I’m trying hard not to bitch about this episode because I like Joy and I want her drama to do well. But I’m getting annoyed with the way the director and scriptwriter glossed over missing details as if the audience wouldn’t notice them.

For instance, the move.

Don’t tell me that SJ’s revenge plan ONLY entailed kicking TH out of the dorm and that she didn’t intend to capitalize on TH’s homeless situation by putting SH and TH together? Seriously?! She just half-assed her revenge plot. 

Also how did TaeHee end up renting that room so conveniently across from SH? The room couldn’t have magically materialized. Who gave TH the number to call? How did she know to contact the rental manager of SH’s building? The writer & director left out this tidbit till the end.

From this conversation between Secretary Yoon and SH, we learned that Secretary Yoon was at fault for not telling SH sooner that the building was his.

That was why SH also looked surprised when the rental manager was about to reveal that the landowner’s identity. It only dawned on him that HE was the owner.

Because of this lousy “editing” of the episode, we the audience didn’t figure all this out until towards the end when SH confessed sheepishly to TH at the train station. It could only have been him who arranged the meeting with TH and his building rental manager, and he didn’t expect it to backfire on him because HE was the landowner.

How I wish the director & scriptwriter had shown us the connection earlier, instead of giving us this roundabout! It ruined the flow of the episode for me because I was busy trying to solve who, what, when, where, and why. 

Then there was the ladder. 

Why would SH return the ladder to maintenance when they weren’t done fixing the lights? And then, really? really? How did he end up with the tools? He didn’t pocket them on the way out. I thought this was a such an obvious ploy to get TH to search for the tools in the drawers where the condoms were.  Tsk tsk tsk. 

The editing was lousy, too. First the wire cutters were on top of the ladder, then they weren’t.

But if I were to rationalize SH’s action with the ladder, I’d say that he was discombobulated. He was distracted by his obsession with her lips that he had to get away from her as quickly as possible.  She WAS seducing him without her being aware of it. Every time they saw each other, his eyes gravitated towards her lips.

Like this moment. X marked the “sweet spot”.

And this moment. See, he was becoming obsessed with her lips. 

See that? He hadn’t forgotten their kiss, but he was trying his darnest to forget about it because he was obsessed about it.

Speaking of obsession, what’s up with SJ and food? Don’t tell me the director & scriptwriter are going for this “caveman” metaphor between SJ and SJoo, i.e., they’re a love match because SJoo is a caveman bringing home food to his cavewoman. He’s the one who feeds her appetite. Ugh! Poor SJoo. I want to slap SJ and make her stop devaluing and disparaging SJoo.

But one thing I did like in this episode was the attempts of SH to distance himself from his revenge wager with SJ. When he said at the end of Episode 8, “Inside me, a secret started to grow,” his secret was his plan to lead a double life. 

On the night that he helped TH moved, he told SJ and SJoo that he was at the police station dealing with problems with his car. SJ accused him of lying but technically, he didn’t. He only OMITTED to tell her the whole truth.

Then, when he picked up SJ from school and encountered KJ and TH, he acted as if he and TH were mere acquaintances.

His eyes said it all. He was making sure that they didn’t rouse SJ’s suspicions.

I wonder how SH intended to keep his story straight when he didn’t even know the meaning of “infinity”? It would be interesting to see how long he could keep up this charade. Already. SJ was forcing his hand with the revenge plot by planning that dumb outing together. Here’s their group conversation midway through Episode 9.

SJ: Where is she staying now?
SH: I don’t know.
SJ: You said you helped her move. How could you not know?

See there? In Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the male lead, Valmont, wouldn’t hesitate share info with the Marquise. His loyalty to the Marquise was steadfast. Meanwhile in this kdrama, SJ refused to inform SJ of TH’s whereabouts and was keeping his liaison with TH secret. 

To continue:

SH: Well…she found a new place.
SJ: Then, our bet isn’t over yet. Right?
SJoo: By the way, where is her new place? Did you take her to your place?
SH: You crazy jerk. (SH was offended here by SJoo’s innuendo that TH was a slut who’d easily sleep with him)
SJ: According to Kyung Joo, you’re playing hard-to-get.
SH: You wanted her to fall madly in love with me. To make that happen, I can’t be easy like this jerk here. (He was paying back SJoo for insulting TH.)
SJoo: Let’s go on a trip with TaeHee. It’s been a while since we’ve gone on one. (This idea wasn’t accidental. SJoo knew, from KjungJoo, that SJ wanted this trip and he was only paving the way for her – as usual.)
SH: No. Let’s just go by ourselves. Why would we bring in others? (He declined to have TH with them because he expected SJ to use this opportunity to seek revenge. In other words, he was already feeling protective of TH.)
SJoo: Hey, what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t drag this out. After seducing her, date her. After dating her, get things going. We won’t say anything if you disappear with her at night.
SH: Get lost. (Again, he was annoyed with SJoo’s suggestion that TH was an easy lay.)
SJoo: Don’t you like my plan? (asking SJ)
SJ: No. I don’t want others to join us either. You and I don’t know anything about her. But why don’t you like his plan, SiHyun? Do you not want to finish your job? Or are you seriously interested in her?
SH: You two keep talking nonsense.
SJoo: Hey, let’s just go. Get close to her on the trip. Have brunch with her without SJ and me.
SJ: What? (SJ was jealous of the idea of SJ and TH as a couple.) 
SJoo: But isn’t that what you want? (Addressing SJ) You want to break TaeHee’s heart. (This remark caused SH to stop dead.)

Her eyes said it all. 
Remember: at first, the plan was just to break TH’s heart. But they upped their bets. What SJ wanted above now was proof that marriage between her and SH wasn’t going to be a fake one. lol. And the proof she wanted was breaking TH’s heart. The problem, however, was that SJoo had been kept in the dark and was not informed of the change in SJ’s and SH’s goals.

Read my long tiresome post on the evolving wager of SJ and SH if you want to refresh your memory. Here’s the link:

https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2018/03/25/the-great-seduce…sjs-revenge-plot/

To continue:

SJ: (receiving a text) TH says she’ll come. But make it look like a coincidence (according to KyungJoo). I should tell KJ to bring TaeHee (meaning, on KJ and TH would go together to their meeting place). You’re fine with that, right, SeJoo?
SJ: Of course. Tell her to come. Tell everyone to come.
SH: I made myself clear that I just want the three of us on the trip.

I think that was why he offered to drive TH back to Seoul. He didn’t want SJ and TH to be with each other because he knew that SJ would somehow mess with his “secret” relationship with TH.

And sure enough, SJ tried her best to sabotage SH’s good standing with TH. SJ had excellent instincts. She had sensed early on that she was losing SH’s attention to TH.  And if she lost SH’s affection, then a marriage between them – either a fake or real one – wouldn’t ever transpire. Thus, she was trying to impede SH’s relationship with TH by revealing to TH the dark side of SH.

Like for instance, when they were in 9th grade, SH made a bet with SJoo to seduce their teacher.

And that SH really hated drawing. SJ was letting TH know that SH “faked” his interest with the halmonis at the nursing home.

SJ knew what game she was playing so he decided to end it by going along with it.

TH: We make ceramic plates and things at a nursing home. SiHyun’s drawings are very popular. And he enjoys painting, too. Last time he painted gaena-
SH: (interrupted her brutally) What are you talking about? I hate to draw. With a vengeance. Kids like us are taught everything from an early age. I was forced to learn. Would I have enjoyed that?
SJ: See? (telling TH that she didn’t know the real SH while they did) You didn’t have to get so angry about it (telling SH)
TH: I’ll go inside first. I have to call Kyung Joo.

My impression here is that SH was lying to stop SJ from disclosing more “bad things” about him so he pretended to hate drawing. But he did NOT hate doodling TH’s pictures on the glass wall. As a matter of fact, he did NOT want to erase it even when he thought there was no hope of gaining TH’s affection. lol.

Hopefully, TH could see the reason why SH was being brutal.

Gotta rest my wrist now. 😀