I Remember You ep 2: We Were All Good...Until that Smirk!

Well, hello there! Welcome back! I am hoping/assuming that before coming here, you read Kmuse's take on episode 1. If not, you probably should. Right now would be just fine. It's okay, I'll be here when you get back. I'm very patient, so take all the time you need.



Okay, done? Good. Now that everyone has had a chance to do that, allow me to introduce myself to those that may be joining us for the first time. I'm Dongsaeng, the other half of the Crazy Ahjummas. I, along with my intrepid blogner (that would be 'blog partner'), Kmuse, will be taking on the recapping of this drama. We love to co-cap because it a) lightens the load (seriously, unless you've tried it, you have no idea how much time and effort this stuff takes) and b) gives you, the reader, two different perspectives to read. Sometimes we see eye-to-eye, sometimes we see things differently. By co-capping, you get to experience a drama through two different viewpoints. Hopefully you think that's as cool as we do. Anyway, brief bio on me (if you want to know more, and who knows why you would, but just in case, there's a tab up top called "Dongsaeng" that goes into more detail) - mom, two kids, living just barely north of Hell (i.e. it's summer here in the desert southwest), just recently returned full time to the world of blogging/dramas/kpop after a 16 month stint in the "real world" at a "real job". Boy, am I ever glad THAT craziness is over! So basically, if at any point I seem a little rusty, well, it's because I am. But I try my best to hide it and act like I know what I'm talking about. "Fake it til you make it" is my creed. ;) And that's probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is anyway. Now that you know who I am, let's get to know our drama a little better, shall we? Drama. K drama. It's what brings us together today (and if you read that in the priest from The Princess Bride's voice, well then, you and I are now besties for life).

First, let me just say that I am going to have a hard time not just screencapping the heck out of that boy! I took maybe 600 screencaps overall for this episode, and I'm pretty sure about half of them are just Seo In Guk. Simply for the sole reason that it was Seo In Guk looking absolutely mesmerizingly picture perfect. Kmuse mentioned this in her post, but really, he gets better looking every time I see him. Just when you think he can't possibly get any better looking, he goes and proves you wrong. Time and time again. I know he's my blogner's #1 bias, and so I want to be respectful of that and not get too fangirly here in her territory, but hot dang! That boy can give any khottie out there a serious run for his money! So much talent wrapped up in the prettiest darn package you ever did see. It's just not fair. He doesn't play fair. I need to find out some dirt on him. Like, maybe he farts a lot? Or is a blanket hog. Anything to dim these SIG rose-colored glasses just a bit so that I can see clearly out of them would be great. If we are expected to follow this story and hear what people are actually saying on screen, the director would be wise to stop giving us so many perfect close-up shots of that perfect face. But don't, really. That would make me very, very sad. Just don't expect me to remember what was said around those times that his face is framed so beautifully on my screen. I'm only human after all.

Our story has a lot of things happening right now. Feared to be a sociopathic monster by his father, a young Lee Hyeon has been secreted away in the basement of his house, removed from society for his protection and the protection of others. Wow. That's harsh dude. Let that just sink in for a moment.... What was really heartbreaking was when Hyeon was crying and asking his father why he didn't just talk to him and ask him what he and Killer had talked about and the secrets that were told. Yeah, Dad, why? I cried for and right along with that poor child.

Yes Dad, you really should have.

Then we have our confirmed killer Lee Joon Young, whom Papa Lee Joong Min has been working with, on the loose. He has this weird anomaly that makes it impossible to detect a pulse on one side of his neck. He uses this to trick the prison guards by slicing his throat on the other side. They freak out, unable to find a pulse, and rush him to the hospital even though he seems to be breathing and there's very little blood. Killer Boy "comes to" in the ambulance and makes his escape. Before we know it, he's shown up at the Lee house. Dad and Psycho sit down for a friendly cup o' tea which ends in a brawl and a dead dad. In the tussle, little brother runs out of the house, and big brother cries for dad from his dungeon. Once all is silent, Lee Hyeon emerges to find dad lying in a pool of blood on the floor and Psycho standing there. Hyeon goes running to look for his missing little brother, falls down, and loses his memory. Trying really, really hard not to roll my eyes at the whole amnesia thing. If only you knew how much I detest amnesiac story lines, you would appreciate my efforts here to bite my tongue, let it slide, and just roll with it.

The part this kid does remember? The fact that his father thought him a monster. And not in the same way that I at a young age thought my parents were aliens. No, this was not just his overactive imagination running amok. He read it in his father's own written words in his diary. First, what parent not only writes that about their child, but then leaves it sitting out and open where just anyone (say, that child for example) can read it?! Sheesh. If the man weren't already dead, I'd be tempted to push him down a short flight of stairs myself. So this kid has grown up with a spotty memory relating to his father's death and with the knowledge that his father thought him a monster, leading him to always wonder just what kind of person he truly is. Fast forward to the present time and he has been living in the States and has written a book, "The Memory of a Murderer", which I assume is about his conversation with Lee Joon Young. He sends a secret message to, we assume yet again, Lee Joon Young, in an interview that he did, saying that he wanted to meet with him if he were still alive.

He wants to know what kind of child he was, and thinks that this guy would be the best one to ask and help him recover some of the memories of their conversation that have been lost. Because it's always best to consult with a serial killer who killed your dad in order to find out about who you are. After the interview with that message was published, he gets the mysterious email relating to the first crime scene of our story. This leads him to fly back to Korea and to the scene of the 2nd victim. Which is then, of course, where he bumps into Detective Cha Ji An, former childhood 'stalker' of Lee Hyeon. Follow all that?

Most of the episode is spent playing detective and in a cat and mouse game between Ji An and Hyeon.

There are clues that have been left, seemingly for Hyeon, specifically by the killer. The police are trying to stop a 3rd murder from happening by trying to piece together the clues to figure out who the next victim is. Which they do. Meet Victim #3.

Victim #3 has just met her killer. Victim #3 gets a phone call from a frantic Ji An, who is rushing to save her, warning her of the danger that she is in. Victim #3 is really bad at playing it cool and probably could have bought herself enough time to be rescued if she had been better at not cluing in the murderer that she now knows he is a murderer. Way to go Victim #3. Way to go. 

But I'm like half an episode ahead of myself here. Let's backtrack and get back to talking about this Lee Hyeon character a bit more. I was happily going along, convinced that Dad had it all wrong and that Hyeon was this poor, misunderstood child. A poor, misunderstood child that could very well be protecting his sociopath little brother. I have a suspicion that the little brother was the real scary one. He drew the creepy art and told Dad that his brother did it. Pretty convinced that little brother killed the cat that Hyeon was caught burying. Yup, everything pinned on Hyeon could easily be explained away and placed on little brother.

Until. Until he has a dream about walking in on his father's dead body and sees Joon Young standing there. Joon Young, in the dream, tells the young boy to go ahead and sleep, that it "finally went the way he wanted it to". Young Hyeon's response to this? A little smile/smirk.

WHAT?!?! NO!!! NO NO NO NO NO!!! YOU ARE NOT TURNING THIS GUY INTO A KILLER! YOU HEAR ME WRITERS?! NO! And no amount of gorgeous close-ups or shower scenes are going to distract me from this! FIX IT! NOW!!! Make him a good, non-killing boy or else!

This dream wakes Hyeon wake up in a panic (duh - wouldn't you? Unless you were a psycho which he obviously is not since it bothered him so much) and he gets all angsty and contemplative. And we all know that angsty and contemplative means shower scene! SIG in the shower.... Uhm, if you'll excuse me...I've got some daydreaming to do. Back in a bit.

Right about here, we get a cute and funny scene between our future lovebirds. Ji An is there for help decoding the killer's "guess where I'm going to kill next?" message. Their interaction together is quite amusing. See, there's no way he can be a killer. Psychos can't be this adorable.

Before I get much further, I should mention that Hyeon's father's murder was ordered to be covered up back in the day. The substitute "mother" that has been in Hyeon's life ever since, supposedly has Dad's file, but lies to Hyeon and tells him that a file doesn't exist because of how long ago it all happened. According to her, they didn't keep records back then or some lame excuse like that. Uh huh. Yeahhh, suuurrrre. I say "supposedly has Dad's file" because she thought she had it, but doesn't.

When she goes to get it out of her locked safe, it is missing. Which, judging by her reaction is news to her. Just where or where has the missing file gone? Oh where or where can it be? Well, that's easy. Ji An's got it of course. Okay now, this just gets more and more complicated.

I wish I could fast forward and get some answers. Dang it! Even after all her 'watching' of Hyeon and her apparent study of the mysterious file relating to his father's death, she admits herself that she doesn't know if he is a good guy or bad guy.

That's gotta count for something on his side, right? I mean, I'm thinking that she's leaning enough towards good, seeing as how she has no qualms about running to him for help or being alone with him.

Our episode ends with a creepy, personalized message straight from killer Joon Young to Hyeon. Hyeon has been listening to the old audio recordings of his father's sessions with Joon Young. Mid-way through one of these tapes, the old recording is interrupted by a newer recording. In this message, Joon Young reminds Hyeon of how he had told him that he wanted to see what kind of adult he would turn into. He says that by the time Hyeon hears this recording, he will probably have already fulfilled his side of the promise and will probably already be by his side.

This elicits another grin from Hyeon which we are going to ignore and continue to live in denial despite. Because he's not a psycho. He's a good boy. A good profiler who wants to use his superpowers and brain to stop bad guys. He's probably grinning because he knows that Joon Young is close and he'll soon catch him, ending his little serial killing spree. Yup. That's why. And don't nobody try and tell me otherwise.

One of my working theories is that this new serial killer on the loose isn't actually Joon Young but is little brother Lee Min, who is probably being mentored by Joon Young. That's just one theory. Of many. I think this medical examiner guy, for example, is very suspicious. Whoever he is and whatever his part in all this, I don't trust him. He's shifty.

But I really have no idea what is going on. I think the brother will appear soon one way or the other. Obviously under a different name, because it would be too easy if he were still going by the same name. Let's just be careful to not forget about or turn our backs on this little brother. He's who I've got on my suspect list over Hyeon. Let little brother rot and keep my pretty Hyeon clean and pure. Pretty please?

But really, who is this guy? We know it isn't Hyeon. He hasn't been killing these girls. It's someone else. But who? My vote goes towards this is little brother Min.

That should about cover most of it. As is tradition for me in the first couple of episodes I recap (or, you know, whenever I feel so inspired), I will leave you with some pretty that didn't make it into the recap, but still doesn't deserve to be lost and never enjoyed. It's Seo In Guk - who's going to complain about a little extra SIG? Am I right?

Until next time - back hugs and fish kisses to you all,

~Dongsaeng