Don’t you ever wonder how these kdrama come up with metaphors about love? Just last week in “When the Camellia Blooms?” I saw love described as steam for dumplings, and now I hear that love is like a cough. You can’t hide it.

What’s next? Love is like swine flu? a Tyrannosaurus Rex? A big toe?

Here are my highlights for this episode. There are lots of pictures. I’ll have to continue later after viki completes the subs because I need to check on a few things.

1. Accidental skinship

The state of bewilderment is a must in Korean romcoms. If “Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency” has the deer-in-the-headlights kisses, then this romcom has the hot-potato holding hands. Nokdu and Dongju always jump back in fright as soon as they become aware that they’re touching.

Like this:

And this:

I don’t know what they’re thinking when they pull back. Do they think they’ll get cooties?

Do they think they’ll sexually arouse each other? What? At least, Hoon in “Flower Crew” doesn’t make a big fuss about holding Gaeddong’s hands.

credit: lavenderbyun’s tumblr

2. Jealousy

DongJu started it. She looked glum as she walked behind Nokdu and the real Widow Kim. Nokdu looked like he was whispering honeyed words to his Madam when he really was asking whether their subterfuge had been detected.

Back in their room, they sat in awkward silence. They couldn’t settle down for the night because there was unfinished business between them. But both were avoiding conversation out of fear of showing interest and jealousy. Finally, she asked.

DJ: Why didn’t you leave with Madam? You could’ve escaped with her.
ND: (facing her) What were you doing there?
DJ: What?
ND: What were you doing with Cha Yulmo at that house?

DJ: Why are you asking? You met your Madam who you’ve been dreaming of, and you nearly died while saving her. And in the middle of all that, you’re curious about what I was doing with Lord Yulmo? Why are you asking?
ND: But I was curious.
DJ: What?
ND: Is it not okay? To be curious?

He couldn’t identify the feeling since this was his first time he was feeling jealousy.

She pitched a pillow at him and he took the hit calmly.

DJ: You pervert!

He watched her lie down angrily. Then he wiped his face with his hand. This was a nice body language by the actor to suggest that Nokdu realized that he made a mistake with his answer, and if he could, he would erase that wrong answer. Then, he signed.

The following day, they were met by – who else? the source of his irritation, Yulmo. He’d come to pick up DongJu and he brought two horses, obviously intending the spare one for Dongju’s mother.

Nokdu obviously wasn’t thrilled.

Each man persuaded Dongju to ride with him.

Yulmo said he was heading their way anyway. Nokdu reminded him that it was improper for a lady to ride with a man on a horse. He also said he was lighter. Then, he pulled the daughter card. “Come on, Daughter. Get on.…Daughter, hurry.”

When she picked Yulmo, Nokdu contrived to fall off the horse and suffer a bruised ankle. Nokdu’s devious plan worked. He circumvented Dongju’s ride with Yulmo by offering to ride with Yulmo himself.

In sweet revenge, when they arrived at the gisaeng’s house and both Dongju and Yulmo offered their hand to help Nokdu get down from the horse, Nokdu snubbed Dongju’s hand with a “Hmph!” Dongju’s jaw dropped.

He’s petty x 1000.

Everybody was aghast at the sight.

3. The welcome banquet

What a sure sign that I’m watching a kdrama series? Answer: when the female lead has an embarrassing drunken confession scene. Sigh. I’m looking forward to the day when k-writers scrap this trope, just like they did with face-slapping and kimchee-slapping.

The courtesans informed Nokdu that Dongju had a habit of confessing secrets hidden in heart whenever she was drunk. Uh-oh! Nokdu tensed up sensing trouble. Of course, he didn’t want Dongju to spill the beans about his cross-dressing and his Madam.

Dongju gave Nokdu a knowing look and his eyes widened in fear. I love Kim So-hyun’s face here. How can something so cute be so menacing at the same time?

He wanted to get Dongju out of there before she gave him away. But the courtesans refused to let him go until he revealed his secret feelings for Yulmo. Dongju proclaimed that her mother did, indeed, have a secret love.

The courtesans zoomed in on the drunk Dongju and asked her whether her mother liked their old-star Yulmo. Since alcohol functions like a truth-serum to Dongju, she began to blabber, “The one she loves is—”

Nokdu interrupted her before she could say, “Lady Kim.”  Frantically, he blurted out, “My husband! The one who passed—” but, before he could finish his words, he, too, was interrupted by someone. His child bride, Angdo, arrived, and she was shouting and waving, “My husband!!” from the doorway of the gisaeng’s house.

DongJu: The one she loves is –
Nokdu: My husband! The one who passed –
Angdo: My husband!

Nokdu had to think quickly. The assassins/widows couldn’t find out that he wasn’t a widow because his plan to capture their boss would go bust. So he confessed to liking Yulmo. “You’re a real man, and I’m I’m just a woman.” He apologized to Yulmo then kissed him. To everybody’s disgust.

Dongju couldn’t tolerate the sight of Nokdu kissing so she stood up to break them apart. She stared angrily from one man to another then she screamed out loud, “I like you! I like you!”

4. Chase scene

Now this is what I call a chase scene!

Nokdu’s chase scene >>> Vagabond’s chase scene
Low-budget, pedal-power >> ridiculously over-the-top

And I died when Yulmo opted for a water bath than a skin contact with Nokdu.

Goodbye, oh cruel world! 

5. What is love?

Out of the water, Yulmo asked Nokdu when did he/she learn to like him.

YM: By chance, was it when I made the ice treat?
ND: What?
YM: Maybe the sweets? Or when we were on the horse?

lol! He had planned those “events” for Dongju to fall in love with him, but he now suspected that he “attracted” the wrong woman. He probably realized that Nokdu had been with Dongju during those times he offered Dongju the ice treat, okchungdang and horse.

YM: (continuing) I mean…it doesn’t matter when it happened. You know best who I love.
ND: Love?
YM: Yes. You’re the friend of the person I love. No. You’re now her mother. So you should treat me accordingly.
ND: What do you like about Dongju?
YM: Pardon? That is…well, I like everything since I love her. It’s not that I like something about her so I love her.
ND: Then, how can you know that you love someone?
YM: How could you not know that?! You miss her when you don’t see her, and you’re happy when you do. You get worried about the littlest things and keep thinking about it.

Just like when Nokdu bought her from the Head Gisaeng. The courtesan asked him why he was doing this and he replied, “Well…I guess I’ve become fond of her. I want to keep her from doing at least one thing that she would hate to do.” He was worried about her unhappiness as a gisaeng.

YM: (continuing) You can’t hide love just like a cough when you catch a cold.
ND: Like a cough.

Yes, Just like your father’s coughing. He can’t hide that cough.

YM: Yesterday, in front of everyone, how you kissed – (Nokdu winced in embarrassment) That was all because you couldn’t hide your love.
ND: Well, that. Something like that.
YM: How can you act like you’ve never been in love?
ND: Huh? What do you mean? I’ve been in love many times.
YM: Anyway, I can’t accept your love.
ND: I’ll fold my heart.

Meaning, he’d take back his love declaration because he knew now that it was futile…unlike him who kept on pursuing Dongju.

YM: Pardon?
ND: I’m very sorry for my rudeness. Don’t worry about me anymore.

6. At the bridge

One sure sign that I’ve been watching too many fusion sageuks: I recognize this bridge from the proposal scene of Soo and Gaedong in “Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency.”

This is the first time they were meeting after her drunken episode.

ND: I wondered where you went. You were hiding here.
DJ: You’re laughing? Did you just laugh?

She was prickly because she was a) embarrassed and b) jealous again.

ND: Well, I was just… Did you eat?
DJ: (whacking him) Do you know how I’m being treated right now? How can you ask me about eating? You can say that?
ND: Well, I was just… Since you look like you’ve been starve yourself all day.
DJ: How could you kiss him? Are you out of your mind? That was the only way you could think of? You should have flipped tables or run over to the kid and cover her mouth. Better yet, why didn’t you just hit me?

DJ: (continuing) Right. Who’s that little girl anyway? Why would she call you her husband in the first place?

In the Kissasian version, the sub said, “honey” instead of “husband.” Dongjun asked why the little girl addressed Nokdu as “honey.” I thought honey is rather an intimate word to shout out in public so it would be hilarious and embarrassing if Angdo called him “honey.”

ND: That is, she used to live next door. She thinks we have an arranged marriage. It’s obviously not true. But things got a little mixed up.

lol. That child would be suited to be the bride of the Royal Prince.

Nokdu was asking for a bit of understanding from her because he couldn’t explain his whole situation to her, just yet. But part of me thinks that he didn’t owe her any explanation and he didn’t need to appease her.  It’s not as if they were dating or were in a loving relationship so why was she getting on his case.

DJ: Arranged marriage? So you’re in love with a lady yet betrothed to another girl. Seriously, you’re just amazing!

DJ: (continuing) What? Why? Why are you looking at me?
ND: Let me ask one thing, too.
DJ: What?
ND: Who is it? The one you like?

Crickets. Hahaha. Literally, you could hear the sound of crickets because she became quiet.

ND: (continuing) I hear you can’t hide it. Either I’m an idiot and you’re an expert but I’ve no idea how you feel.

He means that a person told him that love is like a cough. It can’t be hidden. However, with her, he couldn’t tell who she liked. So, he must really be dumb because he couldn’t notice something so simple. Or she was really a pro at hiding her feelings.

Remember: he told her that she liked to deny things that she liked. “You keep saying, ‘You don’t want to do it. Don’t want it. Don’t need it,’ when deep inside, you don’t feel that way.”

ND: (continuing) But I’m really curious about it.
DJ: Crazy bastard. I was just speaking out of being drunk.

Meaning, she was just lying and saying nonsense.

ND: I heard what your drunk habits are already.

Meaning, no. He wasn’t going to believe that. He knew that she was speaking from the heart and speaking the truth.

DJ: Then who do you think it is? If you were me, would you really like a pervert who has a betrothed but likes another lady, and is living in disguise as a widow?

We knew this was going to happen. In my other review, I said that he had “female” problems and it had nothing to do with his cross-dressing. It was going to bug the heck out of Dongju that so many females were around him.

The situation was much too complicated for her to understand.

ND: (sighs) You’re right. Fine, then, let’s go.
DJ: You can go. I’m not coming with you. (once he’s left) Why is he so curious about that?

Back in the room, the little girl, Angdo, woke up to a ghostly vision of Nokdu.

He was muttering, “Right. How could it be me? There’s no way. I didn’t ask because I had feelings for her. (he’s in denial here) I was just curious about why she had said such a ridiculous thing. How funny.”

He’s obviously in denial. He was curious because, deep inside, he was hoping that she liked him.

Angdo wondered why he was muttering to himself so early in the morning. Nokdu must have stayed up all night, waiting for her return while pondering about this, because he lost track of time. He was surprised to see that it was light already. He yelled, “How dare she stayed out all night. How dare she!”

7. Breakfast

They ate breakfast in uncomfortable silence. Nokdu and Dongju reached for same egg but let go. Angdo speared it with her chopstick but as she was about to eat it, she put it on Nokdu’s bowl to eat. She cutely said, “I’ll let you have it, hoonnnney.”

It drove Dongju jealous again and Nokdu sighed. He reminded Angdo, “What did I saw will happen to me if you call me like that?” “You’ll die!” Angdo said worriedly!

DJ: Hey, you little kid. Do you even know what marriage is?
AD: Yes, of course. It’s when you eat three meals a day, have fun, and always spend time with someone.
DJ: Yes, that’s correct. It’s someone you’ll be with for the rest of your life so you should meet a great man who is upright and kind once you grow up in the future. Instead of a useless punk like him.

lol. Her voice was loud here to show how irritated she was with Nokdu. But Angdo defended her hubby.

AD: He’s good enough for me.
ND: (clenching his fist at DJ) AengDu, here you go. (giving her back the egg) Go eat a lot.
AD: Okay.

She stood up to leave.

The reason I enjoyed this scene is I can imagine them having a nuclear family. The first love of a daughter should be their dads. Daughters often hero-worship their dads, to their moms’ amusement. Daughters learn about love from their fathers.

*************

The viki sub isn’t complete so I’ll have to end here.