This episode is fun especially if you’re Na InWoo’s fan. (side-eyeing @Cleopatra and @Fern)
The first three episodes set up the details of the female lead’s world: her cancer and abominable husband in 2023, then her time-travel to 2013. So it’s about time that this fourth episode shifted attention to the other half aka male lead Yoo JiHyuk.
This episode answered our questions about him. I’m glad that the screenwriter didn’t prolong the mystery and I like the way the director began and ended the episode with him.
Notable things.
1. The cat
If the female lead JiWon (JW) had the floating, swirling cherry blossom petals to herald her new life, then JiHyuk had the cat. The cat was the reason he had the car accident and was transported back in time to April 2013. Curiously, the cat was also his housemate aka confidant in 2013.
Who knew that he was a cat lady gentleman?
2. Jealousy
I thought JiHyuk’s character was bland, so I was pleasantly surprised when he quickly intervened and put an end to Baek EunHo’s chat with JW. That was a boss move. I also liked the death stare he gave EunHo for daring to go after JW.
I recognize that look in dogs! If he were a dog, he’d be snarling and baring his teeth.
3. Awkwardness
Considering that this is the second life for both them, it’s obvious that JiHyuk has no experience dating. In the future, JW will be the one to lead him in this relationship.
JW: Thanks for the ride. I’ll go inside.
JiHyuk: Shall I escort you to your door?
JW: What?
JiHyuk: (embarrassed) Ah! Never mind. Ms. Kang.
JW: (nodding)
JiHyuk: I think we need to meet as many people as possible before getting married.
That’s sweet of him. He’s trying to encourage HER to break up with her current boyfriend MinHwan and date others. He can’t reveal that he knows about her future. But she misinterpreted his remark and thinks that he’s stating his personal belief on dating.
JW: You’re more free-spirited than I thought.
JiHyuk: I wasn’t but now…No, wait. I won’t be from now on. Anyway, I don’t think marriage is a must.
He’s digging a hole with every word he speaks.
JW: So you don’t want to get married.
JiHyuk: No, I’m getting married. What I wanted to say was… I mean…well… I swear…
JW: Mr. Yu, it’s nice to see you smile.
4. Jealousy, sexism, conservativeness, or …?
What do you think?
JiHyuk walks in the office to see the boyfriend Park MinHwan waving his — ewww— froggy hands in front of her.
See what I mean?
JiHyuk is so busy looking at JW grinning back at MinHwan
that he knocks over ramen noodles then bumps into a colleague. Flustered, he approaches JW and blurts out the thought running in his head without filter.
JiHyuk: Your outfit…doesn’t seem suitable for work today.
JW: Huh?
HeeYeon: (rising to her defense) It’s very suitable for so why are you criticizing her?
JiHyuk: (realizing his faux pas too late) Ah. I must have felt that way because I haven’t seen her without her glasses. Excuse me.
But he specifically mentioned her outfit, not her glasses.
JW: You saw it yesterday.
MinHwan: Hmmm?
The room is silent. Like MinHwan, they want to know what’s going on since JiHyuk and JW couldn’t have met each other on a Sunday.
JiHyuk: That was the weekend, and it’s the first time at work.
MinHwan: (even more confused) Hmmm?
JW: Aaah. I see you’re wearing contacts, too.
JiHyuk flees the place when he starts getting compliments for his new look. MinHwan wonders if the JiHyuk and JW went out to get contact lenses together as she isn’t wearing her glasses, too.
Later, JiHyuk attempts to salvage his contretemps.
JiHyuk: Ms. Kang. Why did you dress like that for work today?
JW: Do I look that strange today?
JiHyuk: No, it’s not that. (taking a deep breath) Never mind. I shouldn’t have said that.
He turns to leave then changes his mind. This tells me that this is really bugging him, and he wants to get it off his chest.
JiHyuk: I wore my contacts today after what you said.
JW: (looks at him and grins) Ah.
JiHyuk: So I was wondering if you dressed like this because of — or for — someone.
There! Although it’s understandable if we presumed that he was jealous and/or controlling, in truth, he was only wondering if she had glammed up for him, just like he ditched his contact for her.
JW: It makes me feel good. I dressed up for the first time like this, and it felt good. And people started treating me differently because I dressed up like this.
JiHyuk: Wouldn’t it be wrong for others to treat you differently over how you’re dressed?
This implies that, to him, it doesn’t matter how she dresses up. Despite her dowdy clothes, he sees and appreciates her value. He doesn’t want her to change her looks (i.e., dress sexily) to gain the attention and win the approval of others, especially that good-for-nothing boyfriend of hers.
JW: You’re right. But there are people who do that. I think this is the right way to deal with those type of people. From now on, I won’t just foolishly stick to formalities anymore. For my sake.
JiHyuk: For your sake?
JW: Yes.
JiHyuk: (grinning)
JW: I swear you look different when you smile. I hope you smile more often. Also, I’m not an expert on this either, but I think it would be better if you change your fashion style a little. I recommend that. Bye now.
She scurries away. He immediately heeds her words and calls up his sister to go shopping and get her fashion advice.
5. The financial investments of MinHwan
JW discloses to her frenemy SooMin that MinHwan is killing it in stocks. Of course, she does this to encourage SooMin to chase after him. She knows that Soomin can’t resist coveting what’s hers.
6. The heart on JiHyuk’s chest
Lol. I was going to joke about the Obligatory Shower-Scenes-and-Naked-Torsos in kdramas but then I saw the purple heart tattoo on his chest and started chuckling. That was a nice tie-in with her father.
That’s it. My quick takes.
So far, this show has been entertaining. There’s nothing complicated, twisted, or sadistic about it. I was prepared for tormented souls like in “Little Women” but JW is turning out to be very reasonable and measured in her “revenge.”
Plus, everybody can see why Park Min Young is the queen of romcoms. Many viewers say that she’s been typecast in these roles, but hey! why should she reinvent the wheel when she knows well how to deliver a consistent, reliable performance as a girl-next-door. I say do what you are best at.
Next up, my commentary on “My Demon” Ep 12.
I’m enjoying this drama so much I’ve watched each ep twice already 😀
Which parts did you like, @Stacy?
@Packmule3,
I have to say that I haven’t watched any previous show of Na In Woo. Well, I am not going to deny the obvious! In this one, I like him very much.
😁😊😂🤣
Also, that ginger cat along with the heart made my night on Tuesday. It was a nice touch.
It is like her father branded him for her.
I can also can hear him say: Look at him silly…! He is the man you are looking for!
I am all the way Team Ji Hyuk! 💙
I saw him in “Mr. Queen” but I didn’t complete that drama. I watched him in “River Where the Moon Rises.” He was the replacement for the actor (playing the male lead no less) who had to withdraw from the drama midway through the filming because of a scandal. He did well, considering that he had to learn everything right away and redo the beginning on his own.
I tried to watch him in “Jinxed at First,” but I couldn’t stand the premise and his co-star. He had another drama recently…a detective drama?? I skipped it, too.
I do get to see him on 2D1N. Last Sunday’s episode was a hoot.
@pm3 Hmm, hard to narrow it down, but I’d say my favorite parts are when JW stands up to the bullies and pretty much all of the interactions between JW and JH. And the cat. Can’t forget the cat lol (certified cat lady here – I have 9!)
As someone who was bullied in middle school, this kind of plot is fun. I don’t know how many times I imagined the girl who bullied me getting her come-uppance.
@Stacy,
Nine cats?!! Wow. That explains the cats on your avatar (that little photo beside your name).
Yes, it was satisfying to watch JW challenge her bullies and discover who had put them up to it. I like how the drama is giving “life lessons” on how to deal with bullies, instead of just focusing on the vendetta/revenge theme.
I’m not wild about office romance but I’ll temporarily my mental reservations for now.
Thanks @pkml3,
@pkml3, @Cleo, @Stacy
So far, so good… the difficult beginning (which I mostly skipped through) did not deter me from trying a bit more of this series.
I agree that I like the leads here. NIW and PMY are great to watch. The bf is a farce and his nonsense has lost most of it’s sting… he’s just becoming more irritating.
What a contrast in torso exposure scenes. One so OTT and cringe-worthy, the other so hidden but revealing so much more of great moment.
@pkml3, I noted the life lessons too, which is such a good thing to have in a show, especially when we compare this to the other show where erroneous info keeps being depicted (yes the Demon show).
At least, I might be happy to promote this show to a young person who’s facing bullying. I do like that with prior knowledge, FL is taking the initiative to right wrong impressions/false information. I only hope she can keep doing so without causing harm to another person who will (I guess show is going to bring us there) ‘steal/take’ her fate, the way the wrong person took the coffee in Ep 3.
It would be so much better if she could convert/transform what she knows will happen to become something good, instead of just looking for a scapegoat to take on the bad experiences of her past life.
This thought gets me asking, what is ML’s second life for… not just for himself to relive his life, per se, but in order for him to look out for FL and get her to end up with him?
That’s a lot of ‘power’ that FL’s dad had if his dead hand (or link with some supernatural power) could bring back the past and place in it the ‘right’ man for his daughter, as well!!
The sister/new friend makes me giggle.
When he said something at the office about her attire and she brought up that he was wearing contacts, the sister had the funniest facial expression. And even though she dislikes SM, when she was still raising her hand since fried chicken was involved.
I’m wondering if they will give her a romantic attachment. Maybe the chef since she likes food? Or the chairman’s secretary/right hand man.
I wonder how long JH had been in his second life before JM appeared in the office
It’s a fake shower scene, we see only the shoulders!
So, as I guessed early, he’s from future too.
If I guessed, anyone could, so no needs to make more mysteries longer.
I’m still surprised the way it’s revealed: alone at his home, with a cat.
And the damn coincidence: I have this kind of cold revelation for a character, alone at home, with a cat, in my “maybe future” Alien Surgeon drama. And more, the same episode number.
Marry my husband is a drama of quality. That doesn’t entousiasm me like crazy but I don’t feel boredom. There are enough plots and good pace. Nice vilains, even if they now look like smaller ones.
@Wenchanteur,
I thought the revelation was gradual. It began when Ji Won saw her new bestie HY with JiHyuk outside the jewelry store. That night, at bedtime, she remembered that in her previous life, her boss JiHyuk was rumored to be having an affair with HY. It was interesting that she was upset with her ex husband, calling him a useless jerk, because he had erroneously put in her head that JiHyuk was interested in her. That tells us that she was disappointed that JiHyuk wasn’t interested in her after all.
Then while she was mulling over JiHyuk and HY, the camera switched over to another part of town and showed what those two were doing. They were together with their grandpa and HY was tiring JiHyuk out with incessant chatter. He brought her home then went over to the dojo to practice martial arts. He planned to teach Ji Won self-defense.
He got all sweaty after the workout so he took a shower when he got home. After his shower, the camera showed his tattoo with a voiceover of Ji Won talking about the heart her father drew on money.
He walked out to living room and confided in his cat that he didn’t know whether he should simply reveal the whole situation to Ji Won instead of tip-toeing around it. Then, the cat jumped off the couch and we got the flashback.
We found out that it had been a cat that caused the accident that resulted in him traveling back in time to spend that evening with the cat, nursing a drink, and wondering what his next move would be. 😂😂 The cat has nine lives. So far, this is only his (and Ji Won’s) second life, and he’s already confused. He should be more zen-like, like the cat.
I thought the director wove the moments together very smoothly. The sequence of events flowed well and didn’t feel contrived.
@pkml3, @WE, @Birdie, @Stacy, @Cleo
Where was the part that showed that the cat caused the accident and JH traveling back in time? I seem to have missed it.
I like the new bestie, Hee Yeon too. We need to watch her on the side when things are going on… she’s doing her own one-woman act because she has extra knowledge. She might be a sister or cousin to JH.
It took me some time to figure out what JH was on about with JW’s office wear and then it hit me that he didn’t want her to feel she needed to dress up to be appreciated/well-treated (he’d told her that as @pkml3 noted above), in the same way that he’d worn contacts because of what she’d said. Perhaps he wanted his words to have made an impact on her, as hers had on him?
Kalimera Unnie!
I do hope you are feeling better!
Yes, in the second part of the show, when JiHyuk goes back home after the martial arts demonstration, we get to see a flashback! You need to check this btw! *grins*
@GB,
The cat crosses the path of JiHyuk’s vehicle at 58:02.
He swerves to avoid hitting it but then gets in the lane of an oncoming truck. He swerves again then hits those orange traffic barrels. He goes flying after that.
Thanks @pkml3 and @Cleo. I rewatched again and finally remember that I did see it before but forgot that scene.
@WE, trust you to have the writer’s eye for this show… you’ll watch all the bad bits and good bits and pick up tips for your own writing. I, on the other hand, only watch dramas for fun and since this Show is not fun to me, I dropped it ages ago. 🧐🤪😎😂