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If you cry over losing the sun, the tears will prevent you seeing stars.

Mar 25, 2009

more about the episode 22-23

PhotobucketEPISODE 23 RECAP


Jun-pyo and Jan-di’s zoo date marks their first chance in a long while for quality time, so Jun-pyo asks how she’s been holding up. He tells Jan-di, “I’ll take care of you,” explaining that Witch Mom isn’t the type to let the broken engagement and aborted merger slide — he’s preparing himself for her next assault.


However, Jan-di tells him she doesn’t want to be protected. Jun-pyo balks, because in his mind it’s natural to want to protect her, but Jan-di says, “I don’t like being supported by someone, or protected and taken care of. I’ve received many things from you, F4, and Jae-kyung. I want us to be equals, so I’ll face what I must.”



(And then the boy, Chan, whispers to Jun-pyo for a little bathroom assistance. He is so cute. Jun-pyo rushes him off, and the three enjoy their day at the zoo.)



I really like this walk home, which is characterized by calm contentment. Jun-pyo reflects, “It’s strange, it feels like I’m in a scene in a hazy dream right now.”


The words are spoken casually and Jun-pyo doesn’t mean anything by it, but they sure do make me uneasy. Their walk is cut short by a phone call from Mr. Jung telling Jun-pyo he ought to return home. Jun-pyo isn’t eager to go but he knows he should; he hands over the sleeping boy and reluctantly leaves.



Yi-jung’s studio. He examines the puzzle piece given to him by Eun-jae, and remembers when she’d first given him the present. When he’d asked what the characters meant, she had answered that it indicated “a once in a lifetime fate.” I suppose the point is that if it’s once in a lifetime and he had let her go, like the wind that never returns to the same spot twice, the relationship truly is over.


Ga-eul bursts in, nearly wilting with exhaustion but pleased to announce, “I found it.”



Ga-eul brings Yi-jung to the rooftop of a tall building and points in the distance, just as the rising sun illuminates the city skyline.


The billboards are advertisements for two different products, and when the sun hits, the light breaks and washes out the extraneous parts, leaving only “I love you” and “Yi-jung.”


Ga-eul explains how she came to discover this — three years ago, Eun-jae had asked Yi-jung to meet her at sunrise the next morning. That day’s recorded sunrise had occurred at 7am, so Ga-eul had been tracking down various locations until she found the right one, which displays this message only for a few seconds each day.



I’m sure Yi-jung has guessed the gist of Eun-jae’s message, but seeing it like this hits him hard. He breaks down, overwhelmed with regret, and sobs out wretchedly that he wants a do-over.


Ga-eul lets him cry, but his pained reaction affects her too, as she watches with pity (and probably some hurt feelings at this evidence of how deeply he cared for Eun-jae).



Ji-hoo and his grandfather fish together (while Jan-di prepares the fish stew that Grandpa Yoon likes). Dr. Yoon brings up the death of Ji-hoo’s parents, explaining that he was afraid of losing Ji-hoo as well, which is why he pushed him away. However, he’d thought of it as suffering alone — punishment for his lifelong pride — as though he hadn’t realized that Ji-hoo would misinterpret and shoulder the blame.


With things cleared up now, Grandpa Yoon is at peace, and feels he can die content. He asks Ji-hoo to take over his arts foundation and clinic when he dies.



That’s an idea that Ji-hoo isn’t ready to think about yet, and he doesn’t get much of a chance to protest because Jan-di announces that lunch is ready.


At the pottery studio, Ga-eul arrives with some apprehension, having been called there by Yi-jung. He’s in a much better mood than their last emotion-charged encounter, stomping on a mound of clay, barefoot.



Yi-jung has bad news and good news, then guesses she’s the type to want to hear bad news first, and indicates his right hand. He isn’t sure how it will hold up, and he won’t be as good as he was before. However — and this is the good news — he isn’t going to run away again: “Thanks to a certain someone, I’ve realized how much you can regret something after you’ve given up on it.”


Ga-eul smiles in relief, and he invites her to join him in working with the clay. As they stomp on clay together, she wonders how he knew she’d prefer the bad news first. He replies: “Good girls all want happy endings.”


She stumbles, and he catches her. There’s a brief moment between them, so Yi-jung reminds her, “I may be cool, but I’m not a good guy.” Ga-eul returns that he should get over his misconception that good girls always want good guys.



At that, Yi-jung leans in for a kiss, and Ga-eul closes her eyes… which is when her phone rings.


We don’t hear what the problem is (yet), but it’s bad news from her mother. And unfortunately, this time her bad news isn’t followed by good news or an almost-kiss.



Dr. Yoon’s heart condition is triggered when he receives an upsetting phone call, which sends Jan-di fumbling for his medication. However, Ji-hoo is frozen in shock, and Jan-di’s words all sound muffled to his ears — it’s like he can’t focus on anything, lost in his own fears.


Grandpa’s okay (or as okay as he can be). At the hospital, Jan-di tells Ji-hoo that his grandfather hadn’t wanted him to know, thinking all would be well if he was careful.



Mama Kang is once more on alert. Not only is she still upset about the broken merger, she has seen a TV news report that included footage of Shinhwa Zoo — which happened to include glimpses of the Jun-di date.


Madam Kang’s next plans are so harsh that even Mr. Jung speaks up, reluctant to carry out her orders to proceed. Having seen Jan-di’s attachment to Ji-hoo and Grandpa Yoon, she plans to take advantage of her Achilles heel. Namely, she will retaliate by lashing out at Jan-di’s loved ones, starting with Ji-hoo’s grandfather’s art foundation. She says, “We have to take this opportunity to yank out the roots. It’s fortunate that there’s something more important to that foolish girl than money.”



It works out nicely for her, then, when Jun-pyo comes in with a request. He owns up to the broken engagement and says he’s sorry. However, while their relationship with JK is shaky, it’s not destroyed — he promises to restore the alliance and asks Witch Mom to entrust him with the task. To show he’s serious, he will accept all her rules and restrictions, whether that that includes being followed around or being locked indoors. In exchange for one thing: “Just leave Jan-di alone.”


He’s told her this before, but he’s never really offered up serious collateral, which makes this time different. Mom asks, “You’re saying all I have to do is not do anything to Geum Jan-di?” At his yes, she agrees: “I’ll promise. I won’t lift a finger against her. But don’t forget what you’ve just said.”


Jun-pyo assures her, “Don’t worry,” and leaves with an almost puzzled expression — he was expecting more of a fight, so he’s unnerved by her easy acceptance.



Grandma Housekeeper echoes those sentiments, warning Jun-pyo not to let his guard down: “Don’t you know your mother yet? This isn’t the time to rest.” Granny also wonders how he means to manage Shinhwa when he can’t even watch over his girlfriend:



Granny: “I didn’t raise you to be so pathetic. Just being born male doesn’t make you automatically a man. One must take time — experiencing anger at losing, the injustice of stepping aside, shame at running away — until he can overcome his weak self to finally become a man.”


Jun-pyo finds encouragement in those words, and grabs her in a sudden hug, saying, “Thanks.”



As Jan-di packs Grandpa Yoon’s things to take to the hospital, she comes across a box, which she hands over to Ji-hoo once she realizes what’s inside.


The box contains items from Ji-hoo’s childhood, such as his school backpack and child’s shoes. It also includes a series of drawings of his family, from when he was very young to the present day. Because his parents are in the pictures, I’m guessing this is Dr. Yoon’s own creation (and not based on, say, photos or real life) of how Ji-hoo and his family would have aged over the years.



And then, Madam Kang strikes. First, Ga-eul’s father is forced into early retirement, without warning. Jan-di overhears Woo-bin discussing the matter with Yi-jung, both of whom guess that this is the work of Witch Mom. Rather than hitting at Jan-di directly, she’s exerted her influence with Ga-eul’s father’s company, a Shinhwa subsidiary.


Furthermore, signs indicate that Ji-hoo will be next; it looks like she intends to shut down the art foundation entirely.



This weighs heavily on Jan-di’s mind when she visits Grandpa Yoon, who by the way fires up his matchmaking again by urging the two kids to go out.


(Given his statements to Ji-hoo in the last episode, I’m inclined to believe that Grandpa was pointing out their character differences — that Ji-hoo is too cold for Jan-di’s bubbly personality — rather than trying to drive them apart. But I’m still not entirely sure what his intentions are — whether he really means to marry the kids off or whether he truly feels that Jan-di and Ji-hoo aren’t compatible.)


Ji-hoo spies a piano in the lobby and takes the seat, starting to play. He smiles at Jan-di several times, but she can’t quite return them because she’s preoccupied with the knowledge that his foundation is about to be ruined because of her.




As they walk along the river, Ji-hoo says that he hadn’t ever wanted to protect anything before meeting her. But now, there are more things in his life he wants to protect, such as his grandfather, the foundation… and her.


Just as he says that, his words are drowned out — the bridge lights up and fountains roar to life. It’s kind of hilarious how Ji-hoo, twice thwarted now from making a sincere confession, is so exasperated that he rolls his eyes.



Timing (and therefore fate?) is clearly not on Ji-hoo’s side.


Jan-di, meanwhile, is lost in her own thoughts: “Now that you have your grandfather by your side, I’m glad. You don’t know, do you, that you were always like sunshine to me. Goodbye, Geum Jan-di’s honorary firefighter.”



Why the goodbye? Jan-di’s made a decision in light of recent events. She tells her unconscious patient of her intentions:



Jan-di: “Sir, I don’t think I can keep coming by. I wanted to see you improve and read you more books, but I’m sorry. I can handle being hungry and cold, but there’s one thing I can’t handle — when people I love are hurt because of me. It’s not anything I can fix by working hard. It’s really unfair, isn’t it? I’m not running away, you know that, right? Even without me, you must get healthy.”


Just as Jan-di leaves, his hand moves.



She then visits Madam Kang, but we don’t see the scene play out yet, and instead resume as she’s leaving the meeting. Jan-di walks through Gu Manor, for once not tiptoeing around, instead chatting openly with the housemaids, who wish her well, as well as Granny Housekeeper.


She even calls loudly for Jun-pyo from the hallway, which makes him think at first that he’s hearing voices. Seeing her there, he panics and drags her inside, afraid that she’ll be noticed by Witch Mom, not understanding why she’s being so boisterous.


Jan-di suggests they go on a picnic and outing, as they’d once agreed to do.




(And now I can rest at ease, because Jun-pyo finally sees his Jun-pyo Face Rice!)


The following date is super-cute, although it’s almost so sweet that it makes you worry (or maybe that’s just me? — scenes like this that are so full of contentment always give me a sense of impending doom).



As they walk along the beach, Jun-pyo wonders if this is some kind of special day for her. He’s enjoying it so much that he wishes every day could be like today — after all, she came to him first to ask him out, and they haven’t fought once.


Going with the good feeling, he asks one more thing: “Why haven’t you said that you like me? I’ve told you several times.”




Jan-di: “Do I have to say so in words?”
Jun-pyo: “I want to hear from you what I mean to you.”
Jan-di: “I like you. So much that I couldn’t stop myself even though I tried, and got angry that I couldn’t forget you when I wanted to.”


This time she’s the one who draws him close, surprising him as she pulls him in for a kiss.



On the drive home, Jun-pyo can’t stop smiling, but Jan-di’s expression grows more and more somber. We find out why as she flashes back to her meeting with Madam Kang.


Jan-di had asked Mom to leave Ga-eul and Ji-hoo alone. Ever the cold businesswoman, Mom had asked what Jan-di would do in return, not expecting Jan-di to be able to offer anything worthwhile.



But Jan-di surprises her: “I’ll leave. I’ll leave Jun-pyo. I’ll change schools and homes and go somewhere he can’t find me. Will that do?”


Oh, that’ll do. Madam Kang accepts. Still, Jan-di feels the need to clarify:



Jan-di: “I haven’t lost to you, and I am not running away either. You’re the worst person I’ve ever met. I’m leaving because I don’t wish to connect the ones I love to you. I’m just sorry that I can’t save the one person I love the most from you.”


This explains the date: Today is really a farewell trip for Jan-di. Coming back to the present, she asks Jun-pyo to pull over, then she gets out with her luggage.



He laughs, wondering if she’s planning another surprise event, and doesn’t immediately grasp her meaning when she tells him, “I’m not going to see you again. Today was our last day together.”


He grows more serious but still doesn’t understand, and asks if something happened with his mother. Jan-di answers simply (and coldly), “I’ve decided to remove you from my life.” She tosses out a casual “Thanks for everything. Take care.”


Jun-pyo knows this has to do with his mother, even if she won’t admit it. She contradicts him:



Jan-di: “This time I realized that you and I are from different worlds. We met as though in a dream, but now it’s time for us to return to our own worlds.”
Jun-pyo: “You’re lying. Tell me, I’ll figure it out. I’ll protect you!”



A bus stops, and Jan-di heads to board it. Jun-pyo follows her and asks her not to go: “You said you liked me. Is this what your love is like? You say you like me and end things so easily?”


Leveling a firm gaze at him, Jan-di explains that her love must have had its limit, and she’s reached it: “It must have been exactly this much.”


He asks, “Taking away Shinhwa or my chaebol status, have you ever once just seen me as one man?” Without hesitation, Jan-di responds, “No. No matter how you try, you’re still Shinhwa Group’s Gu Jun-pyo. I’ve never forgotten that for one second.”



Her answer leaves him stunned. He doesn’t snap out of it until she boards the bus and it starts moving, which is when he starts to run after it, yelling for the bus to stop.


Inside, Jan-di cries, looking back as Jun-pyo grows smaller in the distance. She thinks, “After I fell for you, I’d always wished you were a normal man with no relation to Shinhwa. I’m sorry, Gu Jun-pyo, for not keeping my promise. I’m really sorry.”



So Jan-di arrives in the remote fishing town where her family has relocated, and finds her mother in the marketplace. After the initial giddy reunion, however, she’s dismayed to hear that the family situation is no better than it was before — faced with growing debts, Dad had to go away on a boat (to escape debt collectors, I assume?).


Jan-di wishes they’d told her, but they didn’t want to worry her. They didn’t want her to drop out of school to work, which is exactly what she would have done. She has to finish high school and go to university. Because of her mother’s reaction, Jan-di is unable to admit that she’s left Seoul for good, and merely says that she’s here for a family visit.



Meanwhile, Woo-bin and Yi-jung sigh at the way things have changed following Jan-di’s departure. They’ve looked everywhere, but she’s hidden herself well. They’re worried about Jun-pyo, who is apparently acting out worse than he was even in Macau.


Even worse, they fear more for Ji-hoo. He may be getting along with Grandpa, but Yi-jung points out that immersing himself in foundation and clinic work — for a guy who used to laze around napping all the time — is a drastic change.




I suppose the difference between Ji-hoo and Jun-pyo is that the former is internalizing his pain, exerting strict control over himself and his environment, while the latter is all about acting out and losing control. He sinks into self-destructive behavior.


For instance, when being driven home after a drunken night at a club, Jun-pyo sees a toy machine on the street, and recalls the double date when he failed to win Jan-di a toy prize from the claw machine. Now he staggers out, intent on winning the prize.


I was thinking there would be a beautiful sort of irony if he were to succeed now where he failed before — because now he doesn’t have the girl so it would be a pitifully empty victory — but no, Drunk Jun-pyo is not any better than Sober Jun-pyo.



In a rage, he lashes out at the machine, kicking and beating it until he attracts the attention of the police, who arrest him for (I’m guessing) causing a public disturbance. It’s in the holding area of the police station that Jun-hee finds Jun-pyo, staring emotionlessly in the cell, alone.



COMMENTS



Before commenting on this episode, let me add a few thoughts on the previous one:


I was reading some of the dissenting opinions on the Jun-di relationship, seeing who sided with Jan-di and who sided with Jun-pyo. It’s probably not fair to charge those who think Jun-pyo acted more understandably with being clouded with Lee Min-ho affection, because (1) Well, yes, I think he’s quite a good actor, but (2) I figure at this point I’ve written enough on this drama, and in enough depth, to escape the tag of judging purely based on a hormonal reaction. (Honestly, y’alls, he’s cute but he ain’t my type.)


Here’s what it boils down to, for me: Both Jun-pyo and Jan-di have been shown, unfortunately, to be weak. This is problematic and has significantly hindered my regard for the second half of the series. I wish both had more backbone and were more forthright about their true feelings. Of course, if they did that and had a functional relationship, we wouldn’t have much of a drama to tune into every week.


Both parties have reneged on promises; both have been guilty of giving the other person mixed messages. Jun-pyo called Jan-di a stain, which is pretty harsh stuff, and obviously Jan-di has a right to be hurt. On the other hand, Jan-di has given Jun-pyo no indication that she wants to be with him following Jae-kyung’s arrival on the scene. She may not feel she’s in the position to do anything about it, but she did actively step back and even aided Jae-kyung in getting together with Jun-pyo — that certainly sends the message that she no longer cares for Jun-pyo. She also said that her promise from Episode 10 is no longer valid.


With that being the case, Jun-pyo has no reason to believe he has a future with Jan-di, and he walks down the aisle believing that his One True Love is over. In real life, we know that we get second chances and that a person can fall in love more than once, but in dramaland and in Jun-pyo’s heart, as he explained to Jae-kyung, he knows that it’s Jan-di or nobody. Therefore the question isn’t “Should I marry Jae-kyung or not?” but rather, “Is there any hope at all for a future with Jan-di? — because if not, I really don’t care about marriage and might as well do this political union.”


Meanwhile, Jan-di has been the poster child for passivity. WE know she loves Jun-pyo, but she sure as hell doesn’t let anyone else know that. As some commenters said, perhaps she’s not in a place to demand a relationship with him, but if she hides all her feelings and mopes privately, well, that’s just wallowing in one’s self-pity. She tends to just accept whatever happens to her, and that frustrates me. Jun-pyo is also weak, but at least his feelings — and his desire to escape from the influence of others — are clear. He’s bad at following through on his feelings, but Jan-di doesn’t even get that far — she keeps hers bottled up and unspoken, and that does nobody any good.


And yes, I recognize it’s a pointless exercise to say who was MORE wrong in this situation — but it’s always fun to do it anyway.



Now, for this episode:


I understand Jan-di’s actions and her rationale for leaving, and I actually kinda agree with her decision. Or at least the reason for her making the decision. However, this plot device suffers from overuse — it’s a tactic used in all those classic (read: outdated) Cinderella kdramas, where the girl selflessly gives up her love — even though the guy is prepared to fight for the relationship — to save those around her.


I suppose we’re supposed to feel admiration and pity for the woman who sacrifices her own happiness for the greater good, but what she’s really doing is taking away the choice from the other person, who deserves to have a say in this. Just as Jun-pyo (wrongly) asserted his will one-sidedly earlier in their relationship, she’s disregarding his feelings under the excuse that “I know what’s best for him.” I hate that.


Now, IF she had believed everything she said before getting on that bus — and I think her words had a point — then I wouldn’t have complaints and would probably back her up. (I think it makes sense on one level to want to say, “I gave it my best shot, got my heart broken a couple times, and want to believe that Love Conquers All — but maybe all this fighting isn’t productive if I’m just fighting a losing battle against this all-powerful, evil force who is going to hurt everyone I love.” It’s not fair, but sometimes you have to think of self-preservation.)


However, that’s not the case here: As we can see from her reaction afterward, she lied purposely to get Jun-pyo to let her go, believing that he didn’t need to know the truth. And that her decision was right no matter what he thought. By the way, they’re both guilty of this — him most notably when he turned Jekyll-and-Hyde in Macau — so it’s not like I’m only blaming Jan-di for the tendency.


I might have let this go otherwise, but it really doesn’t help that PD Jeon’s prior two series also employed this exact same scenario (girl leaves selflessly to spare the guy pain, but in a way that removes his choice from the equation). When Chun-hyang in Delightful Girl Chun-hyang did it, I actually enjoyed the ensuing angst (and the anticipated reunion!), but I watched that series earlier and didn’t have a slew of similar dramas to compare to. Also, Jae Hee really rocked the emotional turmoil in that drama’s breakup and reunion.


In My Girl, I hated the ploy because it seemed like a direct ripoff of Chun-hyang (same director, same writers), plus it seemed more forced into the story for manipulative reasons.


Here, I don’t hate it as much as in My Girl but I think it’s definitely less effective as a plot device than it ought to be, because (1) it’s so overdone at this point, and (2) this whole drama has been full of dramatic angsty moments like this, so this one doesn’t particularly stand out for me.


But on the upside, we’re so very close to the end that all this analysis is really just extraneous stuff. Mostly I’m watching with half my brain turned off, and at least there isn’t enough time to drag this storyline out into as painful an arc as the Jae-kyung one.

You can tell we’re in the home stretch of the series because today gave us several flashback montages summarizing storylines from the course of this drama, as though to say, “Remember this? Look how far we’ve come.”

I’ll admit my Boys Before Flowers fatigue kicked in about eight episodes ago — that’s when it started being more fun writing about the drama than actually watching, and let’s face it, it’s always more fun the other way around (the balance did swing back in the other direction in the past couple episodes, so yay!). The flashback montages brought back some nostalgia, and made me feel the tiniest twinge of sadness to be saying goodbye to this drama soon, craziness and all.

SONG OF THE DAY

T-Max - “나쁜 마음을 먹게해” (ballad version), from the Special Edition additional OST and featuring Kim Joon on the narration. The title can be translated “Thinking Wrong Thoughts,” but the full connotation is something like, “I keep thinking, against my better judgment, these feelings that I know are wrong.”
[ Download ]


EPISODE 22 RECAP

Jun-pyo pleads for Jan-di to tell him not to get married. She doesn’t respond and is called away by an usher saying Jae-kyung is asking for Jan-di, so she leaves without a word. However, from her expression — upset, frustrated — we can see she’s not going to beg Jun-pyo to call the wedding off. He registers this too, to his disappointment.

Jan-di’s (non)response here confuses me a little. I understand her conflict and why she feels she can’t ask him to give up everything for her — but what I don’t get is why she looks pissed, as though she’s mad that he asked. (In my mind, she should have played this scene as being torn and anguished, and instead it comes off vaguely bitchy.)

F3 share Jun-pyo’s letdown — from their chagrin here and the way they were willing to let him break his own arm, it’s obvious they hoped Jan-di could put a stop to this. Meanwhile, the guests wait outside, growing fidgety the longer they are kept waiting, while Jae-kyung sits in her bridal chamber nervously.

Jan-di is led away by the attendant to meet Jae-kyung, but finds herself kidnapped instead — she’s grabbed by one guy and shoved into an elevator with several more. Mama Kang then sends Jun-pyo — still wrestling with his dilemma in the waiting room — a text message with a simple warning: a photo of Jan-di being restrained is accompanied by the words, “The groom is taking too long.” Her implication is clear: If Jun-pyo doesn’t go through with the wedding, Jan-di will come to some kind of harm.

Therefore, she smiles smugly when the groomsmen enter the chapel, followed by (a very tense) Jun-pyo. Next comes the bride, who takes her place by Jun-pyo at the altar.

The minister begins the ceremony, breezing through the opening. When he gets to the part where he asks for any objectors to speak now or forever hold their peace, he isn’t expecting a response and is therefore startled when Jae-kyung raises a hand to get his attention.

The parents are stunned; her father tries to hiss out a warning to her, but Jae-kyung says that she has an objection. She looks around and guesses that there must be others who also have objections, at which point Ji-hoo stands up, followed immediately by Yi-jung, Woo-bin, and Ga-eul.

Jae-kyung: “I cannot marry Gu Jun-pyo. No matter how I look at it, I don’t think I’m suited for marriage right now. I’m sorry to cause so much trouble with my fickleness. Dad, everything is my fault, so please carry on your business with Shinhwa Group. President Kang and Gu Jun-pyo, I’m truly sorry. Please forgive me.”

Tamping down her anger, Madam Kang walks out, followed by the rest of the guests. Confused, Jun-pyo asks Jae-kyung what she’s doing, which she answers with a simple explanation: “I’ve always been a pretty cool person.” Jae-kyung calls her bodyguard Chen to check in on Jan-di, who has been liberated from her kidnappers and is taken to a yacht.

Freed from his obligation, Jun-pyo dashes out of the chapel to the yacht, where he finds a surprised Jan-di waiting alone.

He grabs her in a relieved hug, and I can’t help thinking she doesn’t deserve this, seeing as how she put up no fight and hasn’t really earned his devotion. Still, the key to enjoying what follows is to accept their happy reunion, so I’m doing my best to let this point go.

The yacht sets sail, and from a distance (her hotel room, perhaps), Jun-hee watches, pleased at this turnout.

Yi-jung drives Ga-eul out to the shoreline, amused at her uncontrollable sobbing — Ga-eul has been overwhelmed with emotion at Jae-kyung’s lovely gesture.

After she stops crying, Yi-jung broaches the topic she’d brought up the day before, about how he’d failed to meet Eun-jae three years ago. He tells her, by way of explanation, “I don’t believe in happy endings.”

This spins us into a flashback: Three years ago, he had walked into his studio, flirting with a couple girls, and found Eun-jae waiting. Much like Ga-eul had reacted in a similar scenario (and the similarity must be intentional), Eun-jae had been flustered, accidentally breaking a pot and cutting her finger in her haste to leave.

Yi-jung had chased her outside and asked what she had to say. She’d said, “I have a favor to ask” — but we don’t get to see the rest of this scene so we’ll have to wait to find out.

Meanwhile, more continuity fail (or extravagant waste of resources win?) as Ji-hoo takes out his white horse for a ride — did he ship Rui over to Jeju along with the cars? Ji-hoo thinks back to punching Jun-pyo the night before, and we now see the tail end of that conversation, after Jun-pyo admitted that he couldn’t let Jan-di go:

Jun-pyo: “I’d thought that it might be better to send her to you rather than stay with her when I make things so difficult for her. I didn’t even want to imagine it, but if I had to, I thought the other person must be you, that you were the only one it could be. But still, I can’t do it.”

He returns from his ride to see Jae-kyung waiting to talk to him. Asked whether she regrets letting Jun-pyo go, Jae-kyung answers with her usual cheerfulness, “The moment I let him go, I’ve been regretting it to death.”

Ruefully, she tells him, “I was rooting for you, but I’d hate to have given up for nothing, so I can’t do that anymore.” She mentions how she’d asked Jun-pyo whether he would choose friendship or love, and he had answered that he wouldn’t give up either. Ji-hoo smiles a bit at that, because it’s a reminder that Jun-pyo is still committed to being his friend.

Jae-kyung says philosophically that there’s a saying that people generally get as much as they strive for. She and Ji-hoo didn’t get their way because they weren’t ambitious enough — they didn’t exert their wills and backed off. (By the way, it’s not a negative or positive thing to be ambitious in this sense — it just means that Jan-di and Jun-pyo’s True Wuv trumped the other factors.)

Jae-kyung is leaving for New York tomorrow, so she asks him to deliver something to Jan-di — the star-moon necklace. Jae-kyung muses, “You don’t know how much I’d hoped that the JJ stood for Ji-hoo and Jan-di.”

She wishes him luck, and leaves.

Jan-di and Jun-pyo arrive at a villa, which has been lavishly decked out in a romantic display — candles, fancy food, rose petals arranged in a heart configuration. (I believe Jae-kyung has handled the arrangements.) Their initial reaction is to sneak looks at each other uncomfortably, as though embarrassed with the overt romanticism.

But never fear, they get over that soon enough. They sit down to eat, flashing happy smiles at each other every other moment. It’s adorable. Jun-pyo rises to pull Jan-di to her feet for a dance, and Jan-di asks the question I’ve been wondering:

Jan-di: “I’ve been wanting to ask you something… Why me? I’m not pretty, and I don’t have money, a distinguished name, or anything. Why did you like me?”
Jun-pyo: “Because I have all that.”
Jan-di: “What?”
Jun-pyo: “Money, name, looks — I have all that. I don’t need that from you. All you have to be is Geum Jan-di.”

As Jan-di looks through a telescope at the stars, Jun-pyo points out Sirius, known as Orion’s dog (part of the Canis Major constellation) and the brightest star in the night sky. He jokes that it’s like him in that respect, so Jan-di laughs and claims a star for her own. Jun-pyo identifies it as Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor.

Jan-di asks how he came to like astronomy, at which he suddenly grows quieter. When he had been younger, his father had sent him a telescope with a card telling him to study the stars, so that they could watch them together later.

Jan-di guesses that his interest stemmed from father-son star-watching dates, but he says no — they never went. Believing that promise, Young Jun-pyo had studied his hardest.

Jun-pyo: “But do you know what I got for Christmas a few years later? A telescope. That’s when I realized that he didn’t send his gifts and cards, but that his secretary did.”

Jan-di senses his hurt, her smile fading in sympathy. But when he asks, “Do you know what my dream is?” she manages to answer lightly: “Going to watch the stars with your son.”

Jun-pyo laughs, “You’re so simple-minded,” before he says solemnly, “To not make promises I won’t keep. Jan-di. I’m sorry for hurting you.” And then, “I love you.”

You know, all the lovey-doveyness is pretty much expected stuff, but the whole thing really brings a smile to my face. I’m just so glad to see everyone looking happy for once (even if the actors, poor things, look visibly exhausted).

This giddy vibe continues the next day, when our happy couple relaxes together. They’re visited by their friends, who are likewise relieved to see that all is well in the land of Jun-di love.


Ji-hoo is glad that Jan-di is once again able to laugh, and tells her so. He also hands over her the lost star-moon necklace, and although it’s crossed his mind that it’s suspicious that Jae-kyung had it all this time, that’s all moot now.

Instead, Jan-di is alarmed that Jae-kyung is about to depart any minute now and rushes off for the airport. Although Jae-kyung more or less steamrollered Jan-di into their friendship, Jan-di has developed an affection for her, and a part of her feels guilty for taking away the man Jae-kyung loved.

They make it just in time to catch Jae-kyung before she boards — who, by the way, is looking around with a heavy heart, as though half-hoping that they would come to see her off even though she purposely didn’t tell them she was leaving.

Jan-di scolds her for trying to go without saying goodbye, and Jae-kyung admits that she doesn’t handle them very well. With some affection, Jun-pyo tells Jae-kyung to take care, and thanks her.

Jae-kyung:”If you two break up, I’m going to feel so wronged I’ll die. So if you want to split up, you have to report to me and get my approval.”

The two ladies hug, Jan-di openly crying and Jae-kyung holding her tears back. She rushes off before she succumbs to tears, and boards the plane.

Once seated, Jae-kyung takes out the shoes she’d found in the Macau airport, which remind her (flashback montage!) of her first encounter with Jun-pyo. She thinks wistfully, “I know this was originally Jan-di’s. But let me have just this one thing. I should have a memory to cherish for myself, shouldn’t I?”

And then, everyone’s back home.

As punishment for the broken engagement, Madam Kang has ordered her men to keep Jun-pyo confined to his room, where he sees the news reports speculating on the uncertain future of Shinhwa’s merger with JK Group.

As for Jan-di, she’s once again homeless, knowing that she’d better get out of Gu Manor ASAP, before Madam Kang acts. Once again, Witch Mom beats Jan-di to the punch, arriving at the restaurant to deliver Jan-di’s luggage.

She is in a high temper, and accuses Jan-di of being even more sneaky than she’d given her credit for, acting innocent and then pulling off a sly move behind everyone’s back. Even for Madam Kang, the accusations are pretty strong, but we see why: she shows Jan-di a newspaper announcing that the merger, like the engagement, is off.

Mama Kang’s voice drips vitriol as she tells Jan-di that she doesn’t realize just how much damage she’s done, or on what scale. She threatens, “It’s best you not expect me to let this go easily. I will make you realize exactly who you messed with, and make sure you regret it to its fullest.”

This scene is interrupted by Grandpa Yoon, who rebukes Madam Kang for going too far. Although I doubt she feels sorry for her actions, Dr. Yoon’s presence has a chastening effect, and Mama Kang bows her head out of respect for him.

And then, her temper is mollified entirely when Dr. Yoon announces that Jan-di’s business is his business because “she’s my grandson’s wife-to-be.” This is news to everyone, including Jan-di, but most of all Madam Kang. Ever the shrewd woman, she contains her surprise, quickly guessing that she need not interfere if Dr. Yoon’s words are true. Perhaps this is one battle she can win without even trying.

Grandpa Yoon brings Jan-di home with him, turning the tables this time by pressuring her into staying. She and Ji-hoo both feel the awkwardness of the setup, but are overridden by Grandpa’s insistence that Jan-di remain with them.

However! I do like this next turn, because Grandpa Yoon sits down with Ji-hoo to explain that Jan-di has nowhere to turn, and he wants to help her. Ji-hoo is about to explain that Jan-di might be uncomfortable here, but Grandpa pre-empts his argument. He says that Jan-di’s presence doesn’t have to mean anything. In fact, he’s opposed to Jan-di and Ji-hoo being together (I don’t think it’s a classist statement, but more that he thinks they’re not suitable together).

Ji-hoo is startled, but smiles to himself — well, that potential problem worked itself out nicely.

Now we see the rest of Yi-jung’s flashback explanation of why he never met up with Eun-jae. She’d handed him a letter and asked him to meet her the next morning, leaving with a hopeful smile.

Yi-jung had walked back inside and put the letter on the counter to read later, but a phone call from his distraught mother had distracted him. He’d grown annoyed at her familiar histrionics and urged her to give up on his father, and when he ended the call and turned to serving his guests tea, his irritation caused him to spill tea on the counter. He’d tossed the papers that had gotten soaked, accidentally including Eun-jae’s unopened letter with the pile.

Mr. Jung approaches Jan-di with a puzzling request, which Jan-di accepts sympathetically, happy to oblige. This is a favor he asks of her personally, which has nothing to do with Madam Kang or Jun-pyo — he’d like her to act as companion for a man in a coma. He’ll pay her for her sitting with the man and talking to him occasionally, as a part-time job.

The man is described merely as someone “like family” to him. Jan-di is unsure why he’d ask this of her, but Mr. Jung explains that what the man needs is a warm spirit, and she’s the warmest person he knows.

Jun-pyo hears from Mr. Jung that Jan-di’s staying with Ji-hoo, and while that’s not an ideal resolution, he understands that it’s the safest place for her at the moment. He texts Ji-hoo (on Mr. Jung’s phone, since his has been confiscated): “I’m relieved that she’s staying at your house.”

Ji-hoo, however, can’t shake an ominous feeling. After reading the message, Ji-hoo wonders aloud in his empty house, “Jun-pyo, then why am I feeling so uneasy? I feel afraid.”

As Jun-pyo is currently under house arrest, he’s cut off from the outside world, and namely Jan-di. Woo-bin runs into her at school, and sighs over the rough patch they’re all going through right now — Yi-jung is still unable to use his right arm, and Jun-pyo’s locked up. Perhaps he’s even referencing the actors’ real-life haggard expressions, because he points to himself and says his face is suffering from all the worry.

Still, Woo-bin assures Jan-di not to worry too much about Jun-pyo. He tells her to hang in there, and also thanks her for helping Ji-hoo: “I’ve never seen him looking as relaxed as he has these days. Thanks to you, he found his grandfather.”

Jan-di approaches her new companion position with enthusiasm, caring for the unconscious man and reading aloud to him. One particular passage strikes a chord in her:

Jan-di: “The most unfortunate encounters are like those with fish bones. The longer the encounter, the more the fishy smell sticks with you. The encounters to be most careful with are with an open bloom, because while it’s open it brings cheers of joy, but as it wilts, it gets thrown away. The most beautiful encounters are like those with handkerchiefs. They wipe away your sweat when you are tired, and your tears when you are sad.”

That last example makes her think of Ji-hoo (flashback montage!), who’d always been there for her in her times of need, whether to lend her support or wipe away her tears. Jan-di smiles at her patient, saying she hopes to be a handkerchief type of person for him, too — and Mr. Jung watches from the doorway, pleased.

This scene is a bit random, but at this point I’m just rollin’ with it. Jan-di struggles to cut her bangs satisfactorily, which is when Ji-hoo walks by and offers his assistance. Naturally he is a master of this skill — ain’t nothing he can’t do, is there? — and he finishes the job successfully.

Jan-di returns the favor by volunteering to help wash his car (which, of course, eventually degenerates into a water fight).

Afterwards, they sit outside and relax, while Ji-hoo reads from a book of poetry. One poem catches his attention, and he starts to read aloud: “I wanted to tell you…”

He pauses there, hesitating for a long moment, trying to decide whether to continue. Finally he decides to go for it, and keeps reading: “…that I love you. I wanted to shout it aloud. That’s all.”

But when he looks over to see Jan-di’s reaction, he sighs because she’s fallen asleep and therefore hasn’t registered his indirect confession.

Meanwhile, Ga-eul is busy with a new project, spurred by her last encounter with Yi-jung. It looks like his cast is off, but for whatever reason, he hasn’t regained the use of his arm. (I’m guessing that it’s a case of paralysis stemming from a psychological block, rather than a medical reason.)

He’s packing away his pottery items; she thinks it’s cowardly of him to quit so easily. He says in a dull monotone, “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She fires back, “It matters to me!” Ga-eul recites his own words back to him, harking back to his analogy likening a person’s heart to the clay-firing process. The clay, like people’s life experiences, is supposed to be strengthened by the fire.

He dismisses it, saying, “I must’ve been talking crap.” Ga-eul isn’t willing to give up on him, though, and announces her intention to return to him the use of his paralyzed hand. In pursuit of that goal — like I said, it must have a psychological basis — over the next several nights, Ga-eul spends all her time going from building (apartment?) to building, working to the point of exhaustion.

Woo-bin and Jun-pyo put their heads (and fists) together to devise a plan to slip away from his bodyguards. Jun-pyo heads out, feigning a careless attitude when he tells the bodyguards he doesn’t care if they follow him — he’s just going to be hanging out with Woo-bin.

Of course they follow, trailing Woo-bin’s car on the road. They don’t count on Woo-bin’s mafia underlings cutting in out of nowhere, however, and find it impossible to continue their pursuit.

And so, Jun-pyo earns an afternoon of freedom, and calls Jan-di out for a date. Unfortunately, she’s just assured a mother at the clinic that she’ll watch her young boy for the afternoon, and finds herself in a bind.

Her compromise: she brings the boy along on the date. Jun-pyo is surprised (”What is that thing?”) and disgruntled that their precious time together is going to be usurped by this kid, and it’s adorable to see him try to deal with being left out. He pushes the boy aside a few times, wriggling his way between Jan-di and the kid to claim her attention (which is all done in fun).

Eventually, he warms up to the boy as they spend the afternoon at the zoo.



COMMENTS

First of all, it’s worth pointing out that the scenery in recent episodes has been really beautiful. Perhaps this is one marked benefit of making a drama with unknown actors (or little-knowns) — you save money on acting fees to spend on location shoots, like in Macau, New Caledonia, and Jeju Island.

Often, a drama will boast of its foreign location shoots, but I find that many times those segments are pretty unremarkable — they seem either superfluous (and have no impact on the story), or the locations don’t look that different and are therefore wasted. Not so here, where the location shoots add to the rich, luxury-world feel of these characters’ worlds. (There’s nothing more laughable than seeing a drama depict mega-rich characters when everything actually looks quite shabby, right?)

I don’t have huge complaints with Jae-kyung’s exit from the drama, if only because I’m so glad she’s gone! I should be satisfied with that and not look the gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.

But maybe I’ll peek a little, because I do have one main issue in this episode, and it’s the way Jae-kyung shoulders the responsibility for Jan-di and Jun-pyo’s continued romance. Let me make clear that I totally get that in the manga, Shigeru is the one who stops the wedding to spare Doumyouji the consequences of backing out himself. However, here the lead-up has been different, and therefore the way this unfolds puts a different spin on events, and it’s one I don’t like.

Without making further comparisons to Hana Yori Dango, I think it’s problematic (or just frustrating) that Jae-kyung’s actions are the reason Jun-di get back together. Jan-di had her chance to tell Jun-pyo not to get married — the least provocation would have been enough to get him back — but she didn’t. Yes, she was kidnapped so who knows if she would have acted eventually, but I’m putting my money on no. She would have sat back and let her Grand Love marry someone else, and then moped for the rest of her life about it like some whiny martyr.

Jun-pyo, to his credit, tried harder, and I’m not sure you can blame him for walking down that aisle after Jan-di failed to respond to his last-ditch plea. Furthermore, I think there’s a good chance that if Jae-kyung hadn’t spoken up, he may have found himself unable to take his vows. Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to find out, thanks to Jae-kyung.

And lastly, I know a lot of people are dissatisfied with Jae-kyung the character. I agree that her arc was waaaay too long, and she never should have been given such a huge presence on the show. I’d have preferred some of the other guest players to be given a longer run (Haje, for example) and hers a much shorter one, to feel more balanced overall.

But, in her defense, I think that the actress Lee Min-jung probably played this character as well as she could be played. In the hands of anyone else, I think Jae-kyung would have been even worse, and supremely irritating instead of just mildly so. Thanks to her bright effervescence, Jae-kyung came off as flawed and human — and yes, very selfish — but she also had some depth, which I appreciated.

Still, thank goodness that’s finally over! I was afraid I’d be burnt out on this drama at this point, but thankfully I’m finding myself catching a second (or third?) wind in this last stretch. I’m staunchly spoiler-free (which is becoming SO FREAKING HARD to do these days, curses be to the Internet!), so I’m only speculating when I predict we’ll probably have one big storyline and perhaps a minor one left in the remainder. Bring it on!

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Kim Bum to come to New York!

Photobucket After following a demanding schedule, fellow Boys Over Flowers's star Kim Bum is planning to take a short break in New York. Kim Bum's management announced that upon finishing filming of Boys Over Flower, they are planning to go to New York for about 10 days for a photo shoot as well as to rest and relax. Source + Full Article: HERE. Picture Source: Photobucket. 8D . . .Lucky New Yorkers! n_n

Today, KBS has released the promotional posters of Korean “Hana Yori Dango”, which is an indication that the airing date of the drama is near. Be it the cute, lovable and fantasy-like image of Goo Hye Sun or the lavish rich-boy look of the four male leads, the posters have sure attracted the attentions of many fans after its release.











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Official Soundtrack of this drama...

~ Paradise by T-Max
~ Because I'm Stupid by SS501
~ Do You Know by Someday
~ Stand By Me by SHINee
~ Lucky by Ashily
~ Starlight Tears by Kim Yoo Kyung
~ A Little by Suh Jin Young
~ One More Time by Tree Bicycle
~ I Know (Saxophone Inst) by Lee Jung Sik, Oh Joon Sung
~ Dance with me (Inst) by Oh Joon Sung
~ Blue Flower (Inst) by Oh Joon Sung
~ So Sad (Inst) by Oh Joon Sung
~ Opening Title (Paradise Intro) by Oh Joon Sung, T-Max

You can download the OST (mp3) from Boys Before Flowers OST & Lyrics

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The Craze For F4 Boys!

The Craze For F4 Boys!
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