King of Dramas: Episode 14

by HeadsNo2

This show, I tell you. It’s just so sweet, warm, and full of feel-good moments and heart. Not to mention copious amount of laughter, since Hyun-min encounters a bad case of foot-in-mouth that lands him in hot water with his girlfriend and his co-star, which in turn lands him in the middle of a press scandal. Since when have misunderstandings been so funny?

 
EPISODE 14: “From Dusk Till Dawn”

Fire!

Anthony rushes inside to save the Ajusshi Extra, even though the burning building is all but collapsing in on itself. Everyone waits outside on pins and needles as time ticks by with no sign of either man.

Inside, Anthony tries to carry the ajusshi on his back, only to have a beam fall in their path. We don’t see what happens, but everyone braces for the worst with tears in their eyes. Dong-seok has to hold Director Goo back from going in after them.

A fire truck finally arrives, but before then, Anthony finally emerges carrying the ajusshi. He looks unharmed for the most part, at least, but is faced with a completely silent crew.

He focuses on Go-eun first, pointing out her teary expression. She insists that it was just the smoke, but Anthony smiles, knowing better.

However, the ajusshi isn’t doing well. Anthony, Go-eun, and Director Goo accompany him to intensive care, and both men share a silent look. Has this happened before, or do they just know that this means bad news?

We finally get an answer as they wait outside ICU for word: An extra did die on Director Goo’s set five years ago, with Anthony there to witness. Director Goo had been more outwardly torn up about it, but Anthony’s gaze wasn’t free of anguish, either.

That incident haunts Director Goo to this day, so it’s understandable that he’s afraid it’ll happen again.

Hyun-min shows up at the hospital while Go-eun calls her mom from the lobby, his expression grim. Go-eun is both surprised and proud that he would come, and reassures him that he can go home and rest: “You don’t have to worry because I’m here.” Aww.

But Hyun-min opens up about the guilt he feels, having left the ajusshi in the storehouse because of a phone call. Go-eun comforts him by saying that he couldn’t have known what would have happened, despite his thinking that he could have prevented everything if he’d only given it some thought.

It’s moments like these where I love their friendship even more, since Go-eun changes her tactics: “Cheer up, Kang Hyun-min style.” After a small back and forth, Hyun-min’s expression changes. She does know him way too well.

“…Like Brad Pitt?” he ventures.

Go-eun smiles: “Yes, like Brad Pitt.” These two kill me. I just luff them so much.

Fortunately, the ajusshi’s condition stabilizes, which means he’s on the road to recovery. They all go in to visit the ajusshi, who thanks Anthony for saving his life with tears in his eyes.

Anthony reminds him to get better quickly so that he can do his ninth drama with World Productions, which has the ajusshi even more teary and thankful. Now I’M all teary.

Min-ah gets the good news, but ends up thinking about how Anthony checked on Go-eun first, even though she’d been just as worried.

While Anthony makes sure that the ajusshi will get all the monetary help he needs to recover, he gets hit with a headache. (Or something that affects his eyes, anyway.) Not good.

Now that Director Goo is at ease, he admits to Anthony, “You’re a pretty okay producer.” Ha. He drags Hyun-min off for filming, and even Anthony can’t help but notice how much Hyun-min has changed.

Go-eun agrees, but notes that he hasn’t changed as much as “someone” she knows. When Anthony asks, she replies, “I’m talking about someone who was the original cold-blooded asshole, but now suddenly changed into a nice guy.”

She wants to know what possessed him to run into the fire, but he merely shrugs it off, like heroism just happens to him naturally. “Didn’t you say you sold your soul to the devil, Kim Bong-dal?” she asks.

Anthony: “The soul Anthony sold – Kim Bong-dal bought it back, cheaply.”

And whoa, has Hyun-min changed. After filming, he volunteers to throw a get-together for the cast and crew. (With his sponsored beef, of course.) Except he claims he’s paying for all of it.

He invites Anthony to say a few words, and he does give a nice rousing pep talk: “Somebody said this: ‘If you’re worried, you will lose. But if you’re excited, you will win.’ In the future, I wish that all of our hearts will be filled with memories of excitement.” Cheers to that!

Hyun-min then serenades the staff with a rendition of Kim Jang-hoon’s “I’m A Man”. Haha.

They move to an inside room for the second round of partying, and everyone is having a (really enviable) great time. Dong-seok happens to see Hyun-min’s manager putting the moves on that pretty FD he likes, and the two engage in some bantering to win her affections.

The atmosphere is much different in the room where Anthony, Go-eun, Min-ah, and Director Goo are. He more than hints that Anthony and Go-eun should go in for the night, especially since Go-eun is their bread and butter. He instructs Anthony to take care of her the most.

Hyun-min comes to lighten the mood, and suggests a game called “Yaja Time”, where everyone’s given a free pass to speak in banmal to each other. I’ve only ever seen this game turn out badly.

But it’s so funny to see Go-eun be the first to oblige, telling Anthony to be quiet. Aha. The look on his face.

Min-ah’s next, and scoffs when Hyun-min calls her “noona,” because he’s pretending to be younger than he is – really, he’s older than her, so there’s no “noona” there.

Director Goo suggests putting an end to the game, which is when Anthony finally joins in: “Young-mok, be quiet. The adults are talking.” HAHA. It’s the best, because you wouldn’t expect Anthony to participate. Everyone ends up smiling and laughing, though, so all is well.

Only then does Anthony get the call that Director Nam resigned. Eek.

CP Lee ends up begging Director Nam to take back his resignation, since things have already gone south the short time he’s been away. Like those dramas he would green-light because he thought they were what the country needed more than what would make the station money – those are all falling by the wayside. CP Lee knows Deputy Director Kim just means bad business for them.

Go-eun goes outside to talk to Anthony, only Min-ah gets there first. She wants to know exactly why the calculating Anthony would run into that building: “The more I know you, the better I want to get to know you.”

He doesn’t know himself, but he does notice Go-eun walking away.

Hyun-min calls Bit-na to tell her he won’t be home tonight, and he actually gets mad at her when she refers to the ajusshi who got hurt as “some nobody extra.”

So when she fires back that he must be hanging out with Min-ah, he finally caves and says he is hanging out with her just to make Bit-na mad. In fact, he wants to hang out with her all night long. When Bit-na asks if he really likes her, Hyun-min shouts into the phone, “Yes! I love Sung Min-ah! I love her very much! I love her so very much!” And then, in English: “I LOVE YOU, SUNG MIN-AH!”

…Which, of course, Min-ah overhears and takes as truth, all slack-jawed. Haha. She warns him to find someone in his league.

Go-eun rides back with Min-ah to Seoul to next morning as promised, only to have Min-ah admit that she likes Anthony, and that the two of them used to love each other: “So we’re trying to work it out from now on. I’m hoping you, Writer Lee, can help our relationship.” Eek.

We see how business is being run over at SBC now that Deputy Director Kim is running things (man, that was a fast transition), and he’s all about one thing: Ratings. CP Lee looks positively miserable.

Anthony goes to Director Nam to find out exactly why he resigned from his position, and it’s interesting to see Director Nam open up to tell him frankly that he only got his position because of his dad, Empire’s Chairman.

And this, of course, is news to Anthony.

“Maybe that’s why I hated you more, Representative Kim,” Director Nam admits. “To me, you seemed worse than my father. I wanted to deny having such a father, so I’ve lived thinking I don’t have one. I wanted to hide it until then end if I could.”

But Anthony won’t take that as an excuse, as he brings up Director Nam’s fight to rid the drama world of corruption and people like him. “You once told me that people like me should disappear from this field. But in the end, I’m still here, and you’re leaving. Before you leave, keep this in mind: That, in the end, there will only be dirty people left with shady tricks.”

While filming the next day, Hyun-min is told to make a surprised face, which he does… before it melts into real surprise, as Bit-na marches on set to slap him right across the face.

She declares that she’s done with him, and that he can go be with Min-ah as much as he wants. Every jaw on set drops as she marches right back out, but no one’s madder than Min-ah, who mouths the word “moron” to Hyun-min when he looks at her.

Ha, I love this misunderstanding. Min-ah really thinks that this is all about her. I’m also cracking up at how Hyun-min’s outfit is a direct copy of one of Joo Won’s from Gaksital. I swear, even the pompadour is the same.

Go-eun can’t help but think on Min-ah’s words as she tries to write that night, and gets all flustered when Anthony calls her about the contract-renewal. She doesn’t want to face him and says she’s going out so he can’t meet her at her studio…

Only to find Anthony one step ahead of her, since he’s already at her Mom’s when she goes to visit. HA. This got a good laugh out of me.

He has his troll face on as he hands over a contract and pen, only to be genuinely confused when Go-eun expresses trepidation in signing it. He thinks she’s mulling over other offers, only to have her reply exasperatingly, “Do you think I’m doing this because of money?”

Then again, she can’t really explain why she’s thinking about it, and I’m guessing it has to do with her feelings. Anthony narrows his eyes at her like he’s trying to see through her, and he makes sure to remind her that he suffered through the cold for her.

“Don’t make me wait too long,” he warns her. He smiles, Go-eun cringes.

Hyun-min’s “love affair” with Min-ah ends up making front page headlines, due to what was said on set when Bit-na slapped him. Oh, motherfather.

And it’s only funnier when Min-ah reads the news, because she thinks Hyun-min released the article on purpose because she wasn’t accepting his heart.

The news makes it to CEO Oh and the World Boys, with Anthony being the last to find out. They’ve got a full on scandal on their hands now.

Hyun-min and Min-ah try to disguise themselves as they meet for drinks, with Hyun-min hilariously scooting his chair closer to hers so he can answer her accusations that he released the news with a: “Have you lost your mind?” In banmal.

Min-ah’s not afraid to speak in banmal right back, and she even talks down to him as she orders him to take the articles down. Unfortunately, their animosity comes off looking romantic to the waitress from where she’s standing.

She recognizes them, and wishes them well on their love. In the words of Hyun-min: “Oh my Jesus.”

The tyranny over at SBC continues under Deputy Director Kim, who’s more than content to cut a smaller show because it’s underwhelming in the ratings. When faced with complaints from the production company of the show slated after, Deputy Director Kim flies into a rage, claiming that they’re above all those production companies as a broadcaster.

Which is when Director Nam makes his grand re-entrance: “If we are above them, then we should show an appropriate image.” He goes onto say that while they do make the schedule, the schedule is a promise they make with the viewers. Is that a promise that should be broken at will because of bad ratings or bad commercial value?

Without a proper retort, Deputy Director Kim fires back that Director Nam doesn’t have the right to be in the meeting, only to be caught off-guard when Director Nam replies that he’ll be retaking his position on the Chairman’s orders.

So Deputy Director Kim is forced to vacate his seat right then and there. Burn.

Director Nam apologizes to the rest of the board for leaving in the first place, and reminds them that while they are above the production companies, actors, etc., “I would appreciate if you remember this point as well: Justice without power is lifeless and futile. But power without justice is just violence. Now, the era of violence must end. The era of violence must not be repeated.”

Anthony gets a call from Director Nam to ask about the shooting schedule, but we know, Anthony knows, and Director Nam knows that it’s just a way of letting Anthony know he’s got his job back. Do I… do I sense the beginnings of a bromance? Please, drama gods. Please let this happen.

Even Daddy Chairman pops in to see his son at work. He even seems, dare I say it, sad that there’s such tension between them. When asked to explain why he changed his mind, Director Nam explains that despite gaining his position by his father’s unjust methods, quitting won’t solve anything.

“And I should do my best in this very position to not let this drama field rot, to not let this industry go back to that past full of corruption and shady tricks. I thought that was a very important thing to do.”

Daddy Chairman acknowledges this with a nod. “Well, times have changed, I guess. I will keep watching to see whether you will change, or the world.”

Go-eun passes by a sweet potato stand, and ends up thinking of her night with Anthony, where she’d mentioned sweet potatoes as something warm she wanted to eat when she was freezing.

She tries her best to focus on her work, only Anthony comes knocking just in time to throw her off her groove to ask about the contract.

When she wonders whether that’s all he came for, he produces a bag of roasted sweet potatoes. Awwww.

He explains that there was no ulterior motive – he’d just seen them being sold and remembered how she said she’d wanted to eat them. A-dorable.

She’s conflicted when he leaves just like that, and while he stares at her rooftop from his, Go-eun stares at the bag of sweet potatoes. She remembers Anthony telling her how he believed in her, Anthony kissing Min-ah, Anthony after the fire, and Min-ah in the car. And, finally, the sweet potatoes.

Finally, she comes to a decision and makes her way to Anthony’s rooftop, potatoes in tow. She holds them out to give them back: “Why do you confuse people? You’re dating Sung Min-ah, so why are you being like this to me?”

Anthony doesn’t even blink, he just seems slightly amused. “Who said I was dating Sung Min-ah?”

Now it’s Go-eun’s turn to be confused, though she can’t hide a tiny smile when Anthony informs her that he’s not dating Min-ah. “I don’t have such feelings for whomever, so you don’t have to be concerned.”

She doesn’t know what to say when he asks her if she always gets confused if someone buys her sweet potatoes (ha), and he finally picks up on it when she can’t stop stuttering: “Do you, by chance, like me?” She blinks, and then he brushes it off like, Nah, that’ll never happen.

But she stops him as he turns away, like she has something to confess…

 
COMMENTS

Is she going to tell him? Is she going to tell him?

One of the things this drama gets so, so very right is the idea of friendship and/or what it means to be in a partnership with someone. It seems rare these days to get a good, old-fashioned friendship, and especially rare to get a working friendship between a male and a female without romance mucking everything up. And here we have friendships all around, but none quite as fun and heartwarming as Hyun-min and Go-eun’s relationship.

I know I joked about Hyun-min and Go-eun as a pairing last episode, but really, I just love them together. They’re more like siblings than anything else, and it’s kind of weird to be picking up on the great chemistry they have… as friends. I think dramas have just conditioned me that the second male lead in dramas must always be the third leg of the love triangle, so I keep expecting that angle to pop up when really, what we’re seeing here is probably it. And that’s even better than I could have hoped for.

They’ve had great moments throughout the series, but I really appreciate how Go-eun tends to take care of Hyun-min, even when she doesn’t have to. The fact that she knew him well enough to cheer him up at the hospital just gave me the warm fuzzies, but it was really Hyun-min’s reaction that sold it: We could see him coming around. Go-eun knew just how to reel him in, and did so for no other reason than to make him happy. You could say she really did it with her drama in mind, but Go-eun doesn’t seem like that kind of person. She did it because she cared.

In that same vein, Anthony’s budding bromance with Director Nam is really coming along nicely. We saw how Deputy Director Kim was cutting shows left and right, but Kyungsung Morning was never in any danger because it’s performing so well. So we know that Anthony had no real ulterior motive in helping Director Nam come to his senses, only that he did it because he cared.

And I’d venture to say that the reason why Anthony ran into that burning building, the reason he himself can’t pinpoint, is that simple: Because he cared.

 
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