Incoming long post.

Sorry this took forever. I found out by accident that my husband was planning to surprise me with an overnight beach trip TOMORROW (you gotta love men!!) and I couldn’t find my beach outfits (because duh!!! It’s winter here. They’re all packed away! lol. As I said you’ve gotta love men and their ability to fly at a moment’s notice.)

Please find yourself a comfy spot before attempting to read this. I’m sorry for the lengthy post.

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New poster Table12200 commented:

Thanks for posting about this drama. I found episode 8 to be confusing, so glad you are discussing it.

First, I thought Soo Ji & Shi Hyun agreed that the bet/seduction of Tae Hee was off when he dropped Soo Ji off at home and they talked about how the parents’ marriage is OK, and Shi Hyun better not behave like an older brother to Soo Ji? But then Shi Hyun goes to Tae Hee to help her move to dorm, which is part of revenge plan of Soo Ji to force Tae Hee to live with Shi Hyun? So is Tae Hee plan cancelled or not?

Also, in your post you explain that Soo Ji say Shi Hyun must complete the plan, but then when Kyung Joo contact her and ask if Shi Hyun like Tae Hee, Soo Ji reply No, he doesn’t. If Soo Ji want plan to go forward, wouldn’t she tell Kyung Joo that Shi Hyun likes Tae Hee and Is interested in her? So, I’m confused.

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In times like this, I wish Dramabeans was recapping this whole kdrama because it’d make the story development easier for all of us to follow.

The TH’s revenge plot/wager concocted by SooJi and ShiHyun is still on, Table12200. 😀 But now there are several layers to it as it mutated over seven episodes. Let’s try to piece things together, shall we? But feel free to jump right in if you think I missed something.

1. The revenge scheme started in Episode 2 at the scholarship banquet hosted by SJ’s family hospital, Myoungjeong Hospital.

When SJ saw her ex-BF KiYoung flirting with TH, she realized that TH must be KiYoung’s first love and the daughter of his university professor, whom KY’s group of friends was teasing him about, on that night SJ got dumped.

Recall now that KY criticized her mother’s scheming and social climbing. Her mother tried to set her up with KY, but KY thought she was beneath his social status. As a matter of fact, KY’s family law firm could have prevented SJ’s father from going to jail had they agreed to take his case, but KY’s father refused to. If that isn’t a snub, then I don’t know what a snub is.

Despite being insulted like this, SJ’s mother still thought it was a good idea to match SJ with KY – or to “sell” her daughter to their richest family.

Do you see how degrading KY’s revelation was to SJ?   Poor child! She didn’t even know that her mother had planned all this behind her back.

An aside: did you wonder why the camera focused on her mother’s shoeless feet when SJ went to her office to confront her of her ill-advised matchmaking? (I’ll take a screenshot sometime)

I thought that was deliberate to show how indecorous her mom was. Barefeet!! 😒 Plus her drab and mannish clothes scream plebeian, rather than chaebol.

To retaliate, SJ decided to go after his intended bride, HaeJoung, a cloistered daughter of a chaebol, and TH, a recent high school grad like them.

Recall again from Episode 1 that SJ was the class president and valedictorian. I had the feeling that had TaeHee been an “inferior” rival, she wouldn’t have gunned for her. But SJ saw TH’s impressive resume in the scholarship brochure. TH perfected her SATS, got into Seoul National University, aced her math, science and English tests AND received a four year scholarship.

Being a queen bee herself, SJ wouldn’t have let this go easily.

SJ plotted to get back at KY by seducing these women: his future bride and his first love, and she asked ShiHyun’s aid after her chance meeting of KY and TH.

Take note: At this point in time, ShiHyun was NOT interested in revenge. He didn’t see how SJ’s revenge plotting affected him.

In his defense, SJoo explained to SJ that SH only directed his anger at his father. He offered to do the dirty deed for her instead. But SJ refused, saying that SJoo was a well-known womanizer. There was no way the mother of KY’s future bride would let him get close to her.

It had to be SH.

Before SH could answer, he received a call from his dad’s secretary summoning his presence at the banquet. So their conversation ended WITHOUT HIM consenting to SJ’s plot.

2. What changed SH’s mind then? 

It as the announcement of SJ’s mom engagement to his father at the banquet. In the following Episode 3, we saw the fallout from the engagement.

One was the bloody scene when SJ hurt herself with a broken glass. She was in hysterics supposedly because she mixed tranquilizers with alcohol. ShiHyun was about to rush to her side but her mother stopped him. This image of her mother holding back SH triggered a memory of another instance when her mom had also detained her from rushing to her father’s side.

(We would later find out that their family hospital was about to go bankrupt, and her father tried to commit suicide. He still ended up in prison. Her parents divorced. But her mother rebuilt the failed business and was now considered a successful hospital director.)

This was their conversation afterwards when she had calmed down.

SJ: The people I like all disappear.
SH: I won’t disappear. I’m right next to you. (camera pans to SJoo)
SJ: You two are all I have. (camera pans to SJoo again)
SH: Don’t worry. I’m on your side. I’m on Choi Soo Ji’s side. I’m on your side. I’m on Choi Soo Ji’s side. (he repeats himself like a mantra for her.)

Her mother, who had been listening in on them, turned away looking worried. She washed her hands. (This action is usually taken as a sign of washing away or absolving oneself of the responsibility, blame or involvement. Think of Pontius Pilate.)

The announced engagement had another less dramatic but far-reaching consequence, the leadership of SH’s mom pet project. He consulted with his father’s secretary the following day.

SH: What about the cultural foundation Mom used to run?
Secretary: Myoungjeong Foundation will take over probably. I know what you’re worried about. Vice Chairman Kwon wasn’t favorable of the foundation.

The importance of his departed mom in SH’s life was further displayed when he stopped in front of an ornamental vase on his way out of the JK Group building. Here, he remembered an old conversation he had with his mom.

lol. Wouldn’t it be funny if the “anonymous” artist who did this was TH’s mom? 

Young SH: Grandma said she didn’t like this piece.
Mom: I know. I told her I wanted to place it here. (Note: her wishes were followed despite being only the daughter-in-law.)
Young SH: Mom, why do you like this piece? It’s untitled and done by an anonymous artist.
Mom: When I look at this piece, I feel like I’m the owner of this place. (What great power did she wield over that chaebol family that her wish would supersede the Chairman’s preference?)

If we were to connect this scene to the earlier scene at the death memorial service, we’d realize how grossly convoluted SH’s family dynamics were.

First, I’m not good at recognizing Asian faces so I’m making a wild guess here. I think that the two pictures at the memorial service were of the Chairwoman’s first son and SH’s mom.

If my guess is correct, then the two of them died on the same day, and this would explained why SH bitterly reminded his dad that it had been only two years since his mom died when he announced his engagement.

Second, while SJ’s dad new bride/SJ’s mom would take over his mom’s foundation, SJ’s dad had only been given the VP position because of SH. To me this was a sign that the Chairman of the JK Group favored SH over his own dad. The dad was only a placeholder until SH came of age or decided to join the company as the rightful heir.

Last, the grandmother blamed the dad for SJ’s mom’s death. In her mind, it was understandable that SH would rebel against his dad. She admonished the dad not to push SH hard and told him that if ever he felt he couldn’t guide SH anymore, then he should let his niece teach SH in lieu of him. From this conversation, it was clear that SH >>> the dad in the organizational scheme.

Grandma/Chairman: Keep that in mind. I only let you become the vice chairman because of SiHyun. Everything which your brother couldn’t enjoy should be left for her (the niece, presumably the daughter of the dead brother) and SiHyun. OUCH! 

3. The topic of marriage was broached by SH.

He anticipated that his dad and his new stepmom would try to usurp or grab his possession, inheritance, foundation, whatever from him. SJ agreed.

SH: I’m sure they will think of ways to either kick me out or take something of mine if we become family.
SJ: My mom can’t know that you left home. Don’t let her find out. If she finds out, she’ll be happy. She’ll think it will be easy to take what’s yours.
SJoo: The three of us won’t be able to hang out anymore. But is there anything we can do? Should we go on a hunger strike? As if that’s going to help us. My goodness.
SH: (glancing at SJ’s bandaged hand) Should we get married before they do?

4. The reason she refused was because she wanted a real marriage, not a fake one that SH was offering.

Recall her first romance with her art teacher. She had always been looking for “sincerity” in her love relationships – most likely because she felt that her mother left her father to rot in prison. She also didn’t like the idea that SH was using a hypothetical marriage to get back at his father. But above all, she didn’t like the idea that it was just going to be a marriage between friends, a marriage of convenience.

SJ: Both of you, cut it out. (SH and SJoo were joking about their marriage) I’m not in the mood for this.
SH: You don’t want to? We can get a divorce later.
SJ: I guess you really hate the idea of my mom becoming your stepmom.
SH: What choice do I have? It’s not like I can seduce your mom.
SJ: Yah! You’re crossing the line!
SJoo: Come on. Chill out. Let’s not fight. You, punk. (addressing SH) You have a great idea. Let me see. (consulting cellphone) “To register marriage…”
SJ: (ignoring SJoo and talking to SH) Fine. Let’s say that we do get married, let’s pretend that I became the wife of JK Group’s grandson.
SJoo: Hey, it’s really easy to register a marriage. You just need to go to the bureau office with your ID. It’s easy.
SJ: What if I try to get the whole thing like my mother? What should you do then?
SH: Take it!
SJ: What?
SH: You can take it.
SJ: Kwon Si Hyun. (She’s upset. He doesn’t care if she “steals” from him because she’s his friend. They’re FRIENDS, anyway.)
SJ: I get that you’re trying to get back at your father but don’t get me involved in this.
SH: Hey, there are other ways I can make him angry.
…

She continued their discussion after SJoo left.

SJ: Kwon SiHyun. Are you really thinking of marrying me?
SH: Yes.
SJ: I didn’t ask you if you wanted juice. (She means: PUT some more feelings into this proposal, you moron!) I asked you if you wanted to marry me.
SH: I know.
SJ: I don’t want a fake marriage. (She means: I want love, passion, romance and the happily ever after.)

SH: (snorting) Then what’s a real marriage? Have you ever seen one? (so cynical) You haven’t. Then why do you hate it (Meaning, why is she against a fake marriage then or why is she wanting a “real” marriage when she doesn’t know what it is.) You, me and SeJoo. We probably can’t get married to someone as we like. So that’s why we don’t want to get married. (Unintentionally, he’s revealing that he does NOT love her THAT way. SHE is some sort of COMPROMISE because he cannot hope to get married to the love-of-his-life.) Even if you do get married, it’s probably far from the marriage you dream of. Our marriage is like a joker card for our parents (Meaning, something that can be used at the last minute to win/lose the game). Let’s use that to our advantage. You can use me as a joker too. Make use of me. If you don’t want to get divorced, you don’t have to. (See here? He’s talking so calmly about this like his feelings aren’t affected at all by her.) If you want anything, get everything you want. I don’t care.
SJ: No.
SH: Why?
SJ: You told me to use you. You’re telling me to make use of you…because my mom is using your family. You were sympathizing me. I thought you were being nice.
SH: No. I’m trying to keep what is mine. It’s a deal. (Meaning, it’s all just business for him.)
SJ: You don’t need a deal. You have everything. Do you still like me? If what you’re trying to save is not me, but our friendship, then this is a fake marriage. (Meaning, if he’s only protecting their friendship from being harmed by their parents’ marriage, and NOT really fighting for her, then it’s a fake marriage.)
SH: No, it’s not fake.
SJ: Then can you kiss me?

I thought this image, with the skull looming in the background, was appropriate for their relationship. They were so toxic to each other, I wouldn’t be surprisd if they were to cause the death of each other.  

5. She was daring him to kiss her to prove that marriage with him won’t be fake, and to prove that he likes her, not as a friend, but THAT lovey-dovey way. Here’s the scene at the beginning of Episode 4.

SH: Are you testing me? Like before? You don’t think I can do it? (flashback…)

But he hesitated so long that she found her answer. lol. Compare his action here to his kiss with TaeHee. He couldn’t last two second before swooping in for that kiss. Over here, he was a breath away from her and yet he couldn’t make himself to bridge the distance and kiss her.

SJ: Forget it. Show me how you feel in a different way. The game you suggested before. (I don’t know if the translation here is wrong but it was a game SHE suggested.) The scholarship girl. No?
SH: Deal. (He approaches her and runs a finger down her cheek. He’s doing the seductive move, most likely to COVER UP that he failed to kiss her earlier. lol)
SH: (in a low husky voice) Because what I’ll gain is much more amazing. (He rubs her lower lip. Again, he’s going all out with his seductive move here because he’s NO longer threatened with a kiss from her…lol.)

Now, we wouldn’t know what happened next till we fast-forwarded to SH’s driving alone. SJ actually grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from her lip.

SJ: I’m not asking you to fall in love (she warns him not to fall for TaeHee)
SH: I know. I can’t like anyone else but you. (And he turns on the charm for her.)
SJ: Make sure she becomes completely smitten by you.
SH: (sighs) Why does it sound like you’re talking about yourself? (He’s being cheeky so she kicks him in the groin.) Fine. And then I’ll dump her, right?

By the time SJoo returned, they were back squabbling again.

SJ: You could lose. How can you guarantee you’ll win?
SH: Hey, how could I lose? How could she not like me?
SJ: Gosh, such confidence. You sounded too much like SeJoo. Don’t do that.
SJoo: (hearing that but not saying anything to defend himself) My plans just got canceled. (in truth, HE canceled his plans.) What were you doing? Are you done talking?

His famous last words: How could anybody hate him?

It was only when he arrived at his new digs that he connected the girl he had met on the bus with the scholarship girl he had almost mowed down on the night of the engagement day.

With this new discovery, he was resolved to carry on with the revenge plot.

“Let’s do this.”

6. The seduction began in earnest in the middle of Episode 4 and ratcheted up in Episode 5 with the Trio plotting and planning in their hideout. SHyun was involved in his little mind games of his own making too, like calling her and hanging up on the count of two.

But in Episode 5, we figured out that SJ didn’t want SJ to know the terms of the wager.

SH: She didn’t want to marry without love, so… (SJ stuffs his mouth so he can’t blabber.)
SJoo: What? What is it?
SJ: The loser will go on a hunger strike. That one of the two will die of hunger if they get married.
SJoo: A hunger strike? You? (referring to SJ)
SJ: Keep grilling. He’s starving.
SJoo: If you win, (pointing at SH), you will go on a hunger strike. (pointing at SJ). If you lose, (pointing at SH again), are you going to starve?!! But His dad won’t bulge even if he starved.
SJ: I know. He said he’ll hand his car over.
SH: What? (he’s surprised, too)
SJoo: You can’t give up now. Eat up and get more energy. I can bear to see your dad and her mom get married. But not your car get taken away.
SJ: So you’re telling me to starve?

7. All throughout Episode 6, SH began connecting with TH while helping at the nursing home.He was definitely weakening. By the opening of Episode 7, he showed signs of guilt that he was deceiving TH. He almost slipped up.

SH: I’m afraid.
TH: Why?
SH: In case I’ll do you wrong.
TH: How can you do me wrong?
SH: Lying…

TH: What?
SH: (realizing his mistake) I mean, deceiving people. People pretend that they like you and are nice. The world is filled with that kind of people so be careful.
TH: But don’t you think that deceiving yourself is the worst? Pretending that you’re not hurt or lonely and that everything is okay. Someone I know used to do that. And the false pretense caused the heart to fall sick.
SH: Then you should tell me. Don’t disregard your feelings. You haven’t given me your answer about how you feel about me. I’ll wait for your answer.

I think most of the viewers would agree that this was one of the few moments that SH wasn’t acting according to the revenge plot. But once he realized that he had veered off script, he tried to cover up.

The exchange of text messages also happened in this episode, Table12200. You wrote, “in your post you explain that Soo Ji say Shi Hyun must complete the plan, but then when Kyung Joo contact her and ask if Shi Hyun like Tae Hee, Soo Ji reply No, he doesn’t. If Soo Ji want plan to go forward, wouldn’t she tell Kyung Joo that Shi Hyun likes Tae Hee and Is interested in her? So, I’m confused.”

I understood what you were asking. Why was SJ sabotaging her plot revenge? Wouldn’t it have been better had she told KY that SH was interested in TaeHee?

TH: Hey, what are you doing?
KY: Stay still. What if he’s just playing around with you? Don’t worry. I’ll ask without making it obvious.
TH: Hey, stop it. Gosh.
KY: (in text) Have you talked to SH about TH? It seems like they’ve been seeing each other. What does he say?
SJ: I’m with him right now. I’ll ask.
KY: (talking to TH) She’s with him right now.
TH: Oh really?
SJ: (she’s lying, she didn’t ask SJ.) He said he ran into her when he was volunteering.
KY: So does he like her? Did he say she’s pretty?
SJ: He says I’m prettier.
KY: Hey, stop joking around.
SJ: No idea. We’re busy partying. (she’s lying again.) I’ll ask him later.
KY: (talking to TH) It looks like he’s busy partying with everyone.
TH: Ah. I thought he went home. (phone rings again) What is it?
KY: (tries to hide text)
TH: What did she say?
SJ: (on the text) I don’t think he’s particularly interested.

I could think of two possible explanations, Table122000.

One is the obvious one. SJ couldn’t help but feel jealous so she texted that SJ wasn’t interested in TH in order to frustrate TH. In the same way that she used KY as a conduit to pass info about SH to TH, she probably sensed that KY was also passing info to TH at that very moment. So…she wanted to hurt TH by saying SH wasn’t interested in her. She knew that the message would get to TH and TH would squirm all night wondering what happened.

The other plausible explanation is more devious. SJ could have been using reverse psychology. She knew that if TH was rejected, TH would obsess over SH. SH would become like a game or a challenge, and TH would spend her time figuring out why SJ didn’t like her and how to get him to like her. This second explanation is more manipulative.

One last thing: after this texting scene came the broken plate incident. 

We know that this scene was significant in SJ-SH’s relationship. “That was the first time you were that angry at me,” SJ said to SHyun. She ran off and SJoo followed her. If you rewatched that brief scene, you’d see that SHyun glanced at the bouquet of roses.

To me, the reason for his buying the roses became clear then. At first I thought it was another thoughtful gesture from him, but now I suspect that he was feeling guilty about the enjoyable time he’d been spending with TH at the nursing home. He had been spending MORE time there than was necessary because he was beginning to fall in LIKE with TH. So buying the roses was his way of assuaging his guilt.

Another interesting about this broken plate incident is that SH didn’t worry about SJ’s hurt feelings AS MUCH AS he worried about TH’s reaction to the broken plate. He didn’t bother contact SJ after she ran out, but he spent the whole day trying to fix that plate. Then when he went to the nursing home and argued with TH, he moped around the house. He made ramen and thought of her. He was working up the courage to erase the TH’s caricature on the glass when SJoo arrived. (lol. I just hope that TaeHee doesn’t discover the stash of condom that SJ placed in the nighttable drawer while she’s staying at SH’s apartment. That would be awkward!!!)

The fact that SH wasn’t affected by his argument with his SJ, considering that it was supposedly the FIRST TIME he ever got mad at SJ, is very revealing of his newfound connection with TaeHee.

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Okay, this is long enough.  Don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for 48 hours. I’m not going to fall and break my neck this time. lol.