In a nutshell, Eps 3 and 4 were a delight to watch. I didn’t see a scene in either episode that needed a tweak or rewrite. This is the romcom that I need nowadays.

I’m reposting some of my comments on the Episode 3 Open Thread here. Although the scenes are self-explanatory, I’m writing them down so I won’t forget later on.

Episode 3 Highlights 

1. Finding a new home for Rara

Rara: What brings you here so late at night? You didn’t come all the way here to see me, did you?
Doc: No, I was just… I was just suspicious of him. (looking at Jun)

In kdramas, there are two reasons why a man would be suspicious of another man.

A. Projection: he’s a dubious character himself so he steers other people’s suspicions toward another guy.
B. Genuine concern: For now, I’m cutting the Doc some slack. If he’s the secretive DDSSLLS, then he must feeling responsible for Rara’s accident because he invited her to visit Eunpo. DDSSLLS had written, “Do you want to come here if you’re lonely?”

HaYoung: (defending Jun) Look who’s talking. You’re the most suspicious one out of all of us. Yes, you! Why were you peeking into our salon?
Doc: No it’s not what you think. I’m not that kind of person. I came here because I was worried about Rara.
Jun: Why would you worry about her?

It’s interesting that he didn’t protest when the Doc said he was suspicious of him. But he objected right away when Doc said he was worried about Rara. He thought the Doc was overstepping his boundaries.

Doc: That’s because she’s my patient, you know.
HaYoung: All right, enough. Let me introduce everyone. This is Jun oppa. He lives here. She’s staying here for now. And you’re her doctor.

The youngest one was behaving like the hostess here. But based on their seating arrangement, Rara was the “queen.” She took the only chair in the room.

Rara: And you?
HaYoung: Me? I’m Jun’s future wife.
Jun: (angrily) Ya!

Rara: You were worried about your boyfriend.
Jun: (insisting) I’m not her boyfriend.
Rara: Don’t worry. I was only going to stay here for the night anyway.

With HaYoung, he totally REJECTED the idea, without giving a thought to how hurt and embarrassed she would feel. Her mom pointed this out to her in Episode 4. She said that Jun looked “offended” every time he heard that.

With Rara, he sounded defensive; he didn’t want Rara to misconstrue his relationship with HaYoung.

Doc: Rara, do you have a place to stay?
Jun: (looked at her to wait for her answer)
Rara: (stared at the Doc, then looked down) Mmmm…I’ll look for it tomorrow.

I think this is the first time she exercised caution in her response to Doc. Previously, when he asked her about her accommodations, she answered spontaneously. It’s dawning on her that he’d been paying extra attention to her.

Jun: (stepping in) Stay here until you find a place to stay.

In kdramas, possession, or rather COHABITATION, is “nine-tenths of the law.” It’s a trope that the heroine sleeps in the hero’s residence, not the second male lead. Jun wasn’t perhaps aware of it, but by keeping Rara at his side, he was establishing “ownership” and taking “responsibility” of her.

Hayoung: Unnie. Come over to stay at my place.

Outside Jun’s house, they fought over who was going to bring Rara’s luggage. Rara insisted on doing it herself as the luggage belonged to her. But HaYoung didn’t want her to bring the luggage herself because she anticipated that Jun would step in for Rara. As it was, Jun offered to walk with Rara.

pic

I like the dynamics between Rara and HaYoung. With HaYoung around her, Rara would be forced to mature and act like the “older” sister. To me, one reason that Rara’s father and piano teacher spoiled her was because she was the only child. Now, with Hayoung around, she’d be forced to act like the “Unnie” in the relationship.

2. Waving goodbye

This moment is similar to the one in Episode 1. She was about to leave him when she remembered to thank him.

She said, “Annyeong” and he replied, “Shireunde.”

Here, she was about to follow Hayoung when she remembered to take leave of him. She waved goodbye at him. Then, she noticed the Doc and nodded her head. Jun took a step to go after her, but the Doc stopped him.

It was obvious then that she favored Jun over the Doc. Although she “friend-zoned” Jun, the Doc was in a worse level because she “ahjussi-zoned” him.

I also like the time when both gentlemen discovered that Rara had gone missing. The Doc was the “ahjussi” in this situation. But Jun didn’t consult him or coordinate with him on what to do next. He simply acted on his own and began searching for Rara by himself.

3. Finding Rara

I know that computer graphics while Rara was sitting on the steps may look odd for some viewers, but to me, it served a purpose.

First, the graphics conveyed her childlike (note: I didn’t say “childish”) belief that her father was watching over like a star twinkling in the sky, which is the theme of this kdrama. Second, the graphics illustrated her loneliness without resorting to melodrama. The animation was in keeping with the special effects used in earlier episodes. And last, the graphics segued beautifully from the star in the sky into the light of Jun’s bike.

I mentioned the stars in the Eps 1 and 2, didn’t I?

In those episodes, she was talking to her father when the thought crossed her mind that she should follow Dodosolsollalasol, or her “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to an unknown land. But on the way there, she crashed onto Jun.

In this scene, she was once again talking to her father up in the heavens. The computer graphics showed her feeling all alone in the great big universe because HaYoung’s mom had refused to take her in as a boarder, and she didn’t know how to get back to Jun. She said, “I have no idea where I am right now. And my phone’s dead. Nothing’s going my way. Appa. Appa.”

Then, as she imagined a shooting star heading towards her, the starlight turned out to be Jun on a bike. Once again, her fantasy image of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” came in the shape and form of Jun.

I thought it was clever.

Also, I like how the bike was used as a romantic device in this story. A bike scene is a trope in many kdramas, but often, viewers see a bike scene only once. It’s as if the writer must cross this trope off her bucket list.

But in this drama, the bike was used a few times already.

We saw Rara hitting Jun on his bike with her car, Jun taking her out on a midnight bike ride after she cried about her dirty hair, and now Jun appearing out of nowhere to find her sitting on the steps.

The bike was well-incorporated in the storyline. In a way, it reminds me of the Vespa featured in that classic, “Roman Holiday.”

She wasn’t expecting him to come for her.

Rara: Jun!
Jun: (calmly) What are you doing here?

He was pretending that he didn’t frantically look for her, but he lost his cool when she hugged him.

Their body contact flustered him more than it flustered her.

His reaction reminded me of their meeting at her wedding. He was stunned to see her.

Gifs credit: deokmis’ tumblr

lol. the door closing on him = he can’t escape this “fated” encounter

credit: deokmis’ tumblr

And that’s one reason this kdrama appeals to me. We often see the heroine crushing on the guy so it’s a pleasant change to see the guy exhibiting signs of a secret crush, like this moment.

credit: dramaintherain’s tumblr

Rara: Jun! Thank you. Seriously. Thank you for finding me.
Jun: (patting her back, hesitantly) You were going to flee without paying me back?

He killed two birds with one stone here. By teasing her, he comforted her and relieved his awkwardness.

Rara: No, of course not! I can’t run away from you.
Jun: (looking confused) Why?
Rara: Because at the moment…

It was cute that his heart that was thumping loudly. He thought she was going to confess to him.

Rara: You are the only one who’d lend me money. And I’ll have to keep on borrowing money from you. (grinning at him)
Jun: Pffft. Jeez.

gifs credit: dramaintherain’s tumbl

@Snow_Flower likes Jun’s eyes, especially when he blinks. Me? I like his snorts of incredulity. Rara’s answers left him constantly dumbfounded, and Rara could get away with it because she was cute as a button.

Rara: I was trying to find your place but got lost because it’s so dark.
Jun: Why is your cellphone off?
Rara: Why would I turn it off? It turned itself off because it ran out of battery.

I like how she replied a matter-of-factly. Meaning, she didn’t intend that her phone ran out of battery. This could happen to anybody. But he was still exasperated with her.

Jun: And? It’s cold and dangerous out here. Were you going to sit around all night on your suitcase?
Rara: (nodding head) I thought I should be able to find your place once the sun comes up.
Jun: Gosh. You fool. Come on.

He couldn’t scold her for long. She was frightened enough as it was. He gathered all her things and noticed that she was shoeless.

Rara: A piggyback, please?
Jun: Hell no!

But of course, he said this good-naturedly. She was testing him to see if she could get away with a ridiculous request, and he knew it.

Note: While Jun and Rara were hugging, the Doc drove past and spotted them. He asked, “What’s wrong with me?” and drove away. To me, he was merely stating that he didn’t understand why he would care enough to look for Rara. I’m glad that he didn’t get out of his car, and intruded on the couple.

On their bike ride home, Jun teased her back about sleeping together. I thought it was fair enough. If she could tease him about giving her a piggyback, he could tease her about sleeping next to each other.

Jun: Shall we just go to my place?
Rara: No. Just tell Ms. Jin you can vouch for me.
Jun: But you’d be uncomfortable there.
Rara: If you had two rooms, I’d stay with you.
Jun: What? (surprised to hear this)
Rara: If I stay with you, you’ll have no place to sleep. Hmph! I can figure out that much.

She was telling him that she wasn’t THAT gullible. Sure, she lost her way back to his place; she forgot to charge her phone battery; and she was about to spend the night on the street. But she knew when to draw boundaries.

But oddly enough, her remark showed how naive she was. She was telling him that she wasn’t as stupid and inconsiderate as to deprive him of his bed. She was thinking of the INCONVENIENCE of staying at his place but she wasn’t thinking at all of the IMPROPRIETY of staying at his place. Jun teased her then.

Jun: I said we could sleep next to each other.

This is the second time he joked about sharing a bed. Was he trying to shock her?

Rara: What? Hey! (squeezing his belly)
Jun: Hey! (snort) Jeez. It was just a joke.

But he was grinning.

I like how they bantered easily. This was the kind of interaction I was hoping for in “Do You Like Brahms” and “Record of Youth.” Since I don’t like to use the word “chemistry,” let me say instead that I didn’t find that couples in those kdrama believable and well-matched. The actors weren’t feeding off each other’s energy.

4. Jun as her “guarantor”

Jun said he was going to be responsible for her.

Jun: I’ll vouch for her. If Rara can’t pay her debt, I’ll lend her money.
HY’s mom: Are you saying you’ll be her guarantor?
Jun: (nodding)
HY: Oppa! Why would you do that?

Jun explained that Rara already owed him a lot of money, so he’d just add to it. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” He trusted her because she was too simple-minded to be a con artist. By calling her simple-minded, he didn’t intend to insult her intelligence. He meant that she lacked the guile to con anybody.

Rara’s friend would beg to differ, however. She implied that Rara had a way of surviving tough times, despite her air of helplessness.

From Episode 2, at 21:00

Her ex-fiance: I’m just worried about Rara, that’s all.
Her friend: Put your worries to rest. Rara is stronger than you think.

5. Stress-sleeping

Jun fully intended to play his role as guarantor, even though it was becoming increasingly complicated. It’s just as well that Rara fully intended to fulfill her side of the bargain. Even when she was sleeping, all she could think of was repaying him.

HY’s mom. Young lady, how can you sleep right now?
Rara: (talking in her sleep) Yes. I’m so stressed out. I’ve to pay Jun back and also pay my rent. But I don’t know how I’m going to earn money.

Her sleep-talking was cute.

I like her coping mechanism. Every time she encounters a stressful situation, her body shuts down. Her exhausted mind is telling her to temporarily shelve her problems until she’s restored her energy.  When she wakes up again, she’s rejuvenated and primed to face her challenges with a new perspective. She isn’t simply “sleeping” her problems away, in the hopes that they’ll go away by themselves when she awakens.

Jun thought her quirky habit was cute, too. Still, everytime she dropped off in the middle of their texting, he talked to her dog Mimi in disbelief.

Rara: (texting) Jun.
Jun: (he immediately sat up when he received her text)
Rara: Don’t get curious if you don’t see me for a few days.
Jun: (wondering) What’s she up to this time? (texting back) I was never curious to begin with, so don’t worry.

Since he was snarky, she snarked back.

Rara: I hope you have nightmares.
Jun: (text) No thanks.
Jun: (text) Ya! I said no!
Jun: (wondering) Is she sulking?
Jun: (talking to Mimi) I guess your sister fell asleep due to too much stress.

The second time she fell asleep in the middle of the text, in Episode 4, he kept texting her. He knew she fell asleep easily yet he continued to engage in her. Probably he was hoping she’d wake up??

Rara: He knows how to touch a girl’s heart. (texts him) Jun, you really are the best. Good good good!!
Jun: (thinking to himself) She’s so random.

He didn’t know that Rara was thanking him for the make-up gift package that she thought came from him.

Jun: (text) Did you have fun today?
Jun: (text) Are you sleeping?
Jun: (text an emoji: questioning face)
Jun: (text) Did you get any students?
Jun: (text) Everything’s okay, right?
Jun: (talking to Mimi) I guess your sister conked out again because she was stressed out.

Given that Jun doesn’t like goodbyes, it’s probably for the best that Rara conks out immediately and avoids saying goodbye to him on the phone. This way, he doesn’t get anxious about her goodbye because it just happens unannounced.

6. Jun’s secrecy

It’s no secret that Jun’s reticence to talk about his former life gave the ahjummas something to gossip about. They wondered whether he was a loan shark since he agreed to be Rara’s guarantor.

He obviously wasn’t a loan shark but he appeared to be just as shady as a loan shark when he overreacted to Rara’s discovery of his old photo. He snatched his old photo from her and accused her of going through his stuff.

Jun: (shouting) Why go through my stuff?
Rara: I’m sorry. I noticed the photo while flipping the pages.
Jun: (returns the photo inside his notebook and tosses the notebook aside)
Rara: (avoids looking at him)
Jun: Sorry I yelled at you.
Rara: It’s okay.

He realized that he overreacted and apologized. But even after accepting his apology, Rara seemed upset and puzzled by his outburst. So he tried to distract her.

Jun: I heard you got a job.
Rara: Yes. Isn’t it such great news? You must be stoked.
Jun: Of course, you can finally pay me back.
Rara: I thanked God gave it to me as a gift because I felt so bad about owing you money.
Jun: But you don’t look sorry at all.

Jun seldom lost patience with her. But in this particular moment, we could see where he drew the line. He didn’t want his privacy invaded. It’s interesting because Rara had been an open book to him.

7. Walking the dog

This is another cute scene.

He hadn’t foreseen that he would end up caring for her dog Mimi, and building her a room in his house. He was whipped!

Jun: I’ll take good care of her so don’t worry.
Rara: Let me just walk you guys home. (taking Mimi from his arms) Mimi, Unnie is here.
Jun: Oh, gosh.

What a lucky dog! He got his late-night walk all because Jun couldn’t resist Rara.

Rara carried Mimi all the way to his home. He couldn’t help staring at while she chattered nineteen to the dozen to Mimi, ignoring him.

Rara kissed Mimi goodbye. He couldn’t help staring at her.

Rara turned to go back home. He couldn’t help walking back with her because she looked sad.

Rara walked home happily. He couldn’t help nagging, “You shouldn’t go outside alone late at night.”

Outside her apartment, she bid him goodnight.

Jun: Go inside.
Rara: Okay. Goodnight.

But she changed her mind.

Rara: Mimi!
Jun: What is it this time?
Rara: I missed her. Mimi, I’ll walk you back home. Okay?
Jun: No. No. This will never end.
Rara: (pouts) It would’ve been great if you had two rooms. Right, Mimi?

And that very night, he began designing her room. He couldn’t help giving her the room she wanted.

Jun isn’t a dog, but I think he’s been domesticated pretty much like Mimi. lol.

8. Laundromat

This moment – when she tied her hair up – I heard that Korean guys find that mesmerizing. I didn’t think much of this as a trope until I watched “The King: Eternal Monarch.”

Rara: (listening to washing machine) Metronome, 60 beats per minute, Adagio.
Jun: (for some reason, he looked shocked. Was he thinking the same thing?)

Rara: The sound of the machine reminds me of a metronome. It’s similar to the adagio tempo.
Jun: Oh.
Rara: Back then, I think I just played the piano because it was there. Both my dad and my teacher told me to play so I did. I didn’t really think about it. Isn’t it funny? I lost my piano and even injured my fingers, so I can’t play anymore. But now, I really miss it.
Jun: When did you first play the piano?
Rara: When I was four?
Jun: For 20 years, the piano was a part of you. It’s not something you can forget. Those are memories that can’t just be thrown away. Because they define you.

And then, it was her turn to look shock. She probably didn’t expect him to be this insightful. I like Go Ara. I think she has one of the most expressive faces there is among actresses her age. So far, I haven’t gotten tired of watching her in this kdrama.

Something tells me that he knew how to play the piano himself. He knew that she was overdoing it and stopped her, “That’s enough. Don’t rush yourself.”

This was a nice colorful shot. The colors were vibrant, and the diagonal lines from the keys, the piano, and their arms exuded energy. So when Jun grabbed her wrist (I don’t mind his wrist-grabbing here), she must have jolted to a stop.

9. Her guarantor = her guardian

Once she decided to play the piano again, she put her whole heart into it.

She said, “Da Capo. Repeat from the beginning. I was reminded of when I used to play Bach as a child. No matter how frustrated or bored I was, I didn’t rush myself. I was willing to learn step by step.”

I like that he stayed by her side when she practiced at night.  Ha! Didn’t he say he wouldn’t be curious about her whereabouts? But he followed her anyway to check on her.

He made sure that she got home safely. He wanted to buy a piano for her so she didn’t have to practice outside every night on her own.

On a serious note, I want to point that he wasn’t stalking her.

If he had revealed himself to Rara, Rara would have been pleased to see him. But he knew that Rara would have been distracted from her practice so he didn’t show himself. Stalking implies UNWANTED and extreme attention to the point of harassment or intimidation.

I also like that they were doing his-and-her artistic thing. She was playing her music, and he was building her a “room with a view.” I see this as a sign of their compatibility; they both have a creative spirit.

10. Lastly, crying over music

I like that he called her up as soon as he got off from work. He was out of breath because he was running up the stairs in search of her.

Rara: Jun!
Jun: Where are you? Are you home?
Rara: It’s late. Of course, I’m home.

This is like that cellphone conversation earlier in the episode. He wondered why her cell phone was off, and she answered him as if he was the weird one for assuming that she would deliberately turn off her cellphone in a situation like that.

Jun: (he sighed in relief, and stopped running)
Rara: What about you?
Jun: I just got off work. What are you doing?
Rara: Thinking about you.
Jun: Can you — can you not do that?

lol. Again, I’m reminded on that scene by the stairs. She told him she couldn’t run away from him because she needed money from him. His heart fluttered because he thought she was going to say something romantic, only to disappoint him with a joke. So, to stop a repeat of that moment, he wanted her to be less flippant with her remarks.

But Rara didn’t get it.

Rara: Why not? I have something to boast about.

Jun was speechless because she did it again. She got him excited over nothing.

Jun: What is it?
Rara: Tonight, an old man cried after he heard me play the piano. You know “A Maiden’s Prayer,” right? You know, the school bell music. It’s such a common song but he was so touched that he started crying.
Jun: Really? I don’t believe you.

Of course, he was just teasing her.

Rara: Gosh, you’ve never cried after hearing someone play, have you?
Jun: (flashback to when he did cry outside her gate) Of course. Never.
Rara: That’s why you can’t understand. I feel so proud. Do you think, perhaps this was a hidden talent of mine?
Jun: (smiling) That’s ridiculous.
Rara: You just wait. I’m going to make you bawl your eyes out someday.

Is this a foreshadowing?

Jun: I’ll look forward to it. Can you come over tomorrow? I have something to show you.
Rara: What is it?
Jun: Find out for yourself.

We knew it couldn’t be a piano, although he stopped by a piano store. He didn’t have enough money to buy her one so he was building her something instead.

Rara: You’re making me curious.
Jun: It’s getting late. Go to bed.
Rara: I’ll watch the stars first. Go home safely and good night.
Jun: Okay.

I like this scene when he stood outside her window while she gazed at the stars. She reminded me of Rapunzel in her white tower. She was recollecting what he said at the laundromat. Music was part of her life and she wouldn’t be able to forget it so easily as her memories were linked to music.

I think however that Jun wasn’t thinking about just music that day. He seemed to be speaking from personal experience. He was also thinking about somebody or something that had been a part of his life for a long time, but was now gone.

In as much as Rara looked up to the sky for her twinkling star, I think Jun also gazes at at her and sees her as an unattainable star.

Next up, Episode 4.