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Personal Taste: Episode 14

This episode entitled “Taming My Woman”…Oh No You Di’n’t, Show. I almost turned you off after the title sequence. But given that this is a topic of discussion and debate between the characters rather than a straight-up account of events, I won’t launch into a diatribe. Unless provoked.

All of our roads converge in this episode, and at the center of the crossroads stands our heroine. If she were the same Kae-in of Episode 1, I’d be scared she’s going to end up roadkill, but I’m certain the Kae-in we know now isn’t about to buckle, even if what she comes to bear is the weight of the world.

Initially I was skeptical of the lie-reveal-angst pacing of this drama, because it’s weighted much more heavily on the lie part of the trio, and because there is a redundancy factor when dragging on a lie for too long, especially a second lie at that. But so far it’s (mostly) had the result of being sufficiently tense, dramatically, while handily dispensing with the angst faster than you can say “Sang-go-jae,” which is a nice change of pace, even if I would trade a little of The Cute for some more angst. I think in the end the only thing worth beans in this kind of drama is the romantic chemistry, and I don’t know about you guys, but I could watch these two be in love for a hundred more episodes. (Wait. That wasn’t a nod of approval for an extension, MBC. It was just a hyperbole. Don’t you go adding on any episodes, Show! I will curse you and all your rom-com spawn!)

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

After a day of shopping at the mart (which if you’ve never been, is the Korean equivalent of Target on steroids, complete with be-gloved attendees every five feet), Kae-in and Jin-ho return home with all of their couple-centric purchases: matching cups, dishes, and most importantly, toothbrushes. We’ve all been there…the moment when you get to put your very own toothbrush in your significant other’s bathroom. It’s like material evidence that you have a place in their world. While this is hardly Jin-ho’s first toothbrush in Sang-go-jae, it’s still a significant moment for them as a couple.

Jin-ho comes into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and Kae-in gets unnecessarily squeamish about him walking right into the bathroom while she’s in there. But the doors and windows are all open! What, are you popping a squat for everyone in the living room to see? He says (informally) it saves time if they get ready together, and Kae-in scoffs that they might as well take showers together then! Hell-o.

Jin-ho doesn’t bat an eyelash as he starts unbuttoning his sweater, like all right, let’s go! Kae-in flees the bathroom, as Jin-ho muses to himself that he’s become very brave, and then he showers…alone. What were YOU expecting? This is television, people! Get a grip!

They eat breakfast and Kae-in tries to sneak off, but Jin-ho stops her…and makes her do the dishes. Listen, I’m all for sharing the chores, and if someone makes me dinner, I’ll be the first to offer dishes in return. But Jeon Jin-ho, if you say one word about her needing to learn how to keep a house because she’s a woman, I will reach right in there and smack you to high heaven.

Young-sun calls, and Kae-in whines that Jin-ho has changed. He’s sneaking banmal (informal speech) in here and there, and today he made her do the dishes. Young-sun tells her to keep her wits about her…this is classic taming-my-woman territory. Kae-in bolts up—what new nefarious plotting is this? Young-sun tells her to be careful because once you give in, you spend the rest of your life boxed in. Kae-in nods, wheels turning in her head. She gets it now—it’s a game. The hilarious thing is that now she’s good at games because Jin-ho taught her so well.

Jin-ho wants to wash their linens next (which he at least wants to do together instead of supervising, like he did with the dishes), but Kae-in tries to resist giving in. He knows her weakness though, and taunts her with a delicious lunch (or lack thereof) to reel her in. Withholding food! Devilish. She caves, of course.

They basically shoot a detergent CF, doing their laundry in a park (?) and lounging for a while as their sheets dry in the sun. Who does their laundry in a…okay, whatever. Shutting off my brain.

They nap on a park bench, and Kae-in stares lovingly at sleeping Jin-ho’s face, wondering out loud why she’s nervous, when it’s a face she sees every day. The way she looks at him is so full of love and wonder. She can convey such an innocence and charm while not coming across as childish.

Jin-ho gets a call from In-hee, which she sees but doesn’t answer. Kae-in: “Jin-ho-sshi, you’re not going to go anywhere and leave me all alone, right?” And she leans down to kiss him on the forehead. Jin-ho smiles, ever so slightly, indicating that he’s been awake the whole time.

He carries her into her room (all the way from the park?), and tucks her into bed ever so sweetly. He works for a while on restoring the basement, and when Kae-in wakes up, she’s surprised to find him coming out from there. He lies that he heard a mouse, prompting a Defcon-1 freakout from Kae-in, where she literally jumps into his arms in fright. Okay, really? Even Jin-ho laughs at her, thinking she’s just using the mouse as an excuse to get all snuggly.

Kae-in doesn’t register the snark because she’s actually afraid, insisting on going to get a cat right away. Okay, how cute is it that when faced with a mouse, her first instinct is to go buy a cat? I love her. Jin-ho uses it as an excuse to keep her out of the basement, and says he’ll take care of the mouse tomorrow.

Chang-ryul and his team are hard at work on a Sang-go-jae concept for Dahm, and they’ve located a contractor from Sang-go-jae’s original build to answer questions about its design. Chang-ryul gets interrupted by a visit from In-hee, who I suspect is bored because she’s got no one else to mess with.

She slides him an envelope with the names of the judges who will decide the fate of the Dahm project, adding that there will be a special guest judge. Chang-ryul sits up, then thinks better of it and declines the offer. Both In-hee and I are impressed, and In-hee even goes so far as to wonder why he didn’t show this side of himself when they were together. She muses bitterly that love must have changed him. Yeah, it did, and while before I would’ve wished you two live unhappily undead lives ever after, now I’ve determined that he’s too good for you.

Jin-ho gets a drunk dial from Mom, so he leaves to go check on her, but she’s already asleep, so he gets a mouthful from Hye-mi instead. (Weren’t you packed and ready to go to Canada? Please go.) Kae-in worries, but decides she has to trust Jin-ho’s words that he will earn his mother’s acceptance properly.

Once he returns home, Kae-in calls him and they chat over the phone even though they could probably hear each other through the paper walls just fine. Kae-in offers to try and talk to Jin-ho’s mom, and keep trying, whether it takes one, two, ten, or twenty times. But Jin-ho wants to work this out without hurting either of them, and asks for her patience. She defers, which I think is the smart thing to do, since he’s the one stuck in the middle of this.

Jin-ho sings her a children’s song about a bear family to lift her spirits, which jars her memory for a second, but she doesn’t remember anything beyond the song. She requests more singing, and he dutifully sings to her until she falls asleep. Aw.

The next morning he complains that she didn’t tell him that she’d fallen asleep, leading to his singing himself hoarse all night. Heh. Kae-in’s like, duh, how could a sleeping person tell you she’s asleep?

On their way to work, Kae-in attaches a sticker picture of the two of them on Jin-ho’s phone, from the day she masqueraded as a man. She tells him never to take it off, and although he calls it childish, he agrees, smiling all the while. This is such a prime example of how in some ways, we all revert back to high school when we enter new relationships. It’s all about proving that you’re important to each other, with the little things.

While Jin-ho’s late to work from dropping Kae-in off, Sang-jun fields a visit from Jin-ho’s mom. She asks him about Kae-in making things difficult for Jin-ho, and decides to meet with her…until Sang-jun begs her to wait because Kae-in is so crucial to their current project. Without giving away why she’s the linchpin (which would take two hours and a flowchart to explain anyway), he asks her to let them handle it.

At work, Kae-in scrolls through pictures of sleeping Jin-ho’s face on her phone, just as In-hee walks in. For someone who’s supposedly so above it all, you sure do spend a lot of time orbiting your ex-friends. I suspect if you hadn’t traded your heart on the black market in exchange for fabulous shoes, you might be a lonely soul in desperate need of friends.

In-hee calls her childish, and Kae-in just sighs, “To someone who calculates love like you do, I’m sure it looks childish.” I love that the more confidence Kae-in has, the more petulant In-hee appears. The mean girl does kind of get de-fanged if nobody cares what she says anymore.

In-hee slyly asks if Jin-ho’s mom likes her, and Kae-in lies that she does, because dude, how is that any of your beeswax? In-hee tries to plant some seeds of doubt, asking why Kae-in hasn’t considered that Jin-ho is using her. Kae-in doesn’t see why he would (thinking that there’s nothing to be gained by it), and then says it doesn’t matter even if he did.

She smiles sadly, saying: “I used to be really envious of my friend Kim In-hee, the girl who was always brave and knew how to love herself first. But now, the woman who doesn’t think twice about hurting other people with her actions…I feel sorry for her.” In-hee takes it as a threat, replying pointedly that she’ll come to eat her words. But Kae-in looks at her with pained eyes: “It’s not a threat. It’s my last…sincere wish for you. If you go on like this, in the end no one will be beside you.”

While their friendship (or the memory of it) has always seemed one-sided to me, in this conversation it starts to feel for the first time like they’ve both lost something in the fallout. I can picture how at one point in their lives they could have complemented each other, albeit in an unhealthy, codependent kind of way. And the sad truth is that In-hee lost the only person who would ever love her for who she is by trolloping all over her best friend’s boyfriend. Poor you, indeed. If you hadn’t sold your human decency for a distractingly large pair of earrings, I’d probably care a little more.

Sang-jun walks into Jin-ho’s office, unnecessarily adding pressure for him to come up with a design concept. Without giving away his meeting with Mom, he adds that Jin-ho will have to teach Kae-in some basic cooking and cleaning, if he’s going to gain Mom’s approval. What in the what, now? Where do I even begin with that statement? You want Jin-ho to teach her how to be a proper woman, by way of COOKING and CLEANING?! Sang-jun, it was nice while it lasted, but I’m totally breaking up with you. Don’t bother speaking for the rest of the episode. I won’t be recapping your scenes. And don’t call me unni. Don’t even try to win me back!

Everyone converges at the gallery, where registration for the design competition is underway. Scarface drops Professor Park’s name in front of Do-bin, angling for some favor, but Do-bin makes excuses to get away as fast as he can. Pinky and the Brain have a quick pow-wow, where In-hee informs Chang-ryul that the special guest judge? Is none other than Professor Park. How would he feel if he found out that Jin-ho used his own daughter to get inside Sang-go-jae and win the competition?

Kae-in walks Jin-ho out to his car, hand-in-hand. He tells her to take a good look at his face, since he won’t be home for a while. He informs her that the project will be taking up all his time, so they won’t be seeing much of each other until it’s over. Kae-in’s like, not even to see ME?

He sweetly caresses her face, then breaks the moment by mussing up her hair. He walks away, and then turns back to shout: “Ya (hey) Park Kae-in!” She looks up in shock at his first informal calling of her name (at least while she’s conscious). Jin-ho: “If you stray because I’m not around, you’re dead!” Haha. Yay! The informality has begun!

Jin-ho returns to his office, only to find that they’re being kicked out of the building just when they need to spend night and day working. Chang-ryul starts a meeting in a massive boardroom, confidence surging that the real work is just beginning, but the fight is theirs to win. Across town, Jin-ho and team move into their new digs, a tiny low-rent office that puts the boys in a funk. But Jin-ho chides them for being down, since they started with even less than this, and will work to see better days. I like that they’re even more of an underdog team than before; it’ll make their success all the more delicious when it’s won. Hey, Red Pants! How’d you get in there? I’m still ignoring you! Move along.

Later that night over the phone, Kae-in offers to come by the office tomorrow with lunch for Jin-ho and the crew, which she claims is because she wants to cheer them on, and has nothing whatsoever to do with seeing his face. Nope. Not at all. Jin-ho tells her that not coming by would be more helpful: “If I see your face, I don’t think I’ll be able to work. If I see your face I’ll want to be with you. And if I’m with you, I won’t want to let you go.” Gah! Why so cute?

Later Jin-ho pores over Professor Park’s blueprints of the imagined Sang-go-jae, which honestly seems strange to me in design. It’s a fusion of han-ok and modern architecture, to be sure, and perhaps the drawing doesn’t do the concept justice, but that concept materialized as an actual structure would just look odd to me. Perhaps I am architecturally unenlightened. Either way, I hope that Jin-ho garners nothing more than inspiration from the blueprints, because narratively, as far as heroes go, it would ring false if he won based on a concept not entirely his.

Do-bin comes by for a chat and finds Kae-in sighing from the lack of Jin-ho in her life. She sweetly chides Do-bin for being the bad guy, keeping Jin-ho so busy on the Dahm project that he has no time to see her. Do-bin apologizes for the grave sin of making them star-crossed, offering to call Jin-ho with a fakeout emergency that she got hurt at work. Dude, already been there. Any other ideas?

Kae-in laughs heartily at the gesture of friendship, and Do-bin encourages her to smile. She tells him that at times he feels safe and supportive, like a father. He asks about her father, and why he’s decided to return to Korea. Kae-in: “My father has never once explained a reason for anything to me…whether he’s coming or going.” It’s so sad that she’s got such a massive hole in her heart because of her dad, but has never been angry enough to confront the issue with him. The look on Do-bin’s face is that of understanding and empathy—he’s well versed in estranged-daddy issues himself, as we all know. Kae-in laughs it off, but he can see that they share a deep-seated heartache in the family arena.

Jin-ho takes a break from his all-consuming work to finish up the basement for Kae-in. He has a new glass ceiling/floor installed (bad idea, bad idea…) and calls Kae-in to come see him at home for a surprise. By accident, he drops the one surviving picture of Kae-in and her mom, shattering the glass inside the frame. Symbolism! Meet Portent!

Professor Park finally makes an appearance (at least his eyes, mouth, and back…I’m hoping that the parts add up to a whole man), shrouded in mystery as ever. Scarface and Chang-ryul arrive at the airport to try and intercept him, but can’t manage to locate the man, for lack of up-to-date photos. Who IS this guy, the freakin Unabomber? What kind of college professor lives in such secrecy?

He makes a call to Do-bin, and then one to Sang-go-jae, but no one picks up…

Kae-in comes home to an empty house, wondering where Jin-ho went. He’s on his way back to the house, after getting the picture re-framed. He-who-shall-not-be-named calls to ask about some old blueprints from the office, and while digging around, discovers Jin-ho’s hidden Sang-go-jae blueprints.

Kae-in finds the living room rearranged, and discovers the glass floor underneath the rug. She begins to remember something, and decides to go down into the basement. She gets flashes of being above her mother while she worked, and runs back up in fear.

Just then, Jin-ho’s mom shows up to the house, after having heard from Hye-mi that Jin-ho had to move offices. This is the worst timing ever. Jin-ho’s mom asks to talk, and while she says all the typical mom things you’d expect, Kae-in hears none of it because the memories are starting to flood back. It’s clever because it’s as jarring and tense for us as it is for her, hearing this woman speak but not registering any of it.

Kae-in starts to go numb as she remembers knocking on the glass to get her mother’s attention, and then when that didn’t work…

She grabbed a small free weight to tap on the glass…

…shattering it directly above her. Kae-in goes practically catatonic from the shock, which Jin-ho’s mom thinks is a reaction to her request for her to stop seeing Jin-ho, and leaves. Professor Park walks in as Jin-ho’s mom leaves, and comes upon Kae-in trembling and utterly broken.

She stands, shaking from her core, as she finally confronts her father.

Kae-in: Was that why? Was that why you hated me so much? When I was young I was sad every single day, wondering why you disliked me, why you hated me so. If it were me I would have felt the same…because I’m the daughter who killed her own mother.

Dad, shocked, asks: “Kae-in ah, what are you talking about?!” She breaks down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

In walks Jin-ho: “Kae-in ah!”

Woo! The angst has finally arrived. That’s two weeks in a row where we’ve ended with Jin-ho calling out “Kae-in ah,” and I do so love how their relationship is progressing and the way it’s shown through those moments of heightened drama. I’m certain Jin-ho’s about to do something very heroic here too, and it’s going to be nothing more than simply being there for her in every way, which is the best kind of heroism.

We’ve spent a LOT of time in the cute and fun territory, so I’m chomping at the bit for some angst. Honestly, I could have used some revelations and ensuing drama in the last episode, so that it doesn’t have to be one giant truckload of beans spilled in the next one, but…

We’re poised for some great unraveling come next week, and I’m glad that the story has upped the ante instead of winding down. I love going into the last two with things unfurling so fast that you feel like you can’t keep it from falling apart. With the walls coming down around them, our couple still has a lot of storm to weather, but I wouldn’t have it any other way going into the final stretch.

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@ girlfriday:

LOL, seriously, in my head, the montage of you giving jin ho a lolli avec congratulations and then taking a victory lap flap/cape a-wavin' to the tune of eye of the tiger is just. RI. DIC. it should totally be canon (CANON, DEMMET!) in all dramas! once we get to the end, someone should always do it. i volunteer little mister red pants over here! LOL. ;p
oh and i knooow i knooow, i have hyphenation-fever-due-to-massive-brain-farts-itis (see?) and there's no cure, i'm afraid. at least you have the eloquence to pull it off, but if i'm not careful, mine treads over into stephanie meyer territory O_o pinkyswear to spork me silly and made me watch Spring Waltz on repeat if i cross the line!!

oh and hey, for the podcast--- best give us a tease about what drama you plan on tag-teaming with sarah now...... PT is ending and soon, CS will too (*I DIE*).. this far into TWWSWTM, i was already jonesing to just know fo sho you'd be coming back. DON'T LEAVE US, GIRLFRIDAY!!! this is a public appeal to javabeans a.k.a. oh mighty one that we want another GF-JB team up!! :D

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Thanks for the recap.
I totally agree with the comment about CR being too good for IH.

the sleeping on the bench scene in the park was beautiful when they had their heads so close and later on JH's slight smile after being kissed was fabulous.
two thumbs up for KI.

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Thanks Girlfriday :)

Love your recaps :)

I can't wait for this week!!! It's the last stretch!!!

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I think the sweet scenes between KI and JH in the last two episodes which most of you think are overloaded is necessary. Why? So that we can understand KI when she easily forgive JH with his lie. Just my opinion.

Is it only me who wants PT to be extended???????????

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I didn't find them unnecessary either. A couple needs to be shown being together like this. A drama cannot be just about getting together or being apart. The scenes were really sweet and well integrated

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I am the only one here who hopes they don't reconcile when the shit hits the fence. The lie is simply too serious to warrant merely an episode angst. Granted that JH's sole aim slowly changes to something positive near the end of the drama... it would still seem so superficial to end on a happy note so soon after providing us with 2/3 episodes worth of fluff and sweetness.

Shouldn't the wonderful memories make the lie more unforgivable?

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"when afraid of rats, her first instinct is to buy a cat... i love her"

LMAO... classic. =)

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k, i just watched ep14 on viikii. the last scene sent tremors down my spine, man! SYJ, très magnifique.

i hope the sweetness overload these past few eps will serve as proof somehow to KI of the truth of JH's feelings. I'm pretty leery of characters that seem to have goldfish memories, forgetting all the relationship building that had happened before when a new stimulus of pain/angst comes along. I appreciate characters that are smarter than the cliches they're built on!

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@ butterfly
I do agee with you. Those sweet scenes will be used for sure in later episodes. Something for KI and JH to linger on and not be able to totally stay away from each other.
(My experience from watching 'You're beautiful' week by week, some episodes may not make sense at the time but with DVD version where you can watch continuously , the episode kind of fell into place and connected.)

@thermeat
I do gree with you too, what JH does is totally unforgivable. He took the blue prints and refurnished the room without permission from KI? It is to say that it was JH who brought all the bad memories back to KI, so he deserves to be hurt in some ways. But again, I think forgiveness depends on the nature of the person. As we know, KI personality is kind and forgivable otherwise she would not have such decent conversation with CR and IH at all, and that's what JH so mad about her in the first place. With all the love for JH, it is understandable if she forgives him, but she or he may feel so sad and comfortable to stay away for while to let the pain subside, to be able to trust each other again.

SGJ -LMH are so good, they make that nail cutting scene feel so natural and cute (I mean 'nail cutting' what's so romantic about that?, yet I was smiling like a fool at that).

Interesting to see KI's dad reaction when he learns JH's reason he moved to SGJ , mess with his daughter and his design as well.
Wouldn't it be interesting if CR can get his hand on SGJ's blueprint?

I can go either way with the extensions. Just give me a nice happy ending.
Per your lovely podcast, I agree with you ,JB and GF, PT weak point = directing.
Thanks for your wonderful recap.

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@Dara
I love how KI grabbed the nail clippers from JH as soon as he was distracted by the phone call, hee hee.

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the preview for episode 15 is out already....the dreaded angst is coming.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5zJwqbPr80

great recap girlfriday....

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*girlfriday* you & javabeans have made the past couple months so incredibly fun, especially when I was stuck at home here in NY while the city was battered by a cold/rainy early spring. I've been following the readers' comments with glee and am thrilled to find that K dramas have a vibrant, passionate community of (mostly) female enthusiasts from all over the world.

I work at a NY-based int'l real estate development company, and Inhee's apartment scenes were shot at my boss' penthouse in Songdo (Korea). he was kind/generous enough to stay at a nearby hotel when the 30-person cast & crew showed up to film (mostly late at night). a few weeks ago, when I was on a business trip to Korea, my Korean & American co-workers and I got to hide in the kitchen while they were shooting the scene were Jinho comes to help when Inhee's home has been "broken into." Lee Minho is my ultimate crush, since Boys Before Flowers, and I was THRILLED to be in Korea (and, gasp, in the same apartment) during the shooting. other dramas (like "Iris") have been shot in the penthouse, which we call the Founders Suite, and even Lee Byung-hun was nice (surprisingly) enough to stop and chat with the employees and take a photo with my boss, who is an American.

BUT Lee Minho, much as I love & adore him, wouldn't agree to even take a photo with us. my heart was a smidge crushed, much to my male co-workers' utter amusement (and my husband's mock horror). in any case, I thought the rejection on his part (and his awfully rude manager) would make me dislike him to the nth degree, but I've found his & Son Yejin's chemistry to be off-the-charts and I have loved every second of this drama. long story short, you & Javabeans have made this a unique drama experience, and I love your hilarious/witty side comments. for a Korean-American like me, it's such a thrill to find (English-speaking) people who love dramas, both for their ridiculosity & their sweetness. kudos to you on an incredible job!

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Oh wow! I am so glad I found this comment. That must have been some experience! Though I am upset that Lee wouldn't take a photo with you. I guess this is why they say don't get to know your heroes. I am his fan too but I obviously don't know what kind of a person he is.

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I just started reading girfriday's opening comments,
(before the actual recap even began) and she said,
QUOTE:
"......and I don't know about you guys, but I could watch
these two be in love for a hundred more episodes."
UN-QUOTE.

girlfriday then backpedaled a bit, and claims not to really mean it.
TOO LATE, TOOTSIE!
You are now included in our campaign for 187 extra episodes
to be added to "Personal Taste." Heh, heh, heh. :)

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Hey, Red Pants! How’d you get in there? I’m still ignoring you! Move along.

OMG you're so funny.

I seriously have a BIG writing crush on you girlfriday. I love all your recaps.

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BTW, where are the podcasts?!

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@61 Kyuri - Excuse my fangirl moment, but OMG! That's awesome!! And boooo to Lee Min ho for not taking a picture with you (because I hope you would have shared it with us all here! :D). Good to know that to get an apartment as nice as the one in PT, I have to a) be a conniving, backstabbing Inhee bitch, or b) be an international real estate mogul. It's nice to have options.

Back to the ep... See, I didn't hate what Sang-jun said because Jin-ho's mom is a fainter. I described her in Ep 11 as having "1950s sensibilities and 1850s fainting spells," and women like that, they're impressed by the cooking and the cleaning. My grandma's like that and thinks I won't get married b/c I neither cook nor clean and I love sports (c'mon, Orlando Magic!), so she's always trying to get me to cook. Sang-jun told Jin-ho that because he knows his mother. If, say, Jin-ho's mother was Kang Hee-soo (Gu Jun-pyo's mother from Boys Over Flowers), Sang-jun would've told Jin-ho that he needs to teach Kae-in either to hide, or to hope that Jin-ho's father isn't really dead and his mother has been really hiding him this entire time. Or something like that. :)

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The second para of your comment is really funny!!

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@mmmaggie
what you said about SJ -- agreed! he seemed more like an old man resigned to only being able to give advice, than someone stuck in machismo.

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@Kyuri

Oh, dear. I truly emphathise with you, being so enamoured of LMH and to be treated so by him (and by his awfully rude manager) must have been difficult. I sure hope that fame and fortune have not gone to LMH's head such that he doesn't think he needs to be down-to-earth and kind to as many people as he can. After all, actors like him need people like you and I, Kyuri, than we need them. If he cares about his rice bowl, he needs to pay attention to how to treats his fans.

But, just to think positively, could the reason/s LMH was reluctant to take photos with you be :

i. he was too engrossed in his role that he does not like to be disturbed while filming?

or

ii. he may not be proficient in English, and thus might be too embarrassed to converse with you in it?

HOW exactly did he refuse to take photos with you? Did you hear him say the words? Or watch his reaction? Or did his manager do the brushing off?
The answer to the abovementioned questions may shed some light on the whole incident.

Anyways, Javabeans and Girlfriday, fantastic Podcast!!! Great job gals!! Both of u sounded so good speaking in English, with perfect diction, intonation, emphasis and emotion!! Simply awesome!! Your conversations were enlightening and entertaining that I listened to both podcasts at least twice! Keep up the fabulous work!! Look forward to your next podcasts!!

As for this recap, fantastic work again Girlfriday (as expected) but much appreciated!! Hilariously, insanely witty and humorous, that I LOL at almost every one of your personal comment!!! Too many sparklingly witty gems to list here but suffice to say that I have been thoroughly entertained!! Keep the wit coming!! :)

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I've actually only watched till ep 13 but gotta crash before I wake up 5 hours later for work.

Just wanted to contribute my bit to Jin-Ho-is-the-man-of-my-dreams chorus out there.

*sigh*

so near, yet so far. :) Ok ok, on to more meaty and intelligent comments *ahem* It actually took me a while to fall in love with Jin Ho. *hears the horrified gasps from appalled fans* i guess I actually superficially wanted another Goo Jun Pyo because that was such a volatile character, it really sort of cemented my image of LMH as GJP in my brain.

So everytime Jin Ho smiled, I wanted him to grin. Every time his voice was raised, I wanted him to raise his hand and punch someone too.

But slowly, I started to see Jin Ho for who he was and now the 2 are quite distinct in my minds. So rather than to say that I love GJP, it's really LMH that I admire. Both as an actor and a strategist. I think Jin Ho was really a good choice. It was a risky one given how mild the character was but it really gave LMH the opportunity to show his control over subtle shifts in emotions.

I kept wondering why I was so drawn into JH throughout Ep 13. I mean sure, the scented bath was sweet, being a nurse was sweet, not jumping 'into bed' was sweet but these are not ground-breaking romantic gestures. JH draws you in because he is compellingly drawn into kae-in. I loved how he allowed himself to lose himself in Kae-in throughout the episode for a few moments, ever so subtly... if only I was at the other end... :p

That's my ramble for the night. Good night everyone!

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oh nooooooooooooooooooo......

the end is near.....

maybe they'll have time apart?... remember the opening credits?.. at the end of that its like they met at an airport or something ( jin ho has suitcase)

whaddaya guys think?...

last request...

please girlfriday and javabeans pretty pretty shekshy please...

can you do the recaps of ep 15 an d16 early?....

just hard to wait for eng subbed uploads of PT.. begging on bended knees...

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@1-69 I love having all of you in here, lol. I feel like we are all in the same room talking excitedly about this drama. Women, alright maybe some men too, need to have a drama club, like a book club!!!

@ GF AND JB- you ladies sounded terrific on the podcast!!! I was giggling the whole time, like I wanted to burst out laughing, but I couldn't because my husband would think I was loony... he already thinks it's funny that I listen to Korean music and watch Korean drama and movies (he's English, like British English) and I am an American raised Filipina...

I can't wait for this week... we were gonna stay an extra day at the coast in NC but upon hearing that our rented cozy beach house did not have internet, I adamantly refused... LOL...

BTW, THE ENGLISH SUBBED EP 15 PREVIEW IS NOW AVAILABLE ON VIIKII!!!
Click here:
http://www.viikii.net/videos/watch/78219/0/personal-taste-ep15-preview.html

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@65 mmmaggie and @68 koreandramalover,

you gals are too funny. to explain, there were about 8 of us co-workers in the kitchen, drinking beers while they were filming for over 5 hours (from 8 PM to 1 AM). you can actually see our beer bottles on the kitchen counter if you watch the episode (we were hiding behind the bar). I actually do have photos of LMH & Inhee that I took from the kitchen, and a short video clip of them, too, which I would share but I don't know how to on this site (maybe I'll try on Facebook).

funniest of all, I got to see LMH WATCH HIMSELF (since it was a Thurs. night) on TV (MBC) in my boss' bedroom while he was waiting for the crew to finish setting up. I thought it was quite strange, but my Korean co-worker (who also arranged all the shooting for "Iris") explained that Lee Byung-hun did that, too, when they were shooting at the apartment. (side note: I was standing three feet away from LMH while he was intently staring at himself on TV and I must say, the boy needs to fatten himself up a little... way too skinny for my American taste. and the way he sits with crossed legs & touches his hair is a little...gasp... effeminate for my taste...sorry, ladies).

as for why LMH refused to take a photo with us, I'm not quite sure. my boss, the chairman of our company, even showed up towards the end of the night, because he said he was curious to see this guy I'm obsessed with. on my behalf he kept asking the PD (producer) and LMH's manager to ask LMH for a picture. he even went so far as to say that the "Korean Tom Cruise," meaning Lee Byung-hun (whose name he can't pronounce) had taken a photo with him, but the manager in particular was a real d*** and refused. my heart was totally crushed, especially since LMH, while on breaks, kept looking back at us and even saw us talking animatedly with his manager. alas, it seems that fame maybe HAS gotten to his head.

c'est la vie. (but I still think he's BEAUTIFUL!!!)

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Wow I feel really sad for you. Especially after reading how your boss tried so hard to get a picture. The stars really. I think they are so busy shining that they are blinded by it. I do admire him as an actor and definitely his appearance but reading this has just made me affirm my decision to not admire him any further.

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@ Gigi

OMG we're on the same boat...except my husband is half-Korean. LOL

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Thanks Girlfriday for this recap!

Sang-jun, it was nice while it lasted, but I’m totally breaking up with you. Don’t bother speaking for the rest of the episode. I won’t be recapping your scenes. And don’t call me unni. Don’t even try to win me back!

You got me cracking up at this statement. I can't believe this drama is ending this week. Now I want Grace's wish of 187 episode to be true.

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#74 ~ HT ~

Welcome to the "187 Club!" :)

#61 & #72 ~ Kyuri ~

You tell a very interesting story...........
Interesting, but from a business and public relations sense,
it doesn't make any sense. The fact that LMH's manager was
very rude........is he trying to sabotage his client's career, or what?

I'm a New York City native, so "attitude" is pretty much my middle name. :)

You said that the film crew was at your boss's apartment for 5 hours.
And LMH was, what, too busy?...to be polite to 8 fans during that time?
Somebody ought to plop LMH in front of a DVD of "Boys Over Flowers"
and have him watch how unlikeable an arrogant jerk can be.
Hello, Jun-pyo.

It would have been interesting if your boss ( as the owner of "the set" )
had pulled his own arrogant attitude and demanded that his photo
requirements be met, or threaten to throw the crew out.

Bottom line in dollars and cents, or won, as the case may be, I hope
that LMH doesn't "attitude" himself out of a career. The man is incredibly
talented as an actor, but somtimes "stars" wreck their reputation in the
film industry, and become just too much trouble for others to put up with.

I sincerely hope that somebody older, wiser, and more famous for far
longer than Lee Min-ho has been, has a long talk with our boy about
the double-edged sword of "fame." And I hope that somebody beats up
the very rude manager with a stick, until he can conduct business for his
client in a polite and professional manner.

#68 ~ koreandramalover ~

As usually happens whenever you write something, I agree completely
with your take on this surprisingly rude incident. I hope that LMH does
some serious thinking about his career. Not just what ends up on a strip
of film, as he seems to be concerned with, but how one is respected by
one's co-workers. At the end of the day, the most valuable thing that
anyone has, famous or not, is their good reputation.

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#75 grace, the one from Jersey, USA

Wow, Grace!! I am so completely awed by YOUR intelligent, insightful and SPOT-ON take on what I would now call the 'LMH becoming GJP' incident.

Fantastic opinion, succinct and yet deep and complete - I don't believe there is any way to better the way you put your thoughts across on this issue. You touched on any and all possible thoughts and ideas on the whole incident. How I wish your every word can be beamed-up to the 'Almighty GJP' (the very words used in BOF by LMH as GJP while talking with Jandi) and see what his reaction will be. I agree whole-heartedly with every single word you used to convey your thoughts and I believe I am not the only one - there are others who are regular contributors to this blog would surely agree with you. ('',)

Thanks so much also for your kind comment on my take on this issue. I am so touched and truly humbled by your appreciation of my 2 cents' worth..:)

You are truly an epitome of your name - full of Grace. :)

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#72 Kyuri

Oh, dear me. My heart really goes out to you, dear Kyuri. Having read your detailed explanation, I am now more than sure that LMH has to do MAJOR SOUL-SEARCHING before things get out of hand, for his future and for the future of Korean drama as a whole since the incident also involved the manager.

It is bad enough that the Korean Entertainment industry has been plagued by various unsavoury accusations such as sexual harrassment, intimidation, unreasonable work schedules and demands among others, that were some of the reasons given for why some of the young, attractive and promising individuals in the industry were perhaps pushed to their limit that they had no other avenue except to take their own lives (which I do not condone but since I am not in their position, I cannot judge their action - just to mention it.)

Wouldn't it be like the death-knell for the Korean entertainment industry should such incidents be ignored or worse, be perpetuated by other actor/actresses?

In deference to #75 grace, the one from Jersey, USA, for her, in my opinion, PERFECT comment on this matter, I sincerely hope that LMH (and especially his awfully rude manager) take heed or I would consider them 'like digging their own grave'.

What is your take on this matter Javabeans and Girlfriday? You have been quiet about this so far ('',)

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What's the big deal, koreandramalover?
You said it first ~ I just agreed with what you said.

This small incident during a few hours of the filming of a scene
during "Personal Taste" isn't the end of the world, but I think that
as fans of LMH we owe the guy some sincere advice, to repay him
for the great acting jobs he did with BOF and now, with PT.

I would hate to see this small example of "attitude" as relayed to us
by #68 ~ Kyuri, to be the beginning of LMH on a self-destruct mode.
I wish LMH a long and varied career. But if our boy doesn't "smarten up"
and this incident of arrogant rudeness is the trend for the future, then...........
I would hate to see that happen to the LMH Fireworks Factory.

[ And NO....the hymn, "Amazing Grace" was....NOT....written in my honor.] :)

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What is the big deal? ('',)

The big deal is, to me, how you have managed to put into words AMAZINGLY (hehe) well what I had in mind but alas, could not express, seeing as how...I am not in the possession of the...AMAZING GRACE that seems to be your forte...most notably in your take on the issue. Hehe...

And I do agree that if we appreciate what LMH has done with his craft (since we have been so entertained by his turn as GJP), then we should give him the benefit of the doubt and if need be, express sincere and honest concern and opinions in the hope that he can fully realise his potential and calibre in his chosen line of work instead of going down the path of self-destruction. Phew! Hehe...I think that's enough of my letting off steam...for now...unless provoked...Hehe...

Thoroughly enjoyed dissecting the unpleasant incident with you, Amazing Grace, and others in this blog. Keep the engaging dissection coming! :)

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Now all we need is for "lilly" to show up
and drop her usual dose of ~ I hate LMH ~
and we'll have this baby all sewed up.

Ha, ha, ha. :) :) :)

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#71 Gigi

Oh, thank you ever so much for your kind appreciation of my woefully inadequate take on the issues brought up so engagingly well by the others in this blog. I agree that if ever the opportunity were to arise, I would be so thrilled to chat in person with all the contributors to this blog over a huge bowl (or tub, whichever is bigger) of the most sinfully delectable chocolate ice cream in the world. Hmmmm....Yummmmmyyy.... :)

It would be fun to put a face to the name of each and every one of the witty and hilarious contributors to this blog, wouldn't you agree? ('',) Or would the air of mystery and mystic by not revealing too much of oneself be more appealing? Hehe...

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#80 grace, the one from Jersey, USA

Yeah! Oh, where art thou, Lilly? Do grace (hehe) us with your presence and vitriol on LMH. Now's your chance to knock LMH off his high horse...LOL...

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Alright my lovely ladies (and maybe gentlemen too!)

PT EP 15 RAW IS NOW ON!!!
http://joonmedia.net/videos/play/19745/8

Viikii's site says that they will release Ep 15 and 16 together so if you just CANNOT wait like me, there's your chance to see it.

AND-- I found the preview for Ep 16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7fYVvCSM24
The ending of this made me gasp!!!! OMO!!!!!

Do y'all love me or do y'all love me?

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@Gigi:WE LOVE YOU!

I can't believe PT ends this week. It has sure been a fun ride, reading the recaps and the comments from everybody.

Thank you so muh GF and JB for your hard work, you guys have made my drama watching so much more fun! Your writing has become my new addiction, and I can't even count the amount of times daily I am lurking here, pushing the refresh button again and again, waiting for your recaps :D

And also, Iooking forward to your next podcast! A

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mimi, your comment had me ROFL!! "I have to say that Lee Min Ho has finally learned how to carry a woman correctly since we saw him last in BOF"
I was thinking the same thing!! =D

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I speak chinese and I found a chinese subbed version of ep.15
it was totally different from what i expected...wow..
:(
i hope episode 16 is good.

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Thank you for the recap. I enjoy the recaps immensely specially your comments about Sang-jun's old fashioned advice on teaching Kae-in, yes, I will join you in not wanting to do anything with him for that advice. And Min-ho becoming better at carrying women "correctly".. Haha, is there a manual somewhere for this? LOL, thats hilarious.

I dont speak Hangul so your explanations help a lot in understanding what happened. Thank you.

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I've uploaded a few photos & a short video clip onto Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=614131009374&oid=387360436561#!/pages/Personal-Tastekdrama/387360436561 (it's the group called Personal Taste (K Drama))

JB & GF--can't wait for your last recaps of this incredible show!!! kudos to you both for making the funnest K drama experience ever.

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thanks for the recap!!

i just wanted to point out that in korean culture male and female roles in society are very distinct, so it is natural to then for women to do all the housework, etc.

to most korean viewers, it is very normal. in fact, they may even consider pointing it out a favor.

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I'm coming in late to the series, streaming it on Drama Fever. I loved this episode and I love your recap here. I can't wait to watch the final two.

Great job!

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It's been bothering me for a while now but i just GOTTA KNOW what's the song playing in the background when Kae-in sticks the stickky pic of her and jin-ho?????????????????????? THANK YOUUUUUU ;)

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very beautiful drama couple! i really love them together! n i waiting for the next drama with their,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

fhanyejin saranghae minho

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hello
i'm searching for the name of the song in episode 14 (when park ga in remembers the accident)
this song is not a part of the ost, so please help me and tell me the title of the song

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actually there are three songs played in part 3 ep 14 , if you can give me their titles
thank you

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it's part 4 sorry

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Hi! Your episode recaps are so funny!!!!
Did you ever make a joke about In Hee's shoulder pads? Literally every outfit she wears is heavilly padded... In the shoulders... It's so American 80's in the worst way.

Anyway,
I LOVE Sohn Ye-jin and Lee Min-ho <3

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love lee min ho

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Never would have thunk I would find this so idinpesnsable.

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Thank you for the lovely recaps, and for explaining the parts where Jinho launches into banmal... it's quite hard for this elementary korean speaker to pick it up when watching it for the first time (trying to make sense of the conversation, reading the eng subs, and foccusing on the male leads lovely features) . After reading your recaps where you explain in detail when he uses banmal, it makes me recall and go " ah yes, it sounded like banmal "

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Wow Kyuri, thanks for your insight. It doesnt surprise me that LMH and his manager behaved that way, a lot of korean celebrities are like that, with their lack of proficiency in english being one of the reasons. Esp if the other person is a native english speaker. It's a confidence thing, i think. Considering his meteoric rise, i suspect the fame game could have gotten to his head. But I can easily name you a few other celebs who behave similarly.

It doesnt make him a bad person but exposes him to be the human that he is. Good looking, brilliant and talented as he is, he is still human after all.

LBH on the other hand is a consummate entertainer, he has been around long enough to know he needs to play along

These korean celebrities know about fan service (I can't say they coined it because I am not sure of its origin) but cant be bothered to provide it.

Can anyone tell me if Eric is like this too ?

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at the risk of offfending koreans, I've noticed that korean artiste managers and the general public tends to be standoffish at times. I understand the manager had to protect his artiste from squealing, rabid teenage fan girls but subdued older fans ?

Rude and not understanding are kinda mild adjectives to be used if I want to describe them

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