86

Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 9

With this drama’s break last week, I wonder if it lost some momentum for the viewers. That week off may have also allowed some stirrings of discontent to grow, which had been mere traces at the end of Episode 8. Without new content to occupy our thoughts, all we had was to analyze the stuff from the last episode two weeks ago.

That aside, I liked Episode 9, and was pleased to see that the plot takes some big strides forward and we have a few reversals. (I love reversals.)

SONG OF THE DAY

IU – “기차를 타고” (Riding the train) [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
A brief refresher: In the last episode, Kang-jin and Ji-wan had started to meet again, happy to be reunited. He faced difficulties at work after Tae-joon set him up to fail on a project, but Woo-jung found out Tae-joon’s underhanded dealings and fired him instead. Ji-wan was unable to reconcile her love for Kang-jin with her guilt and anger over her brother’s death, and her body had rebelled. Realizing that he was the reason Ji-yong died, Kang-jin backed off, and to drive home the message, he kissed Woo-jung in front of Ji-wan.

EPISODE 9 RECAP

And now, we are one year later.

Ji-wan attends to an ailing grandmother, assuring her that she was at the top of her class and will administer the acupuncture needles without pain. She brags of her own skills to ease the woman’s worry, and afterward even offers to do her laundry.

While she’s washing, Tae-joon appears and offers his help. He had heard from her boss at the cafe where she had gone, and Ji-wan gratefully accepts his assistance.

He also has good news to share with her — he just won a bid on a big project. Their vibe is easy and friendly, but not perfectly back to normal. For instance, when Tae-joon gets water into his eye, Ji-wan takes a close look at it, and he comments, “A stranger would think we’re extremely close.” At that reminder of their past awkwardness, she asks if he still feels uncomfortable, but he smiles and answers, “I think I’m okay now.”

Tae-joon asks Ji-wan to have dinner with him on his upcoming birthday. She hesitates for a moment, then agrees with a smile.

Kang-jin is brought to a fancy restaurant under false pretenses, thinking it’s just dinner with Jae-hyun. When he finds out that this is a meeting with the company president, Woo-jung’s father, his face hardens. Woo-jung had begged Jae-hyun to bring Kang-jin here and even threatened her father that if he didn’t accept Kang-jin, she’d move to another country. The whole office knows that she has her sights on him and assumes that he’s going to be the president’s new son-in-law.

When Kang-jin presents himself in front of the dour president, Woo-jung looks on him fondly and calls him “honey” like he’s her long-term boyfriend. But her smile fades as Kang-jin starts speaking, saying bluntly that contrary to all the rumors, he is not dating Woo-jung. Furthermore, he will never be anything more to her than one of her employees, and therefore would be obliged if the president would ignore all future rumors involving him.

With that, he excuses himself and leaves. Woo-jung is put out by Kang-jin’s swift rejection of her carefully planned meeting, but to her surprise, her father laughs.

Woo-jung hurries outside to catch up to Kang-jin, pleased with this response. She even congratulates him for the clever way he managed to make a good impression with her father. This moment is supposed to confuse us for a second — wait, are they dating for real, or not? — until Kang-jin makes it clear that this wasn’t just a tactic. He apologizes again about the kiss (from Episode 8), for which he has by now apologized dozens, hundreds of times; it’s his way of reminding her that he doesn’t accept her romantically.

Woo-jung honestly can’t see why he doesn’t see her appeal — even disregarding herself as a woman, if he takes her, he could have Bumseo Group. She’s willing to accept him knowing how he feels, and he has so much to gain.

Kang-jin responds with a kind smile, “I could have liked you. If you had been first, I could have liked you, as a woman.” He clarifies that even without her connection to Bumseo, she is plenty attractive as a woman.

Woo-jung guesses, “Is there a woman you love?” She prods, “If I try harder, could I steal you from her?” Is there even 1% of a possibility? He answers, gently but firmly, “No.”

And sure enough, we see that Kang-jin isn’t over Ji-wan, not even close. He still pauses outside the cafe at night after closing hours, while she sits inside unaware of his presence. Meanwhile, Ji-wan chats with her boss, who sings Tae-joon’s praises and urges her to stop holding back. Tae-joon has built himself back up after leaving Bumseo and now has his own firm, and he’s devoted to her. Ji-wan has been keeping him at a distance, probably because she knows her true feelings don’t lie with Tae-joon.

Back in Sancheong, Chun-hee tries to work up her courage to approach Jun-su, but can’t. She preps all sorts of excuses to come to his clinic, but chickens out and can’t go inside. She’s muttering her frustrations out loud, and doesn’t see that Jun-su arrives just in time to hear her exclaim, “I miss you so much I’m going crazy!” He doesn’t say anything, and lets her walk on in dejection.

Despite Young-sook’s obvious favoritism for her dead son, we finally see a glimpse of something else when she looks over a stack of newspapers, where missing child ads were placed for Ji-wan. She hides them when Jun-su enters, but he sees the ads and asks, “Do you still hate Ji-wan that much?” He tells his wife philosophically that Ji-yong’s death wasn’t her fault, no matter how much Ji-wan had said it was — it was just his time to go.

He also suggests that they order out today — coffee from the tearoom. It’s a peculiar suggestion, but Chun-hee is thrilled to get the order, especially upon hearing that Jun-su asked for her to deliver it personally.

However, she’s in for a surprise, because Jun-su treats her coolly. When she sits at the table, he makes it a point to say that she’s sitting in his wife’s seat, as a direct reminder of her place. Startled, Chun-hee prepares coffee with shaking hands, but when she adds cream and sugar to Young-sook’s, he sternly tells her that his wife takes it black. If she can’t make coffee properly, shouldn’t she run a bar instead, like her mother?

His attitude is hurtful, but he ignores her indignant tears and says, “You say that you’re like this because of me, but don’t be ridiculous. This is your original self. This is what your fate has brought you. No matter how you try to shed your fate—”

Chun-hee dumps coffee on him, cutting him off. Still Jun-su continues, saying that he’s glad he never took that train to Seoul with her. He’s thankful for people who held him back, saying that they weren’t right for each other.

For Tae-joon’s birthday dinner, he takes Ji-wan out to a nice restaurant, and she gives him a tie. He’s pleased, and puts it on right away — which is when another patron returns from the bathroom to seat herself at the next table. It’s Woo-jung.

Tae-joon’s hands fumble, so Ji-wan offers to tie it for him. I wouldn’t say she’s faking their closeness, but she’s making a show of looking happy with Tae-joon in front of Woo-jung. Especially when her dinner companion arrives, upping the tension in the room another few notches. It’s Kang-jin.

Everyone freezes for a few beats before doing their best to resume acting normally. Now it’s Woo-jung’s turn to exaggerate her affection, and this time Kang-jin accepts her touch. He even returns it, holding his hand to Woo-jung’s face, acting for Ji-wan’s benefit. At the next table, Ji-wan’s hands tremble as she tries to act like nothing’s wrong. She doesn’t know that Kang-jin is really here for a business meeting, and he presents Woo-jung with some documents to look over.

Dinner sours further when Tae-joon receives a phone call that immediately turns his mood dark. The news is very bad, and right away, he knows what happened to ruin his project.

Hanging up, he storms over to the other table and accuses Woo-jung of messing with his bid — he had clearly won the bid last night, but all of a sudden Bumseo Group has come out the winner. What kind of dirty backdoor deals did they make to steal his work out from under him? What bribes did they make and who did they lobby? Tae-joon’s voice starts to break as he calls them dirty bastards and rants that he’d put everything he had into this for the past year.

Kang-jin steps in front of Woo-jung to confront Tae-joon, his calmness contrasting with Tae-joon’s emotion. He asks if Tae-joon has any proof of his accusations, and challenges his charge — so when Tae-joon wins it’s based on skill, but when Bumseo wins it must be a result of dirty tricks?

Maintaining his composure, Kang-jin then directs his gaze to Ji-wan, saying, “It seems like fists will fly pretty soon, so why doesn’t your partner stop you, instead of just looking? It seems like you’d listen to her.” She’s startled at his cold formality.

Back at the cafe, Tae-joon still shakes with anger. Ji-wan tries to cheer him up, but he gets up to leave, determined to find out what really happened. With a heartbreaking look, he tries to keep his emotion under control as he tells Ji-wan:

Tae-joon: “I was going to propose to you again. If this project went well, when I became more honorable, I was going to officially propose. I wanted to start over with you.”

The implication is that he can’t, now — that his goal to right his life and make things good again has been ruined.

Back at the restaurant, Woo-jung has shaken off the confrontation and resumes her lighthearted attitude, but Kang-jin is troubled. Tae-joon’s accusations still ring in his ears, and he asks Woo-jung if the claims were true. Did Bumseo really bribe the client and lobby illegally to win the project? (Always one to fixate on the less-significant point, Woo-jung is pleased: “You mean you took my side without knowing the answer?”)

Kang-jin presses, “Is it true?” She shrugs, “Maybe.”

He’s dismayed to hear this, and starts to ask, “Why does Bumseo have to go that far—”

Woo-jung cuts him off: “You mean, why does someone who has 99 of something have to steal away the last one from someone else? That’s how the world is.” She calls Kang-jin naive for thinking otherwise.

He still can’t understand her blase attitude, especially after she even risked her life for her love of Tae-joon.

Woo-jung: “Do you think there’s such a thing as love on this earth? I don’t think there is. That’s just like hypnotizing yourself. That’s why I think you’ll come to me at some point, because I don’t believe in that thing you call love, either.”

Not knowing of Kang-jin’s displeasure at the truth, Ji-wan is still smarting over his defense of Woo-jung. In the morning, she hears from Tae-joon’s No. 2, a worried Sung-min, that Tae-joon is being held at the police station. He had stormed into Bumseo’s offices in a fury, saying that he couldn’t just let himself be played and had overturned desks in his rage. Furthermore, the client won’t even vouch for Tae-joon’s claim that he’d won the bid first. Sung-min worries that they’re ruined now.

At the station, Ji-wan approaches a defeated Tae-joon; his head hangs and his voice is low as he says, “It’s all over.” She embraces him in consolation as he cries — which is when Kang-jin walks in. They meet eyes, but Ji-wan looks away and keeps holding Tae-joon.

Kang-jin turns silently to leave, but Ji-wan chases him out. She confronts him angrily, declaring, “I’ll do it! I’ll do what Tae-joon can’t do. I’ll reveal to everyone all the dirty things you did to wrong Tae-joon!”

Ji-wan vows to find the client’s office, where she’ll talk to every employee one by one to get the story. She’ll call the press, circulate the story on the internet. She’ll do everything in her power to reveal what they did. Kang-jin remains silent and continues down the stairs while Ji-wan chases him all the way, shouting that people like him can’t get away with stomping on the less powerful. “I’ll do it all!” she challenges him.

What I love about Kang-jin in this episode is that the writing shows layers — he acts one way on the surface while thinking another way inside. For instance, he accompanies Jae-hyun on a shopping trip for digital cameras and causally tells him that he’s decided to take up Woo-jung’s offer and marry into Bumseo Group. This is a prospect that greatly relieves Jae-hyun, since this would make his life easier, and he congratulates Kang-jin on finally making up his mind.

However, with a casual attitude that doesn’t betray his intention, Kang-jin says that first he’ll need to find out everything he can about Bumseo Group to impress the president. For instance, who did the lobbying for this latest project?

Bu-san sits with Young-sook and the nurse at the clinic, paying his respects since he intends to marry the nurse, who is almost like family for the Hans. As he leaves, he greets Jun-su cheerily, and when asked about his mother, he answers that Chun-hee is doing much better these days. She isn’t caking on the makeup, she isn’t hanging out at the tearoom, and she has stopped drinking at night.

This is probably exactly why Jun-su was so cruel to her earlier, and this is good news. But he’s bothered when Bu-san adds that she’s currently by the river, “waiting for the water to warm up.”

Jun-su finds her at the river where, as he has guessed, she says she’s here to die. (She says this in her typical way, more for effect that for real intent.) She reminisces that they first met here, when he’d saved her from drowning: “If I died here, I wouldn’t feel lonely. My mother’s [ashes are] here. The son that resembles you is here. And unforgettable memories are here.”

Irritated, Jun-su grabs her and pulls her from the water, depositing her in the car. She shouldn’t joke about life — she should forget him and live better than him. He says in exasperation, “What am I?” (with the tone of, “I’m not even that important, why are you so hung up over me?”) Chun-hee retorts, “You’re everything in my life!”

Growing more tearful as she speaks, Chun-hee confesses that she thought that he’d felt a tiny shred for her deep inside, just a tiny fraction of her feelings for him. But after hearing that he doesn’t, “Now I have no reason to live.”

Contrary to what he thinks, she wasn’t stupid — she never even hoped to hold onto him forever. When they were going to run away together, “I just thought, I want to live with Han Jun-su just for a little while.” She’d enjoy being able to love him and live with him for a while, then send him back to Young-sook’s family (who had owned the Oriental medicine clinic).

Toward the end of her speech, Jun-su’s vision starts to blur, and he falls unconscious.

After gathering the information about the recent project, Kang-jin asks for a meeting with the president. The documents show that they had unfairly lobbied for the bid, and he asks the president to return the project, which was taken through cowardice. The president asks, “Why?” Kang-jin: “Because that’s robbery.”

The president seems to find Kang-jin’s conclusions amusing, and asks what he’d do if he didn’t agree. Kang-jin doesn’t have a concrete plan, but surmises that he could go to the press with the information. The president asks, “Do you understand the meaning of what you’re doing?” Kang-jin answers, “I know.”

Woo-jung is frantic to hear that he’d met with her father — does he think he can do this and still remain safe? Kang-jin replies evenly, “It doesn’t matter.”

She demands incredulously, “You’d die to save Park Tae-joon? Don’t you know who he is? Have you forgotten what he did to you?” He repeats, “It doesn’t matter.”

He avoids her gaze all the while, and leaves with Woo-jung still shouting after him for an explanation.

Ji-wan comes by Tae-joon’s apartment, which is a wreck of alcohol bottles and scattered papers. He lies on the couch and mumbles for her not to clean up, but she does anyway, ignoring his words to leave.

We can guess the reason for Kang-jin’s behavior, but in case it wasn’t clear, Kang-jin looks over his father’s pendant that night, confirming that this is for Ji-wan.

But even he hasn’t anticipated what comes next. Woo-jung wasn’t kidding about the direness of his actions, and in the morning, he receives a frantic phone call from Jae-hyun warning him that he’s in big trouble. Men are cleaning out his desk, and he has been accused of selling his project’s master designs to another company. Kang-jin has been charged with being a corporate spy. Jae-hyun urges him to get to a lawyer immediately.

Just then, an angry pounding sounds at his door — it’s Ji-wan. She’s furious, having tried to talk to the client, only to be run around in circles and given nothing. She asks accusingly, “Have you already covered your tracks?”

He hesitates to open the door, which she takes for stubbornness. Defiantly, she decides, “Fine, let’s try it. Let’s see this through to the end, and see how far I can take this!”

Kang-jin opens the door and faces her calmly, again treating her with that infuriating indifference. He tells her that she can try, but she’s not strong enough to get anywhere. She should go back home, eat up, and prepare herself before she attempts to take him on: “Sorry, but I don’t find you scary in the least.”

A voice interrupts: “Is it because of Han Ji-wan?”

They turn to see Woo-jung standing there in the hallway, watching them. She continues, her voice incredulous as she looks from Kang-jin to Ji-wan:

Woo-jung: “Is the reason you’re killing yourself to save Park Tae-joon because of this woman? Is the woman you said you love… her?”

 
COMMENTS

Oh OH! My first thought when Kang-jin started to doubt his company was that I want Tae-joon and Kang-jin to team up. They can leave the ladies behind, or bring them along, whatever. But I want them to join in together! Kang-jin is being portrayed as the superior one in terms of business AND in morals, but it’s clear that he can’t last at Bumseo. Tae-joon doesn’t deserve Kang-jin’s help, but before this stuff happened, they had respected each other professionally.

I believe that Kang-jin would have felt the same way about the stolen project even if Ji-wan weren’t involved, but his efforts to save Tae-joon are also motivated by her — it appears she’s devoted to Tae-joon, so the best way to help her is to help Tae-joon. Furthermore, it’s a way for him to repay the debt of her brother’s death (any scene with the necklace must now carry symbolism regarding Ji-yong, right?).

By the way, angry Ji-wan is by far my favorite version of her character. Although she has the wrong idea about Kang-jin, I’m relieved to see her fired up in indignation over Tae-joon’s mistreatment. Finally, Ji-wan comes alive to be an active character I can root for, rather than a passive vessel for other people’s emotions to be dumped upon!

Song Jong-ho has been doing a really wonderful job as Tae-joon, and you know the actor is rocking it when his character is weak and unscrupulous (when push comes to shove), and yet you still feel for him. I actually like the year skip because it allows us to see that he has moved on and tried to grow from his low point. And if not for Bumseo’s corruption, he would be doing so well. The time skip also gives us a flip of the dynamics, where now Tae-joon is the underdog and Kang-jin is (briefly, before he’s scapegoated) the one in power.

The scene when Tae-joon confesses his intent to propose, and the scene at the police station — great, quiet, emotion-filled moments. It almost — almost — makes me want to root for Tae-joon and Ji-wan to end up together, which is saying something, because I still love Go Soo.

Only, the less said about his newly shellacked hair, the better. I get it, there are only so many ways you can give a guy a different hairstyle. But I’m going to cling to these instead, if you please:

I also really liked Kang-jin’s moment with Woo-jung, when he says that he could have liked her if he’d known her first. I like that this drama’s relationships are fairly realistic, in that they’re not all Great Loves. That’s sort of my beef with the traditional Korean melodrama, where everything is so Big and Meaningful. Yes, there’s a Great Love in this drama, but not everyone’s love is one.

Tae-joon said once that there are some loves that aren’t meant to be revisited, like his with Woo-jung, and Kang-jin with Ji-wan. Because I still want the latter to win out, I’ll amend that to say that certain loves will cause great turmoil when revisited. For Tae-joon and Woo-jung, their love wasn’t worth that turmoil, and they’re better off moving on to more mature relationships. I’m sure Tae-joon doesn’t love Ji-wan in the same way, but he’s committed to making it work, and a marriage is never only about the passion, right? There’s effort and dedication and living with one’s choices.

Even within that purview of the Melodramatic Great Love (aka Kang-jin and Ji-wan), I still think we’ve got a pretty realistic representation. Ji-wan was the one who got away, but until Kang-jin saw her again, he was doing okay. In fact, he’d brought three serious girlfriends home, with whom he presumably could have married, if they hadn’t turned up their noses at his mother. But there’s the thing about childhood loves — they’re potent. Most of us grow out of our experiences — or maybe that’s the wrong choice of wording. We grow from them and change out of the person we were, and gradually those feelings evolve.

With a childhood love that suffers a traumatic event and is abruptly cut off soon thereafter, those feelings get crystallized. Which isn’t to say that the person can’t grow up and turn into a normal, mature adult — clearly one can — but when those feelings are revisited, you see them in stunning clarity because time has preserved only the keenest memories of that person. With those moments drawn out in sharp relief, the memories of what was already pretty intense grow even more intense. So when you shatter that stasis and let the memories free, you get a tidal wave of an emotional mess. That’s why I find their love credible even though one could argue that their childhood basis isn’t strong enough for such a strong adult attachment.

Also: Jun-su did to Chun-hee exactly the same thing that Kang-jin is doing to Ji-wan. Both men pushed the women away with lies — denying their true feelings — because they felt that that was better for the women. In Jun-su’s case, there’s a tragic hint to it, because he’s dying and because there doesn’t seem to be a happy way to resolve the three-way conflict. But that gives me hope for the young’uns, because Kang-jin will most likely diverge and not repeat the mistakes of the past generation. Right?

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , ,

86

Required fields are marked *

Loved the recap. I've been checking your page obsessively for it.

Song Jung-ho can be the lead male in my drama anytime. He is such an amazing actor, and he practically owned this episode.

I think I fell in love with him in Golden Bride, where one of my favourite moments is when he meets his ex wife again, and it's obvious that he still carries a torch for her.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recaps JB! It satisfied my thirst for this series, since there was a lack of Go Soo last week. I'm still having problems with HYS's acting. I noticed that she seems better at acting out the "deer caught in the headlights" scenes, angry moments, and sometimes the sad scenes. In this eps., she acted poorly in the beginning when she was helping out the grandma w/laundry and I think the fault lies in HYS's voice and delivery. I know you can't blame her voice just like you can't blame Fran Drescher's grating voice...perhaps. Yet, the way HYS's delivers her lines during that scene seemed so artificially sweet. In return, it comes out insincere, as if she's aware of the cameras and the filming crew.

Sorry for the rant, but I really do think she's the weakest link in this drama. It's such a shame too b/c she's the main actress and it bruises the efforts of the other actors. I know people are getting sick and tired of reading comments similar to mine, but I can't help wondering how much better it would have been with an actress that has natural acting skills.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

wow brb fangirling over your writing in the comments section

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Luna
She was annoying the hell out of me with her baby voice in that scene. Why does she act so cutesy? She is so self conscious. In some scenes she's just awful. Just imagine if the leading lady had been LDH or Kim Hyun Joo, GS's former leading ladies. I know it's no use complaining about it but I can't help it because the lead guys are both so great. And even the second leading lady is so charming.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sometimes the show recalls What Happened in Bali, in how it cynically smears the notion of love against the garrish lipstick of class and social ambition. But it really comes through in Episode 9.

Han Ye Seul's performance is still fine IMO. Her smiley self-denial pivots a straightforward melodrama into something approaching satire. She's kinda like a modern Candide, and her "optimism" and "work ethic" are persistent displays of emotional stress collapsing the dissonance between love and ambition. That is played pretty well by Han Ye Seul. Ye Seul's not even appealing to the camera for a remnant of sympathy (like a Ha Ji Won would) or even a wink that she should know better (like Gong Hyo Jin.) She makes Ji Wan's po-faced "simplicity" uncomfortable for us to watch.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Just want to say thanks javabeans for doing your recaps! I live in New Zealand, so, my only access to k-dramas are through the internet. (I'm also not Korean, but am absolutely in love with the dramas) I have limited broadband, and so I can't watch every drama I want to. :) However, your recaps compensate for my lack of broadband :) Thanks!

Anyway... through what I've read (and half-ish seen) I still think that JW should still end up with KJ. TJ has only recently made a real effort to hold onto JW. However, KJ has been doing that, pretty much, ever since their teens. TJ also cheated on her! I know it's in the past, but it still matters.

I'm also very annoyed at JW. TJ treated her as a 'rebound girl' and cheated on her, yet she's still willing to take him back. KJ has always been there for her! The only thing (other than her brother's death - but that wasn't directly his fault) I remember him ever doing (that made her upset) was the kiss with WJ. However, that was for her own "good" and not for his selfish intentions (unlike TJ).

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap. I thought this episode was really good and I was glad for some movement forward. I still want to see Kang Jin and Ji Wan together. I want Jun Su and KJ's mom to reconcile stuff before he dies. I agree it would be great to see Tae Joon and KJ to join forces. I also agree that Ji Wan angered is a great insight into her character. However, she always seems to jump to the wrong conclusion about KJ even as children, from their first meeting.

This is one of my fave dramas to come along. Keep up the great summaries, we appreciate it.

---Linda

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Song Jong-ho is doing a great job doing his role. great actor
and but i still love kang jin.

*-*

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for the recaps! and yeah, i'm not feeling Kang Jin's new hair either... last year's one was so much better!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Of all the melodramas I've watched (which number less than 5), this is the most subdued and most realistic, hence bearable.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ Sonam
I am thinking of Lee da Hae and Kim Hyun Joo who paired up with GoSoo
in Green Rose and Marry a Millionaire respectively. I do love them and still
love untill now. They are great actresses in this period .But HYS is tollally different . I 've no mood with her acting , not pity her when she cries . because I feel like It 's not natural . Sorry I love Gosoo , this is the reason I still watch this drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you JB for the recap! I really enjoy reading your following insightful comments on it. This helps me get to understand the story better as well as love the show more.

In regard of HYS's performance, I've totally felt for her since this ep. Her acting in ep 10 even made me tear up (it's been so long since a drama character could move me to tears but yesterday, JW did). I never wished or for a second thought of any other actress to replace her in this show, even though her beginning was a little weak compared with others. To me, HYS's JW is really special. Her JW makes me get very clear how KJ can feel so protective towards her, a vulnerable soul as a result of childhood trauma (unlike some other ridiculously weak lead girls who try to play innocent).

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Some have mentioned that HYS's performance has improved these recent episodes......but sorry, I still feel she is obviously the weakest link here. I just can't feel her emotions. Even with Woo-jung, the actress was wonderful in scenes delivery which made her emotions powerful and believable. No to mention KJ and TJ, they're brilliant in delivering emotional scenes. With Ji-wan, it's hard for me to sympathize with her....something is just missing from HYS's acting. I haven't seen any of her previous works but in here, she is no match to the level of the other 3 leads--they're simply amazing.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks JB for the recap. I decided to continue to watch this drama after reading your recap. The 1-year gap healed the wounds left behind from ep 8.

Song Jong Ho's performance is really great. But he is not as handsome as GS, so that's why everyone still loves GS.

Not sure if TG and WJ would reappear in the later episodes. But I hope that they can be together in the drama. If it is not because of Woo Jung's father, they should have been together for a long time.

Ep 9 is good and Ep 10 is even better. But it seems that the tone for ep11 will be a sad one. I will wait until reading JB's recap before deciding whether to continue to watch this drama.

JB's recap is the best!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I feel that the 1yr gap in this episode sort of acts like a bridge, connecting the first half of the storyline to the latter part. In the first part, we have the conflict represented by JY's death and its effects on everyone, as in JW running away from home, her parents waiting for her return and KJ finding out that his necklace led to JY's death. And in the latter part, I guess we'll see the climax of the story and the resolution, which I hope is a happy one. Yeah, this director-writer combo doesn't have a great track record (WHIB/A Love To Kill/MISA) but I really, really hope for a happy ending here.

No real signficant moment stood out in this episode except I liked the staircase scene at the police station betwen JW and KJ. Reminds me of their relationship when they first met, with JW yelling at KJ because his mother had cut down the banner and he didn't even defend himeself, just silently helped her up from her fall. Or later on, when she hounded him because she wanted him to like her and he just ignored her.

I must say I appreciate the fact that KJ's necklace is a watch. Didn't pick up on this at first, but now that we're halfway through the drama, I love the way Writer Lee uses time as the theme for WISFC - how time can bring pain, sometimes by pure coincidence (represented by JY's death while diving for KJ's necklace), how time stops for those who are grieving (JW carries KJ's broken watch with her for 8yrs.) and how time will eventually push us all to move on (JW returning the necklace back to KJ). So if I have to pick a theme for WISFC, I'd say time, which is symbolized by KJ's watch.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Even though SJH is not as handsome as GS but

yet SJH is still comparable to GS handsome look ,

and in terms of height GS is nowhere with SJH.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ lidge_fan: OMG what you said about time. perfectly put. :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Okay....it's all about opinions....and after watching episode 9 I have gone down the tubes in sheer disappointment! I was hanging on....but I'm gonna let go and move on.

I'm looking forward to Chuno....

Do keep up the good work, JB.....I keep reading your posts because you do a great job!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hahaha, thanks for the hair-appreciation stills!
While I definitely prefer the previous hairstyles, his new do didn't really bother me much plus it looks as though it won't be re-appearing again, or at least it disappears in ep. 10!
Loved this episode and almost diieeed watching the closing scene in 10.
This drama is too painfully delicious!

Appreciate the recap and the thoughtful, insightful commentary. The part about childhood love, it can also apply to grown-up love when it's cut off abruptly and kind of tragically, you can never really overcome that kind of love.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ Sonam: (embraces Sonam w/tears of camaraderie) Bullseye! That's exactly how I feel and I have to nod in agreement with the others who have posted their not so positive reviews on HYS's acting.

I'm not expecting her to perform powerful, overwrought, and demanding scenes b/c that will be excessive and unnecessary with the other 3 main characters. It's just the simplistic scenes that irks me b/c she doesn't seem genuine. I have to admit that Ji-wan's character is hard to act out b/c she's the most complicated. Thus, HYS is not too shabby, but definitely not on the same level of acting like the other lead actors.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

every week, I decide not to watch that drama cause I really don't like melodramas. they're really gloomy! however I want to see Go Soo and I can't get to watch it. I often like the bad characters who are really not. so I want to see Cha Kang Jin and Park Tae Joon to be together but I know it's impossible. also I didn't like Han Ye Seul's acting. gosh what to do?
what a dilemma for me! anyway :P

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Okay this is a frigging long but it is snowing outside and having just viewed the pleasure that is episode 10, I am in a blue sort of mood while waiting for JB's recap for ep 10. So here goes the long rant.

Warning: not for the faint hearted. (I didn't realised how long it was until i read back.)

I’d thought I’d share my ABSOLUTE FINAL thoughts on JW’s character and HYS’s performance given it is still debated on the forum. Let me by start by stating that I have never been a fan of HYS, and therefore have very little expectations. If anything, I thought it was a travesty she had won an award of any sort for her part in Tazza (phoned in performance), just as much as some highly questionable awards for actresses this year, ie/ (Gu Hye-sun (Boys Before Flowers), Kim Tae-hee (IRIS) over Kim So-yeon (IRIS) for example, come on really!?

However the entire arch of her character development from the WISTC team has proven JW one of the more interesting multifaceted female characters in the last 12 month, it is worth a few more scribble affirming it. JW is someone with real problem that that she must overcome and become whole again (Milshil from Queen Saeu-Douk has been hotly tipped as a favourite female role, but I strongly disagree. It is all very OTT with operatic smirks and practiced eye brow movements! Her character was exactly the same in the end as it was in the beginning. There was literally no growth, and had she not been beautiful and wearing beautiful clothes, we’d hate her with glee). Thanks to the writer, HYS has been given a role of a life time and in my opinion she has delivered the goods for me at least for me really come to appreciate and understood JW.

Would other actress do a better job? Probably (my preferred choice would be Lee Na Young but that is probably type casting) but I just think it would be pointless to speculate and is probably more about view’s personal taste rather than what the actress have or can bring to the table. For once, it think it is refreshing to see someone exceeding my expectations and playing something totally unexpected, like watching Yoon Eun Hye in Coffee Prince for the first time, and Moon Geun Young as Shin Yoon Bok in Painter of the Wind.

Many people had major gripes with the adult JW during the early episodes as adult, attribute to her inadequacy as an actress where she acted in several parts ‘unnaturally’. Whether it was accident or not, I actually thought this ‘awkwardness and unnaturalness’ was perfectly suited at that period of the character’s life. If she doesn’t believe half of the things she says anyway, so how can it look natural?

After such major life changing tragedy, it is important to establish the adult JW a pale shadow of her previous self, her character must appear to be stagnant in the past (so much anger and unresolved frustration with herself whilst still mourning and remain remorseful). She need to appear awkward, lonely and pitiful but not weak or helpless, but some who’s clearly not who she was, despite continues to ‘fake’ that everything is fine, she is happy (not).

The challenge for the actress would to able to convey these character shortfalls to the audience, whilst appearing somewhat as a ‘bad’ white liar (she doesn’t mean what she says), but not so much so that that other characters in the story cannot be fooled. If one observe carefully, there were many subtleties and nuances in character start to display as the story continues, she had become much more relaxed at eased with herself post each big reveal, as well as getting her confidence bit by bit back to the point where she is finally able to confront all her past inner demons in episode 10. The scene where she have finally met her mother and hugged her like an adult to a child in role reversal was for me was the moment where the Adult JW has arrived, she has reached out and learnt to take control. I liked the dried tears approach meeting her dad for the first time in 9 years. She probably rehearsed this moment thousands of times in her head, when it becomes real, she no longer have any more tears, there’s so much sadness already. I was really moved to tears, more than I thought I would.

JW’s character is a rarity in KDrama, she is not a princess, a damsel in distress, a pauper, the prettiest, the ugly duckling that becomes a swan, or any particular archetype really. Everything that is interesting about her is internal, and her actions doesn’t always reflect how she really feels or meant.
If she is a relatable type, I would suggest she is probably the type of support characters that generally get overlooked in real life.

To those who are familiar with the Chinese saying, she is the type of girl who is ‘missing a nerve somewhere’, ie/ not all that ‘there’ but endearingly so. In school, you will probably find them sitting in the corner somewhere day dreaming, talking to themselves, a bit quirky, a bit kooky who want to shout from the roof tops about raising money for amnesty international, be a good Samaritan or join the green party. They are the ones that when you both ran and fell into each other at the school play ground, they would show more concern to ensure you are okay first rather than worrying about their bleeding knee.

They are idealistic, therefore don’t appear to be brightest (but are brighter than they think), and seems to only seeing things on the surface (based on the limited knowledge they have read and understood), as a result, they tends to jump to wrong conclusions and certainly not afraid to tell you exactly what they think. Ie/ The know it all when they know nothing. (loved the cute moment at the end of ep 10 when JW misread the situation feeling injustice that KJ got cheated at cards, when KJ probably wanted to let his mum win for example)

If anything, they can appear a little pathetic and a nuisance because they want to justify themselves all the time, in everything they do, while still wanting to please you while doing so, so much so, that they often ends up doing things midway while wondering they are doing it in the first place. It is usually not what they really wanted (too easily corrigible) but what they ‘think’ you’d wanted. They also tends to remain unnaturally upbeat and enthusiastic of wanting you to join their cause etc. When you dig a little deeper, one can’t help but feeling they are probably deprived of some sort of attention love and care, and are desperately still trying to find a place where they mattered in this world.

JW’s kindness and sweetness rests in her enormous capacity to love and also a void to fill, for someone who’s so compassionate about others, when she hurt others, she hurt herself more. As such, I really love this type of character being played out in full in WISTC, human fallibility and inadequacies in all which makes it a refreshing change in a a sea full of Kang Hae-na’s (My fair lady) and Geum Jan-di (Boys before flowers).

This is classic drama about strength and the fragility of love and life, with plots and the characters traits that are generally implied rather than overtly stated. The timeless quality with finely layered performances make it easily rewatchable on a cold winter’s day cuddled up with your love ones (assume it ends in a positive note… big pls). Big thanks to the the writer and the director to treat the audience with respect and intelligence.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

RandomTouristX - who are you? Woever you are, I love you! Your comment above struck a very raw nerve.

Buuut, will spare people here the mundane and unnecessary personal deets...

Watching episode 10, I completely agree with all you've said. A lot of people are getting agitated with HYS' acting, but understanding her actual character the acting isn't bad at all.
Bold and overpowering screen presence kind of acting aka. Woo Jung and Jan-di and Yoo Rin (My Girl) would never have worked in this kind of fragile role. They work well for roles where their character story is much less complex, their 'charisma' makes up for it, see.

This quiet, subdued and straightup awkward acting is what was needed for Ji Won's actual character.

But like someone close to me once said: ''y'know once you have been in love, these cheesy love songs, all those sappy movies you once barfed at... they actually begin to make sense...''

Not saying Ji Won is a cheesy love song or anything, but her kind of character is probably best understood by those who can empathise after having had experienced something closer to it, those who understand the delicate imbalance of love between two individuals, both fragile and chaotic.

IMHO. :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love this paragraph. Thank you!

"...With a childhood love that suffers a traumatic event and is abruptly cut off soon thereafter, those feelings get crystallized. Which isn’t to say that the person can’t grow up and turn into a normal, mature adult — clearly one can — but when those feelings are revisited, you see them in stunning clarity because time has preserved only the keenest memories of that person. With those moments drawn out in sharp relief, the memories of what was already pretty intense grow even more intense. So when you shatter that stasis and let the memories free, you get a tidal wave of an emotional mess. That’s why I find their love credible even though one could argue that their childhood basis isn’t strong enough for such a strong adult attachment..."

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recaps, dramabeans!!! yesh i would have to agree that the story beginning to unfold better, interesting plots and background story that we have yet to know-like chun he and the doctor...so yea im anticipating that the next 6 episodes would be even better, hahah, though i dont really agree that the 1 year gap has any significance...but yea i can understand from your point of view...thanks dramabeans, looking forward to the next recap!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i wonder... when will the snow or the christmas come into play? :)

thanks for the recaps, JB. you're right, my excitement for this drama waned a bit with the one week time off. i had to watch past eps again to recall what happened. that's a momentum killer for folks who don't have the time or inclination to re-watch a drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

All I want is somewhat a happy ending! Please don't off the main cast... live people, live!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Seriously if either of them die then I will NEVER watch a melodrama again! Why doesn't he just grab her and hold her tight and never let go??? Just say you love her!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

great recap and your comments couldnt be written any better

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

hi drama beans,

i'ved been watching selected kdramas since 2007 but 2009 was the year i really got hooked up in watching krdamas and starting to explore and appreciate all kinds/genres of kdramas.

also, i'ved been reading your recaps not only for will it snow for christmas? but all of your kdrama recaps. i got to say you've got a fantastic way of recapping these dramas! i really like it when you describe every little things that matters to the certain episode or character. keep up the great work!

what i love about will it snow for christmas? (aside from goo soo!) are the characters and the acting of the actors (esp. goo soo!) are solid and even though the premise is simple and classic in the kdrama world, it still brings freshness that makes me stick around and wait for the story to unravels. hopefully they wont let us down!

can't wait for the next episode and recap!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@72 - RandomTouristX

beside JB's recap thank you very much, too.

I started watching KDramas 3 years ago and I think I have some kind of experience now, how KDramas are plotted.
I am not Korean, not American but with a kind of euro-orieantal background in a way. Due to this watching a lot of dramas of different countries. So every country has its own style of plotting dramas. I am a movie and reading freak, too, plus my self a hobby writer, novelist. Maybe for some not a qualified backgroung for judging actors and how they interprete their characters. But I think enough to judge nevertheless.

Regarding RandomTouristX's recap of HYS interpreting of JW character, I am 100% with her/him.

Maybe there would have been an other actress who could have played JW better.

But I think the same goes for GoSoo, too. An other good actor could have played, interpreted KJ in a other and maybe much better way.
Nevertheless, I like both actors interpretation very much and dont want to imagine any other instead of them for WISFC.

I myself, prefer writing romcoms. Writing funny and light characters is so much easier then about characters haunted by their pasts, carrying their burden like a shadow with them all their lives. It is so much difficultier to write those effects who make them how they are in a story. So I think "playing" such an character is much difficultier. In a novel you can describe the feelings but interpreting a screenplays character must be a hard job, as in scenario there are no commands given how and what the character has to feel.

Due to this, in my eyes JW character is really something different I watched in Kdramas. Maybe there is a drama I missed with such an interesting character, too. But for WISFC its more JW character, her pain and suffering, curiousity what will she do next that draws me to this drama, than the smexy KangJin. Of course he is an eyecatcher and his big bonus is, that he is also a really good actor. With WISFC he has got me as a new fan of him.

Like RandomTouristX wrote, HYS interpreting of JW is maybe not overwhelming but in my eyes she playes the introverted, haunted by guilt girl very well. I cant imagine a punky, energetic and overmimic acting for JW's part. This would have harmed also KJ, GoSoo's charisma in the drama. He is, has to be the strong one, her guilty guardian angel. He, who has caused her all the pain has to be the one who has bring back her to life from her pathetic life again. This is the simple but effective plot as far I can see it. I dont know how this drama will end, what the screenwriter is intending as there are so many possibilities how it can be ending (Its up to the writers mood, view of life). Coming back to JW. She in a way was stuck in her lonely life in Seoul. Maybe biological grown but mentaly stuck in her childhoods pain, still paralyzed from it. So how should she been acted by HYS in a other way.

Okay maybe an other actress would have played it better. But I dont care.
For me HYS is JW and she is GoSoo's/ KJ's girl.
Besides their characters, for me they also suit visually very much to each other.

Maybe a lot of readers will not agree with me, but please allow me to say that I dont agree, too with their critics of HYS so said bad acting. It makes me sad and harms my joy of watching this drama. I mean what will it change. Do you think the producers will change the actress - like she will have a bad accident and after having an esthetic surgery she will come back with a new face aka replaced by your favorite actress ?

Suppose not! There are a few episodes left. Let us enjoy it and hope for a happy-ending for our sweet couple KJ+JW. Thats my main and only concern for WISFC.

Wish you all a nice and relaxing weekend :)

PS: JB, I am hopefully waiting for your recap of EP.10 :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ Madita , I am totally in your side, HYS acting made me cry in episode 10.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

wow! very insightful comments at the end. what line of work r u in? the way u dissect every1 characters, motivations, emotions - i would think u r a shrink

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks to JB for the amazing thoughtful rendition of these episodes, it is always a pleasure to revisit the eps and read your insights as well as the fans of the show. Like many who have already expressed here, your last paragraph perfectly resonate with me and encapsulate why the main premise of the couple works despite the 9 years apart.

While it is a trend in Korean drama to be obsessing about first love, WISTC through circumstances and plot actually works. They each have wounds which only the other would understood and be healed by. That love is a double edged sword, it potency to bring pleasure and pain, to cause scaring and bring healing is well explored in this little gem. I'd like to further to thank you by providing a forum for people like myself to venting out and show our appreciation and frustration to great dramas.

(This post should be in your screen cap 10, but forgive me if i have to preempt your recap by expressing how much i enjoyed this weeks eps )

---------------

Thoughts on Ep10

Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I felt sucker punched and rather spoilt after this week's eps. I can’t think how they are going to top up the emotional peak at the end of ep10, except maybe mini KJ and mini JW running around in the final. Gosh absolutely no idea!!! And this is great and so refreshing.

Big kudos to the WISTC team. For once I think everything was balanced in equal measures, writing, direction, pacing, and all the actors were at the top of their game. They work so well as an ensemble cast, from the quiet, simmering, powerful moments, to being generous to their costars having their turn while playing off them. Ie/ None of the big scene stealing, emotional chewing some of the bigger stars in other drama are known for.

I am also delighted that so many pitfalls that had been hinted in the previews had been avoided with such skill and finesse. Major plot devices and hindrances had been tied up so nicely, when they could have easily stretches up to 3-4 episodes.

Some highlight for me includes:

The first few words KJ spoke to JW after 1 year apart was ‘Have you eaten?’ .
KJ probably asked himself this very same question countless times during the 12 months they have apart conscious of JW’s eating disorders. I love the tender knowing smile and care he shown her at that moment despite everything. It might as well be the secret utterance of ‘I love you, are you ok?’. JW’s reaction was rather cute too, where she did a double take amidst her blah blah injustice rant. Personally I think she just want an excuse to confront KJ, indirectly referring (payback) to how much she herself has gotten hurt by him in the past.

-----------------

TJ’s confession to JW in the café.

The scene was executed perfectly in its simplicity and refinement. It really was a case of less is more. There was none of the OTT hysterics, no blame, anger, clinched fists on the table, no empty words of comforts. JW simply walks off, heartbroken and cried. TJ’s look of guilt and remorse is enough, his eyes speaks so much.

JW who wept like a child, someone who has always had such low self esteem having to deal with serious abandonment issues (her mum, her brother killed by her, her fiancé left her at the alter, abandoned by KJ after one date etc.) discovering actually she is overwhelmingly loved and treasured by someone she held so dear. Besieged with devastating tidal waves of emotions of sadness, guilt, regret, and perhaps relief the big secret is out despite her effort wanting to hide it forever. Probably angry at herself causing pain and suffering to those she loves, yet so terribly touched by KJ’s thoughtfulness, selflessness. She might have even began to the realize that she did not love in vain, yet cursing how fate and life is playing one cruel joke on both of them one after another, and so much time wasted etc.

-----------------

WJ and TJ’s frank conversation in the bar and seeing KJ off at the police station.

TJ has finally comes in terms with his relation with both women and himself. He looks much more calmer, relaxed and at peace with himself and none of that resent we saw in earlier episodes. WJ who always had a strong sense of entitlement, a master of her universe has finally come to the realization that actually she is just a supporting character in this EPIC love triangle. And seemed to have learnt a valuable lesson from the trials and tribulation of JW and KJ, in particularly about selflessness and compassion for others.

-----------------

WJ vs JW

WJ had several shining episodes, from her interrogatory frantic queen bee exchange to bargain and verbally kick JW of KJ’s life at the apartment and the police station. While she is acting like JW is inferior to her in every way and proceed to crush her like a bug, but the hints of jealous and fear in her eyes that continued her poke and prodding till her realization that it is quite hopeless and she just can’t win. Her impossible enemy? Pure love.
I simply loved her character’s parting words on the phone with KJ about believing love again with a big question mark and a contemplative but hopeful outlook, while being across from the street talking on the phone. I wonder if they will appear again in later episodes, otherwise it makes an excellent parting scene. It is just a street in between them after all, who will take the stride forward? It is the perfect motif.

(that aside… I thought it was loop hole that KJ is suppose to has no where to go in Seoul, I mean TJ could always work side by side with KJ on this massive project which he can’t possibly handle all by himself… oh well)

-----------------

Final scene.

It is just so full of warm and fuzzy feelings. Simply loved it.

I don’t think KJ knew that JW is in the knowing why KJ pushed her away before. It is significant therefore to note that instead of running away, he too is choosingto taken the next forward. He cupped JW’s lovely face and ‘sealed with a kiss’ and two literally. It was sooo sweet, and felt really natural. It snowed finally.
That aside, I am a bit annoyed by the editing of the voice over actually, finding it a bit intrusive. They should play the narration after the kiss with a freeze frame, so the words resonate with the audience a bit more. Overall, it had a magical fairy tale like quality to that final scene.

-----------------

Actually, one thing is not clear, did the parents (KJ’s mum, JW’s parents) know the reason the brother died was to retrieve KJ’s pendant? And that JW has been blaming herself all this time that was why she left home?

Overall big thumbs up, six still to go, pls don’t let us down with a bad ending that tends to handicap even the good Korean dramas.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ 73 su-pa
@ 81 Madita

Thank you so much for your kind words to my post.

Medita, we are actually very similar i think, I too am based in Europe but I am Chinese. And um I am female (Thought that would be clear from amature psychoanalysis . If i had been a guy, i'd probably be a gay best friend.)

I orignally watched the show purely because of the writer and GoSoo but ended up finding JW's journey so very touching.

Su-pa, you last paragraph is an excellent insight to my interpretation or even character. LOL... Yes actually I have known 1 or 2 JW type at high school and only became friends with them just before graduation. Ironically one of my JW was going to be a 1st year med student but never made it, as she died so very young in a tragic car accident, and i suppose this is why aspects of JW's character traits has registered strongly with me.

And it might be possible, i ended up embellishing some character based on the fact i knew someone like her.

To think back, in the early years of high school, one might be tempted to only affiliate with the Queen Bee types (ref. Mean Girls the movie) like WuJung, who general sense of strong confidence, manipulation and entitlement while off putting is very attractive to freshman with little confidence or directions in life. However through time, eventually people do notices the JWs types in life, who's very sweetness, compassion for others and affinity to do good ended up register much longer.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

yay thnks JB!
love this showwww
and OMG
u really made the whole concept of "childhood love" understandable
cuz i kept wondering how i wasnt getting the same effect! lol
now it all makes sense
and i love/appreciate this Great Love even more
yay

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *