Episode 14 Title: If It’s a Temporary Parting…

This is noble idiocy done right. If a kdrama must have a temporary separation in the storyline, then couple ChiWon and YoonYi displayed how it should be properly handled. Let me list down the right things they did:

1. Keep their eyes on the big picture.

I like it that they both recognized that they were in crisis mode and turned to each other. At first, CW thought her acceptance to transfer was a vote of no-confidence in his ability to fight for her. But she CALMLY reminded him of their SHARED goals and gave him the right perspective.

CW: No, I won’t allow it. I better talk to them.
YY: Sir… No. Don’t do it.
CW: Are you saying that you will work for Mr. Bong? Yoon Yi —
YY: It’s been decided. You won’t be able to change anything.
CW: To me, it sounds like you don’t trust me. (I like it that he was direct about his feelings here, instead of beating around the bush.)
YY: No. I do. But what will happen if I don’t transfer? How will that resolve anything? Mr. Bong and Mr. Cho will pressure us. They will try harder to get rid of us.
CW: That why I told you I’ll figure it out! (He’s on superman mode, lol, fighting to save the world.)
YY: You said so yourself. We can’t only think of us. Before you were my boyfriend, you’re the head of this department. However, will you put the department in danger for me? (Good point.) An assistant is someone who suggests an alternative to the boss to help him make the right decision. This is the alternative I’m recommending you. Please let me transfer departments.

See that? She stated her case in a logical and concise manner and she didn’t appeal to emotions (“But but but we love each other…sob”) or resort to emotional blackmail (“Do this or you don’t love me!”) to get his agreement.

2. I love it that out of the blue, in the midst of their crisis, CW proposed that they go on a date together. That was the right move to make at the right time.

You see, healthy couples make the time to bond together ESPECIALLY when they’re undergoing difficult situations. Serenity can be found in the simplest things like talking a walk together and sharing an ice cream. Ha! I like it that,with just one pout from YY, CW remembers the benefits of couple food according to YY: buy one, get two.

I like it also that they didn’t retreat or distance themselves from each other to solve the problem on their own. That annoys me when other couples in other kdramas do this because they inevitably end up working at cross-purposes. They’ll go through piles of cow manure (or bull 💩) for their love when all they really need to do is sip a cup of iced Americano and talk to each other.

I like his “going away” present. lol. I’ve this thing for 👠, remember?

Honestly, I frowned when I saw the pair of shoes CW was giving her. I’ve watched too many kdramas not to miss the bad luck attached to shoes as gifts🎁. As YY explained, giving shoes to a lover means doom to that love affair: she’ll run away and dump the giver of the shoes. To counteract the bad fate, the receiver of the shoes should pay (a token penny will do) for the shoes.

But for CW, his “going away” present was actually his “come back quickly” reminder for her. He wanted her to wear the shoes to come running back to him – and they were his favorite kind of shoes for her: flat shoes (so she wouldn’t trip in her clumsiness, lol.) So the shoes became a symbol of their promise to reunite.

These shared sweet moments served to strengthen their couplehood, and to tide them over in their separation. I approve!

3. Lastly, I like the way they support each other’s “crisis mode” or “coping style.”

YY knows that CW will do his job best (that is, expose the corruption within the company) when he doesn’t have to worry about protecting her. By “sacrificing” herself temporarily and returning to work for her bad boss, she’s giving him time and space to do what he needs to do.

Meanwhile CW also knows that YY tries to cope with her departure by putting on a brave face in front of others. But in the privacy of the elevator, he knows she’ll break down like she’s done before, so he chases her there.

CW: You can’t go without seeing me. I knew it. You promised not to cry. I will bring you back. So, until then —
YY: I’ll be myself, smile a lot, eat well, work hard, and hang in there. So, don’t make me wait for too long. Please protect our department.

YY: It has been a pleasure, Mr. Nam Chi Won.

I like it because her braveness gives him the resolve to do his job quickly and efficiently. No wailing and gnashing of teeth involved here. He knows that she’s waiting for him.

Overall, Episode 14 still hit the right spots for our couple.

 

For me, kdramas present a unique platform — or opportunity — to influence and modify cultural values and expectations. For far too long, and because of these makjang and soap opera plots, the irrational and overly-emotional approach to life problems has been imparted to the viewers, and instilled in their mindset. (Don’t get me started on that tearjerker Marriage Contract with UEE and Lee Seo-Jin. 🤦‍♀️) The danger of these over-the-top and OTL stories is that impressionable minds and UNCRITICAL thinkers accept these reactions as normal adult behavior and copy these behaviors in the real world.  I’ve always thought that makjang plots do a great disservice to the viewers, and to the society, by making a generation of morons. (A person is dying of cancer, and what does she do? She digs herself and her kid an even bigger heap of crap — and the audience eats it all up.🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

Bitch mode now: I wish writers stop making scenes like this:

I haven’t seen a dude become emo over a stuffed toy.  lol.