Flower Boy Next Door ep 13: Dramatic Review

Whaddya mean it's Sunday?  ;)

Sorry, Friday and then the rest of the weekend got away from me.  I've had a great few days, I'm certainly not complaining, but of course it means that my goal of 3 reviews in 3 hours on Friday was sadly not met.  Big surprise there, right?  heehee  So, forgive the slight tardiness, but let's jump in and see what episode 13 was all about, shall we?  Time for some quality time with our flower boys!

Episode 13's Dramatic Drama Dozen
...An Episode Chocked Full of Revelations...

1.  Enrique performs quite the entertaining morning "window show" for Dok Mi who doesn't show up.

2.  He goes to her apartment to find out why she stood him up on their window date, only to find her not at home and with a death threat on her door.  Everyone comes out and is concerned.  Multiple attempts to reach her go unanswered.  Enrique is let in to the apartment while Jin Rak has a moment of realization.  At that moment he figures out that he doesn't really know her as well as he thought when it dawns on him that he has no clue where to even start looking for her.  Tough stuff there Jin Rak sweetie.  Want a hug???

3.  In all the hubbub, who should show up but Muppet Slayer Do Hwi (wearing yet another jacket donned in fuzzy fur might I point out).  She is accused by Jin Rak of being the graffiti artist, which causes her to run off in tears with a concerned Dong Hoon in quick pursuit.  Back at the store/studio/whatever of Do Hwi's, Dong Hoon is treated to the revelation that Do Hwi has long been in love with his hyung.

4.  As he is running after Do Hwi, he bumps into the crazy sasaeng fan of Enrique's who is literally caught red handed.

5.  Enrique is confronting the crazy fan girl when Dok Mi comes walking up.  He runs to her and sweeps her up into a warm embrace.  Haha!  Take that crazy stalker fan freak.  So where was Dok Mi?  Off at the hardware store picking up what she needed to clean off her door.  Death threats spray painted on her door?  Yeah.  She's been there, done that, and knows all the tricks on how to remove it.  She's like Korea's answer to the Queen of Clean.

6.  Enrique and Dok Mi walk back up to her apartment and find that Jin Rak is ever so sweetly painting over her door.  Looks like her shopping trip was all for naught.  Jin Rak was determined that his lady love wouldn't have to see the awful message when she returned home.  By this time, Dong Hoon has informed him of the guilty party and so he goes on the offensive when he spots Enrique, basically putting the blame on him because it was HIS crazy stalker fan after all.  Mmm... Who doesn't love a little dose of testosterone-fueled male competition every once in awhile?  Too bad Dok Mi broke up the fight before it could get started.  At least we got some nice views of angry Jin Rak in the process.  Jealous anger looks good on him.

7.  Time for another shocking revelation.  Dok Mi tells Jin Rak that she isn't the same person that he has portrayed her to be in his webtoon.  She points out that she is neither innocent nor kind, pure or loving.  Ooh, Dok Mi, you such a bad girl!

8.  Was that revelation not shocking enough for you?  How about another one?  This time it's Jin Rak coming clean to Dong Hoon.  He's not some chaebol heir nobly trying to make it on his own merit.  He comes from a poor Korean equivalent of what we might call "white trash" here in the States.  Do they have a similar term in Korea for people who fight at family gatherings so severely that police have to be routinely called?  I dunno.  If they did though, sounds like that title would fit here.  So yeah, poor kid from a crap home who grew up isolated and reading comic books, dreaming of a better life.  This pursuit led him to attend school in America because that's what rich kids did and he wanted to appear to be of "quality" so to say.  When his dad passed away, his older brothers wrote him off.  He abandoned his family and his family name, hence the name change.

9.  This following moment between the roommates was awesome and therefore gets its own spot in the Drama Dozen.  Dong Hoon is threatening to leave and a distraught Jin Rak begs him to stay, exclaiming that he has lost his hyungs and he doesn't want to lose his dongsaeng either.  Don't worry though Kim Ji Hoon, if things don't work out with this dongsaeng, I know a perfectly willing one right here :)  (P.S.  I mean me.  Just wanted to make that extra clear since we're in major revelation mode here today)

How cute is Dong Hoon's reaction? Aww!

10.  Revelations continue as Enrique and Dok Mi go out on the town for a hot date.  To.... the zoo.  They have a wonderful, magical time, and Enrique finally opens up a bit (you know, because he's so quiet and reserved and all).  He tells how he created his first game at age 10 after a trip to the zoo.  It was the first time he experienced racism for being Korean in Spain.  It was something that has plagued him and followed him ever since.  So he understands a little of the torment caused by her classmates' teasing as a teen.

11.  Remember when Unnie talked to us about overused plot devices?  Well, here's one of mine.  The shopping trip/makeover.  Enrique and Dok Mi while out on their date stop by a boutique where she dons flirty sexy gowns, you know, because that's just who she is. o.O  I suppose one could argue that it is symbolic of her shedding her outer shell and embracing the youthful woman inside.  You could say that, or you could say "enough with the obligatory 'you're not good enough on your own without my help' makeover".  Okay, so she looks all cute in her pretty clothes and timidity, and no one can argue that Enrique looks fantastic as he looks at her longingly.  Yeah, that look is the only thing that placates me time after time in every drama that uses this plot device.  I admit my weakness to "the look" - the look that says "va-va-va-voom! I want me some of that!"  Who wouldn't want to see that look on Yoon Shi Yoon's face and pretend it was directed at them?  Not that I did that.  I mean that rhetorically of course.  *innocent whistle as I slowly back away*

12.  And finally, we conclude with our final dramatic moment of this episode.  Dok Mi is worried about Enrique.  She wants him to pursue his dream, return to Spain and not give it all up for her.  He's so focused on her and being with her and helping her that he can't let go.  Do you recall the fairy conversation with the crazy stalker fan in the last episode?  This is what has Dok Mi all concerned.  She doesn't want her personal fairy to disappear because of her.  His response?  "Come with me".  Aww!  He wants her to go back to Spain with him!  Go!  Go you foolish girl you!  Go like you're not some freak recluse living holed up in your hidey hole.  RUN!  Get on that plane now and go live life! 

Okay, so it's obvious what I would choose for Dok Mi to do in response to Enrique's romantic invitation to run off to romantic Spain with him, but what does Dok Mi choose?  Well, of course we won't know that yet.  They don't call them cliffhangers for nothing, right?  What do you think she should do?  Stop encouraging him to leave and just live happily ever after where they are now?  Send him off to Spain while you pursue your own dreams in Korea?  Send him off to Spain and retreat back to your former life shut off from the world?  Or ship him back to Spain and give ol' Jin Rak a try?  So many options, so few episodes left in which to explore them all, so I'm thinking that she's going to have to make a choice sooner rather than later, huh?  So how about it Dok Mi?  Poop or get off the pot there Honey.  There's a whole queue of others waiting for their shot with either one or both of these guys.  Just sayin'....  ;)

Stay tuned for episode 14's Drama Dozen picks!