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My Secret Hotel: Episode 3

Now that we’ve caught back up to the point where the dead body makes an appearance, the murder mystery begins to get some major focus. As the investigation begins to deepen, it looks like the dead body played an important role in all our leads’ lives — now it’s just a matter of finding out who would be more desperate to kill in order to keep a secret from being revealed. Our investigating detective is a lot sharper than he looks, so everyone is going to need a little effort to avoid his piercing gaze, er, wink.

EPISODE 3 RECAP

Sang-hyo quickly gathers her wits after Assistant Manager Hwang’s body falls to the floor. She delegates tasks to the rest of the shocked wedding coordination team to assist the panicked guests, until all that’s left in the wedding hall with the dead body is just her and Hae-young. He’s still in shock, but she urges him to go see his bride Soo-ah.

Sung-gyum is rushing to help oversee the chaos, but General Manager Lee stops him. He thinks that it’s important for Sang-hyo to learn how to fix this situation on her own, as a good test of her management skills. Sung-gyum doesn’t seem particularly convinced by this, but he stays put, nevertheless.

As she deals with making sure all the guests are safely escorted out of the hotel, Detective KIM GEON-BO (Ahn Gil-kang) arrives on the scene. His cowboy boots and casually unbuttoned shirt have the diligent security team ready to shoo him away as a curious onlooker, but after a wave of his badge, he’s allowed through to the wedding hall.

Marveling at Sang-hyo’s ability to smoothly take care of the wedding guests, Detective Kim cheerfully steps into the room to investigate the dead body. Sang-hyo is ready to drop in exhausted relief that everything is over and everyone has been safely taken care of, but Eun-joo radios with a cry for help.

The PR manager is busy reassuring the press that the death of a hotel employee is nothing to be overly concerned about — it could happen anywhere at any time. But one of the reporters at the press conference is Jung-eun, who smugly points out that bodies falling from the sky aren’t exactly a normal occurrence. Not to mention all the other crises that have happened at the hotel, such as all the previous managers leaving last year, the hotel’s worth dropping on the stock market, and, of course, the three-month wedding curse.

But as soon as Sang-hyo arrives to do the rest of the press debriefing, Jung-eun slips away to hide around the corner. She’s shocked to realize “that woman” is also the person who planned Hae-young’s wedding.

Detective Kim and his CSI crew are busy investigating the area around Hwang’s body. It’s determined that the murder weapon was the ice pick — one jab to the heart and instant death. The detective also finds something else surprising: a second wallet that was found near the body. He opens it up to reveal that it’s Hae-young’s wallet, and he realizes that this belongs to the groom.

Speaking of whom, he’s sitting with a sobbing Soo-ah who can’t believe her wedding has been ruined. She’s also annoyed that Hae-young isn’t upset or angry, but he unemotionally tells her he’s just as upset as she is, really. Her hysterical shrieks can be heard all the way down the hallway, and Sang-hyo steels herself as she prepares to enter the room and face the unhappy couple.

Soo-ah’s greeting is a literal slap in the face, as she demands to know what Sang-hyo is going to do about the disrupted wedding. Sang-hyo bows deeply in apology, but Soo-ah is still furious. She orders Sang-hyo to kneel and apologize. After all, didn’t she promise Soo-ah the perfect wedding?

She reaches out to give another hearty slap when it looks like Sang-hyo isn’t going to kneel, but Hae-young reaches in to stop her. Sung-gyum also suddenly arrives and puts himself between the two women, protecting Sang-hyo.

Sung-gyum insists Sang-hyo leave, and Hae-young recognizes him as the guy from the night before. The gentle way Sung-gyum reassuringly touches Sang-hyo’s shoulder doesn’t go unnoticed, either.

Sung-gyum charmingly soothes Soo-ah’s frustrations (all the while mentioning that hitting a member of his staff is no-no). Hae-young is more focused on the protective way Sung-gyum defended Sang-hyo. When Sung-gyum offers to apologize in place of Sang-hyo, he refuses, saying that Sung-gyum had better not do anything at all for her. Cue intense alpha male stare-down.

As they drive home in their elaborately decorated newlywed car, Soo-ah is over the moon at how handsome and cool Sang-gyum was when he declared Sang-hyo to be “his person.” When she points out that must be the same person Sang-hyo proposed to, Hae-young reaches his limit and pulls the car over.

He acts out his frustration by ruthlessly tearing off all the flowers, balloons, and other frou-frou “just married” decorations from the car. Soo-ah takes it all in stride though, assuming that he’s doing it because he loves her (since she thinks he’s jealous over her high opinion of Sung-gyum), proving that the wedding wasn’t just his parents’ idea.

Sang-hyo meets with Detective Kim who questions her about Hwang’s work habits. She’s taken aback when he says she must be glad to see her unreliable assistant manager gone, but he assures her he’s just joking. As he’s beginning to ask about Hae-young, Sung-gyum enters the office.

He’s there to once more play the rescuing hero as he excuses Sang-hyo, claiming she needs a break to rest and let the shock of the day settle in. The interrogation can continue tomorrow, and he wrist-grabs a stunned Sang-hyo to lead her out of the office. Ha, and Detective Kim totally wins a permanent place in my heart by snubbing the idea of a wrist-grab, sighing to himself that women don’t actually like that kind of thing.

But Sung-gyum continues to pull Sang-hyo through the hotel until he reaches an empty guest room (much to the surprise and disappointment of Eun-joo who sees them from down the hall). She finally frees herself from his grip, and insists that there’s still quite a lot of work for her to do. But he convinces her that she needs to rest, sweetly adding that she did well today, and she looks very beautiful.

As she finally lets the shock of the day overwhelm her, Sung-gyum reaches down to gently wipe away her tears. Their tender moment is interrupted by the arrival of the room service cart, and he leaves her alone to eat dinner and get some sleep.

A subdued Hae-young drops Soo-ah off at her house, and she does a cute little pout when he doesn’t immediately offer to open her door for her. She assumes that his grumpy demeanor is due to her talking about how handsome Sung-gyum was. Promising not to mention other guys in front of him again, she swears that he’s number one in her eyes. Just like Sung-gyum is probably the number one guy in Sang-hyo’s eyes — a fact that Hae-young doesn’t exactly find reassuring.

Sang-hyo tries to relax in the hotel room, but she keeps replaying the moment Assistant Manager Hwang fell from the skylight. She hears his voice in her mind, asking if she’s happy that he ruined the wedding. The shadows in the corners of the room make her jumpy (and me too, thanks to the creepy horror music). As she gets ready for bed, she turns around to see Hwang eerily standing before her, and she screams.

But it’s only a dream, and she tries to get a hold of herself… until she sees him sitting in the corner of the room; but it was just another dream. Now fully awake, she scrambles to turn on all the lights in the hotel room, praying that the ghost will keep far away from her.

She feels something tug at the covers she’s hiding under, and she whispers that it’s only a dream… until the duvet is completely torn from her grasp. Then she shrieks as she flings herself out of the bed, only to cause Eun-joo to shriek herself. She’s there to innocently make sure Sang-hyo’s awake, since it’s already late-morning.

Sung-gyum’s assistant has been doing some research in old personnel files, and reports on his findings: the only employees from 1984 that still work at the hotel are the now-deceased Hwang and GM Lee. Even though the GM is aware that the assistant has been snooping into the old files, neither managers mention it to each other when they happen to meet in the hallway.

Sung-gyum finds a moment away from the hotel to muse over the mysterious letter about his father’s death. He received it the same day Hwang was murdered, and Hwang is the only employee who was there when Sung-gyum’s father died. Could there possibly be a connection?

Detective Kim arrives (in his fancy boots!) at the wedding planning department to continue questioning Sang-hyo. She takes him to the garden so they can have some privacy, and he marvels in his “aw shucks” way at how beautiful it is, before immediately asking her if she knows Hae-young.

She stutters in surprise before answering simply that he was the groom on the day of the incident. The detective pretends that this is new information to him, but asks if that’s really all Hae-young is, since he heard that she gave him special attention. Sang-hyo quickly explains that it was for their publicity event, the one that was focused on profiling the elite couples.

As he writes down this information in his notebook, he inquires further into what kind of person Hae-young is, adding (with a little wink) that the groom must have made some kind of impression on her. Sang-hyo is saved from answering by a call from her team, and she excuses herself. And ha! It turns out the only thing Detective Kim wrote in his little notebook was that Sang-hyo is pretty and “just his type.” He’s also surprised because she’s the first person to withstand the power of his wink. Pfft.

At his architecture firm, Hae-young fends off his coworker Shi-chan’s constant barrage of questions about the failed wedding ceremony, and whether or not he actually went to go meet that woman the night before the wedding (like Shi-chan had recommended when they were at the bar). Hae-young finally admits that he didn’t meet with her. Since their relationship is long over, what’s the point of meeting, anyway.

He gathers the rest of his staff together to start the meeting, and Jung-eun barges in, shouting, “You met with her didn’t you?” Hae-young is surprised that she knew he met with “Las Vegas,” (aw, and Shi-chan is totally offended that he’d just been lied to).

Hustling Jung-eun to a place where they can have a conversation beyond the curious ears of his staff, Hae-young tells her that what happened is none of her business. But to her, anything related to Hae-young is her business, and she feels it’s her duty to warn him to stay away from Sang-hyo — because she’s a dangerous murderer.

By Jung-eun’s logic, Sang-hyo must have killed Hwang because he had found out about their previous marriage and would have threatened to reveal that she had gone through the “divorce curse” herself, which would ruin her career and reputation as a wedding planner. Which meant that Sang-hyo would have been desperate to keep him from telling anyone. So, of course, she killed him.

Hae-young laughs it off, calling her theory crazy. But she suggests that if the police find out about his past marriage, they’ll want to investigate it. Hae-young confidently tells her Sang-hyo didn’t kill Hwang. Jung-eun: “Then who did? If it wasn’t Sang-hyo, then was it you?”

Back at the hotel, Detective Kim ponders the blood stain left in the wedding hall as the other detective fills him in on all the information they found on Hae-young, which isn’t much other than the basics. When the rookie detective wonders why they’re spending so much time investigating someone who appears to have nothing to do with this case, Detective Kim pulls out the wallet he found.

The other detective assumes it must have fallen out of Hae-young’s pocket while he was walking down the aisle, but Detective Kim does a little martial arts action on the unsuspecting detective to prove that the only way it could have been under the body was if there had been a physical struggle.

Having overheard part of the detectives’ conversation, Sang-hyo is so focused on why they might be discussing Hae-young that she nearly jumps out of her skin when she mistakes one of her staff members for ghost-Hwang. But her coworker avoids a scolding when a text message from Hae-young has her sweetly begging Kyung-hee for another umbrella.

Except she only has a rain coat, and Sang-hyo pulls the hood down as far as it can go as she scurries to Hae-young’s waiting car. They drive to an isolated spot by the river. Oh, this can’t be good.

She demands that he just quickly tell her whatever it is he needs to say. But at his silence, she continues talking, saying that it’s okay if he came to apologize about Soo-ah slapping her, or for telling his bride that she shouldn’t have to deal with “women like her.” Or if he was just worried about her…

Hae-young finally speaks up, asking if she told anyone about their marriage. That was not what she was expecting, and she angrily informs him she’s never told anyone at all about their past relationship, not even the detective.

He’s alarmed to know the police are investigating him, and begs her to never ever tell anyone about their marriage. She furiously agrees before storming off to find her own way back to the hotel, fuming that he’s just wasting her time by being paranoid about the past. It starts to rain, but Hae-young continues to stand next to the river, deep in thought. Finally, he calls Shi-chan: “I need an alibi.”

A flashback shows the moment when Hae-young returned to the hotel after finding Sang-hyo and Sung-gyum sitting outside. We learn that Hwang admitted that he knew the two of them had been married before. Hae-young warned that if he did anything to Sang-hyo, he wouldn’t let it go.

But Hwang just cackled maniacally and brandished his trusty ice pick, asking what would he do, “Kill me or something?” Hae-young’s defense against the ice pick became a struggle between the two men until he managed to turn it around on Hwang, pointing it straight at the assistant manager’s heart.

Sang-hyo is the last to leave the office that night, and with all the lights off, it’s a little creepy. She’s ready to brandish her purse at any little sound, but the image of ghost-Hwang lying dead on the floor makes her scream in terror. Then she faints.

She wakes up in the hotel’s clinic, and the first thing she sees is Sung-gyum’s worried face. He escorts her back to the hotel room from last night, saying it’s late and traffic will be bad because of the weather. But the first thing she sees is the image of Hwang standing in the middle of the room.

Despite trying to play it cool, she ends up clutching Sung-gyum’s arm, admitting she’s too scared to sleep alone. He wryly asks if she’s seducing him, and she immediately lets go, insisting it isn’t like that, and manages to psych herself up to leave his side and enter the room.

As she walks nervously, expecting to see ghost-Hwang in every little corner, her phone rings — it’s Sung-gyum. He paces around his suite as he kindly offers her tips on how to not be afraid, including walking her through all the places where something scary could be hiding.

She diligently and cautiously checks each spot, but there’s no ghostly Hwang to be found. When he suggests that she get undressed to take a shower, she balks for a second, and he chuckles because he can’t give her step-by-step instructions for that. Besides, she hasn’t really been doing everything he’s told her to do, has she? Sang-hyo: “Of course not! I’m not stupid.” Hee!

But most importantly, she’s no longer scared. Even so, Sung-gyum keeps her on the phone for a little longer. The two get to hear about each other’s lives as they happily talk over the phone until Sang-hyo falls asleep, with the phone against her ear. Aw.

The next morning, a much happier and rested Sang-hyo is ready to bid ghost-Hwang adieu as she leaves a memorial flower at his desk.

Detective Kim makes a visit to Hae-young’s architecture firm. But before he can even say a word, Shi-chan practically throws himself at the detective, blurting out that Hae-young has an alibi — it’s him, he’s the alibi, they spent the night drinking together, honest.

The detective is here for another reason, though — he’s returning Hae-young’s wallet. Hae-young can’t remember where he lost it, and Detective Kim is happy to inform him that it was found under Hwang’s body.

Which makes Hae-young the most likely murder suspect.

COMMENTS

I’m so glad we’re finally getting into the murder mystery. As cute as all the rom-com stuff was last week, I felt like I was getting a little whiplash as the tonality of the show bounced between the zaniness of Hae-young and Sang-hyo and the more melodramatic seriousness of Sung-gyum and his secret about his father. That’s not to say the rom-com element is completely gone — far from it. But it does feel like it’s becoming better integrated into the show.

Hwang’s body really does help to tie everyone together, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the secrets slowly become revealed once the detective begins to investigate. That’s probably another reason why the show feels a little more cohesive to me: Detective Kim. Or, to be more precise, Ahn Gil-kang. He’s such a perfect choice to bridge that gap between scary mystery and rom-com because he’s so excellent at playing to both types. I especially love that he’s not some bumbling detective, but is actually burying some excellent and intelligent observation skills beneath his goofy demeanor. Like a Korean Columbo, but with cowboy boots instead of a trench coat.

Of course, I don’t believe that Hae-young killed Hwang. Not just because he’s one of the leads (or because I still prefer him to Sung-gyum when it comes down to the love triangle). No, mostly because it’s the third episode and it’s much too early to have settled on the killer. Which means all those clues are red herrings, of course; but I’m still deeply interesting in knowing the truth behind those red herrings!

I think Hwang was actually sincere in wishing “good luck,” and didn’t mean it in the menacing way Hae-young perceived. Hwang seemed to have had genuine affection for Sang-hyo, for reasons that perhaps will be revealed later on in the show. Possibly for less sinister reasons — right now my spidey-drama-sense is tingling on a birth secret, since Sang-hyo’s birth parents are a mystery. It would be easy to write them off as a plot device to get her to America, but this is Dramaland — there’s always birth secrets, and at least this would be a legitimate one.

Although if it turns out Sung-gyum is her blood brother (or half-brother) and the reason they’re so good at what they do is because they both inherited the hotelier gene (which would also explain why GM Lee is so eager to praise her, beyond the fact he’s hiding his own shady secret about Hwang) — well, I’ll call shenanigans, because I’ve only just begun to admit that I kinda like him as a viable love interest. For the record, it was the ghost-hunt by phone that started to win me over.

As for the side characters, I love them, and I’m hoping this show gives them a little more depth. I’m especially curious about Jung-eun and her obsessed love for Hae-young — she’s suspicious to me, and I can’t wait until Detective Kim turns his sights, er, wink on her, because I want to know what her deal is. As I do with Soo-ah, because even though I really do want to hate her, her incessant cheerfulness (well, except when her wedding is ruined) fascinates me. There’s got to be more behind that bubbly persona of hers. I’m still astonished that her reaction to him ripping off the car decorations was to be delighted, taking it as a display of affection.

Or maybe I’m giving this show too much credit.

At the very least, there’s enough characters here to keep me interested — not to mention, plenty of secrets that will make for a fun and interesting ride as they eventually become unraveled (and our leads’ lives become more and more entangled).

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I am really enjoying this. I was also on the fence about Sung Gyum until the ghost hunt. Now I am totally on board. Gah, I really hope they don't turn out to be siblings, b/c I HATE that particular plot device.

I am really curious to see how our evil reporter lady figures into the history between Sang Hyo and Hae Young. I forsee things getting a whole lot worse with her meddling.

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I am loving this drama! Awesome chemistry between Yoo Inna and Jin Yi-han, great ost! Although I really really hope there is no birth secret...the drama has so much potential that a birth secret would just make it so mehh

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Thanks for the recap.

What is the name of the song with the lyrics "secret" sung by a female's voice? Everytime the song is played for a scene, I flashback to a feeling of I've heard this somewhere before but I can't place or remember where at the moment. All of my efforts to track down the OST were to no avail.

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The song is called Secret sung by Yoon Sung Ki via Youtube.com
He was one of alumnus of the Voice :)

Love this song and great drama to boot. Cannot wait for more secrets to be unravelled.

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Thanks. I'm familiar with Yoon Seong Ki/Yoon Sung Ki's OST Secret but the song I was referring too has a female voice saying the words (lyrics) "secret...ooh...secret...remember for you" against a backdrop of a music beats.

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Yah..same here i really love that song esp. The intro....see episode 7 it was played at the beginning of the episode while they are walking towards each other..maybe the song has not been released yet

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The elusive song! Were on episode 8 and the song still remains titleless (?). Could it be the song's title is a taboo much like he who must not be named in harry potter? Anyone? Please?

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I wanted to know that too. It's the song that plays while she runs to the dead body in the first scene of ep 2 right? I don't know the name either.

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I meant the last scene of ep 2. :)

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Found the answer:
Secret (feat. 조용훈) – 최인희, 오혜주

My Secret Hotel OST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMtnkyWZFC0

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I enjoy this a lot. it is not dialogue-stuffed but rather eventful
I like how simple lines are acted out big and dramatic but without being ridiculous. it feels like breezy writing and directing and leaving space for actors to interpret their character.

ah I feel so much sympathy for both males, dont even know where to tilt now. they both have a strong pull.

the hiding under covers and checking every corner, gowd the writer must remember the childhood... so typical
DAT POLICEMAN though! way funny.

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DAT. DITECTIVE. I swears. ep 4 is even better

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I just love this show. Seriously. It's so much fun and is such easy watch, but then in between there are great character moments, romantic underlinings and they just get to me in ways no other show has in a very long time.

I was slightly disappointed that Hae-young and Sang-hyo didn't get too many scenes, but I was pacified in episode 4. All in all, they're the reason I'm here. Jin Yi-han is fantastic with the eyes; he speaks so much more in silence than a lot of people with lines after lines. The way Hae-young looks at Sang-hyo, it's so ridiculously obvious he still loves her. Like when he was looking so intently at her in the beginning of the episode - it's like he's trying to gauge if she's alright or if he can leave her be. I'm so on board and invested in them, it's not even funny.

Also, I don't know if my ship is clouding my judgement but NGM plays Sung-gyum with some seriously shady expressions and cryptic faces. I just can't help but feel detached. Every time he does something sweet, I always get this feeling he has an ulterior motive so I can't enjoy it whatsoever. I don't mind if he has secrets - heck even Hae-young does - but his expressions always have a cunning/menacing element to it. He's creepy and if this is the after effects of INR3, then I wish I didn't see that. I didn't even love it and now its hindering my (non)enjoyment for Sung-gyum.

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agree about creepy factor being there but I am not disturbed by it. in fact I hope it is for real

I guess I have become addicted to psychos this year.

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LOL, if its intentional, I'm happy since I can't get into the character anyway. If it's not, I'm disappointed because I want him away from the good guys when he's apparently one of them.

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I wouldn't say he looks cunning but instead for me, he's pretty much almost the only actor playing it realistically. Him and Yoo Inna. He is falling for her but he's not there yet so he's many times amused and curious and others concerned. But apart from his secret his character is becoming a trope we all know very well. I'm also on the other side of the fence about the main guy, I thought several times the way Hae-Young looks at her was so over the top, so unrealistic for a guy about to marry someone else. Not even guys about to confess do it like that, no subtlety.

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I agree there. Sure we're set for an exes' reunion but Hae-young is a little too obvious, I like the way the Sang-hyo/Sung-gyum pair is developing for now even if I know they're not the OTP. It feels more authentic, somehow - and the actors have great chemistry.

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We should just agree to disagree then since I feel exactly the opposite of you. I have major issues with how Nam Goong-min portrays a character I would usually really like. He has a creepy vibe and looks cunning and manipulative whilst trying to look nice. Every scene with him makes me uncomfortable because while I know I should like him, he's just not allowing me to.

As for Jin Yi-han, I think he's just fantastic with the intensity and the overall hurt he tries to hide but is unable to. Its been made extremely clear that he isn't marrying because he has any interest in the fiance. Therefore, acting like he loves/likes her is simply contradictory. Hae-young and Sang-hyo broke up with a lot of unresolved feelings so its natural that the sudden meeting will spark a lot of emotions they thought didn't exist. He's subtle enough for Sang-hyo not to know he still has feelings for her, but when extreme things happen its very natural for the facade to drop.

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"Its been made extremely clear that he isn’t marrying because he has any interest in the fiance."

Yes, but even if you like his character doesn't that trait bother you? He comes from a rich family, he seems pretty successful. Why marry her at all???? Why be so cold to her? Why does it seems the show doesn't care?

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"Yes, but even if you like his character doesn’t that trait bother you?"

- No, not really. And I think the answer to why that is has been hinted episode 4. More importantly, as I've mentioned in my comment for ep 2 - she doesn't seem to love him and is with him for superficial reasons herself. She acts like he's someone she can flaunt about and boast - like an exclusive, shiny, expensive item. It's difficult to feel too much sympathy when for both of them, this wedding lacks the most important fundamental of a marriage - that being love.

Also, if I were her and my guy treats me the way Hae-young does, I'd suspect he wasn't into me and either confront him about it or dump him. If her reason for putting up with it was because she was so in love, I'd understand somehow. Too bad it's not.

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OK, I haven't watched ep 4. I don't care for her reasons though because he seems unaware of them herself and anyway I think you got too much from her scene talking about him. It's very normal for young ditzy girls like her to want to show off a successful boyfriend. Or so kdramaland has taught me. :) Even main leads do it and it doesn't mean they don't love the guy. And even if she doesn't love him, she still doesn't deserve to be treated like that.

" I’d suspect he wasn’t into me and either confront him about it or dump him."
Me too, but that doesn't excuse him.

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Maybe he decided to marry the woman his family like because after the divorce he gave up on love. I can see a reason like that behind his actions...

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@Lixie - Nah. I don't think I got too much out of her scenes. Flaunting whilst showing no signs of genuine affection whatsoever... unless she proves otherwise, for me, she doesn't love him. Which then means she's doing this wedding for her own selfish reasons just like he is. So she ain't getting too much sympathy from my end.

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"Every scene with him makes me uncomfortable because while I know I should like him, he’s just not allowing me to."

It really does sound like this is a problem on your end though, not his. You said so yourself, you have certain preconcieved notions of how you view him based on his character/performance in INR3. I've seen him in three different shows, and I'm not having that problem at all. If anyone's being sneaky and cunning, it's GM Lee.

You're entitled to your opinion on Nam Goong-min, of course, but I think it's a shame that you're not able to appreciate the character the way I think he's meant to be viewed.

On the other hand, this is the first thing I've ever seen Jin Yi-han in, and I'm loving him here too. Even if I am rooting for Sang Hyo/Yi-han in the romance department, I think both actors are doing a fantastic job. I still think Sung-gyum is a fun contender, and look forward to seeing how his backstory unfolds!

Heh, but watch, after my impassioned defense, he's the killer.

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Oh yea, absolutely. It's definitely my personal view. Everyone sees characters in different lights but it's also an actor that creates that perception. I'm certainly not the only one who sees Sung-gyum as a creep but I'm also very sure there's a whole lot of people who find him charming and attractive. That's something I completely respect, and in certain ways, something I want to feel too. I want to be swept by his grand gestures which is ridiculously swoon-worthy on paper. But when acted out, it gives me the chills in a bad way.

I'm not sure how his character is supposed to be viewed tbh. If he's purposely cryptic and sketchy, NGM is doing fab. If he's not, yea... That's where the problem is for me. But I'd admittedly be happy if I don't see him that way in the latter episodes because it means I can enjoy this show better. If he is the killer though, I think I'll be happy too since that means NGM was a great actor all along and I was just being unfair lol.

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Me too, I think that Sung Gyum hid something and if he is to be the real bad guy then he will be the second sexy devilish bad guy for me, eversince Joo Ji Hoon is Devil!

But the telephone conversations, ooh I don't know but it really warms my heart. The scene on the window, yes please!

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Last week, I've agreed with some comments that the pacing of the show was a little slow. But I think they've revved it up this week and I'm sold. :)

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I've been waiting for this recap (thank for the recap odilettante) to say that last week i was underwhelmed by My Secret Hotel, but this week it's got me and I'm fully on board. It feels like it hit its stride this week, like everyone settled into their roles, and it's found the right balance as far as tone and the kind of notes it wants to hit. I loved this week's episodes. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high too early, but it it keeps going this well, this might turn out to be one of my faves for 2014.

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Did Hae-Young really kill Hwang? That was a surprisingly good ending for an episode that was very boring to me. I guess it's a nice change to have a murderous leading man. :)

Still, I don't think I'll give this show another chance, ep. 3 was too silly for me.

The bride behaviour was so over the top, I get the feeling this writer made her a ditzy, mean girl, so the main guy's attitude towards her would seem less awful but it's a cheap trick. If the guy is so annoyed by her we should have a very good explanation for the wedding by the third episode.

The cop is so exagerated and silly, no idea what's going on there.

Second lead is already a knight in shining armor, a boring trope.

Yoo Inna is lovely but her, otherwise confident and efficient, character having fits and acting like a scaredy-cat is tough to buy.

The main guy's stalker got that much info from where? She's over the top too.

Besides, they all jump to mad conclusions and probably the writer expects us to believe them. Lying about their past marriage wouldn't be enough to make them suspects. The wallet was indeed a bit strange but still wouldn't mean much, dead guy could just have found it anywhere in the hotel.

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wallet: he was the pickpocket they were looking for, I think

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I can buy that Sang-hyo is freaking out as a sort of PTSD, a man was murdered in her hotel (and then she's forced to stay at the same hotel afterwards at night).

I do agree the tone is rather silly, but I prefer a slightly silly murder mystery to, say, scary like Gap-dong. I mean, I liked Gap-dong but I like that this is a different approach.

About the wallet, if he reported it lost earlier then he's off the hook, isn't he?

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Yeah, at first I liked it, she was in shock and all, later I just felt they took it in a too silly direction.

The wallet wouldn't have any impact in the real world I think. Where's CSI in this story? The guy died from what exactly? Who dragged his body there? Who worked in that area at those times? Instead of using logic the show wants to talk about the wallet and make it as the cop is clever despite being silly.

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Why is the crazy female stalker running around in my drama???

WHY????

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LOL, my feelings exactly! She's waay more annoying than Soo-ah.

My question is: why does Hae-young put up with it?

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I know right! Just can't stand Jung Eun's annoying character... Haeyoung should make a police report or something about her .

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am I the only one who is being hit HARD by Second Lead Syndrome here? Sung-gyum is killing me, the phone conversation was the cutest thing all episode.

(but I guess Jin Yi-han is listed as first lead, and cast listings never lie :/ No matter, I like him too)

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also, am I the only one who had to fan myself a little when the phone conversation took a turn towards her taking off her clothes? They weren't even in the same frame there, but it was swoonworthy even if he was only teasing.

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The ghost hunting scene was the only good part of this episode for me. :)

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Yeah, hit seriously by second lead syndrome here. I feel like Sung-Gyum is being hit over the head with love by Sang-Hyo's weaknesses right now, while Sang-Hyo is mostly just fluttering a bit from suaveness than anything deeper. I feel so sorry for him already. :(
I am really liking the idea of an introverted/restrained second lead, in mad love though. Haven't seen too many dramas but so far the the ones with puppyish devotion have been the flamboyant, silly ones, so this is a nice contrast

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Me me me! Second lead syndrome here too. That ghost hunt over the phone had me swooning to no end.

But does it bother no one that somehow, the detective's assistant was able to come up to him, show him an ice pick in a plastic bag, and say that they've determined that this was the murder weapon that pierced through the heart, and the next thing we see is that the body still lying prone on the stage as if it has never been moved before and the detective was the first to turn it around and find GHY's wallet inside?

Like hello, I know the murder mystery isn't supposed to be the main point here, but at least make it more credible?

But that aside, NGM is <3

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Personally my theory since episode one, as bizarre and nonsensical as it is, has been that Manager Hwang and General Manager Lee were Sang-hyo's biological parents, one of course having had a sex change operation.
Why was that my theory, because it amuses me and my general rule is if something amuses me go with it.

I've really liked Ahn Gil-kang since I saw him in Dream High, I wish he would do more dramas er, more that I watch.

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That song with the female voice at the end of episode 2, it sounds very similar to the song Real Hero by College.

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Jin Yi Han...!!!!

I'm hooked with this drama because of you. <3

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Thanks for the recap!

I am loving this drama! The intensity between Sang Hyo and Hae Young is no joke but Sung Gyum is sooooo sweeet. At this point I am rooting for Sung Gyum simply because he takes care of Sang Hyo without being childish and easily assuming things like Hae Young. I also still find it incredibly annoying that Hae Young insisted on Sang Hyo planning his wedding because of a stupid rumor....

Looking forward to the next ep!

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This episode made me realize how much I like the bgm. It's so weird and atypical at times. I always notice it though.
I swear I heard a wolf howling in one scene.

Sung Gyum totally made me melt when he suddenly appeared in front of Sang Hyo to protect her!
The camera angle and music were perfect!!

The cop Geon Bo looks and acts a bit strange, but he seems competent. I like how he did the demo with his partner.

I didn't really expect for this show to creep me out, even with the dead body scene.
One of the many Manager Hwang ghosts finally scared the crap out of me though.
But right after, I was laughing at Sung Gyum and Sang Hyo. They were super cute at the end! And he was nice in his method of comforting her.

For a second, I thought this drama was going to veer off into introducing actual ghosts to the list of characters... That would be too much.

The show tried to make Hae Young look like a suspect... But I'm not convinced. Maybe he got rough with Manager Hwang, but I just don't buy him being the murderer.
Definitely don't buy Sang Hyo as being the culprit either. Besides being a mystery drama, this show is still a love story and those two are the leads.
It'd be cool if the true murderer was someone unexpected, but it also needs to be someone plausible.

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me too! So far I've been loving the bgm

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Love the show!

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Detective Kim is kind of annoying and kind of funny.

Director Sung-gyum is kind of creepy and kind of sexy.

The show is kind of mysterious, kind of cute, and totally fun.

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Since a lot of the theme of this show is about weddings, I thought this recent news report was interesting http://youtu.be/UoX-TWV51ds

Looks like the trend is continuing for not having huge costly weddings (except in dramas and chaebols).

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I'll admit, I was in the minority here, and found this episode a bit slower, predictable, and just . . . overall, odd. At least in comparison to last week's episodes.

I still don't understand the frequent ghost-sightings to be honest . . . that seems a tad overkill for someone who's innocent of his murder (and didn't even see his body fall). Once or twice, I could understand, maybe, but it happened so often, it started feeling too convenient. Rather than actually showing the ghost so frequently, it would've been nice if they used other ways to show her being "haunted"; billowing curtains, creepy sounds, his voice whispering in her ear, stumbling upon an object of his, mistaking someone for him, etc.

I'm okay with Sang-hyo being affected by his death . . . it's just the way the show chose to portray it (as a physical manifestation) that was strange. I doubt even the real killer is being haunted so realistically.

As for being predictable . . . I'm all for going down the suspect pool, but I thought starting with Hae-young was an obvious choice, and a wasted opportunity at that; I would have preferred starting with one of the lesser, more obvious characters first, and leaving Hae-young for later, when his potential of being the killer could've been more emotionally taxing, and interesting. Since he's first, it's obvious he's innocent, so all the worry over him being the killer felt superfluous to me.

That's not to say, this episode didn't have its moments: I loved the ghost-hunting scenes with Sung Gyum, and Hae-young's freakout on the way back from the wedding (and his fiance's hilarious misinterprepation). And of course, the head detective is a fun character - I look forward to seeing him crack the case! But mostly, I loved episode 4 so much more, which managed to balance the romance AND the mystery perfectly, which perhaps is why this one sort of paled in comparison for me.

In any case, I'm looking forward to next week's episodes!! This is such a fun, cute show, I'm loving it!!

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I would imagine, that, for someone who just saw her colleague murdered, the ghost sightings were an explanation of the trauma she went through. Remember, Nam Sang hyo had no time to process what she saw but had to go into damage control mode immediately. And she was made to spend the night in that very hotel, instead of being sent home, which was a tad insensitive of her boss, though he was trying to be helpful and considerate.

Frankly, I would have been very troubled if she didn't display any symptoms of trauma as that would have been very unrealistic. I once lost a colleague at my place of work, I wasn't there at the time, but those who were, said he just slumped, fell on the floor, and died instantly. We had to provide grief counseling for those who were present to help them deal with the situation until they fully recovered. I'm kind of surprised the hotel management didn't offer any such options, but then again, the culture might be different in Korea.

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I'm not discounting, dismissing, or confused over her trauma though. That I understand. I'm simply skeptical over how they chose to *depict* the trauma. Seeing an actual ghost is a little more serious/weird/therapy-worthy than just jumping at shadows, or *thinking* you saw a ghost. Not everyone that loses someone - is stressed - or who witnessed a murder, suddenly begins seeing dead people. If they did, the news would be way more interesting than it actually is. If ghosts were a natural part of this drama's mythology, I'd have no problems accepting it, but I have a feeling it's not, and was simply a device used for the adorable ghost-hunting scenes later on with Sung Gyum.

Like I said, I just think the trauma could have been handled in a way that didn't require a ghost phantom every five minutes. I think playing it more subltely would have made more sense and been more realistic, and still could've accounted for his ghost-hunting scenes. After all, we still look under the bed for our children when they're scared of ghosts - but that doesn't mean they actually saw them first.

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My first thought was - if it's a crime scene, what's she doing shooing all the witnesses out and not securing the area?

And no matter how capable Manager Nam might be - leaving her to deal with a crisis of this magnitude alone is just incomprehensible.

In light of the general tone of the show, I'm just gonna take it with a pinch of salt!

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I had that thought too - when Sung Gyum congratulated her on getting all the guests out safely, all I could think was, "She just let all the suspects/witnesses leave! How is that doing a good job?" LOL

I was surprised it all got dumped in her lap as well. . . I'm fairly sure that's not in her job description. That's something the police need to handle - though maybe it's cultural. The whole prosecutor/detective/cop thing confuses me anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if wedding planners are prepared for such a contingency, lol!

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They truly provide the best service at Secret Hotel! :P

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The story is still compelling enough so I can ignore the blatant problems of this show, namely: the incredible sloooowness of every interaction, the stoic calmness of some of the characters, the terribly annoying (Bride) or incompetent (SHs workplace rival) females and the extremely obvious false accusations/red herrings.

After watching SH and HY exchange glances in front of the body (for the third time already) it made me think that maybe they experienced something similar in the US (which possibly had sth to do with their subsequent break-up).

With Det. Mermaid asking about the PR thingy concerning the wedding it makes it look like the circle of suspects just became wider, now including everyone who would like the hotel or the bride/groom to fail, not only people hating Manager Hwang.

Raised Questions:
Why was HYs wallet found under the body? Did Hwang steal it while they were fighting? What was in that wallet? (My guess: SHs picture, but it would be veeery stupid of him to carry it around)

What did HY do that night that he needs an alibi? Or did he just request it because he was being investigated? Was that last scene of him stabbing Hwang real or the Detectives speculation?

The Jogger/(real?) Reporter girl obviously knows SH, because she probably had a hand in the US break-up. But it also seems like SH would be able to recognize her (hence Jogger hiding behind the column). Why? What was Joggers role 7 years ago? What was her role now? She didn't know SH organized the wedding, but she had an interest in stopping it, I guess.

Why is Detective so interested in HY? Does he know about the US wedding? Or is it just the suspicious wallet?

Why did the Managing Director inquire about SHs boyfriend in school? Does he know sth?

Questions answered:
HY is marrying Bride because of his parents. Classic!

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Why was HYs wallet found under the body?

Hwang must have found it after their fight.

What was in that wallet? (My guess: SHs picture, but it would be veeery stupid of him to carry it around)

I bet the same, and stupid it is. :)

What did HY do that night that he needs an alibi?

Because the show wants us to think he's a viable suspect and he had a fight with the guy so he's afraid.

Was that last scene of him stabbing Hwang real or the Detectives speculation?

It's a cheap trick, this scene played exactly like it was a flashback from Hae-Young but I'm sure they will explain it as speculation from the detective.

HY is marrying Bride because of his parents.

Not sure about this explanation. He's declared completely independent from his family and is a successful architect, how exactly could they make this poor grown man marry a girl he dislikes?

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Hi pollywood, I'd like to try to answer your question here.

About the wallet, since HY noticed that he lost the wallet at the bar before coming back to the hotel.. So Hwang is impossible to still it when the time they fought..

My guess is someone pickpocket it (and that some one could also be the suspect in hwang murder case, or hwang found it before he murdered.

And that annoying jogger/reporter, like everyone mentioned here, might be the cause of HY and SH separation.

I'm really hooked and love MSH.. Cant wait for next recap and monday!

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Thanks for recapping.
I am now into this drama.
YIN and JYH have a great chemistry, i am now their shipper.
Though at times my heart thumps for SG once in while.
I love the detective, he is a comic relief, and he is witty.
I am looking forward to next episodes.

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I found this episode to be messy. The detective annoyed me and I couldn't get into his method of investigation but he redeemed himself in episode 4.This is probably because my drama experience with KDrama polices mostly end with face-palming. So I didn't have much hope or patience with his antics.

As for the stalker woman. What the...? Why is Hae Young putting up with her crazies? Waste of airtime.

Luckily Episode 4 was a good one to end the week and keeps us hanging for next week. I breathe better now. :)

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Hmmm the chemistry between Sang Hyo and Sung Gyeom gets me. It's heating up. So cute. Thier interactions leave me smiling. I love Sang Hyo with the Hae Young as well, seriously hoping we don't get a shipping war on our hands.

I have a strong feeling that the female villian of this show is going to end up being the female reporter and not the bride to be who is annoying, silly but harmless.

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BTW thank you drama for acknowledging that the wrist grab is NOT sexy and women really don't like that type of thing.

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Well, a slice of life show this definitely ain't.

I'm going to put reality firmly to one side when watching this show. But it doesn't stop me from loving its cute and zany moments - and enjoying the stylish Yoo Inna at her winsome best!

I actually find Hae-young's character to be more "serious" than Sung-gyum's right now - Sung-gyum may be looking for his father's murderer, but Hae-young's got issues of his own.

In terms of comparing the male leads, HY scores lower on the IQ scale for naming Shi-chan, The World's Most Incompetent Accomplice, as his alibi!

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Hi, does anyone know the song "I am in love with you, I am lost in love with you"?

Thanks!

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The song is "Lost in Love" by Neon Bunny!

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Thanks for the recap!!
The ghost-hunt by phone won me over too! I found it utterly sweet and I already like Sung Gyum.
Still, I like Hae Young more, haha!! I think he is acting childish or rude because it is his way to cope with his broken heart...trying to show that he does not care about things. Well, I hope we found about the reasons for their separation and that there will be a passionate make up :D they both seem to be so in love with each other. Yoo In Na and Jin Yi Han are bringing up an amazing chemistry.

I'm enjoying this romance/mystery combination so much!

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Can't wait for this to turn into some kind of Scooby gang with sexual tension galore. Plus can I just say I love the guy playing the Detective. I like him better as a cop than as a loan shark or gangster. Oh and dem boots, LOL! Nice touch.

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I'm liking the drama more as the show goes on. Definitely going to tune in for episode 4!

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WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE SONG WITH LYRYCS Ohhh, ohhhh,ohhhhhh, my secret love? i want to know the title its a female voice..

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it plays in episode 8 from the beginning

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song at the end of ep 8, female voice ?!

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Any news for the "unknown" song?

I keep searching...

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hey guys does anyone know what the title of the instrumental song starting at around 13.04min is called?
Downloaded the whole OST but it isnt in the album :(

Thanks!

PS. Absolutely loving the drama :D

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