I'm dreading this show ending. I've been enjoying it so much! Definitely in my top Kdramas of all time! And I'm going to be out of town without internet access until late Tuesday night, so I won't be able to watch episode 19 or even read the recaps until then! This is going to drive me a little bonkers!

I've decided that Jun-ha is a clueless as Tae-kyu when it comes to winning someone's heart. Repeat after me: You cannot get someone to fall in love with you by acting like you are already a couple!! It's not always about you! Take the GPS monitors. As a gift for Pal-gang to keep track of her siblings, it's thoughtful and caring, but the moment Jun-ha had all the trackers go back to HIS phone, not hers, it crossed the line to creepy and possessive.

I wonder if the contrast between Jun-ha's high-tech stalking with the GPS monitors and Kang-ha's low-tech stalking with the stake-out in front of Pal-gang's apartment was deliberate on the part of the writers. The primary difference between the two being that Kang-ha knew that was he was doing wasn't exactly right, but he was outside her apartment not to keep tabs on her, but because he needed to be close to her. Kind of like how Parang still wound up sleeping outside Kang-ha's locked bedroom door. And it turns out it was a good thing Kang-ha was just sitting there, because then he was there for Pal-gang when she needed him the most.

As for the slap, I know it's controversial, but I'm okay with it. I'm not thrilled that they included it, but they presented it in the exact same way that they did earlier in the series when Pal-gang slapped Kang-ha, who, let's be honest here, didn't deserve that anymore than Pal-gang did! Both slaps were far more instinctual than premeditated. And considering the context is exactly the same, if I'm okay with one, I should be okay with the other.

And, yes, Kang-ha still definitely needs to apologize, but it's not like he had a calm moment since then to do so. (Pal-gang didn't immediately apologize either, remember. She waited until she took up his tea.) It's been one dramatic moment after another. When things finally settle down his sense of justice will probably obligate him to make amends, but unless it leads to a bigger discussion about Pal-gang's transformation, it will most likely happen off-screen. The worse thing about that slap is how it might have overshadowed what came next for a lot of people.

In times of great stress, people are more honest in what they need and who they are, because they don't have the resources to pretend otherwise. In the face of our poor very sick baby (and damn, the writers for deliberately playing with our emotions like this!), Pal-gang turned to Kang-ha to comfort her. And, for his part, Kang-ha couldn't leave her alone. Even when Pal-gang wasn't looking for comfort, Kang-ha kept touching her and holding onto her, because it was all he could offer her. In that moment, they were not just parents. They were a couple.

Ugh. I'm so going to miss this show. Why can't they make a season 2 with the same cast?! I don't want to let go of these characters yet! Bad enough Smile, You just ended, but at least that show had exhausted it's plot by the end. There's still so much to examine here. And we need at least an entire episode of Pal-gang/Kang-ha moments to make up for the fact that they made us wait for a kiss until the very end!

i agree with all you posters who were bothered by the slap, but...

it was quite jarring when it first happened, but just to be a devil's advocate - it's equally unfair that PK slapped him in the beginning of the series. who's to say that it's fair either of them slapped each other? whether it's a man or woman? we've created a double standard here where a man cannot slap a woman, but a woman can

i think he should have apologized, or pk should have insisted for one - but she didn't apologize for slapping him either and he didn't insist on an apology either - so, it might be seen as an eye for an eye...

Yup, still watching the cute baby eating :D

I am just wondering how will they squeeze in the final details in the last 2 episodes left. There is still the unsolved mystery of the Chairman's lost grandchild, the unsolve death of PK's parents, with all the answers I wanted to find out my curiosity is killing me. The preview didn't show any clue on my questions as well.

I can't wait until next week... :)

javabean, what do you think of the slap?

@45 Sobia
I so agree w/ you about the domestic violence issue. I've worked with battered women and it's not an issue that should be taken lightly. And in this episode, it was totally unnecessary. KH could have yelled at her or simply asked her what she was doing there at the orphanage. That's a new concept : asking.

People copy so much of what is portrayed in movies, music, etc - even to the point of buying some of the same fashion - that it concerns me when the issue of violence against women is taken so lightly. And to add hurt to harm, there was no apology.

Liver transplants must be the new Cancer. This is the 4th drama I have watched recently that had a liver transplant figure into the plot somewhere. (the others are Don't Hesitate, Snow in August, and Lawyers of Korea). I admit I groaned when they said that is what Nam needed ^^; I was also hypnotized by the scene in the restaurant where they fed him noodles. He seemed so much older there. They were just feeding him formula, and now he's suddenly eating directly from chopsticks. But oh, so adorable!

I loved this episode too, and how KH won't be forced to marry JY anymore. That plot line was just a little forced for me, unless they come up with some huge birth secret that KH will be able to justify his actions with. I hope they don't wait until the last episode for KH and PG to get together.

The scene with the mafia boss figure was a little confusing though, so hopefully that gets sorted out nicely in the next episode!

Thanks for the recaps, Javabeans!

#55 @Emi smile, you also had a liver transplant sub-plot. that's a lotta bad livers. have the transplants ever been written into the scripts as a result of drinking too much soju? i'm pretty sure kang-ha might need one as well.

and i don't remember when PK slapped KH. i don't doubt that it happened but i don't remember the circumstances of it.

@57 It happened in episode 6 or 7, when KH was about to kick them out after PR almost set the house on fire. PK only apologized because she was afraid that she would be kicked out otherwise.

Also, maybe it's worthwhile to take into accoint that in at least two or three episodes (the earlier ones) PK actually encouraged her younger brother to beat sense into PR and her other siblings. When PR slept in KH's room for the first two times, Juwhon actually chased him around and from the way the scene played it was clear that this wasn't about a slap on the but, but a real beating. Also, PK mentioned in several scenes that her mother didn't "beat her enough" to bring her to her senses.
So, the backgrounds of both, KH and PK, are ones where domestic violence is accepted as means of disciplin or "bringing someone to their senses". In PK's case, she wanted to bring KH to his senses about caring more about the house than the kid, in KH's case, he wanted to bring her out of her perceived action of false pride.
In both cases, the characters were extremely upset - which is not an excuse to slap someone, but in regards to their upbringing and general mindeset about "disciplining", I think that the slaps were to be expected from the characters in these situations.

Of course, that doesn't mean that it's okay to promote domestic violence like that, or getting drunk as a solution. However, from what I understand about Korean culture from other sources, drinking is a social glue, much more than in western culture, and thusly even expected if you want to be part of the social network. That alcohol has nasty side effects outside of the very obvious drunkly disorder and drunken violence, is something that is considered "normal issues".

Just a though there. :)

#58 @bee thx bee! for both the reminder abt where that scene was and also the social commentary. i'm familiar with cultures where physical violence against a person is justified if the person's actions threatens the well-being or honor of the whole group. i do think domestic violence is systemically institutionalized in families and cultures. often, though, we don't expect to see it on tv--at least in the mainstream u.s.

Given the discussion about the slap "heard 'round the world" (at least in the dramabeans WUAS world), it made me realize that there certainly is a lot of slapping (and a failed slap attempt) in WUAS --
(1) Pal-gang slaps Ju-Hwang outside of the orphanage
(2) Pal-gang slaps KH when Pa-rang lights the firecracker
(3) Jae Young gets slapped by her mom
(4) Jae Young slaps Pal-gang when KH leaves to find a "lost" Pa-rang
(5) Jae Young attempts to slap KH when he returns with a "lost" Pa-rang, but he successfully blocks her attempt
(6) KH slaps Pal-gang in this episode
(7) Jae Young slaps KH at the end of this episode
....any that I missed?

Seriously, what's up with all of this slapping?

Thank you so much ! I followed-up this series without watching the videos yet since it's more sensible to understand and I luv this series. I think this year I am more interested with children's shows so for now I am following your recaps for this and a TV series from the philippines Agua Bendita.
cheers...

WTH...only 2 more to go...wherz d love story??? Y isnt anythng happening between KH and PK? Y r dey still confessing their feelings in front of the wrong ppl (KH to nami, Pk to junha) JUST TELL EACH OTHER FOR GOD'S SAKE...itz high time already! R dey gonna wrap everythng in the last ep...dat ll be sooo >< (ripping off my hair lol)
oi and wotz with d new mafia guy ?_? and nami's liver prob ?_?
Is it necessary? isnt it sad already dat the poor cute nam has to go thru all that crying? T_T
And seriously guys...JY doesn't look good at all...hair up or down...once a fishface always a fishface haha
i dun mind it...i love the drama anyway ^_^; but dey cud ve made it more interesting.

Watch this series from a Korean perspective. Koreans slap each other all the time.

Something tells me Jun Ha already knows they're not real brothers. I wouldn't be surprised if he reveals that his mother told him herself, and asked him to be extra nice and understanding towards his "brother".

@59 moana

Re: PK slapping KH
Remember when Pa Rang accidentally set their couch on fire while he was sleepwalking? KH tossed Pa Rang out of the way to put the fire out. PK obviously wasn't pleased and slapped him.

I think KH is especially sensitive when it comes to abandonment issues since he was left by his mom at a young age, hence, the overreaction to the thought of PK abandoning baby Nami.

@ 65 goso -- "Watch this series from a Korean perspective. Koreans slap each other all the time" -- You mean in the k-drama world and not in real life, right? I'm a newbie to k-dramas, and this is my first exposure to slapping on screen.

@66 Angela

I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!!!

as i was walking home i was thinking about wuas (shows how much i get obsessed with kdramas) and i realized it would be really funny if jun ha knew that they were half-siblings

it would almost be a waste and an easy, rushed fix-up for that issue, because kang ha was really troubled about it. i almost hope its not going to be like that because kang ha went through so much for that secret.

KANGHA - BE THE FREAKIN MATCH DONOR FOR NAMI!!!!!!!!! PLEASEEEEEE!

Thanks for the recap JB. You always fill in the subtle little gaps that I miss between trying to read the subtitles and watching the drama.

As much as I disliked that fact that he slapped her, coming from him, I find it understandable (although still inexcusable). We have to try and remember KH's own history as well. It wouldn't strike me as odd if watching PG he had envisioned his own mother abandoning him.

THE SLAP: Why is everyone so upset about the slap. I think it was appropriate (in a Drama) and it showed us a lot of things. Think about it from Kang Ha's point of view. Pal Gang is not a rational woman. This is the woman who stole her brother's money for a perm, attempted to send her Bro & Sis to an Orphanage, worked at a Hostess bar, walked up a mountain with a baby in a snow storm, signed a policy in place of a client, and more. She has shown us time and time again that she doesn't think before she acts. So, it kinda logical that he would jump to the conclusion that she would take Nam to an Orphanage. She currently has no real job, she lives in a one room flat with 6 other people, and she's at an orphanage in the middle of the night.
Kang Ha on the other hand. I was excited to see him get emotional. This is the guy who wouldn't pay out an insurance policy, so the clients child died because they couldn't afford treatment (episode 1). He doesn't blink when people call him heartless, he threw Pa rang onto the floor when he set the house on fire, he didn't blink when he saw Pal Gang working at the hostess bar, Nothing JY or the nephew has done gotten a rise out of him. But the though of Pal Gang giving one of the kids away. How attached to those kids must he be to do get that angry. How comfortable with Pal Gang must he be to show his true emotions and hide them all the time. Didn't he tell Pa Rang that he got beaten when he tried to share his feeling. So no slaps are never appropriate, but it gave us some insight into Kang Ha emotions and it showed us how much he has grown as a person.

haha the parang and KH scene makes me think that those two are a couple breaking up XD

@Lucille, I tend to agree with you.

The slap that didn't work for me was at the end.

Also, clearly, she barely reacted to the slap.

JB, thanks for another great QUICK recap. You are wonderful!!

Love this drama. Love the kids. However, there seems to be too much slapping and alcohol going on. (#62, thanks for the list. I lost my count. 0)

Sorry to ask this ignorance questions: "Is this common in Korea?"

Best part of this episode: Baby feeding baby...Prcieless...

Annyeong,

Thanks a zillion JB, Nice recap....totally agree with @Lucille and @Elena, slapping is totally uncalled for at this juncture...seriously there is a word called 'Chill'...Anyway luv the clip of baby Nam....so cute.........

@51Quaggy and @74Lucille > agree with you guys about the slap issue.

I think it's not that upsetting (although if that happened to me coming from someone I loved, I would be terribly upset and ask for an apology). And why are people comparing it to domestic violence? KangHa is not a sicko who slaps around or beats anyone weaker than he is. How you can compare him to those type of guys I don't know. Or maybe I'm just too Asian that's why I can accept it. Asians have a different view on discipline than people in the west. "Spare the rod and spoil the child."

KangHa did it because he jumped to conclusions and he was overemotional. I would rather get a slap than get harsh words. A slap I could forget and forgive, but words that cannot be taken back once said is harder to forgive and much harder to forget. It's never right for a man to slap a woman, but given how KangHa's character has developed and where he is coming from, I understand him. And can 't you feel how he regretted it afterwards?

Oh, and if that slap happened in real life to someone you know, then make a big fuss about it all you want. But guys, this is fiction. Fiction!

I wonder how many takes they did for that scene? Hehe, hope Kim Ji-hoon got it right the first time!

@42: Thanks for the Kang-ha fan service video link. hit replay about four times.

Thanks for the ADORABLE .gif, javabeans! You're getting really good and looks like you're having fun making them too.

Poor Nam! I really hope he will be okay.

Thank you for the recaps! So great.

K-drama violence: I didn't like this slapping at all, but honestly, it didn't surprise me. The first few dramas I ever watched I was taken aback by all the smacking, slapping and so on... especially all the parents who immediately start beating their kids--around the HEAD--as soon as something goes awry. Seems the immediate reaction to something your k-drama kids have done that you didn't like is to pick up a handbag and start whacking them with it. My impression--it's a pretty physical-discipline oriented society. There has been a lot of slapping over these 18 episodes, as someone above usefully enumerated, and a lot of talk about beatings, and beatings threatened... to a degree that in North America at least (and Canada certainly) would land parents in jail. But in context, it seems unpleasant but not abnormal.

I would like to see KH apologize. And I would like to see physical violence of this sort avoided in k-drama in the same way that many k-dramas take on a pedagogical tone over issues such as donor transplants. But I can't say it ruined this drama for me, b/c in this drama, I don't think it is so totally out of place. I don't like it, let me repeat, and I think it was unnecessary. Yet, I can't say it came as a total surprise. Nor did PG's lack of reaction--she clearly cannot and will not focus on anything except the threat to Nam. That's totally in character and appropriate to both her character's development to this point and to the plot--she has evolved from a woman who had little regard for her family b/c it was holding her back from 'getting' KH, and now there's KH totally focussed on her while she has foresworn womanhood to take on motherhood. Witness her lack of reaction to KH's comfort in the hospital. He's getting a lot more out of that than she is. It means much more to him to be able to offer it than to her to receive it. She barely knows he's there. I am so "proud" of her and her self-awareness (which JB discussed above in relation to her refusal of Grandpa's money). It's been a painful journey of confrontation, but she has her hard-won self-knowledge and we know she will ultimately have the hard-won but richly deserved love of KH, too... as well as his love for her family, which I am LOVING.

The GPS thing creeped me out a lot more. WHY on earth is Jun Ha still "trying" with PG? He knows she doesn't want him even if she can't have KH. So having the GPS thingys go to his phone? Pushing his attentions on her every two seconds? He's irritating me as much as Tae Gyu (sp?) did/does. Just back off, buddy, give the girl some air, and maybe get yourself some lip balm. (Seriously, all that production staff and no one can give the poor guy a stick of lip balm?)

@84 That lip balm comment was hilarious.

I can't help but think that the reason the GPS thing was introduced was b/c it'll serve a helpful purpose somehow in the last 2 episodes they have remaining (along with tying up all the loose ends too). Maybe those gansters will kidnap PK or one of the kids and Creepy's GPS locates them and saves the day. Or JH will hear -- over the handy-dandy GPS, mind you-- PK and KH confessing their love for one another. Then, and only then, does he back off.

I just want a LONG confession of love from KH to PK : Of how he admires what her parents did in adopting all of her siblings when his own mother abandoned him. How PK's determination to survive and keep her family together really touched his heart b/c he never knew love like that before. How he secretly loved that protective hug from her when the crowd was throwing eggs at him.
...Oh, and we can't forget the sweet potato!! ... How he longs for her to feed him sweet potatoes for the rest of his life!! : -)

thank u so muchhh...its sooo beautiful story .. i liked it

@73 asianromance : "but then this is romantic comedy kdramaland- so nami will get his transplant and live. (if not, then i will curse the writer to go bald)"...ROLL...LOL..coming frm one romantic fan ...

There are alot of slap-happy people in this drama! LOL I'm siding with those who feel the slap was more an emotional response than anythng else. Remember,KH has been portrayed as an UNemotional,cold man from the beginning. So,in actuality, his slap was more surprising than the one PK did in the fire scene. As for the GPS given to the kids....ummm, ...and the gangsta guy coming in play.....must be some connection there! Thanks for the recap. Great job,as usual! 2 more episodes to go.....is that really possible?!!!!!!!!!!! Nami needs a liver transplant? WTH?! Maybe it will be a happy ending with a wedding. I would love that!

Junha...controlling much? LOL especially with the creepy GPS trackers...

Anyway I'm a bit worried that they've thrown in too many elements in the drama to successfully wrap it up in 2 episodes - there's so much going on I don't even know where to begin to wrap it up! First, the whole JY-PK-JH-KH love rectangle (that's gone slightly outta shape now that JH no longer loves JY and indeed doubts he ever truly did), then baby Nami's illness, and also the parents' deaths and then the issue of the inheritance...I'm rather worried that the writers/directors will start cutting things so that the ending makes absolutely no sense, which would be a pity because this drama started out so well.

Anyway from the preview I conclude things will come to a climax in episode 19 since it looks like KH finally succumbs to an actual confession of love to the woman he likes i.e. PK and does it TO HER FACE. I get so excited when these things happen. LOL.

I think the slap was the over spilling of KH emotions. His emotions has been hidden for so long. His emotions got the best of him... it erupted to the surface. For many episodes we watch his frustration building up and up and POW is got the best of him; somehow, I think he even surprised himself. I also believe that he was remorseful by staying by PG's side and not leaving her during her time of need. He could have called his brother a lot earlier to come and be with her, but he did not. I was very glad he stayed to comfort her holding her in his arms as a protector.

The mob guy presents after JY's family discussed the President making PG a heir and JY saying that the best thing was for PG to marry KH brother. That family has done quite a bit of stuff already to eliminate any competition's access to the inheritance; they killed PG's parents, they kicked PG and her siblings out of the house that she shared with her parents, they also paid money for the woman and her son to move to China; the only thing left is to get rid of or cause great harm to PG and her siblings. I think the the GPS system will come in handy in the near future.

I love this drama. I can't believe there are only two more episodes left. I hope that we have at least one episode dedicated to PG and KH romance and NOT the last 10 - 15 minutes; so far there really have not been anything, except for the visual emotions that are expressed and the confession of love to everybody else except for themselves. I also hope that they we share a passionate kiss like the lead shared in Autumn's Concerto, and not the lame one we see a lot of in kdramas.

Thank you JB for the recap it helped me again to understand the raw version.

Reading all the comments uptill now, there are 2 main topics. First one the SLAP
and 2nd, noodle eating NAMI.
Lets start with the sweet one. NAMI.gif :). Sooo sweeeettttt :)
Thank you JB for this, I love it and mailed it to a friend of mine who started to Kdrama with this drama. Well she fell in instance in love with your gif and uses as her avatar now. I hope you dont mind this (please)

Regarding the SLAP. Well I didnt like it either. It was an exaggerated reaction in my eyes. There were more provokative and annoying, provoking his temper situations before he could have slapped someone, for example fishlip (we call her "japanese-glue" as superglue is called in my language). But I can understand what the scriptwriters intention was with this scene. As an outcasted child by his mother, KangHa who get the wrong conclusion at one go because of his childhood trauma, must have been of so what of disappointed, must have felt betrayed by PK whom he started to love, to adore...and so on...he slapped her, becaus in his eyes she was abanding Nami, like his mother did abandon him.
Well thats what I thougt when I watched it and read JB's review, too.
But even if its like my interpratation, I hated it and think it was absouletely unnecessary. KJH is an good actor showing his anger, they could have use other methods for these scene because it badened my whole mood for the rest of this episode. I was thinking the whole time, why didnt she slap back offhand.
Regarding the slapping in common, its funny to read comments who compare KH with abusive husbands in violent households, real people.
Common in Kdramas slaps are a regular part of the drama plots, like dying from a terminal illness, getting drunk by overdoses of sojou, street-fights and piggy-packs...
Maybe in Canada you would get in jail for slapping your child....But I am sur Iot in countries starting east of Europe to the Pacific Ocean. In my countries TV dramas slaps are also common, regardless of who is slapping whom, or mothers chasing after their nasty children for a beat up of their little bottoms with the indoor-slipper (my mom prefered to chase after me with the broomstick - of course I was most times faster in running away).

By the way have you ever watched Phillipine Dramas...?
This is an real issue to complain about. The heroines are getting raped by the "heros" and are forced to marry him. Not enough, they also fall in love with him...aaaanddd the biggest nonsense are their Happy-Endings. Maybe I picked unluckly the only 3 Philippine dramas with those totally women abasing stupid plots and got to this prejudice...I dont know, but those 3 dramas were enough to put me off totally from Phillipine Dramas for the rest of my life.

Back to WUAS. As I said before, I didnt like KH slapping PK, it made me cringe from head to toe. And till the end of this episode I was at least expecting an apology from KangHa, because he was totally wrong (they even showed, revealed it to him) Because he did not apologize till the end, his love for PK started to feel unreal for me. If you really love someone, you shouldnt be able even to harm a single hair of the beloved one....So I really started to think JunHa can have PK, at least he doesnt look like a slapper.

Well, I hope KangHa will do an DECENT apology to PK within the next episode, or I will not be able to forget the KH slapping PK trauma.

I agree that while I understand where Kang-ha is coming from, the slap was TOO harsh. (Grabbing her by the shoulders would have been more appropriate in this situation.) It really did take me a while to settle down and enjoy the rest of the episode.

The baby feeding baby gif is adorable. My kids and I watched it and laughed for 5 minutes straight. The intense look of concentration on Pa-rang's face, the anticipatory opening of Nami's mouth as the noodles get closer, the double-speed chomp chomp as Nami tries to get all the food goodness in his mouth, the extra chopstick help as Pa-rang brings up a long piece of noodle at the end, and the cutest bowl-cut bangs on Nami's cute face will put Wish Upon A Star on my most memorable kdramas list!

Thanks for another masterpiece JB.
There are 2 things that bother me so far:
1. STILL STILL NO KISS!!! (((
2. KH didn`t even apologise for slapping the daylight out of PK... Bad boy, bad! He should rather slap Fishface)))

@Madita

Can you name the Philippine dramas you were referring to? I read that there are Thai dramas with those kinds of plot lines, so maybe you got them confused? But if they are in fact Philippine dramas, which ones are they? I've only watched a few Filipino dramas and I have never seen any "hero/rapist".

Argh...

I can't understand the significant of the slaps in this drama. Soo random.

Btw I cried so much in this ep. I thought the angst it a bit heavy but not draggy.

Love Nami.

I love this drama so much but there are alot of coming and ongoing conflicts that been stucked for the sake of dramatic reason. For instance:-

Nami sick
The bad insurance people
the ahjumma went to China

etc.

i hope it didn't add more drama and just resolved the remain issues wisely

the birth issues
junha-kang ha secret
love development of the main leads

As shocking as the slap was, what got me most was when Kang-ha referred to Nami as "Uri Nami" at the hospital. From the scene of him reaching for Pal-gang's face on the digital photo album through the confrontation at the end of the episode where he admits his own confusion and frustration to Jae-young, it was all about the further crumbling of the cold-hearted detached Kang-ha.

Frickin baby Nam had me BAWLING! :(

i know i shouldn't even notice such insignificant thing that happen in this episode, but i can't help it and i just have to point it out. the percussion method the doctor perform on nami is WRONG. u suppose to to percuss on ur finger, not the back of ur hand. i'm not even convinced that the doctor elicited the signs. i just LOL in the sad atmosphere.

aside that, illogical cliche just getting abundant in this drama, which i'm just tired to be bothered of. oh well, just accept it i guess