Thirty But Seventeen: Episodes 3-4

by TeriYaki

A house and a little dog are all that remain of the life that Seo-ri remembers, so she’s desperate to protect them. Thanks to her new friend, she has a chance to stay close to both of them while she tries to piece together what happened to her friends and family after her accident. Against his better judgment, Woo-jin somehow gets involved with the thirty-year-old waif because the one thing that he’s devoted to is that little dog, who wants nothing more than to stay by Seo-ri’s side.

 
EPISODE 3: “Elegant ghost”

The crowd in Woo-jin’s house has moved to the living room, where recent coma patient Seo-ri clutches Deok-gu the dog, and the maid apologizes for assuming that she was his relative. Seo-ri tries to explain that her family owns the house but Woo-jin informs her that his parents bought it eleven years ago and introduces Chan as his nephew.

Seo-ri points to Paeng, who was her dog, but Woo-jin tells her that he was abandoned and taken in by his family. Seo-ri asks about her uncle but Chan volunteers that he and Woo-jin (who he calls Mr. Gong) were out of the country when the house was purchased.

Chan wonders why Seo-ri doesn’t contact her uncle directly but Seo-ri stammers that they lost touch. Chan kindly offers to call his grandfather but after they speak, he awkwardly explains that the previous owner left everything behind in a hurry, including Deok-gu. Chan gently suggests that Seo-ri might have better luck with the police.

Woo-jin stands to ask Seo-ri to leave and reaches for Deok-gu, but the dog turns its head away and whimpers. Woo-jin calls his dog’s name but Chan’s friend Deok-soo answers instead, and Chan has to explain that their names are practically identical.

Her eyes brimming, Seo-ri apologizes to Woo-jin for the trouble and tells the dog that she can’t take care of him. She hands over Deok-gu while he whimpers sadly.

Seo-ri runs into the lobby of a building to look for her uncle’s business but a security guard informs her that he’s never heard of his trading firm. Seo-ri exits the building in confusion until she remembers Chan’s suggestion about the police and runs off.

At the police station, Seo-ri rattles off the names of her aunt and uncle and asks the officers to find them and then adds her friends Soo-mi and Hyung-tae. An officer kindly asks for her ID but Seo-ri explains that she doesn’t have any because she’s only seventeen. When Seo-ri scolds herself for the mistake, another officer whispers that she must have mental problems. The officer explains that unless she wants information about her immediate family, they can’t help her.

Seo-ri wanders down a street as the officer’s parting words are heard, “This neighborhood was redeveloped a long time ago. Whoever used to live there probably moved.” Seo-ri looks around and wonders where her friends and family could be until she’s frozen by the sight of her reflection in a store window.

Back at the house, Chan and his friends are about to devour four cakes when Woo-jin returns with food for Deok-gu. His friends stand up and Chan realizes that they were never properly introduced. He introduces his uncle, Mr. Gong, who guesses that the guests are Chan’s friend and coach.

Deok-soo laughs, “That’s right. I’m Chan’s coach,” and then whines, “Of course I’m not his coach.” Chan explains that they’re all the same age and introduces Han Deok-soo and DONG HAE-BUM, whose family became wealthy through redevelopment.

Woo-jin turns his attention to Deok-gu’s untouched dinner while Chan’s friends ask if he digs for herbs in the mountains. Chan jumps to his uncle’s defense and explains that he’s been on vacation. Deok-soo and Hae-bum think that not caring how you look is a great way to live but a worried Chan quietly mutters, “I wish Mr. Gong didn’t live like that.”

A passing pack of motorcycles forces Seo-ri onto a sidewalk and into a middle-aged drunk. She runs away, only to end up on a street with a man who she’s convinced has a knife. Terrified, Seo-ri screams and runs away when he pulls out a foil-wrapped meat stick from his jacket.

Woo-jin sits in his bedroom, the walls covered with all kinds of sketches, including one of Deok-gu. He hears howling and finds Deok-gu in the living room, staring out the window. Chan joins him and the two men wonder what’s behind Deok-gu’s unusual behavior.

The maid has now joined them and speaks up, “Dogs don’t bark for no reason.” She begins to howl herself and then expertly explains that howling is a signal to family members to come home. Impressed, Chan applauds and tells Woo-jin, “Amazing. She sounds like the internet.”

Woo-jin protests, “But his family is already here,” only to have Chan wonder, “Is he looking for that lady? Deok-gu’s original owner?” Woo-jin sends everyone to bed and stays behind to calm Deok-gu.

Seo-ri has taken refuge inside a playground slide and whimpers that she’s scared. She remembers a conversation in the car with her mother when she confessed that she wasn’t sure if she was ready for serious study of the violin. Seo-ri was relieved when her mother suggested that she needn’t feel pressured to attend an arts middle school.

Her mother’s gentle laugh from the past is drowned out by Seo-ri’s sobs in the present. The seventeen-year-old version of Seo-ri appears and serves as a reminder of just how young she feels.

The maid is busy mopping when Woo-jin walks in, clean-shaven and sporting a fresh haircut. Thinking he’a an intruder, she smoothly points the mop at his head and asks, “Who are you?” She recognizes him once he speaks and comments, “I can’t believe how much hair changes a person.”

While the maid recites more quotes, this time about first impressions, Woo-jin checks on Deok-gu, who still hasn’t eaten. He schedules an appointment with the vet but before he leaves, the maid informs him of her plan to clean the garden. When she asks for the key to the shed, he insists that she’s to leave it alone.

The vet examines Deok-gu and recommends that he stay for treatment. When Woo-jin leaves, he’s runs into a man who recognizes him. The man tells him that he’s relieved to see him look so well and suggests that they meet but then wonders, “…Is it better for us to not see each other again?” Woo-jin silently bows and then walks away.

In the morning, a disheveled Seo-ri is so hungry that she can practically taste the food from a nearby cart. A woman offers Seo-ri some free food, thinking that she’s homeless, and walks her over to the right place. A man asks to cut in front of her and ends up taking the last of the rice. The server takes pity on a distraught Seo-ri and hands her a Choco Pie from her apron.

When Seo-ri sees herself in the bathroom, she’s shocked by her reflection and cleans herself up. Outside, she finds a bench and has her treat in her mouth when a sign nearby falls over, so she sets down the Choco Pie to fix it.

Woo-jin sees the empty bench and pulls out his tape measure as he plops down to take some measurements. When Seo-ri returns, she can’t find the Choco Pie anywhere and asks the unrecognizable Woo-jin if he’s seen it.

Woo-jin doesn’t even look up when he tells her, “No.” He starts snapping photos but Seo-ri interrupts to ask if he ate the Choco Pie and when he angrily explains that he doesn’t eat food off the street, he’s surprised to see Seo-ri.

Seo-ri meekly apologizes for doubting an adult, especially at a first meeting. Woo-jin is confused until he realizes why she doesn’t recognize him. When he stands up, the mystery of the Choco Pie is solved—it’s stuck to the seat of Woo-jin’s jeans.

The schoolgirl who called Woo-jin a pervert passes by and runs off in disgust, convinced that he soiled his pants. Seo-ri is practically in tears—how could Woo-jin sit on her Choco Pie? She looks longingly at what’s left of her precious treat and then glares at Woo-jin. When he promises to pay for it, Seo-ri perks up and asks him to just get her another one.

Seo-ri follows Woo-jin but overhears people’s comments that he pooped. She tries to tell him but he doesn’t care so she insists, “It really, really looks like you have poop on your pants.” Woo-jin is just as insistent, “I don’t care if it really, really looks like I have poop on my pants.”

Seo-ri takes off her sweater and ties it around Woo-jin’s waist (that was one sneaky back hug) and tells him that he looks much better. Woo-jin buys another Choco Pie but Seo-ri runs off to return some cash that a woman dropped in the street, and they get separated.

Chan works out with his rowing team and it turns out that he’s a beast in the gym. Deok-soo and Hae-bum wonder if he comes with a battery because Chan continues to workout while they crawl to get water.

Outside, the teenage girl who called Woo-jin a pervert confronts Chan for ignoring her calls and texts. She’s encouraged when he answers that it was late by the time he saw them and he didn’t want to wake her.

The girl was about to look for Chan at his house but Hae-bum informs her that he’s staying with his uncle. Deok-soo and Hae-bum smirk when she decides that she needs to pay her respects to her future uncle. Chan offers her a bite of his sandwich but she confesses that she lost her appetite after she saw a man with poop on his pants.

When Woo-jin arrives at work, he’s greeted by a younger man that he doesn’t recognize. Woo-jin calls him by the wrong name and breaks into a smile at his annoyance. The man compliments the pink cardigan but when Woo-jin reveals what it hides, he’s asked if it’s poop.

Seo-ri finally finds someone who remembers her, the owner of the dry cleaners, and asks what happened to her aunt.

At work, a client asks Woo-jin to design a set for an extra scene. He asks to hear the music that will accompany the scene and the melancholy melody inspires a loneliness that becomes the theme of his sketched design.

The client is impressed with more than Woo-jin’s artistic ability and invites him to dinner, but he isn’t hungry. She suggests drinks but Woo-jin rejects that invitation as well. When she finds out that she lives in the neighborhood next to Woo-jin, he’s oblivious that she hinting for a ride. She’s about to get into his car when he drives away and Hee-soo arrives just in time to appease the angry client with an invitation to dinner.

A renowned violinist, KIM TAE-RIN, poses for photos and then sits for an interview. When asked if she ever had a rival, a flashback shows Tae-rin as a teenager, keenly interested in Seo-ri’s performance for a competition.

Tae-rin won that competition but she looked anxious when she overheard a teacher invite Seo-ri to accompany him as the second violinist. In the present, Tae-rin insists, “I don’t compare myself to others when I play.”

An exhausted Seo-ri rests at a bus stop just when Woo-jin’s car stops in front of it on the way back from the vet with Deok-gu. Her attention is on a poster of Tae-rin while Deok-gu looks at her through the car window. Woo-jin doesn’t see her at all and drives away when the light changes. Tae-rin’s poster triggers a memory of her aunt asking about her practice violin and Seo-ri gets up and runs off.

At Woo-jin’s house, the doorbell rings with multiple food deliveries and so the gate is wide open when Seo-ri returns.

 
EPISODE 4: “The room under the stairs”

Chan is about to eat when Deok-gu runs to Seo-ri, who let herself in. Seo-ri asks to look through the belongings that her uncle left behind but Chan warns her that his grandfather probably threw everything away. She asks for just three minutes to check and Chan relents because Woo-jin is in the shower.

Woo-jin walks out of the bathroom sooner than expected and is confronted by a panicked Chan. He pulls Woo-jin into a tight hug and claims,”I’m just really happy to live with you again. It reminds me of when we lived together in Germany.”

Woo-jin rewards him with a kiss on the cheek that Chan doesn’t appreciate but he recovers enough to suggest that they should catch up for three minutes. Woo-jin agrees but when he’s about to go downstairs for water, Chan holds him back until they hear a sound downstairs.

They find the maid downstairs and Woo-jin assumes that she make the noise. Chan isn’t sure if Seo-ri is still there but when he whispers, “Ajumma,” the maid comes back.

Startled, Chan answers, “I didn’t call for you, aunt,” but she doesn’t like “aunt” and asks in English to be called JENNIFER. Woo-jin walks in to measure Deok-gu’s doghouse with plans to make him another and Chan sounds jealous when he wishes that his uncle paid that much attention to him.

Chan’s “girlfriend” walks in unseen as Chan begs Woo-jin to build his chick a house. She primps to meet Chan’s uncle but the sight of the tape measure reminds her of the pervert. When she realizes that the pervert is Chan’s uncle, she runs out.

Woo-jin works on a model for the new set when he hears an eerie sound late at night. He joins a nervous Chan in the hallway and both men grab something to defend themselves on the way downstairs.

They both fall back in fear when they see Jennifer, motionless, at the foot of the stairs. She heard the sound too and arms herself with a large duster.

Woo-jin wonders why Deok-gu is interested in a bookcase under the stairs and Jennifer suggests that he can see something they can’t. Suddenly, another bookcase swings open and when a hand emerges, Chan and Woo-jin scream and hug each other.

When they see someone crawl out they scream even more until Jennifer turns on the light. A weak Seo-ri croaks, “Food,” and when she recognizes Woo-jin, she points at him and whispers, “Po… po… poop.”

In the kitchen, Seo-ri shovels food into her mouth with Deok-gu on her lap. Jennifer lectures her about starving herself while Woo-jin quietly studies her. Chan comes racing in and excitedly babbles, “This is epic! It looks like Harry Potter’s room.”

Seo-ri admits that she didn’t recognize Woo-jin earlier, “Who knew Mr. Poop was the same man as Mr. Pervert?” Chan asks his uncle accusingly, “You pulled out the tape measure again, didn’t you?”

Chan explains away his uncle’s behavior, “It’s his job to measure things and make miniature models of them,” but wonders, “Who’s Mr. Poop?” Seo-ri starts to explain, “Oh, this afternoon, he had poop…,” but before she can finish Chan looks at Woo-jin suspiciously and asks, “Did you poop in the streets, Mr. Gong?” (Help! This is too funny.)

Woo-jin changes the subject and asks Seo-ri how she got inside the house. Chan is now the one in the hotseat but he nonchalantly explains that he let her in to look for something.

Chan tells Seo-ri that he thought she left the house and a slight rewind shows that the secret room held all kinds of treasures, including her violin. Seo-ri explains that she planned to leave but was so weak that she had to rest and fell asleep.

Seo-ri apologizes to everyone for frightening them and then feeds Deok-gu a slice of fresh pepper. Woo-jin is surprised and Chan explains that Deok-gu wouldn’t eat.

When Seo-ri shares how much Deok-gu loves peppers, Chan gushes that the dog’s energy improves whenever she’s around. Annoyed, Woo-jin asks Seo-ri to leave once she’s done with her food but Chan insists that it’s much too late.

Chan wants Seo-ri to stay overnight in the room under the stairs but Woo-jin refuses. Jennifer sides with Chan and Woo-jin gives up and announces that he’s going back to bed. Chan tells Seo-ri, “In Mr. Gong’s language, that means it’s okay for you to sleep here tonight.”

Chan proves to be a thoughtful host and calls out that he has everything that Seo-ri needs for the night. When she doesn’t answer, he opens the door and sees that she’s not there, but he does see her violin, and a stack of blankets already left inside for her.

Seo-ri is outside with Deok-gu and uses her fingers to frame the moon in the sky, just like she used to do. Woo-jin comes downstairs for some water and searches for Deok-gu when he sees the empty doghouse. He’s just about to look in the garden when Chan interrupts him.

Chan sits next to Seo-ri in the garden and asks if she came for the violin. Seo-ri explains that her mother gave her that violin and she was worried that she’d never see it again. She adds that’s why her father built that house, so that Seo-ri could practice without troubling the neighbors.

The stairs room was a surprise from her father and talking about it triggers a flood of happy memories. Wistfully, Seo-ri confesses that the house holds the precious memories of her time with her parents.

Chan remembers that Seo-ri lived there with her uncle and she confides that her parents died in a tunnel collapse when she was fourteen. Chan can’t understand why her uncle sold the house so suddenly, which is the very question that Seo-ri wants answered.

She strokes Deok-gu’s coat and muses that it feels as if everyone she knew disappeared off the face of the earth. Meanwhile, back in his room, Woo-jin pushes aside the Choco Pie that he bought Seo-ri to find a notebook.

In the morning, with her violin on her back, Seo-ri thanks Chan, who is confident that she’ll find her uncle. She’s touched when Jennifer gives her a bag of snacks so that she won’t faint from hunger.

Outside she returns Paeng/Deok-gu and asks Chan to take care of him and her house. Chan generously offers that if she ever wants to visit Deok-gu or needs food, to come by anytime. He asks about her plans and she tells him that she has to find her uncle.

Chan sighs that if it was up to him, Seo-ri could stay at the house. With a last look at Deok-gu, she turns to leave but Chan calls out, “Didn’t you say you felt like everyone you knew disappeared? You have someone now. Me. I’m someone you know now.”

Seo-ri objects to being called “ajumma” but Chan shyly admits that he can’t bring himself to call her “noona.” Before Seo-ri leaves, a realtor walks into the garden and explains to his clients that they can easily replace the house with a seven-story building.

The realtor approaches Woo-jin who just got off of the phone with his father. He encourages them to look around and Chan chases after him to find out why the people are there. Woo-jin explains that the house is too much for his father to take care of when he’s not there. A panicked Seo-ri grabs Woo-jin’s hand to ask if the house will be torn down.

Woo-jin doesn’t know since his parents are the ones who listed it for sale. When he tries to leave, Seo-ri blocks him and offers to buy the house once she finds her uncle. Woo-jin tells her to talk directly to his parents or the realtor and continues on his way.

Deok-gu jumps out of Chan’s arms and runs after Seo-ri when she follows the realtor. Woo-jin gets out of his car when he sees Deok-gu in the street just as a food delivery motorcycle appears. Seo-ri screams and falls on top of Deok-gu as the bike whizzes by.

Chan and Woo-jin crouch by Seo-ri’s side as a dark puddle spreads. They’re about to call emergency when Seo-ri raises her head to tell them that it’s grape juice. Chan is relieved until he notices that Seo-ri has a cut on her nose.

Doctor Hyung-tae is back in Korea and checks in with his colleague from outside of Seo-ri’s rehabilitation hospital. His friend has good news—the chief approved the long-term care that Hyung-tae requested. Buoyed by the news, he goes to Seo-ri’s room but it’s empty. Hyung-tae runs into the young nurse, shocked to learn that Seo-ri woke up and then disappeared during her rehabilitation. He races out of the hospital and rides off in a taxi.

Woo-jin is still at home where Chan presses him to allow Seo-ri to stay with them. Jennifer folds the laundry very precisely while Chan targets Woo-jin’s weak spot, “If it wasn’t for her, your precious Deok-gu would have gotten hurt.”

Woo-jin promises to compensate her but an impassioned Chan argues, “What that lady needs is this house.” Chan begs Woo-jin to let her stay until she finds her uncle and buys the house. When Woo-jin remains silent, Chan exclaims, “Wow, I couldn’t even ignore a chick on the streets. How can you ignore Deok-gu’s savior?”

Woo-jin has had enough and gives his nephew a firm, “No.” Chan won’t give up and mutters,”He didn’t even know that room existed. What’s so hard about letting her stay there?” Seo-ri overhears him and promises to be very quiet but when Woo-jin offers her compensation, Chan calls him unreasonable.

Chan takes a gamble, “Fine. Since she saved his life and she’s his original owner, she can take him.” He takes Deok-gu from the doghouse and gives him to Seo-ri, “Bye, Deok-gu. See you. Live happily with your original owner.”

Woo-jin finally loses his temper and yells at Chan just as the realtor calls to schedule a follow-up appointment for his clients. Jennifer interrupts as she holds up the pink sweater to ask who it belongs to. When Seo-ri claims it, Woo-jin remembers how she used it to cover his pants.

The realtor wants an answer so Woo-jin apologizes that the house won’t be available for a month. When he hangs up, he instructs Jennifer to put the sweater in the stairs room and leaves. Victorious, Chan explains to Seo-ri that means that she can stay with them for the next month and they squee like a couple of teenagers.

The taxi drops Hyung-tae off in front of Woo-jin’s house while Woo-jin sits in his car. Inside, Seo-ri plays happily with Deuk-gu as Jennifer goes about her housework. Chan sits beside her and offers a handshake, “Welcome, ajumma. Let’s get along well from now on.” Deok-gu adds his paw to their handshake but the happy moment is interrupted by the doorbell.

Seo-ri stands up but we see her younger version. Woo-jin gets out of his car but his younger self approaches the house and the very same thing happens with Hyung-tae.

 
COMMENTS

I haven’t laughed this much for a drama in a long time. Yang Se-jong and Ahn Hyo-seop are responsible for most of those laughs as they showcase not only good chemistry but great comedic timing. I couldn’t imagine how they could top that scene of the two of them coming down the stairs together in the dark, but then came the Mr. Poop/Mr. Pervert exchange at the table. Poor Woo-jin! It’s tough to drop lower than a pervert but thanks to an unseen Choco Pie, he managed to do just that.

The look on Chan’s face when he asked Woo-jin if he actually pooped in the street was priceless. At times like that, Chan is more like an older brother to Woo-jin, yet at other times he’s all teenager — like when he excitedly begged his uncle to build a house for his chick or when he showed a flash of jealousy towards Deok-gu, who is more like a sibling than a pet.

As much as I enjoyed the comedy in this hour, I have to admit that I felt as if I was slammed against a brick wall when Woo-jin’s house went up for sale. Didn’t Chan’s parents just go out of the country for a year and a half? Woo-jin returned to Korea to live with his nephew, so his father shouldn’t have as much trouble caring for the house. Why sell it now, when Chan and Woo-jin have to live together somewhere? I understand that it was necessary to figure out a way to bring Woo-jin, Chan, and Seo-ri under the same roof, but that development jolted me. I know that it’s usually necessary to check logic at the door to enjoy a drama, but the house’s sale is stretching my abilities.

Until that point, I fully enjoyed the return of the human-looking Yang Se-jong. That hairiness was a bit much and I’m thankful that it’s in the past. I can’t believe that for all intents and purposes, Woo-jin is about to share his home with not one, but two teenagers. Strong-willed ones to boot. Chan knows how to get his way and Seo-ri has been abandoned. Now that I think about it, both Chan and Woo-jin seem to both have a weakness for abandoned creatures. Which means that now that Seo-ri is their roommate, with no friends or family of her own, their lives are about to get even more interesting.

 
RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: Life, Thirty But Seventeen, Risky Romance, Your Honor, Time, Gangnam Beauty
• Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong meet as Thirty But Seventeen in new rom-com
• Yang Se-jong, Shin Hye-sun offered new drama Thirty But Seventeen