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Greasy Melo: Episodes 27-30

Just as things start to settle into cute happiness forever ‘n’ ever, someone from Sae-woo’s past rears his ugly head (spoiler alert: it’s not Buster, that poor forgotten talking horse). The connections between everyone are slowly discovered and they all relate back to Sae-woo, which makes sense because she is the bright sun around which the Happy Wok universe revolves.

 
EPISODES 27-30 WEECAP

Chil-sung sees Sae-woo and Poong kissing, but they don’t see him, so they don’t see his poor heart breaking into a million pieces. Poong offers to drive Sae-woo home, and to keep him from finding out the hoity-toity neighborhood she really lives in, she directs him to her old apartment building where she used to live with Oh-jik. Thankfully she still remembers the code to get in the front door because Poong refuses to drive away until he sees her enter.

After she makes sure Poong has gone, Sae-woo sighs in relief and starts to leave the apartment building to go to her real home. However, in some incredibly serendipitous timing, Oh-jik walks through the front door, having just arrived back in Seoul. He looks like a sad puppy as he apologizes for running away and not preventing his parents from steamrolling her.

Sae-woo refuses to accept his apology, and demands to know why he couldn’t contact her at least once when he was in hiding, or why he made his parents bring her the divorce papers. She doesn’t want him to say he’s sorry — she wants him to explain why he abandoned her. Was he too scared to come back and deal with her now-penniless family?

Oh-jik weakly says that he’s just following his parent’s wishes to be with someone that is appropriate for their status. Sae-woo storms out, telling him she’ll see him at the courthouse so they can finalize the divorce. She cries as she walks home, but tells herself she’s not crying because of him, but because she’s mad at herself for ever loving him.

Meanwhile, Chil-sung takes Dim-sum to the vet, concerned that the kitty appears to be sick. The local vet is none other than the pretty woman who was also a patient at the hospital at the same time as Chil-sung, and she says it doesn’t seem to be anything, but hurriedly says Dim-sum should stay at the vet so she can run some tests.

It’s all an obvious ploy to stay in contact with Chil-sung, but Chil-sung’s too oblivious (and still broken-hearted over Sae-woo) to notice that fate has brought him a new love interest.

Later, Chil-sung drunkly stumbles home and finds Poong asleep. Despite his best attempt, Chil-sung can’t be mad at Poong for long (even though he can still be a little jealous).

Poong wakes up to Chil-sung’s drunken ramblings and attempts to help his stubborn hyung get ready for bed. Poong’s adorably attentive as Chil-sung bitterly laughs at the fact that he’s forever alone.

Chil-sung tells Poong that he’s always felt alone ever since his family abandoned him as a child. Chil-sung wishes that instead of becoming a champion fighter, his father could have stayed by his side a little longer. He sighs as he says he wishes everyone he likes was by his side for just one day.

Poong hesitatingly starts to bring up the fact that he and Sae-woo are now dating, but Chil-sung, knowing what Poong will say, interrupts and simply asks him to stay be his side today.

It’s a new day! The kitchen is hopping, mostly with hospital workers thanks to the word-of-mouth from the VIP guest who told everyone that Poong’s food was better than the hotel’s, so now everyone wants to try it. Even the hospital director has returned to enjoy a full meal, much to Poong’s satisfaction.

Conversely, Giant Hotel’s restaurant is barely half full. Seung-ryong is furious that they’re losing their regulars to Happy Wok, especially since the restaurant is the hotel’s only money-maker and they have a lot of bills to pay.

Sae-woo slips out of the kitchen early to finalize the divorce papers. Jung-hye hears about it and scurries after her daughter. Jung-hye pleads with Sae-woo and Oh-jik not to get divorced, but Oh-jik is still under his parent’s controlling thumb and Sae-woo is still determined.

Gum Granny brings her husband’s championship trophy and poster to Chil-sung. She’s kept it this long with the intention of eventually giving it to him. She doesn’t need it any more, anyway, because Chil-sung is her trophy. Aw.

Later, Sae-woo returns to the restaurant. Poong wonders if the meeting was successful, then cautiously asks why she wanted to get a divorce. He describes his own terrible break-up from his first love Dal-hee. Sae-woo cautiously admits that her once very rich family went bankrupt and Oh-jik was a no-show at the wedding.

Sae-woo wonders if Poong is disappointed to learn she’s poor now, but Poong is thankful. After all, if her family hadn’t gone bankrupt, she’d be happily married to Oh-jik right now, which means she and Poong would have never met on the bridge that night. Poong cautiously asks if Sae-woo plans to get married again. She’s not sure, and Poong says he isn’t, either.

Jung-hye is still determined that Sae-woo find a nice rich guy, one that’s “on their level,” since she believes that everything will return to normal after her husband is released from jail. Jung-hye is unashamed to admit she married him because he was rich and successful. She believes it was the best decision she ever made, and therefore wants the same for Sae-woo.

But it’s all the more reason for Sae-woo to keep her relationship with Poong a secret, since she worries about how her family would react. Especially considering how much her mother hates Poong.

Then again, Jung-hye continues to make mistakes which back everything up in the kitchen, so it’s no wonder that Poong is at his wit’s end and berates her, pointing out that everyone else is improving but she’s still as terrible as ever. Jung-hye quits and Poong doesn’t try to stop her.

Poong finds Sae-woo’s old wedding invitation, and, piecing together some odd things he’s noticed about the way Geok-jung, Seol-ja, and Sae-woo act around Jung-hye, he discovers they’re all related. He even goes to the address listed on the wedding invitation and sees the four of them leave the house, further confirming his suspicions when Sae-woo calls Jung-hye, “Mom.”

Things are extra awkward at work now that Poong knows the truth, although he keeps the discovery to himself. Sae-woo tries to stand up for her mother by telling Poong he shouldn’t be so harsh with the staff, but Poong wants to know if she’s on his side or on the rest of the kitchen staff’s side.

Later, when Sae-woo says she needs to leave to do something, Poong asks what it’s for, and Sae-woo says it’s a secret. Poong irritably says she sure likes to keep secrets, then demands to know if the reason she doesn’t want to tell anyone about their relationship is if she’s ashamed of him.

Sae-woo wonders if she should tell the truth, then has an imaginary argument between Poong and Jung-hye where Jung-hye makes it clear just how much she would hate Poong as a son-in-law since he doesn’t meet her criteria for an ideal husband. Distressed, Sae-woo concludes that keeping the relationship a secret is still the best option.

But maybe Sae-woo should cut her imaginary relationships a little slack, since Poong takes it upon himself to meet with Jung-hye and politely ask her to return to the restaurant. Jung-hye asks him if he likes Sae-woo, and Poong lies that he doesn’t. Jung-hye says that she’ll think over his offer.

On the flip side, Seol-ja is ready to defect to Giant Hotel and bring Geok-jung along with her. But Master Wang only wants Seol-ja — not the guy who helped Poong mess up the hotel’s kitchen. Seol-ja won’t go anywhere without Geok-jung, though. It’s all or nothing.

Even Oh-jik tries to convince Sae-woo to quit working at the restaurant since he thinks it’s beneath her, offering her some money to help her out. But Sae-woo refuses to give him the satisfaction, especially since she knows her working at Happy Wok hurts his status and image. Yes!

An anonymous benefactor has bought out the entire Happy Wok for the evening for a private dinner, leaving the menu choice up to Poong. That “benefactor” turns out to be none other than Seung-ryong and Master Wang, the latter who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Even though he’s cooking for his greatest enemies, Poong is still the consummate chef — although he refuses to listen to any of Seung-ryon’s compliments.

Meanwhile, Chil-sung and his boys have discovered that Seung-ryong bribed someone at Dad’s bank to cover up a multi-million loan fraud and made it look like Dad was embezzling. Chil-sung visits him at the prison, and Dad meets with him primarily because he remembers the name when Sae-woo visited and told her father she got a loan to pay for Buster’s operation.

Dad promises to help Chil-sung get the protestors to agree to sign over their right to protest, provided Chil-sung takes care of his family until Dad gets out of prison. Chil-sung agrees, hiding his surprise when he discovers that Sae-woo is “President Dan’s” daughter. Dad asks if Chil-sung likes Sae-woo (aw, is he trying a little matchmaking?). Chil-sung says he’s no longer allowed to like her, sighing as he says that agrees with that now.

Seung-ryong’s dinner at Hungry Wok is apparently to check out Poong’s skills, and he offers Poong the head chef position at Giant Hotel (much to Master Wang’s surprise and dismay). In order to keep Giant Hotel’s regular customers and be able to start offering banquet meals again, Seung-ryong needs Poong (and his inventive dishes).

Poong refuses to leave Hungry Wok, and Seung-ryong says he’ll break up with Dal-hee if that’s the problem. Poong angrily grabs Seung-ryong’s collar and insists there’s no way he’ll ever work for Giant Hotel again. But Seung-ryong is confident that Poong is ambitious enough to jump ship.

Sae-woo panics when she gets a call from Poong telling her that he needs to see her and he’s on his way to her place. That means she has to scramble to sneak out of her home since she told Poong she lives at her old apartment. Of course, Poong knows where she really lives, so he’s amused to watch Sae-woo frantically scramble out of a taxi and try to pretend she just stepped out the apartment building’s front door.

Poong tells Sae-woo that he apologized to Jung-hye and asked her to return, but he isn’t sure if she will. He asks Sae-woo how to reconcile with Jung-hye, and Sae-woo says that he doesn’t need to do anything special — it’s Jung-hye who’s unfairly biased against him and who is, indeed, a disaster in the kitchen. Aw, Poong listens to Sae-woo’s babbling with the most tender look in his eye since he knows that Sae-woo isn’t just talking about a random fellow coworker, but her mother.

Master Wang and Maeng-dal are eating at the same tent restaurant and Seol-ja realizes that she’s going to have to deal with both of the men in her lives sooner or later, so she starts with Master Wang. Master Wang is furious at the way Seol-ja has humiliated him because she kept choosing Hungry Wok, but Maeng-dal gets over-protective and warns Master Wang to speak nicer to Seol-ja. Or else.

Maeng-dal’s ready to fight, but Seol-ja grabs his arm and they make a run for it before the situation gets out of hand. As they stop to catch their breath, Maeng-dal kisses Seol-ja. Then he asks that they date “greasily” — as in, just follow their hearts and go with the flow.

Chil-sung’s gathered the funds to pay off the protesting construction workers and lay claim to their right to protest (since technically the banquet hall is now “his”). The “Crooked” gangster who attacked Chil-sung previously tries to prevent him from handing over the payment but only gets beat up for his efforts. The construction workers are thrilled that they can now leave their posts and go home to their families. Chil-sung’s satisfied that he’s one step closer to taking over Giant Hotel.

Maeng-dal and Seol-ja enjoy some late-night ramen in the Hungry Wok kitchen, but hurry to hide in the cooler when they hear someone come in. It’s Poong and Sae-woo, who are surprised to see a burner and bottle of soju on the counter. But hey, they were planning to make ramen too, so it’s super convenient! As they eavesdrop from their hiding place, Seol-ja and Maeng-dal are shocked to realize that Poong and Sae-woo are dating.

Soon Poong and Sae-woo are also hiding in the cooler when they hear the other gangsters come in. Pffft, it’s a good thing that this is such a big walk-in cooler. Sae-woo happily tells Poong that she loves him — she doesn’t care that all the kitchen staff hates him.

Sighing, Poong tells Sae-woo that he knows the truth — that she, Jung-hye, Seol-ja, and Geok-jung all live together and originally deceived him about their relationship so they could work at Hungry Wok.

 
COMMENTS

It feels weird to confess that one of my favorite parts of this show is how well the characters communicate and are honest with each other when the entire theme this week has been secrets and lies, but honestly (heh) I love that people pretty much wear their hearts on their sleeves. I love the sweet vulnerability between Chil-sung and Poong as Chil-sung talked about his childhood. Normally dramas try to pit the leads against each other when it comes to love triangles, so I’m thrilled the show is able to convincingly create one where everyone acts like adults and genuinely likes each other and wants the best for each other. I’ll never stop squeeing over Chil-sung and Poong’s bromance.

I feel like a broken record declaring my love for Chil-sung each week, but each week I continue to fall in love with him just a little bit more. How can I not love the graceful way he’s distancing himself from Sae-woo in order to support her relationship with Poong (while not letting on that he knows the truth)? Ugh, my heart broke a little bit when he gently insisted that Dim-sum’s new “mother” would be Poong, since Poong is a “good guy.” Chil-sung’s given his blessing to the happy couple, even if they don’t know it yet.

I know I wanted this “fairy godfather” character since the beginning, the kind who will do anything to make miracles come true. But why does it gotta hurt this much to see Chil-sung resign himself to being forever alone? (Which we know is a lie because the show is shoving Ms. Veterinarian in our faces, making it clear she’s his pity prize. Okay, okay, she may be an awesome woman completely worthy of Chil-sung, but right now she’s just some random person who’s popped up in a few awkwardly shoe-horned scenes and doesn’t feel at all connected to Happy Wok, and I’m just not ready to accept her into my little restaurant family, okay?)

At least all the secrets are being revealed. Not that I expected Sae-woo to be able to hide her relationship or parentage forever, but I do appreciate that it looks like (once again) everyone is acting like adults and not taking it too personally. I hope. I mean, Poong may be demanding and brutal in the kitchen (’cause he’s got standards, y’know), but I think he can appreciate Sae-woo’s difficult position and realize how hard this has been for her. At least I hope he can. I don’t expect him to completely change his ways if Jung-hye returns to Hungry Wok, but I think he’ll at least reconsider the best way to communicate with her. After all, that’s a major part of being a leader — figuring out the best way to get through to your team (especially if one of them might potentially become your mother-in-law).

 
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Thank you for the recap!
Don't we have only two more episodes left? Or is there more?

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It's a 20 ep season so there are 5 more episodes.

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I think they cut one episode (two thirty minute episodes) due to the two week delay.

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You're right, it's now a 19 episode season.

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Ugh it made me so mad when the group (mum, ebu, oppa and Seo Woo) ganged up on Poong! How unfair to him!!! So mum is basically crap at her job yet we all have to pamper her and support her and sweettalk her whenever she acts like a spoiled petulant child! Ugh! I am so disappointed! And Poong didn’t fire her. She left!!! I honestly wanted to reach inside the tv and strangle those two when they went to the hotel to offer themselves! Despicable despicable behaviour.

Dim Sum’s omma on the other hand is a huge teddy bear who deserves nothing but happiness in his life. I hope he gets it in the form of pretty veterinarian.

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What I love about this show is that it often starts down a path that infuriates me and then turns on a dime. This was one of those cases.

When everyone was laying into Poong for having the AUDACITY to tell his employee to stop screwing up (and he was questioning his behaviour as well), I got really annoyed. He treats everyone the same way and has equal expectations in his kitchen. The only reason they have a problem with his behaviour is when he dares to criticise the Former Miss Korea (or whatever she was) who's never taken responsibility for anything before. From Poong's perspective also he has Sae-woo who came in equally inexperienced and has worked her bum off. In comparison her Mum is lazy and entitled.

So I cheered when Sae-woo turned around and said, "don't change, be who you are" and admitted that her Mum's incompetence drove her bananas too.

In contrast, the other two going to the Giant Hotel to jump ship when they know that the chef is a backstabbing thief - and just because Poong was mean - got me so super mad. Hey, remember when Poong respected her opinion so much that he instantly hired on her recommendation? These people have goldfish memories.

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Exactly!

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Poong disappoints me more. The mom is aware of her lack of skills but showed gumption in getting patrons into the restaurant. Why didn't he just put her as the permanent greeter at the front of the house?

Honestly, I think they are both entitled. Poong is an entitled chef who thinks he is better than everyone in the kitchen. The mom is an entitled debutant who thinks she is better than everyone due to class. So he puts her in her place in the kitchen and she puts him in his place outside the kitchen. They are made for each other.

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Could I point out that Poong actually goes on to apologize- and acknowledges what she did?

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They were understaffed and her being a waitress, which was a promotion she made herself, meant the least she could do is remember the menu. Are you seriously blaming him for getting mad at her lack of remembering even the basics of working in a restaurant?

No restaurant owner in their right mind would let her stay there as long as she did. Also, he /is/ better than everyone in the kitchen, he's the head chef. That's not ego, that's just the hierarchy of their workplace. He could have said things in a nicer manner but being a blunt and fierce boss has always been his weakness, and the show addresses this and also shows him trying to be better and more patient. Unlike SW's mom, whose sense of entitlement came from nothing more than just the ridiculous idea that she's better than him just bc she was rich once.

Blaming him in this matter is ridiculous.

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He is the head chef, the boss! Of course he is better than anyone else there in the kitchen! As for being gruff and impatient, I don’t think I have ever heard/seen/read about a soft spoken Head Chef. At least his entitlement has talent behind it, ahjumma is entitled only because she ‘was’ rich! I am most disappointed in Seo Woo. Just because it is her mother doesn’t mean she has to ignore her shortcomings. And I borderline hate the onion lady!

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I think it’s obvious Poong is a soft generous dude deep down but lacks communication and leadership skills. He is a super talented chef but has to learn to work in a team and especially manage a team. He does need to be assertive in the kitchen, there are things that need to be said in the kitchen that will probably be unpleasant “That’s not good, do it again” but Im sure no one would resent him if he didn’t add “Why are you slow? How many times have I told you this? Blah blah blah, the nagging and long scolding in public is what makes his behaviour annoying and it allows me to understand (only slightly) why the cutting part and noodle part want to leave. There are so many things he could wait to say in private. But I’ll give the writer credit for allowing the character to reflect on this. In order for his team to work in harmony he does need to work on his temper, a little bit. On the other hand, Saewoo’s mom is extremely frustrating and yes, entitled and I have no idea if the writer will allow her to evolve (sad, because I love the actress) I understand why Seolja reacts to Poong, its not just about protecting Saewoo’s mom, I think she is also not prone to accept scolding from anyone, which is interesting because she is as naggy and “fiery” as Poong.

Anyway I’m here for Chilsung, Chilpoong, Chilsum, and waiting for Chilsung to start feeling loved, appreciated and getting a little bit of self esteem back. I hope to like whatever relationship they build or suggest between him and the vet.

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Don't blame the characters for their behaviour - it's the script writers and director who showed little common sense/ understanding and created difficult/ pathetic/ foolish characters that were irrational and annoying.

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I think she was just Onion Queen. It was the runner up who persevered and went on to be Miss Korea.

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OMG that’s so completely her!

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...Former Miss Korea (or whatever she was...

She was "Miss Onion".

Mom drives me mad, but I know a Mom just like that. Best is just leave them alone to stew in their weird fantasies, haha. You can really get red in the face from annoyance if you engage them.

Well, Mom's always been pampered, and used to having all her opinions accepted and given thought about. She's never been out in the world where no one gives a damn to what you say if you can't walk the talk cos it just seems like words that hold no weight in reality and came from someone's ass.

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Felt so bad about Poong having to capitulate to mom, he rightly said what he did wrong, but he didn't say anything about what SHE did wrong. Guess that's the whole point of him making up to her, but was so itching to smack that smug face of hers!

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I really wanted him to ask her to come back while insisting she work harder to get things right. But I understand that in Korea parents-in-law have a certain status so it's in his long-term interest to kowtow now.

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Same! So done with Sae Woo's family.

It also annoyed me that Poong apologized to mom about the yelling but she never apologized for messing up in the first place.

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Surprisingly, I don't hate the mother. Yes, she is a pampered princess with no kingdom behind her, and every word that comes out of her mouth makes me roll my eyes so hard my head starts hurting, but still. She's been like that her whole life and no one corrected her ever. When you see a bad behaviour of a spoiled, pampered child, you blame its parents for not raising it better. The mother's "parents" are Seol Ja and Geok Jung, it's them who should guide her into being a better, wiser, simply more mature person. What do they do instead? Gang up on Poong, even though, I could swear, Seol Ja would be the first to join him in scolding, had it been any other kitchen member continuously screwing up. Their hypocritic and traitorous behaviour just pains me, since I was very much in love with them from the moment they stepped into Hungry Wok. I hope the writer will give them a good, long, redemption moment with Poong, so I could start loving them again.

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Thank you for the recap, @lollypip! I like the way you described Sae-woo as the bright sun that the rest of the Hungry Wok crew revolves around. I guess Chil-sung would be the moon.

I'm glad we're done with Sae-woo's ex. That was short and sweet. I'm glad Poong tried to make up with her mother. I'm glad patient Maeng-dal finally got to kiss his woman.

Chil-sung continues to steal the show, whether with his mother, Poong, Sae-woo, kitty Dim-sum, or just beating up gangsters with a fan. Wasn't that so cool the way he swaggered into Giant Hotel, whipped out his fan and waved it at the camera? I can never think of him as a second lead.

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I said last week I liked the way this show defies kdrama tropes. So I liked the fact she met her ex and basically sighed with relief that she'd discovered he was a coward so early.

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Seriously, ex-hubby is such a pathetic character. What happen to the playful guy cavorting with Sae-woo in the early episode? Did he get a lobotomy..? Wondering whether we really are done with this guys or, surprise surprise, he's somehow involved with Sae-woo's dad predicament.

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I wonder if the writers have decided not to pursue the ex plotlines?? I notice that Poong's wife hasn't been seen since she threatened to open up an office above the restaurant.

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Agree about the missing plotlines. Thought we will have a lot of these exes, since they were married for goodness' sake, but they were just gone like lost baggages. Am actually glad for this, but also confused as to why they were married in the first place...

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I get Poong's last fight with his wife was pretty awful but I find it weird she's completely disappeared.

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It feels like the writer was responding to feedback, maybe. Ex plotlines dropped. There was clearly supposed to be more with Poong's wife, I think. Buster also seems to have been dropped. The vet wasn't supposed to be the vet and was presumably thrown in to give Chil Sung someone.

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I have a feeling we’re not quite done with the ex yet, since he again saw Sae Woo outside his building, this time with Poong. Part of me wonders if his parents blackmailed him with a threat to Sae Woo or her family. The only way I want to see him back is by making some huge sacrifice or brave move as penance. His chance at love has 100% been lost.

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Chil-Sung is not a second lead- he is very much a lead character. But he is not the primary romantic lead.

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The hiatus has messed up this show's pacing. Kdrama writers are used to writing in two-ep blocks and the end of episode 15 was clearly a minor cliffhanger that they needed episode 16 to resolve. But it's a minor quibble.

I hate to say it but the romance between the Gangster and the Cutting Part doesn't interest me (maybe because I'm starting to dislike her) and so devoting so much time to whether or not they would finally Eat Ramen bored me.

It did amuse me that everyone decided to Eat Ramen at the same time and the same place, even though that kind of sitcom setup usually annoys me. Maybe because they all had to literally Cool Down from the Heat of Cooking Ramen in the walk-in freezer.

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Loved Seol-ja as a strong character, but seriously dunno why she keeps giving chances to lowlife chef. She's also capable of so much loyalty to her "family", am wondering why she still hasn't consider Poong to be one of them after all that he did.

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I thought she "got it" when Poong was so kind to Gum Granny. But when she was ready to go to Giant Hotel (why???) and Wang refused to hire Geok-jung, I thought she'd remember that Poong hired him unconditionally. And Geok-jung? Why doesn't he remember that nobody would hire him because of his disability but Poong thought it wasn't even worth mentioning?

I was most upset that they all had Poong questioning himself as well when he's been so accepting and charitable towards them. And just because he yells sometimes? Ergh.

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They could make it with cameo by Gordon Ramsay, he's appeared in What's in your refrigerator?, how he tries to put the hotel back on track with Seol-ja experience the right hell in the kitchen. Of course if everyone works as he should, there won't be almost any shouting.

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@leetennant ChinguMode,

The hiatus has messed up this show's pacing. Kdrama writers are used to writing in two-ep blocks and the end of episode 15 was clearly a minor cliffhanger that they needed episode 16 to resolve. But it's a minor quibble.

Thank you. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who notices the timing issues caused by preemptions. Some shows never bet back on track.

As for everyone hiding in the walk-in freezer, they're going to defrost a lot of expensive ingredients if they don't watch out. ;-)

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I also liked that it was a minor callback to the start of both these relationships - the Cutting Part warming up the Gangster with a kiss when he was in the freezer and Poong warming up Sae-woo when she had hypothermia after hiding in the freezer.

Hot and cold continues to be a theme, which is appropriate considering this is a show about literally heating things up to help them merge together (in cooking).

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This week's episodes are so annoying with all the hypocritical attitude of "I'm classier than you because you are poor". When Chef Wang told Seol-ja that she had stooped low because of her association to Maeng-dal, I was like EW EW EW! You stole her money and left her alone before, you lowest of lowlife scum, you! Ugh! So done with this valuing money over basic human decency.
Thank God for Dim-summie and Chil-seong still being his awesome self. With red suspender and fan ^^
The truth about Sae-woo family is now out, and with less fanfare than I thought it would have. Am glad to have dad & Chil-seong seeing eye to eye, hope he is more rational than his wife.
Felt bad for Poong being lied to and felt hated by all. Was mad at Sae-woo for treating him almost like Dal-hui did, but the imaginary mom vs. Poong showed that she does realise she treated him badly and she feels guilty too, which is probably why she lashed out as well. Guess it's not easy to be stuck in the middle, especially with such a sucky, narrow-minded mom. Loved her badmouthing the mom tho, it was sweet how Poong was relieved over her kinda being in "his side". I think we can say that they survived their first couple fight..?
The ending of ep 30 was so funny, was kinda expecting a bunch of people stuck in the cooler ^^

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This show feels like it is juggling too many characters and is becoming more sitcom like than drama like, to me. I'm in it for Jang Hyuk, but it seems like his character Chil-sung has some fresh hell to uncover every week, so it makes it hard to watch.

I am still enjoying it, but barely.

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Chi-sung is the only reason I am still following this show, hope that he gets a happy ending that he deserves.

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She’s Baaaaaack! Or is she? Chil Seung sits down with Dim Sum- and realizes that his kitty is sick. So off they go to the Animal Hospital and are shown into the vet- who is- of course- you guessed it (drum roll please) is none other than Beautiful Patient. Who recognizes him immediately. Only he does not recognize her. I first thought that Chil Seung simply needed to get his act together here- because here is a great woman who is very attracted to him. But I actually think that the problem is rooted in the class system which seems to drive much of the plot. At the hospital she was just another patient. At the Animal Hospital she is a respected professional who probably comes from a very good family- a family that might never accept Chil Seung. So, by long standing habit he cannot even see her as a woman- and so does not recognize the lady he was attracted to before. To her very obvious disappointment. But Chil Seung’s attitude is a practical one: Even today in Korea one’s family has a lot to say about who you can marry. This truth is really underscored when O-jik re-appears- and all he can say to Sea-woo is that he must follow his parent’s orders. What a sorry excuse. What a pathetic infantile person. His parents will no doubt select a new wife for him. I feel sorry for whatever girl gets roped into that.
It is sad to think that the writers may have been telling us that Chil Seung and Beautiful Patient do not have a future together. I hope that I am wrong. If I am wrong then I actually disagree with Odilettante’s characterization of her as a pity prize- making her a veterinarian is telling us that this is a very accomplished woman- someone who is objectively better than Sae-woo. Chil-seung is a king- he needs a queen. And Sae-woo is wonderful, but she is no queen. Beautiful Patient is the queen that Chil-seung needs.
And now let me be blunt- someone needs to turn Sae-woo’s mother over their knees and give her a serious spanking. After experiencing O-jik’s coldness (her very own words) shouldn’t she have learned a lesson about what her daughter should look for in a man? “Our kind” is not a useful measure of anything. One of the most beautiful things about the story in One Percent of Something was seeing the Chaebol grandfather handpick a girl for his grandson on the basis of her character rather than her class- a girl who was definitely not “our kind” (The grandfather, of course, turns out to be absolutely right).
Poong learns the truth about Sae-Woo’s family. Initially he doesn’t take it well. But by the end of these episodes he has adjusted his attitudes. I think that Chil Seung’s manly approach to life is starting to rub off on Poong- he is becoming tolerant of the weaknesses of others. Which makes it a lot easier for Sae-woo to tell him that she loves him. Wait till they tell her mom and friends. Let the fireworks begin. Which is entirely fitting- this is, after all, a melo.
At the end, Chil Seung is...

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" I think that Chil Seung’s manly approach to life is starting to rub off on Poong- he is becoming tolerant of the weaknesses of others. " - Yes! Nicely said!

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Amazing episode as always.

Glad they got Sae Woo's ex out of the way quickly. I was afraid they would drag it out for 3-4 episodes but his removal was quick and painless.

I am pretty surprised by Poong's reaction to finding out about Sae Woo's family. I expected him to explode, or stop talking to her but he was actually way calmer (I mean, he was a bit pissed the day after but can you blame the dude?). To be fair, Poong has shown great maturity in a few instances like serving the hospital director after the buffet to show him what he missed so maybe I shouldn't have been that surprised.

On the subject of Sae Woo's family, it will take a lot of effort on the writer's part to make me like them. They have regularly been weak and cowards to Sae Woo's mom and back-stabbing when going to the Hotel. I don't find their loyalty to Mom cute or even endearing. They are babying a spoiled child who uses her mom/employer/age privilege to get people to do what she wants.

I know family are the hardest people to scold but Sae Woo needs to sit Mom down and teach her how to live outside her rich lady's status.

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Apart from a few exceptions, Poong's all class. You'll notice he also refused to bitch about his employees behind their backs, even as Sae-woo was venting about them.

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For a show that spent half of its runtime being a total mess, I'm pleasantly surprised at how they've managed to tighten up the plot towards the end. Although a lot of plotlines have been left by the wayside, it just shows how pointless they were to the actual storyline that I don't notice so much lol. I'm continuing to love the chemistry between SP and SW. The moment the show decided to seal their couple it felt like a switch was turned on and the chemistry between them just overflows lol, it's really too bad we couldn't have seen more of it earlier. I love the vet too. Hopefully we get more scenes with her next week. Even if the show doesn't end with CS getting paired up, I hope we at least get an open ending with definite signs of this coupling happening. The biggest disappointment is SJ and GJ bc I really thought SP had found true allies in them, but the show made up for it with that scene of him teaching the gangsters. I thought it was cute, and quite a natural way to show them slowly becoming family. And as always, my Chilpoong bromance is still running full steam ahead, so I'm very happy lol.

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I'm living for the SP-SW chemistry. Love all the cute backhugs! Every time SW makes a comment about SP's back being 'hers' I laugh since she has no idea he has that giant thug tattoo on it. Would be hilarious if they had a scene of her discovering it ^^

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Poong teaching his gangster brothers shows that he takes his promise to Chil-seung seriously- and that he is beginning to accept them.

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Thank you for your recap and comments, odilettante!

I was so frustrated with Princess Onion and her Entitled Entourage that I was ready to throw something. I've been frustrated with Sae-woo, too. They've all been treating Poong abominably, and I'm fed up with the lot of them. I haven't forgotten their earlier snotty attitudes towards Chil-sung and his Light and Shadow crew, either. They've conveniently forgotten that Poong (and Chil-sung) gave them jobs when they were down on their luck -- and made sure to pay them even when Happy Wok was still in the red. A pox upon the ingrates. Harumpf!

Sae-woo has spoken with forked tongue for so long that I really don't like her. Poong deserves someone better – someone who doesn't play games. She has been as wimpy in dealing with her hypercritical diva mother as her ex-husband had been in knuckling under to his parents when her father's company went bust. Chil-sung deserves better, too, but I'm not sold on Ms. Cat Doctor yet. She has so obviously been parachuted in as a plot device that I can't get myself worked up about her.

Right now I'd be fine with Chil-sung and Poong raising Dim Sum as part of an epic bromance. Ms. Shrimp and Princess Onion can take a long walk off a short pier. Please just go away.

Poor Buster has probably died of a broken heart by now. Thanks to eagle-eyed @aegiomma for an update on his name in Korean. The Korean For Internauts blog is a wonderful resource. ;-)
http://www.dramabeans.com/2018/05/greasy-melo-episodes-1-4/#comment-3267748

Chil-sung's showdown with Crooked's gang at Giant Hotel was great. He vanquished his adversary with a fan, a la Dr. Jang Bin in FAITH. Between that fight and Lee Joon-gi's recent fisticuffs in LAWLESS ATTORNEY, I've been a happy camper.

If only Chil-sung would knock some sense into the mutinous kitchen crew at Happy Wok. His subordinates are making progress learning their trade. The Cutting and Noodle minions, however, should be made to walk the plank. Arg!

For What It's Worth: One of my friends trained as a chef. Her comments on what goes on behind the scenes in restaurant kitchens makes Poong look like Mother Theresa in comparison to real-life chefs and those portrayed in shows such as POSH NOSH and TEMPERATURE OF LOVE. Poong does not act like an egotistical martinet. But he does insist on harmonious teamwork, discipline, attention to detail, and correct and timely preparation of high-quality ingredients. He's the field marshal of the kitchen who strategizes and coordinates the myriad tasks that produce bliss on a plate for Happy Wok's patrons. The idea that he's getting flak from a buck private who doesn't even know the names of the dishes infuriates me. The fact that two primary lieutenants have sided with the twit who cannot even do a good job washing dishes – and who abandoned her post in the dining room at the height of the dinner rush – makes me see red.

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Yes about chef Poong! I would trade him for any chef and most of the cooks I encountered working in restaurants. He's tough because he's trying to create the perfect kitchen.

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I think Sae-woo won me over when she worked so far to master the ladle because Poong needed her. Watching her mother chuck a tantrum because Poong was mean to her only highlighted for me that, in the same position, Sae-woo took the criticism on board and strived to do better. And I think Poong is making that comparison too.

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...worked so hard to master the ladle. Sometimes my brain is four sentences ahead, although that's hardly an excuse!

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Ha, ha, my brain is with you. I read it the way you meant it instead of the way you wrote it!

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Me too.

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I don’t like Saewoo either and I wonder if there’s any way the writer can make her sympathetic to me again. I guess she just confuses me so much and gives me the impression of being ditzy aloof and too much in her own head to realize anyone else’s feelings. Well at least with Poong she was right in telling him he should “scold people in private” but other than that she usually comes off as self centered. Also, I wish she avoided talking to Chilsung so much. Any normal person would avoid talking to a guy that has a crush on them if they are not going to correspond. Instead she asks for his help and keeps lingering around him not letting him forget her. I wish the writer freed Chilsung from her but instead she makes his new “mission” now directly related to her “ugh”. I’d rather have more Chilpoong and Chilsum than this.

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@itsmedf,

Whew! I'm glad to learn I'm not the only viewer who's underwhelmed by Ms. Shrimp. In some ways she's as self-centered as her mother. A real chip off the old block. I just don't understand her. And I'm peeved that she has been ignoring Buster.

I thoroughly agree with you that she should leave Chil-sung be. Instead, she keeps barging in on him when she should back off so he can get on with his life.

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I don't personally get this criticism of Sae-woo. She's made her feelings to Chil-sung clear all along and she's never given him false hope. Apart from the hospital, she's never sought him out. She just runs into him at work. So, is she supposed to quit her job because the boss has a crush on her? She's lost almost everything, is she supposed to cut dead one of the few people she can rely on?

He's the one with the crush. If he is struggling being around her (which he clearly isn't) then it's his responsibility to avoid her.

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Barging in to his office and asking for help because she was worried about Poong? I think she's a little insensitive isn't she? If you think it's not... well... we all have different opinions.

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He's Poong's friend, roommate and investor. Who else would she go to? Anyway, as you say, mileage varies. I thought her going to Chil-sung because she was worried about Poong was sweet.

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@leetennant ChinguMode, @oldawyer OldLawyer,

Thanks for the reminders about Sae-woo. I think at this point, I've lost the pointer to her owing to preemptions, watching too many dramas simultaneously, and perhaps the subtitles. Or Kdrama Fatigue. Maybe it's just me and I've slipped into crankypants mode. In real life, you sometimes meet a person that you just don't get along with. Maybe it happens with characters in dramas as well.

If I look at it from the standpoint of "Is Sae-woo the right person for Poong?," I have to say that she is. But she comes with a bunch of irritating barnacles (i.e., other characters, situations) that are rubbing me the wrong way.

I intend to keep watching. Maybe something will happen that changes my mind. Thanks again. ;-)

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Several commenters have been really down on Sae-woo. Yes, she is spoiled but she is also a fish out of water with her family having been ruined. But she has not manipulated Chil-seung and cannot really do much about her mother. And she simply could not be the sort of strong self-confident woman that Chil-seung needs. But she is perfect with Poong. The rest will work itself out. Meanwhile Beautiful Patient/Veterinarian could be the woman that Chil-seung needs- if they can get past the class issues.

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It's especially hard that no gives allowances considering it's SP's first time running his own kitchen. It's much more difficult to lead than to be on the receiving end where you just have to follow clear directions. I really felt for him when he was asking the thugs if they all still hate him, he's obviously hurt at the idea of the workers disliking him.

Speaking of the thugs, is it just me who noticed the cute maknae thug with the brown fringe disappeared in these last episodes?

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apassingfeeling,

That's a really good point you bring up. None of the people who work at the Happy Wok -- aside from Seol-ja -- had any professional experience in a real restaurant before Poong arrived. I'm purposely ignoring the old Hungry Wok, because Chil-sung didn't know beans about running a restaurant when he set up his DIY vocational training program for his subordinates. None of the workers know squat about how a restaurant kitchen is supposed to operate -- except for Seol-ja, who should know better. She's too busy sucking up to Onion Princess to think about the cooking and serving synchronization issues, let alone things like proper food-handling, sanitation, and job safety.

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apassingfeeling, " noticed the cute maknae thug with the brown fringe disappeared".
A note from the future:
If you are referring to Cha In-Ha as Bong Chi-Soo that has the same auburny hair as the hotel meanie,
ironically
he "was found deceased at his home by his manager on December 3. 2019."
What is it about the S. Korean culture and their entertainment industry?

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Just wanna commend Junho for doing a fine job on his role as a chef..those fires real burnin..

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Thank you for the weecap, @odilettante!
(There are so many little details in this drama. I'm going to have to re-watch when it is over to catch them...)

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At this point I'm only in it for Chil-Sung; mainly because the plot has lost it's charm for me, sorry.

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Kinda disappointed that they used shark's fin and bird's nest as dishes... =(

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Jang Hyuk is a great actor! I'm a big fan.

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