There are two ways to approach the title of this episode:

the conventional way, which is to focus on the various secrets of the different characters that can’t be told,

or the Bitches’ way, which is to flagellate ourselves into looking for connections between the Taiwanese film and this episode.

But being an uber-Bitch, I’ll do it both ways. 💃💃

Let’s begin with the conventional way and list some of the secrets that can’t be told. 🤐

You can probably come up with more, but I’ll limit myself to 8 secrets so I can write about the film. I’ll order them, beginning with the obvious secrets and ending with the concealed secrets.

1. JiUng’s jealousy for Ung

Though his voiceover may be illuminating to many, to me, it only confirms what I’ve been saying all along about this guy.

Please don’t give me that “he’s complex” excuse. 🤪 He has issues, i.e., negative feelings which he sublimates – or transforms — into acceptable social behaviors.

For instance, don’t you find it odd that after Ung stalked out of the party in disgust with YeonSu, the first thing that JiUng talked about was his kindergarten recollection of being in “the Prince and the Pauper”? 🙄

JiUng’s voiceover: It all started a long time ago. It was all because of our names. It was like “The Prince and Pauper” where the prince and the pauper had similar names.

🤔 Do you see what I mean? How would Ung’s display of anger be rooted in their childhood days? What was the connection between the present outburst of Ung and JiUng’s past memory?Why was JiUng bringing this up all of a sudden?

In the memories, Ung was the original boy who was well-liked by all (Shoutout to title of Episode 4, lol). The kids were drawn to him because his parents owned a snack bar.

Uneasy with all the attention on him, Ung diverted the spotlight onto JiUng by lying that he was the real son of the restaurateur. I thought it was a savvy move because the kids swarmed like bees to JiUng.

JiUng’s voiceover: To be honest, why would be a kid be jealous of that?

He’s in denial. Of course, a kid would be jealous of the popularity. Especially someone like JiUng who grew up valuing popularity (refer to my post on Ep 4). In his childhood memory, Ung attracted the attention not only of their classmates but also the neighborhood ahjummas who joked that he was going to take over the family business when he grew up. The restaurant was named after him, after all.

JiUng’s voiceover: To a kid, it sounded like nonsense.

Sure. 🙄 Keep telling yourself that, JiUng. Lol.

Any kid can intuit the implication of being born rich. But to JiUng’s eyes, Ung was like a mini-royalty, sitting outside on the pyungsang, like a prince on a throne, while the ahjummas fussed over him, like court ladies.

When the ahjummas left, JiUng approached Ung, and ordered him to stop lying like earlier. Ung apologized.

Note: Even as a kid, Ung was an obedient and considerate child. When JiUng asked why Ung was sitting outside for hours, Ung said his mother had told him to stay put.

JiUng’s voiceover: And he seemed a bit pathetic to be a prince. That’s funny, right? Me feeling sorry for someone.

Sometimes, people like Yeonsu and JiUng who are quick to label others as “pathetic” and scorn them, do so because of self-loathing. They themselves think they’re “pathetic” and hate to see their actions mirrored in others. You know what they say: it takes one to know one.

JiUng returned to a small house with nobody and no food waiting for him.

JiUng’s voiceover: I guess he seemed more lonely than pathetic.

If I were to psycho-analyze his narration, he revised his initial assessment of Ung as pathetic, because, as a grownup, he could see his own pathetic existence. He described the child Ung as lonely but this could be projection. He was projecting his own feelings of loneliness onto Ung.

So he returned to Ung’s house, joined him on the pyungsang, and started telling stories.

JiUng’s voiceover: I think that’s how we became friends. But having a friend didn’t make much of a difference. In the end, I was all alone.

Ung didn’t need him to entertain himself. He enjoyed coloring, which is solitary task. When it was time to dinner, Ung had a loving home to return to. Fortunately for JingUng, Ung was sensitive nchild. He invited JiUng to his house for dinner when he learned that his mother worked late.

JiUng’s voiceover: I had never been that jealous of someone before. I thought I’ll never be able to have what he has.

Finally! He displayed honesty. He saw how Ung’s parents doted over him and wanted that, too.

JiUng’s voiceover: But Choi Ung didn’t seem to be jealous.

He thought Ung would resent sharing his parents with him. Since he stole Ung’s parents’ attention away from Ung, he assumed that Ung would be jealous. But Ung didn’t mind one bit.

JiUng’s voiceover: Choi Ung shared everything with me as if he was supposed to. He shared his time, his daily time, and even his family. Thanks to him, I was able to imitate happiness in my life.

To me, that’s the crux of the matter. After all the good things shared with him, he still felt it was only an “imitation” of happiness – i.e., not the real thing — because the happiness was only borrowed from Ung. The blessings weren’t truly his, and he was only the beneficiary of Ung’s generosity and kindness.

His jealousy of Ung is a secret that can’t be told, no matter how much it’s eating him up.

2. JiUng’s unrequited love for Yeonsu

Then, on top of his jealousy, he met Yeonsu on the first day of high school. She’d lost her hair tie, and he offered her his rubber band.

JiUng’s voiceover: But there’s always a third character in stories like these. It’s so obvious. It’s so obvious but…she was unbelievably beautiful.

He was smitten. But during the freshman orientation, he observed Yeonsu and Ung exchanging glances.

JiUng’s voiceover: But I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

He assumed incorrectly that Ung was lovestruck just like he was. Nothing could be further from the truth. To him, Yeonsu was like a goddess. But to Ung, she was a battleaxe. The reason she caught Ung’s eye during the Opening Ceremony was because she looked like a female warrior about to enter a battlefield. Those were Ung’s exact words from Episode 1.

Moreover, when their eyes met for the first time and he smiled at her to try to be nice, she glared back at him. Her contempt was barely concealed when she asked him, “What are you looking at?”

It was definitely not love at all first sight for Ung. In his eyes, she was “ill-tempered.” Given Ung’s penchant for a quiet life, Yeonsu would be the last thing he had in mind.

JiUng’s voiceover: That’s how the story always goes.

His gross exaggeration of Yeonsu’s charms caused him to back out of too soon. Had he pursued her – or “Action to be action” as it was written in “You Are the Apple of My Eye” – then perhaps the story could have turned out differently. He could have won Yeonsu’s affection become the main character, instead of a bystander to hers and Ung’s love story.

JiUng’s voiceover: But it wasn’t a problem. All I had to do was take a step back. I don’t think I’m the main character in this life.

There! That’s the second secret that can’t be told. He likes her but he can’t dream of dating her.

3. The dating relationship of Ung and Yeonsu

This is an open secret. Everybody involved in the filming of the documentary, from the PD JiUng, the Assistant PD Chaeron, Ung’s manager Eunho to Yeonsu’s bestie, knows about their failed love life. But it’s a secret that can’t be told to their audience because Yeonsu and Ung want their privacy.

This secrecy unavoidably puts all of them in a difficult situation. For instance, Eunho and Yeonsu’s bestie can’t bring up the breakup in normal conversation. Their slips of the tongue become bloopers or NGs (NG stands for “No Good.”) which Chaeron can’t use for the documentary.

With regard to JiUng’s filming, he must delete the footages which blatantly show Ung and JiUng couple’s continued affection for each other. Take for instance the party scene when Yeonsu couldn’t help looking back at Ung. JiUng had to delete the footage,

To me, this is a big secret. JiUng can’t tell anybody, especially Ung, that Yeonsu is still in love with him.

4. JiUng’s awareness of Yeonsu’s feelings for Ung

What I just wrote.

Just by observing the tapes, JiUng had confirmation of Yeonsu’s feeling for Ung. But he can’t let this secret out of the bag because, for one, it isn’t his business to disclose, and for another, his chance of dating Yeonsu himself decreases if he reveals the truth to Ung.

5. Yeonsu’s feelings for Ung

She tried so hard to downplay the reason for her visit to Ung. She insisted that she was only going to clarify a misunderstanding.

It’s a secret that cannot be discussed.

6. Ung’s feelings for Yeonsu

This is an open secret. Everybody, except Yeonsu, can tell that he’s still in love with her, but he doesn’t want to admit it.

It’s a secret that cannot be discussed.

7. Ung’s mental breakdown after their breakup

In my opinion, Ung accused of Yeonsu of ruining his life because his mental breakdown was something he was uncomfortable talking about. He took their split badly, and he didn’t want to go through that whole ordeal again.

No doubt he doesn’t want this dark moment in his life advertised so his friends, Eunho and JiUng, have kept quiet about it.

However, after meeting with the team leader of Soen, Mr. Jang, he was told that he was easy to read. According to Mr. Jang, it was clear still had feelings for Yeonsu. To me, this is one of two reasons why Ung put up a cold front when he met Yeonsu at the restaurant. (The SECOND reason will follow in a bit.) He wanted none of the heartache.

He avoided looking at her and speaking to her until she started the ball rolling.

Yeonsu: (mentally) I should apologize to him first, right? Right. Since I’m more mature, I should talk to him.
Yeonsu: (aloud) Choi Ung, about yesterday —
Ung: (interrupting her) I’m sorry. What I said yesterday was just nonsense. Just forget what I said. I was upset, so words just came flying out of my mouth.

This is just like their first meeting in Episode 1, when he blocked her every overtures to friendly conversation.

Yeonsu: Uhh.. Still I was in the wrong. I’m sorry –
Ung: I know it wasn’t your fault. It’s okay. (pouring himself a drink)
Yeonsu: Uhhh. Both my team and the Soen Shop will make a formal apology. And I’ll change it back –
Ung: I’ll do it.
Yeonsu: What?

Ung was shutting her out.

Look: Usually, when somebody demands an apology, it’s a sign that his feelings are still hurt. An apology is needed to set the relationship back to its original familiar or friendly footing.

But in this case, Ung didn’t want her to apologies. To me, he brushed away her excuses and explanations because his feelings were not longer hurt. It didn’t hurt anymore as he ceased to care. And this was a bad sign.

Ung: I’ll work with Nua.
Yeonsu: What? Why?
Ung: There’s no reason for me not to.
Yeonsu: That’s true. But…
Ung: And you don’t have to apologize. I already went to see him.
Yeonsu: Who?
Ung: Mr. Jang.

While he said this calmly, Yeonsu was becoming agitated…for him.

Yeonsu: You went to see him? When?
Ung: He called me earlier.
Yeonsu: (rattling out a series of questions) What did he say to you? Did he apologize? And what did you tell him? Did you just brush it off again? You should tell him if you were offended and have him apologize—

Clearly, Yeonsu was getting upset FOR Ung. She anticipated Mr Jang to ride roughshod over Ung, and to take advantage, and was ready to do battle for Ung…like a battleax.

Ung: I’ll…
Yeonsu: (pausing)
Ung: take care of it.

And Yeonsu stopped. She realized that something was amiss. Ung didn’t seem like the Ung she knew.

Yeonsu: (mentally) But why does Ung seem like a stranger today? (aloud) Oh. Got it.
Ung: Anyway, we only have a week until the opening. So I’ll make sure to be ready for it. I’m sorry for being so childish.
Yeonsu: (mentally) Of course, things are now going the way they’re supposed to
Ung: And the documentary, I agreed to shoot for a month, so I’ll do my best. Let’s end this smoothly.
Yeonsu: (mentally) What is this I’m feeling?
Ung: (takes a drink)
Yeonsu: Okay, let’s do that. (mentally) Why do I feel like something is out of place?

Three things:

a. The reason she felt that he was a stranger was because he was shutting her out. He gave her short and logical answers with no explanations. He’d become inscrutable.

b. Also, she felt strange because he wasn’t joking her about the documentary. He gave the usual platitudes. This somber Ung wasn’t the Ung she knew.

c. Detachment and non-engagement were the overall vibes she got from Ung. He was discussing their future of Seon contract, and the documentary, like they were a professional commitment he couldn’t get out of. He made it obvious that he wanted to “get it over them” so they can go separate ways.

Then, it was time for the Q&A portion. Ung wanted to know if Assistant Director Chaeron had any question for them.

Ung: What else did you ask?
Yeonsu: (wondering) Is he still mad? Or …?
Chaeron: It’s been ten years since you two met on video. How do you feel?
Ung: It was a long time ago, so my memory was a little hazy. But it was surprisingly nice to see her again. If you saw the video, you know we don’t get along too well.

This was such a trite comment. It felt scripted.

Yeonsu: (mentally) Could he really be okay?
Chaeron: Miss Kook?
Ung: Yes?
Chaeron: How do you feel?
Yeonsu: Well. It was pretty much the same for me. I’m happy and surprised to see him.

He avoided her eyes and chewed on popcorn. But afterwards, he walked out of the restaurant. He exhaled loudly, suggesting that he found the whole situation inside suffocating. He was exhausted by all that pretense that he didn’t care.

To me, he’s doing this because he can’t show any weakness again like he did when they broke up. His weakness is his secret.

8. Last, Ung’s awareness that his friend JiUng has feelings for Yeonsu

He couldn’t be that dumb not to grasp who Mr. Jang was talking about.

Jang: You’re very easy to read. When you were looking at Ms. Kook, it didn’t seem like you were over her.
Ung: (denial) What do you mean?
Jang: I think everyone knows except you. As long as you don’t ruin the project because of your personal feelings, I really don’t care. And of course, Ms. Kook assured me that will never happen.
Ung: She did?

He was surprised and pleased to know that Yeonsu believed in him.

Jang: As for my answer to your question…
Ung: (breathless)
Jang: Ms. Kook is very talented. And that’s why I like her.
Ung: (waiting)
Jang: …As a business partner, of course.
Ung: (he swallowed, in relief)
Jang: It seems it’s someone else that you should be worried about, not me.

To me, he should know who Jang was referring to because, earlier in the day, Ung became upset with JiUng for prying into his affair.

JiUng’s voiceover: I shouldn’t have butted in.
JiUng: You’re avoiding her because you’re sorry.
Ung: What?

Overstepping. JiUng was overstepping. This had nothing to do with the documentary, and Ung didn’t ask for advice.

JiUng: You weren’t that bothered by what happened yesterday. You’re not the kind of person who gets upset over things like that.
Ung: What do you mean?
JiUng: You were mad at her, and it had nothing to do with work. You also know that Yeonsu wouldn’t have done that on purpose. You were taking it out on her for what happened in the past.
JiUng’s voiceover: I didn’t have to say that.

Yes, he didn’t have to say this. He presumed to lecture Ung about something he knew nothing about. He was an outsider to their relationship.

JiUng: I can tell you still have feelings for her.
JiUng’s voiceover: What did I expect him to tell me?

Ung: Why are you interested in us all of a sudden? It’s not because of the shoot.
JiUng: I don’t think this is out of the blue.
Ung: What do you know?
JiUng: What don’t I know?

JiUng’s voiceover: What was it that I wanted to check?

I think he wanted to know whether Ung still likes Yeonsu so he can step forward and present himself as substitute. U

I’m sure JiUng’s out-of-place noisiness and advice, along with Jang’s warning wouldn’t be missed by Ung. He knows that JiUng is a rival for Yeonsu. To me, that’s the SECOND reason he was cold to Yeonsu in the restaurant.

This is a secret that can’t be talked about lest their friendship of 20 years blow up.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

So that’s my list of 8 secrets. Of course, there are the secrets of the secondary characters, like

Chaeron’s crush on JiUng,
JiUng’s boss’ real reason for assigning JiUng this task, etc.

But those are peripherals to the story.

Moving on to Part 2…