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Crash Landing on You: Episode 7

Aaand Crash Landing on You is back! We were left with a doozy of a cliffhanger and had to wait two whole weeks to find out what became of our characters. Now, after a harrowing experience, our heroine has to make the choice of returning home to save herself or staying to save those she’s come to love. But at this point, danger is sure to follow her either way.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Jung-hyuk passes out from his gunshot wound, sending Se-ri into panic. When Kwang-bum limps over, Se-ri demands for the car keys, insisting she’s the only one who can drive. So with our two soldiers in the back, Se-ri races down the road. Her voice shaking, she asks Kwang-bum if there is a hospital nearby.

Kwang-bum pushes her to just go to the airport, but Se-ri won’t risk Jung-hyuk’s life. They reach a roadblock, and she looks forward with fire in her eyes. “Do you know what my favorite movie is?” she says. “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Before Kwang-bum can react, Se-ri plows right through the signs.

Soon, they screech into the Sariwon Hospital lot. Once Jung-hyuk is taken in, the nurse informs them that they need blood for a transfusion and fast. Upon learning Jung-hyuk’s blood type, Se-ri immediately volunteers. “Se-ri,” Kwang-bum warns, “if you don’t go now, you won’t be able to go back!”

At the airport, the track team’s coach learns that Se-ri has yet to arrive. And she’s not coming — she’s sitting in a hospital bed, giving blood. When it comes to board, the team has no choice but to leave without her. Seung-joon and CEO Jeon watch them leave, with Seung-joon worried as to how Chul-kang prevented Se-ri from going.

Speaking of Chul-kang, he’s already heard of his men being shot down. When he hears that the gunman was a real sharp shooter, his mind goes to Jung-hyuk. He orders a soldier to get him the Company Five’s firearm logbook.

Finally, having all the blood they need, the doctors take Jung-hyuk into surgery. Before getting treated himself, Kwang-bum hands Se-ri a bag of Jung-hyuk’s belongings. Looking inside, she finds Jung-hyuk’s now broken cell phone and blood-spattered uniform. To her surprise, there’s one more thing: her passport picture.

Touched that Jung-huk kept an extra picture, after he refused to take one together, Se-ri silently cries. Once Jung-hyuk is wheeled out of the OR, alive and well, Se-ri’s eyes then fill with happy tears. Thankfully, according to the surgeon, they were able to prevent damage to a major artery. Phew.

That evening, Se-ri sits by Jung-hyuk’s bedside, watching him sleep. She tells him that for so long, she would only love and hate herself, protect and abandon herself; she’s not used to having someone else by her side. Now she’s scared that something will happen to him. “Does this mean you’ve become a special person to me?” she wonders.

We then see that Jung-hyuk is dreaming of a memory. In Switzerland, after learning of his brother’s death, he was preparing to move back to North Korea. A little girl came up to him, pointing out his piano on the dock, and asked if he could play for her. He gave her a smile, saying that it would be his last time playing.

Jung-hyuk’s last song was one he wrote for his brother, a sweet but sad melody that echoes beautifully off the water. The little girl smiles as she listens, as do other passersby as they stop and watch. At this point, Jung-hyuk wakes up, visibly upset to see Se-ri in his room.

She tries to help him sit, but he shoves her arm away and asks why she missed her flight. Taken aback by his coldness, she tells him that she couldn’t go. He scolds her, saying that they risked their lives to get her out of the country and that she let their efforts go to waste.

“How much more do you have to trouble us until you feel sorry?” he demands.

She averts his eyes and quietly says that his anesthesia probably hasn’t worn off yet. She suggests she leave him alone and let him rest; he can be angry with her later. With that, she hurries out and informs the nurse that he’s conscious.

The nurse and doctor catch Jung-hyuk up on his condition, and the duo giggle over the fact that his “girlfriend” was so worried about him. They tell him that Se-ri gave her blood and that she nearly fainted from crying the whole time.

Jung-hyuk’s hard expression softens as this sinks in. He leaves his room to look for Se-ri and eventually finds her standing outside, looking at the rain and crying that she wishes to just drive away somewhere.

When she turns and sees him, she calls him crazy for walking around when he’s hurt. He merely looks at her, her tear-streaked face, and apologizes for being so harsh; he says he didn’t mean any of it.

She accepts his apology but insists that his being alive is more important than anything else. Still, he says, she wanted to return home so badly. “I told you, I couldn’t,” she reminds him, crying again. “For once, I had to protect you too.”

He keeps looking at her with those intense eyes, which she points out, and he says that he’s just looking. She starts to argue, but he cuts her off by leaning in and kissing her. He pulls back to look in her eyes and then kisses her again. Swoon city…

Meanwhile, Chul-kang is convinced Jung-hyuk is the gunman after viewing the firearm logbook. Sure that Jung-hyuk is injured, he has everyone on the switchboard calling up the hospitals in that area. In his home, Seung-joon is trying to reach Jung-hyuk as well, to no avail. CEO Jeon arrives, having talked to Chul-kang, and lets him know that Chul-kang doesn’t know where Se-ri is either.

At the mention of Chul-kang’s planned accident, Seung-joon’s whole demeanor changes. “Are you saying you don’t mind killing Se-ri?” he asks, incredulous. Jeon says yes, like it’s no big deal, getting Seung-joon worked up. Amused, Jeon tells him that he must be busy being a conman while trying to act human. Gotta admit, I’m surprised he’s showing a more human side too.

The next day, the village wives stop their work at the sight of Dan and her mother approaching. Still very much on Se-ri’s side, Young-ae tells the ladies to make the “bitch” and her mom show some respect. Dan’s mom gets them irritated in a matter of seconds by speaking banmal, asking for an apartment.

It’s only when Young-ae makes herself known as Jung-hyuk’s boss that Mom straightens up and switches to formal speech. To make up for her rudeness, she hands each lady a new box of makeup, which makes their faces light up. Suddenly, the ladies are acting super nice and showing Dan and her mom the apartments. Pfft.

Only thing is, these apartments are not at all what Dan was expecting. The elevator breaks down midway, the room’s fridge is used as a closet instead of food storage (because of the power outages), and there are farm animals kept in the bathroom and balcony. Dan escapes the tour and heads over to Jung-hyuk’s house.

Before knocking, Dan balances a hand mirror on the gate and tests to see if her hair looks better in an updo. Seung-joon shows up, making her jump, and asks why she’s here again. She explains that Jung-hyuk is her fiance, surprising him; he vaguely states that he knows Jung-hyuk too.

Since they’re both looking for Jung-hyuk, Seung-joon suggests they wait in his car. He throws out, “You look pretty with your hair down,” and she sheepishly hides her mirror as she walks past to the car.

Back at the hospital, the nurse keeps wondering why Jung-hyuk is so red when he doesn’t have a fever. She asks if he saw something he wasn’t meant to see, because she did. She reveals that she saw a couple having a deep kiss outside, and HA, she notices Jung-hyuk’s blood pressure rising.

The nurse leaves to get the doctor, leaving Jung-hyuk and Se-ri alone. He asks her what she’s doing, and she says that she’s sewing up the hole in his uniform. With a sigh, she then drops the uniform and decides to end the awkwardness.

He braces himself as she presents him with three options, the first two being pretty much the same (acting like the kiss never happened) and the third being that they simply not worry about it. He jumps at the third option, which doesn’t sit well with her. She figures that he must feel pressured and she doesn’t want that.

She leaves to return the sewing kit, placing his uniform next to him. Noticing the sewn-on heart, he smiles. In the hall, Se-ri is greeted by the ducklings, who are relieved to see that she’s okay. (Even ol’ Chi-soo.) She takes them inside to see Jung-hyuk, but apparently, in the thirty seconds she was gone, he fell asleep.

Looking at him, Chi-soo wonders how he got shot when he was supposed to be agile. Se-ri tries to defend Jung-hyuk, but Chi-soo is sure that he wasn’t fast enough to dodge that bullet. Unbeknownst to them, Jung-hyuk slowly clenches his fist.

Se-ri eventually lets the ducklings out and, when the coast is clear, tells Jung-hyuk to quit feigning sleep. He admits that he was too embarrassed to face the guys, making her wonder if he really wasn’t able to dodge the bullet.

“Of course I didn’t dodge it,” he says. “If I had, you would’ve gotten shot.” Though she’s touched, she doesn’t want him to dodge anything for her again. He asks the same of her, that if this were to happen again, she not stay behind because of him.

While they wait, Seung-joon and Dan eat some food and discuss how Dan came to be engaged to Jung-hyuk. Seung-joon brings up the fact that Jung-hyuk and Se-ri were at a hotel together, and Dan quickly clears that up. Still, he asks, has her fiance even confessed his love to her?

To that, Dan mutters that they’ll be married anyway and continues eating. Seung-joon tells her that marriage won’t solve that, as it’s the unknown of a relationship that really gets the butterflies going. He knows better than anyone because he had an arranged marriage that failed. Now he can’t stop thinking about that woman.

Night falls, and Jung-hyuk encourages Se-ri to use his bed instead of sleeping on the floor. She happily accepts, only to frown when he moves toward the floor. What does she suggest then, he asks, for them to sleep in the same bed? She smiles and says, “There’s no need for a war if we stay within our boundaries.”

So Jung-hyuk gives Se-ri most of the space and lies on his side (on his bad shoulder — ouch). A few seconds later, she asks if he’s asleep, assuming he is when he doesn’t answer. She pouts until she drifts off to sleep herself. A little while later, Jung-hyuk sits up, having been awake the whole time, and watches Se-ri sleep. She turns to her side, a lock of hair falling on her face, and he gently moves it back.

In the morning, Chul-kang finally discovers which hospital Jung-hyuk was admitted to. Just like that, he and two trucks full of soldiers are on the move. Meanwhile, Se-ri is outside the hospital, using the payphone to call Seung-joon. He’s relieved to hear that she’s okay and tells her to wait for him, promising to answer the questions about her family in person.

Se-ri hangs up and then stops cold at the sight of Chul-kang’s trucks arriving. She quickly hides as he and his men march into the hospital. Chul-kang barges into Jung-hyuk’s room and confronts him with the firearm logbook. With that, he has proof that he shot his men in order to protect a South Korean spy.

Jung-hyuk doesn’t deny what happened, but he wasn’t protecting a spy — he was protecting “his woman” from people who were trying to harm her. He then reveals that he knows (from Colonel Go) that Chul-kang met with the Chief Three of the United Front Department to get information from Division 11, against regulation.

“Would it be okay if I request an investigation?” Jung-hyuk proposes. If Jung-hyuk wants to run his mouth so much, Chul-kang suggests he should say it after they arrest him. He calls for his first lieutenant, but someone else comes into the room — Director Ri.

Chul-kang salutes to his superior, unable to argue with him. He’s forced to leave with his men empty handed. Back in the hall, there’s some gossip going around following Director Ri’s entrance. The nurses correctly guess that Jung-hyuk is the director’s son, which Se-ri overhears.

Se-ri then hears Dan and her mom’s voices coming her way and runs off with a girl on a wheelchair, pretending to be her caretaker. The girl asks what she’s doing, so she uses the fact that girl was watching a BTS music video against her to keep her quiet.

While Director Ri got Chul-kang out of Jung-hyuk’s hair, he’s not finished with him yet. He demands to know why he’s in trouble, ignoring his wife’s protests to leave their son alone. Finally, his wife snaps and says that they should be grateful their only son is alive after being shot.

That is, of course, right when Dan and her mom burst in. After checking to make sure Jung-hyuk still has all his limbs, Dan’s mom frets over his safety. She tells him that he should quit being a soldier and pursue the arts again. She wanted her daughter to marry him and not his brother for this very reason.

Dan yells at her mother to stop and apologizes to Jung-hyuk’s parents on her behalf. She looks even more distressed, however, when her eyes land on Jung-hyuk’s uniform and the sewn-on heart.

Now outside, Se-ri thanks the wheelchaired girl for helping her out. The girl, who introduces herself as Min-ji, is just impressed to hear Se-ri’s impressive Seoul accent. Min-ji asks Se-ri who her bias in BTS is, hers being Jungkook (same!), and Se-ri smiles. “Ri Jung-hyuk,” she says. “He’s my favorite.”

Seung-joon’s car pulls up to the girls, so Se-ri says a quick goodbye to Min-ji and climbs in. Though confused, Min-ji calls Se-ri cool as she and Seung-joon drive off.

The parents leave Jung-hyuk and Dan alone, and the first thing Dan brings up is the uniform. Jung-hyuk tells her that, yes, the stitching was done by the person she’s thinking. And though he didn’t want to hide anything from her, he has to admit it: “I like that woman.”

That said, he feels that he can’t marry Dan when he has feelings for someone else. Dan can’t accept that, saying he’s only getting butterflies because Se-ri is leaving soon. Getting agitated, she blames their lack of romance on the arranged marriage. Hm, seems like Seung-joon’s gotten into her head.

Either way, Dan is sure that everything will be fine once Se-ri is gone, so she has no intention to cancel their wedding. She walks out of the room, back to her mother, and tells her that they need to get a wedding dress.

Seung-joon takes Se-ri back to his place, urging her to relax. But she’s dying to know if he’s reached her family in the south. So he sits her down and reassures her that her whole family was ecstatic to learn that she was alive.

Se-ri’s smile falls. “You’re lying,” she says, unable to believe her brothers would ever be happy with that news. But when Seung-joon brings up the paragliding accident, she lights up again, thinking he must’ve talked to them if he knows that.

Seung-joon adds that her family even postponed the general shareholder meeting until her return. We see that that, of course, is a big fat lie, as her family is holding that very meeting as they speak.

Chairman Yoon stands before the press to clarify what happened to Se-ri. He confirms that she was, in fact, missing and that after a month of unsuccessful searching, they officially registered her death. And just like that, news of Se-ri’s death spreads like wildfire.

The chairman sits back, looking as if he hated having to say that, and looks on as the next announcement is made. The brothers and their wives wait for it, and after the shareholders put in their votes, the results for new management comes out to… Se-hyung.

Dan and her mom sneak over to a secret wedding shop. The shopkeeper reveals that she bought the latest wedding fashion magazine on her trip to Shanghai and hands it over to Dan. As she flips through the magazine, she comes across a news article with a picture of an all too familiar face — Se-ri, the South Korean heiress, declared missing. She rushes out of the store, magazine still in hand.

Meanwhile, Jung-hyuk is worried sick as he looks for Se-ri. He asks the hospital staff to show him the security footage and they’re more than thrilled (now knowing he’s Director Ri’s son). On tape, he finds the moment when Se-ri rushes into a car and disappears. Unable to see the driver’s face, he jots down the license plate number and tracks it down.

Se-ri wakes up in Seung-joon’s bed, realizing she fell asleep before she could call Jung-hyuk. She finds Seung-joon setting up dinner and asks if she can use his phone. However, Seung-joon’s face is eerily detached as he tells her, “You don’t need him anymore. You have me.”

He tries to convince her that with him she’ll have a better chance at escaping. Besides, if Jung-hyuk keeps helping her, he’ll only get in more trouble, since he obviously can’t leave his own country. Her eyes widen, and he steps forward, knowing he has her, to deliver the final blow: “He could die because of you.”

Jung-hyuk is on his way out of the hospital, on his way to find Se-ri, but he’s stopped by Dan in the hall. She holds up the news article and asks if he can explain himself; did he know the woman he liked was from the south?

Without missing a beat, he answers yes. She can’t believe that knowing that, he’d be willing to help Se-ri. She warns him that if he gets caught, he could lose everything, including his life. Even so, she asks, he still likes her?

Jung-hyuk doesn’t answer this time, merely looking up at Dan with a determined expression.

EPILOGUE

We see Se-ri with her former boyfriend (Jung Kyung-ho) on a date. Seeing the piano, she’s reminded of something; she asks her boyfriend if he can name a certain song, since he once majored in classical music. She plays what she can remember, and it’s easily the chorus from Jung-hyuk’s song.

She’s disappointed to hear that her boyfriend can’t place it, as she’s been wanting to hear it again. When asked why, she explains that when she was in Switzerland, she didn’t want to live. She didn’t exactly want to die, but she felt she needed some consolation.

“I wanted to hear someone say that I could live, that I must keep on living,” she says. And while riding a boat out on the water, she heard the song playing in the distance, coming in like an answer to her prayers. But to her dismay, she was too far away to see the player’s face.

  
COMMENTS

Oof, so much happened this episode that my head is spinning. Now that our second leads know what’s really going on, I’m a little nervous to see what they plan to do about it. Obviously, they’re going to do whatever they can to keep Se-ri and Jung-hyuk apart, as shown in the last few moments. It wasn’t the most exciting cliffhanger, but those shots of Jung-hyuk and Dan right next to those of Se-ri and Seung-joon felt intense because of what they signified — the north trying to keep the north in line, and the south trying to keep the south in line. I expected to be more frustrated than I am with Dan and Seung-joon, but in my gut, I already know that they’re not bad people. They’ve each shown their human sides, Dan with her insecurities and Seung-joon with his concern, and on top of that, their logic isn’t wrong. What they’re saying, about our couple being a danger to one another, is the sad truth. Still, on some level, Dan and Seung-joon are thinking of themselves.

No matter what the second leads put into our couple’s heads, it’s too late. The feelings are already there, the (real) kiss has been shared, and the ship has set sail. I think we all knew that Se-ri wasn’t going to leave the guys behind when they were hurt. There was hesitation since her being there is just making it more dangerous for everyone, but in the end, it was an easy decision. And once Jung-hyuk understood what she did for him, and what that meant, every decision for him has been easy as well. I find it so freaking romantic that these two care about each other and their safety so much that they’re not even worrying about actually being together. That worry is going to be there eventually, though, and it’s sure to be devastating. The fish out of water humor has been fun, the fake engagement and duckling family sweet, but things are about to get serious. Of course, being where we are, things were always serious, but now, there are too many hearts on the line.

At first, I thought the whole coincidence of Se-ri and Jung-hyuk being in Switzerland at the same time was kind of been-there-done-that. I’d seen it one too many times, and it just didn’t make much sense to me to include it here. I went with it anyway, since the show had embraced its fantastical tone, and gradually grew to like it. (What can I say, this drama has me wrapped around its finger.) This latest reveal of Se-ri finding hope within Jung-hyuk’s song? I love it. It’s like he’s been protecting her all this time, neither of them even knowing. As if I needed another reason to find this romance swoon-worthy.

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Thanks for the recap, @sailorjumun! In the long hiatus between ep 6 and 7, I started watching the King 2 Hearts and got so immersed in it that it was hard to get back into CLOY. It was a nice episode.

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Oh my heart, K2H 💕
So good... and the first time Lee Seungi showed me that he CAN act...

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Oh man I've been meaning to rewatch King 2 Hearts! It's been years...I miss those classic epics.

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Episode 7, #thereisonlyonebed trope checked. Even though Captain Pouty grumbles, the moment it's clear Seri isn't uncomfortable, he lies right back down despite the pain. Ah, this kdrama is feeding me all the cliches and I love it! <3

Also, I know this may sound like a low standard, but I love how Jung Hyuk apologizes to Seri pretty quickly and then we get the kiss. Tbh, I can't even be mad at Jung Hyuk for speaking harshly to Seri when he realized she hadn't left. He sounded more heartbroken and scared for Seri as the longer she's in North Korea, the more danger she's in.

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This drama takes itself too seriously! It can't decide if it is a comedy or a romance drama. It would be perfect if it could hit that fun tone of keeping its outrageousness and unrealism with the ability of laughing at itself. I still keep watching it! With a few laugh out loud moments when I don't think I am supposed to be laughing

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How can it be not serious? As I said in another comment down there. That is one SAD ending no screenwriter in the South can turn around, that the North and the South can never be one Korea. Such fact is no joke.

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The growing seriousness of this drama is one of the things I really like about it. It started out all cute and funny and fantastical, but as people become more entwined and the complications grow everyone becomes more invested in good outcomes, and the claustrophobic environment, filled with fear and paranoia, that is the NK political regime becomes stronger and more visible. I've actually talked to my husband about this drama, because it lulls you in with the sweet and silly, comforts you with all that is warm and normal in village life, then slowly takes that all away with the growing realization that secrets are not long-lived in NK and neither are the people who try and keep them.

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Two things, one is a bit of a petty comment and the other is much nicer. 1) I would like this drama and just dramas in general to invest in a Costco size jar of vaseline and or chapstick, I mean come on.
2) She must play piano better than she she was bragging about because she played it from memory.

Also how CREEPY is Seung Joon, I mean yikes.

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That's what I thought when I saw her playing the piano. She can play a song after just hearing it once and from certain distance, so she really can play the piano.

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I thought it was quite like her to belittle her own abilities, at least in something non business-related.

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I haven't watched one episode yet that I haven't really enjoyed. I love it that Mr. Ri and Se Ri are always telling each other that their association is over, and then are forced to willingly rescue each other. It's these recuses that I love the most because they reduce them both to caring human beings (no matter which side of the political divide they're on), that without a doubt, are falling in love with each other. This is my favorite drama of the past six months.

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I love how all the typical kdrama tropes apply to this show, but they still somehow manage to keep it fresh and interesting lol. Cohabitation, fake engagement, truck of doom, arranged marriage, 'we've met before but not really' backstory, adopted child, chaebol, 'riches-to-rags', opposing parents, love that can't be/'romeo and juliet' ... anything else?? Despite all that though, I still love it haha

The romance is topnotch, and I'm really rooting for our OTP to have a happy ending, somehow. I just hope they dont venture into the amnesia trope cuz I'd flip the table then ...

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Also, it's so poetic how the song Junghyuk wrote for his brother (which he never got to hear) became the very song that gave Seri hope. Just gives a whole new level of depth and meaning in their relationship.

When he said the word piano to the tomato plant, he said it with such sadness. I hope Junghyuk goes back to playing piano once he realizes how meaningful that is for Seri.

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the tomato scene is my favorite epilogue so far..the way his lips trembled - such great attention to details from the the actor/director/writer

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And as much as Junghyuk gave (and is continually giving) Seri a reason to live and literally prevent her from dying on her own hands and from others. The other part of this is Seri giving Junghyuk a reason to live a more meaningful life (and mybe a reason to go back to piano). Cuz up until now, Junghyuk has only been living the notions of life without much of a direction and just going through it for the sake of it ever since his brother's death. So even though he doesnt attempt for his own life like Seri did, he didnt live much of a life. But now Seri is giving him another dimension to allow him to live for more.

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He's been going through the motions because he is filled with guilt - he got to swan off to Switzerland and live the sweet life while his brother did his duty and followed in his father's footsteps. I assume he has to suspect, at some level, that his brother's death was not an accident... this is NK after all.

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Was it just me or did anyone else feel uncomfortable watching the kiss scene in the rain between JH and SR? It wasn't for lack of intimacy, just slightly voyeuristic, I think. It was maybe intentional the way they shot it, plus the nurse alluded to stumbling upon a couple making out in the dark just a few scenes later, it was like we were sneaking a peak at a private moment.

Dan is beginning to grow on me--I was indifferent before, but what really won me over this ep was the scene with her in front of JH's house, nervously fixing her hair. SJ bluntly calling her on that and Dan's flustered response really showed dimensions to her character that weren't evident to me before. I completely agree about your comment on her insecurities, they're what make her more endearing. My favorite moments of her are when she's _not_ interaction with JH but with everyone else, SJ, her mom, the ajoomas in the village hahaha--that apt tour was GOLD.

Finally, my fear of the drama making SJ the second romantic lead seems to be coming true? After he made that comment about finding attraction post-engagement cancellation, I definitely groaned, I...hope he's not talking about SR lol. Imo, I think SJ's character shines when he's just the shady, elusive conman that the drama introduced him as. He's best when he's being dodgy and funny.

All in all, I'm still quite engaged with the drama and I was happy with the romantic pace this ep!

Thanks for the recap!

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/facepalm, autocorrect and typos wtheck-- I meant peek* and interacting*

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Awwww, the goat in the bathtub didn’t make the recap? 🤣

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Lol sorry 'bout that 😜

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So unfair! That cute little thing!

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That whole apartment tour was fabulous; the books in the refrigerator, the goat in the bathtub, the chickens on the balcony...the literal window-dressing of first-world living trumped by reality.

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Did anyone else immediately hear Memories of the Alhambra playing in your head when Jung Hyuk started at the thunder & lightning outside his hospital room window?

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YES! it was almost like a reflex, it started playing in my head straight away

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I'm not even watching yet, and everytime I see a pic of HB in hospital on DB or IG, I hear the tune in my head!

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yeah!!!!! ha ha ha ha

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I love the light hearted feel whenever the ducklings come. I loved the kiss. I loved her soliloquy showing her growth as a person. I loved Capt Ri getting angry at her and then seeing how much she cares for him. It’s going to be hard to get her out of North Korea now. She’s going to be like a puppy that gets put in a box only to climb out to find it’s person, over and over and over.

And I love the village people and their apartment tour! I laughed that whole series of scenes. Things just got more and more unbelievable! Great comedy writing there. I was rolling on the floor by the time the goat showed up in the bathtub. And how earnest they were. I don’t know if I could have kept a straight face doing that scene.

This was my favorite episode yet! Time for the angst and a higher stake in the game (as of the stakes weren’t high already)!

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Yes! Se Ri's heartfelt, poetic bedside soliloquy was one of my favorite moments from the entire series. The visuals were the ultimate fan service, allowing us to relish Jung Hyuk looking, listening, smiling, eating, keeping his promise to help her, and protecting her. Oh my Gaaaaawd.

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Hmm. I've never been to North Korea of course, but I visited China back in 1990 and it was much the same as that apartment tour. I found that scene amusing, but certainly not unbelievable.

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I guess not!

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Same! It rang very true. Except that I wondered if Pyongyang elite would really be that clueless about the rest of the country (that village isn't exactly remote, seems to get quite a lot of traffic!)

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I loved this episode. I know most people liked the kiss but I actually felt like a tight hug would have been more appropriate? I don't know why, but given the situation, I think an embrace was a lot more consoling.

I love Dan. I don't like her role but I understand her situation and feel for her because she has to conform to a sense of duty. I was more disappointed with Seung-Joon because for a minute, I though he'd really side with Se-Ri. I wasn't expecting him to still play the conman but then again, maybe that's why he's so good as a conman.

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yups. Just after operation for gunshot wound; hug seemed more appropriate than "kiss" but obviously audience had been waiting too much, its episode 7 already :) :D
Yeah unable to understand Dan's character much. No idea how North Korean society is; or even what the values of elite in north Korea are.

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❤️❤️❤️AT LAST! A REAL KISS!!!! ALL THE FEEEEEELS!!!!!! I might have re-watched Jung-Hyuk kissing Se-Ri again and again and again….. 🥰🥰🥰 SQUEAL

THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HER JUST BEFORE HE KISSED HER!!!! SWOON 😍😍😍

Second-leads
On the one hand, I’m glad that Seung-Joon is decent enough not to want Se-Ri killed. On the other hand, his more manipulative side has surfaced: essentially holding her hostage at his place. It is an interesting twist. I’m willing to see where the writer takes this character. He’s no longer just a comedic, slick, con man. His ambition just took a turn for the darker side.

I’m really sad that Dan has turned into psycho-second-female-lead, insisting on her arranged marriage with Jung-Hyuk even after he told her he cannot marry her while being in love with someone else. I was hoping for better than that.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Hyun Bin speaking German is freaking hot. I may be biased since I know German myself, but whatever, point still holds true. Did anyone else see the behind-the-scene segment that shows him playing Jung-Hyuk’s song for his brother on the piano?! It’s actually him! 🤩🤩

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I was surprised that Hyun bin really played the piano. But I supposed it wasn’t good enough to masquerade as a “gifted” player hahahahaha the fact that the camera didn’t even linger on his fingers meant it didn’t impress the director too haha

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I think I heard from one of Hyun Bin’s interviews (the one that @ally-le posted on her fan wall) that he learnt piano for this role. I’m terribly impressed he was even able to play that well after only taking up piano for this drama! 😲

Yeah, I’m sure the actual piano playing is dubbed, and it’s not Hyun Bin playing, but it’s nice to know he was so committed to making his character believable by training to have the same skill set as his character. What a devoted artist to his trade! ❤️

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yeah nice to know that effort was made to show piano playing as genuine as possible even if rest of all plots are ludicrous. :)

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I think Hyun Bin has been playing piano for a long time. On YouTube I came across some old videos of former fan meetings (must have been around the time he did Secret Garden) where he was playing for his fans and his skills were actually quite impressive. He's obviously no Jung Hyuk himself, but he might be able to play on an intermediate level. With that in mind I think in the interview mentioned he referred to taking lessons to refresh his skills (he seems to be really humble when talking about himself) and probably learn the piece featured in the drama. Playing piano myself I can say the movement of his fingers in the scene was accurate, so he's been playing himself during the shoot. But I also think it was dubbed by an actual concert pianist later.

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Hyun Bin definitely plays piano. He plays for real way back in My Name is Kim Sam-Soon. You can see by watching his fingers that he is really playing what you hear (in that drama), and he's quite decent! Here, I think you might be hearing what he plays when the camera is on him, but when the music transitions to soundtrack, that's a pro.

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I thought he could play because of his piano scenes in My Name is Kim Sam Soon. Really convincing!

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At the time I remember reading that he could not play at all - but that in fact Kim Sun Ah was a really good piano player!

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No lie, I rme at that at and was like "No come on!" I feel like from her perspective, we seen that she does not love Jung-Hyuk but she puts on this facade that she does. I don't think she's per say a psycho-second-female lead, but she seems to be overcompensating over what others might think of her still not being married. I don't think she's doing it out of bad terms, but she does seem to be insecure regarding love. I hope she realizes that she shouldn't put up a facade in order to be deemed worthy by her family, and just break up their 'marriage.'

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@soulsearch12: Really? You don't think she loves Jung-Hyuk? I think she's actually very much in love with him, and has been for a long time. The only times, after her character is introduced, that she lets down her ice princess demeanor is when she's looking at him: either the picture they took together, or when she arrives at his military outpost home.

I didn't explain myself clearly before. What I mean by "psycho-second-female-lead" is a woman who, after being clearly rejected as she was when JH said he couldn't marry her, cannot take "No" for an answer, and resorts to politicking and schemes in order to keep him.

I don't find her a bad character or even a villain. I actually quite like her a lot. She's an intelligent, poised, elegant, pretty NK elite young lady. I also don't think she's insecure in any way EXCEPT when it comes to Jung-Hyuk. With him, she's always the one making an effort. She must know deep down inside that he doesn't care for her when she's in love with him...and that certainly is a good reason to feel insecure.

If anything, I sympathize with her a great deal. It's unrequited love all over again. I was just hoping that she would relinquish him after he rejected her, but it seems she goes after what (or who) she wants. I gotta admire that kind of guts, even if I think chasing a man who doesn't love you makes one look desperate and needy - the very opposite of attractive.

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I think she doesn't love him. In fact, she told him that. When he was driving her back to Pyongyang, she said that she wanted everything that was involved in a relationship, including being in love. That implied to me that she wasn't in love with him.
And then I have this idea that in fact she was in love with JH brother. It's not something that has been said, but little hints: JH telling her that he would keep his promise of always helping her when she asks, her look to her mum when she said that son 2 was a better option than son 1 for the arranged marriage.
I don't know, I just have that feeling.

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No, I think she's more infatuated with the idea of marrying a highly ranked person, moreso than being in love. She didn't see him for over 10 years (or close to), and they only had one 'date' in Switzerland where Jung-Hyuk admitted that they were arranged by their families. She's in love with the idea of what it is to marry a highly established person, rather than him.

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Yay recap is here! Thank you. The episodes are Loong (not that i am complaining because I like everyone one them till this point)

I like the maturity of our main couple. They don’t get angry over petty stuff and are fully aware yet adultly restraint about their feelings. It seems realistic in an unrealistic setting
I Guess that’s why we all root for them and not roll our eyes.

I like that the kiss was also gentle, it works to Jin Hyuk character. This male lead is one of the favourites of kdrama land for me and Hyun bin is doing a fine job in making it work.
I also love Seri sass , the 3 options scene was hilarious and daebak. Obviously the correct answer is not any of the three! Poor Jin Hyuk would have never gotten it right. His expressions and hers were all on point!
The balance of comedy, romance and intrigue is done pretty well in this drama - nicely done PD and team. If this continues I won’t be surprise if this drama is going to rock to a runaway ratings hit!

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This drama too lost my interest. Se-Ri could have dropped him to the hospital and got the flight or the next flight. Making the danger of being in North Korea being trivialized irritates me no end. It's indeed a shame that the drama also makes north Koreans to be kind of stupid. When they are so strongly protective of their brood going abroad then how could they allow Se Ri to miss the flight and not come looking for her? I can understand the background check not done due to Jung Hyuk's father but rest is all so ludicrous. I understand poetic license but at the least don't take your audience to be stupid.

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The fact that they didn't wait for her may be precisely because of JH's father. I mean: the team knew SeRi was not a part of the team, and they tried to reach Cap. Ri and they couldn't as his phone was broken.
Yet, I understand your point: how can someone get in a hospital in any country with a gunshot and no one is asking about it and not calling the police or the militar police, as he is a soldier. Dramaland, I guess.

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We could blame it all on North Korean culture as we really don't know how things are done there, I guess... nor can anyone confirm it.

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Yups, imagine anything about North Korea!!!! Who know what those people really are like.

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This show is becoming one of my most recent favorites. The romance is indeed swoon worthy at the highest levels. The danger, however, keeps me from melting into a puddle.

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It was good to have this episode after the hiatus.

I loved how SeRi and Mr.Ri care about each other (and as you mentioned, even before they "actually" met). It may have been the situation of dependence on one another, but even so, I feel these two are only being their real themselves when with the other.

I love the rom-com situation, but the fact is that they are in danger. And if it were only them, well... those are their lives, but there are more people involved and the more SeRi is in the country and with JH the more danger around them. I want to leave that aside while I watch the drama, but it's there in corner waving at me and I can't totally ignore it.

And this danger is the reason why I love Dan so much (well, not as much as SeRi). She's honest and concerned, she knows what's on stake and that even she is at risk. She doesn't know exactly how to deal with it without exposing everyone (and herself) so that's why she trusts SeungJoon. Not that his motives are completely sincere (he's just being a little bit selfish, you know...) but he's really aware of the dangers, while our leading couple may say they are, but love is blind, my dear beanies.

Favorite moments of the ep: the crazy apartment tour and discovering that SeRi can actually play the piano good enough to play a song she's only heard once.

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I too like Dan as well! She's cunning yes, a bit of a pushover but it doesn't come from a malicious place. We see cracks of her facade when she is with Seung-Joon. She's an interesting character, and has her own distinct traits separate from Seri which makes for a good contrast.

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it would be in her best interest to help Seri return to S.K., safely. I don't dislike her, per se but... I have not warmed up to her, as of yet, either.

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Son Ye Jin has also impressed me as well! She handles slapstick comedy quite well, and proves why she has been a top actress for so long.

And on to my favorite part, Kim Jung-hyun makes this show for me. The more he started to appear, the better the show became for me at least lol. He's sly, cunning, but also witty. You want to not like him, but yet his acting and charisma make it hard not to like him somewhat.

The plot is progressing a bit slower now in regards to Seri escaping North Korea. I really hope that she can go back to SK and take back ownership of her company, and tell her awful family off!! But, there is good character development with the leads progressing with their relationship.

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Just wanted to come over to say I realised why I love Gu Seung-jun so much. He's a total Flynn Rider. Okay, that's all.

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Yes!!!
I think the story of seungjun-seo dan is like tangled with sad ending. Our handsome flynn rider, even the hair style is same.

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I am firmly convinced that the 5th floor is the best in any building. Thank you NK ahjummas!

I am so curious what happened after the kiss! Did they just stop and went back to the room?! How awkward is that? Hahaha! Good thing nurse mentioned it, otherwise Se-ri wouldn't have that opening to bring it up. 😂 Also, same Se-ri, same. Ri Jung Hyuk is also my UF.

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I am so curious what happened after the kiss!

This is a question I have asked almost every Asian drama I've ever watched. 😂😂😂

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Actually, one of the things I like about Asian dramas is they leave a little bit to the imagination, which is great for me because I always prefer my versions the best ;-)

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😉

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Pleasant surprise to see Gu Jun Hwi's mother (from Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life) in this episode as the underground boutique owner! She's elegant as always; I've never seen her play a poor ajumma role.

How's Hyun Bin's German? Is his pronunciation correct?

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I asked the same question re. Hyun Bin's German. @oppafangirl and @willow said it was excellent! 😀

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Yep, i understood it all without subs and he had very clear pronunciation. If you wanna hear bad German listen to twenty again or 30 but 17 or any other such drama, it is so bad that i think they have to sub it using Korean subtitles.

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Awesome! Thanks! There's some German spoken by Woo Do Hwan in Mad Dog too, IIRC.

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That was like really bad, i did not get even half a word of what he said, i honestly can't even attest he spoke German. Lol!

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The show is best when the squad is around!!
I like that the show balances the seriousness with humor.
I, for one, thought the kiss was lukewarm. I will give it a pass since it goes with Captain Ri’s personality. I hope there is a second kiss!!

I like the second leads. They are interesting. I like Dan. I just hope she realizes she deserves better than chasing a guy who doesn’t love her. She will eventually get there. But Listening to her getting dating advice from Seung-joon Was hilarious!!

And Captain Ri tricked into picking option 3 was hilarious!! Poor guy didn’t know what he was getting into. Or did he? :))

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Technically this is their 2nd kiss, the 1st one being in the boat, so we should be hoping for the 3rd one 😄

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I love Dan too. And I love how she reacts to SeungJoon. I don't know it there will be a love story there, but it's clear that SeungJoon is impressed by her, and she, who looks like a very introverted and reserved woman, has trusted him since the very beginning. There's something going on between those two, whether it's love or a sincere friendship, I don't know.

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This is not an easy drama to watch because of the very real element of life and death danger...it has me hooked and on an emotional roller coaster. There are many layers to this show, I really do applaud the writers, recaps and comments. I think I am going to need the emotional support of the DramaBeans community for this one. ( I have already watched episode 8 on Netflix) When I am watching this show, it's like walking on a tight rope. It's not that other dramas have not had an element of danger in them but in this show, so many people can be seriously hurt or put to death legally and I find that disturbing. The acting from our two leads is fantastic as well with the whole cast, even the ones that are hateful. So far, outstanding work, all around.

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Watched Ep. 9 when I am writing this, but I will try to withhold those details.

I am reminded that that the Screenwriter did hire an assistant writer who is from the North, as well she has linguist and North Korean experts to help writing the drama (Seri paragliding into North Korea, for example, screenwriter has consulted military experts to lay out the plot), so the story is in fact very real (I work in news, so I know how close the story to the reality).

Yet the story keep poking fun with North Korean situation (as well South Korean Dramas) in a pretty nice way. Hats off to the whole team. Watching those dysfunctional families (Seri's, the most of all) keep reminding me of the 2004 Korean movie «Taegukgi», where the quarrel between brothers (by Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin respectively) is parallel to the war between Koreas. Especially after watching the final 15 minutes of Ep. 9 (You will know what I mean when you watched it, I don't utter detail here), I would find, and I hope everybody keep in mind, that there will be one sad ending even the best screenwriter in South Korea can't turn around, that the North and the South is never one country (Seri keep reminding the ducklings from time to time: "Once we unified, we can do/you can get something and something ..." I find that incredibly sad)

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Been to DMZ 3 times and saw how close the DPRK is...yet it's so unreachable by South Koreans... It's so heartbreaking for the ones who actually separated from their families.

'So close yet so far' situation has been well-depicted in this drama...

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I agree.

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just watched episode 9 too.

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I understand what you mean.
I'm afraid I'm going to cry rivers in this drama.

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I usually fast forward through opening credits. Not this one. I love the side-by-side comparisons of their daily lives and how they merge at the end.

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As near as I can tell, the part in the opening credits where they merge is filmed in Switzerland (or whatever they are using to represent Switzerland, lol)

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That moment when Seri was sleeping on the bed in the hospital and RJH was sitting beside her looking at her made me cry...

I felt so bad for her that her family is so horrible to her...how utterly alone she is that this man who has known her for only a few days cares about her more than her own family.

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Seri's been in NK for almost two months 😁

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2 weeks, if the count is right.

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Are you guys not watching CLOY through Netflix? They showed Ep. 9 today and will show Ep. 10 tomorrow. Then, we will have to wait for 2 LONG weeks. Sigh.

Thank you for your wonderful summaries of this great Kdrama! I have to admit that it has been one of my favorites so far. I love that it has a nice combination of romance, comedy and suspense.

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I really liked the scene with the piano and what it meant for both Jung Hyuk and Se Ri.
The apartment tour with the Ajummas with Dan and her mother expecting luxury but their reaction to everything turning out to be not the way they expected was all so hilarious.

Good that Jung Hyuk was straight forward with Dan. I was starting to like Seung Joon and warming up to Dan only to end up being really disappointed at them both.
I find the everyone's concern about this drama to be a bit too pessimistic but I get it.

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I love that Se-ri's favorite movie is Mad Max: Fury Road.

I also love how reasonable our romantic antagonists are--you can't disagree with Seo Dan or Gu Seung-jin. Except that you will. You absolutely will, for this OTP.

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Good summary. Thanks

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