Remember my tiny rant last week about how much I get annoyed that kdrama writers always solve age related problems with the use of a time jump? Well obviously the writers are reading my blog (yes I know that that is probably not true, but let a blogger have her dreams) and decided to do the unthinkable by letting the couple stay together without miraculously taking away all of their conflicts. YAY for writers that are willing to think outside of the genre's small box and I personally think that their efforts reaped great rewards as we get a finale that is not only fresh, but fits the personality of the rest of the show.
In the last episode we focused on all of the trials that our OTP (One True Pairing) were facing. It is not that I think that a 10 year age difference is something insurmountable (barely worth an eyebrow raise in most situations), however I think the biggest problem is where the couple are when faced with that age gap. Being a teenager is difficult enough without adding the stress of supporting a wife, which is why I was very surprised when instead of a time jump the writers decided to just let the couple get married. Usually I would say that it was a mistake (just imagine some of the other noona romances in the same situation and you will see my point. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop would have been a very different show if they had gotten married while he was still in high school. Some people can cope and other couples are just to dysfunctional to realistically make it without the maturity a time jump supposedly brings.) Luckily for us, the writers kept the characters grounded in reality enough to make it seem plausible. Add in Min Seok and Soo Young's abundance of optimistic gumption and impulsive nature and I am totally on board with the impending nuptials.
Even the proposal was just so them that my heart fluttered in the wake of the adorableness. Min Seok attempts to break up with Soo Young since he feels that he can not be the type of man she needs in her life. Min Seuk tells her that he is still in high school and has the maturity level that comes with his age resulting in misunderstandings and anger, he requests one last kiss to remember her by. As he kisses Soo Young's forehead tears begin to fall from his eyes and my heart is breaking. Min Seok is sobbing as he walks away, but is stopped as Soo Young grabs him and asks him not to go. Instead he should marry her and she will be his family.
I am pretty sure my face mirrored Min Seok's as he realizes that he just got proposed to. There is a lot of back and forth excitement and concern about their decision, but they finally confirm their love when Min Seok officially proposes to Soo Young via ginormous bag of popcorn in loo of a ring. And can I just state that his popcorn proposal kiss is beyond steamy and is beautifully captured by the cameras. I continue to be amazed at how many unique ways the director can sneak in his skinship shots. This was the last in a long line of great kisses, hugs, and intimate hand holds.
Now that our OTP have decided upon their life path, the difficult aspect of telling their parents is before them. Well, telling their parents and getting Director Kim (previously Team Leader Kim) to let Min Seok go. The work team finds out that Soo Young and Min Seok are planning to marry and poor Director Kim comes close to fainting yet again. He pulls Soo Young into his office and asks if she truly is planning on marrying his Suk? Hahahaha. He then tells her to treat Min Seok well and to please be understanding of his needs, including his porn needs, since he is of an age where those kind of things are important. Director Kim continues his long list of things that Soo Young needs to do for "his" Min Seuk until Soo Young finally pats him on the hand and states that Min Seok is actually hers and Director Kim needs to work on his obsession issues. Phtttt.
Min Seok's father is surprisingly easy to convince, it amused me that Min Seok's way of showing his father that he is mature enough to marry involves rolling around on the floor and begging like a five year old. But one hanbock wearing, apple carving, Soo Young later and father Choi caves to the epic love of the couple. Soo Young's mother is not as easy an adversary. Caught holding hands before they can decide a way to tell Oma, they end up letting her continue to assume he is a director. I personally was so amused by stalker in the background shaking her head at the OTP's shenanigans.
The truth comes out however when Oma is delivering some herbal tonic to Yoo Ah's teacher and comes face to face with Min Seok in his high school uniform and Yoo Ah yelling "brother in law" as she sees him. Even his BFF's were there with broom and bucket creating the perfect deja vu moment of Soo Young's discovery. To say Oma was not happy was an understatement (but really what mother would be happy finding that her awkward daughter is marrying someone not even out of high school.) But true to his bulldozer nickname, Min Seok wages a war for her approval and eventually Oma gives in. When Yoo Ah asks why, she replies that she had to since so many people were driving her nuts asking her to give her permission. Even a annoying person called Director Kim and a small man that looked like an anchovies brought over a fruit basket pleading Min Seok's case. If Min Seok can have so many loyal supporters then that says something about the type of person he is.
The wedding ceremony is held in the sports field
where they had so many cute couple moments and is a hodgepodge of their
work and school friends. Jin Woo puts it best when he says "their wedding is just like them" as the couple rushes in late due to losing the rings. Rushed since their train leaves in 10 minutes for their honeymoon, the couple send Director Kim (who is MCing the event) into panic mode and he quickly overrides all the formality to get them off on their honeymoon. It truly is a perfect wedding for a quirky and imperfect couple.
Skip forward 3 years and we see the usual cute couple moments that you expect (haha, notice how they did not show the married couple being couplish until after he was finally legal.). Min Seok is working his way up by promoting his ideas for a couples exercise gym and Soo Young continues as a secretary for Director Kim. We watch as our OTP walks up the same staircase where they shared their first kiss. A montage of their best relationship scenes plays as Soo Young has a monologue about making hard decisions and working through the difficult times. My heart is touched as I realize how perfect this drama really was in showing the growth of a love story and I bid a fond farewell to this show, its characters, and this couple, as Min Seok and Soo Young share one last kiss.
I am so sad to say goodbye to this drama. Not only is Seo In Guk my #1 favorite actor, but also this drama was so entertaining from start to finish. I am going to continue on recapping "The Joseon Gunman" (I know, I know, I have a ton of work to do in catching up) and will choose another drama to recap soon. In the past I have usually just started on the next TvN drama (after all they are my favorite tv station), but with the new drama being "The Three Musketeers" I think I will take a break and wait. Two Sageuk recaps might be a bit much for this blogger to handle. However I plan on adding some more weekly segments to the blog so continue to check back often. I will also be continuing to chat about various dramas and kpop on our FB page. For those of you who are interested in joining the discussions come like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-crazy-ahjummas/336988683021748?fref=ts
Hey loyal readers, this is going to be a very brief post since I am currently packing and getting all my last minute errands done for my flight to KCON! At 4am tomorrow morning I will be at the airport and making my way to LA! So since I am quickly running out of time, this is going to be more of just a few thoughts that have been rambling through my brain after watching the episode rather than a traditional, or even mini recap. On an up note, at least this is a great episode for this to happen since I was getting filler episode vibes as I watched. Not that it was bad filler since the characters are all so enjoyable to watch, but filler none the less.
I think my biggest problem with the episode is that they really beat the concept, that their relationship is not going to work right now, into the ground. Yes I know Min Seok and Soo Young have a huge age gap to deal with and yes there are going to be problems that arise with overcoming that specific issue. But it felt like the saved all of the "problems" and smashed them all into one hour rather than spreading them out a bit. I have a feeling that despite the preview we saw for next week, there is going to be a time jump on the horizon. I understand why they do the time jump (mostly to make the whole underage aspect feel less scuzzy) but for once I wish the writers would just let a couple grow together and not make them separate to make them more presentable. Let them figure out how to deal with the trials they have and not expect everything to work out in the future just because you are suddenly at a presentable age. Life is not like that, and going through the trials of relationships together is how a couple really becomes stronger. There is a reason why people say long distance relationships are doomed, because they rarely work out despite how Kdramas portray them.
My favorite moment of the episode was the chicken and beer scene between Jin Woo and Min Seok. There was something just so cute with the two of them relaxing and having a bit of a bromance. I really wish that Jin Woo and stalker would end up together because these two men as brother in laws would be epic. Talk about some fun and competitive family reunions. I will miss hearing Min Seok calling him a $#*%#$* Weasel.
That is all for me this week! I told you that it was going to be very short and sweet. I am also behind on my recaps for "The Joseon Gunman" and hope to sneak one last recap in before I go, but will have to see if it happens. I also plan on bringing back the weekly countdown as well as some other new blogging segments once I come home and get things back to normal. I am very excited for changes coming to our blog in the upcoming months so be sure to stay tuned. Be sure to check in next week as we reach the finale of this drama and say goodbye to these amazing characters.
There is so much to discuss with this episode, most of it was expected, but in true High School King fashion the writers take the expected and squeeze every bit of emotion they can into the situation. So if you thought things were coming to a conclusion now that Min Seok's hyung has arrived, then you would be mistaken. Since I am very short on time because of the impending KCON trip, I will probably not get the chance to delve into every nook and cranny like I want to, but will try and hit the main points.
Hyung is BACK!
Let me just let my inner fangirl out for a moment. SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! Wow! I knew that I would appreciate more Seo In Guk but I was not prepared for how amazingly sexy Hyung Seok actually is. It truly is amazing how he can play two characters side by side and you can tell that they look similar but there is a totally different feel coming off of each. They did a wonderful job of aging the older brother while keeping Min Seok clearly the younger brother. Hyung Seok's cold and standoffish personality is a perfect contrast for Min Seok's more informal and open characteristics. Seo In Guk plays opposite himself with great chemistry and enough hotness to send this fangirl into a coma of joy.
His plans for the destruction of Comfo surprise no one as we learn that Emotional Stunted CEO dad did indeed ruin Min Seok's father financially which led to him to his suicide (does anyone else kind of want to yell that maybe the dad should have manned up and dealt with life rather than taking the easy way out and ruining his families lives?) Hyung Seok of course has spent his life working his way up to a point of power where he could take down ES CEO, but just when he was about to begin his plan, he was detained over a murder investigation. (WHAT? WHAT WAS THAT? Did anyone else feel like this whole murder investigation thing seemed a bit out of left field? Was this just a random mistaken suspect kind of thing, or is Hyung Seok a lot more evil than I was expecting?) Whatever the case, this whole detainee situation is what led to him telling Min Seok to cover for him.
Hyung Seok worked behind the scene setting up a paper company (meaning a company that looks good on paper, but has no product or substance so anyone investing loses their money.) and getting Comfo to invest so much of their money that they would go bankrupt when Hyung Seok disappeared with the funds. Big brother tells all this to Min Seok, expecting full brotherly support. Instead Hyung Seok gets hit with a lot of questions on how is his revenge plan going to effect the people who work at the company? Not to mention Hyung Seok himself becoming a criminal because of his illegal revenge schemes. Would their father really condone his actions? Hyung Seok refuses to listen to reason and goes forward with his plans, circumventing Min Seok's threats to reveal all by moving up the board meeting by a day. Min Seok arrives too late and witnesses ES CEO collapsing as he realized that he had been duped (I personally don't feel too bad for him since he was a total egotistical jerk and refused to listen to his son or other naysayers because of his own greed).
Hyung Seok's arrival was not really the focus of this episode, at least for me anyway. The real character that got his moment to shine was Grandpa Choi Man Seok. What a touching and heartfelt sendoff for a truly memorable character. We watch as Grandpa spends all his time waiting for Hyung Seok to arrive, finally getting only a few minutes of his grandsons busy time. However, Hyung Seok promises to take Grandpa to the aquarium and truly seems to have feelings for his adopted family (at least he is not a total cold snake.) But when it arrives at the promised time Hyung Seok is nowhere to be found and Min Seok ends up convincing grandpa that "pretty unni" is a great 2nd choice. I loved the aquarium date as we see Soo Young, Min Seok, and Grandpa run around looking at all the displays. Nothing is more adorable than watching Grandpa constantly stealing Soo Young's attention and Min Seok is left playing third wheel, eventually sneaking into a picture with the other two.
But ominous foreshadowing began as we saw grandpa fall asleep in his chair, a pair of angel wings upon his back. Min Seok and Soo Young cutely flirting as they let grandpa sleep. Soo Young learns that he is ticklish and Min Seok offers to let her touch literally anywhere else on his body except under his arms. HEHEHE Soo Young begins blushing and her mind obviously went where any good fangirls goes, and Min Seok again teases her for being a lustful grandma.
Luckily grandpa's time is not up yet (I seriously thought he had died at the aquarium and breathed a sigh of relief when he woke up) and they end the date with Grandpa informing Min Seok that he planned on remarrying Pretty Unni. AWWWWWWW that is so adorable I can barely handle all the cuteness. Especially when Min Seok objected and grandpa gave him a kiss on the cheek trying to get permission. I was already starting to tear up since the foreshadowing kdrama gods had spoken and I knew that Grandpa's death was imminent.
We get several more false final nap moments after which I am a total emotional wreck. I keep thinking it is time for the "last" nap and keep getting tricked. So by the time it actually occurs I am, stick a fork in me, done. Grandpa escapes yet again and goes on a quest to find Hyung Seok who is currently avoiding his family because of his revenge scheme issues. Grandpa makes it all the way to the lobby of Hyung Seok's apartment complex, carrying the Nemo fish doll he had bought for his grandson. Father Choi, Soo Young, and Min Seok find him dozing on the lobby's couch waiting for his Hyung Seok. Only this time when they try to arouse him from his sleep, Grandpa's head falls back and his arms drop. Grandpa passed away while awaiting his beloved grandson who was too busy to spend time with his family. I also really enjoyed how instead of the usual loud break into the ending, we get a silent tribute to grandpa's scenes in the drama, similar to a remembrance video.
I just want to thank the writers and the actor who played grandpa, for creating such a memorable and heart touching character. He truly was a hidden gem within this drama.
Thanks for everyone who is still reading my recaps even though they have been a tad bit erratic lately. I have been busy getting ready for KCON (Only a 5 more days!!!) so recapping has been stuck in between my busy schedule of shopping, watching dramas, and of course parenting my kids. Expect a lot more blogging to be done as soon as I return. Just a reminder that if you are going to be at KCON come check our our panel on Sunday. We will be discussing 2nd leads and are very excited to make our KCON debut.
The worst of the worst has happened. Jin Woo knows the secret! What is going to happen? Is he going to do the mature and proper thing by telling his father immediately that there is an impostor in his midst? More importantly that there is a 18 year old kid running the company and making big important decisions worth millions of dollars? Why nooooooooo. Instead lets sit around and gloat and enjoy seeing Min Seok squirm. Because that is the mature way to deal with the situation of getting one up on your nemesis. I wonder if he had gotten to the point of being slightly embarrassed that he is constantly coming in second by someone with no qualifications.
Poor Team Loyalty, they are pretty much in deep despair when they discover that the secret is out. They attempt to do a brainstorm meeting but all that was accomplished was Team Leader Kim suggesting they all write out their resignation letters together. Hahaha. Even in defeat these four continue to be hilarious.
If we have learned anything from growing up on a steady diet of Disney cartoons, it is that good sidekicks and/or minions are absolutely necessary for good comedic moments. Team leader Kim and Director Han are wonderful examples of minions used as a comedic device. As all the secrets come out they continue to bring a levity to the storyline that the leads can't, because well, they are the leads and are busy carrying the main plot. My personal favorite scene with these two was their reaction to entering the elevator of doom which contained our OTP, a smirking Jin Woo, and the president. Their expressions were priceless.
I am not going to go into all of the horrible things that happened to Jin Woo thanks to his horrible father, but suffice it to say that he has a truly horrible day resulting in a unwise combo of sleeping pills and alcohol. Soo Young comes across him just as he passes out and promptly gets him to the hospital where he gets his stomach pumped and receives orders to watch him through the night. I was concerned that she was going to keep Min Seok in the dark about Jin Woo (yet again) but luckily those fears where put to rest as Min Seok arrives to help get the still drunk Jin Woo into the taxi.
A jealous Min Seok shoos Soo Young away with the words "don't you know I am the king of jealousy?" and the promise to take care of Jin Woo even though he despises the weasel. As Jin Woo slumbers in bed, Min Seok wanders around that room eventually changing into a pair of his clothes (I guess for bed since those cut up shorts seemed drafty. Min Seok's first clothing attempt is into Jin Woo's skinny jeans which barely came up his much more muscular legs. "They're narrow and skinny like a girls" Min Seok grumbles and then tries on a pair of shorts that fit, however the sweaters arms are way too long. "Even his clothes piss me off" HAHAHA I love that Min Seok is doing his own version of Goldilocks with Jin Woo's wardrobe. And just like in Goldilocks, Min Seok ends up in bed with his nemesis resulting in a truly great bromance moment. Awwww why are they so adorable when they cuddle like that.
Poor Jin Woo is hilariously uncomfortable with Min Seok's invasion of his personal space, but Min Seok tells him to be quiet, wash up, and eat the food he made for him so he can leave. Just as Min Seok begins to eat Jin Woo's phone begins to ring with a call from the president. Answering it, assuming it is because of work, he is surprised to find out Joo Win's birth secret. I loved the smile that came across his face as he agreed that he would keep Jin Woo's secret if he kept his underage high school secret. These two are such great frenemies and I really hope they develop a better relationship.
We end the episode with the discovery that Min Seok's missing brother is heading the company that just signed a contract with Comfo (still hating the company name 14 episodes later). Now I am not a genius, but I am taking a wild guess that this does not mean good things for Comfo's future. It will be interesting to see where Min Seok's loyalty will lie. With his estranged brother or with the company who consists of people that have become his friends. I am assuming that his loyalty is going to cause problems for his brother's revenge plans. Can't wait to find out on Monday!
We had some great character movement this week as well as some interesting new questions uncovered. How is our OTP (One True Pairing) going to deal with the real life issues regarding the age gap, most importantly the whole underage problem. Being a pedinoona is all well and good in theory but it still goes a bit into the ick zone in actuality. Also what is going on with CEO jerk father and his searching for Min Seok's dad? And as we start getting to the end of the story, we demand the answer to the #1 question of the whole drama. What is going on with Min Seok's brother/doppelganger and what kind of fallout will he bring upon his arrival?
Before we talk about my favorite topic (Seo In Guk and his amazing ability to be romantic and funny), lets touch on some of the side characters. Or as I am beginning to call them "The Loyalty Gang". I love the development of all the side characters as they are slowly pulled into the gravitation pull of Min Seok's orbit. Min Seok is one of those characters that seems to change those around him. For example, we see his two handlers slowly become less of adult handlers and instead become minions/friends. They are constantly splitting their time throwing their hands up in the air and wailing about Min Seok's actions and worrying about him like mother hens. I loved the scene where Team Leader Kim comes in and starts crying to Min Seok, that he should not worry about his future. That he would take responsibility for Min Seok and get him a job at his brother-in-laws sports club. Then there was a lot of hugging and cheek smooches going on. AWWWW bromance rules! And when the two minion handlers discover that Soo Young knows the "secret" they get super duper cute and form a little club that is designated to keeping Min Seok's identity safe. It was hilarious how into the secret group everyone was, even going to the point of a quick cheer for loyalty. Poor Min Seok was sitting back in embarrassment but reluctantly goes in for a quick cheer. I think it is interesting that this group is very similar to the interaction between Min Seok and his high school buddies. I have this fantasy that when this is all over all of his friends, old and new, will go out for Chinese food and beer.
We get a little more insight into the huge guilty secret that CEO evil dad (I might downgrade him from evil to just emotionally stunted dad). Surprisingly it does not seem to be a direct murder type situation, but rather an unintentionally destruction of Min Seok's father's company which lead to his committing suicide. Which does not make him a good person, but maybe not evil enough to warrant the absolute destruction that I feel Hyung Seok has planned. I am guessing that the problem is more one of extreme guilt than actual nefarious actions since CEO ES Dad is the one to go find Min Seok's adoptive family. He even tries to give father Choi money for Min Seok and Hyung Seok as an apology but the money and the apology is rejected. I am very interested to find out exactly how involved ES Dad was in Min Seok's parents death.
Yoo Ah has turned into one of my all time favorite 2nd female leads. Not only does she take the mature route and let Min Seok go as it comes apparent that he does not have feelings for her, but is also (after the shock) 100% supportive of Soo Young after the reveal. I am so used to the absolutely brain dead and/or crazy 2nd leads that when a normal female is in that part I am not sure what to think. Yoo Ah's comforting Soo Young and working towards getting their relationship back to that of close sisters was truly a wonderful character moment. Again I thank the writers for thinking outside of the box in both their plot as well as their characters.
I will admit that I am not one of those viewers that is really putting much thought into the whole age problem, mostly due to the fact that the actor is Seo In Guk (SERIOUSLY, a girl would have to be stupid not to fall for him whatever his age). I guess in my mind he is Seo In Guk and totally deserves a pass on the whole underage thing. But after reading a few other comments about the last two episodes I realized that if some older cougar hoochie tried to seduce my son when he is still in high school I would be sending the police after her so fast you would not be able to see straight.
Not saying that this is me..............but not saying it is not either clip.
So it was with some appreciation that I realized that the writers were going to actually deal with the age gap even after both of the OTP declared that they would not let it keep them apart. It also helps that the writers solution is pretty freaking hilarious. Min Seok arrives at work all ready to be back in boyfriend mode with his popcorn noona, but was in for a huge shock when Soo Young informs him that she would not be participating in any skinship (hugs and kissing) until he turned legal. HAHAHA Poor Min Seok of course was flabbergasted at her restrictions and Soo Young simply tells him to "grow up faster". Luckily we do get some exceptions to the no skinship rule. My favorite being when Soo Young is looking at photos on Min Seok's bed and when they grapple for the photo album (Min Seok is trying to hide naked baby photos) Soo Young ends up sprawled on top of him. I love how both just seem to hold their breaths since both are obviously aware of how enjoyable their situation is. Then the tension is broken when Min Seok begins to tease her and call her an insidious grandma. Phttttt, our OTP so cute when they tease each other about the whole age problem.
We also get some resolution to Min Seok's injury and impending leave from the hockey rink. I appreciate that we are not expected to think that having a girlfriend is going to completely fix his life and make all the bad things go away. Min Seok puts his usual stoic face on concerning the injury, but Soo Young is determined to help him recover. Soo Young pretends that she wants him to be her personal trainer (since it should be Min Seok rather than some other muscular hottie) and then secretly have him do physical therapy during their exercising. There were a lot of cute moments where she miraculously "found" therapy equipment set up and he eventually blows up at her trying to fix something that can't be fixed. Luckily the fight did not cause long term damage and the result at the end of their working it out involved some sexy kisses (Has anyone else noticed how different and interesting each kissing scene is? I thoroughly approve.) Anyone else thinking that she should have maybe suggested kisses for physical therapy? It is a win win and she is doing it for his own good......totally justified. She has nerves of steel to keep saying no to an adorable and horny Min Seok.
In true drama fashion, we get to see the big "dum dum dummmmmm" cliffhanger as Jin Woo finally discovers Min Seoks big secret. How is this going to affect the nemesis relationship? Are we going to finally get some cute bromance moments now that Min Seok is not the threat he originally thought? When are we finally going to see Min Seok's hyung because double Seo In Guk characters are always better than one? I personally can't wait to see what happens next since I highly doubt this drama is going to disappoint.
As I finished episode 12 this week I was all ready to immediately blog about it. So many feelings, so much love, so much I wanted to say to the kdrama universe out there the second I was done. But I thought to myself "I will walk the dog real fast before I start blogging so I have time to get my thoughts together". BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER. I won't go into great detail but let us just say that my 90 lbs dog dashed after a cat and I was not able to keep up and ended up straining my shoulder. It has been several days and still in pain, but I will focus on my love for Seo In Guk to work my way through this blog post. It is the unspoken code of the fangirl.
But back to what is really important. The AMAZING episode that made me laugh, brought me to tears, and then mixed it up with some happy tears. There were so many feels in this episode that days later it is hard to even begin describing how wonderful this episode was. To put it in context, I have watched over 5000 episodes in my drama watching career and this episode would easily make it into my top 5 best episodes of all time. It was a mix of the writers hitting the right note of humor combined with heart wrenching emotions and Seo In Guk's best performance to date. He not only played the character Min Seok, but truly became one to where it did not feel like I was watching a drama, but instead glimpsing into someones real life. Describing this episode and doing it justice is a feat that I just can not accomplish, so after reading my recap, I suggest you go and watch it ASAP. Or if you have already watched it, then view it again, since the ending was truly a work of art and deserves to be appreciated.
The tension between Jin Woo and Min Seok is actually dissolved pretty fast as Soo Young chucks them both out saying that this type of behavior does not fly in small towns like hers. They postulate yet again as they leave and poor Min Seok ends up stepping in a puddle as he avoids Jin Woo's car. Hahahaha we see yet again that Min Seok literally can not stop being sexy as he proceeds to rain curses upon Jin Woo's receding headlights. I seriously wonder how Seo In Guk manages to become sexier as this drama goes forward. His shoulders and arms are a work of beauty.
Soo Young decides (with a little bit of prodding from Min Seok) to come back to work since she is a modern and mature woman and can of course separate her personal and work life. She attempts to implement a new relationship between Min Seok and herself, ordering him to call her noona (older sister) from now on whenever they are alone. Needless to say, Min Seok was not a fan and refused. We get an adorable segment where she haunts him all around the office demanding that he call her Noona. HAHAHA He finally agrees only when she threatens to quit but turns it around on her demanding how calling her noona makes his love any less real.
Just when I think that we are in the clear and gearing up for a lot of cute hijinks during the rest of the episode, the writers pull the rug out from under my expectations and despair hits. In this case it was in the form of Min Seok being involved in a hockey accident, receiving surgery, and then finding out that his athletic career is over. Now I know that just written out it seems like a lot of melo themed cliche's that you could find in many dramas, however Seo In Guk's interpretation of his character going through the despair was truly inspired. You felt every emotion and cried along with his character as Min Seok went through the grief of losing his dream as well as having to hide his sorrow in front of his loved ones.
I even loved how Min Seok put on a fake facade for his grandfather and father, comforting them and pretending to be all right even when he really wasn't. The heart that was put into the karaoke scene brought tears to my eyes a second time.
The writers have done a wonderful job in writing Yoo Ah's reactions and character development. For once I don't detest the second lead and actually feel that her reaction to the situation are very on point for those of a teenage girl. I know that it has been a while, but what I remember about being a teenager is that you always are focused on how events effect you first, and then any other fallout second. Yoo Ah's first reaction when finding out her "boyfriend" is really her sister's boyfriend is to attack and be upset, but slowly throughout this episode we see her realize how upset Min Seok and her sister really are. It might be very grudgingly, and mostly because Min Seok is literally falling apart, but she finally does give Soo Young permission to go be with Min Seok. It is very selfless which makes me like her all the more and someday once those pesky hormones settle down, she is going to be one awesome female character in her own right.
The simplicity of Min Seok's and Soo Young's reunion was truly one of the most beautiful and romantic kdrama moments. Soo Young upon finding out about Min Seok's accident, and what that means to his future, rushes to the school. When Min Seok comes out of the front gates he finds Soo Young waiting with her arms open wide. She tells him that it will be all right and that whatever his name is, whatever his age, she loves him. I SERIOUSLY BAWLED SO MUCH DURING THIS SCENE (not only the first time, but also the second time I watched it). You could literally feel Min Seok begin to breath again once he was in Soo Young's arms and I truly declare this one of my all time most romantic moments. I can't wait to see where we go next week and I wonder what the next obstacle will be. Be sure to join me so we can find out together.
As an added bonus for being patient and waiting for my recap to finally be posted, please enjoy the preview for episode 13! It looks like it will be full of couple cuteness.
