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Chocolate: Episode 14

After his return from his hometown, our doctor finds his life in flux, both personally and professionally. Determined to win our chef’s heart, he’s never far away and some unexpected news places them near the ocean once again. Finally ready to move on from the tragedy of her childhood, our chef reaches out to the doctor with a very important tale to tell.

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

Kang visits his grandmother at the hospital where he’s scolded for not answering his aunt’s calls. Seo-hoon ignores Hye-mi’s presence to complain that she took advantage of Kang’s absence to take over the hospital. When Grandma asks about his visit to Wando, Kang confesses that he didn’t want to return so she throws a pillow at him and yells, “Then go back!”

Joon lays flowers at his grandfather’s (not really) grave as Seung-hoon tries to figure out why they’re there. Seung-hoon fondly remembers that his father found his imperfections endearing and that he was never impressed with Kang’s father. When Seung-hoon asks his son if he has something say, Joon dodges the question, “I don’t remember. I forgot.”

Once he’s back at the hospice, Kang recalls confessing to Cha-young in Wando and looks in the direction of the kitchen. Inside, Cha-young asks Tae-hyun to taste a finished dish but he whines that he’s stuffed. Cha-young reminds him that he’s only supposed take one bite but Tae-hyun protests that since she lost her ability to taste and smell, her food is irresistible.

When Kang walks in and asks, “Can I also have a bite,” Tae-hyun deliberately pushes Cha-young in his direction. He brings up Wando and teases, “Are you sure nothing happened between you two,” and when Kang confirms it, Tae-hyun grumbles on his way out.

Kang offers to taste more of Cha-young’s cooking and when she chooses a quick dish, he hurries to ask about his question, which she never answered. A flustered Cha-young still doesn’t answer him so Kang assures her, “I’m going to keep liking you regardless of your answer.” When Kang helps to add ingredients to the pan, their hands touch and he confesses, “But of course, I’d ask for nothing more if you also liked me back.”

As Kang sits down to eat the finished meal, he admits that he was afraid that Cha-young would run away. After a stranger chases Nurse Na-ra into the kitchen, Cha-young is alarmed when Kang confronts him.

Na-ra gets dragged out of the hospice by her father with Young-shil and Director Kwon close behind. Na-ra’s father is upset that after paying for her education, she’s working at a hospice instead of a hospital. When the scary dad snaps at Young-shil after she tries to intervene, she pushes the girl away and waves, “Bye, Na-ra.”

Director Kwon reasons that Na-ra’s exit is for the best since he was instructed to stop accepting new patients. While Young-shil absorbs the news that the hospice is actually closing, Director Kwon asks about Kang because he heard that Na-ra’s dad hit him.

Cha-young finds Kang on the roof where he lies that his aching jaw doesn’t hurt at all. Cha-young presses a rubber glove filled with ice to his face while explaining that Na-ra’s father is the infamous detective, Crazy Dog, known for wiping out the local gangsters.

Kang grabs the glove and when their hands touch, Cha-young pulls away. Kang confesses that he was hiding out of embarrassment after he failed to impress the person that he likes. It’s Cha-young’s turn to be embarrassed and when she turns to leave, Kang decides, “I’ll just go ahead and assume that you came because you were so worried about me.”

Just when Cha-young reaches the kitchen, Joon texts her for advice because he’s hungry but can’t seem to eat. He’s at the kiln when Cha-young sends him a list of ingredients and after a quick shopping trip, he’s soon cooking over an open fire. As Joon’s meal comes together, we hear Cha-young’s recommendation that kimchi fried rice is perfect whenever you’re distressed.

While Joon cooks, he remembers asking his dad during the visit to Grandpa’s grave, “Kang and I. Why must we fight? I feel like I knew why in the past. But I can’t remember.”

Just as Kang returns to his office, Joon calls to ask if he’s had lunch. When Kang arrives at Joon’s location, he’s surprised to learn about his interest in pottery and that Joon is playing hooky on his first day back at the hospital. As Joon cooks, he notes, “Pork belly tastes best with soju. “Kang offers to buy some, but Joon refuses, “I won’t drink with you.”

As they eat, Kang eyes his cousin and asks, “Do I have something on you?” Joon grunts, “Yes,” but he won’t give Kang any details. When Joon turns down Kang’s second offer to get some soju, Kang announces that he’s leaving. Before he goes, Joon rattles off the names of two influential Geosung Foundation directors who aren’t happy that Hye-mi was appointed chairwoman and suggests that Kang should contact them.

When Kang returns to his car, he thinks back to the Spring of 1995. He saw Joon kneeling before his mother while she scolded him for not understanding her English even though he’d studied abroad. Hye-mi had warned, “Kang may seem dumb, but he’s actually a very scary kid.” Joon’s two wrong test questions earned him ten lashes and while Hye-mi hit the back of his legs with a ruler, Kang winced.

Joon sits in front of the fire and recalls what happened after his beating. Kang had found his cousin and admitted that he couldn’t understand why his status as top student wasn’t enough. Kang had tried to lift Joon’s spirits with a chocolate truffle but the boy told him to go back home and swatted it away. Distressed, Kang had cried, “I’m not someone scary…I’m a human being, not a monster.” In the present, the cousins brood over their shared memory by themselves.

When Young-shil hears music on the hospice grounds, she informs the musician that he has to stop and recognizes the man that she saw in Michael’s mother’s neighborhood. Min Dae-sik smiles at Young-shil and asks, “You’re not married, are you?”

Young-shil takes in the results of Dae-sik’s plastic surgery, calling it a miracle that he survived the gangsters’ beating. Dae-sik protests when Young-shil treats him like a child but she reminds him that she did change his diapers when he was a baby.

The mood changes when Dae-sik confesses why he’s grateful that he didn’t die, “…so I can see you again like this.” Dae-sik steps closer and confesses that he sought out Young-shil to ask her a question, “Back then, why did you dump me?” Flustered, Young-shil runs back into the hospice.

Later, Young-shil takes some candy to Seon-ae’s restaurant and gently shares that Ye-sol’s mother passed away peacefully after her wedding. As they share the snack, Young-shil asks Seon-ae if she’s given up on making Director Kwon a meal. She protests when Seon-ae suggests that Young-shil should cook for the director because they would make a cute couple.

Young-shil announces that she has an admirer who’s seven years her junior but Seon-ae isn’t convinced. Young-shil changes the subject by suggesting that Director Kwon’s favorite dish, bossam kimchi, would cheer him up after learning that the hospice is shutting down.

After Young-shil leaves, Seon-ae gets to work making bossam kimchi. Cha-young arrives for a visit just as Seon-ae is packing it up and she shouts that she’s not there. Cha-young scolds Tae-hyun when she sees the mess that he made sorting black and white rice but he argues that the exercise will prevent dementia.

It seems Tae-hyun once prayed for dementia and now that his prayers are being answered, he’s worried. Cornered by the vacuum, Tae-hyun blurts out an address and tells Cha-young it’s where their mother lives.

When Kang returns to the hospice, the only person in the kitchen is Gyeong-soo (the grumpy kitchen help from Episode 5), Seon-ae’s replacement. As he leaves the kitchen, Kang gets a call from Hye-mi.

Cha-young arrives at the address that Tae-hyun gave her and sees that everything has been marked for seizure. Cha-young shows a local woman a photo of her mother and learns that she lived with the man who owned the house and ran away after using it to secure a loan.

The woman rants that her friend lost everything yet he goes to the bus stop every morning hoping that the woman will come back. Cha-young finds the man at the bus stop and remembers her mother’s promise to buy her a birthday present at the department store. Cha-young approaches him and when he explains that he’s waiting for his wife, she admits, “I waited for her too…and 20 years have passed…but she never showed up.”

The man doesn’t understand, so Cha-young explains that in spite of her mother’s lie, she’s waited all this time for her return. Cha-young tearfully vows, “But starting today, I won’t. So you should stop waiting for her too.”

Tae-hyun wipes away his tears while a track plays in his room at a noraebang. He tries to rap along to the song but he can’t stand the suspense and texts Cha-young for an update. Insisting that he doesn’t care, Tae-hyun looks conflicted when Cha-young texts back that she didn’t find their mother.

After taking 500,000 won out of her bank account, Cha-young finds the local woman at her restaurant and hands her an envelope. Cha-young asks her to feed the bankrupted owner of the vacation house and promises more money when it runs out.

Kang meets with Hye-mi and when he asks her to reconsider shutting down the hospice, she reminds him that she has the authority to do what she wants. As Hye-mi attempts to discuss Kang’s future, his phone rings with a call from Cha-young. Hye-mi is visibly annoyed when Kang answers it and insists that he’s not busy.

After learning that Cha-young is in South Chungcheong Province, Kang promises to join her in two hours. When Hye-mi protests, Kang argues that since the hospice won’t be closing, he doesn’t need to hear what she has to say. Explaining that he has something important to take care of, Kang walks out.

Seon-ae arrives at the hospice with the bossam kimchi but she can’t bring herself to deliver it. She sits by the side of the road to think but when she looks up, Seon-ae has no idea where she is.

Seon-ae paces on a nearby bridge and when Seung-hoon’s car stops, she doesn’t recognize him. After he introduces himself as Hyeon-seok’s friend, Seon-ae gushes, “I’m on my way to drop off lunch I made for my husband. He’s been working…for days.”

At the hospice, Seung-hoon tries to enlist Director Kwon’s help to prevent an employee strike once word about the hospice gets out. Director Kwon grabs a baseball bat that he brought to play with a young patient and points it at Seung-hoon. As Seung-hoon runs out, he scolds Director Kwon for leaving his ex-wife to wander around on her own.

Director Kwon runs out to the street and finds Seon-ae crying over the bossam kimchi that’s now all over the road. When Seon-ae sees Director Kwon, she calls him, “Honey,” and explains that when a truck scared her, she dropped his lunch.

In Boryeong, Kang finds Cha-young grilling clams in a restaurant and she confesses, “Eating delicious food suddenly made me think of you.” Kang beams and thanks Cha-young for the call but when she frets that he must be busy, he confesses that it’s his day off — he only went to work to see her. After they sweetly place a grilled clam on each other’s plates, Cha-young announces, “I’m going to tell you a long story.”

On the beach, Cha-young walks just ahead of Kang and confesses that she met her first love when he made her a home-cooked meal and didn’t charge her. He promised her chocolate truffles if she returned but her parents got into a fight and the family went back to Seoul.

Kang stops when Cha-young admits that she returned to Wando a year later and learned that the boy had moved to Seoul. After Cha-young tells Kang, “Then I grew up and met him again, like a miracle,” he remembers warning her that he wasn’t interested in dating when she was in the hospital for her appendectomy.

Cha-young continues with her story, “I tried to forget him…But there were days when I couldn’t stop thinking about him… which made my heart flutter and sad at the same time…” Kang is surprised to learn that Cha-young and Min-sung met when she returned to the bench where their paths crossed after hearing about his accident in Libya.

As Kang digests what he’s just heard, he walks ahead by himself and Cha-young is saddened as the distance between them grows. Kang looks out over the ocean and recalls the unhappiness on Cha-young’s face the day that Min-sung introduced them and her explanation when they broke up, “I’m in love with someone else.”

After realizing what Cha-young means to him, Kang walks back, telling himself, “Let’s stop talking about Min-sung…How about we only talk about us from now on? As if it’s always been just the two of us from the very beginning.” Taking Cha-young’s face in his hands, Kang kisses her and pulls her into a tight embrace.

 
COMMENTS

The sea serves as the backdrop for Kang’s and Cha-young’s relationship, from the time of their childhood to the present. So it makes perfect sense that their first kiss takes place on a beach just as the sun is setting. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves, it’s all a reminder of what makes Kang happy and it helped to be in that setting when Cha-young finally told him the truth. Instead of feeling guilty because he has feelings for Min-sung’s ex-girlfriend, Kang finally learns that he was in her heart first and that it was Min-sung who came between them.

That knowledge makes their kiss extra special, because in telling Kang about her years long love for him, Cha-young gives him the answer to his question. Yes it’s okay to like her, it’s been her wish for so long. And as they kissed, Kang accepted that Cha-young was always meant to be with him and that it was his misunderstandings that kept them apart. I would be so much happier for them but there are more revelations coming and I can’t imagine how Cha-young will feel when she learns that the woman who saved her life was Kang’s mother. Kang never allowed himself to grieve for his mother and if he learns about Cha-young’s connection to her, he won’t be able to avoid that pain any longer. But it’s time for Kang to deal with his loss, just like Cha-young had to face the loss of her mother once and for all.

Which is part of the message in this drama, that it’s necessary to make peace with the past to be free of it. Kang and Cha-young are getting there, while Director Kwon and Seon-ae are about to relive it. Whatever really happened between Director Kwon and Seon-ae is about to finally come to light as her mind returns to the time that they were married. Seon-ae is suddenly a young woman who can’t wait to see her hardworking intern husband, so what happened? Did she find out that she couldn’t have children and decided to hurt her husband so deeply to force a split? Then there’s Young-shil and the younger man that she once babysat. There’s an unresolved attraction there based on Young-shil’s panicked reaction when Dae-sik asked why she dumped him. The late introduction of a romantic interest for Young-shil feels a bit rushed, but I’ll deal with it, especially when it continues the theme of coming to terms with the past.

As the romance surges forward, the fight for control of the hospital takes an interesting turn with the impending closure of the hospice. Kang may not be super interested in the hospital, but he cares very much about the hospice. In her attempt to marginalize Kang, Hye-mi has awakened a tiger just as Joon is taking baby steps towards his cousin to help him displace her. Even though it’s difficult to overcome years of resentment, Joon now knows that Kang never wanted to be at odds with him. In fact, that flashback to Hye-mi’s warning that Kang was scary proves that she used him to push Joon harder, exactly what she accused Grandma of doing only in reverse.

As Cha-young and Kang continue on their bumpy road to happiness (I hope!) and with Joon ready to treat his cousin more like an ally than an enemy, their futures don’t look so lonely. Because our trio has certainly been plagued by loneliness for a long time. Not only am I looking forward to seeing Kang enjoy chocolate again, like SailorJumun mentioned, I’m hoping the cousins will finally share a bottle of soju (or more). If everyone can move on from the pain of their pasts, their futures hold the promise of love, togetherness and delicious food.

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This drama is really making me want to ditch my real life, find a small seaside town, and just stare at the waves.

Oh, and I'm glad some truths came out, they were honest with each other, and I'm not looking forward to the obligatory angst over the revelation that Kang's mother was with Cha-young in the rubble of that building collapse.

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saw the ep 15 preview too and don't understand why the angst is even necessary. cause seriously it's not Cha-young's or Kang's mom's fault that either person was in the collapsed building? they're both victims

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I can't tell if there will be actual angst over the matter. I remember in the early episodes of the drama, the previews cobbled together scenes (sometimes unrelated and out of sequence) to make it more dramatic/angsty.

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I'm all in for the small town by the sea, as long as the weather is like it is in this one.

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If only... It seems to have been raining for weeks around here. 🚿⛈🌧🌨☔🌊

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I think the revelation about Kang's mother being the woman that gave her chocolate up to CY while in the ruble, will be a double edged sword. Sorrow for him, guilt for her. So will they realize that they need each other to make their lives complete and happy?

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Kang is adorable when in love.
Jun wondering why he and Kang had to fight is just too sad. There was no reason for it. I'd like to see a Chaebol family that employs all the family in positions that complement their strengths and everyone works together to succeed.

I hate the mom connection. It is by far the storyline I dislike the most in this show. It is just a step to far in building a connection between the two, just both of them being traumatized from the disaster is enough.

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The mom connection gives them yet another reason to be guilty (her) and angry (him). Another reason to part and run away. This show has been heavy handed with the trauma. I think I've grown immune.

The mom connection is also showing us that Joon isn't trying to hurt Kang anymore (at least so far)>

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I want Jun and Kang to at least be on the road to a relationship. I totally think that given a chance they'd treasure that bond.

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Me too.

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Finally the kiss!! I'm glad Cha-young finally told him. It's kind of cute seeing Kang courting the lady that he likes :D
I'm so nervous about Kang knew about Cha-young and his mother connection. She may make a distance again, back to Greece and we come back to introducing in Ep 1.

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WOWZA DAT KISS. So worth the wait ☺

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Hi @sailorjumun. It’s great to see you here. Thank you for all your recaps. We here always appreciate and enjoy reading your recaps and Teriyaki’s. ❤️

// me waving 👋 to Sailorjumun 🥺

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Thanks for the recap teriyaki! I love what you said that this drama is all about making peace with the past.

I almost forget about CY and her Mom story. Thanks God they didnt prolong the story any longer. I'm happy that finally CY make peace with herself and let her mom "go". Next week is Kang's turn and i hope my heart is ready for another tug of war.

The hospice story and director kwon- Soo ae story make a little plot this week. I hope they resolve well and don't take hours to solve because all i wanna see in the last 2 episode is our couple's happiness- with Jun also-

The kiss was so hot (and literally dark) , my heart skip a beat! Kang narration before he kiss her is one of the best line i hear in this drama. It made the kiss more special. Love it!

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Thanks @teriyaki for this review. I am quite excited and happy for the continued progression of Kang and Cha-young. I am glad Cha-young decided to be open and honest so that Kang would not only learn more about her, but their connection over the years. Having said this, and based on the preview for episode 15, I must admit that I looking forward with trepidation on how their relationship will unfold...

On separate note, I think, in terms of mysteries to be solved, I am more intrigued by the Director Kwon and Soon-ae, and even the Tae-hyun storylines.

With respect to Director Kwon and Soon-ae, there seemed to have been very much in love when they were married, and we see that the love is still there after so many years. So, it will be interesting to learn exactly why Soon-ae left Director Kwon in the first place, and whether on learning the truth, whether Director Kwon can forgive her, or at the very least support her as her condition deteriorates.

With respect to Tae-hyun, I think we always saw him as the leech of a brother, who is highly superficial and enjoys exploiting others. But I think what came to the fore for me in this episode is that he is also traumatised by his mother's actions, and although Cha-young was physically abandoned (by their mother) and Tae-hyun was not, he also seems to be dealing with a profound sense of loss, which I think we got some insight into when he blurted out the last address he had for their mother, and just how tense he was at the norebang/karaoke room.

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I so agree with you when it comes to TH's storyline. At first, he was just an annoying little brother. But seeing glimpses here and there, I began to see him in a different light. He was also broken, physically (lol) and mentally. His mother might also abandon him long time ago, and he's suffered tremendously for that. We all saw that he made a living by conning people including CY here and there. In this episode, we learned that he just did what his mother had always done with people around her. He is the product his mother made. The scene that he said his mother's address out loud, I like to believe that he, confident in his sister, wanted his sister CY to go there for some reason. Then, we all saw that he broke out in tears when he learned that CY didn't meet their mother. Perhaps he was hoping for something. I can't put my thoughts into words, but I feel for him. HE is really the product his mother made.

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I was hoping to see Cha Young's mother being this regretful, reformed person who would shed tears over seeing Cha Young all grown up and thanking the gods for protecting her daughter. It was a surprise that the mom was nowhere to be found - that she has been who she always was and has once again fled after destroying someone's life. While Cha Young has thought of her constantly for the last 25 years, it is likely her mother has barely spared her a thought.

Well, screw her! Cha Young and Kang will make a whole new family. And Uncle Tae-hyun will hopefully get his crap together and be a good influence.

Seon-ae's "yeobo" was heartbreaking and terrifying - Kim Won hae did a great job reacting with horror to it.

Joon's dad is so annoying. I spitefully wish someone would spill the birth secret. Also wouldn't his birth secret getting out sort of de-legitimize Hye-mi?

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And I also think that this is indeed one very important life lesson: deal with the past in order to move on. We might not be always get what we want (i.e. CY had to learn that she should no longer wait for her, as she won't be anywhere to be seen), but we have to come to terms with it. When CY told that man to just forget about his wife or her mother, she also said that to herself, aloud, in order to let go of the thing that has hold her back all the years.

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i was actually giving up hope that these two were never going to kiss until the last episode and BAM Kang just swooped in. It was definitely worth the wait and the seaside backdrop with the sunset was beautiful.

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Lols
I guess you did your "IT'S A GOAL" jump

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I sure did 😉

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It's nice to see Kang alive and not on zombie mode anymore. He loves her and he acts accordingly. He smiles! I really like the new Kang :)

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See how he runs!
I love how he ran towards her with this eager urgency to make up for lost time. All those times he missed the boat but now he's well and truly on board. He thought he was the one waiting for an answer but she had been waiting for him for the longest time.

The follow-up to his confession in the kitchen scene was not only rich in irony, it was a nice parallel to the other kitchen scene when they were making dumplings. Except this time she was the one on the back foot. Choice, what choice? Everywhere she goes, eventually he shows up.

Yeah, Kang has such a really bad case of Zika infection that he's even trying to show off. So hilarious and so adorable.

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When I saw Kang in his 'in love' mode, I couldn't help but smiled through the whole episode. I love the Kang that wanted to show off his supernatural powers to impress the only woman he liked. The Kang who is in love with CY is the same young Kang that lived in Wando surrounded by people who loved and cherished him. The current relationship with CY is very much like what other Beanies have pointed out, his refuge, and because of this new profound refuge he is now able to be the old Kang who always smiled and thought the best of people. He smiles more often now, and even did cheesy things. It's like seeing Kang almost fully returned to his former/real self. It's rewarding indeed.

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Flirty Kang(don't know it's proper word)is adorable and that kiss ....it's giving serious competition of my favourite kiss from North and South 2004. I don't mind if drama ends here.
My dear fellow dramabeans ,thanks a lot for your thoughtful recaps and comments for making this drama more memorable and enjoyable one.

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Why must it end here?
Drama ending with first is horrible to me.
At least, there must be two to five kisses before it ends.
Though, first kiss is good.

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Rhetorical

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Flirty is the perfect word to use here.

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North and South is a fascinating comparison not just in the kissing department but thematically and stylistically. I was just thinking recently that one of the reasons why I really love Chocolate is that it reminds me so much of these adaptations of Austen/Victorian novels that I've always enjoyed over the years.

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Nice recap.
So, Cha-Young answer to Kang's question is the heartfelt story?

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Cha-young couldn't answer the first question or confession because her heart fluttered. She decided to answer him the second confession with a heartfelt story (should I say a love story?) because of his persistence and her heart is about to burst. Just like in "I'm not a robot" when Jia complains that her heart will burst if she stays with MK.

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And wow, if we consider the 'long story' she told Kang as her way of accepting his love declaration/confession, how romantic is this show? Is there not going to be any ending of how lovely this couple is? This Chocolate is so rich indeed.

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For a person to tell you a story about each other of course shows s/he likes you.
The title "chocolate" suited it, for it was choco that brought them together ☺️

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One of the best parts was when Kang completely ignored Hye-Mi by answering CY's call. He spoke so softly and tenderly to CY and after that returned to being stoic to Hye-Mi. Serve you right, evil lady! 🤣🤣🤣

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😂😂😂😂
What a pity!

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I LOVED it when Kang ignored Hye Mi. Kang has returned to his old self and it’s a joy to watch. He told Hye Mi that the hospice will not be shut down and that’s the end of the story. They had no other business to talk about. And when he talked to CY in the phone he became very sweet, completely ignoring Hye Mi who was there. He even said he wasn’t busy, and I said to myself oh my! 😂 That’s one of my favorite scenes in this ep actually.

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I think it shows how far he has come. That he chose to turn his attention to CY than to his family's power games. Also, I think it hints at how attentive he'd be in a relationship too. Though we saw that with how he was with his bf. I hope Jun gets into that inner circle too.

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And after reading your comment, I wish Jun can become part of this healthy relationship too, as their friend ofc. It is quite funny to think that while Kang and CY have lost so many of their loved ones, Jun who seems to have everything has absolutely nothing in comparison to them. It’s a shame indeed.

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Loved that scene.

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Kang is through with being browbeaten. Love heals all wounds.

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It's my favorite scene so far.

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Love deflates all egos.

"No, I'm not busy at all..."
Oh the look on Evil Mum's face was priceless on being made irrelevant at that moment.

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The guy may not have had a girlfriend, but he instinctively knew this was an opening to woo Cha Young. Sort of like how he did all those other swoony things in the kitchen.

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First of all, thank you so much for the recap @teriyaki! Reading your comment made me remember the episode once again.

As much as I like many things in this episode (e.g. the first kiss, the Kang in love, to name a few), I found many things to be just fillers, plot devices and rushed conclusions. I completely understand that we don't have a lot of time left, but honestly it killed the mood sometimes. Having said that, I'd like to point out some things I really like in this episode.

Firstly, I love this Kang. When Kang feels secured around CY, he is his old/real self. This Kang likes to smile and makes every gesture, even says things out loud, to make the person he loves know that he loves her. I found this Kang charming, and I have all the reasons in the world to love this character. It's like breathing in some fresh air after having to live in an environment full of PM 2.5 everyday. I am all for the scene he wanted to show off in front of CY: That scene is hilarious and adorable. The way he teased her by trying to touch her here and there looks cheesy but non-toxic. Just one question: When he returned to the kitchen and he asked the lady there if Mafu Tofu was anywhere to be found, and she said no there was none. I couldn't quite get what might be implied by this? Any interpretation my dear Beanies and guests?

I love Jun's scene with his father at the grandfather's (in name) grave. I believe that Jun wants to do everything right. He's indeed a decent man, but he might act nastily sometimes and that should be the result of his long-suppressed feelings. He has been a good boy all along for his parents' sake. I felt for him when he was about to spill the birth secret to his father, but hearing him pouring his heart out about the love between him and the grandfather in name made him decided not to tell him the truth. Instead, he tried to tell Kang how Kang could beat his mother. I can't help but hope that one day Jun will be able to live for himself.

I love TH's storyline. He's so broken. He would have lived a decent life had he not had such mother.

For me, Dae Sik was like coming out of no where. The reason why the show needed him, to me, was just to try to match nurse Yong Shil with a person, so she wouldn't form a triangle love relationship with Soon Ae and Director Kwon. Also, the scene when TH had to spill beans was just to make a PPL for Dyson vacuum cleaner (and I so WANT one if only I had that much money to spend on a vacuum cleaner) and for him to spill out their mother's address.

I feel so much of Director Kwon. Now that Soon Ae is like her 20-year-old self again, what should he do with her and with his own troubled and conflicted feelings? I don't know what the show wants from making him go through so many tragic events in life? Any idea as to which lesson we should all derive from his circumstance?

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Another point which I just came to love like minutes ago is their scene along a beach with a sunsetting background. At first I was about to comment that this scene felt rushing and my long-awaited first kiss scene didn't quite live up to what I had long expected. But because of the description of the scene in this recap, I saw it more symbolistically. I actually wondered why to tell Kang the story, CY had to walk in front of him along the beach, and at one point Kang was the one who walked far away in front of her. I couldn't understand this, but now I have my own take on it. It's like at first CY was always the one who was more invested in the relationship as he has been her first love and she has loved him in silence for so long. Now, when she told him the whole story, he could understand everything and that was when he walked passed her and in front of her. She stopped to see his reactions aka his answers to 'their' situation. He first walked away from her because he was in deep thoughts, then when he made up his mind he hurried back and kissed her. They did allow one another to take time and decide for themselves, and that corresponds to what some Beanies have suggested that one good thing about this couple is that they never force themselves on one another. : )

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Hmm, from the start Kang recognized Cha-young, I always desired for her to tell him everything. How much she suffered when her ex-boyfriend was still alive. So that he will regret misunderstanding her.

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My take on this scene was that he needed a moment to himself to process that he was the reason that Cha Young left his best friend. To question if he would end his new-found love based on this revelation (perhaps out of guilt). But his progression of memories shows that he was not going to do this. So his solution/conclusion was: let's forget about our past and only live for today. That's how I interpreted it.

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The thing is why did Dir Kweon divorced his ex-wife? I'm still trying to get that... Before I will give any lessons applied.

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I'm sure their split involves some sort of noble idiocy. This whole plotline makes little sense tbh. And when is someone going to step in and begin actually giving this woman the care and monitoring her dementia requires before she wanders off and becomes hopelessly lost and in danger?

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I totally agree with you egads, but I'll go further, this plot makes NO sense to me . . . yet. They're really going to have to get on with it to make me feel it was worth having in the drama at all.

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Thank you for the recap! One of the fun things about this show is how it doesn't explain everything at one shot, leaving many blanks left unfilled, many dialogues unsaid, and many stories incomplete. I expect a few stories may yet remain untold even when the show ends. We don't, for example, know what exactly happened to CY's father, or where her mother is now, or how CY and TH grew up and made their way in this big bad world. It is making the audience work to stitch everything together, and come up with their own story arcs and explanations - an imaginarium, if you will, or as a wise one somewhere in the worldwideweb said, what is between "the realm between the panels in a comic".

This episode did make me ask a few questions and make a few observations.  

I found it interesting that Kang doesn't let on when his grandma is interrogating him in the opening scene that he went to Wando for a funeral, and not to meet someone (unless something was lost in translation). There's a fine line he seems to always tread with her - between a kind of awkward, forced sense of respect, and a tone of  defiance and wanting to annoy her.

Generally, it would have been more enriching if the antagonists in this show were painted a little more grey, instead of the jet black that we see now. Joon's father comes the closest to a sort of grey, for in his revelation of his relationship with his own father, we see some softening.

TH's physical comedy is great in the kitchen scene and reminds one almost of Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean. The actor balances it really well with the scene in the karaoke room, making his character seem almost tragicomic.

One thing I didn't understand: Surely, Kang should know all the directors of Geosung Foundation. Why must Joon have to tell him who's who, or whom to approach, etc? They are all, after all, the same family. I also don't understand why, if he has made up his mind, Joon does not tell Kang everything? What's holding him back? Joon clearly seems to have resolved the conflict in his own head. (Separately, if Kang's early academic record (by his own admission, in the flashback) is anything to go by, he seems to have made a massive improvement since, to have to overtaken, or matched, Joon in grades!)

Honestly, contrary to many of the comments, I found "Kang in love" a little cringeworthy, and far too uncharacteristic of the Kang seen so far.

More than the romance, a truce between the cousins (and hopefully a reconciliation) is what is a most exciting prospect, as many have pointed out already. The most powerful scene, in terms of performance, in the show so far, IMHO, was that 90-second blip of a scene in Wando where Joon and Kang have that conversation in the room in Mr Ha's house. It would be great to see more of that kind of a performance here.

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This drama should have been 6 episodes, maybe less. Or it should have just been a story about a hospice.

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The pacing and plotting of this drama is a complete mess. There's a good story under there, and maybe that's why I'm still here, but the writing and directing have really made it difficult to hang on.

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Nods head, and yells facts with fists to the air. Lol

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I agree with both of you in many ways. Too much time was spent in laying the foundation of the drama, not enough time spent in building the drama, and even less (so far) living in the drama. I think this drama took on too many story lines to keep it neat and tidy, and interesting.

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Yes. I agree with you and Kafiyah. I noticed it focuses more on the support characters instead of the male and female leads which is not suppose to be.

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I am so looking forward to tomorrow that I dont feel like saying anything about ep 14 :)
I actually wasn't going to comment but I realized that a show which anyways hasnt garnered a lot of love needed the people who liked it to say that out aloud, so here I am.

I liked it. I really liked all of it. I am still enchanted with the way the story is told and yes, it is slow and I do wish it wouldnt pander to some characters but if it didnt then the style wouldnt be what I loved. Also, this drama keeps telling me: slow down, stop hurrying. Tomorrow will come and if it doesnt that is fine too.

In this episode the mountain moved, and that alone made me so happy. But mountains take years to move so patience was needed and the results were rich for me.

Bada restaurant
Bada the dog
Bada is the scene of the leaning in of CY on Kang
Bada is the scene when he tells a white lie
Bada is also the scene for the confession number 1 ( dont go to greece, can I like u!!)
Bada is now the scene for CY to tell her story
Bada is also witness to their first kiss!
Bada=happiness

Ohh and I think she wanted to say something in the kitchen while he is eating but she cant draw her courage, thus circumstances help give her strength (along with him saying that it was my day off and I went in only to see u) to speak up.

I want to see this in its entireity and then maybe visit it again when life permits. I am not sure if 16 episodes were enough for me. I did worry (in vain) and not trust the storytellers at some point because I wanted to see the full tapestry and not just bits and pieces of the puzzle. Now I can say irrespective of the last two pieces, this series makes me feel.

@teriyaki thanks for the recap. The director and his wife scene + how her going back to being young again would lead to us knowing the whole story didnt hit me until I read ur preview.

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Yes yes yes to everything you said! My first comment on this site in over 7 years of lurking because this drama means just that much to me. I don't see any imperfections anywhere, but i do acknowledge that that's my biased view not an objective one.
For me enjoyability of a drama has always depended on its relatability. And in the stories this drama has told and the characters that it has drawn i have seen my life reflected like nowhere before.
This is truly a very richly told story and certainly not a light watch because it requires your full attention. I was rewatching a couple of episodes and yes there are a lot of details to be picked in light of the info we learn later on. So I'm looking forward to rewatching the whole thing when it finishes airing. 16 episodes is just not enough for me.
I'm not very eloquent so i want to wrap up my comment quickly but not before once again sharing how i love this drama. For me it got everything right- the emotional connection of food, the characters, their relationships, the music, the cinematography and of course featured my most favourite of all kdrama love stories ☺️

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I love this show too ❤️. I once thought to myself that Chocolate has been gripping for me from the start: Its name captured my heart right away as I am a (hot) chocolate person. I’ve never rewatched or reread anything even when I thought I loved it so much, but I did rewatch some of Chocolate episodes like in whole. I can’t believe myself I’m into it this much. Apart from all the good things you’ve pointed out (e.g. cinematography), to me the show also gives a certain kind of vibe and I can relate with. Calm feelings I should guess. Not so many shows dare to delve in to this kind of vibes and I love that this show is all about it.

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@JustOnce that was super eloquent.

:)

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Well said. ;)
I too will chime in as one who likes this rather too much. My appreciation for this drama stems largely from the fact that it respects the audience's ability to follow the storyline and be immersed in it by showing rather than telling.

I think this is for me one of those rare outings from Kdramaland that has me thinking about it for hours afterwards. Unfortunately I haven't been able to watch much else because of it. :D

Over the years I've come to love the slice-of-life approach that the industry seems to excel in and this is one example of how that approach can be raised to such an artform while incorporating tried and true tropes.

I expect that I will revisit the entire drama once it is over to enjoy the bigger picture and find new things to love about it.

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I'm also enchanted by this drama. I began this out of curiosity and Netflix does make it easier to go, "I should watch this." Melodramas aren't really my thing, and this drama's plot sounded boring and nonexistent. Then, I watched it and became sucked in - and not in a "this is so bad, but I can't stop looking at this train wreck", but in a "I want to witness these characters - even the ones we've only seen for 2 minutes- find peace and love" sort of way.

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I am now VERY picky on what I watch since starting kdrama 15 years ago, let alone completing - probably finishing 2 - 4 per year in the last few years.

I picked Chocolate because of the matureYSK-HJW pairing, the writer who penned one of my all time fav “Thank You” and the director who had made numerous beautifully shot dramas.

It DID NOT disappoint but far exceeding my expectations! The first few episodes are a bit hard to stomach with tragedies piling on tragedies - but once that setting up is done, it is a thought provoking and beautifully-written/directed/acted drama. There are so many inspirations to think and interpret in the lessons of life - none more important to live for the moment and find our own happiness.

While we have a central romance to plot through the whole story, the side plots and characters are just as important as the main that enrich this story at so many levels. This is surely not a fast food drama or one focussing purely on ‘a’ romance. It rewards those who watch with hearts and soul with great payoff (so far).

Like many other fans of this drama, I got a lot out of this drama which will stay with me for a very long time. It is particularly pleasing to see many de-lurkers over the past few weeks here in DB and Soompi to express their love of this drama. A rewatch is on the card once the finale is over.

Thanks to all those Beanies who travel on this chocolate savoring journey! Your insights and well considered thoughts make Chocolate watching one of the best kdrama watching experience.

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By the way, I want to thank all the people who have come and gone from the hospice that made it possible for the OTP to come this far. Cooking ajumma for hiring CY; Grandma Fartsy for craving raspberries; Ji-yong for sending CY and Kang on a wild goose chase; Min-yong for his Zika virus faux pas; HJ for needing to be rescued; MS for wanting dumplings; TH for texting a "look after my sister" message; Jun for giving CY a ride home in the rain and Michael for wanting sujebi that's not sujebi.

Let's hear it for them...

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Can you hear my hoots and see my chocolate eyes?

Add harabuji who loved the black bean noodles to the mix too :)

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Right. I had forgotten about him. Thanks for the reminder. ;)
I don't know that he loved the noodles from that establishment as much as he was waiting there for his son to make an appearance. :P But yes, him.

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:D

He loved his son more than anything!

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Why does Cha-Young say that if Kang's mother would have lived if she had not given her the chocolate? That had nothing to do with her death,as we have seen many times in flash backs?
I think Director Kwon's wife divorced him after one year because her family was eating him alive and I have one more hope: that Cha-Young shows Kang the letter which Min-Seong sent her just before his death. That should remove any vestige of guilt left for Kang.

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Dear my fellow Beanies, Chocolate ended today. 🥺 Everyone should watch the last two episodes, so then can we have the discussion once and for all.

I’m so happy. ❤️❤️❤️

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I am enjoy beach scene when cha young tell him behind story about her love journey, sweet and warm like hot chocolate
thanks for this recap I love it

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Shipping Kang & Cha Young from here! 😍 i sooo love Ha Ji Won since Hwang Jin Yi 😘

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