This kdrama may lack all the bells and whistles of the current blockbuster “Vagabond,” but I think it’s charming in its simplicity. It doesn’t try too hard but the plot delivers.

1. “Don’t be a Joke”

Episode 3 is when the Joker’s connection with Dongbaek is revealed. I’m going to forget this so I’m writing it all down here as an aide-mémoire.

Flashback to July 9, 2013

Smiling shyly, DB put peanuts on the table and said, “The peanuts are on the house for my regulars.” She opened the beer and dropped the opener. She picked it up and noticed the customer’s shoes. “Your shoes. It’s like you got flour all over them. Enjoy.”

When she left, he scribbled on the wall. “Dongbaek, you also need to stop being a joke… 2013.7.9.”

End of flashback.

In the present time, Yongsik sees the graffiti as he repaints the wall.

He had asked for extra paint from the handyman Heungsik who came to unclog the sink. (at 33:06) Heungsik discovered that hair in the pipes clogged the sink. The culprit Hyangmi quickly bribed him with multi-grain shake to keep him quiet.

When Heungsik was about to leave, Yongsik asked him for paint because he was painting the walls that very night because Mr. No had just berated Dongbaek over the walls’ appearance. Dongbaek kindly offered Heungsik a meal before he left because she made a lot of rice. Heungsik declined as he was going to eat with his father. Overhearing this innocent exchange, Mr. No blew up because he was never invited to eat by Dongbaek.

Although we don’t see Heungsik return with the paint that night, it’s clear that he’s there as Yongsik repaints the wall. Yongsik must have been addressing him when he protests aloud about lewdness of the graffiti as one mentions Dongbaek’s legs. Yongsik says, “Wait! we need to find this jerk who mentioned her legs here. We need to track this out. This guy has dangerous (perverted) ideas. I should keep track of the writings of the men who mention her legs…” Scanning through the rest of the graffiti, he spots the Joker’s message on the wall.

When Dongbaek comes over with the multi-grain shake for him, he quickly obstructed the message from her view. She tells him, “The multi-grain shake is free. It’s not just for you. I give it to Heung-sik (and she points to the back) when he comes to fix the sink, and I give it to the internet cable guy, too.”

When he doesn’t respond to her, she follows up with, “Why? Do you want me to charge you?” In reply, he asks her how long she’s been renting the place to ascertain that she was there prior to the Joker’s killings.

Later in Episode 4, we find out that as Yongsik’s painting the wall, he looks back at somebody. He grumbles, “She could help me out a little. But she really isn’t doing anything.”

That’s a subbing error.

He’s actually referring to a MALE individual who’s in the restaurant with him. The man’s watching him as he scrapes the bottom of the table with a lighter, the same lighter that he’ll use to burn and erase Joker’s message on the wall.

That man in the restaurant has got to be Heungsik, the handyman. At that time, the restaurant is already closed to customers, and Yongsik is expecting him to come and give him a hand. Instead, the unseen man sits idly watching him.

Plus, the unseen man is wearing the same workman’s gloves that Heungsik wore that lunchtime when he came with Mr. No to fix the sink.

But do you see the problem here?

If Dongbaek was a witness to the last crime when the skin therapist was killed, then why couldn’t she tell that Heungsik is Joker?

I see at least two possible reasons here:

A. she’s hiding and protecting the identity of Joker
B. she didn’t actually see Joker’s face and heard only his cough.

Twenty-four hours after Yongsik discovers the Joker’s writing on the wall, he shows it to her. He walks her home and at first Dongbaek downplays the threat.

From Episode 4, at 9:18.

DB: If you think about it, the words weren’t suddenly scribbled there. Joker didn’t kill me five years ago. And it’ll be harder to kill me now.
YS: Why? Is it because I’m by your side?
DB: No, because I’m a single mother. It takes determination to raise a boy all by yourself. I’ll be able to take on Joker one-on-one. I survived the encounter, and Joker quit killing after meeting me.

And flashback to Joker’s last crime. According to the police, the scene was different from others. There was note as usual that said, “Please don’t be a joke…” But he had also left behind the weapon and a witness. He left a woman was alive at the scene.

According to the investigator, “It’s obvious that Joker was startled. This woman must’ve caught him off guard.” And the Police Boss/Yongsik’s friend saw Dongbaek sitting in a corner and looking stunned (as to be expected)

Back in the present, Dongbaek finally admits to being scared.

YS: You act tough, but I know you’re scared.
DB: Have you ever seen Joker?
YS: What?
DB: Others have only seen stuff about Joker on TV, but I even heard Joker cough right in front of me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.

But did she see his face? Or did she just hear his cough? Did the Joker startle and run away because he recognize her or because they both recognized each other?

DB: (continuing) I still get headaches and indigestion when I dream of the day.
YS: Do you know why? It’s called PTSD.
DB: To be honest, I got goosebumps when I saw the note on the wall.
YS: (thinking) I shouldn’t have told her about the graffiti. (aloud) If it alarmed you, why not close the diner for a few days, and…
DB: That’s not necessary. Back when the entire neighborhood knew that I witnessed Joker, (meaning including the handyman), I didn’t close the diner for even a day. Why should I be scared of some lunatic? There’s nothing Joker can do to me. “You had better stay away.” I’ve been showing Joker that for five years.

I like her courage. She’s scared but she doesn’t let her fear debilitate her.

YS: The people of this neighborhood are not so bright, are they? They don’t see your claws.

lol. This is a shout-out to that fortuneteller who told Yongsik’s mom that he’s going to meet a dragon. In this scene, Yongsik really looked like a cute bunny in that pink tshirt of his.

YS: Dogs that are scared are the ones that bark. Those that are easily scared (lol. Like him!) picks fight while trembling with fear. At first sight, you may seem like a loser. But truth be told, you’re bold and brave.
DB: I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before. (covering her mouth shyly)
YS: Even though I’ve been talking about protecting you, I know better. You’re not the kind of woman who needs saving.
DB: Up until I was about 10, I used to beat boys up. (laughing)
YS: (laughing back at her) Actually, it’s what makes you seem sexier.
DB: (punching him) Are you insane? My gosh.

Dongbaek knows that the life she has is NO joke. Her struggles as a single mom is NO joke. Running a bar is NO joke. Joker himself sees that her existence is NO joke and I think that’s why he spares her.

Also, I think Joker is a smoker — chiefly because the STORY fusses about smoking. Hyangmi told Yongsik that Dongbaek’s bar is nonsmoking. The Joker couldn’t light a cigarette inside the bar so he anxiously played with his lighter instead while he watched Yongsik paint the wall. Hyangmi is a kleptomaniac who stole lighters from their customers. Also, while recounting the criminal investigation, the camera zoomed in on a cigarette butt tossed in a puddle.

Then, in another flashback, the Police Chief stopped his investigator from smoking outside the bar because there was a baby inside.

When Dongbaek mentioned hearing him cough, it was probably smoker’s cough. He didn’t cough because he was sick with cold.

Joker also used a fire extinguisher in his first crime and set off the sprinkler in his last crime. It was believed that he tampered with evidence but it’s possible that his smoking had something to do with them. lol.

2. Making amends

I found the baseball player Kang Jong Ryul’s efforts to get to know his son touching.

He shows interest in the team and he secretly gives his son two buns instead of one. He finds out that Pilgu’s real reason for not wanting to go on the China off-season training was financial, so he offers to pay for trip ($480) of the two players who can’t afford it as “scholarship.” He wants to treat the whole team to a rib-eye steak for dinner but he finds out that Pilgu wants crabs so he brings them all there instead.

He’s stunned that Pilgu dislikes carrots and cucumbers just like him and he reacts like this father-and-son trait is a revelation of cosmic proportions. That’s cute.

But I think Yongsik wizens up and begins to realize who Jong Ryul (JR) is. When he urges Pilgu to eat everything to grow taller because he’s already the smallest one on the team, JR jumps in to defend Pilgu. JR confidently says, “He’ll grow later on. He’ll become at least 180 cm once he hits high school” because that’s probably what happened to him, too.

Yongsik also notices that JR takes the liberty of finishing off Pilgu’s leftover rice. This kind of familiarity is reserved for parents with young kids. Then, he overhears JR OFFERING to cover the costs of those unable to afford the trip.

In a cute fashion, Yongsik OFFERS to carry Pilgu’s backpack home. It makes the contrast that much obvious: JR is rich, and Yongsik isn’t, but carrying Pilgu’s schoolbag is the least that he can do.

Yongsik asks Pilgu if he’s a leftie, that is he uses his left hand in baseball. I’m guessing that JR is a leftie, too. But I think Pilgu is a rightie.

But what I like about JR is when he tells off Yongsik to not mess around with Dongbaek. He misunderstands Yongsik’s intentions and warns him.

JR: Let me tell you one more thing, then. Don’t mess around with Dongbaek.
YS: Dongbaek? (I think Yongsik’s offended that JR says her name casually.)
JR: You don’t need to make things worse by constantly hitting on her. (meaning, Yongsik’s constant presence around Dongbaek is harming her reputation.) She already has a tough life. (meaning, as a single mom, she’s had it hard already.)

There are other things I like about JR in these episodes.

I like that he misses her cooking. Considering that his wife doesn’t cook for him at all, I thought that was karma.

I find JR’s remorse believable but part of me relishes that he’s been missing her all these years. I laughed when one of his teammates said that he didn’t know the name of JR’s wife but he knew all about JR’s first love because Dongbaek was all JR could talk about when he was drunk. In vino veritas. 

I also like that he gained the moniker “10 million Jung Ryeol” on March 12, 2012. That was probably the day they broke up or the day she left him. Whatever it was, I like that he remembered the exact day of his biggest foul-up — and I don’t mean his baseball error — but his mistake in their relationship.

But I thought it was savage of Yongsik to bring up JR’s humiliating past. Yongsik sounded like an over-the-top fan of JR, but what kind of fan brings up his hero’s most ignominious defeat? If I didn’t have this image of Yongsik as sweet and gullible, I would suspect him of giving JR a stinging backhanded compliment.

3. The mutt and the country bumpkin

I was laughing when Dongbaek was describing her type of guy.

YS: Well, tell me your type. I’ll become that kind of person.
DB: Gong Yoo.

lol. I had to laugh at Yongsik’s stunned face. He touches his heart as if in pain. The background music is from the Goblin.

DB: I like bad boys. But you look like the type who’ll easily lend money to others.

Hahaha! This is just like Taec (Park Bogum’s character in “Reply 1988”!) No wonder the adult Deoksun was getting upset with him for lending money to his friends.

DB: I like guys who are kind of cold. They need to be witty and refined. I like guys who are sensitive (I think she meant “easily offended”) and are hard to get. You know what I mean, right?
YS: (mumbling) How can a human being beat a goblin? I can’t beat a goblin.

He looks like he’s about to cry.

pwahahaha. That’s his main takeaway, the key point, from her description.

DB: What?
YS: (avoiding her eyes) Well…I need to patrol the neighborhood now.
DB: Patrol? Right now?

He walks away while Dongbaek frets that she’s a bit too harsh with him. He suddenly turns stops and calls out her name.

YS: I..well…A mutt is the cutest type of dog! And it’s the little things that grow on you without you knowing. Just don’t regret this later on and start following me around.

Later, in Episode 4, I found out that Dongbaek wasn’t really kidding about her preferences in men. Jong Ryul was thinking that Dongbaek was nothing like her type. When Yongsik sings the cheer of his baseball team, JR was wondering, “Was this Dongbaek’s type?”

And Dongbaek was thinking the same thing – that JR already figured out at first sight that Yongsik was nothing like her style.

JR dismissed Yongsik as nothing but a country bumpkin but he described him “down-to-earth”. Dongbaek understood what JR was trying to insinuate here, so she came to Yongsik’s defense.

She interrupted the conversation and told JR that a lot of ladies will find Yongsik’s quality very charming. She added, “They say that mutts are a lot cuter than purebred dogs. In this world full of jerks who have nothing but good looks, a down-to-earth bumpkin is a real catch.”

Of course, Yongsik missed Dongbaek’s accusatory tone and thought he was being paid a compliment.

I must admit that I find Yongsik’s character endearing. He isn’t the type of hero I typically gravitate towards so I’m enjoying this novelty.

I like him when he’s tough like a rottweiler.

But I find him funny when he’s acting clueless, too, like a puppy chasing its tail.

I’m sticking around for a few more episodes to see how his version of puppy love develops into real one.