Twenty Again ep 6: Glad I Resisted the Urge to Chuck My iPad Across the Hotel Room

So I've been a bit MIA while hubs and I were off celebrating our wedding anniversary this past weekend. Of course, I could never leave the world of K entertainment behind me entirely (duh), so naturally I watched these episodes in some of my down time at the hotel. I have to tell you, my iPad narrowly escaped my wrath at the beginning of 6. And my husband may have been doubting his 18 years of marriage to the crazy lady screaming at her screen.

Okay, we're going to start out today with a pop quiz. I'm going to ask some questions and then we'll see the answers that you or I might give compared to No Ra's answers. Pencils ready? Here we go.

Question 1: So...you just saw your husband of 20 years out with his girlfriend. What are you going to do? 

Me: Confront the rat, have a "chat", chase him out of the theatre with his hussy, and then enjoy myself a little dance performance since that's what I love and no cheating rat man is going to take that away from me.
No Ra: Run away. Let the rat enjoy "my" show with 'her' while I go have a breakdown and cry in the street.

Question 2: How about when he starts treating you like dog doo he stepped in? You know, after you know he's cheating. 

Me: Maybe I didn't actually say anything after all when I saw them at the theatre, which would make the moment when I drop the "you only don't want me in school because you don't want me to catch you with your girlfriend" bomb all that more enjoyable. Except I guess I don't know yet that the other woman is also at the school (and my teacher), so maybe that wouldn't work. Except that if I did confront him at the theatre, then I would know who she was, and well, that could get interesting. I'd sure have fun threatening to tell everyone at the school his dirty little secret. That space alien web site thing I finally figured out would be the perfect place to start...after I smack that smug look off his face first, of course.
No Ra: Sit there and take it.

Question 3: If, while in the process of treating me like dog doo he stepped in, he hands me money and tells me that he will never pay for my tuition, my response would be...
Me: Take his dirty envelope of cash and throw it back in his face and scream that he didn't pay for my tuition, that I paid for it with my own money that I had been hiding from him all this time, so there! Then I'd once again threaten to expose him at school and make him sign an agreement to divorce me right then and there but keep the alimony coming at least until I am finished with school.
No Ra: Take the dirty cash envelope and silently crush it in my hand (just like he had crushed my spirit all these years) before sticking it in a drawer (like my own hopes, dreams and personality - hidden away)

Question 4: You're angry and pounding a fish to make fish stew (because you like it) when the idiot man you married walks into the room after treating you like dog doo. What is your response?

Me: Whack him in the balls with the big poundy stick and tell him to leave me the heck alone.
No Ra: Take all my frustrations out on the poor fish while sort of standing up for myself in a passive aggressive way. Ask him if he's cheating and then tell him that you'll think about his "proposal" for you to divorce him and quit school by the June 2nd deadline.

Extra Credit: Which man would you fight to keep?
A.

B.

Did you see him running to save her? Those that were around during I Remember You might recall that I am a huge sucker for a runner. All that energy and passion being used to save or help the woman he loves? Lock, stock and barrel - the boy is sure to earn my heart. Quietly and discreetly (and not creepily at all) watching over her as she has a meltdown also plays well with me.

As we can see by the results of this test, our leading lady and I didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on how best to handle this whole situation with her cheating rat of a husband. I spent the first part of this episode very upset, angry and frustrated, and yes, yelling at my screen. I wanted to chuck the darn thing across the hotel room. I was regretting watching it while away on a romantic getaway since it was making me so cross and not in a very romantic getaway kind of mood. Thankfully, for the sake of my iPad, sanity, and weekend though, things started to turn around. And we even start to have some fun. Like, a lot of fun. Fun thanks to our leading man who is just as every bit of awesome as the cheating rat of a husband is awful.

Fun like the scene where he almost punches the rat.

While we all chant, "do it! do it! do it!"

Or, better yet, when he tells Homewrecker's dad, with Homewrecker right there, that his "ideal type" is Professor Kim Woo Chul's wife, his dear old friend, No Ra. Ha! The look on her face!!! I thought she was going to choke to death right then and there!!!!!! hahahahahaha! This boy! He so rocks!

Why yes, yes she is. And your dear daughter is quite the little frigid witch of a homewrecker. Congrats, Sir.

Normally I'm not big on the players showing their cards too early in the game, but in this case, it was well worth it to watch her freak out.

Aww.... Poor little sad homewrecker. Can't get her man up to Daddy's standards quite yet. But by golly, she sure is trying.

You caught that, didn't you? Daddy has certain standards for his little girl and her current man isn't quite there yet. That's why she's pushing this project of his along so hard because it will push his career forward enough so that she can proudly present him to Daddy as a proper suitor. Until then, well, he's just some married, good-for-nothing, fixer-upper trash. Now that she knows that her man's wife is friends with his project partner, well, I'm sure she's going to have some "stuff" to deal with there. She's caught between a rock and a hard place. Needs the project and the project partner, but the project partner brings with him potential poo-hitting-fan baggage. And I giggle with glee at the prospect of that all blowing up in her face. In both of their smug cheating faces actually.

Okay, now for the real fun! It's April Fool's Day shenanigans time!! Our dearest Professor Cha has been helping No Ra cross items off her "before I die of cancer" list unbeknownst to her. Today's mission is to go back in time and relive their high school days. So apparently when you are in college, at least at our Woocheon University, April Fool's Day is the day when you don your old high school uniform and go out to party. Hyun Suk has enlisted the help of Ra Yoon Young and Mr Mole-Face to pull off his biggest No Ra Bucket List event yet. I'd like to first point out that Yoon Young didn't correct Hyun Suk when she realized that he thought No Ra was dying. Nope. She just kept her mouth shut and helped him do his thing. She's gotta suspect that he's into her. I know that he cloaks it under the guise of "I was really mean to her and now she's dying and I feel bad and want to make it up to her", but does she really buy it? I don't know. Either way, she doesn't tell him he's worried for nothing, and goes along with his plan. I like her!

No Ra is all bummed and down in the dumps thanks to her idiot husband as she walks to school that morning. She is surprised to be greeted by her bestie wearing her old school uniform. Bestie then gets her in her own uniform and the two of them giggle as they walk down the street. Waiting for them is Hyun Suk, also in his uniform and the three of them take off together, an embarrassed but happy No Ra in tow. The bestest best part was when Woo Cheol spots them and gawks at the unbelievable scene before his eyes. There is his doormat of a mousey wife wearing her uniform from 20 years ago, actually smiling and laughing and full of life. Hyun Suk sees Woo Cheol staring and impishly ups his game by throwing his arms around both girls - inciting more smiles and giggles from them. ha! It is moments like these that I am grateful they cast this particular actor in this role of Woo Cheol as he is the king of over-exaggerated expressions.

The three amigos head to their old high school to relive their glory days, meeting along the way their buddy with the giant mole on his face. Much is learned about our characters here. Because I'm a fan of lists, I'll list some of them out. A few of these are from other parts of the episode, but as long as I'm making a list, I may as well include them too. Here we go...my list.

• No Ra's school experience was positive. She has good memories there. Being there and remembering makes her smile.
  
• Hyun Suk, on the other hand, did not have a good experience there. We see him remembering being yelled at by a teacher and pushed around by classmates. Unlike No Ra, being back on the school's campus brings a sad, pained look to his face. That is, until one certain memory. 
  
• We see a lone boy hiding in the corner with his book spot a plucky young lady getting into a fight with the school bully. He goes to get up, trips, and then soon sees that his help is not actually needed as this young lady stands back up and faces her bully again. This of course is the scene we got in episode one that showed the beginning of the friendship between No Ra and Yoon Young, but seen this time from Hyun Suk's perspective. It was the moment the school turned upside down (according to Mole Face) and also the moment a geeky, lonely boy started to fall for a bright, sunny girl.
  
• We learn that Hyun Suk, from that moment on, watched No Ra. He also started hanging out with her grandma (without No Ra knowing).
  
• Grandma didn't want No Ra telling people who she was. She didn't want her to be made fun of by the kids at the fancy school for her humble background.
  
• No Ra has some unresolved something with her grandmother - something that brings her pain when she remembers. Maybe it is just her missing her grandmother, but I somehow think that it is more than that and relates to how she ran away back when she got preggers.
  
  
• Mole Face currently runs a shop using No Ra's grandma's secret ddeokbokki recipe. Hyun Suk knows this (and maybe is somehow even involved in it all?) but No Ra does not.
  

• Our poor lone boy is lonely no more as No Ra's playfulness with him helps him remember that he now has friends. Aww! I just have to say how much I enjoyed how this entire scene at the school was filmed. It really mixed the past and the present perfectly. Beautifully done!
  
  

After they walk down memory lane at the high school, and take some goofy pictures...

...it's time for the highlight of the evening - clubbing! Except that they are too old to get into the hot club (that Min Soo and his girlfriend are coincidentally enough hanging out in so probably a good thing Mom didn't crash the party). They end up at a club for older people. I've heard of these - dance clubs specifically for people over a certain age. Brilliant if you ask me. You know, being old like I am and all, hanging with the young folk doesn't really appeal to me, whereas hanging with those that have been around the sun about as many times as I have sounds kinda cool. The foursome has a great time dancing and cutting loose, as does Min Soo (once he gets drunk and jealous enough to cut loose) at his club.

Low light and dancing - murder for the screencapping effort. Sorry for the blur.

The bus ride home is hot. Like major repressed feels hot. Hyun Suk and No Ra are alone, Mole Face and Yoon Young having taken another bus home. They are side-by-side, standing there, when No Ra starts to feel embarrassed by the people staring at the ahjumma in the high school uniform. She goes to hide behind Hyun Suk when the bus suddenly lurches and she has to grab onto him in order to avoid falling. His face! Whoa!!!! Talk about sexual tension! You can practically see it seething out of every bit of him. He's fighting it (she is married after all), but it is definitely there. He is so painfully and clearly into her. I loved this scene and his awkward 'don't think sexy thoughts' look. He does 'obsessed' quite well actually. Gotta love a man that can do that and not make it look creepy.

Back to the cheating rat of a husband now. He's been distracted by thoughts of his wife while hanging with Homewrecker and she's not exactly thrilled with his lack of focus.

Those distractions continue later that night as it is after midnight and No Ra is still not home. At this point I fully expect him to fall back in love, or at least some sort of intrigue/obsession of his own, as he sees her morphing back into the person she used to be before the weight of motherhood and being married to a douche changed her. I mean, at one point he was obviously drawn to her. I doubt he accidentally tripped and impregnated her back on the beach that fateful night. Something about her drew him in once upon a time, and now that "something" is coming back and he can't stop fixating on her. Ah ha ha ha! I greatly anticipate the moment where she shatters his cold, ratty heart and makes him regret the way he treated her.

After their fun night of dancing and drinking, mother and son end up back at home at the same time. Min Soo, assumedly already a little softened to his mother by her earlier sharing with him her map and the efforts she was making to stay out of his way and not interfere in any way in his college life, is surprised when Mom acts cool about the whole thing. She scolds him, not for being out, but for coming home in uniform and opening him up to his father's wrath. Sure enough, as the two of them try to sneak in, they are caught by Woo Cheol. Heehee! Just that image of mother and son both being caught sneaking in together by Dad was awesome! Especially seeing Dad's (and Min Soo's) shocked reaction when she says that the boy should be allowed to play once in a while.

Her slamming the door in his face as he is chasing after her and harassing her about when she was going to quit school was just the icing on the already delicious cake!

I do believe I heard choirs of angels singing when that door slammed in his face :) I love this girl when she stands up for herself!

No Ra and Hyun Suk end their evening of adventure slightly differently. She's all smiles and happy reminiscing about all the fun, drawing cute little pictures showing how surprised she was when she saw Hyun Suk standing there all cool in his uniform while he is in bed, devastated that this woman is dying (and looking at her picture on his phone like a good little obsessive stalker boy). He is so overcome by grief at the thought of losing her to pancreatic cancer.

The next day (or so), he plans another surprise for her. This one is simpler, but meaningful. He has her grandmother's ddeokbokki from Mole Face's shop ready and waiting for her. Except she doesn't show up. Turns out, she got herself a part-time job (most likely because she has been told by rat husband that the money dries up in two months time) and is off doing that. This really gets him upset and he takes off for the convenient store that she's working at, drags her out of the store, and starts yelling at her for wasting what's left of her life working at this ridiculous job.

Can I just say how marvelous he looks in that gray sweater? He should wear that more often. Rawr!

He finally admits to her that he knows about the diagnosis and how she only has 6 months to live. She of course comes back with the shocking news that it was all a mistake and she's not dying after all. It's not exactly clear how he feels about this revelation and change of fortune initially. Obviously there is a whole heap of shock going on as it all starts to sink in. Is he angry? Relieved? What? What have been his intentions all this time? Helping out an old friend live her last days to the fullest? Or deeper, more romantic-y feelings. Will he lash out or....???

We get our answer when that look of shock turns into the biggest smile and he grabs her and hugs her tight - utterly relieved and gleeful at the news. He has to be the happiest man on Earth right about now. He just found out that the woman he loves (and has loved for some odd 20 years or so) is not dying. Okay, so sure, there's still a lot that these two need to cover (how he knew, what happened in the past that made him so angry and mean to her when he saw her, her cheating rat of a husband, yadda yadda yadda), but for now, we will let them bask in the glory of the good news as we swoon and sigh in delight at our lovely OTP. Ahhhh!

Okay, so clearly she's not quite up to the point he's at in this relationship, but she'll get there. Oh, yes, she'll get there. I have faith in her. She just needs to ditch the dead weight of a husband holding her down and dragging her to her death first. She likes him, she just doesn't know it yet, which is understandable. Give her time and a chance - she won't be able to resist.

Final thoughts: While I'm glad he knows now that she's not dying, I will miss their Bucket List adventures and the handy excuse that that was for our rightful OTP to spend time together. I'm afraid now that that's been settled, these two might struggle a bit. She'll think he was only being nice to her because he thought she was dying. He'll be watching her with her jerk of a husband, not knowing yet of the divorce contract. Jerk husband will probably (definitely) somehow interfere. For now though, things are happy and moving along nicely in the love and friendship department. A large part of me still wishes that we had had No Ra go more on the offensive with her rat man regarding his infidelity, but after watching him slowly start to go crazy watching her enjoy her life, I'm kind of glad that she didn't. Yet. Let him sit and stew for a bit first. Much more fun this way. So long as he never gets the upper hand over her again. One of my biggest fears at this point is actually that he start to accuse her of having an affair with Hyun Suk. So, as much as I can't wait to see these two kids together, I do want it to wait until June 2nd when the divorce contract is final. Two months. They can keep it together for two more measly months right? And in the meantime, I want to see Rat and Homewrecker's relationship implode so that neither smug 'person' gets what they want. That would be beautiful karma right there. The two of them should be miserable while No Ra and Hyun Suk live happily ever after. We can only hope, right?

It was another fun week with this drama. Hope you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for stopping by and we will see you next time! Until then,

Back hugs and fish kisses to you all,
Dongsaeng