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Woori the Virgin: Episodes 3-4

Our leading lady has decided to be a surrogate, but the more she learns about the baby daddy, the more she worries he’s not a suitable father. This revelation puts an added strain on her relationship, but at the same time her resolve to maintain her virginity is also weakening. Maybe she and her boyfriend can find “other ways” to strengthen their bond?

 
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP

Last week ended on quite the murderous cliffhanger, but before we resume the whodunit plot of our K-drama, we first observe a conversation between Woori and her family that occurred the morning after she decided to keep the baby. She’s still determined to be a surrogate, but in order to emotionally distance herself and mentally prepare to give it to Raphael and Ma-ri, she begins referring to the fetus as “Hammer.” Not only is this scene relevant because her new nickname triggers some amusing misunderstandings later on, but it also establishes her current headspace going into this week’s episodes.

With that out of the way, we pick up where we left off: with Woori and Gang-jae discovering the body on the elevator. Ma-ri seems genuinely shocked and horrified to see her ex-lover’s body, and given how poor her acting skills are, I think it’s safe to say she didn’t do the neck stabbing.

Gang-jae doesn’t suspect her either because Chairman Kim’s signature kill move is a scalpel to the neck. Gang-jae’s boss, however, is less quick to jump to conclusions — not when the abundance of available scalpels at the Diamond Medical Foundation indicate that the murder was more likely a crime of passion.

After her little fainting spell, Woori decides to see her (new) OB-GYN to confirm that she and Hammer are still healthy… because apparently a woman’s body is so fragile that a little fainting spell can cause harm. Now, I’m no expert, but I seem to recall the ER doctor in Episode 1 saying that fainting was a common symptom. Seems a bit overkill, but Gang-jae is too busy hunting a murderer to accompany her to the doctor, which sets the stage for Woori to spend some alone time with Raphael.

He accompanies her to the OB-GYN, where her doctor reports that she and the baby — I mean, Hammer — are fine. Woori also uses this time with Raphael to let him know that she’s decided to be a surrogate for him and Ma-ri. There’s just one catch: she wants to give Hammer to a loving family.

Of course, this only reminds Raphael that he’s trying to get a divorce, which doesn’t exactly align with Woori’s image of the perfect, happily married parents. So he lies and says that everything is fine at home, not knowing that his wife is at that very moment trying to confirm that his mother-in-law didn’t stab her ex-lover with a scalpel. Mi-ja claims she didn’t do it, but she definitely thought about it.

While Mi-ja denies any resemblance to Professor Xavier (loved the X-men reference, btw), Woori discovers that Raphael is a bit of a player. How this is news to her is beyond me, especially considering a flashback reveals that she caught him kissing someone else the day after their kiss by the phallic lighthouse. (I can’t unsee it now that it’s been pointed out to me!)

Ye-ri gives Woori the 411 on Raphael’s scandalous dating rumors, which prompts Woori to do a deep dive into all the online articles of his widely publicized nightlife shenanigans. The search results make her uncomfortable, so she asks Gang-jae if he can do a little digging into Raphael. But no, that’s unethical — says the guy who still hasn’t handed over the photos he took of Ma-ri’s affair even though they are relevant to his ongoing murder investigation.

Woori begins worrying that Raphael and Ma-ri aren’t suitable parents, and if she cannot entrust them with Hammer, then the only other option would be for her to keep Hammer. As Woori voices this conclusion aloud, we can see the realization hit Gang-jae that he might have to be Hammer’s father. Given that he still hasn’t exposed Ma-ri’s cheating ways and is now having day-mares about being weighed down by a baby featuring Raphael’s dastardly good looks (both hilarious and terrifying), I think it’s safe to say he’s not ready to be a father — or, at the very least, not the father to someone else’s kid.

His doubts — about being a daddy and about the identity of the murderer — are the basis for an unlikely alliance between him and Ma-ri. She doesn’t want her affair to be exposed and ruin her already tenuous marriage, and he doesn’t want to be the father of Raphael’s spawn. He also doesn’t want his boss jumping to conclusions that Ma-ri — who, let’s be real, has a pretty strong motive for murder — is their killer when Chairman Kim is the more likely suspect. And so, he makes a special, unsanctioned trip to the victim’s apartment to steal back the necklace that Ma-ri tossed during her breakup. So much for being a stickler for the rules!

Raphael, on the other hand, overcompensates and tries to prove he will be an excellent father by showing up at Woori’s office with a bunch of appliances designed to pamper his baby mama. This makes Woori uncomfortable, and they meet privately at a nearby cafe where Woori explains that she would prefer it if he checked with her before showing up at her job unannounced with a bunch of expensive gifts.

Any goodwill he might have earned with his gesture, however, is undermined when a “lady friend” stops by their table to greet Raphael. Woori is immediately suspicious, and when Raphael goes to the restroom, she can’t resist taking a peek at his incoming messages. They seem vaguely flirtatious, and her concern that he’s a two-timing scumbag grows.

She secretly follows him to a restaurant… where he meets another woman. Given how poorly — and I mean poorly — Woori conceals herself from Raphael’s sight, I can only assume Eun-ran let Woori win games of hide-and-seek as a child. It comes as no surprise, then, that Raphael spots her. Caught in the act, Woori goes on the offensive and uses this moment to accuse him of being a cheater… only to find out that Raphael and the woman know each other because he recommended a doctor for her niece’s cancer treatment. Awk-ward!

But the encounter lends itself to a much needed heart-to-heart in which Raphael admits that he used to be a partier who dated a lot of women — but that was before he got sick. His mother died of stomach cancer, and when he got his diagnosis, he felt like it was a message from his mother that he should be a better man. He assures her that he’s changed… but he lies that he and his wife are doing well.

The conversation leaves Woori feeling more confident in her decision to give him Hammer, so she invites him and Ma-ri to her next OB-GYN appointment. It’s a full house, with both her family and his wanting to be present for the first ultrasound, but the doctor has to restrict the number of people to Woori and the father (Raphael). This doesn’t go over well with everyone else, especially not Ma-ri and Gang-jae, who decides in the waiting room that he’s going to tell his boss that he covered up Ma-ri’s affair. (Is that your conscience or your jealousy talking, Gang-jae?)

In the examination room, the doctor points out the gummy-bear sized baby, and Woori’s detachment crumbles. She’s not giving away a hammer. She’s giving away a baby. The weight of her decision finally hits her. She’s scared and unsure, and her mother and grandmother do their best to comfort her.

Raphael has a strong visceral reaction to seeing the first image of his child, and he’s inspired to mend his relationship with Ma-ri for the sake of the baby. But when she hugs him in excitement, the sonogram photo he gave her slips from her hand and symbolically falls to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sung-il wants to make up for lost time and see his daughter, but Eun-ran has been blocking his attempts to meet with Woori and explain that he’s her father. He keeps calling, taking sad selfies, and stopping by their restaurant unannounced.

In general, he’s being a giant pain for Eun-ran… until they end up alone in her room and start making out like teenagers. Grandma catches them in a compromising position — which hilariously mirrors the scene from the latest episode of Mask of Desire that Grandma captured on her phone — and Eun-ran finally tells Grandma the truth about Woori’s paternity.

At the same time, Raphael’s insistence that Ma-ri respectfully address Woori by her professional title triggers a memory, and he finally remembers kissing Woori by that east coast lighthouse. I was seriously wondering if he was going to have an amnesia backstory, but I guess it makes sense when you think about it. Woori would remember and cherish her first kiss, whereas Raphael is far less likely to remember his… uh… well, I’m sure he’s lost count.

Unfortunately, Raphael’s epiphany leads to an awkward double date with Woori and Gang-jae, who try to sever their past connection by insisting that Woori has never been to the East Coast. Raphael senses that he should drop the subject, but the waitress is oblivious to the tension in the room and keeps waxing poetic about the delicious seafood from the east coast. Did you hear that? She said the east coast! For those of you in the back of the room: EEEEASSSST COOOOASSSST!

Raphael, for his part, is amused by this new twist and feels like Fate is at work. Unfortunately, back at Diamond Medical Foundation, Raphael finds out that Duk-bae has appointed Ma-ri’s ex-boyfriend as the new CEO of Diamond Cosmetics.

Ma-ri is equally displeased with this development, but her ex, who is still wounded that she dumped him for Raphael (and his CEO title), seems to think he can win her back by dethroning Raphael… from a company Raphael’s family owns. Yeah, I don’t see this working out for him.

In the meantime, Woori’s sex drive has increased (thanks to her pregnancy hormones), and a conversation with Eun-ran makes her reconsider her whole vow of chastity. What’s the point in hanging onto her virginity now that she’s pregnant, right? So as Woori eyebangs Gang-jae’s Adam’s apple like it’s the Biblical forbidden fruit, she resolves to seduce him.

Ye-ri, under the assumption Woori is asking about a hypothetical drama scenario, gives Woori some seduction techniques, which boils down to: smell nice, look sexy, and press your “milkshakes” against his arm. We’ve already established that Gang-jae is a bit dense, so he doesn’t quite pick up on what Woori is putting out. Or if he does, he’s in denial that it’s intentional. So, when she deepens their good night kiss, he feels the need to cut the smooching short and conclude their evening with some libido-cooling prayers.

Woori decides to be more direct and channels her creativity to write Gang-jae a steamy letter detailing all the naughty things she wants to do to him. There’s just one problem. She also promised Raphael that she would write an introduction for the hospital on his behalf, and — you guessed it — she accidentally sends Raphael her porno letter. Raphael, champ that he is, handles the mix-up well and barely even teases her.

Finally, Woori just goes for it. She tells Gang-jae that all the recent changes to their plans have made her realize every minute they have together is precious. She loves him and wants to sleep with him. He reacts calmly — but receptively — by saying he loves her in return. He then suggests that they have dinner at a Chinese restaurant… in a hotel… and they should get breakfast together in the morning. (Color me surprised!)

Speaking of confessions, Sung-il is dying to tell Woori that he’s her father, and he continuously finds ways to insert himself in her life. All the extra attention has led his manager to think he’s interested in Woori romantically, a theory that only grows stronger while he and Ye-ri watch Sung-il and Woori having a seemingly intimate conversation on a park bench together.

Except they are discussing Woori’s (supposedly) deceased father, the one Woori tragically learned not to talk about because the word “dad” always brought her mom to tears. Sung-il abruptly departs, gut-punched by his daughter’s tragic backstory and unaware that his “baby” girl is planning to lose her virginity.

The night in question arrives, and Woori and Gang-jae check into the hotel, have a nice dinner, and then go up to their room. Woori nervously takes an hour to get ready and mentally prepare herself, and once they’re alone together, they awkwardly sit a foot apart on the bed. It’s almost a relief, then, when Raphael unknowingly interferes — not once, but twice!

He first calls Woori to thank her for writing the hospital introduction, and then he almost immediately calls Gang-jae to ask how the murder investigation is going. And then the fire alarm goes off! Gang-jae takes all the interruptions as a sign for them to wait until after they’re married to have sex. They have all the time in the world together, so there’s no need to rush it.

Shortly thereafter, Gang-jae wraps up the Diamond Medical murder case. The CCTV footage was restored, and one of the female employees was caught on camera stabbing the victim. Gang-jae still thinks Chairman Kim is involved, but his boss shuts down his theory and tells him to drop the case. Gang-jae’s junior PARK NA-HEE (Han Jae-yi), however, is on his side, but is it because she actually believes Chairman Kim is involved, or because she’s crushing on Gang-jae?

With the murderer caught, business moves forward at Diamond Cosmetics, but not before Raphael exposes Ma-ri’s ex-boyfriend as an incompetent businessman who almost signed a deal with a con artist. Duk-bae fires Ma-ri’s ex, and Raphael is reappointed as the CEO of Diamond Cosmetics.

Although Ma-ri double-crossed her ex and used the information she gained from him to help her husband and “family,” Raphael serves her with the divorce papers again. He realizes that an unhappy marriage between him and Ma-ri is not what’s best for the “gummy bear” (cuter, albeit less amusing, than Hammer). Instead, he believes he, as a single parent, will be good enough for his child.

So Raphael meets with Woori and her family to tell them the truth, but before they can fully process that Raphael and Ma-ri are getting a divorce, Sung-il comes crashing into the family restaurant. With very little preamble, he announces to his gathered audience that he is Woori’s father, and we end with Woori looking shocked while Eun-ran gives Sung-il a beating.

You know what this K-drama needs? A Jerry Springer cameo. I joke, but there really is a lot of baby momma and daddy drama going on. Not that I’m complaining. I actually love it, especially since many of the zany situations are a parody of what’s happening to Woori. In addition to providing comedy, these parallel storylines highlight and strengthen the maternal bond between Woori, her mother, and her grandmother, and I appreciate the (mostly) positive representation of this matriarchal family.

This week’s episodes also began planting the seeds for a rift in Woori and Gang-jae’s relationship. Personally, this makes me happy because I’m fully on Team Raphael, but Gang-jae is a mature and respectful boyfriend, which makes him hard to dislike. The question is: will this drama slowly corrupt him and show him crossing more lines in his pursuit of Chairman Kim, or will he uphold his virtue while we slowly learn that he’s… just not right for Woori?

Personally, I’d prefer it if he went crazy in his pursuit of his arch nemesis. I’m living for those brief, over-melodramatic flashbacks to his partner’s death, and I’m hoping the story leans into that cheesiness even more.

 
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I gotta be honest; I wasn't sure I was going to like this drama. I started watching it because there was nothing else to watch, but I'm enjoying it. I love the campy humor.
How many boyfriends has Ma-ri had? That girl has gotten around. She's a good match for Raphael in that respect.
I'm glad they didn't drag out Raphael remembering that he had met Woori before. That would have been frustrating.
Yes, Raphael's face on the baby was both hilarious and terrifying.
The scene where everyone goes to the ultrasound appointment was hilarious and very Latin. Whenever one of my relatives is in the hospital, the doctors have to tell the families to please limit the number of visitors. Even at my job, and as recently as yesterday, an entire family came to my office when only one person needed to sign documents.
ROFL over Ye-ri's comment: "Even a man from Busan will take the cab and come within three hours." Truth!

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I'm actually enjoying Woori more than I ever enjoyed Jane. The telenovella/makjang concept doesn't come naturally to American TV.The US series seemed forced, too self-aware.

I'm pleased that Im soo-hyang is looking very good in this drama, very natural. Anyone whose seen her previous dramas knows what I'm referring to.

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I’m not watching this one, but JTV was intentionally self-aware, as its main concept was a loving satire of telenovelas. I get that that’s not everyone’s jam, but I found it refreshing and I was hoping this one would do something similar!

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I would like more trio moments, talks about the baby, romance, etc and less murder, shady ex, crazy mother-in-law...

I'm happy that Raphael found a way to divorce his wife. He really needs to get rid of her! He seems very normal among the other characters.

I don't like that the Woori's mother lied to everyone about her pregnancy. Woori had to carry this burden, her grandma made her to be a virgin when it never was her own choice.

I'm completely in Team Raphael too! :p

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I'm not actually watching this drama but I can't resist reading the hilarious recaps by @daebakgrits. I can't forget the phallic lighthouse either and all I saw was an image!

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Aw, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying these weecaps even if you aren't watching the drama.

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I am another person who is not watching it but reading the recaps. I like them.

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There it was again, the orange-red lighthouse...

I wasn't particularly convinced by the first two episodes, but I continued watching this week anyway, just to see to what extent they would stick to the American version. I liked episode 4 much better, maybe because it was surprisingly racy.
I also found Woori much more interesting than at the beginning. However, I still think that a lot of potential was wasted on her father. Rogelio de la Vega with his airs and graces would have been such a wonderful template. The Korean counterpart, on the other hand, is pretty boring.

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Rrrrrogelio de la Vega is one of the most memorable TV characters in recent years!

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I'm having a lot of fun with Woori, which makes me all the more eager to watch Jane the Virgin once this one has concluded!

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I haven’t seen this and don’t intend to but the original put me off by the inclusion of the word ‘virgin’ as this word is freighted with so much which is gendered and has led to the persecution as well as prosecution of women the world over. I wish it would be banished from every language.

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Uh, her boyfriend's a virgin too.

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@Mike: I understand that but my main point was about its impact on women’s lives.

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That’s kinda the whole point of Jane the Virgin. It’s a criticism of the concept of virginity, not a celebration.

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Getting rid of a word doesn't get rid of the concept behind it or change people's attitudes. They would just find another word to take its place.

Bears kill people every year. Let's get rid of the word bear and ban all mention of bears. Ok. What's that big animal over there? We don't have a name for it. Let's call it Bruin.

Bruins kill people every year. Let's get rid of the word bruin.....

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@Oatmeal: Wow. You are so clever. Thanks for trying to school me on something you didn’t understand at all. Good job.

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I think the linguistic link to the Virgin Mary is important to remember, along with the Catholic references in all versions of this show. This isn’t “40 Year Old Virgin” territory, mocking virginity or really even praising it; the word’s important because it highlights the absurdity of a virgin getting pregnant at the core of the whole story.

The show’s balanced it okay. Her grandmother likely pushed her into the abstinence vow because of her mother, her mother was clearly never on board, but they all seem to agree that it’s Woori’s choice. I don’t think she lied to her family about going to a hotel because she was ashamed of losing her virginity - she just didn’t want to say to her family “I’m getting laid tonight!” which is pretty understandable.

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Dang I was making the biggest heart eyes at Gangjae last week (despite being Team Raphael for Woori, idk don’t look into this mess too much) and then they slow killed his character for me over this week, objective achieved writers 😭 Him (uncharacteristically??) deciding to conceal evidence, team up with Mari kind of, hide the Mari’s affair from Woori, lie on several occasions, as well being staunchly pro-Woori giving up the baby (to cut him some slack I understand why, but its a bit of a turn around from ‘this is your choice Woori’ to being implicitly vocal that keeping the baby isn’t an option) - that all had me loosing said hearts in my eyes by the second.

I am glad that Raphael did decide cut ties with Mari, I was worried that’d drag on and get in the way of him pursing Woori down the line and I kind of warmed up to Mari and her OTT nature. Overall, I’m not super duper invested in the characters or the story but that’s not to say its not enjoyable. I’m very much enjoying the general vibes and the romcom aspect of it especially - plenty of laugh out loud moments from both weeks already. Someone said it somewhere on another post about Shooting Stars I think, which really does ring true for me here - sometimes you just need those dramas that aren’t high stakes, that you can watch without having to navigate the highs and lows that come with being overly emotionally attached to the story/characters!

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I'm quite enjoying this... Well, I was a fan of the US series so I guess it isn't that surprising. lol
But I kinda wish they kept the narrations from the OG tho. But other than that, I'm enjoying it so far.

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Highlight of this episode for me was definitely Sung-hoon's little celebration "come on" after his father praises his English skills 🤣🤣🤣

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I'm team Raphael too. Only because out of everyone he hasn't infantilized her. He has treated her with respect as the adult she is. He doesn't push her and just lets her be, probably because he doesn't have a preconceived notion of who she is supposed to be, so he just lets her be.

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I am too- and for the same reason. He is far from perfect, and his past is indeed suspect- Woori would be crazy not to worry about his character. However, surviving a truly life-threatening illness is the sort of crisis which can trigger real growth. I would like to think that his respectful attitude is in fact proof that he has indeed matured. His wife, and his mother-in-law, have not.

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Well said!!!

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Happy to see the girl who acted as writer. She was a in the program with yjs n jm, where she disclosed that she was trying very hard to get acting roles.

Nothing much to watch so watch this drama, quite fun also started watching jdrama, my family n motokare, quite good.

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I caught the Phallic Lighthouse the moment I first saw it- it got an immediate OMG out of me (and wonder that the Korean censors let this one past). But it is such a wonderful way of symbolizing just how different this show is from a standard K-drama romantic comedy. Our Korean telenovella continues. What we have here is a Makjang Romcom and I am all for it. My wife is loving it too. I hope that this starts a trend. Along with a new trend for more truly comic romcoms like BUSINESS PROPOSAL.

There are a lot of telenovellas to look over if Korean writers and executives want to search for more material to adapt: The great majority will not fit but there has to be a few gems hidden in that pile.

As far as Gang-jae and his Vendetta against Chairman KIM: He has already crossed the line and, if the drama is true to its nature, then he will be even more corrupted but hopefully not to the point of becoming a monster. Once he achieves his vengeance, he will dial things back a bit, but never again to being the straight-laced guy he once was. You might say that his new attitude will be one of greater flexibility but one that still has justice as its goal. But one thing is sure- this show will not have him be the one for Woori. What would be the fun in that?

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I’ve said before that I think there are many similarities between Korean and Hispanic cultures. Thus, I think developing dramas from appropriate telenovelas will be a natural fit. Like bulgogi tacos.

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Bulgogi tacos- what a great idea.

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I think that would be a great topic for the drama chat as I often think that there are cultural similarities with Caribbean cultures. The parents slapping their adult kids and the adult kids accepting this is one prime example!
Thanks for raising. I wonder if there are people scouring world tv and books as we speak looking to make adaptions ☺️

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The ending of this movie is bad so bad that I regret I watched it

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