My Secret Hotel Episode 7 - Signs You Should Pull A Runaway Bride.

Where to begin?  This episode was jam packed to the gills and I can honestly say that a good 2/3rds of the episode I was shaking my head and yelling "what?  what?  WHAT?" at my computer screen.  And that was with my husband still awake and giving me the "my wife is crazy and it is all kdramas fault" look, that I usually try to avoid.  There was so many interesting, odd, and essential plot line in this episode, that I am actually going to break my blogging rule and give you more of a play by play of events.  Because when you have this much confusing crazy unexpected plot twists, you just have to break a rule or two.

But before we get to the interesting stuff, there is the pesky engagement that shouldn't be.  This sucker needs to be nullified ASAP.  So let's discuss the facts, and why this group of people should all be pulling a "Runaway Bride" about now.

I tried, I really tried to see what you all see in Jo Sung Gyeom, but I think I am a lost cause.  I just keep getting visions of control freak boyfriend from him, and his constant time related ultimatums don't help at all.  Preparing to leave for some kind of work related weekend, he hunts out Sang Hyo in order to affirm their new dating relationship. And also order her to get over Hae Young by the time he returns. He then has her fix his tie (symbolic sign of commitment - I see the tie more as a metaphor for emotional bondage's of doom) and heads off, comfortable that his woman will be waiting when he returns.  

All I can say is if you start the conversation with the sentence "You keep avoiding me even after agreeing to date me." that says something you control freak.  Run away Sang Hyo while you have a chance.

Moving on to our, soon to be married couple, Heo Young and Soo Ah, are also having a case of cold feet.  For the last six episodes I have not been a a huge fan of the bride.  At best, she has been dense and bubbly, at worst she has been the typical chaebol entitled heiress who treats her peons like crap.  But I guess the writers wanted to give her a good send off (oh please let her be gone for a while) allowing her to pull her own Runaway Bride (we have to free up the groom somehow without making him a total jerk for jilting someone at the last second).   

Soo Ah calls her groom on the phone, dressed in her wedding finery, and driving to the venue......next to her boyfriend the chauffeur.  As she tells Sang Hyo that she loves him more than anything and always will, she is OBVIOUSLY talking to her driver who is teary eyed next to her.  Um, if you are confessing to your secret boyfriend while on the phone with your fiancee, then maybe it is time to stop the wedding.

What I find surprising is that Hae Young (the one that has been the most antsy about this wedding) is the one most likely to go through with it.  He might be busy brooding in his hotel room (Does anyone else think his suits are resembling a marble counter top?) but he is planning on going through with the dreaded wedding.

Chauffeur boy toy ends up being the voice of reason (or at least of impetuous naivete) and announces that he and Soo Ah should ditch the wedding and run away together. YAY!!!!  The wedding is off. Or is it?

Hae Young receives the the unfortunate wonderful news, but before he even has time to process this turn of events, Sang Hyo is screeching for him to go get the bride back since she has to throw this wedding or her job is done.  Have to admit that this was not Sang Hyo's shining moment.  Sympathy, thy name is not Sang Hyo.  

But her rampage leads Hae Young to have a wonderfully crazy idea.  Instead of having no wedding, he will follow what fate is obviously telling him, and just marry Hae Young.  He gets his parents and even his ex-future mother in law in on the plan (seriously so crazy that everyone is going along with this.  You don't see that often with Korean parents) and sets his plan in motion.

Lastly, he goes to convince Sang Hyo who is breaking the bad news to her staff in the ballroom.  Everyone is about to panic when Hae Young arrives saying there is going to be a wedding, and the bride will be Sang Hyo. BWAHAHAHAHA.  You have to give Hae Young (and the writers) kudos for going where no drama has gone before.  Determined to snatch back his errant wife for a round 2, Hae Young informs Sang Hyo that this would solve all her problems.  Sang Hyo gets the wedding for the hotel like she wants, and Hae Young gets the woman fate put back into his life (although in true Sang Hyo fashion, she assumes he just wants to avoid the embarrassment of being jilted.)

Things might have ended there, because really, stepping into an ongoing wedding as the "new" bride is just plain cuckoo.  But frenemy, love rival, coworker, Eun-Joo, sees an opportunity to get rid of Sang Hyo and runs with it.  She orders Sang Hyo to get married to save everyone's job.  "Look at the string quartet! If you don't get married they are done for.  What about the rest of us who will lose our jobs?  Marry for the good of the hotel!  It is your duty as a boss."  BWAHAHAHA  Eun Joo even calls for a show of hands of wedding supporters and Sang Hyo stepping in as the bride.  All the employees raise their hands and Sang Hyo is the only one against the nuptials. 

Now you might be wondering how a person can just switch out the bride with no one noticing?  Hae Young has his almost mother in law send out a group text to the bride's party saying that the wedding had been switched to a different location, then shooed everyone that had already arrived out the door.  The hotel employees then quickly replaced all the name decor with Hae Young and Sang Hyo, hoping that most people don't remember the exact names written in invitations.  Eum Joo even grabs the bride's name (written in icing) off the cake, stuffing it into her mouth, when a spry older gentleman began questioning the problem.

They would have gotten away with the ruse if not for Ms Buttinski, who vehemently objected to the change in bride (is it just me or does this girl have something to do with their initial break up/misunderstanding?  I am getting some serious vibes).  But Eum Joo was on a role, and no jealous hoochie was going to waylay her chance with Sung Gyeom the wedding.   She admits to the bride change, but then goes on to wax poetic about lost love found again, second chances, epic titanic level romance, until the crowd all has tears in their eyes.  This time when Ms Buttinski tries to object, the crowd boos her into silence.  

Hae Young arrives at the front of the wedding hall and we wait with baited breath to see if he is going to jilted for a second time.  Sang Hyo's name is called and nada (I am embarrassed to admit that I also was holding my breath waiting to see if Sang Hyo would show up).  Her name is announced for the 2nd time, the doors open, and in walks Sang Hyo, dressed to the nines and being walked down the isle by her boss (her other boss not her boyfriend boss).  She truly does look breathtaking as she walks down the isle.

Romantic looks are abounding, love is in the air, heartfelt vows are exchanged, all while the bride has her fingers crossed within the folds of her skirt.  HAHAHA, seems that Sang Hyo is still a bit bitter over being railroaded into this ruse.  It is obvious that Hae Young is alone on his newly discovered devotion to their relationship.  Poor guy. His smile slips for a second, but Hae Young has the last laugh as he pulls Sang Hyo into a steamy kiss.  

But lets not forget that this drama is supposed to be riddled with murder.  The mystery plot line takes a huge jump forward as we have our 2nd victim.  After arguing with an unseen person, blackmail coworker is bludgeoned with a candlestick in the bathroom (seriously people, I am not making this up to fit into a "Clue" theme.  It really happened.)  There is a chance that I was busy laughing at this when I should have been feeling bad for the poor deceased.  It will be interesting how this plays out in the next episode. 

For the most part, the episode has been Sung Gyeom free since he was on a work vacation while his girlfriend accidentally got married.  But our 2nd lead did have one funny part that really has to be explained or it comes across as very very weird. No, Sung Gyeom does not have a mysterious twin, doppelganger, nor is he married and have amnesia.  Instead his "wife" is from the variety program "We Got Married", in which he was one of the grooms.  Hong Jin Young does a cameo where she pretends he is her lost husband NamGoong Oppa (his actual name).  I found this cameo very enjoyable and cute.... as long as you realized the reason behind it.  Otherwise the writers just went totally wonkers in an episode that was already edging past the unhinged line in the sand.

I am looking forward to the upcoming hijinks as our newlyweds go off on their honeymoon.  Will sparks fly?  Will we finally have some actual communication between our OTP (One True Pairing).  Will I like Sung-Gyeom any better? Who knows, weirder things have happened in this drama.  

Til then,
Kmuse

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