Thanks, @nrllee! I didn’t know that these episodes have titles! Where did you find these? Please update us regularly. Thanks!

Ep1 – The Errand Girl
Ep 2 – With or Without Make Up
Ep 3 – Revenge is a dish best served cold
Ep 4 – Ju Kyung going on a blind date
Ep 5 – If he has feelings for me
Ep 6 – Ju Kyung running into bullies

So… Episode 3 was on revenge?! Why was I not surprised?

link: True Beauty: Episode 3 The “Revenge”

I don’t understand why a kdrama writer even bother to write a stoic and inscrutable hero when, to veteran kdrama trope-spotters (or psychics, lol) like us, there’s nothing so conspicuous as a guy suppressing his romantic feelings.

A hero in love is like a baby elephant hiding behind a pole. They’re bereft of self-awareness.

credit: news18

Here are 9 signs that Suho likes JoKyung.

1. He suddenly becomes a fashion terrorist.

@Fern is right. This vest is as hideous as the sweaters I buy for my menfolk as gag Christmas gifts.

 

But the vest could be seen as Suho, the baby elephant, hiding behind the pole. To me, it was a deliberate choice for him to wear the brightest color to herald his newfound feelings for her. After all, red is for lurve.

2. He’s jealous of the “Other Guy.”

a. He got rid of SJ’s orange juice and replaced it with his strawberry juice.

b. SJ’s pride and joy was his motorcycle. Since Suho didn’t own a bike and couldn’t challenge SJ to a race, he played a VR bike race instead, and imagined his rival to be SJ.

b. To put an end to SJ messing around with JK, Suho took his key from JK and had his bike towed away from JK’s house.

3. He keeps mementos of her by his bed.

He kept a sticker of the couple skeletons, her hair tie with the couple skeleton again, and a Snicker bars. Will he also add the leaf to his collection?

4. He shows her his weak points.

This is a usual kdrama modus operandi: In the beginning, a hero is always depicted with god-like features to show his independence and self-sufficiency. But as the story progresses, the hero displays chinks in his armor as a sign that he’s likes the girl. So when Suho shows his frailties to JK, he wants her to see more of his true self.  That’s how I viewed that whole scene with the stray cat.

a. He wanted to let her know that his life is as sad as the stray cat’s. Meow.

SH: The cat goes to you. The cat was nasty to me.
JK: That cat is really nasty and crazy defensive. But I fed the cat every day, so the cat does this only to me.
SH: Even a cat? You’re a busybody toward everyone.
JK: Still. I felt bad that the cat was all alone because the cat was nasty.
SH: That cat is like me.

Okay. This confession deserves a bowl of tears.

JK: I guess you know you’re nasty to people. At least you have family, but that cat…
SH: I don’t have a family.

And this information deserves two bowls of sadness.

JK: Do you live alone?
SH: Yes, alone.

JK: Then do you eat…Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.
SH: It’s okay.

And this revelation deserves three bowls of pity.

Do you see what I mean? He’s getting her sympathy.

b. He allowed her to see him cry.

We know that the music played at the festival concert was the same music Suho was listening to when he met JK at the rooftop. And it was Se Yeon that Suho envisioned performing on stage during the festival concert.

Knowing kdrama tropes, we wouldn’t be surprised if he had a hand in composing that song.

I get that he initially pushed JK away when she approached him at the festival. He probably didn’t want her around when he caused a public spectacle of himself. But he didn’t mind crying in front of her when they were alone at the rooftop.

5. He’s combatting social anxiety.

One good reason that a teenager like JoKyung would be confused with Suho’s behavior is his unnatural communication style. One minute, he talks to her like she’s a buddy, then the next minute, he talks to her as if she’s the new girl in school.

a. Take for instance this:

Suho: The Indian Ocean dipole and the El Nino phenomenon were said to have caused the forest fires in Australia. What’s your viewpoint on their correlation?

Unless they were in a debate team together, this topic of conversation is a non-starter.

b. Even in his texts, he sounded lame…and he knew it.

For one, there’s no originality in asking her, “Mwo-hae?” (meaning, “What are you doing?”) and “Ja?” (meaning, “Sleeping?”). For another, it reeks of desperation to strike up a conversation with a girl — in the middle of the night — about nothing important.

Good thing he deleted them.

c. He told JK that he couldn’t wait for his hoodie to be returned in the morning. “Why else would I have come here in the middle of the night? It’s my favorite. All-time favorite.”

Was he talking about a hoodie or a security blanket?

d. Going on about his new laundry detergent was more awkward than the hug itself.

SH: (pushing her away) How was it?
JK: What was the hug?
SH: The scent. I changed my detergent yesterday.
JK: Detergent?
SH: Because it said the scene wouldn’t go away even while exercising. I was checking the effectiveness.
JK: Oh, yeah, the scent is nice. But why is your face… (turning red)?

How did the cool, unflappable guy turn into a gauche, blushing teenager?

JK: (thinking to herself) What a flustering way of checking the effectiveness of his new detergent.
SH: (berating himself) Crazy guy. Why did I bring up the detergent fragrance?

SH could have joked that he might be weak at shooting hoops, but he was better at catching her. How many times did he catch her from falling anyway?

e. What do you think, folks? Was he telling the truth here?

JK: By the way, you don’t have to walk me home.
SH: The bus stop across your house is closer to my house.

Somehow his explanation didn’t quite ring true to me. If her house was along the way, why didn’t he just meet her closer to her house then?

f. Telling her that she’s pretty out of the blue was also embarrassing.

He wondered why lately he’d blurt things out without his brain stopping him. This mental lapse was becoming to be a refrain for him.

pic

Fortunately, JK rescued him from his embarrassment and texted him.

JK: Are you getting home okay? My sister gave me some free movie tickets. After the festival tomorrow, do you want to see a movie with me if you have time to spare?
SH: Sure, let’s do it.
JK: But what movie shall we watch?
SH: Is there something you want to watch?
JK: What about a horror movie?

I like how JK was more natural at texting that he was. If she had merely asked, “Are you getting home okay?” she would have sounded like she wanted to chat with him. But since she followed it up with an invitation, her text had pretext. lol.

6. He becomes a good listener.

He notices little things about her and remembers what she said. (No nagging needed!)

a. He heard JK telling SJ that she liked strawberry juice and he bought it for her.

b. Her younger brother told him that she was showering and removing her make-up. He noticed that she was wearing make-up.

7. He seeks out her company.

a. He reserved a seat for her during Chemistry class.

b. He called her most nights to arrange to meet with her on the flimsiest excuses.
c. He pretended to suck at shooting basketball so she would stay with him longer. Then, the following day, he signed up for the tournament the following day to correct her impression.

8. Noble idiocy

Since Ep 4, when SJ asked him if he liked JK, Suho had been suspicious of SJ’s reason for hanging around her.

From Ep 4 at 1:08:00

SJ: Do you like Im Ju Gyeong?
SH: What?
SJ: You don’t like her?
SH: (sighing) What about you then? Why do you keep hanging around her? Do you like Im Ju Gyeong?
SJ: (snorting) I’m thinking I should.

Meaning, he was going to cause trouble for Suho by going after JK. The following day, he proceeded to do exactly that. He waited for Suho to reappear before approaching JK. Then, he tossed his bike key to her, saying that since she didn’t want him riding his motorbike, he would listen to her. To start their classmates gossiping about them, he loudly said, “Starting from today, I plan to listen only to you.”

JK wanted none of this. She was about to chase after SJ to return his key but Suho stopped her from following SJ. Now, I don’t think he was acting jealous so much as he was protecting her from being a pawn in SJ’s vendetta against him. He knew that SJ was trying to mess around with JK to get back at him.

Sure enough, SJ harassed her all day long: the key, the lemon juice, and the donkatsu. He was obviously calling attention to them as a couple so JK would get embarrassed.

After lunch, Suho spotted SJ bothering JK again. But JK was shouting at SJ and blaming him for her fall. He didn’t know that SJ had actually saved JK from hitting her head on the floor.

It didn’t help either that SJ’s gang came along to tease the couple. She fled from them, muttering, “I just want to attend school quietly.”

Suho stepped in and asked her if she was okay. JK nodded yes but Suho looked angrily at SJ. He couldn’t tell JK the real reason behind SJ’s sudden “interest” in her.

The following night, SJ arranged to meet with Suho to retrieve his bike keys. Without preamble, SuHo said that he like JK.

SH: I like Im Ju Gyeong.
SJ: Is that so? Do you want me to congratulate you?
SH: Don’t use Im Ju Gyeong because of me.
SJ: What if I’m not using her?
SH: Then are you saying you’re being sincere?
SJ: Why? Are you nervous I’ll steal her from you?
SH: I know you think it’s because of me that Se Yeon died.
SJ: It’s not a thought, but a fact.
SH: So when are you going to stop being angry at me?
SJ: Until you die and meet Se Yeon!

Oof. SJ’s response is equivalent to the Great Scrunchie Incident in “Start-Up.” This is SJ’s dealbreaker for me. Nope. He ain’t gonna get the girl. I get that he was a good and supportive son and brother. However, his anger and vengefulness toward Suho were obsessive and out of control.

SH: Okay.
SJ: Does Im Ju Gyeong know? That you killed a friend? What will she think of you if she knows? Don’t forget. You killed Se Yeon. And you don’t deserve to smile. You murderer.

A few points here:

First of all, suicide by definition is a self-inflicted death. Se Yeon took his own life.

Second, Suho did not cause Se Yeon’s emotional distress leading to his suicide. He was unaware that SY was undergoing a personal crisis since he himself was having a family crisis at the same time.

Third, Se Yeon’s suicide was not caused by Suho’s negligence. To prove negligence, it must be established that the suicide was reasonably foreseeable. But Se Yeon’s decision was hasty and impulsive. There was no warning; he had no previous attempts of suicide.

Fourth, SJ had no basis for his accusation. I think Suho realized this, too. However, he seemed resigned that neither his actions nor his words could change SJ’s mind. So he was willing to be SJ’s punching bag until he got over his anger.

Fifth, SuHo also internalized that he had no right to be happy because his friend was dead. I don’t think he was worried that JK would be disgusted with him if she discovered the real story of Se Yeon’s suicide. But he was worried that SJ would continue to play around with JK since JK was intent on punishing him.

After the basketball game, he talked to SJ again to lay the rules of their engagement.

SH: Like you said, it’s all because of me and it’s all my fault. So take whatever it is out on me. I’ll take it. But don’t play around with Im Ju Gyeong. Then, I won’t hold back either.

He was distancing himself from her JK so JK wouldn’t get hurt in the crossfire.

9. He accepts her that way she is.

He thinks her nosiness or curiosity, and meddling in other people’s affairs can be helpful. And he thinks she’s pretty with her bareface.

SH: What are you watching?
JK: Oh, a makeup tutorial. You see I ran into somebody who’s in a tough situation. I was thinking of a way to help her.
SH: You busybody.

This wasn’t a criticism.

JK: Right? I am being nosy.
SH: But you being this way can bring someone strength.

Yes. She was like this too on their first encounter when they were kids and she tried to cheer him up because she thought he was afraid to read a horror comic book. Then, on their first encounter as teens at the rooftop, her last words to him were to cheer up. She said, “Although it’s not my place to say this. Please stay strong. The dead wouldn’t want the people they left to suffer for so long. So you should be happy. You should!”

JK: You see, she reminds me of my old self. Maybe that’s why my heart goes out to her. Of course, I’m worse without makeup though.
SH: No, you’re not.
JK: What?
SH: You’re pretty even without makeup.

We’ve heard all the clichés. Beauty is the eye of the beholder. True beauty comes from within. A smile is the best makeup. Everything has beauty but not everybody sees it. Character builds beauty. The most beautiful person is the one with a kind and loving soul. Beauty is skin-deep, but ugliness is to the bone.

These are all well and good.

But to me, it’s the time that he spends with her that has turned her into a unique and special person in his eyes.

This theme is adapted from the “Little Prince.” 🙂 You can’t watch kdrama on love without seeing the central message of “Little Prince” woven into the story.

Here’s the relevant passage:

“Please–tame me!” he said.
“I want to, very much,” the little prince replied. “But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.”
“One only understands the things that one tames,” said the fox. “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me . . .”
“What must I do, to tame you?” asked the little prince.
“You must be very patient,” replied the fox. “First you will sit down at a little distance from me–like that– in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day . . .”

The next day the little prince came back.
“It would have been better to come back at the same hour,” said the fox. “If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . .”
“What is a rite?” asked the little prince.
“Those also are actions too often neglected,” said the fox. “They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all.”
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near–
“Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”
“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . .”
“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.
“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.
“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.
“Then it has done you no good at all!”
“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.” And then he added:
“Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret.”

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
“You are not at all like my rose,” he said. “As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.”
And the roses were very much embarrassed.
“You are beautiful, but you are empty,” he went on. “One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you–the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.

And he went back to meet the fox.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I have wasted for my rose–” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .”

source: Little Prince

The key points:

1. SuHo became responsible for JoKyung once he saved her from the ledge. When he met her at the bookstore, he showed her kindness and care because he recognized her as the girl at the rooftop.

2. Their nightly meetings, at the comic store and the playground, were their rituals. He looked forward to meeting her on those occasions because he had her company all to himself.

3. “Taming” is getting used to each other’s ways and understanding how each other feel and think without needing much explanation. Just like JoKyung realized on her own that Suho was the “ahjussi” at the rooftop.

4. Like the Prince’s special rose, JoKyung is unlike any other person in the world for Suho. She’s become important to him, and he protects her against the bullies in her life…including her younger brother.

5. “What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Likewise, beauty may or may not be invisible to the eye. But true beauty, with the emphasis on “true” is different. It’s the simple nature of an individual transformed into something utterly, inescapably, and undeniably beautiful — like a profound truth! — by the one who loves and is loved.