I’ll limit this to four things I like.
1. The bookend structure of the episode
I like when the beginning and the end of the episode match like bookends. In the beginning, JaYeong is delivering corn to JiYul when she catches sight of the ex-GF Min stealing a kiss from JiYul. In shock, JaYeong drops the box of corn and hightails out of there, leaving her bike behind.
JiYul: Officer Ahn! Officer Ahn. You forgot your bicycle.
JaYeong: Thank you.
JiYul: About what you saw earlier…
JaYeong: You don’t need to explain that to me.
Then, she walks away. She doesn’t need his explanation.
In the end, JaYeong unloads the box of corn and bikes furiously to JiYul’s hospital.
JaYeong: So when is it?
JiYul: What do you…?
JaYeong: (impatiently) When are you going back to Seoul?
JiYul: I guess you already heard? In 15 days.
JaYeong: (tearing up)
JiYul: I know. Tell you how I feel when I know I’m leaving soon…you must be confused. I deserve to be rejected. I know but –
Then Jayeong wraps her arms around him and kisses him speechless.
As we can see then, nothing much has changed. We have the bike, the box of corn, and the surprise kiss.
And she still doesn’t need his explanation.
2. Taking care of unfinished business
Although they don’t say it, it’s clear that one reason JiYul and JaYeong can’t openly declare their feelings for each other is because they haven’t yet severed ties with their special friends.
Thus, JiYul lets know Min that he’s moved on.
JY: We didn’t break up because I didn’t go with you when you left for the States. What you feel toward me right now isn’t love. It’s just regret for what was and for what could have been.
The subject of regrets is interesting. While JiYul dismisses Min’s feelings for him as nothing more than regret, SangHyeon hoped that JaYeong would not regret rejecting him for JiYul.
JY: (continuing) I loved you so much that when we broke up I felt like I’d never be able to love again. But I think I can now. It’s not that I hate you or that I’m denying our good times together. I just have someone that I want to be with again.
I like that he’s made clear that he has no hard feelings for her but that he has changed.
Min: Officer Ahn said she didn’t feel the same as you. She said there’s nothing between you two.
JY: (sighing) Min. I’m talking about my feelings right now.
Bravo! I’m glad that he quickly cuts her off. Min is insinuating that his feelings for JaYeong are in vain because JaYeong doesn’t reciprocate them; she’s trying to make him waver. But JiYul reminds her to focus on him. I like that he doesn’t allow her to drag JaYeong into the picture.
Min yields.
Min: I know. That I’m being irrationally stubborn. I just missed the old you who was loving. And I miss the old me who was happy with you. I’m sorry. For making you choose between coming with me and breaking up. And I’m sorry that I took your love for granted. It’s not like I never imagined you’d fall for someone else. But it’s a lot harder than I expected. Give me some time to process it. I’ll try to move on.
Min’s reaction is different from SangHyeon’s reaction when JaYeong turned him down. For one, JaYeong doesn’t mention JiYul and keeps the topic strictly about SangHyeon. For another, SangHyeon is confident that he’ll still be a part of JaYeong’s life no matter happens.
JaYeong: Not giving you an answer after you told me how you felt, yet still wanting to have what we’ve always had…that’s just so unfair. And it’s so cowardly. I knew that giving you answer was the most considerate thing I could do, so I thought about it over and over again, but…I’m sorry. (start crying)
Okay, if I were a guy, I would’ve stopped her here. The fact that she had to think long and hard over my proposal meant that she was attempting to convince herself to *settle* for me. Her heart wasn’t in it if it took her that long to consider.
JaYeong: The more I thought about it, the more I kept putting it off. You’ve always greeted me with a smile. And you know me better than I know myself. But I was so scared that I might hurt you. (crying) That things wouldn’t be the same between us anymore. And that I would regret my own decision.
SH: Why are you crying when I’m the one being rejected? Now I can’t even cry.
Lol. I had to laugh because he voiced out loud exactly what I was thinking of at that moment. Girl, why are you sniveling when I’m the one who’s hurt?
SH: You still love me. Don’t you?
He meant platonic love.
SH: Even if we can’t be lovers, I’m not going anywhere. Even if it’s not that kind of love, you and I still love each other. My feelings may hurt a little, and things may not be the same between us. But I’ll still be beside you. I told you before. To me, you’re a lot of things. I’m the same, too. I’m here for you in many different ways. Also, whether or not I get hurt is my burden to bear. That is entirely for me to deal with. So let me deal with it.
This is standard “noble self-sacrifice” trope in kdrama: bearing the pain alone.
I remember what Chansung said to Manwol in “Hotel del Luna.” Manwol didn’t want to die because she was terrified that Chansung would find the loneliness unbearable. But Chansung gave her permission to leave. He compared his pain to leaves falling in autumn. “They might pile up and become very heavy and painful to carry. But I will handle the burden solely as my responsibility to bear. So don’t be afraid to leave me behind. For this is how a weak man like me struggles to do his best to love you with all his heart.”
Sigh. That’s the poetic way of saying it.
Though it worked very well in the Hong sisters’ drama, it would be over-the-top in this romcom. It would be out of character if SangHyeon, the country farmer, said it himself.
SH: (continuing to nag) Don’t be nosy, okay? And don’t regret this. Although I suppose you might regret it when I start liking some other girl.
Lol. SangHyeon telling her not to regret losing him is the opposite of JiYul telling Min to get over her regrets over losing him. SangHyeon is indulging in some sort of wishful thinking.
3. SangHyeon interrogates JiYul.
SH: Do you have any siblings?
JiYul: (eyeing him suspiciously) No, I don’t.
SH: You’re not sick somehow? No chronic illness or hereditary conditions?
Jiyul: (silent, he’s trying to guess where SH is going with this)
SH: Do you have some money saved? Or real estate?
JiYul: (finally getting it) Seeing how you’re acting like her big brother, she must have given you her answer.
JiYul quickly detects that SH was already turned down. Since SH doesn’t have any claim on JaYeong, all he can do is intimidate JiYul by acting like the nosy, big brother.
SH: Seeing how you’re looking for her like that, you must be about to get yours.
Jiyul: Did she turn you down too?
SH: (sighing) I’m not saying a thing. You can hear it from her.
I think the subs a bit off. SangHyeon guesses that JiYul is about to confess but he insinuates that he’s about to get rejected. So JiYul shoots back, “Did she turn down even you, SangHyeon?”
I think this exchange is funny because the guys remind me of puppies; all bark but no bite. In the end, they’ll have no choice but to become friends for JaYeong’s sake.
4. The love confession isn’t cringe-y like Anakin Skywalker’s “sand” metaphor in “Attack of the Clones.”
For those who don’t know it, this is what Anakin Skywalker told Padme Amidala.
Anakin: I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, rough, and irritating. And it gets everywhere. Not like you. You are everything soft. And smooth.
Maybe it’s the delivery of that newbie actor, Hayden Christensen. Maybe it’s the lack of chemistry between the two actors. Maybe it’s the loud orchestral music in the background. Maybe it’s the way Anakin slid his hand on her back like a creepy, horny kid. Or maybe it’s just the flower-y language.
Whatever it is, that sand comparison just didn’t work for me and many others. It got panned.
In contrast, I like JiYul’s love confession. To me, it sounds natural. Although he and JaYeong are surrounded by boxes and boxes peaches, he doesn’t lamely talk about peaches to segue into a confession.
JaYeong: Why are we hiding?
JiYul: Because you keep avoiding me.
And he’s right. She can’t deny this because she has indeed been dodging him.
JaYeong: Why are you doing this? Just act like you always have. Stop trying to…
JiYul: (just waits for her to continue)
JaYeong: Anyway, I have nothing to hear from you, so let’s not cause any misunderstanding.
JiYul: What misunderstanding? And for whom?
JaYeong: (insisting) For everyone.
JiYul: You heard something from Min, didn’t you?
JaYeong: (lying) No I didn’t.
JiYul: Then why are you mad?
JaYeong: Mad? Huh? What would I be mad about?
JiYul: (just stares at her)
JaYeong: (defensively) I’m not curious what you two did or will do. You hate it when people cross the line. You’re crossing the line right now. Do you know that?
This sounds a bit passive-aggressive. She doesn’t want to admit that she’s jealous so she pushes back by accusing him of being nosy.
JiYul: I haven’t…crossed the line yet. I like you, Ahn JaYeong.
Then he steps forward. His words and action tell me that he deliberately crossed that line. He’s breaching the defensive wall she raised to fend him off.
She moves back and bumps the stack of boxes. Peaches come tumbling down and he shelters her with his hands.
If JiYul had been Anakin Skywalker, this would have been the perfect time to do an equivalent of the “I hate sand” moment. JiYul could have said something like, “I don’t like peaches. They’re round, and hard, and intrusive. They fall from the sky and hit you on the head when you least expect them. Not like you. You are everything soft and gentle and welcoming.”
Lol.
Fortunately, JiYul and JaYeong don’t have to state the obvious. I know peaches in Korean culture are viewed as symbols of happiness and longevity. The falling peaches is meant to interrupt his confession, and to knock some sense into them. For unlike the peaches, he can’t give her happiness and longevity as he was leaving the small town soon.
She tells him that he’s acting foolishly.
JaYeong: You’re just confused. You’re just happy that you met your childhood friend again. And we see a lot of each other so…
JiYul: I’m not confused. Right now, I don’t see the 12-year-old JaYeong. I have feelings for the 27-year-old JaYeong. I’m certain of it.
He brings his hands down to his side.
JiYul: (continuing) I don’t know what Min told you. But I’m sorry. For making you hear things you didn’t have to. I apologize on her behalf but I…
JaYeong: To me, Han JiYul is just a little boy. You’re just a 13-year-old boy who handed me a puppy and just left. I’m not doing this. I may be an idiot, but I’m not falling for it twice.
Then, she walks away.
These are the reasons I like this dialogue:
One, there’s no purple prose like Anakin Skywalker’s sand metaphor.
Two, the conversation sounds natural for a 26- and 27-year-old couple. They’re arguing and the argument escalates. JiYul tries to win her over but JaYeong gets defensive.
Three, the stakes are raised when JaYeong reveals what’s truly bugging her. She knows he’ll leave for Seoul when his grandparents arrive, and she doesn’t want to feel abandoned again.
Four, he knows that she’s right, and he hasn’t figured out what to do next.
I like this dialogue because it keeps it real.
Thanks for your interpretation of this episode, @packmule3. I have watched 10 and 11 now since 11 came up as I was watching 10 this afternoon.
I was glad for once that a character cut off any further machinations on the part of the another. Min was trying to get Ji Yul to doubt himself, but he wouldn’t bite. Seriously, while I can’t complain about characters trying to get their desired partners to succumb, enough is enough. Some dramas have too much back and forth due to misunderstandings and rumours. This had some, but it’s over for now and that’s refreshing.
I liked in episode 11 that Ji Yul drives Ja Young to Seoul and back to show her that it can be done. It won’t be easy, but they can date from a distance. They are still getting to know each other and will have to think eventually if they can maintain such a long distance relationship and who goes where if they eventually marry. I also sense that he is warming to the country way of life and he seems not to care who knows about the relationship. In episode 11, we see Ji Yul studying his grandfather’s old record. He doesn’t need to if he’s leaving forever, right?
Because his relationship with Min was destroyed when she made him choose between going with her and breaking up, and Ja Young expressed how she felt when he left her as a child, I think Ji Yul is more determined not to have that sort of conflict with Ja Young.
Reverse trope of the man with the stunned, wide eyes at the first kiss. But Ji Yul gets over it quickly enough. I liked the scene in the car when he was going to recline Ja Young’s seat so she could ‘rest’. She called him on it, saying that he was relaxed due to his experience while she was nervous. He corrects her; he is emphatically not relaxed around her, ha!
I have been wondering if it’s the nurse at the veterinary clinic who might be feeding information to the grandparents? Maybe more than one person, maybe no one. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.
I also like that their ‘secret’ friendship is repeating itself. It can’t stay that way for long, right?
The relationship is giving Ja Young strength to resist doing things to compensate for being rejected and unloved. She can help out for other reasons now – or not help out if she doesn’t want to.
I love her fellow police officers. The older one surely has caught on, unlike the ahjummahs who are still talking about peach wine in between fights.
I wish last week’s 3 episodes would’ve been compressed into one or possibly two, but I’m thoroughly enjoying this weeks fare and am sad I’ve only one episode left.
****ep 10 and 11 spoilers *****
• I enjoyed all the exchanges you’ve discussed but would also like to give an honorable mention to the final talk between Min and JaYeong. Ja yeong admitted her feelings even though she didn’t have to and Min expressed she felt like they could’ve been friends but “let’s not meet again”. At first it felt a little harsh but I’m glad it’s there to show contrast in the two ‘other’ relationships. JiYul and Min are over with no hard feelings but will likely have very little contact in the future whereas jayeong will always have S in her life and he’ll become friend-ish with JiYul. Neither is right or wrong, just examples of mature ways to maintain all types of relationships.
• I liked the car ride and the conversation. It almost felt like it was all ad libs. Are they doing BTS for this show.
• when he was looking at past charts, I assumed he was looking for the record for Cloud IIRC. Wasn’t that the puppy he gave her when they were younger? Makes more sense that’d he’d be becoming more familiar with large animal care, ha
• I would also like to point out the lipstick on one of the ahjummas. It never fails to get a giggle out of me. It feels a little mean to say it always reminds me of the saying “like putting lipstick on a pig” but it does
•I still find the scenery beautiful and I’ve now added Missing You and Magic from the OST my playlist
• I can’t imagine them bringing up a singing competition and that being the end of it but I’m wondering how it’ll fit into the last 30 min
Oh, good point, @birdie007. He could have been looking for a specific record, that being Cloud, the dog.
As to lipstick, maybe the colour on my TV is bad or it has something to do with the video production, but the lipstick seems brighter than it needs to be, even on the men. But sometimes a gal just needs some lipstick to feel alive, like coffee. Lol.
“I’m talking about my feelings right now.” I almost cheered when I heard Ji Yul say this line to Min. He’s right: as far as his relationship with Min is concerned, Ja Young’s feelings have no bearing. She may like him, she may not like him, but that doesn’t change the state of Ji Yul’s heart toward Min. He is beyond resurrecting old love; he’s moved on. And Ji Yul liking Ja Young does not depend on Ja Young liking him back. Whether one sided or reciprocated, Ji Yul likes Ja Young.
“…Whether or not I get hurt is my burden to bear.” Yes, this line spoken by Lee Sang Hyeon to Ahn Ja Young may fit into the noble idiocy trope–I’ll bear the pain and consequences alone–yet I believe there’s a fundamental truth in it. In the end we are responsible for our own feelings and choices. Ja Young clarifying to Sang Hyeon that she doesn’t want to become his lover is her choice; it is now up to Sang Hyeon to manage his feelings. It is realistic that he’d experience feelings of loss, hurt, disappointment. He doesn’t deny that he’ll probably have such feelings. But he’s made a choice to not get stuck in negative feelings, looking ahead to a time when his relationship with Ja Young returns to a positive footing. Although that’s a healthy choice, it’s not one anyone else can force him to make: it’s all on him.
Ja Young’s choice, realizing the nature of her feelings for Sang Hyeon, makes me think of one of the more famous poems written by Kahlil Gibran: “Love not half a lover, nor befriend half a friend…”
https://arablit.org/2016/06/01/new-in-collaborative-translation-half-life-by-gibran-khalil-gibran/
@Packmule3, please check your email. I’ve sent you something of a personal nature.
@Welmaris, thank you for the very apt poem. Why does that photo of K Gibran look like Lee Dong Wook to me? I swear I haven’t been drinking.