May I Help You: Episodes 5-6
by Unit
This week, we return to the world of our ghost-seeing leading lady as she navigates her ghostly adventures and the societal perceptions attached to her job. We also take a little dive into the life of our errand boy and his unexpected and surprising past.
EPISODES 5-6 WEECAP
We resume from our week-long hiatus by going back three months in time to everything that led up to the change in trajectory of our main characters’ lives. Starting from Tae-hee, we learn he’s actually a doctor (wow!) and the boy ghost who haunts him (Dong-joo’s first ghost) was a traffic accident victim he couldn’t save.
Tae-hee blamed himself for the boy’s death, leading to one of the most drastic career switches in dramaland: doctor to errand boy. Meanwhile, after her initial fright upon seeing the boy ghost, a (still scared) Dong-joo managed to find a lost ring as per his last request. But since then, she hasn’t been able to get in touch with his family to return it, so the request remains unfulfilled.
Back to the present, Dong-joo has moved out of the Dime a Job building (and into a rat-infested dorm) thanks to the friction between her and Tae-hee. But Hae-an is not having any of it because how can “the hamburger to his fries” just up and leave without any resistance from the landlords? Heh. His crush on her is cute! But more than that, he actually reaches out to make sure she’s safe. And for his sweet sake, I hope he doesn’t develop real feelings for her because that ship is headed for an iceberg.
Vincent is also pissed that thanks to a certain someone, he has to look for a new tenant. And said someone is equally not proud of his actions, especially since he has come to realize that Dong-joo was not lying about her ability to see ghosts. Tae-hee tries to track her down, but no such luck, as even her dad thinks she’s holed up at Noryangjin (a famous study town for civil servant hopefuls).
When a drunk Dong-joo and Tae-hee eventually cross paths, she’s not ready to listen to him as she still thinks he’s going to spill her ghost-seeing secret to her boss. She tells him she will confess to the boss herself! And the next time she sees Tae-hee with her boss, she interrupts them with an, “I said I will be the one to do it myself!” Lol. Thinking he already spilled to the boss, she submits her resignation — which her boss promptly tears up after texting her to show up the following day.
Anyway, after saving her from an alleyway stalker, Tae-hee apologizes to Dong-joo for misunderstanding her, and she finally learns that he didn’t reveal her secret to her boss. Their friendship also resumes when she moves back to the Dime a Job apartment and she learns that Tae-hee saved the husband of the pregnant ghost on the bridge.
This week’s ghost client highlights a complex Dong-joo has about her job: her hands. We’ve seen her severely scrub them after work, and then there’s the general notion that funeral directors have dirty and unlucky hands because they touch dead people — a notion the daughter-in-law of the client passes on to her little son, and Tae-hee happens to overhear. And though he’s petty enough to expose the two-faced daughter-in-law in front of their guests, it does nothing to lift Dong-joo’s spirits.
On their ride home, a self-conscious Dong-joo is careful not to touch Tae-hee, but he clasps her hands firmly around his waist as they speed off on the Scooter of Budding Romance. “They’re pretty and cool. Your hands,” Tae-hee tells Dong-joo when they arrive home, and those are not just empty words — he actually means it.
Tae-hee and Dong-joo go for drinks afterwards, and Dong-joo feels less lonely now that she’s able to open up to someone about the difficulties of her task as a ghost errand girl. Tae-hee advises her not to think of it as just an “assignment” given from above as termed by Father Michael (who also happens to be her uncle), but as something amazing done by her hands to help the deceased and the people they left behind.
By the way, I really like the role Father Michael plays in Dong-joo’s life — he’s a spiritual leader, uncle, and friend. Dong-joo’s path is a lonely one and it would have been harder on her if she didn’t have him in her corner encouraging her. Some of my favorite scenes are the ones where the two share a drink together and panic at the thought of her father (and his brother-in-law) finding out that she works with ghosts. Lol.
Dong-joo and Tae-hee have a mini moment of panic when they wake up the next morning in the same bed, but nothing has happened between them (yet). Dong-joo’s scream sends Hae-an knocking at her door, and it’s really hilarious to watch Dong-joo and Tae-hee scramble around to prevent Hae-an and Vincent from finding out that they shared a room overnight.
Anyway, now that Tae-hee has been in her room, it’s not an unfamiliar place to him, and he helps her grab a change of clothes and some study books to rush down to Noryangjin when her dad suddenly shows up for a visit. Unfortunately, he can’t bolt away fast enough so he also runs into Dad, and soon he’s inducted into the Baek family’s school of lies. Heh.
Sadly, at some point in a funeral director’s career, they’re bound to send off someone close to them, and that moment soon arrives for Dong-joo when So-ra’s grandmother (cameo by my favorite K-drama halmeoni Kim Young-ok) dies. Dong-joo is a sobbing mess as she thanks Halmeoni for taking care of her like a real granddaughter. And there’s a marked difference in the attitude of the daughter-in-law from earlier, and So-ra’s family who are genuinely grateful that Dong-joo is the one who’ll prepare Halmeoni to be sent off.
In typical grandmother behavior, Halmeoni wishes that both her granddaughters will settle down soon enough, and her final request is for Dong-joo to pass on a wedding gift she prepared for So-ra. But when Dong-joo’s boss stops an unruly guest from misbehaving at the funeral, So-ra (whose biggest wish is to date – and kiss – a man) takes the boss to be her gift from her grandmother. Lol.
Halmeoni herself is a gift Dong-joo believes was sent by her mother, because Halmeoni always came to pick her up from school with an umbrella on rainy days, and this now makes Dong-joo sentimental whenever it rains. Hae-an also has a rainy day memory, although we have yet to learn what it is — but it seems like a sad one, since he grows somber on those days, and even opted out of a planned movie outing with the Dime a Job housemates which his crush was sure to attend.
But while Hae-an still remains stuck in his memories, Dong-joo is learning to let go of hers as she runs with Tae-hee in the rain. And while Tae-hee is also beginning to settle into his present reality, his past shows up in the person of fellow doctor TAK CHUNG-HA (Han Dong-hee), who happens to be the ex-girlfriend (and almost fiancée) he broke up with when he left the medical profession. And from the look of things, she still has lingering feelings for him. Uh oh!
It’s sad, but not inevitable, for some patients to die as doctors cannot save everyone. But there has to be a special story attached to the death of the young boy that would make Tae-hee just walk out on his former life. Did the boy get into the accident because of him? Gasp! Was the ring supposed to be for Tae-hee’s proposal? I have a lot of questions which hopefully the drama will answer in time.
In any case, I hope Tae-hee learns to forgive himself. Although as we saw from how he blamed himself for being the reason Dong-joo didn’t hear the pregnant ghost’s last words, Tae-hee cannot properly handle self-blame. Still, with ten requests left to go, I’m hoping Dong-joo manages to fulfill the ghost boy’s request and use the opportunity to help Tae-hee say a proper goodbye to the boy, and put the past firmly behind him.
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Tags: Hyeri, Jun, Lee Kyu-han, May I Help You, Song Deok-ho
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1 Nefret
November 13, 2022 at 12:52 AM
In my opinion, these were the best episodes so far. This was mainly because we finally get some more background information on ML, but also learn how FL first discovered that she sees the spirits of the deceased.
My favourite scene was the lunch with the father. I was impressed and amused at how cleverly ML manoeuvred her way through.
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miso
November 13, 2022 at 1:47 AM
The lunch with the father was my favourite too. ML helping both sides of the family to lie to the other - this will definitely come back to bite him but it was adorable and hilarious to watch!
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Unaspirated
November 14, 2022 at 5:31 AM
Yes! I loved this scene so much! Having to help each one cover up their deceptions in turn must have been exhausting haha!
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2 geminirat
November 13, 2022 at 5:31 AM
Thank you, @unit, for the weecap! I really liked the part where Dong-joo and Tae-hee run in the rain, and realize that it wasn't scary at all! Such things scare you when you're young, and halmeoni was there to help her out.
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3 LaurenSophie
November 13, 2022 at 7:31 AM
I'm into this drama, maybe because I had low expectations about it and it's much better than I anticipated. I assumed it would be silly and instead, it's earnest, but never so heavy that I feel down. And unlike "Tomorrow," where the individual stories of loss and reconciliation often felt overly heavy handed or cringey, the mini-arcs in (mostly) each episode are often truly touching without feeling like too much.
In this set, the Halmeoni story was lovely and touching for many reasons, and I liked how the beats played out for both Dong-joo and So-ra. Their sadness and regret was believable but not overwhelming, and I loved So-ra deciding Dong-joo's boss is her gift!
I had two minor complaints about these episodes. First, I wasn't sure I understood exactly why Tae-hee went from completely disbelieving Dong-joo about the ghosts to completing believing her, especially since he seemed to be in the face of the same evidence throughout.
These two have great chemistry, though, so I'm glad Tae-hee isn't doubting her. I like that they're falling for each other at roughly the same rate, too.
The second thing is that this episode also emphasized that Tae-hee is 30, so I had a particularly hard time buying the confusion over whether or not they had slept together (hint: if you're still fully clothed in the morning after a drunken night, you probably didn't) and the reaction to their hands touching in the popcorn bucket (unless that was supposed to be about her worrying that her hands are "dirty" again).
Shallow moment: Tae-hee looked really good in that rain scene in the blue button down shirt.
Finally, a question: is it a real cultural belief that people believe others who have to touch dead bodies have "dirty" hands and you should avoid them?
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Maya K
November 13, 2022 at 10:53 AM
Jun/Tae-Hee looked GREAT in that rain scene even though I was sad for the SFL. Hopefully they style him in similar outfits later on heh
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Unaspirated
November 14, 2022 at 5:35 AM
I think that the reason Tae-hee came around pretty quickly is because he did have all those instances that can't be properly explained in other ways. When he first saw Dong-joo trying to get a dead woman to wake up, he was understandably shocked and appalled and not thinking straight. But later, when he's calmed down and turned everything over in his mind, he starts to realize that her explanation makes the most sense, even if it sounds impossible. That's how I took it anyway!
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4 Maya K
November 13, 2022 at 10:58 AM
This is my comfort drama of the week, even though I didn't have a lot of expectations when I began. I think the casting of the leads and supporting characters is really good, and Hye-Ri and Jun have great chemistry. I already feel sad about the SFL getting rejected again in the upcoming episodes though...
I have always enjoyed Jun in all of his dramas (even Please Don't Date Him lol), so I'm glad I'm loving this one as well. I also really love Hye-ri's style in this drama and would love to steal some of her outfits.
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5 Britney
November 13, 2022 at 12:33 PM
I didn't like this week's episodes as much as previous episodes though I did like aspects of it such as Tae Hee and Dong Joo's budding friendship. It's nice that she has someone else that she can talk to aside from her priest uncle.
I feel so sorry for how Dong Joo's treated due her job. It made me sad and angry. Yet another prejudice that doesn't even make sense and why did the two faced daughter in law even give her attention?! And then talks about "misunderstandings" ugh
Tae Hee's uncle tends to make me chuckle so that's nice and I look forward to more of him and Tae Hee.
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6 Toodlepip
November 13, 2022 at 3:24 PM
I loved these episodes and the growing relationship between the leads. The backstory of the ML helped also. Funniest scene was TH as the middle man between dad and daughter. He's privy to too many secrets!
The superstitious DIL story was sad as DJ was putting her heart into the role. The story if SoRas grandmother was great also as a comparison.
This show is beating expectations so far.
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7 Jingbee
November 13, 2022 at 5:15 PM
I am also surprised that this show is turning out well. And to be fair, Hye-ri has "grown-up" in her acting, and this is finally the show where I don't see Deok-sun of R88 anymore. I also like the budding friendship and romance, it is not rushed and also believable.
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8 panshel
November 14, 2022 at 1:11 AM
Everything Tae-hee does makes me swoon. Pretending to be Dong-joo's boyfriend ("honey") when she thought she was being followed, leading her out of the funeral home by the hand after she overheard the daughter-in-law, clasping her hands around his waist, becoming her umbrella grandma, "Let's go home together." Being neighbors is the next best thing to cohabitation. Their movie and arcade date was adorable, and I love how close they're getting with each other. Dad already treats him like a son-in-law.
This drama does belated reveals so well, like when we learned Tae-hee was not the cab driver ghost's son or Father Michael was Dong-joo's uncle, but the most shocking reveal has to be Tae-hee being an ER doctor. Now it all makes sense why when he saved the boy at the crosswalk, he listed off symptoms that he might have to his mother. After fiancée Chung-ha helped the homeless man, I wished it were Tae-hee who was with Dong-joo when someone collapses, and he helps, but I wonder if his trauma would make him freeze up or have a panic attack. It's sad how the first thing he asked Dong-joo was if she had ever met a kid ghost.
I really expected Halmeoni to be Dong-joo's last ghost, but her death was to teach Dong-joo to find love. Though I never expected funeral director Il-seob to be So-ra's love interest as I was shipping her with Hae-an who seems to have his own rain trauma.
A big thanks for weecapping, @Unit!
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9 Unaspirated
November 14, 2022 at 5:51 AM
The falling into each other when the bus lurches forward is a favorite trope of mine. Thanks, show, for delivering haha!
I understood the dead kid (Kim Jun-ho right?) to be a relative of Tae-hee's. At first I was thinking younger brother, but I'm feeling less confident about that lately. But they must have some connection, especially if the ring that the boy was missing is the same one Tae-hee was going to propose to Chung-ha with. I totally missed the point about Tae-hee listing off possible symptoms for the boy who was almost hit by a car, but I love that they put that in early on!
I totally agree @unit that the priest is awesome. I love his relationship with Dong-joo so much, and it's hilarious to me that he supports her in her deception of her father just as much as in her helping of the ghosts.
I didn't think halmoni was going to be the last ghost (I think it will probably go back to the little boy somehow) but I am a little surprised it happened this quickly. But maybe that just gives us more time to enjoy the possible relationship between So-ra and Il-seop! I like Tae In-ho, and I would love it if he got to be an unequivocal good guy in this drama. I wonder what his connection is to that woman with the baby whose medical bills he's paying for?
Like everyone else I loved the scene where Tae-hee has to pretend he doesn't know how much our father-daughter pair is deceiving the other one. What a delicate dance that was!
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10 BedeliaJane
November 18, 2022 at 7:22 AM
Re: drastic career switches in dramaland: doctor to errand boy
There's another one that came to my mind - Park Seo Joon's character in Witch's Romance. But I think he was a medical student, and not yet a doctor though.
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11 Scal
November 20, 2022 at 11:13 PM
The timing is weird, but it's been 3 years since the ML was a doctor, not 3 months. He went to the army for 2 years after he left medicine, and then it's been a year since.
In the first episode-Dong Joo saw the young boy then freaked out. She quit and tried to ignore it but had the string of bad luck. She decided to come back after over a year away and has only been back a short while (also I felt her "i've only gotten 3 paychecks" was meant to be sarcastic but still)
The scooter scene was adorable. The ex needs to go away.
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