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It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Episode 13

So few dramas affect me the way It’s Okay has affected me. I’m with these characters through their ups and downs, smiling when they smile and crying when they cry. This episode just proves how attached I am to the senseless boy, the emotionless princess, and the ajusshi trapped in a box — because once things go to hell, I’m left in pieces.

 
EPISODE 13: “The father of the two sisters”

We rewind a bit, to the morning of the photoshoot. Moon-young was at Kang-tae’s bedroom door, about to go inside. But she changed her mind and called out to him, saying he could join her and Sang-tae later if he changed his mind. When Kang-tae heard Moon-young walk away, he finally got out of bed and went over to look at the suit she left him.

Kang-tae opened it up, surprised to find the doll Mang-tae in the jacket pocket, along with a note. The note read: “Thanks to the Mang-tae you gave me, I no longer have nightmares. You, Sang-tae, and Mang-tae. I’m so happy that I now have this family. P.S. I want Mang-tae back. He’s mine!” With a small sigh, Kang-tae came to a decision and started to get dressed.

At the studio, Kang-tae walks in moments before Moon-young and Sang-tae get their photo taken. Sang-tae announces that his brother has arrived, and both he and Moon-young grin as Kang-tae joins them.

“I was going to photoshop you into the photo if you didn’t come,” Moon-young tells him (haha). The photographer interrupts the family’s little moment and encourages them to stand together and give a big smile.

As the photographer counts down, Kang-tae still looks unsure of his decision. But looking at Sang-tae and then Moon-young smiling, he seems to think he’s made the right choice. So on the count of three, he also smiles.

(Let’s see that final photo again, just because.)

Meanwhile, Sang-in returns to the apartment building after his trip to Seoul. Seung-jae gives him an update, saying that their plan is working and that Joo-ri is convinced he went on a successful blind date. Oh, you sneaky sneaks.

Ever the romance expert, Seung-jae advises Sang-in not to bring up the blind date until Joo-ri does. But Sang-in being the goof that he is, he goes into Joo-ri’s room to greet her and brings up the dang date within a minute of their conversation.

Sang-in goes a little too far, saying the blind date was as beautiful as Song Hye-gyo, and Joo-ri coldly tells him that she needs time alone to study. He leaves, thinking he’s ruined everything, when really, she’s just thoroughly jealous.

Moon-young and the brothers head to the library to meet up with Seung-jae for research. Seung-jae swoons at Kang-tae in a suit, and Moon-young immediately tells him not to wear suits anymore… because they look uncomfortable. To that, Kang-tae smirks and says that she shouldn’t wear her “uncomfortable” dresses then.

While Seung-jae and Sang-tae run off to find some illustration inspo, Kang-tae finds Moon-young’s book The Cheerful Dog. Moon-young mentions that she spoke to Jae-soo last night, wanting to know why Kang-tae was mad, and that Jae-soo said he kept everything inside. Just like the cheerful dog.

Since Jae-soo said it was best not to pry, Moon-young’s decided not to push Kang-tae from now on. Kang-tae does have something to say, though; he tells her that he’s tired of protecting others, that he’s been forcing himself to do so because he always thought he had to. But now, rather than work, he wants to think of it as a goal.

“Putting my life on the line to protect my family,” Kang-tae says. “Come to think of it, it’s actually pretty cool.” So he’s going to protect his family no matter what, no matter who tries to mess with them.

Moon-young looks at him, hope in her eyes, and hesitantly asks, “Am I a part of that family?” He takes her hand in his and says that of course they are — they even have their family portrait as proof. They smile sweetly at each other (but gah, Kang-tae’s promise to put his life on the line just made me nervous).

At OK Hospital, Sun-hae is upset after having a heated phone call with her father. As she storms off, Nurse Sun reveals to Cha-yong that Sun-hae’s father left her with a shaman, claiming his child was possessed. Nurse Park cuts in, saying they shouldn’t judge without knowing the full story; she’s sure the father had his reasons.

That night, Sang-in skips dinner because he’s too embarrassed to face Joo-ri. When Joo-ri’s mom comes by his room to bring him food, he tells her his whole plan and how (he thinks) it failed.

Mom is glad that Sang-in is trying, but she does figure that he needs a little hint. Mom reveals that Joo-ri lost her father when she was young and felt that she needed to fill that role. So right now, Mom says, Joo-ri needs that person who she can lean on when things get tough.

Once at home, Moon-young finds the perfect place where they can hang their family portrait, up in the study. On that subject, she figures she should start redecorating, starting with getting Kang-tae in her room. But Kang-tae doesn’t want to stay in there… because it was her parents’ room.

Kang-tae turns to Moon-young and says, “If I asked you to live somewhere else with me, would you want to go?” Why, she asks, does he want to run away again? If it’s because of Sang-tae and his butterfly nightmares, he shouldn’t worry; she’ll tear those butterflies apart. He just smiles and pulls her into a hug. He asks that she not kill the butterfly, even if it does appear. They pull away to pinkie promise on it, but instead of sealing the deal that way, she pulls him in for a quick kiss.

Afterwards, Kang-tae heads upstairs to his room, where Sang-tae is watching the Dooly cartoon. Sang-tae notices that his brother is acting all shy and asks if he kissed Moon-young. And to Kang-tae’s surprise, Sang-tae says that kissing is better than fighting (pffft). Kang-tae wonders now who Sang-tae likes more, him or Moon-young, and Sang-tae naturally answers, “Go Gil-dong.”

The next day, while Sang-tae is working on his mural, Pil-wong comes by to return his copy of The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares. Sang-tae is glad to see that Pil-wong is up and smiling, and even more so to hear that he liked the book.

Pil-wong looks up at the mural and wonders what will happen first — if Sang-tae will paint the butterflies or if Pil-wong will leave the hospital. Sang-tae says it’ll depend who finds the door first, referring to their conversation on the bus. In response, Pil-wong smiles and says, “Let’s find that door soon so we can leave together.”

Upstairs, Kang-tae is showing Director Oh the threatening note that Ok-ran left, as well as the scribbled note cards. Kang-tae mentions that he couldn’t find a notebook where the note cards could’ve come from, so he believes that someone gave these to her. For now, Director Oh instructs him not to trust anyone in the hospital.

Kang-tae doesn’t want Sang-tae to be left alone, so at lunch, he tells him to go straight home instead of waiting up for him. Sang-tae insists that he’s not some scared baby and even shows off his sketchbook, where he’s been practicing his butterflies. He’s determined to get over his fear and protect his brother and new sister.

Later, outside, Kang-tae is on the phone with Moon-young, making sure she’s staying safe, when Sun-hae runs up to him and calls him “Oppa.” (Needless to say, Moon-young freaks out to hear this.) Kang-tae is taken aback, as Sun-hae is in pigtails and acting like she’s eight years old.

Joo-ri finds them and guides Sun-hae back inside. Afterwards, she informs Kang-tae that Sun-hae has dissociative identity disorder. Apparently, Sun-hae suffered child abuse and her defense mechanism was having those different personalities. As a result, her parents thought she was possessed and took her to the shaman.

At the end of the day, Sang-tae returns home, just as Moon-young is looking through his concept art. She’s unhappy with the characters (the senseless boy, the emotionless princess, and the ajusshi trapped in a box) because he drew them without expressions. “It’s hard,” Sang-tae admits. “It’s too hard for me to draw people’s expressions.”

Her face softening, Moon-young suggests he use his emotion cards for help. But he thinks that if he does that, they wouldn’t really be his drawings. In that case, she wants him to study others’ expressions and try again, reminding him that he’s observant.

Back at the hospital, Go Dae-hwan is moved to the isolation room due to his worsening condition. Nurse Park approaches Kang-tae and tells him about this, knowing he’s close with Moon-young. She thinks it’s time that Moon-young prepares herself mentally.

Sang-in waits for Joo-ri at the neighborhood bus stop to walk her home. Though when they meet up, she still gives him the cold shoulder. Unable to take it, Sang-in blurts out, “The blind date was a lie.” He starts to ramble, but she cuts him off and asks if his ideal type is really Song Hye-gyo.

Sang-in remembers what Joo-ri’s mom said and says that he prefers someone who will lean on him — someone he can treat like a daughter. Joo-ri gasps that he’s a pervert and runs off, while Sang-in stutters that he just wants to be loving like her father. Ha, smooooth.

Meanwhile, Kang-tae comes home to Moon-young looking over her story notes. He’s curious to know how her book will end, but she’s still keeping her lips sealed. He then brings up her father, and she says that she already got the call from the hospital, that they want her to visit him.

“It’s ridiculous,” Moon-young says. “Are all parents automatically forgiven for the bad things they did before they die?” Still, Kang-tae says, this is her last chance to say whatever she wants to her father. She was the one who told the King Donkey Ears story and said that keeping things in could cause heartache. But she insists that she’ll have no regrets. She tells him of a story she hated when she was little:

“A Tale of Two Sisters. I hated the father in the story. Even though his daughters were abused by their stepmother and were on the verge of death, he turned a blind eye to all of it. The one who neglects and turns a blind eye to the abuse is worse than the abuser. Those two sisters were practically killed by their father.”

Kang-tae is still thinking about this story when he’s lying in bed. While at the hospital, a scared Sun-hae hears footsteps down the hall and hides under her bed (transitioning into her younger self).

The next morning, Sun-hae’s father barges into the hospital and causes a scene, demanding that Sun-hae help him live. Director Oh (in an uncharacteristic display of anger) yells for him to stop, making everyone in the room freeze.

In his office, Director Oh tells Sun-hae’s father that he’s going to call the police if he keeps seeking his daughter and asking her to donate her liver. The father begs him to help him out, saying he could really die.

But Director Oh just says, “What were you doing when your wife nearly beat your daughter to death?” He continues that the father should be begging Sun-hae right now; she’s the one he abandoned for thirty years.

Out in the garden, Kang-tae is comforting Sun-hae, when the father comes out and calls her name. Kang-tae asks Sun-hae if he should kick the father out or if he should protect her as she says what she needs to say. Sun-hae gives him a weak, “Protect me,” and he immediately hides her behind his back.

With that, Sun-hae cries out to her father that she always begged for his help. And though her mother was the one who hit her, she hates him more for walking away. Still, when he left her with the shaman, she waited for him.

As Sun-hae breaks down, her father numbly walks past without another word. Kang-tae turns around and hugs Sun-hae, who’s reverted to her younger self again. Back at the mansion, Moon-young stares at the photo of her father and remembers what Kang-tae said the previous night.

At the apartment building, Jae-soo is helping Sang-tae by modeling various expressions. Though when Sang-tae asks for “annoyance” and “anger,” among others, he notes that his expressions all look the same, lol. Sang-tae asks for Seung-jae’s help next, but her modeling doesn’t inspire him either. Off to the side, Jae-soo thinks to himself that Seung-jae looks cute.

That night, Moon-young calls Joo-ri over to have some drinks. Moon-young shouts, “The king has donkey ears!” and says that she needed to let that out. And seeing that Moon-young needs someone to talk to, Joo-ri figures she shouldn’t get drunk tonight (aw). Moon-young then asks what would’ve happened if they’d had each other’s parents, and Joo-ri jokes that her mom would’ve killed Moon-young for being rude all the time.

At the apartment, Joo-ri’s mom and Sang-in talk about the girls being together, and Mom mentions the first time she met Moon-young. When Joo-ri brought Moon-young over for dinner, Mom noticed that Moon-young was scarfing down her food, as if she’d never received that kind of warmth before.

Back at the hospital, Nurse Park checks in on Dae-hwan in his room. Dae-hwan admits, “I committed a huge sin, but there’s no one I can ask for forgiveness.” As Nurse Park takes his hand in a comforting gesture, he continues that he killed his wife… that his wife was humming a song even after she killed someone.

In flashback, we see Do Hui-jae humming to the radio while painting her nails bright red. At this time, Dae-hwan had just learned of his brain tumor and got himself drunk. He joined his wife, switching the radio to the news — news of a recent murder. Suddenly sober, he asked where the new housekeeper was.

And we finally see Hui-jae’s face, wicked grin and all. She told Dae-hwan that the housekeeper shouldn’t have crossed the line and then walked past, towards the stairs. She told him not to worry, that no one would ever know. He grabbed her and said, near tears, that his daughter would end up like her if he died.

To that, Hui-jae just laughed in his face. Horrified, Dae-hwan called her a monster and pushed her, (inadvertently?) sending her over the railing and down the stairs.

In the middle of Dae-hwan’s story, Kang-tae comes in for a quick check-in. He’s about to leave when Dae-hwan says that Moon-young saw everything: “She was there when I killed that woman. She was just a little girl, but she saw all of that.” And, indeed, while Dae-hwan cried over his wife’s body, Moon-young had been watching.

The young Moon-young saw her father drag the body into the basement, and later, after he left in the morning, she waited up for him. When she asked where he’d been, he lied that he went out for some air, when really, he’d dumped the body (inside a suitcase) into the river.

Now, Dae-hwan cries that he also tried to kill Moon-young because he was scared she’d turn into her mother. He says that he’s the one to blame and that Moon-young did nothing wrong.

Still talking with Joo-ri, Moon-young reveals that she tried so hard to be a good daughter to her mother. She wanted to run away when Kang-tae came into her life, but her mom got in her way. Joo-ri gently asks about her father, if he ever did anything for her.

Moon-young says that her mother raised her her own way, while her father only read her a fairy tale book once. “But Joo-ri,” she says, her voice wavering. “He may have only done it once, but I can never forget it.”

After Kang-tae’s long night shift, he returns home in the morning and finds Moon-young asleep on the couch. He sits there with her, holding her hand, while at the hospital, Go Dae-hwan quietly passes away.

Sometime later, when it’s raining, Moon-young and the brothers visit Dae-hwan’s space at the outdoor columbarium. Sang-tae tries to read Moon-young’s expression, thinking she looks sad, but she insists that she’s not.

The trio start to walk away, talking about getting some food, but Moon-young stops and turns to look back. She remembers that one moment she had with her father, when he read her a story about a princess. He called her his own princess and hugged her, both of them smiling.

Kang-tae stops by the apartment to pick up some of Moon-young’s favorite side dishes. As Joo-ri’s mom packs the food, she asks if he’s okay, and he answers that he will be. Although, he says, he does feel guilty whenever he thinks of his mother.

Joo-ri’s mom says that’s nonsense. “The most horrible thing you can do to a parent,” she says, “is to give up on being happy just because you feel sorry towards them. If you want to make your mom happy, do your best to live a happy life from now on.” Kang-tae smiles at that.

Once at home, Kang-tae sees that Moon-young has put up their family portrait. He’s surprised, however, when she suggests they sell the mansion. She wants a new start — a new publishing company, a new camping car, a new journey, all of it. She asks what he wants, and he says that he’d love to go to school. She’s, of course, against that, as the girls would be all over him.

Kang-tae then asks Moon-young what made her want to be a fairy tale writer. She explains that it came naturally, since she knows the fairy tale world all too well. She’s lived the cursed princess life and knows just how hard it is; the ending is the only good part. To that, he smiles and points out that it’s all good as long as they get that happy ending.

The following day, the trio head into the hospital together. Everyone’s in a better mood, with Sang-tae even saying he’s ready to paint the butterflies. They go inside, to the crowd in the lounge, and… Oh. Oh no.

There’s a giant butterfly painted over Sang-tae’s mural. A butterfly that resembles a certain brooch. Shaken, Sang-tae cries that he didn’t paint that, that that’s the butterfly the woman who killed his mom was wearing.

Moon-young’s eyes widen. She immediately recognizes the design, remembering when her mother first got the brooch. “In ancient Greek,” Mom said, “the word butterfly is ‘psyche.’ Do you know what word comes from ‘psyche’? Psycho.”

Tears falling down her face, Moon-young says it can’t be true. Kang-tae tries to grab hold of her, but she backs away and runs back towards the door. He chases after her and grabs her again, but he doesn’t know what to say.

All Kang-tae can get out is “Please,” making her ask if it’s true. She finally screams, “Tell me it’s not true!” and they both burst into tears. She escapes from his hold and runs out the door, while he can only stand there, defeated.

Somewhere on the road, a woman is humming “Oh My Darling, Clementine” as she drives. We see that she has the butterfly brooch, those bright red nails, those bright red lips — it’s Nurse Park.

 
COMMENTS

I… I don’t… Okay, hold on. I need a freaking minute.

I’m feeling so many things right now, because I was heartbroken over the dad’s death and Moon-young’s silent mourning, and I was heartbroken over Kang-tae’s reluctance to completely give himself to happiness. But then everything blew up in those last five minutes. I cannot believe that Nurse Park is actually Do Hui-jae. As I mentioned in an earlier recap, I saw plenty of theories claiming this, and from then on, I was suspicious. At first, Nurse Park seemed like a quirky character with a cute dynamic with Director Oh, but eventually, she just seemed… off. It was little things, like her pushing for Kang-tae to get punished after he punched Ah-reum’s ex-husband. I can’t even pinpoint why that moment stood out to me; it just did. It felt like an odd change in character, and I ignored it, thinking it was the writing.

Once I got it into my head that, no, this twist could really be possible, everything about Nurse Park seemed fake. The way she looked at people, the way she talked to them — the kindness and concern was almost exaggerated. The truth of the matter is, I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to believe that I was overthinking it, that it was the writing or the acting. Even when Nurse Park made that comment about parents having their reasons for things, even when Kang-tae pointed out that someone had to send Ok-ran those note cards, even when ALL SIGNS were pointing to this, my heart dropped at the final reveal. For one, it felt like we were losing a character I trusted to be good, like Joo-ri’s mom. She was supposed to be good, yet all this time, she was the ghost silently stalking our newfound family. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Now I’m angry. I am so angry that Do Hui-jae has been manipulating these characters, that she’s been manipulating the whole hospital for who knows how many years. She killed the brothers’ mom, and she smiled. She saw her husband’s horror and agony, and she laughed at him. But you know what had me fuming? She used the brothers’ fear of the butterfly to mentally torture them. How dare she ruin Sang-tae’s mural like that, when he was finally ready to draw the butterflies himself. I know Kang-tae made Moon-young promise not to go after the butterfly, but a part of me wants this lady to pay. Still, I don’t want our trio to get hurt, so I hope they’re able to get through this without blood being shed. With all three dead-set on protecting each other, anything could happen, and that legitimately scares me.

This episode was jam-packed, so I don’t want to forget all the other things that made it great. Just to name a few (seriously, there was so much): Joo-ri and Sang-in’s hilarious relationship; Joo-ri and Moon-young’s growing friendship; Sang-tae being motivated to study expressions; Kang-tae and Moon-young wanting to start a new life together. But the main theme, as the episode’s title alluded to, was the fathers. Moon-young has opened up about her mother a few times, but her father was always a touchy subject. It’s interesting because we’ve seen that the mom hurt her on so many levels, but it’s the dad who left a lasting mark. And of course he did — he killed her mom and then tried to kill her. (Sidenote: How the hell did Hui-jae live if her body was in a suitcase and thrown into the river?) We should hate him as much as we hate the mom, right? We should, and Moon-young thinks she should, yet it’s much more complicated than that.

I’m not gonna defend Go Dae-hwan. He did some terrible things, which he admitted to. But the reason why his actions hurt so much is because he was supposed to be the hero. He should’ve been the hero to the mom’s villain, just as the father in the fairy tale should’ve been. There’s no doubt in my mind that he loved his daughter, but where does that love count when he makes the wrong choices? That being said, I understand Moon-young holding on to that one fond memory of her father but being unable to forgive him. I’m glad the drama didn’t go the cheesy route and have her visit him in the hospital for some miracle reconciliation. It wouldn’t have been realistic, and it certainly wouldn’t have been as impactful as what we actually got. They both felt that longing for each other, but they were too sad and broken and ultimately left their relationship there. That is real. And heartbreaking.

My favorite moment of the episode was Kang-tae acting as Sun-hae’s shield as she called out her father. It was so sweet that he asked first, if she wanted the father gone or if she wanted him to protect her so she could safely vent. I think that moment captures his character perfectly, because he is a shield. He was a reluctant shield for all his life — taking his brother’s punches, taking life’s punches — but now, he’s being his family’s shield because he wants to. Again, it worries me that he and the drama keep stressing that he’s willing to go down for his family. Rather than him being that shield, or Moon-young and Sang-tae being shields on their own, it’s best for them to stay strong together. Things are hard now, but their happy ending isn’t too far. If they could just hold on a little longer, they could finally reach a place where they’re safe and where their tragedies don’t define them.

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I’m a bit tired of the fact that every single time our trio is happy and has overcome an obstacle, another ones comes. It’s a bit too much.
So, I didn’t want to see, because I really liked Nurse Park, so congratulations to all the beanies who felt that she was MY’s mum. I’m still not convinced she’s MY’s mum but maybe someone close. I mean, the moment we learned DaeHwan version of the facts, it was clear to me that MY’s mum was dead. And if we have now another twist about “memories are deceitful” well… I’ll be disappointed, tbh. But I’m waiting to see how everything comes out.
And because KT’s mum was the new housekeeper in MY’s house back then, it’s clear to me that ST is not MY’s brother and that what happened is that she saw MY’s mum abusing MY and told her something, that’s why her words: no one tells me how to treat my child.
This week’s fairy tale was really heartbreaking. SunHae’s story was such a tragedy in all senses: a child abused, a parent that looks aside and blames the child (he even sold her, he sold her!!!!), it makes you think of all those adults who look aside when abuse (any kind of abuse) is perpetrated, because it means we all fail as a society.
On a lighter tone: love how SangIn tries (and fails) to win JooRi’s heart, who you can see wants to let him in, but can’t because his sloppy (and funny) ways, and have we seen JaeSu beginning to realize how cute is Seung Jae?
Moments I also liked:
- ST telling KT that kissing was better than fighting and that it was impolite to speak while he was watching Dooly. C’mon KT, it’s basic etiquette!
- ST making sketches os butterflies so he can find his door.
- MY asking to ST to create his own portfolio of facial expressions so he could draw the faces for her book.
- KT making SunHae feel safe for the first time so she could tell her dad all she wanted.
- SangIn and JooRi’s mum conversations. I really, really love SangIn and how protective and faithful he is to the people he loves.

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As always I agree with you. I wanted to add that I loved the fairy tale as well because people who watch and do nothing about abuse are partially complicit, especially if they can do something about it. When you see something say something, even if that is all you can do.

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This had me so very sad.. Yes, I agree in some ways the person who ignores the abuse is worse than the abuser but it was such a sad scene. It explains why she can't forgive her father for leaving her alone with that pyscho. It was also one of the first time that MY somewhat admitted that she was abused by her mom.

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I think most of the time we are afraid of what's going to happen to us if we step in and help instead of asking ourselves what would happen to the victim if we don't step in and help.

We should be brave and get involved like Moon-young.

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My appreciation for this show keeps waning the closer we roll toward the finale. I hate this story line about the murderous, not-dead and undercover mother. It seems wrong for multiple reasons: (1) the character evolution for the brothers, the patients and other supporting characters are firmly grounded in reality regardless of the fantastical narrative touches, but having MY's story culminate in a physical and real confrontation with killer mama seems like a stale and easy cop-out for a show that is otherwise decidedly NOT stale or easy; (2) the homicidal mother story is also thematically inconsistent with the rest of the drama, which focuses on healing through self-awareness, not closure (presumably) brought upon by external events; and (3) the mother plot line now overwhelm the current episodes such that we get much less of the lovely romantic and familial moments which are a much needed counterpoint to the angst. A big ole' raspberry with respect to where this appears to be heading...

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Yes, much as I don't want to admit it, I think you're right. This plot device just wasn't needed and it's dragging us away from the building of the new family. Aaaaaaargh!

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The building of the family was never the point of this show. This isn't a fluffy rom-com and it would be weird and I would hate the show if I have to watch 4 ep (about 6 hrs) of happiness and sunshine.

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Yes, not in the sense of building the fluffy lovely family, but in the sense of learning to understand themselves and others, and to build relationships that develop growth, transparency, care and commitment, this has been a drama all about "building family".

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I don't get how the mother overwhelm ot takes anything from the story. She got like 5 min in this whole episode. Even ep 14 is barely about her and more about how MY and KY accept that none of this is their fault and MY learns to deal with pain and not just pretend it's not there and she is an ice queen like she did for years. It's nothing inconsistent. The mother is also mentally ill and I'm glad we actually got a real storyline about a mentally ill person who isn't all goodness, but pure evil, because the whole show was about nice people (even MY was as decent as you can get) and you couldn't help but feel bad for them. This shows that mental illness doesn't make mean someone can only be "dumb" or an innocent angel like many people who never dealt with it think. And I don't see this as a way to give clousure to MY, but to both of them. Also, KDH has dementia and a brain tumor so why is it bad if they show that memories can be messed up because of this? Again, it shows how easy our minds are playing with us and how many things can cause it: a trauma, a disease etc.

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And excuse the many writing mistakes, it's 3:30 AM.

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These are good points about mutual closure, coming to terms with the situation. Didn't think about it. I agree that DHJ is mentally ill.

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You spoke my mind! This show didn't need to lean in on this trope. The healing-through-self awareness theme was working magic on me at least. Why did we need this last minute cute nurse-cum-killer-Mama :(
Also, I totally agree with you that this plot turn is depriving us of the romantic / family scenes :(

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We are on the same boat and it's exhausting. I'm mostly interested in our trio and their journey.
I could care less about mom's story and how, when, why she decided to show herself now.
I was hoping that they would just let her die and not use everyone else's vague/false memories to bring her back. That's way too convenient for my taste.

About the tale of two sisters. One would think nurse Park and Park Ok-ran would be the sisters unless Do Hee-jae is just a pen name for Moon-young's mom.

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Agree with most of you. I know we need more stories about the mom, unfortunately I don't even care that much about her and her mysterious survival. It is already proven as in Ep 14, which makes me feel the rating drop from 5 into 4.5 😩.

On the side note, I had never watch lots of drama. Is Jugglers that bad? On storyline plotwise? I haven't watch MLFAS too 🙈🙈🙈 (how strangely everyone compared KSH in these 2 projects- and I couldn't relate it 😅).

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I am a simple man, I see MLFAS in a comment I join right in (yes w/o even an invitation)! Well A. MLFAS is a highly recommended drama by most who has watched it. B. I don't think KSH was compared for these two projects because the stories and roles are so very different.

I watched Jugglers up until episode 9 and I only remember half of it 😑

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I don't care because we've gone through Eun-ja, Ok-ran then now nurse Park. I'm just so over it.
All 3 or 2 of them has something to do with plastic surgery.

Moon-young said that her mother is dead but her soul is alive and that her father is alive but his soul is dead.
Well, she is right about her father so most likely she is telling the truth about her mother too. She has always been straight forward but you never know what this team have in store for our poor heart.

I haven't seen "Jugglers" but I've seen MLFTS. I had fun live watching it but the one that I'll remember most is this unique drama. It's dark and there is something very human about it even with all the fairytales and folktales in the background.

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Well, in this case... I stick with my stand. And taken all beanies advice here. I'll just pass MLFAS 😅, for I should also remember what best for me. This drama surely one of its kind. And worth to remember for quite a long time ✌.

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I loved MLFTS. In fact it’s in my top ten list.

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So I will jump in with a small input @kiara and @princessdiaries6
This plot device is not about the mom. It is a test for all involved. It is a test for GT’s feelings. Can he really overcome all the negativity to be with MY?
In this episode or rather with the new book we actually have all the characters of wizard of oz in place. I saw a video on YouTube, read some tweets and read a beautiful post on soompi about this.
Is GT is the lion without courage or the character out to find a sense of self... whoever it is... the focus is on MY while this is the Prince’s fight.

Mom is a red herring. And even if she isn’t, it is disappointing but I think it is about testing the mettle of this new family.

Looking forward to Saturday!

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And @sailorjumun all your pain about Nurse Park is my pain 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭

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I was literally chanting "Don't be Nurse Park, don't be Nurse Park!" when they were about to reveal who was driving that car!

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I recognised her at once, but my mind went... ok, but she's not the mum, she's just nuts and she's not her mum. And then episode 14 happened.

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My tears rolling down like a broken dam. The shaman ahjumma was so great in potraying DID person. Her voice, gesture, even her strained facial totally different, like she is becoming a real "little girl". Gosh, abusive parents and spectator of the perpetrator when someone get abused will always get into my heart. Just like KMHM drama, how broken those children's mentality when they get abused 😭😭😭.

I never thought that I would not see more mental healthness story/person anymore (after ep 12) apart from those 3 main OTP. Boy, I was so wrong 🙈Such a blast for episode 13! Wow, this drama is beyond my word! Couldn't applaud them enough 👏👏👏👏👏.

P/S: who else saw the blood pool scene looks like a butterfly? Cool detailing 🥰
Again, thanks @sailorjumun for recap

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Oh I didn't see that butterfly in the pool of blood. Good catch, and what an incredible detail to add to this incredible drama.

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Honestly, the mum looked awful and I can't picture her being a competent nurse who wipes saliva, change beds, etc. She looked like she cares about patients. So I understand that people like could act normaly and hide their behavior but choosing this job just to torment her husband looks weird more like a big sacrifice for a little reward.

KT with the little girl was super cute, I liked the choice he gave to the patient.

ST trying to learn to read faces thank to MY was nice to see. He's really changing and learning.

KSH in suit reminds his unforgettable entrance in Hotel Del Luna!

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I... Don't like this twist. Do Hui-jae being alive kind of disturbs what I thought was the subtlest but also best theme of the show: The only monsters here are the ones in your head. There are no ghosts, I realised early on, haunting Dad or Moon-young or anyone else. It's just their memories.

But apparently not?

This is a far less powerful statement.

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Generally, I find every character here aside from the main trio (who are GOLD) to be lacking something. I might like the twist more if Nurse Park had been better established and a little more interesting.

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After watching ep14 (not going to be a spoiler), she becomes the biggest plot hole in this drama. When she had those pool of blood gushing out, with 25ft off the railing... they can really becoming someone else (like changing behavioral, even voice too -sort of DID?)

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There are too many sister references for me, thus I feel she is a step mom/twin sister of MY’s mom.

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Agree. The "little sister" of my darling Clementine.

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Because she's not. I remember commenters telling me they couldn't believe Nurse Park is "evil", when I started hypothesizing it here on the Episode 7 thread that she's related to Do Hui-jae and she was up to something, but honestly, I didn't want to believe myself either that time.

I feel she's a twin sister who covets everything that Author Do has. And because they used to look alike (pre-surgery), it was probably easy herself to got him impregnated her and eventually gave birth to Sang-tae. But she didn't want him because he's not 'normal' and discarded him so he ended up with Gang-tae's mother. Nurse Park then became obsessive towards MY and acted like her fake mother, sneaking and pretending to be Author Do whenever she got the chance. But then GT's mom stumbled upon the truth so she killed her to keep everything a secret.

To keep her proximity to Ko Dae-Hwan, she underwent plastic surgery and became a nurse, or she may be a nurse even before. Maybe, she kept him close because she had unrequited feelings for him and also waited for the day to confirm he was the one who killed his wife, one of her ultimate goals.

Nurse Park may have intentionally dressed herself as Author Do when she killed GT's mom. She obviously pulled drew ST near her chest so she could remember the butterfly.

Still not satisifed, to sabotage MY's happiness, she dropped the bomb --- the butterfly on ST's mural.

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i love this theory so much!

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Agree!

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this is the only qualm i have. i really wanted the focus to remain on our characters facing their personal demons, symbolic of the trauma that has left such big scars visible only to them. bringing the mother back, and especially at this point in the show, undermines the weight of the horrors they have had to live through until now. i still have hope that the writer knows what they are doing, and everything will make sense in the end, but this is a very slippery slope they're treading.

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Exactly! Bringing Mum back makes what should have been an internal struggle into an external one - it feels like the writers wanted an easy way out. I feel like there's plenty of time to wrap up this arc and recover, but we'll see.

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Wooof this was fast. I am watching episode 14. That being said, NOOOOOO, not Nurse Park, we were rooting for you( Tyra Banks gif). I wonder how she got out of the bag or if his tumor caused him to believe he sent her to the bottom of the lake. Otherwise, idk how she survived the fall.

Oh Jung Se continues to shine brightly. He and Jae Soo practicing faces was hilarious. My favorite will always be Seung Jae, she is so adorable and no one deserves her. I hope she finds happiness.

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But think about it, we saw someone watching MY a few times at the hospital ( we thought it was Park Oh Ran but we see it wasn't) plus it was weird she tried to get Kang Tae fired and she was always in their business. I wonder if she remembers he was the boy from long ago?

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As I said in my comment, if it's all explained by "memories are deceitful" I will be even more tired than by the fact that after 5 minutes of happiness for our trio comes a whole episode of tragedy.
So Nurse Park is nuts and survived an attempt of murder and changed her face and become a nurse and took care os his husband just to torment him. Aha. I get it. I mean, I don't like the twist, but I can deal with the twist if we have some explanation.
We'll talk again in ep. 14 recap.

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@eazal But... but... she didn't even torment him all those years she was working there as Nurse Park. So it makes even less sense right?

I really hope she is revealed to be MY's aunt or someone similar instead of the actual mom.

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It's an enormous plothole.
All this 20 years working at the hospital, she's been a good nurse. She cared about patients (or at least that's what it seemed)...

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its disturbing at how MY never talked about her mother specifically. she only said she was terrified with her mother, her dad was going crazy and killed her mom, her mother comes out in her dream, she never said how her mom talked to her or everything she did to her. most of every story about MY's family come out from other characters. she dont even talked about her mom with KT, she dont tell him why she stepped that flowers.
I dont believe GDH's flashback (memories) too, because at that time he was already had brain tumor. everything could be wrong. i don't believe that Nurse Park is Do Heejae (or i just dont wanna believe it? idk)
most of the viewers said at this point this is just plain torture and i kinda agree, i just feel so bad for our 3 leads :((((

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This was a draining episode.. I cried and cried and cried some more.. First, Moon Young's revolution of why she hated her father broke my heart, seriously. How she equated it to the Tale of Two Sisters ( nice easter egg btw, I loved that movie) and how the father knew about the abuse but to ignore it making him worse than the abuser.. Oh Gosh..😢... Then seeing the patient confront her father.. Kang Tae can see what Moon Young must have felt.. how she wanted her father to help her and he never did.. whew.. but what got me was the one time Moon Young father showed her kindness.. when he read her the fairy tale..😭😭.. it was probably one of the few moments of happiness in her wretched childhood.. this really got me.. I'm not even going to lie.. You can see how lonely Moon Young was but that ending.. OMG.. OMG.. OMG.. that ending had me screaming!!! I saw that theory being floated by someone a few episodes back and I said the idea of Nurse Park being the Mom was even scarier than Park Oh Ran.... some are saying its not her but maybe her sister but nope.. Moon Young said several times that butterfly pin was one of a kind. Only the mom could have had it..I was screaming Holy Sh**!!! the last five minutes.. I really got chills when she started smiling in the car.. This drama is so good!!! Although the ending was shocking even though we had fair warning.. it was such an emotional episode that it took a second to process the ending.. my emotions were all over the place.. Gosh both of the story telling scenes stuck with me..😭.. I am still not over it.. heavy man, really heavy episode

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I was also drained right after this episode. I may have cried all the tears that MY is unable to cry while grieving for her father. That's how affected I was. We all know how traumatic MY's childhood was but seeing it play out in this episode, and how similar it was to Sunhae's story of abuse and neglect, was super heartbreaking.

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This show just keeps on bringing me joy in every way. And since I missed commenting on the reviews of episodes 11 and 12, just got to say.
1. That KISS!!
2. I hope Oh Jung Se gets every recognition there is, he is absolutely awesome in this show.

That being said, I do have a problem with nurse Park supposedly being Do Hui Jae. It just seems a bit far-fetched. First, Do Hui Jae's husband pushes her off the stairs and she bleeds heavily from the head, then she's dumped into the lake while stuck inside a zipped up suit case. She somehow escapes, changes her body shape and voice and enters nursing school, gets employed and is obviously a good worker seeing as she's head nurse. Awesome amount of effort put in. And for what? The slim hope of her daughter (whom is by no way difficult to locate) returning and the end game being... revenge? Control issues? Seriously, show? Makjang much? Although I feel there is something sketchy about her sometimes, I'd much prefer it if nurse Park and Do Hui Jae were sisters. Nurse Park's behavior doesn't fit into the ASPD frame.

Aside from that, does anyone know which fairy tale Moon-young is referring to concerning the father and two sisters? I tried looking it up but only found a tale of two sisters, one good and one bad who went looking for work and came across an evil witch.

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It is Korean folklore, if I'm not mistaken (Father of Janghwa and Hongryeon). I read somewhere else those story. Perhaps @kiara will cover later in her fan wall?

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Its not that far fetched for me with Nurse Park plus we have seen more unbelievable things in other K drama's.. lol.. I am guessing she had one of her knives to cut herself out.. I didnt think it was far fetched just a bit shocked to have it confirmed.. I mean one thing we have all learned is Evil doesnt die very easily so her being alive is not that unsurprising. Being evil in a movie or drama is the equivalent of a super power except your " gifts" is immortality.. hehehehehe.. anyway.. Nurse Park is not ASPD .. ASPD is a sociopath... Nurse Park is a full BLOWN PYSCHO... A pyscho is the one without a conscience, so yes, she does fit the narrative.

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I can't see her as a psychopath with that kind of long-term commitment and life planning. Her entire set-up at the hospital relies heavily on impulse control, not really in line with psychopathic traits or ASPD. If it's true, her being Moon-young's mother, I will find myself heavily disappointed with the writing of this arc.

Found some great writing on the subject on psychology today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-is-2020/201812/difference-between-the-psychopath-and-so-called-sociopath

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This is really late, but I don't think that's accurate. Impulse control isn't in line with ASPD, but MY's mom doesn't have ASPD. She's a psychopath, and psychopaths are more than capable of intense impulse control. They're basically the poster child of the "long con." I still don't get why she bothered, but I wanted to make that distinction. Nice article, by the way.

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Thank you for your input. I suppose people with psychopathic traits are like every one person, gifted with a certain personality and shaped by their life encounters.

The mother was badly written though, I'm so disappointed...

Uh-oh, heavy resentment rising fast, fast, fast!! Mind-wipe! Aarggh!

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I think @kiara put the story on her fanwall.

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I try to post the related fairytale or folktale before the new episode comes out.
TvN is pretty good at posting the title of the upcoming episode before it airs and I just guess which story to post.
http://program.tving.com/tvn/tvnpsycho/10/Board/List

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Your questions are the same questions I ask myself.
This is such an enormous plot hole, I hope we can get some answers (although I have the feeling we will not get all of them).

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I truly hope it's wrong, it's like an A student suddenly not being able to punctuate correctly. It just throws you off.

There'll be a lot to say on the subject of episode 14 later on.

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Seconding many of you here. I'm struggling with this plot hole as well. The show has not led us astray this far, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt, but at this stage (even having watched ep. 14) I really have no clue what Nurse Park is all about and how they're going to pull this off.

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Understanding motive was biggest problem for me with this arc. I guess ep 14 kind of answered it (hint, she's just a psycho). It's still pretty dissatisfying I have to agree.

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Sorry but that "hint" is actually quite a spoiler.

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The patient's story was employed well to connect with Moon Young's and her father's broken relationship. Sun Hae made me tear up when she let it all out to her father while clinging to Kang Tae's back. She sounded incredibly young. Good acting.

Sang Tae practicing his drawing of expressions with Jae Soo and Seung Jae was so cute and funny. Jae Soo said he gonna get facial paralysis lol. Looks like Jae Soo might have a new crush on Seung Jae. Heh

This episode had some nice character moments and dialogue, but I was somewhat waiting for the big bomb to drop. Revealing Nurse Park as Moon Young's mother wasn't a huge twist because the theories have already come up and I was prepared. Interested if she's really her mother though and what she plans to do next.

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@SailorJumun thanks for your reflections. I too am feeling down with the characters. But then again, things in my life are so complicated that it strangely feels nice to see these characters mourn and try so hard to be whole and happy in the midst of chaos. That's what makes this so great.

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Like many others who have guessed it right, I'm not at all surprised about nurse Park, but really curious about how they are going to explain it. They almost had me fooled when she was with Ko Dae Hwan on his deathbed, she seemed sorry for him, but she was also the only plausible suspect for the butterfly. Wonder if she's truly the Mom or just another impersonator.
This show despite dealing with heavy topics and leaning into it's darkness it's still easy to watch and I think that's because there's not much time spent on frustrating characters (Mom is more intriguing than frustrating). Even a lot of the side characters are complex, feel fully fledged and it's easy for me to believe they have a life that doesn't just revolve around the main trio. Despite the fairytale aspect the characters feel human, flawed yet symphatetic.
I like all the progress Moon Young made, that she called Juri and that it looks like they are rekindling their friendship and she's learning to open up to other people other than KT(and Sang Tae). And her relationship with Sang Tae is still awesome. She always treats him like an equal and is not afraid to give him honest feedback and constructive criticism that might help him overcome his weaknesses as an ilustrator. There's been a lot of character growth for all our cast but in a way that feels natural and true to them. Now I just want the newly minted family of 3 (and their friends) to get their fairytale happy ending.

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I'm really not buying that Nurse Park is actually Moon-yung's mother.
My theory? Nurse Park was the housekeeper who 'went over the line', was obsessed with MY's mum and was caught wearing her clothes and then MY's mum fired her. I think that MY's father drew the wrong conclusion (because of his brain tumour??) and killed his wife without any real evidence that she was a murderer.

What bugs me about the whole butterfly plot is that nobody ever does the rational thing. Maybe go to the lake to see whether the body of MY's mother is actually there would be a useful thing to do...

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What kind of theory of this? Even more confusion and sort of not appealing (at least for me).

Who wants to check into the lake, about MY's mom? I believe MY never tell anyone about her mother's disapperance, of how she know her mother was dump in the reservoir. She just suspected her father did (as small MY dreaming about it).

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I believe the housekeeper is KT's mum and that's why she killed her, because she saw MY being abused and she stepped for the girl, and that's why MY's mum told KT's mum after stabbing her that "no one tells me how to treat my child" or something like this.
But, I like your Rebeca theory, tbh. Makes more sense than the mum being alive after surviving the stairs and the lake.

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I find the Nurse-Park-as-Mrs-Danvers theory interesting, too. I can't shake the flicker of doubt about Nurse Park being MY oemma come back to life, though certainly that seems to be what the show is presenting us. It's just such a stretch to imagine that she could survive a fall like that, let alone without severe cognitive impairment.

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I have to admit that my theory is mainly based on a (what I thought was a rather heavy-handed) reminder by the drama that the father was cognitively impaired because of his brain tumour, right before he decided that his wife was a murderer and shoved her down the stairs.

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"I'm really not buying that Nurse Park is actually Moon-yung's mother."

Yes, you can, if you believe in resurrection from dead.

You know what I mean.

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I've read all the theories and I actually like yours the best. Cause the show is dealing with psychos, so psycho housekeeper makes total sense and is more subtle than say, vengeful mother/stepmother/sister/daughter.

i also theorize that nurse park could be the "over the line" housekeeper and was let go, and st and gt's mom could be the "new" housekeeper. cause in st's recollection of the murder, st's mom says "starting tomm, I'm going to work late so walk yourself home from now on."

could the old psycho housekeeper got jealous and killed the new housekeeper? and perhaps the old housekeeper fell in love with the man in the house, so in a fit of rage, the man killed the wife?

you're into something. :)

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I guess It's Okay is not Harry Potter. Other than magic, the only way Moon-yeong's mom can survive in a logical way is 1. Dae-kwan's memory is corrupted, and 2. Moon-yeong's memory is mixed up (Remember? She watched the whole thing!). Probability for 1. is around 10-20%, but 2. is near 0. So I simply think this theory is simply not viable.

I don't see the "housekeeper" theory is that credible as well. You have to believe there are 2 like-minded people who shape Moon-yeong her mom's way. The problem is, does anybody so loyal to her master like that, let alone she is a psycho? The relationship between my company and I is simply this: I work, so I get money. I don't do anything else other than the contract asked me to do. I guess this is everyone's common sense, right?

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WOW - thanks for the fast recap! This show has me all over the place emotionally. A couple of things:
1. If he killed his wife and threw her into the water how could she be alive? I hope they explain this, or maybe Nurse Park just is thinking she is MY's mom. Right? Otherwise it doesn't make sense that she wasn't recognized - if nothing else her voice would be the same.

2. Sang-Tae is really the most amazing part of this story with how he just lets out all these nuggets of understanding and wisdom.

3. Can I say how much I am enjoying the humor part of the relationship between Sang-in and Ju-Ri? He is such an open and honest goof and he adds so much extra levity to the show. Thank you WriterNim for adding this so we have a moment to chuckle between all the tears.

4. Ju-ri and Moo-young becoming real friends - we needed this didn't we?

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Sang In is the kind of person we all should have in our lives. He and JooRi make such a an adorable couple!

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Re #4 - we totally did. I have traveled such a road with JR, and I'm super stoked that she's turned out to be so awesome - and that she and MY are becoming friends again!

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I am in the office when this is published, so I just have a short comment here, and a longer one coming later ...

I am touched when Moon-yeong mourning her father. Although her father always want to choke every time they meet, I am pretty sure she is grateful to him when he killed her mother, although it was an accident, as the feature fairytale suggested.

On the other hand, Chief Nurse Park as Ms. Do, a.k.a Moon-yeong's mother seems forced. Although there are netizens talking about this possibility, I never consider this a viable option in terms of screenwriting. Now we have to consider this, as well (with Episode 14 also in mind, which I will talk about it in detail in next episode's recap) the theory that Sang-tae may not be Kang-tae's brother, but Moon-yeong's. In terms of storytelling style as well clues lay out in this drama, I always think these are two of the worst options a screenwriter should take, because it is nothing but pleasing the audience in terms of getting good rating.

I used to say that this show's bad rating is in fact a good thing, because it tells a reality the majority of audience (South Korean, especially) must realize, but may not like to hear. Now it has a possibility to go back to a B-rate drama, and I am surely not happy about that.

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Still A-rate drama, only lesser star (from full 5 to somehow 4.5?) ✌
Let's see the finale for overall final reviewing.

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I totally agree with you, specially after watching episode 14.
I can't see how things will be explained with Nurse Park, seriously. I can't see it.

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I guess, @eazal, every fairytale has a bad stepmother. It's even worse when Do Hui-jae is blood mother of Moon-yeong (and possibly, Sang-tae).

I still give the drama a chance to redeem itself, if the theme Do Hui-jae presenting is about the morbid expectation Korean parents on for their children (The theme for next episode is about a fish which only has a big, fat mouth). If screenwriter can present it well, @fydea, that can still be an A-rate drama. However, I don't give very high hope on it, if she simply aims at saving the rating.

Some dramas still good in some sense even they ruin their ending, like Itaewon Class (and it is forgivable, because we know he is a first-time screenwriter). However, I am not always that forgivable as Sang-tae.

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Yeah. Lets talk more on Ep 14 recap. I seriously couldn't related the fairytale theme in that episode with their current storyline 😓😓😓.

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Why is no one thinking of two sisters angle?
The nurse and ST’s conversation spoke of a step mom!

Maybe I am in denial but I think there have to be a twin of MY’s mom!

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Oh, I thought about it. Anything but Nurse Park being MY's mum, because by all we learned she MUST be dead. But it seems show is not leading us there, but only to make Nurse Park MY's mum.

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I don't think it is "2 sisters", but it looks like Moon-yeong's mom is being "resurrected", came back and haunt them all. We all saw her dad came back from a "fishing trip" with a shot of a suitcase being sunk to the bottom of the water, then she's just here as Chief Nurse Park. It simply doesn't make sense, except if Park has came back as Do Hui-jae's imitator.

This is an unforgivable plot hole.

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Magic can happen in 2 hours and 40 minutes @imperialtitus and hopefully the plot hole will not be ignored :)

Crossing my fingers and toes.

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I wish, @noone.

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They did something where the loophole remained but I still smiled and cried in a happy way @imperialtitus

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I saw this twist coming, and I don't like it. I'm waiting to see the explanation but so much about it doesn't make sense. MY didn't actually see her mom dead so I can buy that she's alive. I can buy that Dad's memories may be distorted because of the tumor. What I have a really hard time buying is that Do Hui-jae got plastic surgery, became a nurse and worked at OK Psychiatric Hospital to ..... get an obsessed fan to hum a song? Hold her husband's hand as he neared the end? I know everybody at OK is incompetent, but I can't believe that the woman we saw in the flashbacks could last one day as a nurse much yet years fooling everybody. I know everybody at OK is incompetent but I at least thought the Director was somewhat observant.

Also, Do Hui-jae was obsessed with MY. She just let MY be for 20 years to hand out pills, change bed pans, etc. I don't buy that either.

If she is Do Hui-jae it won't ruin the drama for me because I am in it for the growth of KT, ST, and MY and the family they made, but it is unnecessary IMO.

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Okay, I don't want to give away spoilers but I understand exactly why she did it. It actually makes sense.. she can torture whomever she likes including her husband and who tf would be the wiser? who would believe people in a mental facility?

Remember the story of the Texas nurse who killed all those babies..🤬😡... she was loved by parents and considered one of the best nurses at the hospital.. it took them years to figure out what she was doing. I was so friggin digusted..🤮.. her working at the hospital is entirely plausible..

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It doesn't make any sense to me, not even after watching episode 14. So I totally agree with you.

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" I know everybody at OK is incompetent" LOL

beside distorted because of the tumor, I feel like nurse park brainwashed him after he's in OK Hospital so he believe he killed the wife, but actually nurse park who killed "her sister" (I'm still hoping she's not the real MY's mom because it's not make sense she's still alive)

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So Sun-hae’s father is toast (?)

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Sidenote: How the hell did Hui-jae live if her body was in a suitcase and thrown into the river?

Everybody knows that Korean rivers have special healing properties. Guess lakes do too. In his next life, Dad should try dumping bodies off a train.

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😆😆😆
Reminds me of Kingdom 🙈

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Yeah, and falling over the banister and down the stairs is just another kind of Cliff of Doom. Of course she could unzip herself from that traveling case and swim to freedom after all the blood loss. And establish herself enough to get an RN and pay for all the plastic surgery, change her voice and her gait and . . . 😏 kdrama! I gotta love it ❤️

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This will probably be the most persuasive theory for Hui-jae being resurrected.

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The water has Habaek as it's guardian. Of course it's healing.
*Cue gif from Habaek's bride*

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Thanks for the recap!

Lmao. Ok then. I mean, I suspected it myself, but Nurse Park as the mom is just wack to me and I still can't get a handle on it. I mean, how exactly did she get her voice changed? Both actresses voices are so distinct.

I'm just came here to say how much I loved Moon-young's mission for Sang-tae to practice his understanding of other's expressions and how he's continued to implement it further. They are too precious. I absolutely love the plot of them making a book together and can't wait to finally see it completed in the finale! Is it too much to hope for some animation of their story in the final week?

Now back to the ep 14 so I can hopefully eventually process all these strange revelations...

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an animation would be such a lovely way to bookend this special story! i hope we get something creative like that.

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NOW I WANT ONE LAST ANIMATION TOO!!!😭
*Whines like a kid*

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Woah, I don't know what to feel about Nurse Park being Moon-young's mom. While it wasn't very surprising, since many beanies have already pointed it out before, I'm not really sure if I want that :-/

I used to like Nurse Park and appreciate that she's been correcting her juniors' misconceptions. Although I also noticed her suspicious actions and looks, I thought that the show was just confusing us or that she'd be an important character in the future, who probably knows something. But not mom.

I said before that I couldn't imagine Ok-ran as the mom because it's unlikely that MY's mom would stay in the hospital, under the radar, for that long. Now with Nurse Park, that's harder to imagine. So wow, she must have a very strong determination to be able to put on an act for such a long period. And she's surely good at manipulating people. Aargh, that's annoying!

That aspect of the drama seems to have been planned from the start, given all the hints, and it worries me. While I've trusted the show's decisions during the past episodes, a part of me is scared that this may end up being similar to other dramas we've before :-/

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*seen before.

But I also agree with SailorJumun that there were many good stuff this episode that I don't want to forget. I particularly like Sang-tae's homework of studying expressions. I love how Moon-young approached Sang-tae's admission that he couldn't draw faces. She neither pitied him and told him to just forget about it, nor looked down on his weakness. I like that she acknowledged that it's something Sang-tae can still work on and even suggested how he can do that. And Sang-tae was so adorable being serious about accomplishing his task.

On a lighter note, I'm glad Kang-tae was in a suit for a longer time than I expected hihi XD

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I get you.
I'm not really sure I like the direction drama is taking in these last episodes. I said in previous recaps that I felt show was losing steam, and I can se how it doesn't stop.

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This episode was heavy... emotionally-draining-heavy type heavy. It felts like I was panting by the end of it, like I swam a whole river to get to the other side LOL. But I’ve figured a long time ago that in reality, this drama is a melo. And while I love melo, I’ve never been as attached to so many characters in one drama to be this affected. It’s been a cry-fest in short.

My favourite moment of the episode (and it had tons of amazing ones!) was also Kang-tae protecting Sun-hae. But to me this wasn’t about just Kang-tae. It was also about the girl who trusted her father to be her protector and knight, but who was betrayed in the end. It was just heartbreaking how she tells him she waited for him, even after he left her to the shaman, hoping he’d come back for her. It’s a story that hits me differently because the lesson I got from it was that the ones who hurt us the most are the ones we expect the most from. “Smaller” faults can have bigger impacts depending on the person who did it. Despite the physical and mental abuse, maybe Sun-hae didn’t hate her mother as much as she was hurt by her father; it’s also Moon-young’s story. They both learned to not expect so much from their mom, but were still hoping their fathers had stepped up and done something.

When Kang-tae hugs the little girl while she cried, I felt she let out all her resentment. So, I hope this will lead to her eventual healing. I don’t believe Sun-hae should forgive her father, just like Moon-young shouldn’t either. But coming to peace with what happened will allow them to “cut their leash”, if you will.

Lastly, for the reveal. I saw so many theories and yet I was still shocked by it. So really, the PD has to be given credit here. The way it was shot really gave me chills. I have A LOT of opinion on the mother, but I’ll leave it for the next episode’s recap.

P.s. I love love love Joo-ri! I never ever had her anyway right from the start. But she’s grown so much on me and she’s genuinely good at heart. Specially in the next episode, she just won me all over again. Probably the best thing about this drama is that it’s impossible to pick the best character. They all have a purpose and they’re all so well written. It’s so rare to see that for the supporting cast so really, this writer is quite epic. How its from the same writer as Jugglers, I will never understand.

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lol is jugglers that bad...? i was thinking of checking it out after this.

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Lol it was somewhat decent in the first half. But after the leads got together, they also got a personality transplant. The hero was full of aegyo and they were like... disgustingly cute. It was plain weird. The plot also took a trip to the moon. Lol in summary, it’s harmless and forgettable. But if you’re in the mood for 16 episodes of fluff/cotton, then it’s watchable!

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The irony that this drama is titled "Psycho, but it's okay"..

Mun-yeong's children's books and interpretations of fairy tales have so far been used as a convenient plot device to help our three protagonists understand themselves and each other, but also to convey from the drama writer to the audience a message that they wanted to tell either directly (i.e. Zombie Boy) or by positing a thoughtful question about the people we spurn (did the boy who cried wolf deserve to be killed when his only crime was to be alone). It's no longer becoming a coincidence that the drama writers chose to employ fairy tales as a plot device and that most of the traumas this drama explores are the young facing the consequences of the old; after all, the traditional dual function of fairy tales was also to rear the young into obedient children by instilling both fear and hope.

In a way, children are the central theme of this drama. The central premise/conflict is driven by one woman whose actions forever altered the lives of three kids, Kang-tae lack of self worth is from growing up feeling unloved with memories of neglect, Ki-do went literally crazy starving for attention from his parents, Sun-hae’s split persona is a child with bruises, Mr. Kan can’t part from the wretched things he was ordered to do. Even the old are stuck in the past, so how difficult must it be for children to journey to their happy ending?

The drama does well breathing depth into the minor characters because they are so deeply and realistically affected by seemingly ordinary things that happen, "ordinary" because of how pervasive neglect and abuse are. In the way that the drama blurs lines, there is no real difference between the characters who are hospitalized and Mun-yeong and Kang-tae, only that the former have very visible outward manifestations of their trauma. Mun-yeong and Kang-tae are also screwed up, just in different ways. More so than the murders, their poor mental health is from starving for warmth for so long. It’s fitting that they are the ones who need therapy but do not get it, since many people in real life struggle with similar problems. Physical beating isn’t the only legitimate source of trauma and the show does a good job showing how powerful neglect can be. The drama itself is like a fairy tale and the warning is that reconciliation rarely happens in real life as @sailorjumun pointed out, so don’t waste your life expecting to be forgiven.

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The drama also excels at exploring complex emotion, like how Mun-yeong can't let go of the one time her father read her a fairytale, how she pities herself for being unable to let go of this one memory, how she has come to identify him as worse than her mom, her being stuck in place while she waited for his passing, a lifetime of pent-up emotions that resurfaces.. Endless props to this production team and Seo-Yeji.

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i'm rioting if seo yeji doesn't get catapulted into super stardom after this role. seriously, this has been such a career defining, star-making turn for her!

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Did you watch the first 10 min of Save Me episode 5? That alone I thought should have separated her among young actresses - I just haven't seen that type of acting by anyone around their age-27 portfolio.

I don't know about superstardom.. she isn't exactly mainstream but I am sure that many people (including myself) will almost unconditionally watch her future projects going forward.

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are you talking about the scene in front of the train tracks? that was when i realized oh, this girl has some serious acting chops.

hmm, what do you mean she's not mainstream? she fits the sk beauty standard (which seems to be a hard requirement for top actresses) and has the talent to back it up, so isn't she as mainstream as it gets? or did you mean her previous works have not been mainstream?

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@dogemama yes, in front of the train tracks! i felt the same as you!

by mainstream... idk I guess I just don't see her choosing projects with very contrived plot lines like Vagabond, CLOY, etc where acting feels like it's of secondary importance. I want to say she is almost too talented to choose the projects that maybe Park Shin-hye/Shin Se-kyung would (who I think are mainstream and of the same age as SYJ) ... Do I even want SYJ to get wrist grabbed, back hugged and look like a helpless candy heroine? I don't know. But I do hope this project gives her footing to get all the casting offers she wants.

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She's definitely been catapulted to the top actress list for me. She's amazing, and with impressive depth for her age.

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ah, i see what you mean, and i agree. i think she will pick quality over an easy hit too. i hope she finds success even if she is not doing these stereotypical kdrama female lead roles. with her talent, i do believe she will!

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This is indeed a superstar making role for SYJ. Hopefully her agency will be able to bank on the enormous popularity that she gained from this role. I have to laugh as she is now being featured on Netizenbuzz and Pann, with k-netz comments being majorly positive for both her acting and beauty.

I'm already lining up male leads that I want her to work with next. Would be nice to see her with my ultimate oppa Kim Woo Bin and Seo Kang Joon. (It would be hilarious of SYJ as "empty can" to work with SKJ's "tin can" from Are You Human, too. Hee.)

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Ironically, she is signed to the same agency as Kim Soo Hyun ... Gold Medalist.. and KSH is the highest paid actor getting even more than Hyun Bin for CLOY and Lee Byung-hun for Mr. Sunshine.. KSH made like US$165,000 per episode for IONTBO.. random.. why do I know all of this 😂🤣.. even I dont know why I know this..

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yeah, her being in the same agency as kim soo hyun, and the agency itself being relatively small gives me hope that they will give her the attention and opportunities she deserves. as for who i want her to be paired up with, i am voting for park seo joon bc i want every actress i love to be paired against him lolllll i think empty can and tin can would actually make a very endearing pairing :)

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I have to say, I actually did like SKJ in "I'll Come to You When the Weather is Fine," so that might be an interesting match up. But the premise would definitely have to be right and not cookie-cutter.

Any maybe it's because I still have "My Unfamiliar Family" on the brain, but I'd be interested to see her in a current ensemble drama, too.

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Yes, and I finally understood why MY couldn't sell the cursed castle even though she never visited it after 20 years. Eventually, that is the last piece of good memory about her relationship with his father.

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@asterell This was an excellent summary of the message of the the drama.

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Yes to this!

I feel like people are forgetting what the theme of this drama is.

I, personally, never wanted the plot of MY mom killing ST and KT mom (much less the head nurse being Do Hui-jae), not because it’s going to be a convoluted and unforgivable plot but because I am scared how our three main characters are going to handle it (and I must say, I am so proud of how they are handling it, no Noble Idiocy but just being there silently supporting and protecting each other - but more on this on Ep 14 recap) because after all, isn’t that what the drama wants to tell us? How to heal from past traumas and how to overcome them?

What are people expecting exactly, sunshine and rainbows? From a human healing drama? I think not.

The show still yet to explain the mom’s plot in detail. I have my theories but I will wait for next week’s episode. And I am really hoping the writing will explain it well. But as long as the three stay united and don’t falter from their decision of sticking together, then I think I have nothing to worry about.

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Thank you @reighness for reminding me again👍👍👍...yes, I am watching this because I love mental healing theme. Not because of its melo or/and mystery concept.

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Everyone has already highlighted everything I'm thinking about this episode (my head nodding yes to the thread the whole way down). I feel like every k-drama I watch has a "transition" episode, and this one was it for me.

On a separate note: I was re-watching a few things from earlier in the show, and I realized that...I kind of missed the unbridled MY. In the first 6 episodes or so, she emanated this kind of wild, unapologetic ferocity of a badass Wonder Woman. That scene where she practically nails KT to the vending machine at the motel, I thought he was going to swallow his own tongue - it was like watching a cobra hypnotize a mouse (SYJ is astounding in that scene). She was often unlikable, but she had this incredible primal self-awareness that played out in such a fascinating way.

When she says around episode 8 that KT has "tamed" her, it feels true. Loving him, caring for ST, realizing SI cares about her, the nurturing from SD and the renewed friendship with JR - caring for and loving people has moved her to examine and change her behavior. That's a GOOD thing, and I have so enjoyed her development through this show. She's become so much happier, and I do truly believe that this will give her strength when this show hits the climax and she bursts from her chrysalis. But there are moments where I confess that I kind of miss the ever-so-slightly feral MY, because...I think a part of me kind of wanted to be like her! :-)

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Everyone could do better following Mun-yeong's unbridled way of communication. Also ironically, she has treated Sang-tae the best (by a far margin) than any other character in the drama, not compromising out of misplaced pity, and somehow it makes sense.

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Absolutely! Their relationship arc has hands-down been one of my favorite things about this show.

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I also loved that motel scene. It was very well-done. I was ready to give SYJ an acting award after that scene. 😅 She was very captivating. (Though I must admit that she already ran away with my heart the first time she graced us with her presence in ep 1.) KMY is a complicated character in that she can be very unlikable, condescending, and lashes out at people but, you know, she is also adorable, quirky, alluring, and vulnerable. I'm seriously obsessed with and invested in this character. I keep saying this like a broken record but I have not liked a character this much since Cheon Song Yi.

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Captivating is totally the word. I'm totally mesmerized by her performance. She's a force of nature. I adore KT and ST, but it's MY who I'm going to the wall for.

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totally agree @cbme. i feel life this show is actually 3 shows: 1) boss bitch mun-yeong and what a revelation she (and seo yeaji) was 2) the lovey dovey in the countryside with an austic bro and now 3) mother murder mysetry with literacy references as clues haha. classic kdrama haha.

and while i like the last 2 story arcs, i miss the frenetic pace of the show while it was in seoul and boss bitch mun-yeong the most. that was the show at its best. i could've watched 16 episodes of simply that.

so i do hehe: https://youtu.be/JPS1OE3AlV4

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Daaaang, thanks for that link! I may have just watched that with a huge grin plastered across my face. I think I could watch 16 episodes of Boss Bitch MY, too, and I think we're seeing some of that rise up again (newly infused by her personal evolution)...and, if so, that psycho Nurse Park stands zero chance. ;-)

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There was just so much in this episode. Like others I felt there was something off about nurse park. I actually screamed at my laptop at the end and my OH actually came to check on me.. lol. But this episode was amazing the way it talked about abuse. The message the the one who ignores is worse then the one who abuses is powerful and makes one wonder what we turn a blind eye to. Each episode has really knocked it out of the park, expertly combining the fairytale with the message. And delivering it with a deft hand. I’m excited, hopeful and nervous for the final two episodes. I hope this little family gets their happy ending.

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I was screaming too.. I havent screamed that loud since Arya took out the Night King.. .ROFL

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Thank you for another quick recap @sailorjumun!

That reveal that Nurse Park could be MY's Mom make me wonder how she could survive after being thrown from the balcony and bleeding on the floor, then being put in a bag and sunk with weights in the lake. So makes me wonder if she is the biggest red herring of them all. If she is another pretender then she is the most dangerous of them all.
I have not seen ep14 yet so it may be answered in the new episode.

I feel so bad for ST after his shock with the vandalism on his mural. Not cool Nurse Park.
I too am mad that she has been moving around them all this time. And we would never know the kind of damage she has caused in that hospital too.

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Honestly, I still have a hard time buying that the mother survived falling from such a height and then being packed into a suitcase and then thrown in a river. I would have an easier time believing that Nurse Park is the sister of Moon-Yong's mother. However, the drama gods wish this so I must accept. As @sailorjumun said, there were so many brilliant and heartbreaking moments in this episode. This drama gets better with each episode.

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1)"A kiss is better than a fight." ST giving out solid wisdom. All pinky promises should be sealed with kisses from now on.
2) Am I the only one that thinks Park Ok ran is dead?
3) KT needs to learn how to rely on others more. He keeps so much to himself.
4) JR and SI are so precious. I can't wait till they get together. SI is hopeless.
5)The shaman patient's story is so sad. And her father had the audacity to ask for a liver transplant. Tsk tsk tsk
6) That reveal ?! I screamed too. I knew that something was up with Nurse Park but I didn't expect this. Also, how the hell is MY's mom alive? How? I know that MY's father is not a reliable source. He had a brain tumor when it happened and he was also drunk. He also has dementia so I don't trust his memory one bit. But in the event that it is all true then how is she alive? I trust this writer will reveal all in real time.

Onwards to the next episode.

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park ok ran is definitely, 100% dead.

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i'm surprised everyone is taking the reveal at face value like it's been confirmed nurse park is do hui jae. it has not been confirmed. what we have so far is two contrasting accounts of what happened that night, both from people who were clearly not in the best mental state. we don't know the full story yet, and there have been several pointers in the writing that is hinting toward nurse park not being the mom. nothing in this show has been what it appears to be at first, so i want to have faith in the writer that this will be handled well, like the rest of the story so far.

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Agreed. We've had so many fairy stories where we've been challenged to think about which of several interpretations should be applied - it makes sense that this too will have another interpretation/explanation. I cannot buy that a drama which has established itself so deeply in exploring real human experiences will suddenly dive into complete bonkersness. Surviving the fall, the lake, plastic surgery, voice changing and on and on and on - just would be a crazy thing to expect us to accept.

I'm reckoning Nurse Park is sister with revenge on her mind. She wants to pay back this family for what they did to Hui-jae. However, that still leaves a lot of things unexplained, not least why she chose this route for her revenge - which hasn't been revenge for 20 years... So I'm hoping against hope that the writer is going to pull the mother-of-all-aces from their hand and come up with something else which satisfies us all and makes sense of everything. Please. Please. Please.

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you make a convincing argument.. I am guilty of just accepting that Nurse Park is the mom, though your point could make a reinterpretation on Tale of Two Sisters. I guess we can discuss this on ep 14 recap, though I can't guess why the sister would choose to pretend to be Do Hui-jae.

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totally agree. the show has handled things surprisingly subtly without being too hokey, so i think the same will be true at the end. i think ......

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I also agree. This show has demonstrated such deft intricacies, it just wouldn't be in keeping with it to suddenly dump Trope 101 on us now, hence why my niggling doubt won't go away. Nothing is as it seems at first glance thus far - they wouldn't throw that out the window this far down the road, right?!

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I'm with you. If I remember it correctly, MY even said that she is not sure if her mother is indeed dead. I am guessing that MY and Ko Daehwan may be remembering things differently, what with his brain tumor and how he was drunk that night and MY's childhood trauma.

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I watched the theory on youtube, I read the theory on twitter, Nurse Park is actually Do Hui Jae's sister. She came to the cursed castle after Do Hui Jae gave a birth to Moon Young and took care of Moon Young because Do Hui Jae was busy with her promotion book.

Nurse Park then pretend to be Do Hui Jae when she was not around. That is why Moon Young felt that her mon was sometime warm and sometimes cold.

The mom who was warm is actually Do Hui Jae, her real mom. Her mom who was cold is actually Nurse Park, her fake mom.

Do Hui Jae knew that her sister gave a bad effect to Moon Young so he and her husband discussed to have a care taker, that is Kang Tae's mom. Nurse Park knew about this plan and she dressed like Do Hui Jae and killed Kang Tae's Mom

Nurse Park who also killed Sangtae and Kangtae's mom.

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Typo: she and her husband

Episode 13 based on the folk tale of Korea which told about two sisters, one is kind, one is bad.

The sister who was kind is Do Hui Jae.
The sister who was bad is Nurse Park.

P.s. of course Do Hui Jae was dead. Her husband killed and throw her away to the river.

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Thank you for the recap! You write up a recap quicker than I can put my thoughts together @sailorjumun! 😂

I'm so proud of all our characters and their development. We've been shown at the beginning of the drama MY's total disregard for boundaries so the scene at the start of episode 13 was a nice contrast to show how MY have progressed. The MY we knew previously would have barged right in instead she hesitated outside KT's door and ultimately decided to walk away to give him space.

So many moments I loved from this episode. ST embracing his role as an older brother was just so sweet. As well as MY helping ST's growth by encouraging him to observe people and develope his own facial expression cards. KT sheltering MY with the umbrella as she goes through her emotional struggle, as she did for him previously. ST holding up his own umbrella independently. MY and Juri's growing friendship. I'm so glad KT finally found the courage to fight for what's important to him instead of running away. We've come such a long way and I'm so proud of this journey.

I wish MY got the chance to hear her father's last words even if not directly. Not to justify his wrongdoings but he did think of his daughter and tried to protect her, in his own twisted way. I think it would have been cathartic for MY to know her father came to in the last moment of his life and acknowledged he did wrong by her. Not so she could forgive him because their relationship was probably beyond repair, but rather to make it easier to let go.

We finally got to learn the reason MY became fixated with KT. She might have played it off like he was just another beautiful object she wanted in her collection. But deep down for MY, KT was the only who ever showed up to "rescue" her from her isolated hell at the cursed castle. Rescue or not, I think the gesture of showing up when no one else ever did was enough to influence MY's attachment. I guess KT became the symbolic of her escape. Even though years later her mother was no longer around but her leash on MY was never gone. MY finally had the chance to run after KT. She knew she needed KT in her life. Not that I think MY needs KT to be the prince who rescues her but rather he'll be there to help her while she learns to rescue herself.

Lastly, I still hope nurse Park is not MY's mum but stepmum or her mother's sister/twin seeking revenge. If she really is the mum and murderer, even if KT can accept it it'll be difficult, if not impossible, for ST to. Especially when his mum's murder has been the source of his trauma and nightmares all these years. We need a happy ending complete with sunshine and rainbows for our family of 3 after all the tears and sufferings they went through (and everyone else too, please show!).

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I totally get the frustration of some people of how the story unveils her, however I think this show will be boring if it sticks to all the rom com, happiness plot, in big wounds and pain comes healing, and I believe that is what the creator of this show is trying to portray. The realistic portrayal of mental illness is what has drawn me to stick and love this drama, something I havent done to any drama in the past 15 years of watching kdrama. For me the writing here is masterfully crafted, it's one of a kind. And every characters, plot and twist in the story is created to signify importance in the evolution of the entire story. Along with laugh, sadness, horror, and emotional rollercoaster I felt watching this entire drama, is an awe of the storytelling masterpiece. And I'm ready for what the ending may bring forth. P.S I always enjoy this recap and review, other than the weekly episode I always look forward in reading this.

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I jump from my seat I saw that Nurse Park is actually the Mom!! crap!
and the farewell with the father really is heartbreaking. Til the end they couldn't say what they want to say and the moment when Moon Young remember when her father told the fairy tale, I cried a river.

This drama is so good that not an inch of episode gone to waste. Ever scene has its means and you won't realise that 1.5 hours pass.

The remaining mystery is how Mom survive and how she met ok ran. Could it be Ok Ran saved Mom? Or they met when they'ew doing plastic surgery together? XD

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They have to explain how on earth that women was able to get out of that suitcase 😕, great recap!

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MY is terrified of her mother to the point that she is still haunted by her the last 20 years. If nurse Park is really her mother, wouldn't she get some sort of eerie vibe from her? And MY is at the hospital quite a bit because of her classes but she never sensed anything? I think the nurse is a jealous love rival or colleague of MY's mom and is obsessed with taking her place. Either that she's the mom's sister wanting to get revenge for her dead sister.

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Now that there are only two episodes left, while everyone is emotionally drained after the big revelation about one death, saw another recent death and some light being shed on the child abuse issue, I will do my job and bring a lighter mood. After all, as a KSH fan, it's my job and instinct to enjoy his best moments in drama because who knows when the next project will come out (Yes the 3-year hiatus has made me very appreciative)
1. That slow-mo of his dressing up in his suit might have been the best thing I have seen all week. They didn't even show his face which so mesmerizingly expresses details, but still, all of us were most probably hypnotized and breathless. The bgm (숨 by Sam Kim) was perfect for the scene too. Gosh! I love the combination of all the scenes where Suhyun's OST and Sam Kim's OST play.

2. I am quite surprised that no one talked about the scene at 23:50 minute mark. Before Sang Tae mentioned Gang Tae's red cheeks, I saw the man walking through the door while fanning himself with his tee, I was like "Why is he doing something that I do every so often". Then it hit me like GT hit MY in ep11 after that run up, that it was exactly like ep11 but this time without the attendance of creepy viewers *wink wink*.
I praise the writer, director, and KSH once again for pulling that subtle move and fanning "SS MoonMoon" ship's burning coal to move ahead.

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@playstore, you are the best! Yes, the fanned t-shirt moment *was* noted and knowing smirks were given...

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All a fan needs to fan their fantasy is KSH fanning himself with a fantastic flabbergasted face

*laughs hysterically*
And thanks for the compliment, it's not much but all I do is an honest fangirl's job 😬

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Speaking of the lighter parts, I found it really hilarious when MY heard Seung Jae talking about her behind her back and even encouraged her as it helps relieves stress. That she hopes Seung Jae lives a long and healthy life. Like I want to use that against people. 😆 And ST oppa's "it's basic etiquette".

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I'm definitely making a tee with '.....basic etiquette'. MY's dialogue resonated Lee Jaekyung's spirit so well. All she needed to do was twist her ring 😅

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I appreciate these little details. That dressing up scene will remain as one of my favorite scenes in this drama.

Out of topic, but I was watching the reactions of two Korean girls reacting on episode 12 of IOTNBO, and during the last scene when Kang-tae shows up to the photoshoot, they were like “Do Min-joon-shi came instead of Moon Kang-tae” LOL. Now, imagine if Baek Seung-chan came instead? That would be a riot. LOL.

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Well if I have to chose any of KSH roles then I would pick Jang Tae Young over Do Min Joon. Or Ryuhwan. Do Min Joon loved his laid down bangs than hair up style.

Yes Seung Chan would have been a riot 😂 But you known what would have been utter chaos? Dongu with the snot and all 🤣🤣

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Dongu! in his green track pants, hopping happily ready for his family photoshoot. LOL.

Ok. I have to stop these fantasies. They're not healthy for my mental health at all.

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Gwenchana gwenchana *cue waikiki gif* us weirdos have stable enough mental health *laughs in a mentally unstable way like Donggu*

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i would hope they wouldn't deprive us of a scene like that. this gives us imagination fodder, which i appreciate very much, but i am still holding out hope that we'll get to see more of moon young pulling kang tae's safety pin out. *ahem*

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As MY once commented herself, she has a lot of internal heat. I think we'd all appreciate some tasteful combustion, as it were.

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Our queen is work and talk in all areas except that. She's only talking the talk when it comes to 'internal' heat but I'm okay with that...

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Ain't that hopeful for another ep11 level make out scene. They ain't doing much fan service in this drama *looks sadly and grudgingly at pd/writer nim*

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to be fair, that one make out scene obliterated most kdrama make out scenes, so i really can't complain.

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True that 😃

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I beg forgiveness from the writernim Jo Yong and Park Shin Woo Directornim. It was impudent of me to assume things beforehand and accuse you of some negative things. I am forever grateful for all the things you showed and hinted in ep16. Take my earnest praise and appreciation!

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i can't believe you came back to comment this hahahahaha

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@dogemama gotta repent on my past wrongdoings, "it's basic etiquette". And if I can leave a trace of it even better 😃

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For me, honestly, the mother was an inevitable part of the drama that our trio had to come across in some way or the other. I'm just happy the whole episode wasn't about her. The drama focuses on the development of characters and not the side I'm-back-from-the-dead mother and I guess that's just a hint in the writing to focus in what we need to. I loveddd it. Also, Episode 14 was so good! Can't wait for the next two!

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It also makes sense to me that there'd be a mother situation. Dead/absent/evil mothers (or step-mothers) are often an element of fairy tales.

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Agreed. Here's to hoping the writing will explain the mom's plot well in next week's episode. I have hope because the writer so far is doing a good job :)

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I wouldn't take it at face value that Nurse Park is MY's mother. I would like to believe that it's a red herring show has thrown at us for a bigger reveal in the last 2 episodes. Writer-nim has given us an airtight and flawless story so far before this episode and I am hoping everything will make sense and fall into place next week.

I wonder how can Nurse Park become the mother? MY is often at the hospital and has had several encounters with her. Wouldn't she recognize her own mother? Unless by some twist Show will present her as having undergone plastic surgery. I just don't buy that.

I'm leaning towards the theory that Nurse Park is close to MY's family as that would be the most grounded explanation for her involvement in MY and Moon brother's lives.

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The episode title of “The Father of Two Sisters” would seem to be a clue that Nurse Park might be MY mother’s sister. Every title has been woven into the episode in some way. Did I miss something else that tied to this episode’s title? I guess it could be the split personality patient but I don’t think so. All of our main characters will think Nurse Park is MY’s mom, but with three episodes left, I bet the twist will be this episode’s title.

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I'm really hoping that Nurse Park turns out to be the mom's sister instead. Nurse Park as the mother is a major plothole which may not be properly addressed with just 3 episodes to go.

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I just want to say that in all flashbacks of Do Hui Jae, she is tall. Ahahahah so even if she gets a plastic surgery, you can't cheat her height. I get that they use two different actresses but still, I feel that we were deliberately mislead. Though I still think it was smart to not show Do Hui Jae's face all through out flashbacks.

The question on how did Do Hui Jae survived the fall and being stowed in a luggage, then thrown at the bottom of the river also puzzles me. But let's not forget that Go Dae Hwan had been suffering from dementia so he might not be remembering it correctly. Either that or MY's childhood memory of opening the forbidden door and seeing her mother lying on a pool of dark liquid might not be real? I am so confused.

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Today was confirmation of stuff we knew: Mom killed Mom, Dad killed Mom, Head Nurse Park is evil... but that doesn't make her Do Hui-jae. Do Hui-jae is dead... right? Mom was a housekeeper? Then did young Moon-young know Mom? What was even Do Hui-jae's motive to kill Mom? As soon as we learned Sun-hae has dissociative identity disorder, I thought Show would reveal Do Hui-jae also has multiple personality disorder. Kang-tae is an angel for protecting Sun-hae, and I cried when he knelt down and hugged young, crying Sun-hae.

Hair up Kang-tae was amazing today for choosing happiness and family. "If I ask you to live somewhere else with me, will you come with me?" I really hope Moon-young sells the mansion like she plans. The hottest part about their "sealed with a kiss" was Kang-tae was into it with the way he closed his eyes and his lips kissed her back. I love how Moon-young gives Kang-tae space. She is the reason he went to the photoshoot. No wonder she wasn't holding Mang-tae when Kang-tae stroked her cheek while sleeping. I'm so happy for Moon-young and Joo-ri's renewed friendship. The girls have Kang-tae to thank for making them up.

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Honestly, I have been toying with this... the reason she killed Kang Tae Mom/Housekeeper. I think Kang Tae mom was going to report her for child abuse.. or she was comforting MY and she just snapped over it... I have another theory but it may be too late in the game for that to come to fruition but I definitly think Kang Tae mom was going to intervene about what was happening with MY at that house, now that we know she was the housekeeper.

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thanks for the note about mang tae! i was wondering why she didn't have him in her hand when she was sleeping. ugh, i love these little details.

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Thank you very much for these recaps! I know I miss a lot in translation since I cannot understand Korean. These recaps are very helpful!

Incidentally, I also noticed and wondered why MY was not holding MT when GT went to her room and gently stroked her cheek as she slept. Incredible attention to detail. I really the acting, writing, directing in this Show. Absolutely superb!

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Basic etiquette to not disturb when one watches their shows, especially if the bystander loves to give their own critiques which are unwelcomed. Thanks Sang Tae oppa for reminding of such etiquette.

I have not wathed ep14 yet so it is good I read this recap now. Nurse Park that actress has done so many movies and dramas, so I wonder where they will take her character now onward. It is unlikely she is the mum but likely someone close, but she is heck short compared to the Ko family.

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I cannot remember a drama which has had me on the edge of my seat, enjoying a good laugh, and tears pouring down my face, all in the same episode. The writing is absolutely superb and the acting throughout is outstanding. I'm actually WAITING FOR SATURDAY, for heaven's sake! WAITING TO WATCH A DRAMA!!!! I can't believe how involved I am, and how painful it is. I'm absolutely addicted, and yet I dread each episode because as Eazal says, these guys are fighting so hard for happiness and are so undeserving of the terrible things that keep happening. Please, please writers, let's have a happy ending with our little family setting off into the sunset together, full of hope and at least a fair chance of happy lives. My biggest fear is that Sang-tae is going to be killed at the end protecting his brother and his "new sister" and I so, so want to be wrong.

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The whole episode felt like there was a ball hanging over our heads waiting to drop, and when it dropped, oh boy did it was a big one. Let's talk about the elephant in the room first. Even if I was expecting it, the Nurse Park reveal made my jaw drop and flip a table (in my head).

I completely agree with @sailorjumun who summed it up so nicely - I saw a theory about nurse park being DHJ somewhere after episode 7 or 8? And I couldn't unsee it thereafter because I looked at everything she did with a layer of suspicion and there was just something that didn't feel right. The feeling grew with every episode but like what @sailorjumun said, I didn't want to believe it. Because believing it would mean a betrayal (for us and our dear trio) on so many levels. Even midway through the episode, I was torn between being certain and uncertain about nurse park's identity, and I still held the hope that it was my brain playing tricks on me. I'm still confused about how the whole thing would go down and I'll wait for the answers. But can I just say that the shot that panned to her face and that smile was the creepiest shit I've seen in awhile and it legitimately sent chills down my spine. Nurse park is honestly terrifying.

Beyond that, there were so many scenes in this episode that made me cry. I was so proud of kang tae, for choosing not to run away. I also had the same thought in the last episode that he was still uncertain about his choice, because his smile was more pained in comparison to the other two. But in this episode, I think we saw the conviction not to run away from this family build, and we see it in his decision not to let moon young go.

But the scene that really made me ugly cry and was so beautifully written and shot was of sun-hae's story. I always loved how the drama gives life to the stories of the different patients with so much dignity, and condemnation of abuse and neglect was so well written. The scene with kang tae offering sun hae the option to confront her abuser while he protected her, and extending a warm hug is easily one of my favourite scenes of the whole show. And the directorial decision to have the child actor to be in that embrace was so well done.

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“ And the directorial decision to have the child actor to be in that embrace was so well done.”

Yes to this SO MUCH. I just love the transitions to the child actors throughout the whole drama. Moon-young with child Kang-tae in the convenience store, Kang-tae with child Moon-young in the flower scene and now this. It’s all shot so brilliantly and with so much heart and emotions. I’m not sure if this is scripted or something the PD decided to do by himself. Whoever it is, they must get credit because small things like this is what makes a drama so memorable.

Really love the warmth in that hug and also it symbolizing freedom from something that was trapped in the past. Such an awesome scene and also one of my candidates for best drama scene.

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That little girl was crying so sorrowfully. I was a mess when the child actor hugged Kim Soo-hyun tightly and cried on his shoulder.

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Offt! Knowing Mom killed GT’s mom because of perceived nosiness (instead of genuine concern for MY) was hard to understand and knowing how it spiraled to a very difficult life for the brothers was heartbreaking. Silver lining? Birth secret plot averted.

I like that despite the blood family that the trio lost, they have a support group in the person of Juri’s Mom, Jaesu, Juri, Sangin, etc. who are continually supporting them. And our trio not isolating themselves from other people.

MY’s growth amazes me. When she acted as ST’s teacher / boss in this ep, she was so perceptive and gentle in understanding his limitation and instructing him to expand what he knows.

I’m not sure what to think of Nurse Park. She was supposed to be one of the good guys!

We know our trio, with their extended family, will overcome this but we’ll suffer through the pain, tears, snot first. #campingcar

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2 characters i grown to love: sang in and juri
sang in - disliked him at first because he seems like someone who only thought of making money
juri - thought she was just someone who had a crush on kang tae, a mere side character
turns out they both has in depth characters
kudos to the writer and the actor/tress

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Good Grief. I am not okay after this weekend's pair of episodes. Mothers coming back from the grave, abuse, DID. My synapses were somersaulting.......

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Can i just say how happy I'm with the casting,from the annoying hospital nurse to kim soo hyun, every single person handled their role so well.
And I'm happy about how kim soo hyun being a high-tier actor takes interesting roles were the entire drama doesnt revolve around him, where he's the prince charming and comes to the FL rescue in a golden horse, no he can protect and be a shield for the FL to find happiness in her own way. And I'm sooo happy for oh junh se doing justice for an austistic role, all the other austic roles done in kdramas just painted autistic people as just dumb ppl and no they arent dumb, autistic people are observant and very smart people in their own way and it bringa tears to my eyes to see oh jung se portraying sang tae so well. And how can i ever forget seo ye ji would have done such a great role and the list goes on. And I'm happy for the writer and the PD for deliveringg such a wonderfully real and raw masterpiece to us. And this is exactly how a good drama is produced, with the team work of an entire cast and no drama in my 10 years of being in kdramaland had made me feel like how psycho but its okay has been made me felt and i cant be more happy about it.

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So, here's my theory, without having watched episode 13: GT and ST's mom wasn't the intended victim, Ju-ri's mom was. That's why she said "I can take care of my own child" as she was killing her.

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Frankly, since episode 1 I had this uneasy feeling that Nurse Park will play a much larger role. In fact, I probably saw it a mile away but was constantly wishing it away because it's such a copout writing-wise.
Why? Well, as many beanies mused, it was surprising that the actress playing Nurse Park (Jang Young-Nam), a senior well-regarded actress, would commit to a lesser role of … just being a head nurse, and basically doing nothing. The hints were all there, but the biggest one was actually casting, and as they say, casting in dramaland can be everything.

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OK, so after watching this episode I'm still not resolved that Head Nurse Park is MY's mother ( even if the next episode have so much revelations about it). I mean, yeah sure she is mentally ill and she was able to hold it in for 20 years while working in a Psychiatric hospital? Sorry but that is too much for my mind to grasp. Anyhow, I'm not going to contemplate much on how the story of Head Nurse will unfold because eventually she will pay for all of it and justice will be served.
What hurts the most is that KT is trying his best to live a better life with his Hyung and the love of his life! And in the end he decided to choose to love than hate.
I am so proud of ST trying to overcome his fear. That is the most beautiful thing! He is so brave! I love him! I love how he tries so hard to find his door so he can finally go out. I'm in tears.
And MY, what can I say? She is a very unique character that have set the bar higher for kdrama world. She is just so REAL. Her emotions, her anger, despair, pride and more. And I love how naturally she loves ST oppa. That is so genuine and not forced.

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