Lespoir48 posted this as a comment, and I’m going to post it out here so I segue to the role of Defcon in this comedical.

Here’s Lespoir48’s post:

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Yesterday was so devastating reading about most of viewers hating on Min Ho:( I wonder what k-neitizens think of him. Do you happen to know?

While he was saying harsh words to her let’s not forget that he managed to get jealous of THREE men in just one episode LMAO. I wanted to take screenshots when I have time because he is such a puppy going after and constantly asking about her feelings. 1)about her liking Ye 2) about going on a date with YouTube guy 3) about going on a date with that VVIP
I don’t know if writer wanted to imply that he likes her more than Ye as he said himself that men are obligatory jealous of girls they like BUT I know usually k-dramas reward jealous guys . Moreover, I noticed that their museum date did not feel like a date at all because the camera was constantly showing Min Ho’s petty jealous face and like ZOOOOM. Of course it can mean nothing but hoping is fun while shipping lol

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First of all, I didn’t read the online comments on MinHo.  🙂  If I did, I’d have to agree with the general sentiment that he said hurtful things. There’s no getting around that.

However, as a logical viewer (as opposed to a dramatic one, lol), I can’t feel the pain FOR BoYoung. I can’t agonize over MinHo’s words if BoYoung herself doesn’t. I can only analyze and try to understand WHY characters are the way they’re written.

One problem that I see with BoYoung is that she gets too wrapped up with words. I guess that’s what having a soul of a poet does to her character. She’s sensitive and pensive. She’s easily moved to tears. In many ways, her gentle and thoughtful personality makes her suitable for her job in the “rehabilitation” department of the hospital.  She “rehabs” or restores the health of the injured and the sick by caring for them both body and spirit. With her hands and her words, she heals. So, yes, her “poetic” side makes her good at her job.

However, she also needs to toughen up. And this last episode 7, we see her slow transformation into that flower that blooms when shaken. Remember that poem? It was the first one.

Flowers that Bloom when Shaken
by Do Jong Hwan

No flower blooms without being shaken
The most beautiful flowers in this world
All shake as they bloom
As they shake,their stems straighten in an upright position

To me, it’s obvious that she does a lot of her “straightening up” because she’s constantly being shaken (or as James Bond would say, “Shaken, not stirred.”) by — who else? — by that pesky MinHo.

MinHo’s teasing makes her more resilient.

We witnessed it when MinHo teased her about the Youtube guy. MinHo pretended to tear up and he copied BoYoung’s eye-fanning mannerism. But instead of sulking, she ignored him and reminded him of their next PT appointment.

Here’s their discussion on the way there:

MH: You’re really embarassed aren’t you? What did I tell you? You’re not the type guys like.
BY: Yeah, I guess I should give up on getting Dr. Ye to like me. I’ll give up on him.
MH: Really??!
BY: I’m kidding!!! I don’t care.

It’s funny that she’s now hitting him back with his own words.

BY: (continues) I think Dr. Ye will like me, even if other guys turn me down.
MH: Why are you so confident?
BY: Who knows? Maybe Dr. Ye likes women who looks like a middle-aged actress.

She walks away. And MH wonders:

MH: Where did she get that confidence?

The answer is: Minho’s constant ribbing. She’s learning from HIM.

That’s how I understand the dynamics between Minho and Boyoung. She’s toughening up due to constant contact with him, not because of Dr. Ye. And as long as that’s happening, then his teasing and hurtful words serve a function in this story.

As for Dr. Ye’s fangirls, ignore them. I think they miss important things.

For instance, aren’t they curious about BoYoung’s patience with MinHo?  How come she hasn’t blown up and given MH a good dressing down for

1) reading her text messages,
2) messing around with the car window when she was about to lean her head against it,
3) sharing the body gag pics with Dr. Ye, and
4) blabbing about her leaky tear ducts?

In Episode 1, she went after him and MinHo had to defend himself with that orange cone. (I still chuckle when I think of her wearing that orange cone on her foot).

And haven’t they notice that for the FIRST TIME, we heard a MALE voice narrating poetry? The title of the episode is “You Who Forgot Poetry” and for the first time, that “You” suddenly found his voice. Did he suddenly wake up and remember poetry?

As for MinHo liking BoYoung more than Dr. Ye,  I didn’t really consider Dr. Ye liking BoYoung romantically. I don’t think he does – at least, as of Episode 7.

It was Dr. Kim who planted this idea in her head back in back in Episode 5 when Dr. Ye offered to help NamWon find a place. When BoYoung thanked him, saying, “My friends got into the dorm thanks to you,” he acknowledged it,  matter-of-factly and attributed it to her. He said, “No, you were the one who came up with that idea.”

Did you see that?

There was no embarrassment from him and no undercurrents of “I did it for you.” He did it solely for Namwon’s benefit and NOT as a favor for her and NOT to get into her good graces.

To me, he was solving a problem, professionally.

Same thing when he asked her to fill in for his assistant at the lecture. He asked her to sub because he needed an assistant and BoYoung was right there in front of him. He asked her colleague-to-colleague. Then, when he invited her out to dinner, that gesture was to REPAY her for stepping in at the last minute and helping him out.

It was BoYoung who daydreamed throughout the dinner, and the script highlighted the hilarious effects of her fantasy.

Dr. Ye: May I give you some advice? Please move your hand.

Dr. Ye: May I give you some advice? Please take out your hand. This is my pocket.

To me, there was this insistence to put things in a proper perspective. That Dr. Ye treated BoYoung as a professional, not as a romantic liaison. Now, this might change in Episode 8, because he has now discovered that she and MinHo had a past relationship together. lol. Competition always bring out the worst (or best) in men.

But as of Episode 7, when he was doing the video for the physical therapy, I doubt that he saw her in that romantic light.  To me, he wouldn’t tape that segment had he felt the slightest bit in love with BY. That’s his character. I said that he was an upright and righteous (and often, self-righteous) man. He wouldn’t cross the bounds of impropriety.

That’s why he was surprised that MinHo stopped the taping and pointed out that BoYoung’s actions were inappropriate. MinHo’s observations are valid, although they were spurred by jealousy.

MH: Hold on Dr. Ye. I can’t film any longer.
Ye: Pardon?
MH: I mean, BoYoung is smiling too much. Hey, what patient would smile like that when he’s in pain?

BY: What do you mean? I wasn’t smiling?
MH: Also, what’s wrong with all that makeup? Dr. Ye, why don’t you give her some advice that this isn’t realistic?

MH: I’ll act like the patient while BoYoung films it.

Note that this is when DefCon segment comes in.

Immediately after the MinHo scene, we see Defcon’s face front and center speaking to the camera.

Defcon was practicing his lines, “Sexual harassment? I simply guided you according to the manual so I’ve done nothing to feel guilty about. If you still report me for sexual harassment, I’ll sue you for defamation.”

If I were to connect Defcon’s scene to the previous scenes with MinHo, I would say that  MinHo highlighted the serious and complicated nature of sexual misconduct in the workplace.

Sometimes allegations of sexual improprieties can be in the eye of the beholder. For instance, Dr Ye thought nothing of touching BoYoung. But BoYoung, who was blushing and who had prettied up and put on makeup for this video session, clearly enjoyed this moment of “skinship” with him. When compounded with Dr. Ye’s words last night – that she was an attractive person in anyone’s eyes – she could very well imagine that there was romantic intent in his gentle touches or special attention. Then, later on, if she were to continue on with this delusion, she could falsely ALLEGE that he was leading her on. By reassigning BoYoung to film the video and taking her spot, MinHo had taken the necessary steps NOT ONLY to protect “his girl” from Dr. Ye, but also to avoid misunderstanding.

Lastly, I noticed that Defcon’s and JooYoung’s airtime is in fact relevant to the whole theme of the episode. But they low key it. In Episode 6, the episode was on “Family,” and we saw JooYoung’s discovery of his father’s forced retirement made him treat his senior chief with more forbearance. In Episode 5, the Episode was entitled “It’s Okay if You Don’t Love Me,” and we saw a Divorcee and a Dump-ee totally NOT okay with each other although there was no love lost between them. lol.

Here in Episode 7, called “The Cricket and I,” it showed Defcon getting angrier and angrier because of his failure to speak up and defend himself when he was falsely accused of harassment by a patient and assaulted by the patient’s boyfriend. This mirrored MinHo’s frustration because of his inability to stop his jealousy. His jealousy increased from being merely jealous of an unknown YouTube guy, then a rich man from Dubai, and finally Dr. Ye. With both men, they found release from their anger and frustration by verbalizing them.

Thus, as I said earlier, I don’t think DefCon’s and JooYoung’s stories are insignificant to the plot development. As a matter of fact, they call attention to details that otherwise might have missed.

There you go, that’s my LOooooong response. Thanks for posting. Sometimes when people post, it jogs my memory on something I’ve been meaning to comment on.  🙂