Sniff. Sniff. I missed – and I’ll miss — writing these heart-fluttering moments.

************

1. Longing looks

It’s a trope universally accepted in kdramas that when a man is in possession of fine healthy eyes, he must gaze longingly at his woman across a crowded room.

They have got to stop meeting in hospitals like this!!

2. His text

Again, it’s a trope universally accepted in kdramas that when a man is in possession of a cellphone, he must not communicate with her until death-do-us-part.

This is what he texted her:

“You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you? CEO Han will be all right now. There have been a lot of incidents, but I hope you don’t misunderstand. Kang Hye Joo and I have absolutely no relationship. That day, too, I was there to meet you. (I couldn’t end it like this.) (But…you’re having such a hard time because of me.) Be well and hang in there.”

See that wasn’t so hard, right, Woohyun?

I’m glad he deleted all his paltry excuses. They had no place in a straight-forward text.

3. Missing his ring…errr… the girl

It’s also a trope universally accepted in kdramas that when a man is in possession of a keepsake belonging to his beloved, he shall direct his rhetorical statements to that piece of object…because it can’t talk back.

He tells his precious ring that he misses her (that is, YooJung) very much.

But I guess I really shouldn’t grouse about this ring thing.

WooHyun could have been Hamlet talking to Yorick’s skull and brooding about death.

Public Service Announcement: If you’re a teenager watching kdramas, I highly recommend you watch ONE Shakespeare play, other than Romeo and Juliet, for every 25 kdramas you binge on. Start with “Much Ado About Nothing.” Just think of Shakespeare as 16th century kdrama with a British accent. lol.

4. Putting on her ring again

She admits, “But not having you, WooHyun, makes it harder for me. I’d like it if you were by my side even if it’s hard. I miss you so much.”

Her Unnie reminds her that she once said that WH made everything bearable for her. “Because of Cha WooHun, even if you lose something, if he’s by your side, you’ll be happy.”

4. Their reunion

It’s a truth universally accepted in kdramas that when a guy is in possession (finally!) of his right mind and senses, he shall declare undying feelings for his girl in a conveniently quiet corridor in an otherwise busy hospital.

WH: YooJung-ssi. The issue with YooJung Entertainment, it’s taken care of.
YJ: How?
WH: The bad people who were trying to shake YJ Ent with their bad intentions were stopped (she says nothing) I was so sorry, and afraid. I couldn’t approach you.
YJ: WooHyunssi
WH: But now, no matter how sorry or afraid I am, that won’t do. I promised that I would let you walk behind me no matter what wind blows. I promised you that I would never change. Would you let me keep those promises?
YJ: I too my promise to be next to you. I want to keep it. Whatever happens, let’s give this a go. Let’s not deceive our feelings.

“Let’s not deceive our feelings”? I’m not sure if the subbers got that right. More like “Let’s not deny our feelings.”

Frankly, this reconciliation is a bit anti-climactic to me because we’ve analyzed it so much. Nevertheless, I’ve to put this down as a heart-fluttering moment. As I joked in soompi, the rings here deserve top billing or at least, “Special Supporting Cast” award.

5. A car date

WH: It’s been a while since we’ve had a car date.
YJ: That’s true. We’ve lots of memories in this car.

Let’s not forget that their first encounter when he thought SHE was stealing this car.

WH: (sigh) In a short time, we’ve got a lot of memories and headaches.
YJ: It doesn’t matter if we break up, end things or go around in circles. In the end, we met again.
WH: It seems like we have some special fate.

You better believe it, buster!

YJ: For a long time, you hid so many things. And had so much weighing on your heart. It must have been hard.
WH: Maybe if people knew who I was, if people knew who my family was, I’ve been living fretting about that.
YJ: It feels refreshing now that you don’t have to do that, doesn’t it?
WH: I’m not sure. Whether it’s hidden or not, I’m nothing to them.
YJ: Why would you say that? (silence) To me, you’re the most precious person in the world. Don’t talk about yourself like that.

I think this is the nicest thing she said to him in this dialogue. He grew up thinking he was “nothing” but to her, out of all the billions of people on the face of the earth, he was her most treasured one.

WH: Whether it’s Kang Hye Joo or the Choego Group, I won’t let anyone give you a hard time.
YJ: That’s fine then. BTW, if we’re not planning on hiding in cars for our dates anymore, then it’s best for us to date out in the open and get caught as quickly as possible.
WH: Then we just have to go get caught.
YJ: When Jae Kyeong recovers a little more.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she was already planning to “out” themselves.

BTW, HJ’s assistant has the same side haircut as the Unnie’s stabber. He might be targeting people who angered or thwarted Wannabe Wife’s plan. The attacks aren’t so much directed at YJ’s loved ones as they are focused on Wannabe Wife’s enemies. 

6. Going public with their relationship

He’s fine with keeping it a secret but SHE doesn’t want to. Her rationale?

“You spent 34 years hiding who your father was, too. Will you be okay with hiding your relationship, too?” And he smiles.

He’s smiling because deep inside he doesn’t to lie about it or keep it hidden. Remember he’s a guy who finds lying hard to do.

She said earlier that she was more nervous that she had been when they first announced that they were dating. So he wondered if it was okay for them to go public. He was fine with dating secretly because he didn’t want her to have a hard time. He’s again going on his famous “I’m fine” mode so as not to inconvenience other people, and she realized this. That’s why she pointedly asked him if he was REALLY okay keeping his love secret when he’d been keeping his birth secret. He always had to guard himself out of fear.

YooJung is following the advice of her Unnie. Her Unnie said, “Choose what makes you happy. Even if you avoid it because you’re afraid, you go through what you’re meant to. And what’s avoidable will be avoided.” To me, her Unnie was encouraging her to choose happiness and live bravely because neither RUNNING scared nor RIDING the Fear Train is a good way to reach one’s final destination.

YooJung is helping Woohyun to face their situation head on. No matter how guilty or afraid he felt of their circumstances, they can choose happiness and brave the storm together.

7. Buying her clothes

Thus, walking in the shop has a different context. If you understand the MEANING behind their conversation and connect the sequence of events, you’ll also understand that he isn’t merely indulging HER wish and fantasy of shopping with him.

Remember at the beach, she said, “I’m not good at asking people to buy me things. What’s more, I can’t ask you because we can’t go arm in arm shopping like others.” Back then, I said that she liked the togetherness of going out shopping with him more than the actual buying of gifts.

So here, we see that SHE’s the one in fact indulging in BOTH her wish to be together publicly as well as HIS desire to be OPEN about his life. See that? That’s why this is a heart-fluttering moment for me. It’s not the acquisition of material things that I’m swooning for (although this is enough for most girls). It’s the acknowledgement that they’re a couple.

He’s having fun introducing her as his girlfriend.

Saleslady: Welcome.
WH: I’d like to buy a present.
Saleslady: Is it a present for your girlfriend? Could I ask what she looks like?
WH: She looks exactly like the actress Yoon Yoo Jeong.
Saleslady: (sounding skeptical) Ah, I see.

And he smiles because he’s proud to reveal his “secret” to someone who thinks he’s delusional and talking nonsense.

And YooJung steps out like a diva

to ACKNOWLEDGE that she’s the girlfriend. “You’re right. I’m Yoon Yoo Jeong”.

And they shop for her clothes. And this is another heart-fluttering aspect of this buying spree. Remember what he said in the car? She was saying, “I wanted to dress up a little prettier, but I came straight from the set. I look okay, right?” He grinned then said seriously, “Well, it’ll be fine if we go change your style.”

So the clothes they’re picking are her NEW style. (Listen to him chuckle at 35:06, too.) They’re “GIRLFRIEND” style because she’s his girlfriend.

See that? So please don’t look at this scene as shallow, Gangnam style of dating. That’s the superficial way of interpreting this scene.

8. Same thing with the coffee shop

They stride in like a new couple. She’s doing her favorite loop-her-hand-in-his-elbow and orders coffee.

Again, he has this smug/proud look on his face like “Yes, I’m with her and I’m the boyfriend. What do you think about that?”

YH: Ah. I’m on a date with my boyfriend.
Salesgirl: Didn’t you two break up?
WH: Well…people who date can break up and get back together.
Salesgirl: That’s true. (You’ve got a point there.) Unnie, can I get an autograph?
YH: Sure. (looking at the paper) A picture would be okay, too.

See that? This is the second time she’s signing an autograph. She probably realizes that if she signs an autograph is JUST all about her and her fanservice. And that’s not the point of her dating publicly. She wants WH to be recognized as her special someone, so she offers a picture instead.

Salesgirl: I would love that!

YH tightens hold on WH and suggests that he be included, too.

YH: It would be okay to take one with both of us, right?
Salesgirl: Oh yes.

He gamely poses with YH. YH leans in closer to him and does the “V” sign.

She scans the internet because she wants to see if media has picked up on their date yet. They’re media-playing or using the media to spread the word out that they’re dating. Now, if they had been doing this simply for publicity or for advertisement for one of her upcoming show, then their action would be considered tacky at the very least. But what she’s doing in defying social convention that entertainers hide their relationships to avoid backlash. For one, she’s telling the public that she isn’t coerced or under the effect of alcohol or drugs when she consented to date this guy. lol. For another, she’s declaring, “I’m proud to be with this guy” and she acknowledges him as her special someone.

I like it that WooHyun’s getting the hang of media-playing, too.

YJ: There should be an article about us by now, why isn’t there? It’s strange.
WH: When we tried to hide it, they looked into us so much. They’re quiet now that we’re doing it out in the open.
YJ: (muttering to the people in the café taking their pictures) Please upload it.

She’s on a mission to publicize their relationship. lol.

WH: Stop looking at it already.
YJ: Something should be up by now, but there’s nothing…(exchange looks) We went shopping, ate out, and drank tea together. There should be some eyewitness accounts. My fans are too good about protecting my secrets. (lol he smiles at her.)
WH: Forget about it. Let’s focus on enjoying our date. (and she agrees.)
YJ: (resting her head on his shoulder) Still, I’m upset there’s not article yet. (then remembers WH’s encounter with her dad) Ah. WooHyun. There’s something I’m curious about. That time, why…oh! (seeing reporters rushing to them) All right! They’re here. It’s time. (lol. WH looks suspiciously at reporters and she hides her face.)

They move closer to each other and WH poses with a “V” sign. He’s only mimicking what he saw her do earlier with the saleslady. But she sees it and pulls his hand down, telling him that “No. It’s too obvious.”

In other words, she’s poking fun at him. She probably thinks he’ll look “robotic” and “cheesy” again and overdo it. He isn’t the practiced actor that she is.

9. Low-key showing off her ring

It’s a truth universally known that when a woman is in possession of an engagement or couple ring, she must casually, and oh-so-innocently flaunt it to be noticed by her best friends.

Like this “I’m-so-fixing-my-air-with-this-bejeweled-hand” motion. Classic show-off. lol.

10. The meaning of the title

Unnie: You kept going on about fate and your soulmate. Looks like you found him properly this time.
YJ: It was the first time that I wanted to wear the rings my mom passed down to me. Wouldn’t he be my destined man?
Unnie: It would be nice if there was some kind of signal that could let you know if a man is your destiny at first sight.
YJ: You’re right. That would be so nice. You wouldn’t have to waste time or worry about it, right?
Unnie: There is an early signal. When your heart flutters and pounds.

This is funny because in Episode 1, she was lecturing YJ that “Dating and marrying. You’ll have to do it in time when you meet someone good.” To which YJ responded, “My heart pounds when I see him and my heart tells me it’s now, so what do you want me to do?” Unnie pointed out, “It’s not Hwang JaeMin you like. You want to date. You’re fooling yourself.” She told her, “Because I can clearly see that he’s going to drop your value and make you suffer. If your heart pounds thinking Hwang JaeMin is your destiny, your heart is broken. You need to go to the hospital.”

YJ: Then WooHyun really is my destiny. My heart still flutters and beats like crazy.
Unnie: Let’s see how long it does that.

With WooHyun, her entertainment “value” DID drop and she DID suffer more than she ever did with Jaemin. Notwithstanding all that, she’s still in love with WooHyun.

11. Mother-in-law’s approval

I’m hoping to have daughters-in-law soon so I personally understand this. This is heart-fluttering because it shows that he views her as his future wife and his mother’s daughter-in-law.

Remember? In Episode 5, he was caught of guard when YJ’s Dad asked him about marriage plans. The Dad asked, “Are you going to marry that young lady, too?” and he replied, “I haven’t thought as far as marriage yet.” The Dad scolded him, “You spread the news that you two are dating all over the place. What happens if you don’t marry her after all that?” And he replied, “Dating is dating, marriage is marriage.”

And now, he’s happy that his mother regards YooJung as a daughter. Getting his mother’s approval is one burden he doesn’t have to worry about.

By the way, did anybody wonder why the actor wore bandages on his fingers?

12. WooHyun’s secret hospital visit

WH: I met your attending doctor and he said you’re recovering very fast.
Unnie: I should get discharged quickly. I have a lot of work to catch up on.
WH: To be honest, I’m dating YooJung again. I didn’t want to lie to you about it so I would like to get your approval first.
Unnie: Cha WooHyun, you’re a good person. I know you’re a one and only love to YooJung. But –
WH: I won’t put YooJung through hard times. I’ll take responsibility for everything.
Unnie: Choego Group, Kang HyeJoo. Can you handle them alone?
WH: I am confident that I can.
Unnie: YJ still has a lot further to go as an actress.
WH: Either way, I’m going to support and help YJ’s path as an actress.
Unnie: I’ll support and help you, CWH. Please take good care of my YJ.
WH: I will.

He sounded like To me, he’s ALREADY asking for her hand in marriage from Unnie in loco parentis. It shows how serious he is about their relationship when he seeks her out in the hospital and answers all her Unnie’s concerns and worries with utmost confidence and sincerity. It’s something a respectful boyfriend would do when he’s getting ready to propose. Old-fashioned, I know. But as a parent, I would appreciate this gesture if I had a daughter and view it as courteous and thoughtful thing to do.

To me, this is the highlight of this episode because it ties in with YooJung’s marriage proposal in the next episode, Ep 14. They are of the same mind about their future happiness although their approach is different. They both believe that the other person is the one they want to be at their side.