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Uncontrollably Fond: Episode 3

Now that’s more like it. I did already enjoy the first week of Uncontrollably Fond, but today reveals more backstory, and takes enough time to get into the emotions and pathos of the complications in Eul and Joon-young’s past that account for their present-day tensions. It’s not a full picture yet, but whereas last week’s glimpses into the past left me feeling wanting more and vaguely dissatisfied, now I feel that emotional hook.

 
EPISODE 3 RECAP

After Eul and Joon-young finally admit they know each other, she resumes her slow trudge along the snowy road. Joon-young sees her fall to the ground in exhaustion and runs to her, cradling her in his arms.

When Eul wakes up some time later, she’s in a hospital bed with an IV in her arm, and standing by her bedside is Joon-young’s manager hyung Gook-young. Eul wonders why she’s here, but Gook-young is equally clueless, saying merely that Joon-young called him and ordered him to run over or be fired. She asks where Joon-young is…

Cut to a swanky nightclub, where a massive arrangement of long-stemmed red roses maneuvers its way to the birthday girl, Joon-young’s drama co-star Yuna (played by Lee Elijah). The roses are carried by Joon-young’s head agent, President Namgoong, and Yuna tells him to send Joon-young to deliver them himself.

President Namgoong reminds her that Joon-young doesn’t go clubbing—just as Joon-young walks in, stunning his agent. Joon-young plucks a rose from the arrangement and hands it to Yuna, wishing her happy birthday.

She asks for a song instead, so Joon-young takes a seat at the piano and starts to sing. (Aha! It’s “Winter Child,” which Suzy sang as a birthday song in Dream High.)

But Joon-young’s mind is fixated on Eul the whole time, recalling encounters from years ago as well as recently. And when he recalls Eul collapsing on the snowy road, he suddenly slams his hands down on the piano keys, startling everyone. Without a word, he walks out of the club.

Yuna follows him out and he apologizes for the sudden departure, but when she says she’ll go with him, he shakes off her arm and asks pointedly if he’s ever given her cause to misunderstand. He reminds her that they’re merely agency colleagues: “Not more, not less.”

Yuna asks why he came to her party, then. Joon-young replies, “Because of some girl. I thought if I came here, I wouldn’t think of her. But I thought wrong.”

In the hospital, Eul gets up to leave, ignoring manager Gook-young’s admonitions to stay longer. He’s more concerned about Joon-young’s image than Eul’s health, checking that she won’t later sue or make a fuss online.

Gook-young hands over an envelope of cash, which Eul starts counting then and there. She shrewdly notes that there’s 950,000 won, guessing that Gook-young skimmed a bit off the top for himself. He stammers a denial, and she holds out her hand expectantly for the rest.

Then she insists on a ride home, and Gook-young obliges, though not without complaining the whole time about how shameless she is. Which fazes Eul not one bit, since she’s used to being thought of that way.

When he complains that she’s drinking his soda, she points out that it’s flat and going to be tossed anyway. Gook-young insists he was totally going to drink it and demands that she buy a new one or spit it out. Eul spits it out. Hee!

As soon as they pull into Eul’s neighborhood, she spots a van parked in front, and the two loan sharks loading her belongings into it. She jumps in and hands them the envelope of cash Gook-young gave her, claiming the computer for her little brother Jik.

But the loan sharks inform her that they’ve claimed her apartment deposit, too—which means now she and Jik are homeless. Not that they care about that, saying coldly that she shouldn’t borrow money she can’t afford.

From a distance, Gook-young watches with concern, but when the loan sharks ask aggressively if he knows Eul, he says he just met her today and quickly excuses himself.

Joon-young’s mother arrives at her building to find Joon-young sitting on the stairs in front, but continues past him without a word. Joon-young grabs her coat to stop her, asking how a mom could just ignore her kid like that, to which Mom replies that her son died five years ago. As in their last encounter, her tone is deadpan, and Joon-young’s is gently wheedling, making me very curious about that five-years-ago incident.

Joon-young tries to coax his mother into hanging out with him, so Mom takes the quickest exit strategy: She calls Gook-young to take “this crazy jerk” away. That hurts.

Mom’s not entirely cold-hearted, though, and she looks in on Joon-young’s room with a long face. Mom blinks back tears to read the note he’d written to himself in a textbook, encouraging himself to pass the law exam.

Gook-young picks up Joon-young and chides him for going to see Mom, since he should know she wouldn’t welcome him. Joon-young simply replies, “I just thought if I saw Mom, I wouldn’t think of something else.” Since seeing Mom is guaranteed to fill his mind with complicated thoughts.

Joon-young idly takes a swig from the half-drunken cola bottle, and Gook-young tells him too late that Eul spit her mouthful back out earlier. And while they’re talking about Eul, Gook-young sighs at her tough life, recounting the run-in with the loan sharks. He prods Joon-young to shoot that documentary and save a life at the same time.

Joon-young pointedly ignores the nagging, but Gook-young, bless his heart, keeps trying, mentioning how he saw her heading toward the bridge. Joon-young finally loses his temper and kicks his manager out of the car.

He calls a friend out for drinks, but can’t shake Gook-young’s words about the bridge. So he changes his mind and drives along one bridge, then another, and another, his eyes peeled for signs of Eul. Finally, he spots a lone woman looking out over the bridge railing and pulls over, yelling angrily at Eul… until the woman turns, recognizes him excitedly, then starts running toward him declaring herself a fan. LOL.

Joon-young mutters to himself for being so stupid as to believe Gook-young—just as he sees Eul standing at the railing. His face hardens as he drives past her.

Eul takes out her phone to call “My Number 1 Treasure,” who turns out to be her little brother Jik. She clears the tears from her voice and checks that he’s eaten, nagging at him for ignoring her instructions to eat properly. She switches to video for confirmation that he’s really eating meat—and the face of her (previously disapproving) ajusshi-friend, Ji-tae, pops up to assure her that he is.

Jik reminds his noona that hyung hardly has money to be buying him meat, and Ji-tae insists he can afford it. Ah, I see he’s hiding his wealthy family background, considering his father is the famous prosecutor-turned-assemblyman.

But Jik seems to feel the shame that his sister has long forsaken in the name of scraping together a living, not liking it when she presses Ji-tae to buy him lots of food. Jik protests that he isn’t a beggar, and that they ought to preserve a minimum amount of pride and shame. “Aren’t you even embarrassed?” Jik asks her, and hangs up.

Ji-tae seems to truly not mind, but Jik tells him abashedly that his sister wasn’t always like this. “She had pride,” he recalls, “and was incredibly cool and impressive.” He hangs his head, not thinking so now.

Ji-tae assures Jik that his sister is still cool and pretty to boot, and Jik asks if he means that “as a woman.” Ji-tae admits it, and that at least puts a smile back on Jik’s face—he’s totally okay with mooching meat off a “brother-in-law.”

With a sigh, Eul returns to the bridge railing, climbing up on the foothold, peering way over the side. A hand jerks her back, and suddenly we flash back to years before, in a similar moment, when Younger Eul had been whirled around by Younger Joon-young.

It’s 2011, and Eul flinches guiltily. A look at the nearby poster explains why, as Joon-young reads the graffiti she’d scrawled on then-Prosecutor Choi’s face, calling him a hypocrite and a despicable devil, vowing to reveal his true face beneath the dirty mask.

While he’s busy looking at the poster, Eul quietly sneaks away, only to trip and fall. Joon-young offers a hand that goes ignored, then asks if she’s eaten yet.

Over noodles at a pojangmacha, Joon-young muses that it’s been four years since they’ve last seen each other, and explains how he went to law school and just recently passed the exam. That comes as a surprise for Eul, and he contributes his success at his studies to her not seducing him when he’d challenged her to, leaving him with nothing to do other than study.

Eul lets him do all the talking, clearly uncomfortable sitting here, and excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She slips outside the tent, but before she gets very far a shoe hits her back—it’s Joon-young, pointing out that the bathroom is in the other direction.

Calling her a criminal on the run (for the vandalism), he claims her ID card, fishing it out of her wallet while she tries ineffectually to grab it back. She calls the police station, only to have him rattle off law code citing that making groundless calls is itself a violation.

Eul snaps, “Then what do you want me to do?” Joon-young replies, “I’ll let your crime go, so let’s date.”

Annnnd minutes later she’s walking to the police station anyway, ha. But she’s reluctant to actually give herself up, and reconfirms that Joon-young only meant for her to act like his girlfriend for a week to get rid of the girls chasing him around.

In a café, a teary-eyed girl protests when her boyfriend breaks things off, although he claims they were never really together. The girl is GO NARI (Kim Min-young), Eul’s best friend from high school, who hadn’t realized he’d gone out with her just because he wanted to borrow her money. He scoffs that she’s got no experience dating guys, and she protests that she does, just as Joon-young enters the café.

He sees how the scene is playing out and interjects that Nari’s telling the truth, playing the part of her ex who now regrets letting her (and her curvy new figure) go.

Joon-young is there to pump her for information about Eul, and hears that she didn’t go to university, that she takes any job that’ll make money, and that she’s got her hands full raising her brother and making a living. Nari asks if he means to pester Eul and make trouble like he did in high school, and urges him to leave her alone—Eul has a hard enough life as it is.

Some time later, Joon-young comes by a campaign rally being held for Prosecutor Choi. In his distraction, he and his bike collide with two bystanders and he goes down—ah, they’re the prosecutor’s children, Ji-tae and his little sister Haru. Ji-tae is solicitous and kind, while Haru starts to complain until she gets a full blast of the Joon-young beauty and goes starry-eyed, declaring that she wants to marry him.

Ji-tae and Haru are joined by Yoon Jung-eun (aka the hit-and-run driver); her father is the assemblyman stumping for the prosecutor. Jung-eun asks when Ji-tae will propose, since their parents have already discussed them getting engaged. It’s a prospect that Ji-tae seems distinctly uncomfortable with, and his mind goes into flashback (taking us to a flashback within the flashback).

We’re back to the night of the hit-and-run, when Jung-eun’s father, Assemblyman Yoon, calls Prosecutor Choi over to get her out of the mess. Prosecutor Choi argues that the victim’s daughter recalls the car clearly and that there were three witnesses, but Assemblyman Yoon makes a veiled threat, reminding the prosecutor that he wouldn’t be where he is without him. He’s calling in the favor now.

Ji-tae overhears the entire thing from outside the door, his hands shaking in shock. It prompts him to drop by the courthouse later to watch Eul carrying out a one-woman protest, insisting that Prosecutor Choi reinvestigate the case properly. He watches his father walk by without giving her a second glance, and Eul deflates, but only momentarily; she’s not about to quit.

So that’s why now (er, in 2011), Eul is an active volunteer in the opponent’s campaign. As she volunteers outside a subway entrance, Eul spots Jung-eun on the opposite side campaigning for the opponent.

She stares so intently that Jung-eun notices, but it turns out Eul is just noticing a stray eyelash. Eul leans in to tell Jung-eun not to campaign too vigorously, since her candidate is a bad guy.

She gets called away by Joon-young, and comes sprinting onto his campus as he’s eating lunch with a girl who won’t take no for an answer. The girl offers to change everything about herself to get him to date her, and he warns that he has a girlfriend with a terrible personality. She refuses to believe it, and that’s Eul’s cue to jump in with a sickening display of aegyo, pinching Joon-young’s cheeks and cooing that she missed him like crazy.

She takes particular joy in pinching extra-hard, and he gets back at her by declaring he missed her more and grabbing her in a painfully tight hug. He manhandles her face in a display of faux affection, and when she yelps angrily, it almost seems she’s going to call off the bluff.

But instead, she warns the clingy girl to leave her boyfriend alone.

Eul is mortified at her behavior afterward, but Joon-young just sprawls out and plonks his head in her lap, offering to shave two fake-girlfriend appearances off her remaining balance (of eight) if she’ll let him nap like this. She demands three, and he agrees readily.

Eul lets him sleep for the allotted ten minutes, then tries to wake him. When he doesn’t stir, she gets a gleam in her eye and reaches for a pen, drawing whiskers and a cat nose on his face.

When he gets up, she takes one look at him and bursts into laughter, to his confusion. Her peals of laughter go on and on and on… and then suddenly turn watery as they morph into tears.

It surprises him, and he voiceovers that it makes him want to call Nari to tell her he can’t keep that promise: “I’m going to keep playing jokes on Eul, and tease her, and torment her. I have to at least do that because I have to keep seeing her. I’m sorry.”

Prosecutor Choi holds a campaign staff dinner at, curiously, Joon-young’s mother’s restaurant. This is the work of the prosecutor’s housekeeper, who suggested the place; she is Restaurant Ajusshi’s twin sister and knows Mom, and seems to know the birth secret too.

Restaurant Ajusshi is upset at his sister’s meddling, but she barks that she wanted to force Mom and the prosecutor to meet. Ajusshi is firmly on Mom’s side, thinking only of her hurt feelings, while Housekeeper Ajumma snaps at him to finally confess his feelings for Mom like a man.

Joon-young finds his mother crouched in the kitchen, and when she says she feels unwell, he insists that she go to the hospital. He carries her out on his back, and Prosecutor Choi calls out to him, recognizing him. Mom tenses, her face averted, and Joon-young excuses himself because she’s sick.

He turns down the offer of a car and piggybacks her out, and once they’re a safe distance away, he tells Mom she can lift her head since the prosecutor isn’t around.

He shares that he’d gone to see the prosecutor before, and told him he’d seek him out once he’d passed the law exam. He tells Mom that he’ll make it so she can boast proudly, “I raised your son well without you.” Mom starts to cry, realizing he’d known all this time.

Blinking back his own tears, Joon-young tells his mother that in her next lifetime, she shouldn’t run away, and that love doesn’t discriminate between education levels or social strata. Mom sobs.

Eul shows best friend Nari some video footage she’d secretly shot—of multiple instances of a drunk Prosecutor Choi leaving a room salon on the arm of a bar madam. She’d seen him there by chance while on the job as a designated driver, and returned for a stakeout. Nari warns that going after him will only hurt her in the end, but Eul is determined to keep working on her dead father’s behalf.

Eul ignores a call from Joon-young, and when he tries back, the phone is off. He pulls out Eul’s ID that he’s been keeping and heads toward the address listed on it.

Eul heads out looking determined, and calls the number on Prosecutor Choi’s campaign flyer, which he answers himself. Eul introduces herself and reminds him of the hit-and-run from five years ago. He says he doesn’t remember, so she rattles off dates in quick succession—nights he’d visited Madam Song at the room salon.

He stiffens, while his wife looks on curiously from the next seat. Eul calls him out on his devoted husband image and demands that he drop out of the race, saying that the country has no hope if evil people like him become assemblymen. She tells him to ask for forgiveness and acknowledge his crime, in which case she’ll stop now.

Around the corner, Joon-young listens in shock as Eul continues, telling the prosecutor that she’ll burn her evidence if he reveals the true culprit. Prosecutor Choi tells her to go ahead, saying simply that threats don’t work on him. He shrugs it off with his wife, saying it’s probably a last-ditch effort by his opponent’s camp.

Joon-young sees Eul tuck the flash drive with the video evidence into her backpack, his face stricken when she makes a call to the broadcast station.

Eul heads out, breathing deeply for courage. Joon-young notices a deliveryman getting off his scooter nearby… and as Eul holds out an arm to hail a taxi, that scooter comes zooming by, the rider’s arm snatching the backpack as he passes.

Eul sprints madly after the thief, running into the street—right into the path of a car, which slams into her. Her body flies into the air and lands with a thud on the concrete.

Joon-young screeches to a stop and looks back at Eul’s body lying limp in the road, and the pool of blood growing around her head.

Eul is rushed to the hospital, where Nari tries to comfort a young Jik, who wails that his sister can’t die. Joon-young sits numbly in the hospital hallway, in utter shock.

He recalls how his mother once took him to church as a child, armed with over a hundred prayers to make to God. She’d told him to pray for his wishes too, but he’d refused, skeptical of God’s existence.

Now as he sits outside the operating room, Joon-young picks at his finger until it’s bloody and apologizes for not believing in God before: “I will believe in your existence. So please, save Eul. If only you save Eul, I will give up all the happiness that’s been allowed me.”

Eul goes into cardiac arrest in the OR, and he continues, “If only you save Eul, I will willingly give up the remainder of my life. Kill me, and save Eul.”

So now (in the present day), Joon-young pulls Eul away from the bridge railing, and asks hotly, “Is living that laughable? Is dying so easy?!” So he finally gives in: “Let’s shoot the documentary. We can shoot it, all right, crazy?!”

 
COMMENTS

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere! I was satisfied with last week’s premiere but felt a little disappointed at the second episode’s treatment of the past, which raised questions but didn’t provide much in the way of answers. Not that a drama needs to answer all its questions in Episode 2—that would be a mistake of a different sort—but it didn’t quite get me enough to grab onto, to feel like I knew to trust it with my angst-averse heart.

Today, on the other hand? Totally had that “Ah, yes, I’m in” moment. It was a relief to come to the moment when Joon-young steals the bag (or even the scene prior, when he realized she was going to take his father down and his reaction gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach), because it’s that critical point-of-no-return moment in the plotline, where somebody does a thing that can’t be readily solved with a mere apology or a disclosing of the truth. There are some things you do that are so momentous that even a proper grovel won’t solve it, and I think this might be it for Joon-young—especially since he was already on shaky ground with Eul, grasping at the flimsiest reasons to engage her time.

Of course, why he couldn’t just be a nice guy and court her like a decent boyfriend is a different issue altogether. He had such an open chance to win her over and be a regular boyfriend that it’s a little exasperating, but I suppose teenagers with cocky-charming streaks and a tremendous amount of pride aren’t mature enough to just be honest and put themselves out there. It’s what makes him both aggravating and incredibly appealing.

So in a perverse way, I love that Joon-young effed up rather royally, which explains everything about the present-day character and also makes his uphill climb an even steeper, more perilous trek. I have to admit that I love when drama heroes fuck up badly and then have to pay for their transgression down the line (often after the romantic feelings have strengthened)—I loved the angst in Oh Hae-young Again and fully enjoyed watching him writhe in his self-inflicted cage of doom. It’s just so satisfying. I don’t know if that makes me mean, or petty, or human. Probably all of the above.

The situation is similar in a couple ways for Ji-tae, who I like much better after seeing his guilt burden play out. I know it’s a bit of a cliche for a dramaland character to feel overly responsible for a parent’s wrongdoing when s/he had nothing to do with the crime, but Sins of the Father is an effective trope for a reason, and I believe the guilt he feels. He’s both making things better by befriending Eul and taking care of her family, and making things worse by hiding his identity, because you’d better believe that’s going to complicate matters later.

So now I’m invested, and actively looking forward to what comes next. I can see why this kind of show may feel disappointing for people who were expecting something different, but Uncontrollably Fond isn’t a cheerful rom-com; it’s a heartfelt sentimental melodrama, and if built-up romantic angst isn’t your bag, it may be an exercise of patience (or frustration). Personally, I love this kind of slow build—it’s often the hardcore or flashier melos that I find harder to swallow—and now, finally, I see the point of the title and find it completely fitting. At least, the Korean literal title is (I continue to hate Uncontrollably Fond and other awkward English translations), which we’d initially translated as Lightly, Ardently. It describes Joon-young to a tee, and his way of feeling things deeply and with strong yearning, but approaching them with a light (literally reckless or careless) appearance. Fond, yes, but in no way uncontrollable.

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Completely enthralling. WOW!

I am in it for the long-haul. That hour went by in a snap. It just gets more and more intriguing.

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I'm really starting to love this drama. I love the bicker banter between the two leads. It's going be a long and sad ride for these characters. I already started crying when no eul got hit by that car. It just meant for me that the two are going to have a long journey ahead of them.

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Thankyou so much javabeans for your recap! I am really enjoying this drama and love Suzy's character and can not wait for justice to be served! It was really suprising to find out that it was Joon-Young's fault that she got into an accident.. Can not wait for the truth to be revealed!

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Like JB said - this actually makes more sense. I hate the first love trope where people seem still hung up on someone they met ages back. But the accident makes more sense. his dad wronged her and he is responsible for her accident. thats the kind of thing you don't forget and get over quickly.

So his initial behaviour on seeing her makes more sense - he sort of used to like her, but he feels guilty - so he wants to help her but on the other hand he just wants her to go away from his life.

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I really love No Eul's character. ❤❤????She is blunt, cool, cute, cheerful, brave, a bit loud, speaks her mind, does NOT cry all the time, is NOT a pushover, NOT shy, funny
She is so good!! She is all I want for a heroine in kdrama to be!! ??? Love her!! She isn't a typical cry baby female lead in kdrama.
Suzy's acting has improved a lot!!???
Suzy always always has good chemistry with her male lead co-stars. Some give her negative comments about her acting. But I have to say, at least her chemistry with other co-stars is Daebaaak!! Not everyone can have chemistry with their co-stars. I don't wanna mention a specific actress, which is my mind now, cause I don't wanna offend anyone or start fan wars. Just my point is suzy has certain charisma!!
She also has had many nice kiss scenes and I believe she had INDEED pull off all the kissing scenes in her dramas. I am looking forward to kiss scenes in this drama an Im sure Suzu won't disappoint us!! :))) I Bet Lee Min Ho is gonna be jealous ??????????

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I had my doubts about Suzy after seeing a couple of her earlier shows, but she seems to have improved a lot since then.

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I'm surprised how often I read that Suzy has a reputation as a weak actress. Perhaps because I don't understand Korean I don't notice it? I've seen her in Dream High and Gu Family Book before and enjoyed her characters in both a lot, as well as the dramas themselves. I do notice actresses that seem to really stand out in Korean dramas, and Suzy isn't one of them, but to me she does a good job.

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I watched UF just to see for myself how bad Suzy is at acting. I thought she was okay in Big and Dream High but I watched those two dramas in passing so I couldn't tell for sure.

To me she did quite a decent job here and she made the character likeable. If I have to complain that would be the scene when her dad passed away in ep 2(??). I don't know if it was done on purpose but to me she didn't emote herself well in that situation... or perhaps it just didn't reach my expectation. Other than that, she's okay in my book.

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You don't have to shade another actress when she is doing way better than Suzy

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I'm sad that they made Im Joo Eun's character pretty irredeemable because man I would be all over shipping her with Im Joo Hwan's character. Partly because it's a What's Up reunion and also because I just love them as actors and the whole idea of them being arranged to be married for political reasons by their parents could be an interesting storyline by itself. Oh, well :( Maybe the show will surprise me and find a way to give her more depth and allow the audience to feel for her despite her doing something unforgivable.

The scene that really sold me on Eul and Joon-young's dynamic is that entire scene where she pretends to be his girlfriend. They're really similar in a lot of ways and I love that she can give it as good as it gets when it comes to him (but, yes, Joon-young JUST ASK HER OUT AND TELL YOU LIKE HER STRAIGHT UP).

I came into this show not expecting to like it much, it's has the pretty typical kdrama tropes and it's not doing anything groundbreaking but I've found myself surprisingly invested.

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They do seem to be making Im Joo Eun's character pretty irredeemable...but good lord she is gorgeous. ?

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There's no way he'll confess his feelings to her now that he's dying *sobs*

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But what's the point of telling her upfront that he likes her?

Or even as JB suggests - being the honest, nice guy and confess..

Serves no purpose,
Even if he tells her about his feelings, she will reject him and all the more avoid him. Because back in 2011, she is still young (3 - 4 years into battling dad's case.. that's her prime focus) .. why would she entertain even a good friendship?

And he is busy with his academics and life..

This playful approach, banter - flirting is his best chance at being near her. and not get friendzoned!!!

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I still hold out hope for Im Joo Eun's character since from my point of view she isn't a bad person...yet.

NE dad's death was an accident, and like all children she was scared and ran home too daddy who instead of leading her on the righr path shipped her out of the country and told her to pretend it didn't happen. He did mention she was overwhelmed and suffering so we know she was feeling guilty. I hope they give her room to shine and show her guilt and fear.

I said this on soompi too but I wished IJE and Suzy's character's can become friends so that when they find out their connection there will be a bigger impact. Then IJE character will really suffer from guilt and understand her wrongs and choose to turn herself in for her crimes. It was an accident, she wouldn't get life for it.

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Your scenario is unrelialistic. And also, it's hit and run. They have a lot of time to confess. But instead she went overseas and sent a fall guy.

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Never said she was in the right but I am saying she is not really a bad person. She was a child who got into an accident got scared and went home crying daddy who kissed her wounds, sent her off and told her to pretend it never happened. She's a product of her upbringing. Alfuenza or something. I just hope they give her more than a 1 dimensional character to play since the actress is capable of it and it would make the drama more interesting.

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Finally i caught up with the drama because - woobie! I was scared it would be an epic fail given the hype but thankfully thats not the case. I like it so far. Some parts irritate but on the whole i am vested with the characters.

KWB is usually known for his cocky arrogant jerk-ish roles he plays (and i loved him in heirs) but i think the more emotional moments is where he shines (with the mom, the last scene in the hospital). Though in some scenes i felt he has forgotten how to act! like he still needs time to get into the character. and that gives me the uneven feelings i have for the drama rather than outright love

I come in to this drama having Zero knowledge of suzy's acting or singing. I just know that she is dating LMH. I was worried for a second given how there seemed to be such negative reaction to her in 1st ep. but she is ok. not great. not bad. i think the scenes which require her to raise her voice are bad because it looks like she is just yelling. But in the "normal" scenes or when she is crying silently are perfectly fine.

So overall, i'm on this drama train. woohoo!

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Is it just me or does Suzy look 47281947 times prettier in this drama? Maybe it's because her acting improved cause some scenes I have to like pause and blink to take in all the pretty.

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@ZurntheUrn yessssss I agree with you!! She is Sooooo prettyyy???
Her acting has improved too. :)))

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The girl sure is pretty. It helps a lot that she's natural and all the muscles on her face moves naturally in those ultra HD close up scenes lol

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Not gonna lie,i now finally see all that hype about her beauty. And i may or may not be getting a slight girl crush on her.

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I first watched Suzy in Big with Goong Yoo and Lee Min Jung. I love her since. She have these unexplainable charm and she's really cute.

I watched every drama and movie she's in. I actually watch UF because of her.

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She truly is! Like I didn't think she was hideous before but wow she's super gorgeous in this.

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The schaudenfraude that this episode induces in me. dear god I love it! He's such a dumb teenage shit. Suzy calling him a bastard is so much more satisfying now that we know things.

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wow, I was already in love in ep2, but this episode was one hell of a ride. It's crazy how this drama makes some amazing cliffhangers without making you go nuts, bc they make you sure that everything is fine, by now, and that Eul FFS at least got to be alive. Eul suffers SO. MUCH. now it's actually believable her IDGAF attitude in the past eps. This episode was also a step up for KWB in terms of his acting and Suzy was pretty good in portraying the lost of innocence of NE. I very much prefer her in calmer moments of agony than in the yelling scenes. She does melancholy scenes pretty well. I'm totally on board and happy that DB will recap this for the long ride.

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Ok. Here we go. I had an inkling this drama would hit its stride. Something just felt a bit off before, but this episode worked much better for me. I can't tell whether I'll ever love this show, but the characters are beginning to grow on me and I'm definitely intrigued to see what happens with our leads after that ending reveal.

I totally agree about loving when heroes screw up royally. It just sucks me in & it's part of the reason it only took OHYA one episode to hook me (that and SHJ). So I'm definitely sitting up in interest now, with Joon-young's inner conflict revealed & the documentary finally getting started. Now I just need the return of Pororo...

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I knew it. This is why we get along.

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Good lord. Does this mean Eul inherited her father's debts, PLUS his hospital fees and funeral feed, PLUS her own post-car-crash stint in the hospital? I can't even imagine how far in the hole she is by the time she gets discharged. Joon Young clearly wasn't in the place to help her financially when he was younger, but yikes if he indirectly incurred one of those massive expenses and left her to drown in it.

I'd like to get to 2016 sooner rather than later, but I trust the backstory buildup is going to be worth it. Also now I know that Woo Bin's eyes can appear to be two very different sizes at some angles, which was interesting.

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I think he might have had pink eye during the filming. It was very noticeable in a few shots there.

I am also wondering about Korean law concerning inherited debt. It's been a thing in a few dramas I've seen, but then in another one the girl got legal help and was told she couldn't be held responsible. What is the law in Korea regarding inherited debt? Or is this to do with loan sharks only, it's illegal but they bully the widows and children anyway? Can they be reported to the police? I find it quite confusing - it's like a kind of feudal slavery.

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I think one or his eyes is naturally bigger, or maybe he has one dropy eyelid. It's a puzzle to me.

I kind of like that he has an obvious physical flaw. It gives his face some character I guess. I've never seen him in anything before, but saw his pictures during promos for the show. He looked weird to me and I didn't get all the swooning over him, but after watching this show, I totally get it now.

I'm really liking this show. It's the only one on the air right now that I'm counting down in my head till the next episode. I'm relieved to see other people are finally enjoying it too. It was somewhat of a killjoy when I watched the first episode and loved it, while everyone else seemed to unanimously hate it. It's more fun if you can enjoy it with other people.

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I thought the same thing. I think there is more in the past than just that. Her dept seems to be increasing and how did the loan shark find them when she was hiding out?!

His dad is made out to be almost like an innocent party in all this, a man forced by circumstances, but I believe he must have done a lot more or will do more because there is that underlining evilness in him. I get the sinking feeling something is going to happen to her brother and that will push her over the edge.

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The debt must be huge...

I alst sick, yo don't understand the korean health insurance system. All people in dramas, especially those who have nothing finish with huge hospital bills. I read that something is covered by state, but I don't understand it. Is it like in US or how does it work? While living in Ireland I was paying for everything myself but in case of an accident is the state who is in charge of all the expenses. Now, in France, I have a complementary health insurance, which is not so expensive, so it covers everything. In my native country the health system is known as unpaid, but that's so not true - while working in Ireland I had to pay huge money for the health insurance, which was useless in Ireland and the quality of medical treatment and hospitalisation is not equal to it. It tears me appart when I see some old grandmas in the pharmacy, back at home, who need their medecine and have no money to purchase it. Once one old lady was silently crying, because her retirement is so little, that she can barelly buy some food and pay her bills but not the medecine she needs. Could someone explain the health korean system to me???

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my computer is going crazy - the second sentence should start I don't understand... sorry

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Hey, so the Korean health system is considered universal, but Koreans don't pay as much into the system as say Australia, Canada and Europe. The coverage as expected especially when it comes to more costly diseases. So, the system has to be more picky on what type of procedure to cover. So for something like a common cold, not a problem. But it's really bad when it comes to chronic disease or a complex disease like cancer. If you have any chronic lung disease, or long term disability caused by traumatic accident or cancer, the Korean system doesn't cover it at all. Those are considered elective.

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The coverage as expected isn't as comprehensive especially when it comes to more costly diseases.*

Sorry, accidentally deleted a few words there.

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but that's what the whole health insurance is about = everybody pays a part so those, who are unlucky to have chronic or complex disease, don't need to worry about getting the proper treatment, oh no! so the Korean system is made only for rich people (when you're rich you have more rights to stay alive), now I understand why money are in South Korea more important than anything else...

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Yeah, I used to work in South Korea before and my colleagues were aghast when I told them that everyone gets free treatment, including preventative and rehab care in Australia. Maybe certain fees to tv access and subsidised transportation. They were shocked by the 'generosity' of the system, and said that unemployed people shouldn't be given access to all range of treatment because they didn't 'pay' for it.
As much as I liked them as my friends, I was aghast at their attitude towards the unfortunate.
On the other hand, money is like the ultimate goal for a lot of Asian culture: it's their bragging rights.

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Why do I sense a sad ending for this drama? Please end well. I'm loving the angst and the subtle chemistry between the leads. Great acting. I never really liked Suzy but I love her here...

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Have you seen this writers previous works? Because I don't think happy endings are something this writer likes... At all...

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At least Nice Guy ended happily ..
though I think it's better for this drama to end sadly 'cause I'm fed up with all the miracles in dramaland .. it makes the ending kind of unbelievable :/

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Thank you, Javabeans for your quick recap!

Finally, an episode I can sink my teeth into. Much like Javabeans, I didn't really "feel it" with the first two, but I'm glad I kept watching.
I must admit, I finally see the reason behind all the hype around Kim Woo Bin. I just couldn't bear to watch more than one episode of Heirs and other than that I only saw him on some talk shows, and didn't really get what all the fuss was about.
After these 3 episodes, wow, I see that he's a fantastic actor! I was longing for the good ol' days of Lee Min-ho on the small screen after watching Eric in "another oh hae young". He seemed to have only 3 expressions, and flat affect was his go-to for at least 70%. And after watching several other Korean main lead actors have the same approach to acting I was about to give up hope. But, yay for us, a breath of fresh air: Kim Woo Bin and what seems to be a drama worth his acting skills!

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Who asked you to make a comment about Lee Min Ho?? U wanna give a compliment on an actor's acting, Then go ahead. But why would you drag another down? Kim Woo Bin is a good one but He is not better than other actors. He isn't Won bin after all!!

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Isn't smittenkitten talking about Eric's acting and how s/he misses LMH, or did I understand it completely wrong?

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YEs, asdfasdf, I miss LMH!!!!!

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You'll fall for Kim Woo Bin as an actor if you see his movie The Technicians. It's SO good. He really took me by surprise in it. He and Suzy are a good match in this!

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Thanks for the recommendation :D

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Okay,now Im completely invested in this drama!
Like JB said i can see why a lot of people are disappointed but for me this is a nice change from the other recent trendy dramas and is like the early to mid 2000 dramas that initially got me hooked into the kdrama scene all those years ago.
Looking up i see that the writer is the same as my old time favourites like "im sorry,i love you" and "Sangdoo,lets go to school", i sense a similar feel of slow heart-wreanching story that made me cry so much that my eyes were swollen and noes blocked for days later. I can still remember feeling the pain for the unfortunate leads and wanting to scream at the them to just abandom everything and run away. But its never as simple as that.

Now about the episode,i think the mom has disowend Joo-young because he drops out of Univeristy halfway and goes on to become a star. Also the scene in the header pic was beautiful to watch with all those autum leaves falling and the song Suzy sang,blends in nicely with the scene.
The acting of both the leads is a bit shakey,but i do think Suzy has improved a lot. I hope this drama continues to slowly better itself over the course and wring my heart in process. Sometimes a girl just needs a good cry. :)

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Yeah, I agree about mom's motivations for disowning Joon Young. At first I thought her character was just written in the extreme to provide tension, but this episode changed my mind. JY reveals to his mom that he knew about his father all along and clearly promises to fulfill her dream. They are a team with one purpose in mind--to introduce JY to his father with their heads held high.
As far as his mother is concerned, JY betrayed her trust in him and abandoned their joint dream when he dropped out. I don't think she really thinks there's something inherently wrong with being an actor, it just wasn't in the plan and she's clearly someone who has very clear ideas about how things should go. Combined with her prickly, stubborn personality, I can see how she would have made up her mind to never forgive him and then stuck to it even when she doesn't really want to anymore.
In an episode full of big moments, that's the scene that caught me the most. This drama is very good at these character-building moments, and it's become my new crack.

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Now this is the kind of romantic build-up that I want to see. No cheesy lines. No corny scenes. No weird plots or inappropriate relationships. No Eul and SYJ - their love story is everything - the longing, the angst, all the feels. Not to mention, Suzy and KWB are acting very well so far. The supporting characters and their stories - all of them are intriguing as well- a great cast!
Thanks javabeans for recapping!

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I couldn't agree anymore. This recap has made me chose to watch Uncontrollably fond over Doctors. I feel like this drama has potential for all the characters to grow and overcome their flaws.

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Agree!

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"No weird plots or inappropriate relationships"
There is a whiff of incest since the younger daughter of the Prosecutor/Assemblyman is quite in love with Kim Woobin character, her half brother.
Angst for everybody!!!!! ;-D

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that's what I was thinking!! Isn't it weird that she's super obsessed and in love with her half brother? Unless her mom secretly had an affair too and that's not really her dad, but I doubt it. I understand that they didn't grow up together and that she doesn't know that he's kind of related, but it's still kinda weird.

Besides that, really loving how the drama has picked up this week!

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True. I sit corrected. That whiff is inappropriate.

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Loving this drama so far. I have to say the cinematography for UF is pretty, doesn't hurt that the casts are good looking. I wonder how melo it's going to go.

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The cinematography is quite nice (along with the OST). I heard the drama isn't filmed like the day before like many dramas, so I wonder if that helped at all.

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i was crying last night.. this drama really play hard in emotion.. suzy acting make a great improvement.. and how can SJY become really trouble boy.. like his father..
really epic scenario to watch..
thanks to javabeans...

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Not a fan of melo.. but giving this a shot. So far so good... it kinda sucks you in. anyway Kim Woobin is just... uncontrollably hot. ?

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You don't have to cover your eyes till tomorrow LOL

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LOL the show is kind of like flashback-ception. Luckily it seems to make them pretty clear to me when we are in a flashback, but the years are a bit confusing. It doesn't seem to jump back and forth between timelines (we're in the present, now in the past, now the past-past, back to present to past-past, etc.) so that's nice.

I also did not recognize Ji-tae at all with the glasses vs. no glasses. I didn't catch episode 1 so for me, I thought it was a different actor haha.

Anyway, loving the show so far. It's not as funny as others, but I think that's fine, it's not a rom-com in the traditional sense. It still has some humor here and there which is nice.

Also, if anyone is like me and wants to know the track that was playing in the car around the 13 minute mark, the one that Joon Young kept turning up, is called Across the Oceans by New Empire. I think it played last week as well.

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Also can I add that my favorite scene was Joon Young carrying his mom out of the restaurant and down the street. For some reason I just loved it, and it's probably one of those scenes I hope to remember in this drama for a while.

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That was lovely. I think his relationship with his mother is kind of central to the plot.

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That's my favourite scene as well!

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I loved that scene and how it played up the reversal between a parent and child. the way he consoled her hurt was so sweet. It makes it even sadder that they have such a divide between them in the "present".

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Are they hung up on New Empire..

Even the last song was New Empire's A little braver..

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I think I'm starting to like this in an unironic way now...

Uh oh... ?

I'm still confused about a few things. Similar to the "Seduce me, or I'll seduce you" line last episode, Joon Young's interest in Eul still kinda feels like it's coming out of nowhere. I'm unsure if he's doing the fake dating thing because he wants to annoy her, because actually likes her, or both. And I have no idea why his mom is treating him like crap, but I assume that's yet to be explained (?)

So is the fake dating the extent of their past relationship? I kinda wanted them to "actually" date before being ~tragically~ separated.

Also, kudos to KWB for somehow being able to deliver the right emotions when she's crying despite having fucking whiskers on his face.

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I have a feeling that, that's the end of the flashbacks about them being together. i feel like SYJ will stop pursuing being a prosecutor and avoid NE. The date thing will happen maybe while they're filming the documentary.

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I agree Callie. Interest still seems to be coming out of nowhere unless we're supposed to assume that she has aroused his protective/guilt feelings to the extent it's love. But when he says something like "that's not my Eul", it's as if he really knows her, and loves her for who she is, not because of guilt,etc., but the flashbacks aren't so far showing him knowing her that well. Let's hope there is more1

Agree totally re KWB and the whiskers1

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Well, its ironically tragic..

Both have one sided love that is forced to be hidden for the sake of the other...

Whereas, it is actually not a case of unrequited love for both of them.. they do like each other a lot..

However, the things that trouble me..
In many places, I am not able to read NE's character - don't know if it is script or the acting. E.g. So apparently NE had a very deep over the years kind of a crush on JY (first love)

I don't know if she still likes him or not.. if him staring at her or asking to date her ruffled some feathers
Has she totally grown out of the unrequied love or was it a mere non serious crush from the very beginning?

She may not like his personality but does that mean she doesn' like him anymore at all? - All this acting leaves me confused..

JY is pretty clear - he is into her. And post accident and all that guilt..makes sense that must have always been into her.. (2011-2016, 5 years of thinking about one woman only.. and 2006-2011, 5 years of being interested in one woman only due to multiple factors .. 10 years of love!) and on deathbed :)

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I wish the show was a little more clear for the both of them as to when they started to have feelings for each other. No Eul's seems to have ended after her short lived crush in high school. Joon Young has clearly liked her for a while but we still haven't seen why, other than his feelings of guilt, which don't necessarily translate into romantic feelings, despite what writers might want us to think.

I didn't think that I wanted to stay in flashback mode any longer than absolutely necessary, but I really hope there's more to their past than what we've seen. Though I suppose the "we-kinda-dated, but-not-really, so-now-there's-all-these-weird-residual-feelings, but-I-kinda-hate-you-now" dynamic is interesting and complex enough in itself.

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For me, Joon Young fell for her hard when she called him to thank him for helping with the rituals of her father's funeral.
His face and how he hanged on her words, like "this is it" for him, and knowing that she was unreachable cemented his feelings there.

When he found her later, washing his face on the mirror and recognizing to himself that the feeling was still there, was all the explanation I needed.

Later, realizing that first your father, then you have screw up her life because it benefitted them will make her unforgettable, no doubt.

What I'm triyng to say is that for me, the show has explained his feelings clerarily, but it seems that it hasn't reach quite a lot of people.
It's a fine balance between explaining everything and showing with acting and images, it seems that the show hasn't done the best job with that.

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I agree. I get his feelings totally. He didn't love her while they were in highschool, it was more interest with a big dose of guilt. Meeting her again 4 years later started with curiosity along with residue interest but I think the moment he saw her laugh than cry was when he realised she meant alot more than that and that he was very serious. Causing her accident just magnified his guilt and I think also made him realise just how important she is to him. You don't know how important it is until it's gone type of thing.

I think she isn't over him yet, but that is more from residue unrequited love that she hadn't had the time to really think about. She is too focus on surviving and taking down his dad to give thought to herself, hence the scene where she laughed then cried.

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Agreed on wanting them to have actually dated in the past, I was expecting that and kind of counting on it to make their present-day romance have more...actual romantic weight?

Not that “dying man has feelings about an old crush who’s attached to life regrets” isn’t compelling, but I know the drama’s going to sell them as lovers to end all lovers and I don’t know how much I’ll be on board.

I could see it being hard for me to ever feel like they aren’t just in love with the idea of each other for no really good reason - often a problem for me in melos where the couple spends more time in the throes of angst than they spend together. I mean, that’s what suspension of disbelief is for, but still.

That said, I’m definitely enjoying it and looking forward to ep 4. KWB is great, the soundtrack is great.

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What is the name of the English Song near the end of this episode?its around 54:44
Tnx

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Ooh Ohh!! I know this!

It's New Empire - A Little Braver

The music director must like them a lot, a couple of their songs have been featured.

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Thanks Momoi

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I have been hooked since the first episode, but Uncontrollably Fond is reaching crack-levels for me. The chemistry, the cinematography, the bickering -- I love it. I even love her little brother from the little we've seen of him.

It is a shame their contract relationship had to end so soon. I wonder if "you son of a bitch" means Eul later found out Joon Young was responsible for her accident. His father indirectly killed her father and now he almost kills her -- that is some heavy baggage.

I hope Ji Tae never turns evil when Eul inevitably rejects him. He ought to know he has no chance seeing as how she calls him "ajusshi."

Thanks lots for the speedy recap, javabeans!

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Whoa! Ji Tae turning evil will remind me of Oh My Ghostess! He's the same guy that played the evil cop, right? He's an excellent actor. Oh the memories are giving me goosebumps.

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Ditto. He's good to the point that I was sympathetic to his evil character.

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Comeon.. that was writing..

I mean its the ghost that was evil..not the cop..

*definitely a good actor*

But story always has the bigger role in shaping up the character and basically driving us to feel what story is supposed to make us feel (if writing fails even good acting won't be able to save it)

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Also, Shine Or Go Crazy. I don’t remember what happened in that drama, I just remember thinking he was a monumental scumbag and now I’ve got all this misplaced residual hatred.

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Btw, to nightclubs in korea have pianos ?

... That was just weird

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Got all teary eyed when she cries after that laugh.. I want to hug No Eul. As if she realized that she can't afford to have fun, be in love and laugh.

I wonder how much he heard from that phone call. Didn't he hear what his dad did to No Eul's case?

My goodness the stills and teasers misled me of their romance. I thought they were high-schoolly-madly in love and they were in a relationship.

Terminal illness, car accident, birth secret, loan sharks. What else UF?

Can't wait for tonight's episode! Thanks for the recap!

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I know right? Where are they going from here?.
I don't know how they are going to increase the drama and I'm a bit scared at episode 3 already.

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Yeah I think the Music Director likes music from New Empire, there was another one - A little braver which was soooo nice and fitting...

I love that they brought back Nari as Eui's best friend and support now as the last we saw of her, she totally thought Eui stole Joon Young from her when he punked Eui. I didn't check out the character charts so it took me a while to realise she is indeed the same Nari as the character feels different as acted by a different actress though. I like that their friendship survived his punking lol.

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Just drop by to read the recap and read comment section. Im Jo Eun is so gorgeous, but her character... sigh.

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i didnt like the first episode of this drama, i think suzy's acting there is a little off but it did get better on episode 2, so i decided that i will watched the other episodes this weekend :)

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I'm certainly not a melodrama fan and I only gave this a shot because of all the hype, but I'm surprisingly enjoying it so far. I already feel more invested in this show than I ever did in DOTS and I watched all the way throughome episode 13 before realizing I really couldn't be bothered any more. Suzy's acting still feels pretty awkward to me, but she has the gift of being naturally charming so she gets away with it. I'm not particularly excited to feel sad through an entire series but the characters and the set up have hooked me anyway.

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Korean dramas are a guilty pleasure for me anyways so if I can overlook the cliche plots in order to enjoy the romance and emotion I don't tend to get in North American dramas, then I can overlook the pacing and editing flaws in this drama because on the whole I am REALLY enjoying it. Along with Bring it On, Ghost and Beautiful Mind, I'm very happy with what's on right now after a bit of a drought for me.

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"Korean dramas are a guilty pleasure for me anyways so if I can overlook the cliche plots in order to enjoy the romance and emotion I don’t tend to get in North American dramas, "

This is pretty much me. I need my fix of romance, sometimes the gushier the better. Sometimes lol
Japan doesn't tend to have as much romance but it has feel-good stuff. I tend to watch Japanese dramas for that, Korean dramas for romance or family dramas, and North American shows just for fun or weekly stories with characters that continue on for (hopefully) years.

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JDORAMA fans have it the worst. You can sit through and entire drama and your OTP won't get together because of 'reasons'.

I watch KDrama for the pretty. My guilty pleasure is Thai Lakorns. My god the level of cheese and romantic tropes are bountiful.

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And abusive boyfriends, can't forget those.
Episode 4-5 of Thai Lakorn "U-Prince" had me flipping out with the main lead.
Guilty pleasure right there, but Push seems to have an unjustifiable pull on me.

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The torture the female lead and atrempted rape scenes as well. This one Lakorn with Baifern had almost every guy outside of her dad and main guys dad try to rape her. Like really?!

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Me too, I watch thousands of American show (a lot more than I should to have a healthy social life), but American show today are so worried about writing good scripts and twist that are forgetting the human relationship, and that why I love about kdrama, I don’t remember such a beautiful scene like the Joon-young and mother in an American show in a good time.
So, yeah, in the end of the day, I Always forget the cheesy lines, the plot holes, the stupid tropes use over and over again, everything, as long Kdrama make me feel something.

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I also love the slow burn, you can kind know every beat before it comes but damn does it feel it good. It's so nice and toasty. Does Joon-young have a terminal illness because he's already traded his life for Eul? Eugh, do they really have to kill him in end?

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This is my number 1 drama right now, I've tried doctors too, but I didn't enjoy it as much. UF is a lot more my cup of tea, I really love it. Somehow it reminds me of sorry i love you, which is another drama I loved to pieces!!!

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With all the usual tropes in place I still enjoy LKH's writing and the languid way in which her plots unfold and the way people behave in her dramas. I don't think anyone is killing it so far in the acting department but I am not even sure it is necessary, there is a low key charm in most of the actors which comes through and suits the drama.

PS: Does the manager speak in a different accent/dialect?

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I might be wrong since i am not a Korean Native speaker but I think he has a Busan dialect.

Busan natives are usually portrayed as curly head with a dialect so I think their whole family (him, his dad, sister and aunt) are from busan.

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Ah thank you. It is distinctly different.

I sometimes find that the way of speaking varies in dramas but not being a native speaker it's hard for me to tell if it is so or simply in my head:)

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Thank you for that last bit about the title of the show. I was starting to wonder what it really meant, because I remember reading a comment before saying that it meant the "connection" these two had in the past. I guess, basing from your analysis, it has a lot more to do with what Joon-young felt towards Eul instead of the two-way mutual thing. Which makes perfect sense for the way he was acting towards her.

I was sort of unsure if I'll like this episode based on some of the reactions I read. I thought Joon-young was just being petty for the sake of being petty, but having read your comment, it's probably a fit to the entire set-up. Also, yes, this is one factor that I loved about OHYA: where the hero screws up just as much, and makes for a delicious story. I guess it's a mix of both human and pettiness--where you want a character who actually messes up as much as real people, and then you enjoy having just that kind to get even hooked with the story.

I like this show. I did not expect that I'd like it as much. I'm definitely enjoying its slow pace because that's what lingers more with me :)

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One of the things I really enjoy about the male lead screwing up is just how far he will go to protect the secret once they start dating. Like a lot of those 80s 90s Taiwan dramas where male lead makes a mistake and digs the hole even further by trying to hide it, only for it to blow up in his face and having to deal with the consequences and really work for his forgiveness.

But I don't think JY will be fighting that hard to keep NE since he is dying, and unlike Taiwan dramas where there is a good balance of noble idoicy and instances where people are shown to be more selfish and try to hide their past to keep the current happiness, Korean dramas prefer the noble idoicy alot more.

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We might be getting really into the depth & seriousness of this drama but I'm afraid coz too much complications will lead us to a sad end and that will burn my heart! It isn't healed yet from the burn caused by god of noodles...

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This episode was just so good. I totally did not expect that the kind of unresolved past would be like this.
It makes perfect sense on why Joon Young looked for Eul in the first episode. I really do appreciate the fact that their past wasn't based on love, but something even deeper and even a more profound reason why Joon Young won't be able to run away from Eul for a long time.
It's sad that they do like each other from the past, but both had priorities that time, and even more sad, that none of those priorities came into a positive result. (Joon Young didn't become a prosecutor, and Eul did not have the justice for her father).
The story is definitely a slow-build, and I very much prefer it to ve this way. I get to understand the character's story and the way they live their life in the present time.

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Joon-young tried saving his father but ended up "killing" the girl he likes.

Even if No-eul's alive and breathing now, she certainly isn't the same girl she was back then. That girl's long dead, and Joon-young's partly the reason for it. If only No-eul was able to submit the evidence with success, things would be very different now. But then we'd also have a very different story.

P.S.

Who else is cringing that Haru's pining for her half-brother?

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I don't have a lot to say about this episode but am I the only one who was taken aback after realizing that the Na-ri in the 2011-past is the older version of the 2006 Na-ri? Had to look up the character chart because I was like O.o
Do I have to understand why they replaced the original actress besides of telling us that she became "ugly" (for whatever reasons) with a completely different face in those 5 years? Because both actresses are actually the same age (born 1990, therefore the original Na-ri is already 4 years older than Suzy).

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Purely comedy purpose. We need comedic relief so she's it. I think she'll end up with Gook. Since he is the male comedic relief. They usually come in pairs.

I find it odd how Nari is the one Nol Eul kept in contact with unstead of her other friend. But glad she's NE's back fully in this drama since the only other person in NE camp is her brother. Everyone else has or will choose someone else over her. We've seen JY cause NE harm, JT is going to follow.

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Oh my GOD, how much do I love it that he sang "Winter Child"???? UGH THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE SONG FROM DREAM HIGH WHYYYY (don't mind me, I just rewatched Dream High a week ago and the feels is still high).

I really want them to duet this song now.

I will comment more when my brain unmelts itself from this puddle.

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And so, why is it that Suzy always end up taking loans and having loan sharks after her in her shows? Lol. (To be fair, Suzy is now much better in emoting.)

I'm loving Ji Tae a lot, I feel a second-lead-syndrome blooming :'(

Also, how did Joon Young upgrade himself from a bicycle to an actual motorbike in that last scene? Heh.

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Lol I thought the same thing. I was like "Didn't you walk there?"

Maybe it's like some sort of Batmobile. He just needs to whistle for it to come

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Haha reading back the recap, it seemed like it was a delivery motorbike which just happens to be nearby?

I like your Batmobile theory better, lol.

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His singing is awful though. They should have autotuned him more. Since he was playing a singer I thought he'll be good but I was wrong.

Hopefully future songs will be better.

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Haha I agree, his voice is a bit too low for the song.

A duet with Suzy's idol voice and his lower register would balance off the song nicely I think :)

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The last part narrative definitely reminds us of the phrase "Be careful what you wish for."

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This drama came just in the right time. I was in the mood for a more somber and melo-ish story and voilà! I am really intrigued about the characters and their back stories.

Suzy might not be the best actress (nor is she the worst) but she does know how to make her characters' likable (at least to me). Even good actors struggle to achieve that. I always liked her in what have seen.

Kim Woobin really did a good job in the last hospital scene. You could really see the shock, guilt, fear and regret written all over his face.

I can't wait for the documentary to come into play. I think it will revive the bickering nature of Eul and Joonyoung relationship. Also, please bring back precious fluffball Pororo!

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I am a goner for KWB, and by extension, this drama. This episode, I remember being struck by how effortlessly charismatic and charming he is in his role, and I could watch him all day.

More things are coming to light this episode. I wasn't sold on the drama prior to this episode, but I have to admit, it got my curiosity up and I'm anxious about ep 4.

I think Suzy is doing a credible job as an actress. She's in touch with her emotions and emotes well. So I don't understand the negative comments on her acting.

I don't get the hype about her beauty, though. She looks passably pretty to me, but not necessarily beautiful. Personally, I prefer more interesting faces with quirks and character to more conventional prettiness. But this is just my opinion, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that.

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*Goes off to update Car-of-Doom list*

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Car-of-Doom has had a lot of work this drama season.

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The vague description of this drama going in left me pretty cold but I checked it out just to give it a fair shake. Now that we can see what the plot really is like it looks a lot more interesting. I just hope they don't linger in the past too much. I'm not as interested in that as I am in how they're going to fix things going forward.

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I am in love with kim woo bin acting here. He portray the vulnerability in a stunningly believable and let us relate to what he's feeling.
I was a sucker for good korean melodrama in the old days, but these days, there are no melodrama that gets in me, until this one came around.
I hope it continues to deliver these kind of feeling and acting and engaging storyline. Let's say i'm hooked already

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There is something about Suzy that is likeable/charming.

Imo, she always have great chemistry with her leading men, so I have not much complains over her acting. When she screams or overacts it is bad, but otherwise it is ok.

I can fell something.

And I'm waiting for their kissing scene. Her kissing scene in family gu was SO good. No holdback. I thought it would be lame because she is ~first love icon~ but she didn't hold back!

Wonder if having LMH as BF and he being friends with KWB will wold them to have a decent kiss scene??

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i found myself starting to sing along with the birthday song before realizing how i knew it from Dream High, sung by suzy....
; )

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maybe it's just me but i'm finding it extremely difficult to connect with this drama. i don't think it's the acting (suzy & KWB are pretty much acting as they similarly do so i'm not surprised OR disappointed) it's mainly the poor editing i think.

i find this drama choppy to a distracting degree which makes it hard for me to truly believe their loveline. at this point i don't even care much about their character arcs (maybe i'm just heartless tho, lol) i DO care more about no eul that i do KWB's character at this point.

PS. lim ju eun's probs gonna annoy me to no end in this drama but damn if she isn't preeeeeettttttyyyyyy

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Really love this episode. I am watching this with mix of feelings, but mostly melos, hahahaa (you got me there writer-nim).

So much information in this episode from the past and I love the story progress so far. I only watched Suzy in Dream High, so watching her on this drama I see that her acting is a lot lot better now. She make me root for NE chracter, and make me want to dig further on how she change drastically.

And lastly, KWB is doing fine also. One scene that really touch me is when JY was backhugging his mother and told her to held up high, so he knows and understands his mother feeling toward his ignorant father. He gave her mother courage to face that man, to show that she is doing well all this time and can stand on her own foot. So tragic compare to their relationship in the present day and that makes me curious even more on what happen between them.

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I don't think Joon Young stealing the bag was just protecting his father but also protecting his mother (since she was the one working at the bar that he was going to visit). Remember that fight they had last episode when Joon Young said he went crazy because he found out his mom was working at a bar? And I'm pretty sure in Eul's videos, it was Joon Young's mom helping his dad to the car each time.

But since he didn't see the video directly, I'm not sure he made the exactly connection of his mom being involved in this "scandal". I can't remember if Eul said the name of the bar or not (she might have) and if she did, then Joon Young must've definitely suspected at least.

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