost control of her temper and could not stop herself from going too far on certain occasions due to lack of control over her strength. However, no sooner than she started using her strength more often and consistently, she committed to using it for the good of society and even started training to control it with Min-hyuk. I mean in my opinion, she's been doing good so far. Despite her occasional temper and sometimes questionable means to bring justice (erm, what seems like injuring people way too hard in the process when she appears capable of mustering just a bit more control), I don't believe she has committed to a life of arrogance and truancy as had those ladies in the past -- and so I suppose intensionality would count in this matter.

Thats my take...so I actually wouldn't even mind if this was glossed over and we never saw mention of the issue again. Call me a coward...but the last thing I want to see is her being powerless at a crucial moment in which she's fighting the bride collector. *shudder*. Just me.

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I hope they flesh out the villain some more too. His side of the story got a lot more interesting and frustrating in this episode. He is smart, sneaky, and not so basic so I'm getting anxious for the good guys to take him down soon.

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The dude looks like he is a very damn good using the computer and haking etc,just look at his personal CCTv of Do Bong Dong and rest..I think it was a burst of rage because Gook Do was too close to him and might in his idea be arogant smarter than him in his own space(he did open the door)...so more than sure it was all personal to get back at him for playing smarty and using someone close to him,and Hyeji was his Gf till recent and even so she is someone close aside from Boong Soon-ah...

I think the dude is a psycho plain simple that got immersed into that play,curious if he thinks he will be immortal (the play mentions it)so i'm anticipating his backstory as well,all of the villians of this type have a backstory into their childhood etc that trigers this side

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Could he be another game writer, or hacker? If that's the case, does that mean only MH can outsmart him?

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but there is really nothing to worry because we have our psycho AMH himself hahaha

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Thanks for the recap but I would have to say that boy am I glad this isn't a medical drama. As a nurse, I can't help but notice and cringe at the many medical errors. I'm not complaining though since I know that this is not the focus of the show but it did bother me.

As for that almost kiss, I commend Hyunsik's acting skill. Just looking into his eyes, I can tell the moment he decided not to go for the kiss. From my limited kdrama experience, I can only remember SJK being able to portray different emotions in an instant with just his eyes.

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Thanks, @murasakimi, for the recap!

I loved this episode for so many reasons.

I am struck with the juxtaposition between Gook Du and Min Hyeok. I’m actually quite a Gook Du fan, but even I can see the difference between a man who touts “I’ll protect her” and the actual man who took the knife in the abdomen to shield her.

However, I was more touched by the opening fight sequence than AMH taking the stab. Why? DBS was showing signs of embracing her strength BECAUSE of AMH’s training. She fought fairly and well; she’s growing into who she is meant to be; she is learning to use her gift for good and not be ashamed of it. She’s just awesome as she kicks butt! And when she needs someone to protect her: Min Hyeok was there. He was her shield. I suppose that is the strength of AMH: he is who she needs when she needs him.

I think Jisoo deserves a bit of credit for how he portrayed Gook Du, both realistic and appropriate. He went through several stages of emotions: shock, confusion, embarrassment, anger (only directed at Min Hyeok, fueled by jealousy and self-hatred), and shy uncertainty.

The first two emotions are understandable since his own preconceived notion of Bong Soon has just shattered. But, I love how he allowed his real emotions of embarrassment and uncertainty to show. He was embarrassed he didn’t know this HUGE secret, in fact, he seems to be the only one out of the important people in her life who didn’t know. That has to sting because it means he is on the outside looking in (even AMH was “in” on the secret). Also, he must now cringe at all the times he referred to her as “frail” or “weak". I loved the collage of his high school memories which suddenly make sense in light of this “reveal”.

I can even understand his anger towards AMH, not only because AMH knew something intimate Gook Du didn’t, but it throws into sharp relief how “useless” Gook Du really is in Bong Soon’s life. As he acknowledged himself, he was too late to save her from Kwang-bok’s knife attack. Not only does she not need him to do the “heavy-lifting”, but he didn’t even live up to his own self-image of being Bong Soon’s protector. And the person who did shield her is his direct rival for her affections. Ouch.

And lastly, I love his interactions with Bong Soon. If he were a real misogynist, if his pride outweighed his love for her, he would have yelled at, scolded her, or rejected her out of embarrassment, but he didn’t. He was shy and uncertain because suddenly he didn’t know how to relate to her anymore. But, her strength didn’t negate his love for her. His love (ultimately) isn’t based off of a false worldview. He has to find a new way to relate to her now that he knows the REAL her.

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+1! I really like your analysis on Gook Du. ^^

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>>...he was too late to save her from Kwang-bok’s knife attack...<<

Ditto-ouch. Too true. I hadn't thought of that. Wahh, makes me feel so sad for him and empathize even more with him now :(.

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I am pleased, though surprised that he accepts BS's strength as a part of her. I thought he might lash out a teeny weeny bit because he had this preconceived misconception about her, but no. He simply returned to his memories, realized the truth and accepted it.

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s9313071e,

I was very pleased with Gook-Du's reaction and acceptance of Bong Soon's strength. I wasn't surprised so much as holding my breath, hoping that the writer(s) wouldn't mold him into a stereotypical "misogynist" male.

I actually LOVED @murasakimi's analysis of Gook-Du's love for Bong Soon in her comment section:

I also appreciate that the ideal woman he painted aloud to her in high school was based around her, and when she proved to be far from that image, nothing changed about the way he felt about her.

She said perfectly what I had suspected: Gook-Du was trying to express his attraction to Bong Soon in a way that he *thought* affirmed who she was. Only problem is that his perception of her was entirely off. But, because his love and attraction is based off of that inaccurate image of her, his love remains constant.

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Sorry, edit "But, because his love and attraction *are not* based off of that inaccurate image of her....."

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My issue is we are being shown that Gookdo has loved/crushed on Bongsoon since high school. He even state he didn't like other girls pursuing him. So he has always been aware of his feelings for her. She makes her feelings VERY obvious, he knows how she feels about him which is why he made the comment about we are friends when he was dating heeji. So if he has always known that they both like each other why wouldn't he confess to her?!!!! Why torture her and make her heartbroken by friendzoning her and dating other girls when you know she likes you back! That to me is bizarre and cold.It's not even a case of bad timing because he's liked her for YEARS. He CHOSE not to date her so he has no right to be jealous that some other guy is noticing how amazing she is.

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I think it's the first time I 100% enjoy a male lead's personality in a Korean rom-com. Min Hyuk is a flawed character with a colorful personality. He respects Bong Soon a lot by never overstepping his boundaries, by letting her choosing when she's ready, IF she's ready, to be with him. He wants to make sure that she does not have feelings for Guk Doo anymore, and if she does still, I feel like he would let her be and never impose his one sided love. How mature of him. Not only is it mature, but it's also the complete opposite of cowardice. He's in a very uncomfortable position, waiting for her like he does, putting himself at risk by not forcing her to fall for him. Because she's got enough space to leave him whenever she wants to.
Poeple were arguing on all kind of things regarding this drama : homophobic jokes, questionable views about women (Guk Doo's), trivialized domestic abuse scenes...
But if there is one thing I can totally get behind in this drama so far, if there is one thing that is totally feminist compared to what I usually see in K-rom-coms, it's the leads' relationship and how it evolved, one episode after another.

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Totally agree with you. Despite many flaws in the drama, Min Hyuk is the saving grace.

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Agreed! Well said.

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Exactly. I don't understand why people are surprised at the non-kiss. He wants to make sure she doesn't have any feelings for Guk Doo.
In this, he is a lot like the boyfriend in "Weightlifting Fairy So and So" (sorry, Korean names just slip off my mind after the show ends)
Poor Guk Doo, when he said that thing about frail girls, he was describing her as he saw her. Misunderstanding. Just like in "Five Children".

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There are a few things about this show that are hard to take - like the husband-beating, the truly horrifying villain plot is a little too extreme when we're made to laugh a few seconds later, and the gay theme when nobody's gay - but I am absolutely riveted to the screen by Min Hyuk's incredible manly cuteness. I am never like this but I literally can't look away from that boy. Bong Soon is cute too. That scene where they're staring at each other across the room between the bed and couch was to die for.

I also like the villain plot, I just think they're showing it too graphically for a rom com. Anyway, last week the husband-beating really turned me off the whole show, but I came back and loved this episode. I also really like the comedic characters, the cops who solve cases base on tv crime shows, the thugs, the teenage thugs. They're often over the top but always interesting and fun to watch.

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I think he didn't kiss her cause he knows she is grateful for his getting stabbed in his place. He didn't want to use that guilt of hers as the reason for their first kiss.

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"In her place" sorry for the typo

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And also because he isin't yet sure of her feelings,in his idea she still likes Gook Du,heck till some days she was all hearts when he was seeing him so no wonder...Also why ruin their progres in a moment...He will kiss her when he'll know for sure she feels the same way for him and she wants it 100%

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Well, for one, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was annoyed with the almost-kiss. But, I kinda understand it as well. MH has a lot of issues and I do believe he's fully aware of his issues. Even when he portrays himself to be this playful, relaxed sort of guy, it was clear he was someone with more depth than we are yet to see. He is, after all, successful in his professional life and that he did without the aid of his father (as far as we know), and that takes a lot of determination, work and etc etc etc.. Frankly, I'm curious to see more of MH hidden depths as he navigates his life around his family, his company and more importantly, BS.

As for GD, at the very least, he didn't turn out to be a typical loser in a sense he'd throw tantrum when BS didn't turn out the way he imagined her. That was refreshing to see, but his sense of ownership ("I'll protect her") over BS remains to be a huge turn off and left me eye rolling. That is not romantic, whatever point GD had gained was practically diminished after that scene. Still, I'm glad he realised how he and BS are already on different pages, it's sad, but at least he is aware of how the timing ran away from him. In a way, it mirror HJ and BK's conversation earlier in the episode about missing each other.

BS is as always, amazing. She continues to be the agent of her own happiness. She made her own choices and ran with that. Even when she knew it would upset MH (considering he did told her), she still went with GD to the police station because it mattered to her to catch the kidnapper. MH can easily make her fuss over him - true, but she hadn't lost that spunk that made her who she is.

And the the kidnapper...are we sure we're not watching a different genre here?? I swear, the kidnapper is far more interesting of a villain than any other villain from a murder mysteries drama so far. Why is he a character in a rom-com??

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re. the kidnapper-
Right?!?! I still feel like I'm watching two dramas in one, and wondering when, but more IF they'll ever be joined...

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I do feel like the kidnapper plot is wasted in this drama, but it could just be me. Still, they have this excellent antagonist and he could've been so much more. I feel like a four episode special of this brand of villain would've been gripping. I just hope they'll eventually manage to merge what looked like two dramas properly and not treat the audience like a fool, or resort to dumbing down the villain. Dunno how they'd do it, though honestly, they better not make it so it'll resolve with BS throwing the kidnapper through a wall.

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"...they better not make it so it’ll resolve with BS throwing the kidnapper through a wall"

LOL. This literally had me LOL, since that is kind of exactly what I want to see. But I see and agree with your point where they need to tie the stories together in a way where it feels more organic. I otherwise actually like this backstory with the sick womanizing serial killer. It justaposes nicely with Bong-soon being this superhero embodiment of the material and physical power the average woman lacks and so desires. What I like is that the drama is already veering towards the notion that women clearly shouldn't need, or want to possess this kind of power because they are complete as they already are. It is rather a societal issue that needs resolving. So I completely agree with you in that the different plotlines could be meshed a little nicer, but I still like where its headed.

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All this.
If I can agree to all of that and still make sense...
Since on the one hand, I think this villain needs his own drama also...
But on the other I don't mind it in this drama, because I like a dash of thriller and crime, and I feel like it has the potential to all come together and make sense with BS's story better...
but,
I'm worried about how they plan on doing it, and if they have the skill to do it properly. And I honestly can't say at this point; I'm going to have to just wait and see, and hope. And if I'm disappointed write a lengthy rant at once again, how show writing has let me down haha.

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Lol Sicarius, I certainly hope they do pull it off. You're right, I am kind of worried for the reasons you stated, but I sincerely hope they do as I want to like this drama from start to finish!

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What if Bong-soon acts as bait, allowing herself to be kidnapped in order to get the villain, but then something goes awry (he incapacitates her somehow...manages to drug her)?

This could allow some kind of satisfying scenario where different parties band together to rescue her, though she should still be the one to save the day at the end.

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Ooo thats true. But even thinking of this type of scenario gives me anxiety. Maybe its just me, but horror movies I can do. Even the scariest of horror movies usually do not impact me. But violent crime movies/shows...pheww...

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I don't think MH will allow that. Besides, won't BS share her plans with someone, either MH or GD? I am sure they won't allow her to be bait.

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While I agree that the two storylines: Bong Soon's development as a super-woman and the serial bride collector seem diametrically opposed, I think/hope that the writers have something really interesting to convey. And in fact, with someone as outrageously strong as Bong Soon, we need a villain worthy to take her on (in a well-written story).

They are obviously on a collision course, and yet the source of their respective "strengths" do not seem to align for a proper conflict:

[1] Bong Soon obviously is physically superior, yet she's really not that bright. Kim Jang (the Bride Collector)'s main strength is cleverness.

[2] Bong Soon has a community of people who love and wish to protect her. Kim Jang is rather a lone wolf predator.

[3] Bong Soon is learning to hone in her fighting skills, but also to *control* her strength. Kim Jang is on a rampage, each kidnapping and beating (for disobedience) becoming more and more severe.

I'm going to make a wild guess that the 7th bride is going to be Bong Soon. It's the only way I think our heroine and villain will finally have the showdown that has been building these 9 episodes.

But, given that Kim Jang is a bit of a coward, I find it odd that he would be willing to go after someone who he KNOWS to be physically superior to him. He must have a trick up his sleeve to subdue her, as @MoonInPisces suggests.

My prediction:
The fifth bride will be Hee Ji
The sixth bride will be Kyung-shim
The seventh bride will be Bong Soon

I could totally be wrong, but my guess is that with each successive bride, Kim Jang is gravitating towards Bong Soon closer and closer until these two antithetical personas collide.

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Whoa, thats a good guess of the trajectory (of succession of future "brides"). I think you may be right. This is why I love reading speculative comments, it makes me look forward to so much in stories.

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It makes me think sometimes that the director/scriptwriter had this kidnapping mistery plot in his head but was forced into doing rom-com. So he desided - why the hell not...
And I must confess, I kind of enjoy Jang Mi Kwan's performance more than Ji Soo...

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Quite possibly hahaha! But damn, what a waste of deliciously written villain. I'm kinda hoping the scriptwriter and director would work together again in a darker toned drama. Preferably with an extremely intelligent characters that just leave you screaming at every turn.

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Starting to wonder if there is a supernatural aspect to the villian (a reincarnation, perhaps) that has triggered a surge in Bong-soon's powers. I saw a clip somewhere of Granny going through some old books, which could be just a search for rules governing the powers...but if the powers carry forward through time, perhaps some enemies do as well? That would bring the storylines together but I don't currently see how it could be made believable...

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AW MAN JUST KISS ALREADY

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I love that MH wanted "jib bap" and ended up only getting to watch... poor puppy!! Park Hyung Sik's portrayal of Min Hyuk is so good. He goes from puppy to anguishing chaebol to psycho boss from scene to scene and does it all in such a lovable way that's REALLY easy on the eyes.

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Seriously. I always end up wanting GIFs of everything Min Hyuk after every episode, especially this one. Ahn Min Hyuk what. have. you. done. to. me.

Not even one bit mad at the lack of kiss. In fact, I'm actually so happy to be able to just sit back, relax (squee) and watch Min Hyuk be his awesome self and woo the girl his own way. You just do your thing, boy. Do ya freakin thang. Ohmygodwhatishappeningtome.

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About the near kissed, i think MH thought BS is not ready for him yet since she's into GD for a long time. I think it's gentlemanly of him not to rush her. I believe he'll wait for her to deal with her feelings first with the other guy before taking him in seriously.

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Also,i want to say Park HyungShik is rediculously handsome? He looks so young. Jisoo is only 23 but they look like they're the same age.

Bongsoon's mother continuously annoys me with how she belittles her husband.

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he is quite handsome and dresses well but in this case i think his great character is actually making him look more attractive than his mere physical attributes.

ahn minhyuk is just loooveee <3

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I really hope they can focus more on MH and BS instead of the kidnapping case or maybe at least get MH and BS involved in solving the case so that we can see more of these two. It seems that at least the gangster subplot is approaching an end in this episode. Fingers crossed.

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Thanks for the recap murasakimi!

Wow, in regards to your interpretation of the reason for the kiss fake-out, I never thought of it from this perspective where Min-hyuk may be having a hard time veering away from his fantastical image of Bong-soon. Interesting. And very plausible.

I had thought it a more simplistic picture: Ahn Min-hyuk has almost raised himself as a result of losing his mother early and being part of a larger dysfunctional family. Despite his outward cheer, I assumed he would have this hard, mistrustful side to him which he masks. This is consistent with the fact that he often literally masks what he is about to say or at least what he appears to mean with obnoxious remarks and requests, most evident when he is speaking with Bong-soon. I thought he would definitely be that guy who is terrified of inward feelings of attachment to others. I mean not to say he is dark and difficult to get close to, because clearly he is a well-balanced person with the maturity required to understand people on different levels, whether for work or for other purposes. But I assumed that a natural and major side-effect of having been alone most of his life is this difficulty trusting people into his inner-circle or his life, shall we say. So while I was definitely surprised and disappointed he didnt kiss Bong-soon in this epi, after thinking about his character and what I perceived him to be, it was consistent with this perspective. I assumed he had doubts last-minute inches away from Bong-soon's face because he couldn't be sure of Bong-soon's heart, which had been pining after Guk-doo for as long as he'd known her. Not only is he subconsciously afraid to reveal his true feelings for her prematurely, but he does not want to start off by kissing her, lest her heart wavers back and forth between her and Guk-doo. I believe that Bong-soon having second-guesses about him would be equivalent of her betraying his trust, like his close brother had done not long ago. If this interpretation is true, I realize it would reveal this crazy impressive amount of self-restraint and control...which would be kind of sexy. I don't know. Or maybe Ahn Min-hyuk is just sexy regardless of what he does. Yeaaa....I'll stop there.

But yea I also agree with you on the point of empathizing more with Guk-doo-ah on this episode. Definitely glad he has had more dimension added to his character now, altho I'll never really be on his ship this drama (sorry beautiful Ji-soo-ah).

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Damn, I find myself agreeing with you in terms of MH's character. He's certainly the guy who had to deal with abandonment and loneliness, I'd want to see how they deal with this side of him.

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Me too! I like that this side of him is now revealed, though sadly I don't think they'll develop much on it with only six episodes to go

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Your AMH character description is spot on! you describe him so well

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Thanks! Just my take on the character though, I could be wrong.

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But I like your take and that you could articulate it so well!

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- That almost-kiss-scene! I actually like how they have such intense and buzzing chemistry between them that even though they don't kiss I feel the emotional connection between them. There's this... tension. Can we just talk about how MH was just staring at her lips when her eyes were closed though? He looked... so longingly at her. Agh, my heart.

- He's just so puppy-like! Especially when she was helping him to dry his hair. AND THE NO-FOOD RULE.

- Thought that GD shouting "I'll protect BS!" felt a little forced and awkward, but it's also endearing. He's only just realizing that he might like her, but it's too late for him.

- I also really like how BS told MH that she would stay with him (and his sneaky little smiles when he realized she came back with a change of clothes) because he always asked to be alone when he was feeling bad. The way he threw his pillow/blinked after his father left really hit me emotionally - I swear PHS does acting best with his eyes.

- Ugh, every episode I hope that Hee Ji fades out of the plot silently, but it looks like she was really written out to be the next victim. I don't know why I'm surprised though because every single attractive young woman in the show has been kidnapped (with the exception of BS of course)

- Also noooooo please now GD has some idea that the owner of the junkyard is the real criminal... there's a "scapegoat" for it? Noooooo.

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Yea I totally agree with you on the almost-kiss. At first I was totally frustrated but now I actually kind of like this since its allowing them to draw out this newfound intense romantic tension. I definitely like it, though I hope they don't draw it out for too long.

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Min-hyuk's emotional outburst after his father's visit also hit me hard. Maybe because he always appeared much less dramatic than the usual brooding male lead, that when he did feeling hurt, it become more impactful.

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true.. if the director had linger on that scene a bit i might have been crying then :( my heart :(

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Hee Ji's clothes are being faded out of the plot - when she met Bong Ki at the hospital, I swear to god she was only wearing a white shirt.

Far be it from me to criticize a femme fatale like Hee Ji, but I thought pants were a baseline. Oh well.

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At this rate I already became a dolphin

*fangirl mode on*

Bless your eyes, Park hyung sik
My heart got weaker everytime I see it, but it's kinda addictive so I keep repeated every scene when he saw bongsoon with his swoony eyes

*melted*

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LOL I know! Its embarassing how many times I replayed some of his staring scenes. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

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i think all the bats and dogs in my neighborhood hated me from all the supersonic squees l let out watching this episode lol

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His starry sparkly eyes is his precious asset seriously, it made him a thousand times more innocent and charming!

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This is the first time I felt a disconnect between the genres in the drama- the thriller kidnapper bits were jarring compared to the fluffy rom com, especially after The Kiss that Almost Was.

But I think it's more to do with the fact that I'm so enamoured after our OTP that I want MORE MORE MORE!

So any time away from them is wasted time. Haha.

I do really like the wonderful vunerablilty of Min Hyuk- he has his brash exterior, his childlike excitement when he gets Bong Soon to fuss over him, and his cocky I'm-the-boss persona, but what I really enjoy is the moments when he hides his emotional scars from the world. He isn't afraid to let Bong Soon see physical weakness, but he curls into himself when his heart hurts.

I'm so happy that Bong Soon seems to be the onLy one who has seen this side of him, and she seems determined to stick around beside him so he will never hurt alone in his room again. Ahhh so swoony. Plus it gives them lots of alone time together and maybe next time he will really finally Kiss The Girl!

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LOL! I feel you. I had to keep my squees inside though since wayy too many live with me and would question my sanity...but I can't stop smiling like an idiot (even when I replayed some of the scenes). This is why I love this drama.

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ditto! :)

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I personally liked the scene where Bong Soon leaved MH to help GD, I guess BS got an answer to her question, " why did MH do that?" He cares about her more than himself. And then MH GD interactions!!!! Well funny but it reminds me of animal documentary , two lions are roaring, fighting for their lioness ?

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I agree, that ending scene with MH & GD seems akin to some animal kingdom action. It literally had me LOL. It was so exaggerated but in-character it was hilarious.

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LOLed at minhyuk's reaction when gukdoo said bongsoon is hers to protect hahaha

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finally, a place to rant.
I’ll start off by saying that I look forward to Friday and Saturday SOLELY to watch the cuteness and bickering and swoony eyes and blooming love of Bong Soon and Min Huyk. JUST THEM. I aaaadooooore their interaction. they give me life. lol <3<3<3

but the pacing …

folks, let's be honest: it's been one too many episodes of nothing REALLY happening, plot-wise and even character-wise. Bong Soo is still oddly petulant to the CEO of the company she’s being DYING to work for. Gook-doo is still just as stoic and dislikable as in the beginning and the effin kidnapper (whom I have the least interest in) is till on the loose and is holding up waaaaaay more camera time in this drama than I’d like. I mean, come on! get on with it, Show Writers !

after watching a fantastic Episode 7 & 8, and based on the previews, I have SUCH GREAT EXPECTATIONS !!!! ?
So imagine my disappointment when I watched 9 & 10… 2 episodes which really, plot-wise, could easily have been condensed into a single one. THAT’s how much ACTUALLY happened here. NOTHING. I mean, isn’t the show more than half-way through now? Shouldn’t we get more of:
Bong Soon’s heroics
Actual genuine progress between the leads
hilarious family time for both leads ?

2 FULL episodes and it’s at the very LAST SECOND that we get what we’ve all been waiting to hear/see? naaaaah! that’s not a cliffhanger: that’s poor pacing and writing. I’m not opposed to a slow-growing attraction between the leads but by the half-way point, I’d like things to move a little bit more efficiently. Let’s go back to the hilarious fights. to the bickering. to the swoon fest but let’s also make visible progress and stop with the previews that always seem to highlight the last 3mins of a WHOLE TWO EPISODES !

****

goddamn… it’s off my chest now… I’m just so disappointed… Not dropping the show (because how could I?? I love the main couple too much!) but yeah, I won’t be running home and refreshing the page for updates on the English Sub for the next episode…

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I agree.... Honestly no plot development at all, the kidnapper is still kidnapping, police are still clueless and helpless, BS is still into GD, Bong Ki Hee ji relationship is really useless for me, neither it creates any tension nor it gives any vibe of 2nd lead couple, you dont really need to fall for other guy to break up, if Hee Ji was not sure about the relationship she could use that as a reason too... I am so interested in Gyung Shim, that girl gets least screen time but she really contributes her best.

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"police are still clueless and helpless"

they're the worst. like, seriously....so unprofessional, keep quoting some movie to decide what next..they have lost victim, have women kidnapped after kidnapped in the same neighborhood, when they decided to do open investigation they just bare it all including evidence in national tv...how on earth they don't get sued by public beyond my understanding...i know this is supposed to be comedy, but the kidnapper is one hell serial killer without any funny part about it, can they at least make the police a little bit smart? it's really annoying.

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I was actually thinking that they'll finish the "Gang" arc. Before proceeding with the kidnapping case.

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Just finished ep. 10 and I'M SO SALTY but I can't rant about it yet cos spoilers
But I feel your pain! I felt like 10 was a HUGE filler episode, and we could've reached where we are now in one hr, not two? But more ranting tomorrow when I'm not restricted .... ACK
So salty...
*claw hands of frustration*

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I finished both of this week's episodes with cussing about the trollery that's going on. Stop doing that to us! Sigh... I'll be back as soon as episode 11 is ready to view, though! Trolls! Sheesh!

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Yeah, the episode got slower, usually I watch the episode easily and feels like it goes by quickly, I hope the pacing improves at ep.11, and IGD frustates me so much in ep.10, made me had to pause several times lol, he's too reckless omg jesus christ

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Argh YES, I'm just waiting for E11's recaps to be up so that I can rant about it because honestly I have nothing against GD, I don't think he's misogynistic or sexist or anything but sometimes he is really TOO DARNED RECKLESS.

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Yes, agreed! More rants in Episode 10 recap.

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You wrote:
Shouldn’t we get more of:
Bong Soon’s heroics
Actual genuine progress between the leads

But we did get all of these. The fight in the first few minutes and the almost-kiss scene, which was a huge leap of progress. She was ready to be kissed, although a bit hesitant, and then they spent all this time staring at each other.
He also told the other guy about his feelings, and the other guy figured out his own feelings completely.
I think all this is significant progress.
We even had a moderately funny family scene, although I don't like this sort of comedy.

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Thank you for the recap, murasakimi!

Has anyone else noticed Ji Soo's Sideburns of Doom making a comeback in this episode? I had the idea he was extremely proud of his ability to grow them in Scarlet Heart. :D

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I did!!!

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Hahaha I noticed them too, omg! xD

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Hah! I thought I was the only one who noticed that.

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I did!! I was actually quite surprised by them, like, eh where did they come from, LOL!

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Why are they sideburns of doom?

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You probably haven't watched Moon Lovers. Jisoo's sideburns was terrible in the later eps.

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@Jamie

Now, is this the ORIGINAL and REAL "Jamie"? ;)

But seriously, LOL....I thought I was the only one who noticed that Sideburns of Cringe and wondered "Where are my MLSHR peeps to help cringe me with!" HAHA!

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Yes, you could pretend the scragglies weren't them for a while but they are un-missable in this episode. I thought, should Beanies send him a razor? Just so wrong ?

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the real star of this episode is minhyuk's Adam's apple. it's so distracting in all the right ways <3

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Glad that I'm not the only one getting distracted. It looks so sharp and just stole my attention whenever the director did a closeup shot.

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it's just so... extra xD esp in the almost kiss scene since he was looking up, and the way it bobbed up and down as he swallowed- i had to replay the scene several times to be able to take in everything else lmao (not that i'm complaining!)

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Makes you want to go bobbing for apples... ?❣️

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Just wanna say thank you for the recap, and if I were CEO Ahn, I too would have a huge crush on Bong Soon. Regardless whether she can have the most illogical ways of reasoning, I don't care. I have a huge female crush on PBY. She is the cutest, cutest, cutest girl I've ever seen. I just wanna keep her safe in a pocket or something, but then she might break all of my fingers for it :)

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Lol I concur! I actually found myself replaying some of Bong-soon's scenes to re-watch her giggling and squeeing or whining and crying. She is so incredibly cute. Park bo-young is now one of my all-time favorites ^.^

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I was happy that the kiss didn't happen. Maybe AMH thought that DBS still have feelings for IGD. You wouldn't want to kiss someone who don't share the same feelings with you, right?

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but then Mom solemnly offers Bong-soon as payment. This is so wrong, so then why am I laughing so much?

His face. HIS FAAACCEEEEE XDD i cracked up so much

for a loner, minhyuk sure gets A LOT of visitors lol

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ME TOO! Omg I love that scene, and I'm not ashamed to say I've played it over and over again... especially mom's insistent "TAKE BONG SOON AS PAYMENT!" and then MH's frozen hands in mid air and that "wait what. What???" look on his face. I love how mom's always able to render him speechless and bulldoze right over his opinions, gosh. It's hilarious!

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BS's mom always has the most ingenious speeches to push BS toward MH. Haha.

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WLFKBJ's "WHAT??!" sound effect would fit right into this scene lmao

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Yeeeessss!!!!

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omg, this is the best scene in this episode. i don't feel like this is offended at all. i mean, if hyung sik is some rich old man, it is just plain wrong. but come one, he's handsome, young and successful, good attitude, every mother in this world secretly want this kind of man as a son in law. BS mother is just honest enough to speak it out loud. if my mother say this, i definitely feel embarrassed, not because i feel like being sold, more like embarrassment if i got rejected cause he's wayyyy out of my league. and i will say silently in my head ''good job, mom".

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Well, this is in line with ALL fairy tales. The hero rescues the princess and they give her to him as a bride as a prize.
Plus, in the case of the mom, it's clearly an excuse, as she wanted him for a son-in-law rom day one.

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the criminal story line needs to intertwine more closely with BS & MH story line. I find myself skipping all bits that dont include them. Sorry Ji Soo!!!

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When HJ gets kidnapped, I think BK will seek his noona's help to save her. That is when the two plotlines will merge.

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show, please marry me!

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The kiss is long overdue!!!! But at this pace, I am at 75% sure a kiss will come Ep 11 or 12...

I need Friday night to come now!!!!!!!!

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Always been lurking but I'm here to comment today! Thank you @murasakimi for the very very fast recap! :)

I too really like that MH held back, I choose to see it as a mix of all the reasons discussed by other beanies above. Yes the way he gives her all those intense looks omg.

There's something I'm wondering about though, creepy Bride Collector bugged HJ's bag when he bumped into her. Seeing as he bumped into BS more than once (is it twice, thrice or more?!), could he have possibly done the same to her? I think the likelihood is probably low since most of the time he didn't bump into her on purpose (or so it seems) but what are the odds?!

GD needs to calm down and rein in his urge to hit people (granted they are criminals but still...). Watching him beat up Kwang-bok (did I get it right?) just makes me cringe every time.

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I agree. I did not like it beating up that guy so much.... i mean, one could be enough to subdue him... anyway... the show is not perfect....

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excuse me, show, do you know where Mister Plot went? Feels a bit empty without it.

Although Mister Funny and Miss Cute are pretty entertaining on their own. My jaws are twisted, I honestly didn´t expect to be laughing this much after a stabbing incident. wtf I am very surprised, but it looks like in Hyungshik, we have another Choi Siwon- like funny guy. It is odd to have someone break the first impression you have of them - he seemed too pretty at first to let go of pride and go all out. but what do you know...

kind of tired of the beaten-up gangsters, we got it the first time, thank you. Leave them be now. The whole warehouse scene was a little bit Gokusen.

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I might sound like a pervert, but they better kiss long enough and passionately if they made us to keep waiting for a kiss like this, there's three weeks left I hope Bong Soon dates Min Hyuk soon

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Min hyuk's gaze is so potent. It makes you feel naked. I can't even imagine how their first kiss is going to be, but Bong soon needs to step it up in the heat department.

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"Maybe he doesn’t exactly see himself as a hero, or a leading character. Maybe to him he’s just a lonely boy hiding in a closet, and being with Bong-soon conflicts with the image he has of himself. He might think that he is somehow undeserving of a stable, loving relationship, as evidenced by the way he lashed out at his dad."

Yes! Words fail me and you described the reason so well.
While most viewers thought MH was letting BS to sort her feelings with GD. I thought he was a bit self insecure/ unsure (lack of a better word).

Thx! Murasakimi for the lovely recap!

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I agree!

But I think it can be both - as he is unsure if he deserves her (she's his angel after all) he wants to make sure she is 1000% into him before making a move. At the moment he couldn't be because of all the crushing on GD....

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Bong Soon is officially my favorite K-drama female lead! I love how she corrects the boss right away when he suggests that she may not want rumors due to it ruining her chance of getting married! For once in a K-drama, the female actually corrects that statement instead of letting it slide!!! Society and esp. Asian societies kept pushing the idea that women have to get married and that's the only way she can succeed...blah blah blah...NOT! Love her that she states marriage isn't the problem here.

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After this episode I feel like there is a theme of misplaced aggression in a lot of characters. Ji Soo is always punching the bad guys to a pulp (eg with BS in the alleyway, now after MH was stabbed) when there really isn't a need for it. It keeps with his character that's very restrained and feels like he could explode at every moment (so yeah, I feel like Ji Soo plays him well). I hope they adress that somewhere down the line and he gets to better himself. It has to be a result of something (dramarules :)) maybe his never mentioned father?

And then there is the mom - I actually considered to stop watching because I'm so angry (but I never could because our OTP is the cutest). Dad still had a black eye this episode and NOBODY was commenting. Mom as a whole is a bully (I didn't like the scene where she is punching already injured man, even if they are gangsters) and I sincerely hope that they adress that, I also hope Dad is able to flee to a calmer, happier life.

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Ok. Here I go.

This is what I liked in this episode:

- The fight. I was not so bad as I expected it to be, with crazy cartoon effects or sadist knocking out teeth. I almost can rewatch the entire of it without complain, even though I don't necessarily lover this show for the violence or the kidnapping mystery.

- DB's reaction when MH was stabbed. She showed she really care for him, it was not guilt that he got stabbed because of her, she already loves him, bus she hasn't discovered.

- MH's puppy acting in the hospital, or even taking advantage he is the patient, so that he can get some skinship... he he, he is sometimes like a child.

- HJ telling BK to meet her just 5 times. I know, she is boring, and we don't really care who she dates, although we already said BK deserves better. But let's give her some credit. At least she is not a stupid stereotyped female second lead. Even though her character is not well developed (the show doesn't have time for that), I actually found that answer mature enough. She now likes this boy and wants to give it a shot...

- The almost kiss and then just looking at each other's eyes. OMG.
I know this has bring all kind of arguments and discussion among the beanies already (I read all your comments when I woke up in this par of the world), and I agree with most of you. ... wanted to see it, understood why he didn't, felt frustrated anyway...

It is a difficult thing to judge like, when is a good time for what? Timing. ... pacing.... We are in chapter 9, that is true. I have made my calculations and in most rom-coms the couple kiss by the middle of it (episode 8), that would be my average. But for BS and MH definitive, yes, maybe the time was not totally right. This is a story not going for the simple: "I like you, lrt's date", but "I love you, you are the love of my life, let's marry".... he he
so because of that, I have to agree that when they kiss, it has to be absolutely magnificent and both wanting it.

Like many of you already said. MH needs to be sure she wants him too.

- MH saying it is ok for him to get hurt and not her. I think he said it at least 3 times in this whole episode. Man! That is also a confession!
MH doesn't hide what he is feeling ever, and for me that is like: perfection.

- the Gang in the hospital. Some of you have started that this is useless because we already had beaten men in the hospital. Ands partially this is true. But the first time it was kind of like an accident, this second time they search that upon themselves... they even acknowledge they lost and the reasonable closure for them is to be in the hospital, ha ha....

What I did not like:

- MH's dad beating up boss Tak. That was not necessary. Also, is he not his own employee? I mean, until now I understood boss Tak worked foot MH's dad...

- Mom always belittling dad. I cannot agree with that.

- MH not getting to eat.... oh...

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Oh well. MH's dad does take MH as his own, so how can he not be angry that someone stabbed his beloved son, a successor to his company? BS's mom stomped into the ward, wanting to hit the guy who tried to stab BS too.

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idk if he really cares for minhyuk though, because what he'd said it's not that he's angry about minhyuk being hurt, but that his pride got hurt. i think we need to delve more into the relationship between dad and minhyuk's mom before we could say anything about minhyuk and dad. and it seems like minhyuk's not even dad's real son? and how come dad seemed so nervous at the mention of her?

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I know. I know. That part I can understand. It is just that I cannot really support so much violence, because it is not that much he had beaten him, but it was too much! There is where I thought it was unnecessary. A couple of punch is understandable but dad almost disfigured boss Tak's face... not that nice.

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hahaha! the last one!!! :D

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a lot has happened in this episode but the only thing which stuck in my head was the staring session of MH & BS too match feels and very intimate that i won't even mind if they just continue staring at each other for the whole episode hahaha..and to think there was no kiss yet.

i think i'm about to go crazy lols

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Yes, that staring session is very intimate. Almost makes me feel embarrassed for spying on their little moment.

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When Min Hyuk told Bong Soon not to look at other guys the same way she stared at him... Oh how my toes curled. I replayed that seen ssssoooo many times. 사랑해 민휵아. ????

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I just have to say that the previews gave me a horrible thought:
What if the kidnapper gets GD and makes him a bride? The show's already shown GD in drag for a case and this kidnapper is nuts enough to do it. Plus it would have great relationship development.
I really hope that I'm that nuts and watch too many thrillers :/

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Ooooer that would be creepy O_O Thankfully, I think so far the kidnapper has only shown interest in very skinny women. Rather, he seems to be targeting those around GD as a form of revenge. Yikes!

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targeting the people around Gook Du...? how is that apt for the first three, or rather four victims? i think it's just co-incidental that Kyung Shim, Hee Jii and most probably, Bong Soon will be somehow connected with him. but i still can't figure out how he decided on kidnapping only these women? given that this case is restricted in the Do Bong Dong area, there's a high possibility that the kidnapper knows all of them from somewhere, seeing as how the pharmacist knew him closely enough to tell him about when she goes to the church... this is all guessing on my part. but i really hope they wrap up this kidnapper story asap, simply because that guy gives me the creeps!!! i would prefer it if Min Hyuk uses his superpower, that is his brain to bring him down. i wouldn't mind if Bong Soon hits the final blow, but i'm still hung up on his analysis of the kidnapper from episode 2, so i want him to end this story, in a way. having said that, i really liked how he asks Bong Soon to not involve herself in the case because he didn't even want to think of the chances of her getting hurt. i'm hoping he helps her catch the kidnapper so that she could let it rest. i mean, i want him to be supportive enough that when she goes to beat up the creep, he should back her up with awesome techie stuff and genius. or maybe that's all just wishful thinking on my part! :D anywhoo... Park Hyung Sik Oppa shines with the rom-com part of the show and i can't wait to watch him in the seemingly second, thriller part of the drama. please don't disappoint me, Show! :)

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Sam- you spoke my mind. I keep waiting for MH to step up and do something, since we KNOW he's smart...
It hasn't happened yet so I'll just wait here with my fingers crossed... Although I have to say, after 10 I have even less hope. There are still 6 episodes left so perhaps I shouldn't give up just yet.

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hang in there, fellow Min Hyuk fan! :D
and if it doesn't happen, don't tell the others about the injustice with our Min Hyuk's character, or they might never place their faith in mean dramagods!!!
#now i know how Min Hyuk felt while saying that Admiral dialogue to Sec Gong!
#also, now i know i'm going crazy for friday already! lolz :D

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No, I don't mean the first three women. He has a photo of GD and HJ together, if I'm not wrong? And then he also pinned up BS's photo. From his cameras in the police station he knows that GD and BS know each other.

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yeah, i hadn't caught that before, but now i saw it. and we'll have to wait and watch if that is actually the case. i think it will make for a nice plot if the kidnapper turns out to be taking revenge from Gook Du's friends and not fixated on Bong Soon so much. as it is, Gook Du doesn't seem to have the right timing or much luck with anyone else. it would be nice if the kidnapper goes through some kind of change of heart/head and ends up with Gook Du instead! :D
sorry, not meant to be offensive or anything...

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