Are You Human Too: Episodes 13-14

by LollyPip

Nam Shin-III and So-bong are slowly but surely coming to an understanding, and learning to lean on each other just when it becomes crucial for their survival. Nam Shin-III is a difficult nut to crack, being alternately transparent and open, then closed-off and secretive, but one thing seems clear… he’s starting to transfer his loyalty from his mother to the person who now acts like she cares for him the most — So-bong.

 
EPISODE 13 RECAP

Weeks ago, as Chairman Nam had watched the news update on Shin’s behavior at the airport (when he hit So-bong for photographing hi, he’d thought to himself, “Shin-ah, you don’t plan to return, do you? Is this what you meant by ‘something amusing?’ If so, I’ll play a little prank as well.”

That’s when he’s begun pretending to have dementia, as a way to determine who’s on his side. But Nam Shin-III can tell he’s lying when he confesses, through his internal lie detector. Pretending to be Shin, he tells Chairman Nam that he figured it out because he’s not someone who would give up so easily.

The chairman laughs at how upset those who believe it must be. He says it will be fun to watch the “show,” and he tells Nam Shin-III and So-bong to keep their mouths shut. They all see Young-hoon standing nearby, and the chairman says the warning applies to him, too.

Young-hoon helps the chairman to bed, and the chairman asks if he’s disappointed that he lied to him. Young-hoon doesn’t answer, so Chairman Nam explains that he wants to see how people truly feel, asking why Young-hoon has never tried to stab him in the back like Jong-gil.

At Young-hoon’s stunned expression, Chairman Nam says he was joking and sends him away. But he calls after him that he can call him “Grandpa” whenever he wants, and he’ll consider him another grandson.

Worried about the chairman’s lie, So-bong advises Nam Shin-III to be careful around him. Nam Shin-III says cheerfully that he’s not scared of humans, bu So-bong says he should be scared of the things humans do. Jong-gil calls her and she freaks out a little, wondering what to say, but Young-hoon arrives just in time and tells her to put it on speaker phone and do as he says.

She obeys, and Jong-gil asks if she saw the chairman today. At Young-hoon’s nods and head-shakes, she confirms that Chairman Nam was acting strange today, and that he hasn’t met with his lawyer about changing his will, and that Ye-na was there today as well.

Jong-gil orders her not to tell anyone that he knows of the chairman’s dementia, not even Ye-na, then hangs up. Young-hoon suggests they continue pretending Chairman Nam has dementia until Jong-gil takes the bait, and Nam Shin-III worries that he’ll keep winking now that so many people are lying.

Jong-gil notices that Ye-na seems upset, and he asks if she has anything to tell him. She asks him the same question, but instead of mentioning (what they both believe is) the chairman’s dementia, Jong-gil says he wishes she’d set her heart on someone other than Shin. Ye-na just tells him to be content like any ordinary father or father-in-law, and he chuckles that he never wanted to be ordinary.

In the morning, Nam Shin-III bursts into So-bong’s room ready to work out, and when So-bong tosses a pillow at him, he smacks it in her face, ha. He smilingly informs her that she’s gained weight, and even offers to help her get dressed if she’s tired, and she agrees just to stop him from seeing her naked.

She’s whiny during their jog, and wails that she feels like dying. When Nam Shin-III offers to give her mouth-to-mouth, she accuses his lie detector of being broken, and he says he was just bluffing like she always does. HA, the robot is learning her tricks.

He takes pity and offers to piggyback her, overriding her objection by reminding her that she said she didn’t have any feelings for him. As he carries her, Nam Shin-III tells So-bong that he’s been monitoring her sleep quality, and he asks if she’s having trouble sleeping because of Jong-gil. She sighs that between hiding his identity and the chairman’s fake illness, things are getting complicated.

Nam Shin-III suddenly mentions how his physical and mental abilities are far better than a human’s, adding, “I’m saying that you can relax when I’m with you.” Awww, sweet robot. So-bong feels uncomfortable and gets down, reminding Nam Shin-III that she’s his master, and continues jogging.

Neither of them sees Snake watching them from some trees nearby. He’d seen Shin being taken away in an ambulance after being hit by the truck, and he thinks to himself that “Shin” looks too good for a guy who recently lost so much blood.

Back at the house, So-bong fusses at Nam Shin-III for reading her vital signs in case someone overhears and figures out that he’s a robot. A little voice chirps, “Robot?” and they looks down to see Ho-yeon’s son, Hee-dong, but luckily he’s just talking about the toy robot he’s holding, which Nam Shin-III said he could have.

Ho-yeon plucks the robot from her son, reminding him that toys like that will only make him like “Shin.” She says it’s time to visit Grandpa, ignoring the boy’s protests that he’s scared of the family patriarch.

As they leave, Nam Shin-III scans the young child and sees the medical device in his heart — oh wow, the little guy has a pacemaker. He tells So-bong that he’s seven years old, and that he’s their friend, because he’s a cyborg just like So-bong. He frowns as Hee-dong slips his mother’s phone out of her pocket without her noticing.

Hee-dong is so afraid of Chairman Nam’s glower that he drops the juice he’s holding onto the bed and runs. Ho-yeon swears that he really is brave and begs her father to be nice to him, but Chairman Nam just tells her wearily to go to her son.

Nam Shin-III and So-bong find Hee-dong a second before Ho-yeon does. She looks at her son then shoos them away, but So-bong wants to call an ambulance when Hee-dong starts coughing. The little guy begs her not to let his grandfather find out he’s sick, then passes out.

Nam Shin-III finds the cell phone where Hee-dong has hidden it in his clothes and throws it away. Hee-dong almost immediately starts to recover — ah, the phone was interfering with his pacemaker. Nam Shin-III tells Ho-yeon not to allow a cell phone that close to Hee-dong again.

Later, Nam Shin-III visits Hee-dong in his room to return his mother’s phone and ask why he didn’t want them to call an ambulance. Hee-dong says that Chairman Nam will hate him if he discovers Hee-dong is sick, because being weak is bad. Nam Shin-III says that what’s bad is hating to be weak, and tells Hee-dong not to hide his illness anymore.

When Ho-yeon’s phone lights up with a call from Jong-gil, Hee-dong whines that he’s scared of him, but Nam Shin-III promises to kick his butt and makes the little guy laugh. Ho-yeon finds them together and warns Nam Shin-III not to tell Chairman Nam about Hee-dong, but he says earnestly that it’s a rule not to break promises.

Ho-yeon kicks him out of Hee-dong’s room, then finds a message from Jong-gil on her phone saying that she needs to give him evidence of Chairman Nam’s dementia. Hee-dong tells her not to listen to that bad man because someone will kick his butt, but she wails that Jong-gil will figure out he’s sick.

She calls Chairman Nam’s doctor to ask for a note about his dementia, then takes it to Jong-gil and his sidekicks. He calls a board meeting to announce the chairman’s illness, with the doctor’s note as proof, and to discuss requesting his resignation. One board member says it’s hard to believe, but Nam Shin-III walks in and says it’s true that Chairman Nam has dementia.

He holds up a pen recorder, and we see that Nam Shin-III had convinced Ho-yeon to record their conversation when she gave Jong-gil the doctor’s note. Nam Shin-III notes Jong-gil’s expression and asks if there’s something on the recorder he doesn’t want the board members to hear.

Without waiting for an answer, he plays the conversation between Jong-gil and his cronies where they planned to get rid of Chairman Nam. HA, Jong-gil looks like he sucked a lemon, but he says there’s nothing wrong with holding a meeting. Nam Shin-III announces that in fact, the chairman isn’t sick, and he calls Young-hoon and the doctor into the room to prove it.

The entire room is still in shock when Nam Shin-III brings in his final evidence – Chairman Nam himself. He’d been in on the plan from the beginning, having been convinced by Nam Shin-III to do this for Hee-dong’s sake. He pats Nam Shin-III proudly, and Nam Shin-III leaves him to finish the meeting.

He meets So-bong in the hallway where she was listening in, and he grabs her hand to prove she’s lying when she says he didn’t seem that cool. Nam Shin-III’s watch battery beeps that it’s low, so So-bong texts Young-hoon to ask where to find the backup.

In the meeting, Chairman Nam plays the recording of Jong-gil’s cronies planning his removal, but Toady slips Jong-gil a note pointing out that his voice isn’t on the tape. Jong-gil turns on his people, pretending not to have known of that conversation, and he fires the guy whose voice can be heard on the spot.

Meanwhile, So-bong gets Nam Shin-III’s replacement battery from the car. He asks if he’ll be destroyed if people find out he’s a robot, worried about the look he saw on Jong-gil’s face in that meeting. So-bong says that she may be weaker than him, and not very competent, but she’ll protect him since she’s his bodyguard.

She takes his hand to replace his battery, but Ye-na, who walked in to see them smiling at each other, runs over to smack the battery out of her hands. She asks Nam Shin-III why he didn’t tell her the truth about Chairman Nam’s dementia, and when Nam Shin-III keeps looking at So-bong, Ye-na gets even more upset that So-bong knew the truth.

She grabs So-bong, stopping her from retrieving the battery. While Ye-na yells, a car drives by and smashes the battery. So-bong wants to take Nam Shin-III home, but Ye-na won’t let them go, and Nam Shin-III shuts down.

Ye-na runs to him, and she sees the battery port in his wrist. Young-hoon finds them and yanks Ye-na’s hand from Nam Shin-III, and he growls, “Did you see?”

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

In private, Chairman Nam tells Jong-gil that he knows perfectly well that Jong-gil was in on the plan to oust him, but he chose not to because of their history. But he says that he saved the recording of Jong-gil suggesting he be sent to a nursing home, warning him that he’ll use it if Jong-gil doesn’t toe the line.

Jong-gil claims that it was all for the good of the company, adding that he knows the chairman understands, which is why he buried what really happened to his son, Jung-woo. Chairman Nam asks if Jong-gil would benefit from that subject coming up again, and Jong-gil frowns.

Now that she knows about Nam Shin-III, Young-hoon takes Ye-na to see the real Shin, still in his coma. She breaks down crying, and Nam Shin-III goes to hug her, but she angrily shoves him away.

She snaps that wearing Shin’s clothes doesn’t make him Shin, calling him a fake and the rest of them even worse, when Shin is dying. Angry now, Young-hoon yells that everyone here are risking their lives to protect Shin from her father, because they believe he’ll wake up.

They leave Ye-na alone with Shin, and Nam Shin-III catches So-bong looking at him worriedly. She tells him that she’s not worried, but also that he shouldn’t just hug people unless they want it. Nam Shin-III processes this new rule of “don’t comfort people unless they want it,” and when he sees Young-hoon, Nam Shin-III asks if he wants to be comforted. Awww.

On the drive home, Nam Shin-III reminds Young-hoon that he said he’s not sure if he likes Shin, or the things he has because of Shin, embarrassing both Young-hoon and So-bong. Nam Shin-III says that after seeing Young-hoon’s reaction when Ye-na said Shin is dying, and the fact that he can still have the things since he’s impersonating Shin, he believes that Young-hoon really cares about Shin. Young-hoon says he’s talking nonsense, but he has to smile at Nam Shin-III’s satisfied expression.

Back at Shin’s bedside, Ro-ra tells Ye-na that she believes Jong-gil sent the man who was following Shin at the time of his accident. She says her mother’s instincts tell her it’s true, but Ye-na argues that her daughter’s instincts say otherwise. Ro-ra says that she’s sure Shin will wake up, but Ye-na sneers that she knows him better than the mother who abandoned him.

Ye-na takes a call from her father, who’s furious because he thinks she knew the chairman wasn’t sick. She says calmly that regardless, his greed was exposed, and that she’s staying with Shin tonight.

So-bong is woken the next morning by Young-hoon and Nam Shin-III, who are worried that Ye-na disappeared last night. Jong-gil calls Nam Shin-III to tell him he’s on his way to see Chairman Nam, but Young-hoon hangs up and says they can’t let that happen. They’re too late — Jong-gil is already there, along with Ye-na, who says she told them Nam Shin-III’s secret.

The guys look stunned, until Ye-na asks if it’s wrong to want to set a wedding date. Whew. Her cover story for being out last night is that “Shin” apologized for making her wait and said she could start planning the wedding. After a glance at Young-hoon (who looks like he’s barely holding it together), Nam Shin-III ekes out an awkward smile.

Ye-na, Nam Shin-III, and Young-hoon find So-bong, and Ye-na drops Nam Shin-III’s arm as soon as possible. She explains that she did this to prove to them that she’s on Shin’s side, and because she’ll end up marrying Shin like she wants. She gives Nam Shin-III a couple ring to wear, but he asks her, “You prepared a ring, but you couldn’t make a call? One call would have helped everyone. Are you an attention-seeker?” LOL, both Young-hoon and So-bong stifle giggles.

Chairman Nam asks if this wedding means that Jong-gil is bending to his will, and Jong-gil promises not to make any trouble as Shin’s father-in-law. Chairman Nam says they’re on the same team, for what it’s worth, and Jong-gil says he’ll never mention Jung-woo again.

Young-hoon arrives as Jong-gil leaves, and he asks the chairman why he had him edit Jong-gil’s voice from the recording. Chairman Nam says that when Jong-gil wants something, nobody can stop him, so right now it’s more beneficial to show Jong-gil that he can dismiss him at any time.

The press get wind of the engagement, and the so-called happy couple pose for pictures while Jong-gil rolls his eyes. Reporter Jo is suspicious and goes to So-bong for answers, but So-bong just says that couples in love get married all the time.

When they get to Ye-na’s office, she shoves Nam Shin-III away and orders him to stand staring at the wall, unnerved by his resemblance to Shin. So-bong tells her to go easy on Nam Shin-III, who hasn’t done anything wrong.

She leaves to meet with Jong-gil, and Ye-na orders Nam Shin-III not to move then also leaves. But the phone rings, and Nam Shin-III looks like he’s not sure whether to stay put or answer it.

Jong-gil asks So-bong if she remembers anything else about the time she saw someone who looked like Shin at the emergency room. She says it’s been a while, nor does she know why “Shin” would change his mind about getting married, and Jong-gil leaves frustrated.

Ye-na tells So-bong that Nam Shin-III is gone, but they find him in the lobby, talking to So-bong’s dad. Or rather, standing confused as Dad accuses him of kissing So-bong then getting engaged to another girl. Robocop and Joint are also there, incensed that Nam Shin-III stole So-bong’s first kiss.

So-bong says it was more like an accident (Nam Shin-III nods solemnly) and that they don’t have feelings for each other. That gets Dad to stop manhandling Nam Shin-III, and he asks So-bong when she became so cool. She covers his mouth to stop the kissing talk, and Nam Shin-III picks him up and carries him out of the building.

He puts Dad down, then drops to his knees and offers to let Dad beat him until he feels better. Dad asks if Nam Shin-III really has no feelings for So-bong, and Nam Shin-III tells him he has no feelings at all. Dad says that kissing a rich man won’t make So-bong Cinderella, but he can’t understand how a person can have no feelings.

He says that So-bong will quit her job, but Nam Shin-III blurts out, “No!” He says he’s sorry that he can’t tell Dad everything, “But So-bong is a good human being. She knows all about me, but won’t run away. She won’t tell my secret, either. Just like So-bong protects me, I must protect her, too.”

Dad mutters that Nam Shin-III is either a jerk or overly honest, but he orders him to keep that promise to protect So-bong. Nam Shin-III offers a car he called to take him home, and when Dad tries to decline, Robocop literally picks him up and tosses him in the car, eager to experience the fancy car. So-bong and Reporter Jo listen from a short distance, and Reporter Jo says it sounds like Nam Shin-III likes her.

Meanwhile, Ro-ra visits her husband’s ashes at the columbarium, and she sees that a photo of Jung-woo with Chairman Nam has been added to his resting place. Young-hoon joins her, and she complains that you’d think the chairman was a loving father. Chairman Nam also arrives, and Ro-ra looks afraid.

So-bong drives Nam Shin-III and Ye-na back home, and when Nam Shin-III catches her looking at him in the rearview mirror, he flashes a great big grin at her. It reminds her of the nice things he said about her, and how he wants to protect her. Ye-na gets cranky when Nam Shin-III opens a window, but he doesn’t close it until So-bong tells him to, which upsets Ye-na even more.

He tells her to calm down, but she takes offense when he calls her “Ye-na-yah,” and makes him take off his couple ring. When he doesn’t move fast enough, she yanks the ring off his hand herself and snaps that Shin will be awake soon, and when he’s awake, she’ll melt Nam Shin-III in a furnace. Nam Shin-III picks up the ring and puts it back on, saying stubbornly that he’s the human Shin right now, so Ye-na tears off his battery.

He shuts down within seconds, so So-bong pulls over, sick of the way Ye-na is treating him. She yells that Nam Shin-III has a brain and understands human emotions, but Ye-na says she’s weird if she thinks that makes him human.

She asks if So-bong has feelings for Nam Shin-III after kissing him, but So-bong just hisses at her and replaces Nam Shin-III’s battery. Ye-na tries to stop her, but as Nam Shin-III powers back up, So-bong tells him not to let anyone touch his battery or else.

As Snake watches from his car across the street, Ye-na gets out and slaps So-bong across the face. She yells at So-bong for disrespecting her, but So-bong asks why Ye-na is allowed to be disrespectful. She says that Ye-na is nothing without Shin or her father, and this time she blocks Ye-na’s slap.

She says she’s not holding back because she’s weak, but Ye-na kicks her in the shin to make her let go. Ye-na winds up for another slap, but the hand that stops her is Nam Shin-III’s. He tells her not to hit So-bong, and when she fights against him, he pushes her, and she trips and falls.

Even So-bong is shocked, but he just helps her up and says, “Protecting Kang So-bong is my top priority from now on.”

 
COMMENTS

I keep harping on whether Nam Shin-III has emotions, and I still think he does. You can’t convince me that he wasn’t angry at Ye-na in that last scene, and again in this episode he showed signs of confusion, sadness, and compassion. I think he just says he has no emotions because that’s what he’s been told, but that he’s been having them all along.

I just can’t get a good read on Chairman Nam, who is presented as a villain but does things sometimes that make me think he’s not as bad as he seems. He’s overbearing and controlling, and of course he did basically kidnap his own grandson just because he didn’t like the boy’s mother (and was probably involved in his son’s death), but at times he does seem to love Shin, and even Young-hoon. The scene where he invited Young-hoon to call him Grandfather really threw me for a loop, because it showed that despite his occasional bad treatment of Young-hoon, Chairman Nam does appear to love him like family. But then he treats his real grandsons with disdain, for no good reason, so I don’t even know what to think about him as a person. And to be honest, if the chairman of the company I worked for was willing to put the company in danger and fake a serious illness just to find out who his friends are, that’s just as much reason to have him removed as if he were sick.

Nam Shin-III’s insistence that So-bong is a cyborg because of the steel rod in her leg just cracks me up, because he sees it as something they have in common and a reason to be friends, while she’s still repelled by the idea. But I like that their friendship is slow-growing, because it feels realistic after So-bong’s initial revulsion at finding out Nam Shin-III is an android (as much as the word “realistic” can be applied to their situation). It makes sense that it’s taking So-bong some time to get used to Nam Shin-III, but it also makes sense that she’s beginning to like and feel protective of him, and even experience a little jealousy. I’d be more surprised if she were able to withstand his earnestness and genuine desire to connect to her on some level, and his delight at finding a “cyborg” to befriend is just too cute to resist.

I’ve been thinking about the whole question of what makes a person human, and I think I’ve been wrong to default to “must feel emotions.” I’ve been looking for proof that Nam Shin-III feels emotions so I can say that yes, he’s a person, but whether he does or not, I think I’ve overlooked the most important human quality that he already possesses — self-awareness. Nam Shin-III definitely has a sense of self, because he worries about his own mortality and seeks confirmation that he’s liked. Not all people experience emotions — there are medical conditions that cause some people not to feel emotion like most others — but every human being has a sense of self. So if we look at Nam Shin-III from that angle, I think he absolutely qualifies as a person.

 
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