Yong Pal Episode 11 - Yeo Jin Gets Proactive (and I am not talking about the pimple cream)

Finally Yeo Jin is becoming the kind of heroine I always hoped she would be.  Not a pretty lamb but the crocodile that she once claimed she was. Yeo Jin puts her plans into motion to not only save Tae Hyuen but also to take down her psychotic brother.  I think it is safe to say that this episode was Yeo Jin's time to shine.

We start where episode 10 left off.  Tae Hyeun is standing over an almost dead Chief Lee (amazing how many people are almost dead in this drama ) and Yeo Jin is back on the 12th floor, her home away from home.  Yeo Jin takes on the identity of mummy girl and fakes brain damage as well as amnesia.  This at least makes her life a bit safer since the directors do not see her as a threat to the labor disputes that are ongoing with Hanshin group.  The powers that be tell Tae Hyeun to take her to the twelfth floor away from prying eyes until the negotiations with the labor union are completed.

The couple is left alone and Yeo Jin quickly grabs Tae Hyeon in tight for a hug -- "That was a Dear John letter?  It was a cry for help."  Tae Hyeon closes his eyes and just basks in her arms.  ****Obviously they were both missing their physical therapy sessions.****  Yeo Jin informs Tae Hyeon that she has new ammunition against her brother and that she can save him.  "There is nowhere for us to hide anymore.  We can't escape this fight.  And I don't want to."  WOOT! Yeo Jin has finally found her inner boxer and is prepared to come out swinging. 

Now that the evil duo of Do Joon and Greedy Ahjussi have officially solidified their partnership, it is time to declare Yeo Jin dead.  And then throw a huge party to celebrate their evil deeds because what is an evil plan without a party.  They travel to Yeo Jin's old room on the 12th floor and have Tae Hyeon officially declare Yeo Jin's time of death over the plastic mannequin.  Just to make it official and all, since the thing Do Joon cares about the most is the little legal details of the whole "kill my sister" thing (imagine I said this all in a sarcastic tone of voice.)

Let's shake hands because our nefarious plan worked.  Bwahahaha

But not everyone is excited for the new power partnership.  Looks like right hand man Secretary is feeling replaced by Greedy Ahjussi.  And he is one underling who is NOT happy to be relegated to the background. I am getting a good laugh at all the facial posturing this character does.  Always over the top and always amusing.

Yeo Jin begins her plan by sending a text --"Give me a good funereal oppa. Signed- Han Yeo Jin" to Do Joon's secure, super secret, cell phone.  A cellphone which is held and monitored by Unhappy Secretary.  Secretary starts freaking out at the text since this is a secure phone that only a few close family members know the number.  Who could possibly be sending this text? 

While Secretary ponders the mysterious text message, Grumpy Intern and Yong Pal are having their own mini showdown. The gist of the conversation was Tae Hyeon commenting on how can a doctor not be willing to help a dying man (Chief Lee) and is that really what a doctor should do? Grumpy Intern replies that he has the best interests in the hospital in mind and won't go and ruin its reputation.  At which time Tae Hyeon knocks the wind out of GI's sails -- "Is that why you reported me?  Don't say words like "real doctor" to the kids anymore." and he then walks out.  Tae Hyeon is just so cool.  Its no wonder Grumpy Intern is so jealous. 

Tae Hyeon continues to devise a plan to save his coworker.  He brings Nurse Ahjumma up to the roof and asks her for help once again ---"We have to save Chief Lee." That is what I love the most about this drama. Tae Hyeun is the epitome of a hero and believes that even people that have murky morals deserve saving.

Its time for the party......oops, I mean funeral. However this funeral is more about Do Joon consolidating his power base than mourning the passing of Yeo Jin.  Do Joon attempts to put on the mask of sad brother, but it would have been more effective if he didn't look so smug.  While taking everyone's condolences, the various division presidents of Hanshin group prove or disprove their alliance to Do Joon.  Everyone who supports Do Joon is wearing a gray tie and those that do not have a gray tie are not part of the cool kids gang. Makes me wish they had some secret dance/handshake that we can witness as well.

Mid funeral Yeo Jin sends another text which is intercepted by Secretary -- "Oppa, when people find out I am alive and well won't your whole world be shaken upside down?"  This makes Secretary a tiny bit nervous since he was the one who officially declared Yeo Jin dead (remember he watched Chief Lee kill her?) so he starts checking into it personally.  First stop is the morgue where Secretary discovers that Yeo Jin is not in fact in the cooler. Oops. Someone made a huge mistake.

First step on finding Yeo Jin (preferably her dead body) is checking in with Nurse Ahjumma who was the one to confirm the deceased identity. ACK!  Not Nurse Ahjumma.  I swear if they do anything to harm her I will be pissed.  The writers already killed off Crazy Nurse and sent Cynthia to the United States.  We are running out of strong female characters.

Thank goodness. Nurse Ahjumma thought on her feet and blamed it all on Chief Lee, who I must assume, is in a coma, because really who isn't in a coma in this show?  Or is this in fact the plot to get Chief Lee his much needed surgery?

Wishing he could pluck the truth from Chief Lee's brain, Secretary ups his creepy factor.  He is staring over Chief Lee's comatose torso just like my kids stare at me on the morning of our Disney Land excursion.  Wake up, wake up, wake up.

Evil Secretary tells Tae Hyuen to save Chief Lee since there is something they need to ask him.  ***AH HA!  What a brilliant way to get permission to operate on Chief Lee. It was indeed part of a bigger scheme.

Do Joon is losing it (what an awesome and intense scene between Chae Young and Do Joon) and blames his secretary for not informing him of Chae Young's past romantic entanglements. While supposedly forgiving Secretary, Do Joon's sanity is obviously unraveling. Which means Secretary better up his game or he is a dead man.

After receiving another text from Yeo Jin, Secretary orders all the security to the airports to search for Yeo Jin (she indicated that she was escaping).  When his underling mentions the guards on the 12th floor, Secretary just shouts at him that there isn't anything on the 12th floor to guard. 

With the security guards gone, the special room on the 12th floor is wide open and ready for Yeo Jin to retrieve the gift from her father.  But there is one thing that needs to be done first.  Yeo Jin asks Chae Young (via texting from Tae Hyeon's phone) to come take Tae Hyeon away.  He needs to escape the hospital and marry Yeo Jin.  If they become married than he will be her heir and legal guardian, not Do Joon, and can keep her safe.  Que romantic music and kissing scene as Tae Hyeon says that yes he will marry Yeo Jin.  Awww.  It's fast, but still slightly romantic.

The awkward moment award of the episode goes to Chae Young.  Seems that our unhappy housewife has gotten the wrong impression from Tae Hyeon asking for help.  Chae Young informs our hero that she is getting a divorce and will follow him to the states soon.  Ooops.  Someone got the wrong idea.  Tae Hyeon tries to tell her that he loves someone, but she just rolls her eyes since she has already had his love life investigated.  I foresee some cat fights in our future.

With all of the thug goons/security off at the airport, Yeo Jin sends Secretary a text telling him to meet her in her room.  As Yeo Jin travels into the scifi hospital room, she sits in her chair and a screen comes up on her fancy swipe computer wall.  It is her deceased father who leaves a his dying message for Yeo Jin.

In the video, Father informs Yeo Jin that her fiance and Do Joon were in cahoots. When her fiance got greedy, Do Joon attempted to kill them both, but only succeeded with the guy.  Because of Do Joon being evil, the father created this room for her and left her something to fight with.  Hidden in her chair is a secret compartment with a USB drive inside it.  On it is detailed records of Hanshin Group's slush fund and its contributors.  With this information Yeo Jin can blackmail all of the company presidents and politicians that had illegal dealings to be on her side.

RANDOM OBSERVATION:
This is totally a Superman/Fortress of Solitude ripoff, but I love it.  It is so nice to see Yeo Jin's character getting a plot line with some meaty oomph to it that I am OK with the writers snagging ideas from any Superhero movie they want.

Yeo Jin allows Secretary to enter into the room, looks at him intently and orders him to kneel.  Wow.  Yet again I have to exclaim over my enjoyment of the new Yeo Jin.  Let's hope that this writing style continues.

My Thoughts:
YAY!  I was worried that I was going to be stuck recapping 10 (or more) episodes with little going on.  Which would have been a shame when the drama started off so well.  Thankfully the action revved up and with little sister safely gone, Yeo Jin can step in as a plot mover and shaker.

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