It’s easy to see where this episode on boundaries was going and no matter how stupid it was, I am grateful for any distraction that would get THAT female lead off the screen. The subplot of the illegal alien was compelling enough to temporarily switch off my attention from the Most Annoying Employee of October, that Chae Soo Bin’s character, hereby known as that annoying girl.

But I must say this: I absolutely DETESTED the scriptwriter for using such a sensitive issue as illegal immigration to advance the romance plot between the couple. How shallow was that?  Sigh. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been dumbfounded considering this scriptwriter conjured up a hero so pathetic that he viewed having a bionic arm as catastrophic enough to withdraw himself from the world. (Read my epic rant on Episode 3 about this.)

But it seems like the writer is doubling down on stupid.

Look: the plot of the father trying to illegally enter the country was calculated to stir the emotions. I applaud the actors for delivering a convincing performance. They portrayed their characters well. I heard from @sansukini that they were her fellow citizens.

But the cynical part of me wondered if the choice of Filipino characters was a slur on their immigration policy and their foreign workers. For instance, what kind of security do they have at the Philippine airports that their passport scanner didn’t detect the anomaly just like in the Incheon airport? Then, what kind of Philippine immigration officer would allow a passenger with false identification from departure? And last, what kind of husband would attempt to do such an imbecilic thing as arrange a stressful reunion at the airport with his about-to-explode-any-minute pregnant wife?

But okkkaaay, for the sake of the script, let’s go along and pretend that the husband boarded the flight and reached his destination.

He was clearly emotionally disturbed when he showed up at the immigration counter. But once he assaulted that airline employee to escape her, then evaded the airport security, AND stabbed the hero with a ballpoint pen (what if he stabbed a normal man on the chest?), he should have been considered deranged and dangerous.

But the reason he got away scot-free? Because his wife had a baby. 🤦‍♀️

Nice try, scriptwriter. This is Appealing to the Emotions, a common fallacy and psychological manipulation.

But think of the cute baaaaabbbbbyyyyy!

Thank you, scriptwriter, for portraying immigration officials as heartless and rigid human beings for doing their job. And thank you, scriptwriter, for that bit of virtue-signaling: that the only compassion act here was to reunite the crazy man with his wife and family.

Snort.

I would have NOT allowed the wife and newborn to meet with an emotionally-distraught and possibly mentally-ill man who had just recently displayed aggressive behavior. I would have insisted on the presence of a security personnel or two in the room with them. Why? Because if that crazy man went through all THAT in an attempt to see his wife, who knew what he would do — to harm or kill? — himself, his wife and his newborn in a desperate effort to keep them all together? 

Shaking my head. (I consider blogging this kdrama a public service. I watch this show so you don’t have to.) 

But my main issue with this family-reunification subplot was that it was used to advance the love story. To me, that takes the cake. After this whole incident, the guy’s main takeaway is this:

The boundary between people. The boundary between rules and tolerance. The boundary between understanding and perspective. And also, the boundary between hearts. The countless boundaries that are created like that. Where am I standing on that boundary right now?

Is this supposed to be a trick question? Anybody who stayed half-awake during these four episodes could tell that the hero SooYun represented the “rigid border” and that annoying girl represented the “open borders.”

He fits the profile of rigid man with straight borders:

1. Avoids relationships and has no or little friends
2. Builds a wall between him and others
3. Avoids asking for help and giving help
4. Self-contained, independent, and competent
5. Protects self and values privacy
6. Withdraws from society when injured

In contrast, that annoying girl fits the profile of an “open borders”:

1. Develops friendships easily, but maintaining them is another thing
2. Has no sense of boundaries and privacy
3. Over-involves in problems of others and expects favors in return
4. Shows no demarcation between what’s personal and public/general
5. Aims to please others and lacks self-confidence
6. Every injury and accident is a public spectacle

This picture alone should have been a clue to this “borders” metaphor.

See? He keeps within his own space while she’s inelegantly spilling out of her seat in her sleep. 😂

Given only two choices, I’d die before joining that annoying girl’s open borders; I’m in SooYun’s camp.

But in reality, there are three options, not two. Aside from “straight borders” and “open borders,” there’s also — what people would call — the HEALTHY BORDERS. But so far, the scriptwriter hasn’t shown this type of attitude.

Creating healthy borders means setting appropriate rules and limits to govern relationships. Healthy boundary also means valuing one’s own independence and individuality. It means being comfortable enough in one’s own skin to be able to say “no” to others, as well as accept “no” from others.

For SooYun, probably the first step to developing a “healthy boundary” is recognizing that he has a bionic arm that becomes magnetic every time he feels attracted to that annoying girl.

This self-awareness is critical to boundaries, and it’s critical to defending himself well against aegyo attacks from that particular annoying girl. lol. 🤺