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Come Here and Hug Me: Episodes 25-28

This show makes one of our favorite characters work hard for redemption as battle lines are drawn and everyone is forced to choose a side. Some of them get a literal knock on the head to come to their senses, but what’s a bit of blood between family, eh? And it couldn’t come at a better time because while one brother reveals a core of goodness, another discovers that embracing your dark side can have surprisingly efficient results. We all know success can be addicting.

 
EPISODES 25-28 WEECAP

The episode starts with a voiceover of Yoo-ra reading her letter of devotion to Yoon Hee-jae as we watch him brace himself for the car crash. Contrary to our expectations, Dad doesn’t murder the squad of armed cops surrounding him. He lets them take him to a hospital for his injuries where by not-a-coincidence, Yoo-ra ends up being his nurse.

In her letter, she scoffs at the hypocrites of this world and admires Dad for being true to himself. She also promises to be a better family than the real one who betrayed him.

Nurse Yoo-ra administers his meds and blocks the guard’s view while Dad uses her hairpin to pick his cuffs. Once his hands are free, it’s a simple matter of strangling his guards one by one. Yoo-ra points him down the emergency exit where “his son” Ji-hong is waiting to drive them away in an ambulance.

As news of Dad’s escape becomes public, Do-jin and Hyun-moo’s voiceover narrates, “A wicked man was born and had a family. When his wickedness was released, his family became evil too.” We see Reporter Han standing back at the station while everyone else clamors for an interview with Yoon Hee-jae’s son. Nam-gil looks annoyed at all the trouble.

At home, Do-jin asks for additional guards to be stationed around Mom and So-jin. He admits to Mom that he’s scared of putting Jae-yi in danger because of their relationship, but Mom advises him to hug Jae-yi all the more and stay with her to fill in her loss.

Jae-yi is currently slumped on the floor in front of her parents’ photos. Do-jin arrives and promises to catch Dad. In turn, Do-jin asks Jae-yi not to avoid him. She assures him she’s fine and she won’t ever hide from Do-jin. He asks for permission to move in so he can protect her. As they hug, Do-jin wonders what Yoon Hee-jae is doing at the moment.

Being disappointed by Ji-hong, is what. They’re in Yoo-ra’s living room, assessing Ji-hong’s exploits. One success for killing Park Hee-young. Two failures for being foiled by Hyun-moo and almost arrested by Do-jin. Dad tells Ji-hong to stop for now. It’s time for Yoon Hee-jae to “take a stroll.”

We rewind to a few hours before news of the escape breaks. (This show has such crazy handling of timelines, I swear!) It’s right after Jae-yi visits a sick Moo-won and he asks her to break up with Do-jin.

Moo-won opens his door thinking Jae-yi came back. “Shouldn’t you check first?” greets Hyun-moo, adding Security Tips to his list of accidental good deeds this week. He makes up for it by making veiled threats about Jae-yi to piss Moo-won off. “I’m so sick of your family,” says Moo-won. “Me too,” answers Hyun-moo, surprising a laugh from me.

Hyun-moo is still bitter about Moo-won locking him up and being the reason he watched helplessly from jail as Na-moo betrayed Dad. Moo-won scoffs at this family of monsters who blame others for their sins; from Hyun-moo to Dad to Na-moo–who reports say is a Yoon Hee-jae Lite. In typical big brother fashion, Hyun-moo won’t let anyone else bully Na-moo (that jerk). He tells Moo-won how Do-jin used himself as a meat shield to protect Jae-yi, asking how someone that selfless can be compared to Yoon Hee-jae?

Hyun-moo points out that Moo-won has a dark past too and asks if suppressing it has worked out well for him. Why not act out like Hyun-moo? Moo-won doesn’t think too highly of men who lash out just because their life sucks, telling Hyun-moo that what he does will catch up to him sooner or later. Hyun-moo is disappointed that Moo-won keeps taking the high road but he still gives him the video recording of Park Hee-young’s death, confident he’ll be too uptight to ignore the truth in it.

Hyun-moo turns to leave but a surprised Moo-won calls his name, and in a moment of vulnerability, Hyun-moo asks, “Isn’t it the same for you too?” They both feel guilt for not being there to protect their families when tragedy struck. They both have a complicated relationship with what’s left of their family. They both have violence haunting them. Moo-won can only laugh and cry in disbelief at how Hyun-moo encapsulated their living hell.

Back to the morning after Yoon Hee-jae’s escape, Nam-gil gives Reporter Han the voice recording from Park’s apartment while Do-jin’s colleagues worry that nothing has changed since 2015. People still only see Do-jin as a serial killer’s son.

Ah, but something has changed! Thanks to Hyun-moo, Moo-won now trusts Do-jin. He gives him the video recording to help with the investigation and tells him that his brother looked hurt, then asks about Do-jin’s injury. Do-jin assures him he’s fine and he’ll catch his own father to protect Jae-yi.

Do-jin goes back to Ji-hong’s father to let him know there’s conclusive evidence of his son’s guilt. He asks for help to catch Ji-hong as he can lead them to Yoon Hee-jae. He then introduces himself as Yoon Hee-jae’s son. Ji-hong’s dad must’ve understood that feeling of wanting to fix your family’s mistakes, because he finally admits that Ji-hong has been using his bank account. And am I the only one pissed that psycho fanboy has been talking a big game about strength when he’s just been buying hammers using his rich dad’s money?

The tip allows them to narrow down their search. But for now, Ji-hong is still at large, pestering Yoon Hee-jae for permission to deal with Na-moo until Dad gets mad at his audacity and warns him to leave precious Na-moo alone. How does it feel being Hyun-moo 2.0, Ji-hong?

The next day, the sister of Kim Ji-young (one of Dad’s victims) approaches Jae-yi. She saw the dating news and remembers Do-jin as the apologetic cop whose graduation they ruined. She agrees he’s a good person but wonders if Jae-yi is really unaffected by their connection. Jae-yi admits she remembers her parents all the time, and in a nearby table, Han’s eavesdropping intensifies. She later asks Kim Ji-young’s sister for an interview, promising to help raise awareness and catch Yoon Hee-jae. Nam-gil calls to congratulate Han on her Park Hee-young story and ask when she’ll do an article on Do-jin himself. Dude, stop obsessing!

Ji-hong disobeys Dad and goes after Jae-yi, popping up while she’s parking in her garage. After Ji-hong breaks the car window, Do-jin appears out of nowhere and charges him. The boy is in beast mode, throwing Ji-hong around then throwing the hammer after him. Ji-hong takes out a knife which Do-jin easily dodges and turns back on him, demanding he tell where Dad is. When Ji-hong won’t talk, Do-jin decides he can die to prove how strong he is, raising the knife with a crazy look in his eyes. Jae-yi calls out Na-moo’s name to stop him from murdering Ji-hong. Do-jin looks at her and his eyes slowly regain their soul.

After handing Ji-hong over to the police, Do-jin apologizes for scaring Jae-yi. They hug some more but he looks at his hands, remembering how many times he got close to killing Ji-hong in that fight.

Dad and Yoo-ra are on a stakeout date, watching Chief Go goofing around and making Mom laugh. They follow them to Jae-yi’s house where Mom leaves food outside the gate, too ashamed to see Jae-yi. Mom runs off when Go calls Do-jin. Once they’re separated, Yoo-ra distracts Go while Dad jumps out of the car and hits him with a hammer. “How dare you ruin my son,” he says before giving the fatal blow. Do-jin finds Go almost dead on the street. Dad watches as Do-jin’s heart breaks over his almost-Dad. Chief Go uses his last breath to remind Do-jin that he’s different from Yoon Hee-jae and not to go astray because of Go’s death. He also asks him and Mom not to cry too much.

Mom fails that request as she cries while serving food at his funeral. Do-jin is performing the duties of the eldest son. Jong-hyun and hoobae Yoon-ji cry, regretting not catching Ji-hong before he helped Yoon Hee-jae escape. (Nam-gil stands there stoically since he has no soul.)

The same thought occurs to Do-jin (about Ji-hong’s capture, not soulless Nam-gil) and he marches into Ji-hong’s holding cell, locking himself in with him. He literally strangles Ji-hong for information on Dad’s whereabouts. Then he breaks a finger to get him to talk. “I haven’t even started yet, you still have four left.” (Let’s turn away for a moment, this is normal procedure when dealing with psychopath minions.) It actually works a little since Ji-hong describes Yoo-ra, though he hides the fact that he knows the address of their hideout.

Hyun-moo checks on Mom’s shop only to find it dark with a sign “closed for funeral.” The roving cops spot him and give chase. Hyun-moo limps away desperately as he asks in voiceover, “If we weren’t born as monster’s children would we be able to live normal lives?”

In a very cruel imaginary scenario, Hyun-moo brings home groceries for Mom while she fusses over him and he complains as he eats her home-cooked meal. Hyun-moo’s imaginary So-jin even sasses him for scolding their mom. Though Hyun-moo defends himself, he gets up to make Mom rest. Imaginary Na-moo (the jerk) comes home and swipes Hyun-moo’s food, while Mom brings out the beef ribs only when Na-moo is at the table, something that Hyun-moo complains about again… which So-jin scolds him for again. After much fussing between everyone, they sit down to a family meal. This is killing me. It’s the same family dynamics minus the killing and angst. Hyun-moo’s voiceover continues, “In my imagination, that monster doesn’t exist.”

Hyun-moo continues running through alleyways, frantic to find out what happened to Mom. He stops when he sees a ghost of himself after his first attempted murder, and his voiceover ends with a sad conclusion, “However, I already became a monster. In that imagination, I must disappear as well.”

Reporter Han attends Go’s funeral and watches as Jae-yi and Mom comfort each other. She feels guilt and tells Nam-gil that if only they released the recording a bit earlier, Chief Go wouldn’t have died. Nam-gil has the gall to blame Chief for getting close to Do-jin’s family when it’s common knowledge that killing is in the blood. Is being annoying in the blood too? Because Nam-gil looks like he has generations of poophead in his blood.

Do-jin is starting to worry about the blood issue though as he looks at the hands that just tortured info out of Ji-hong, now adding bone-breaking to his monster moments.

Mom comes home to rest, but her weepy eyes turn terrified as she spots Dad waiting in the yard. The next thing we know, Mom is tied up inside her own house. She challenges Dad to just kill her already because she’s tired of living in guilt. She’s confident that Do-jin will never become a monster. Ah, but Dad saw how unhinged Do-jin was after Chief Go’s death. He tells Mom that her death will surely break his son so Dad can work on putting Humpty Do-jin back together again. Dad gets started on hitting Mom while Mom bravely laughs in his face and calls him pitiful. This is the scene Hyun-moo walks in on when he breaks into the house to check on his precious ajumma.

The show toys with my heart by cutting over to Moo-won who heard from Kim Ji-young’s sister that Jae-yi isn’t completely happy. Jae-yi says she’ll tell her boyfriend about the hurtful comments and cruel stares later when things settle down. Moo-won doesn’t dissuade her anymore but promises to at least listen and comfort her while she’s waiting for Do-jin.

Back to Hyun-moo’s ultimate test. He greets Dad and makes small stuttering talk, all while edging over to Mom. Dad can read him like a book and knows he wants to save Mom so he offers the opposite: a chance to gain his approval by killing Mom. “Noo! What are you making him do, you monster! Hyun-moo, run!” That’s what Mom and I are screaming right now.

Hyun-moo takes the hammer but pleads to spare the lady who raised him and Na-moo. Dad takes back the hammer (why let him?!) and hits Hyun-moo instead. Dad moves on to Mom but Hyun-moo grabs his leg, begging for Mom’s life, so Dad hits him again. Mom dives in front of Hyun-moo and Dad almost shrugs like “I’m gonna kill you both anyway” as he raises the hammer once more. But a very weak Hyun-moo screams Omma (finally!) before folding himself over to cover her. Dad stops, reminded of how Na-moo and Nak-won protected each other.

Hyun-moo uses the pause to ask Dad if what Do-jin said is true. That he really didn’t care about his kids, unlike this ajumma who isn’t related but worried about their wellbeing for 12 years. Dad hits him, “Yeah, you’re not fit to be my son.” He figures Hyun-moo’s death can add to Do-jin’s unhinginess. Then he blames Mom for having 4 people on her death tab. Yoo-ra calls before Dad can kill Mom too; the cops are converging on the house, forcing them to flee right now. Mom cries while a barely conscious Hyun-moo tells her to stop since they aren’t even that close. Sure, sure, Hyun-moo.

Do-jin is almost near the house when he sees Yoo-ra’s car and stops. Dad comes out of a sidestreet and they make eye contact before Dad gets in. Do-jin starts to chase the car then stops again. If Dad was here then there’s someone very dead inside that house, so he turns around and runs for home. He gets there ahead of the slooowest response team in the universe. (Seriously! He called them to check on Mom a few hammer hits ago!)

Mom wakes up in the hospital thinking it’s a bad dream until Do-jin’s face tells her otherwise. He takes her to the ICU where So-jin is sobbing over an unconscious Hyun-moo. Mom cries too but Do-jin assures her his hyung will recover.

Do-jin comes home to Jae-yi. She comforts him and in return, he reminds her to tell him if she has problems because if she endures things alone to spare his feelings, it defeats the purpose of being together.

Meanwhile Hyun-moo floats in and out of consciousness with Mom and So-jin alternating between staying by his bedside. When he’s finally sitting up, So-jin keeps asking if he understands her until he complains that she’s too loud. She wonders why he acts tough when he actually sucks as a fighter. (Don’t expose him like that!) He says it’s how Dad taught him to live. So-jin asks why he still calls Yoon Hee-jae Dad. He answers by asking why she still calls him Oppa. He tells So-jin he plans to live alone after jail and So-jin is all pffft… because he’ll come running to them when he’s worried anyway. But she stops the sass to hold his hand and sincerely thank him for saving her and Mom.

Then it’s Mom’s turn to embarrass Hyun-moo with feelings as they chide each other for sacrificing. Hyun-moo, ever the porcupine, scoffs at the absurdity of his father trying to kill him while a strange ajumma cries for his safety. Mom assures him that it wasn’t pity that drove her to go that far. She really did feel like she was their mother back then. Even if Hyun-moo was a brat, she knew that he was grumbling because he was having a bad time too. Hyun-moo complains that she only liked Na-moo back then, though there’s no bite to the complaint now. Mom apologizes and cutely asks him to stop rejecting her prison visits from now on. Hyun-moo looks away in an attempt to hide his emotions but we all know he’s marshmallow toast now.

As Jae-yi’s mom’s birthday approaches, her death becomes a common topic on the news. Reporter Han asks Jae-yi for an interview and though she’s more civil after reading Kim Ji-young’s piece, Jae-yi still declines. She doesn’t want Han to end up dying like Park Hee-young.

Speaking of news, Dad reads news of Ji-hong’s capture, annoyed that he overstepped and now caused them trouble. Yoo-ra fervently smiles at him, vowing not to disappoint him as they leave their current hideout.

During interrogation, Ji-hong is all confidence again, claiming brainwashing and a good lawyer for his defense. Do-jin baits him with more Yoon Hee-jae talk but this time, it’s Do-jin who loses his cool when Ji-hong reveals that actually, Dad didn’t want Ji-hong to hurt Jae-yi. He wanted to take care of her himself. Dad hates that Do-jin reacts violently when she’s mentioned, that’s why her death is the missing ending of his autobiography. He blames Jae-yi’s presence for distracting Na-moo from psychopath bootcamp.

Ji-hong envies Do-jin’s “inheritance” so Do-jin carelessly tells him to take that killer’s blood and hammer if he wants it that badly–but he won’t find strength by following Dad, because Dad is actually just a weakling himself who was beaten by a kid. Finally, in a tiiiny flashback, we see Na-moo glaring and striking Dad with a hammer that Christmas Eve.

Back in the present, Yoon Hee-jae is going… somewhere as he says in voiceover, “I keep wondering where my life went wrong. My mind keeps going back to twelve years ago.”

Ji-hong gives up the address of their hideout, mad at the thought that Dad pretended to be an infallible killer while using him as an errand boy. When Do-jin’s team raids it, it’s empty except for Dad’s book with a torn out dedication page “To my beloved son, let’s keep in our hearts the stories we can’t share with each other.”

Do-jin wakes up from a nightmare that Yoon Hee-jae attacked Jae-yi. He barges into Jae-yi’s room and she snuggles him to sleep so he’ll calm down.

In voiceover, Do-jin asks the same question as Hyun-moo while he gets dressed in formal clothes. “If we weren’t monster’s children could we live a normal life?” Yoo-ra calls him, saying she’ll surrender. We see that Do-jin is on his way to Jae-yi’s parents’ columbarium. He continues the narration as he picks up a hammer left amongst the flowers. “A long time ago I became another monster. Now I must once again fight the monster who created me. For Nak-won.”

COMMENTS

Okay, Do-jin. But after this monster rampage thing, you’re coming back, right? To the good side? The side that thinks self-defense is justifiable and psychopath murderers deserve to be stopped with whatever weapon is available at hand?

I’m worried for his soul but also amazed that Show is going there in giving us glimpses of the Yoon Hee-jae part of Do-jin. If Jae-yi didn’t stop him from killing Ji-hong, what would we feel about him? And does it matter that she stopped him? Or does it matter more that he *was* capable of killing Ji-hong in that moment? With pleasure?

Why do we have an imaginary line at actually taking someone else’s life? Doesn’t intent play a bigger part in it? When Do-jin threw that hammer at Ji-hong, did he become the same as Hyun-moo? Someone who wanted to kill, only escaping human judgement by chance? I don’t know the answers to the questions the show is posing to us, and I think I’ll forever be asking them. Because the opposite is taking a hard stance and being a Nam-gil. Someone who writes these rigid rules and gets caught up in the finer points of defining what hurts people, then dancing around his own definition to justify his wrongs.

I’d be glad to be a Moo-won, at least. Someone who’s initially biased but isn’t above changing his mind. And in this universe, I would rather have some killing self-defense experience than none. He just needs group therapy with reluctant buddy Hyun-moo to deal with that massive guilt.

Hyun-moo! I’m so glad that he finally stood up to Dad and he’s alive at the end of it. I was worried he’d die after five minutes of bleeding while Mom shakes him and they exchange final words–K-drama style. But he didn’t die and I don’t mind that he’s going to prison because he is a bad guy who did bad things. I’m sure he doesn’t mind going to prison either if the trade-off is he’s now free of Dad’s influence and Mom and So-jin get to visit and nag him a lot. Now that his marshmallow core is exposed, he can’t expect them to give him deference. Lots of love, yes. Deference? Not a whit. And anyway, he looks like the type of guy who secretly likes being nagged, no?

Speaking of happily henpecked, Chief Go’s death saddens me though not as much as it should. I wish his proposal scene to Mom didn’t happen in flashback and we had more scenes of them being a happy family before Yoon Hee-jae violently tore the picture apart again. I guess it’s hard to find time for happy scenes when the show has several psychopaths running around, demanding the spotlight. But he would’ve made–he did make a good father to Do-jin. Just like Mom, in his last moments, his concern is that his son doesn’t ruin his life over a death.

I’m also worried at what Go’s death did to Mom. We don’t talk about her much but she’s one of the most broken people in this show. Do-jin is just self-worrying about his guilt but Mom keeps running into Dad who reinforces her self-blame–and she doesn’t have a Jae-yi or her own mom telling her that it’s okay, she wasn’t at fault. Her only comfort was Chief Go who is now dead because of her (according to Dad’s guilt-tripping). It’s totally messed up and it’s a wonder Mom can still manage to love her children. They better shower her with love. Hyun-moo especially needs to give her 10 grumpy compliments a day. I want to see it in the finale, right after Dad and Yoo-ra die from an accident (we want to see bodies, Show) and Reporter Han exposes Nam-gil, putting him in the same cell as Ji-hong, while Do-jin and Jae-yi raise a dozen golden retrievers, giving Mom, So-jin, and Moo-won a lifetime’s supply of puppies to play with.

 
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these episodes were extremely hard to watch -- so much blood and violence....
: (

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Imagine how bloody finale week will be... or don't! :<

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noooooooooooooooo......

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Again, I ❤️ Hyun-moo! I’m sorry Na-moo but he’s my hero now. Off to read.... :D*

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Nuuu. Call him a meanie. He hates being a hero.

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A meanie hero then. :D*
And he might suck as a fighter but he protected both Soo-jin and Mom, from psychopath killers no less.

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Oooh! He finally beat Na-moo at something! The Best Meat Shield Award.

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Thanks for the recap!
When I saw YHJ smile fade away after Chief Go pat Doo-Jin head, I knew Chief Go is gone soon enough. It is so YHJ style to eliminate whatever stands between him and his way to mold Na-Moo to be his perfect son.
And when I thought I was done crying for this drama, Hyun-Moo step out with his desperation in protecting Mom's life from Psycho Dad. His mini-drama imagination of peaceful life without that monster is killing me! Try to impressed a Dad that doesn't act like a Dad, try to push away Ahjumma that cared for him like a Mom should be, his life is tough and I'm glad he finally gave in to his good side in this episode. Big Hug for Hyun-Moo!!

About Doo-Jin, he can be Na-Moo, police officer Doo-Jin, or HJY to protect Nak-Won. He needs to face his psycho Dad once more, and let's hope he's not going to far go from his good side.

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I feel like Dojin will go YHJ mode to kill all threats to Jaeyi, then return to Dojin mode and drown in guilt. If only there's a way to get rid of the demons in this show without any of the characters feeling bad. *cough*truckofdoom*cough*

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Haha, I think Writer-nim forgot to cast TOD!

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@mary,

ROFLMAO -- I agree. To refresh my memory, I just rewatched the episodes before reading the recap, and it occurred to me that Truck Of Doom's services are urgently needed. Alas, TOD may be tied up over at LIFE ON MARS...

I had a sudden vision of an Acme-brand anvil dropping out of the sky and flattening Wile E. Psycho Dad.

Alternatively, there's the rarely-spotted House Of Doom that landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. I wonder if it's up for a trip from Oz via tornado? ;-)

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How I wish the show had not dragged in the middle because now we are talking. This stuff should have happened earlier. Plus why do I think the show is equating self defense to murder. They show Moo Won as guilty too when technically he shouldn't be. But oh well these episodes had great performances. If it hadn't lagged so much. The show would've easily made it to my favourites.

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I agree! These two hours were loaded with stuff. If only they shaved off the fillers from past episodes and moved some of the stuff there (like Chief Go's arc) to give them more time. :(

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Yeah that's how it should have been done. The show had so much potential. Moreover, the dialogues or some conversations among the characters are really mind blowing. Hyun Moo's encounter with Moo won and the scene where earlier NM confronts the other reporter are my favorite.

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I know! The verbal sparring between characters are my favorite parts of this show. Whenever Dad is mind hoodoo-ing others or when Do-jin does the same or when Hyun-moo talks back to his family but his eyes say the opposite.

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That's what I was thinking basically Moo Won is not technically guilty but I feel the writer wanted to show a connection between Moo Won and Hyun Moo.
But again we all know for psycho dad to end his spree of killing and to save Nak Won, Na Moo has to kill his dad as a self defense or police officer for a happy ending if it'll be ever there and at the end they might show he's still carrying the baggage of guilt too.

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That will be so wrong. That will honestly not resolve anything but I do understand how that can be the only way to end such a story.

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It wouldn't have been so draggy if it didn't get preempted soooooo many times. It felt even draggier because of that.

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Poor Hyun Moo! I felt really really bad for him. I hope he finds true happiness in the end. I wonder why the serial killer is so obsessed with Na Moo. Did Na Moo ever show a darkness to him that we hadn’t? Is it only because he had hit his father to save Nak Won? I don’t understand. I don’t think he has an ounce of darkened in him even though he feels like he has. Let’s see.

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As far as I know, Na-moo only showed... understanding? A strong inner core? He was unflinching in the face of Dad's lessons. There's something there. Maybe intelligence, bravery, and ruthlessness. It's not something inherently bad, but if you use it to do bad things, you can go a long way.

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Things I loved this week:
Hyun-moo’s convo with Moo-won.
Hyun-moo saving Mom from psycho dad. Him calling ahjumma Mom is my favorite this week.

Things I didn’t like:
Chief Go’s death (sobs)
That cheesy ending :/

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Re: cheesy ending, he looks good though. Imagine how many hammers that PPL is selling in SK right now.

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Hahaha He sure does!
I just hope people buying those hammer will use them for canpentry and construction purposes and not for smashing random people’s head.

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The ending was terrible. And out of character. For the show and probably for NW too if you wanted to argue it haha

Your loves are also my only loves of this week lol

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I rolled my eyes at his “I’ll be a monster again for my beloved (rolls eye) Nak-won.” I mean his Mom and hyung barely escaped death so he should have said “for his loved ones” if he’s to become a monster again to fight his psycho dad no?

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I'm not sure about that too... what if he meant the literal "paradise" instead of Jae-yi's name? Haha

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@mary,

If Na-moo really did mean "paradise" instead of Nak-won's name, that casts a whole new light on that scene of her calming him down after the nightmare he denied having. She told him, "Sleep in peace," which sounded too much like "Rest in peace" for my taste. I hate to think that it's foreshadowing, but it wouldn't surprise me.

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I loved the conversation and him saving mom too and plus his what if imaginary scenario too.

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I forgot to add the imaginary scenario, loved that too. And Hyun-moo’s convo with Mom in the hospital. I think I loved every scene with Hyun-moo in it. Lol.

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The what if scenario was killing me ;_____; because he was running from the cops and he was injured and I thought he'd get into an accident and die on the spot.

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Hyun Moo's convo with Moo won is my favorite. It was as strong as Na Moo's earlier convo with the reporter when JY fainted. Damn at the cheesy ending. It was so unlike the show itself. I have always found the show to be very subtle mainly because of NM but the last part just left a bad taste.

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I'm going to bed and can't type much because of sore wrists and I ranted about these episodes more on my wall but in short: I was disappointed in the trajectory of episodes 25-26; I thought they were predictable, weak writing, filler worthy and negating a lot of sense, and I was disappointed in half of 27-28; except for Hyun Moo's development.
If my wrists are up to it I will rant more tomorrow.
*sighs* *you were doing so well show*

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My rant (Sorry for typos) if anyone wants to banter with me about this development.
http://www.dramabeans.com/members/sicarius/activity/549880/#acomment-550332

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SO MUCH TO SAY:
-First, I knew Dad would target Chief Go, but that was hard to watch. Even though Chief Go never had a family of his own, he was definitely a part of the Chae family and his death is a difficult pill to swallow. And how stupid am I that I didn't even realize that was a proposal from Chief Go? I have zero relationship experience, so I'll chalk it up to that.
-I think my favorite relationship is between Mom and Hyun-moo. She never gave up on him and I think it was her love more than anything else that finally helped him to move out of the darkness of his father's shadow. When he called her Mom while protecting her, I darn near cried because you can tell that he has wanted to call her that for so long but was afraid to let her get close to him.
-I love how the family still rallies around Hyun-moo because despite what he's done, they all know that deep down he is NOT a bad apple, just misguided.
-I can't help but love Hyun-moo and his storyline. There are so many layers to him. Yes he's done very bad things like stabbing his brother, but that doesn't mean others can talk about his lil' bro'. He is showing that all along he has loved his family, but he just didn't know how to show it.
-I find it interesting that although Do-jin is made out to be the protector, he only protects Jae-yi. It's been Hyun-moo who saved Mom and So-jin (he even protected So-jin when they were young by walking her to Mom's restaurant, when Na-moo was busy taking Nak-won home). Uh, Do-jin, where are you when Mom and Lil' Sis' are in danger? Hyun-moo even went so far as to follow So-jin everyday after work to keep her safe. I tell you, Hyun-moo is just a giant marshmallow on the inside.
-Hyun-moo's imagination scene just about broke me because you could see just how easily it could have gone that way. Hyun-moo was still his gruff self but in such a loving way. They all could have had such a normal life, if only that monster wasn't in the picture.
-I worried when Hyun-moo said that he became a monster and needed to disappear as well. That better not be foreshadowing, do you hear me, Show?!
-Someone please comfort Mom, because she desperately needs it.
-And I suppose Dad was right when he said he knew which son had a greater chance of becoming like him. Hyun-moo talks big but that's it. But quiet Do-jin, someone please save him because I'm afraid for him as to what will happen when he goes up against Dad. He is already damaged, I'm afraid he'll do something that will completely break him.

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Oh yeah, one more thing:
These characters have ZERO sense of safety. Why do people go places alone with a serial killer on the loose? Jae-yi was alone, with her garage door open, Mom was alone. . . Whatever happened to the buddy system?!!!

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Exactly my thoughts and why there was no protection given to them?

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They mentioned protection for Mom and So-Jin as soon as Dad escaped but apparently it was the worst police protection ever.

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Seriously, the fact that killer-wannabe Hyun-moo had to teach the star prosecutor to check who's knocking before he opens the door... *facepalm*

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And that wasn't the first time that someone didn't even bother to look at the doggone security monitor before opening the front door. Jae-yi has done it at least once, too.

Also, during Do-jin's fight with Hyun-moo in her garage, he had to holler at her to not open the door between the house and the garage. If your door is being battered down, who in their right mind thinks of opening it?! Standard operating procedure is to move heavy furniture to block it. Or phone the police while running away. Sheesh!

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What I was afraid of the most happened. I knew the Dad would go after team leader cop first. The dad is extremely obsessed with Na Moo, the idea that another man is a bigger father figure to him son makes him jealous and extremely angry. I was hoping for Ahjusshi cop and mom to have an happy ending.
I love Na moo's facial expression. He was still looking sexy with his psycho smile. ❤️
I'm so happy that Hyun Moo survived he deserves a second chance. I loved the "what if" imaginary version of Hyun Moo.
I don't understand why detective Kang hates Na Moo so much?

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I don't get Detective Kang at all. So he thinks Na Moo is like his Dad? Okay. I don't what that has to do with him pocketing evidence and giving it to a reporter instead of doing his job and catching a murderer.

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I don't get him either. He sounds like he decides who's good or bad on the spot and those who don't count as "bad" are free to do all kinds of shit in his book. What a poophead.

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Dad is a super crazy and should be in solitary confinement.

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These episodes were ROUGH. My goodness, I'm so glad Hyun Moo is alive. That was my prayer, while watching that psychopath nearly murder his son. This show, goodness. Thanks for the recap @mary

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Ahhh Hyunmoo, come here and I'll give you a hug. Kid has always been tsundere so I'm glad he's cracked up a bit. I mentioned before that only Hyunmoo can get through to Moowon and only Moowon to him. They've been through similar situations and escaped death because both of them were away that night. Thank you for that scene with them together, I loveeeeee it! They're as broken (if not more) as the two leads but they give off a more mature vibe. They need to have happy endings, please!

Dojin on the other hand, is scaring me so much. Goodness me. When he almost killed Jihong, I was thinking, oh girl, run. At this point, I don't know if they are actually good for each other anymore. Are they really in love or is it some kind of obsession now? I wanted them to be together before but now, it's looking like things are going awry because they are together. I don't want to be that drama person but maybe it's just not meant to be?

Lastly, Yoon Heejae needs to disappear from this world and suffer in hell.

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I want to join in, but I'm behind and trying desperately hard not to be spoiled! XD

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Heehee and here I thought I'm the most "behind" since my recaps are always a couple hours before the next week's episodes. >___<

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I love this show so much, but there are also a lot of other things I love... I am not a juggler! 😩

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No actually, I wait for your recaps to watch the Thursdays episode and as I am in no hurry, I am happy be to behind.

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Intent to stop a killer is not the same as being a killer. BTW, "intent" drops the level of a crime down one notch.

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Warning: I am going to rant soon about this week.
*I am terribly disappointed by ep 25-26, the more I think about it the more it gets worse*
First I am going to watch ep 27-28.
Though I fear I am not going to like it.
Any ways part of my rant can be found on Sicarus's wall as well.

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Okay, I am going to drop the show, its too much for me. I wished it was cooler and sharper and edgier but its only interesting character is a Serial Killer and rest of his kids are too stupid with guidance or misguidance. I don't have a soft spot for Hyun Moo. I am pissed off by the lazy writing. I am deeply disappointed with where the show is going. And I don't understand the point or the goal of the show. Its like Pretty noona all over again with flawed characters and zero growth or was it in negative?
Now in details *because I won't be able to sleep otherwise*
1. Lazy writing: Is Do Jin the only alive police officer in South Korea? (Oh, the other just died). Who assigns a son to find his serial killer father??? What is every one else doing? How can on the earth the police be slow in coming, like patrol car, come on show?
And even though we were told about the cover up by Jail authorities for one day about the escape, why can't after two days every body has police protection?
And what kind of people are these who walk without fear when the serial killer is actually after them? Like what are you trying to do show? Then police already had a fairly good idea that the copy cat guy was in contact with our serial killer and the escape can have dire consequences. Like who could not see that?
By the way are the letters and conversations that happen in jail not recorded? Because our copy cat guy really did say out aloud that he will complete the book?
And If I remember correctly from prison playbook, the meeting rooms in prisons are not that fancy, so our serial killer should not have been able to strangle the reporter. (Sorry that was a few episodes back.)
And what was that copy cat guy doing in the lock up cell, if he was being investigated, every f****** police officer would be with him in the investigation room so as to get as much info from him as possible.
Like the no one other than the son cares to ask him.
Now, how come they did not guess who was the woman who helped him, it was clear that the other two guards if they survived (no, you need to be hammered to be dead, that's what I learnt from the show, so they must be alive) should be able to tell which was the last nurse who went. Come on, no CCTVs? That much was obvious !!!
Why are you doing lazy writing for convenience, Nam moo did not gain much from the torture either.
*Faceplam*
And the mom left our officer like that in front of someone else's how, like a present? Like really?
And our awesome heroine who is not a child and can protect herself by trying to scream out from her garage after she is dead (clearly, the other guy had hammer, hammered = dead). Who wrote this dialog?
And why does no one in the show know self-defense? (I am not even sure if they know this word exists, somebody should tell them to look up in a dictionary in the section off words starting with letter s).
And the sexist world: The son learns martial arts while his...

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... And the sexist world: The son learns martial arts while his sister is going to play sacred and will not learn it. Exactly why? On the same point, Hae-Ji could also learn it, you know you can shot action scenes yourself and will help you stay alive.

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1. Contd. More on Lazy writing This way of lazy writing is not actually helping the show at all. It takes away the edge and scariness. Other people's carelessness is not what made the serial killer, its more like he is cold blooded and he knows what he is doing. He plans out everything and takes cares of details. That's the psychopath tendency. The violence and torture are the next step which come once he fails to manipulate or get what he want and he has to get rid of people who seem to contradict his version of reality. His reality is really the book he wrote and he will make it happen. He doesn't care if a few police officers have to make way. So, don't cut this ruthelessness out of the story.
2. Hyun Moo's out of character wishful thinking: I found it out of his character, he is a kid who craves for attention from his father, how can he even in his dreams have a world where there is no father? Even in his last conversation with the prosecutor brother, he still had his father in mind, he said he wanted to kill for his family, so what the hell happened in a flash of second for this wishful thinking? No doubt that he has the soft spot for other people in his family like his mother and So-jin but its not their love that he craves for, he craves for first the attention of father and as a result the love of his family just like nam moo.
(Misguided or not; I don't have a soft spot for him: Its just like the reporter said in beginning of the series to Nam moo about his father that he had a difficult childhood and so we should have pity for his father, and Nam moo's reply fits for his brother as well.)

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3. Do Jin's character assassination : What on the earth did you do, writer-nim? This is not the guy I was watching the series for. He is supposed to be like his father, then atleast he should be smart enough and trained enough by now (at least at the police academy, they did teach him something, and he was the best student) to know that he has to guess first what is father is going to do. Don't tell me he did not give a thought. Otherwise me and also his serial killer father will be extremely disappointed. He doesn't have to be like him to catch him, because he will be always lagging behind this way. he has to outsmart his father by guessing what he is will do and he has to fight for control.
(I talked about this controlling game with @sicarius, if you are still interested, you can look at her wall, but you did survive well to reach upto here in my rants.)
And the best part is this fight need not be physical unlike what the show wants to show us. They can just do a staring game. Do Jin practiced so much staring. It should be useful now.
4. The Goal of the show I felt in these week episode that the whole point of the show is to get to final show down with loads of blood and violence. But it does not solve any purpose for me, the point was healing, you won't heal if you hunt down to kill your father with your own hands. It makes every effort by the dead police officer and his mom and he himself so useless. Its like negative character growth and even worse for the emotional growth.

So, I will not boil my blood and just read the recaps, which our lovely and hardworking @mary writes.
Thank you mary!

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Ep 27:
Where is obvious the house collapse?
I though that the IQ drop was so significant when Inspector Kang opened his mouth to say whatever he said that the building would have collapsed!! What kind of reinforcement the building had that the pressure drop from the gasp of the reporter did not manage to shake it?
Exactly how?

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Thank you for your weecap and comments, Mary! You already are riding herd as DramaBeans' IT Goddess, so whenever you get around to posting your recaps is fine by me. ;-)

I've been dreading Chief Go's impending demise ever since he took Na-moo under his wing 12 years ago. His days were numbered starting with that humane and selfless act. His good deeds, especially his loving support for Mom, did not go unpunished. Fittingly, his relationship with the Chae family was truly a two-way street, and restored his faith in human nature at a time when his soul was shriveling from overexposure to human evil in his professional life. Like our Ace Recapper, I feel cheated that we did not get a few more scenes of pseudo-family bliss. Chief Go was a humble, honorable man, and Jung In-gi did a lovely job portraying him. RIP, Go Yi-seok.

In that scene of Nurse Groupie Jeon Yoo-ra at her new job in Gyeonggi Hospital, did anyone else get a little twinge – as she squirted the hypodermic syringe – that she also moonlights as an “angel of death”? Her demeanor truly creeps me out.

I never thought I'd see the day when Hyun-moo and Moo-won would commiserate with each other, but it happened. And I never thought I'd see the day that Hyun-moo would go to bat for Na-moo (that jerk), but he did. It was enough to change Moo-won's attitude towards his sister's honey, which effectively means that Hell has officially frozen over. Oh, and “Manseh!” that Detective Chae now has the hidden camera footage of Reporter Park's murder to aid in the investigation and clear his hyung's name.

It's truly pathetic that Officer Kang Nam-gil's theft of evidence resulted in a fellow officer's death. An ex-con and a prosecutor with an axe to grind were more trustworthy in securing the chain of evidence than him. (Someone please cast Min Sung-wook as a good guy. He could play Oh Man-seok's brother. I'd pay to see that. He just portrayed a nasty chaebol in ABOUT TIME, and was a baddie in TWO COPS and CIRCLE. Enough already.)

I'm about ready to scream that Jae-yi and Do-jin continue to lie to each other that they're okay when they obviously are not. Every time they assure each other that they are FINE, I'm reminded of the acronym's meaning: “Effed-up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.”

Do-jin has a nightmare and denies it after barging into her room. Looks like a panic attack to me. She calms him down by curling up with him, and says, “Sleep in peace.” Hello?! That sounds an awful lot like “Rest in peace.” (Was something lost in translation?) Can you be a little more subtle about the foreshadowing, Writer-nim?

I'm getting horrible LOOKOUT vibes now, right out of left field. Has Do-jin suddenly morphed into Do-han? (NOOOO!) Is Detective Chae actually a changeling? Has Do-jin been replaced by a Bad Robot? Are we witnessing a slo-mo Makjang Derailment? Has Scotty beamed up Writer-nim, and left a changeling to write the finale?!

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LMAO your last paragraph.
You have to wonder, though, don't you you?

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@sicarius,

I figured I couldn't do any worse by bolting on some tropes, events, and switcheroos from other currently-airing Kdramas. ;-)

With Prosecutor Jang Do-han, we got plenty of forewarning that he may have gone too far beyond the pale to live with the guilt of failing to prevent the child's death. Early in the show, it was revealed that he might not make it. It was a shock when he croaked, but it was not a surprise. (It was also an outrage how it was handled, but that's a different kettle of fish.)

I'm actually feeling as if I'm witnessing character assassination. It's so unpalatable, I'd just as soon believe that the Na-moo we all know and love has been shanghaied into an alternate dimension that's 30 years ago, and is sharing a coma/fugue state with Detective Tae-joo. Sheesh!

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Oh nah I wasn't even remotely shocked when he died. Partly because I knew he died prior but also (I think I wrote about this in my essay) it made SENSE that he died. (although yes I don't agree with HOW he died either lmao)

Pffahahahaha I'm very annoyed our character is being assassinated. Like, I know we all already loved Hyun Moo but HOW is NM arc going so downhill so quickly!!! *mad* *so mad*

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I felt like jumping up and down when Hyun-moo had the hammer and just stood there with it. Why not chuck it out the window behind him? Granted, Psycho Dad could have just strangled them with his bare hands... but it might have bought them some time. Especially if he were bound and determined to kill them in his ritualistic manner.

Aw, heck. If I were in the presence of such a heinous killer, I probably would just stand around like a mesmerized doofus in the Crosswalk Of Doom.

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Yiiiiiiikes, so I was horribly wrong about Hui Jae wanting to reunite the family. That did seem to be his original intentions but after seeing himself replaced by Chief Go, now he just wants to destroy the family that abandoned him and corrupt the son who defeated him. I think he wants to force Na Moo to kill him in cold blood to prove that he isn't alone in this world and that Na Moo can't actually stand for his ideals without violence. I hope Na Moo proves him wrong.

The conversation between the two big brothers broke my heart. But it seemed to give Moo Won a little insight into his own pain and he seems to be doing a little better :')

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The part "Come here and Hug Me" has become boring for me. All the scenes between the two characters are : he/she feels guilty, they talk they hug.

I really liked Hyun Moo, even if he did bad things when he was young, he really changed.

Na Moo is a good cop I would like to see more this side of him (instead of the love story).

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Hyun Moo was everything for me this week. If he doesn't live through the finale then the finale doesn't exist.

I really like them showing the darker side of Na Moo, too. But it doesn't engage me like it should because it's felt so clunky. He went from zero to almost killer in a scene. It feels plot- rather than character-driven.

I wish we'd have had some other moments where Na Moo almost cracks, or has to work hard to keep himself in check. Like he realizes he has some parts about him that are a little too much like what he saw in Pops. Just little moments sprinkled throughout the drama, amping up as his family and lady get closer and closer to danger, and then breaking at the same point. Because then all this talk of "psychopathy is in the blood" would have been more reflected in his character struggle. His character was SO GOOD during most of the episodes that he became outshone by the more layered Hyun Moo. Jang Ki-yong is a great actor and so I never felt bored by him, but man I would have loved to see some more inner struggle rather than just loads of guilt, especially if this was the trajectory of his character all along.

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@ultramafic,

I agree with you: If Na-moo was supposed to be fighting an inner battle with his own dark side, we should have seen evidence of it from the very beginning. I'm sure that Jang Ki-yong and Nam Da-reum could have conveyed it, so I have to chalk it up to the writing.

Then again, there's the possibility that Na-moo truly is unaware of his own personal demons that might be far worse than Daddy Dearest's. (Look up "Johari window" to see how that could be possible.) But I wouldn't bet the ranch that Writer-nim is going that route. The eleventh-hour timing of the "revelation" smells more like finale fatigue.

In contrast to the layers that have been revealed in Hyun-moo in recent episodes, Na-moo is looking more and more like a goody two-shoes drowning in guilt -- and I resent it. A noble character is being turned into a plot device. He deserves better than that. Arg.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that we're being trolled in some way. Either that or agents unknown heisted the plot and are holding it for ransom... Sheesh.

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I don't think we're being trolled. I think it's just bad writing in this instance. I've liked other parts of the writing, so idk what happened here.

I remember in one of his first scenes when the academy guys were talking about how his father was a murderer and he didn't get mad he just patiently explained things to them something felt... off about him. Like he was trying very hard to be nice but was so angry underneath. And I loved that and thought we'd see more of that, so it has been disappointing.

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Ahhh Mary, I had given up on this show but your recaps made it so much better!! The show's story re-told with your snide comments gave it that much needed comedic relief! I was gonna quite my favorite bits but I ended up selecting too many lines so had to give up on that idea. And it's not just me laughing at your comments cuz that section at the end where you discuss monsters and later that part about Hyun Moo and mum and just everything gave me food for thought along with goosebumps! I don't recall what other shows u have recapped before but I have this urge to go back and read them all!

I am too late to try n finish the last two episodes so I'll just join the finale recap party instead! Thank you 🙏

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This is definitely Hyun-moo's eps because I've lost count how many times he made me bawl my eyes out. I've never expected, even in my wildest imagination, that we'll get to see Hyun-moo and Moo-won come to an understanding about each other. And frankly, I'm still amazed that Hyun-moo managed to get through Moo-woon's thick wall of prejudice and point out just how similar both of them actually are with their massive guilt and broken family. And when he spoke well about Do-jin, ufff... my heart.

He has also successfully dethroned Just Between Lovers from "most cruel imaginary scenario ever" category with that scene of his happy family having breakfast while teasing each other fondly. And if that's not enough, there's him standing up to Yoon Hee-jae at last: making plea for his father to stop hurting people, calling his mother 'Mom' for the first time *sniffle*, and protecting her from Dad's hammer rampage. I was so relieved that the writer spared him from becoming another casualty in Yoon Hee-jae's serial killing. Because now I finally got to see him grumpily accepting So-jin and Mom's love and nag. Please come back safely from your jail time, Hyun-moo. We'll be waiting for you. 🤗

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