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It’s crazy, I know… I start recapping a show who already started and I completely screw my plans for the next two months. I feel so sad having missed this train just because I wanted “I do, I do” to be good… Well, that’s life. Hopefully for me and for my readers, Kim Eun-sook (who gave us the fantabulous Secret Garden) is someone who likes to write dramas like a succession of “slices of life”. You won’t feel lost.

First, a quick introduction to the characters and their nicknames:

Kim Do-jin: Architect. Womanizer. Selfish. Prankster. Fell in love with Yi-soo at first sight. Has a car named Betty. Nickname: The Jerk.

Seo Yi-soo: Ethic teacher. Shy and immature. Has a gift to put herself in embarrassing situations. Loves secretly Tae-san but doesn’t want to confess. Fan of baseball because of him. Unfortunately, is the love interest of the jerk. Nickname: DoomedGirl.

Im Tae-san: Builds the buildings drawn by The Jerk. Not good at deciphering women’s hearts and has a very sweet personality. Lives a passionate love story with Se-ra. Nickname: NiceGuy.

Hong Se-ra: Friend and love rival of Yi-soo. Or maybe not… Doesn’t get along with Mae Ah-ri who knows one of her dirty little secrets. With a friend like her you don’t need enemies. Nickname: The Foe.

Im Mae Ah-ri: Little sister of NiceGuy. Funny, full of energy. Absolutely shameless and free-spirited. Has a mega crush on her oppa: The lawyer Choi Yoon and does all she can to seduce him. Nickname: Baby Fox.

Choi Yoon: Lawyer who represents Do-jin’s and Tae-san’s respective companies. Also, high-school friend of them. His wife died 4 years ago. Attracted to Tae-san’s little sister but does all he can to resist. Nickname: Timebomb.

Lee Jung-rok: Playboy and troublemaker. Always loses his wedding band when he takes it off to flirt. Couldn’t survive without his 3 buddies. Has at least 3 different jobs which allow him to meet sexy female customers. Married for money to Min-sook who always finds out about his escapades. Nickname: Oska#2

Kim Min-sook: Married, sexy, clever. Her money is the blood which keeps alive the businesses of all the “gentlemen”. Very proud woman and super classy. Not a (b)witch, which is quite surprising. Nickname: The Queen.

Colin: Mysterious teenager raised abroad and back to South Korea to find his no less mysterious father: Supposedly one of the 4 sexy gentlemen. Nickname: Baby Stalker.

Kim Dong-hyub: Student of teacher Yi-soo. Has a crush on her and does all he can to stay in her class. Cutie pie and smarter than he looks. Also, the chief of a little gang. Nickname: Baby Jerk.

Sidenote: Maddino has recapped the previous episodes and I will deal with them later myself. Now, ready for the ride? Then let’s go!

We start with our 4 ahjussis quietly sipping their usual mango frappuccino at the café of Oska#2. They are wearing suits and casually discuss new trends of architecture, all focused and serious like perfect businessmen… Until they start comparing architecture styles with the singers of Girl’s Generation. I’m ashamed to say they know more about them than myself… They start fighting like teenagers, each guy defending ferociously his favorite. Timebomb calls them pathetic and tries to hide behind his newspaper. How old are they seriously? Suddenly Oska#2 freezes, eyes wide open.

Soo-young (one of the Girl’s Generation) magically appeared behind the window. The men are drooling and discuss the best way to ask for an autograph until they notice Timebomb has left. The guy is fast and has already started talking to her, all giddy and excited. Is “fanboying”  a proper word? Cause our respected lawyer is doing just that: Calling her pretty, mimicking the dance steps and singing along (very badly, Bwahaha!!!).

The other boys die of shame on his behalf in their seats. They harbor a disgusted face and it’s HILARIOUS!

 

Baseball field. The Foe has accidentally spilled the content of DoomedGirl handbag on the floor. She sees the high-school picture of NiceGuy in the agenda and wonders why it’s here but is interrupted by The Jerk. He explains he is not there for the ceremony but because it’s a nice place to see beautiful girls.

 

The Foe asks if he came to see DoomedGirl: “Not really. But I guess it would be surprising if I didn’t meet her either…” The Foe goes to cheer her boyfriend and suddenly has a light bulb moment: 836. The player number of NiceGuy was embroidered on the gloves hidden under DoomedGirl’s bed. Gloves + Picture = DoomedGirl is busted. The Jerk asks if The Foe is alright and she says yes: “I just realized two persons I know are perfectly matched for each other.” She stares at NiceGuy and DoomedGirl who enjoy themselves on the field and then proposes for the four of them to go and eat after the match.

They head to the restaurant and NiceGuy scolds The Foe for her dangerous driving. Pfft. Girl is just upset, let her be. The Jerk is not happy either: He keeps looking at the handbag of DoomedGirl like if it was a snake. The Foe wants to confirm her intuition and asks DoomedGirl to seat next to NiceGuy: She wants to be head to head with her boyfriend, of course. Do I feel like a grilling session in preparation? 

The Foe loses no time and says she just noticed NiceGuy player number today. He replies jokingly she can’t take her eyes away from his back(side) anyway… The Foe says she will pay for the lunch: She wants to drink a lot today. NiceGuy says no problem: He can piggyback her home. DoomedGirl can’t stop smiling and fidgeting on her chair and she is so busy spying every move of NiceGuy than she doesn’t notice the other 2 watching her.

They start talking baseball and DoomedGirl seems to know all the stats of NiceGuy. The Foe of course asks if she is that precise with all the players or only for him. OOps… DoomedGirl starts hyperventilating and The Foe innocently tells her she looks like a woman in love these days. NiceGuy says he noticed it too and he is really curious about the identity of the lucky guy. Is it a secret? Can’t she tell her friends?

The Foe keeps twisting the knife in the wound: Is he a baseball player? NiceGuy can’t wait to hear the answer and looks at her intensely. The fact that he is the topic of the conversation and the only one at the table who doesn’t know about her crush is incredibly funny in a sadistic way… The Jerk comes to the rescue: The man she likes is not a baseball player since HE is the man. DoomedGirl suspects he wants to trick her again and says the man she likes is someone else: The Jerk saw the man at her place the other day. The Jerk says he remembers him now: That “friend” is also a “friend” of The Foe, he even saw them together. To make things clear he gives The Foe a menacing glance.

Hehehe. Someone turned the tables. The Jerk looks at DoomedGirl and says it’s fine with him:

“I don’t mind if she is going out with two other guys cause I’m the only one who really loves her. They do not. Teacher Seo Yi-soo: You know it’s OK to like me, right? You should start now.” I’m confused… You want to help her or to crucify her?

NiceGuy asks if he is confessing right now and The Jerk replies “absolutely”: He confesses to her every time they meet. He adds she always blushes and is embarrassed when hearing this, that’s why he wants to save her pride and bring her back home right now. The Jerk and DoomedGirl get out to talk and she says angrily he went too far. Did he “save her pride” just now? He replies he saved her ass actually.

DoomedGirl: “Do you want them to see me as a two-timer and a playful girl?”

The Jerk: “Do you really want to hide your secret crush? Maybe you want them to find out…”

“What do you mean?”

“Normal people have a field of vision of 160°. You on the other side kept your eyes  locked on Tae-san all the day. I thought you wanted to take your secret crush with you in the grave. Why are you acting so carelessly? Maybe you’ve been already caught actually. As a man who knows about your crush I’m really curious: Why don’t you want to confess? Sure you had opportunities. Are you scared of hurting Se-ra or are you scared of hurting yourself?”

Later on, DoomedGirl is watching TV but her mind is elsewhere. The Foe gets back home and teases her: Sure she must be thinking about a lot of things… She received quite a love confession after all: If she were acting like usual it would be suspicious. The Foe keeps playing with her prey and asks what she thinks of The Jerk: Is he too much for her or not enough? DoomedGirl replies definitely not enough.

The Foe: “I’m learning a lot of things today… I really want to know who is the man who would fulfil your criteria.” Geez. Just tell her you know and get over it! Or are you so much insecure? 

The Jerk in his office. He is reading the Valentine’s confession card one more time and something bugs him. He decides to compare the writing with the one on the insulting Post-its left by DoomedGirl earlier. Bingo! He runs to NiceGuy’s house… and stumbles on Timebomb who pretends to be here to retrieve a “cherished” tee-shirt. He grabs one randomly on the dryer and The Jerk asks if he loves Tae-san that much: The tee belongs to him. Bwahaha… The guy could perfectly pretend he’s gay in order to protect his alibi.Timebomb asks why he came here and The Jerk says he is not here to see NiceGuy but his little sister. Timebomb asks if something happened. The poor man is so obvious with his feelings, The Jerk can’t help but teasing him: “Why? Are you going to take care of her if I say yes?”

Baby Fox opens the door and is scared to death when she sees The Jerk. She becomes cute and sweet again when she sees Timebomb behind him. The Jerk asks Baby Fox if they can talk privately in her room and Timebomb doesn’t like the idea at all. The Jerk: “Don’t worry, we will close the door.” Bwahaha… He is so mean. The Jerk only wants to check her writing and hands her paper and pen. He is happy to see she was the one who wrote the love letter and not DoomedGirl.

Since he is here he asks what DoomedGirl told her about him when they were together. Baby Fox says nothing special: They spent the night at an hotel. The Jerk asks about DoomedGirl reaction: Casual tone? Annoyed tone? Excited tone? He changes his voice and face to match his descriptions and I’m rolling on the floor… Never knew Jang Dong-gun had talent for comedy but now I’m sold. Baby Fox is tired of all the questioning: Her oppa is in the leaving-room and she wants to see him. Well, in fact he is listening to you behind the door but maybe I shouldn’t tell you… The Jerk proposes a deal: A Timebomb picture if she gives him his High-school graduation album. Pfft. She already has his face in mega extra large on her phone. New strategy: Timebomb and him live together, he could give her the password for their house… Sold! What’s his code? The same as hers. In fact the 4 guys have the same since it’s more convenient for everyone. Ha! To play pranks I suppose. Baby Fox needs an excuse to keep Timebomb with her tonight and says the lamp in her room is dead. Oppa tells her to sleep early and reminds her he is a lawyer: It’s her big brother who builds houses… Epic fail but you have to admire her tenacity. She goes to the kitchen and sees that Timebomb stored all the plates on lower shelves for her. Yep, looks like he is not going to help you anymore…

Next morning, The Foe goes to practice her golf and shake some bad feelings in the process. She asks DoomedGirl to explain the meaning of the 836 player number. DoomedGirl can’t stop talking and gives all the details. The Foe tells her she’s not sure about who’s NiceGuy’s girlfriend anymore.

Later on she visits The Jerk at his office and asks him the truth: Is NiceGuy the man loved by DoomedGirl? She’s straightforward and he decides to do the same. If she worries about her couple she should love her man more, not think about what others feel. He knows she has lovers beside NiceGuy and he also knows DoomedGirl never tried to steal NiceGuy from her. In those conditions she doesn’t have the right to complain, right? Thank you!

DoomedGirl shares a meal with a teacher at school. The annoying woman pities her: Kim Dong-hyub aka Baby Jerk is still in her class this year. What a bummer! She informs her a group of teacher decided to go to the mountains in a few days. She could “let her come with them” if she decided to be their driver. Also, maybe she could borrow her nice warm jacket? That said, she would prefer their friendship to stay secret if she doesn’t mind… DoomedGirl decides to use her before that and asks informations about Baby Fox. The Parasite confirms she’s from a wealthy family and has a big brother much more older than her. Shameless witch wants to know if she knows her personally: Maybe she could introduce her… Can I send her on the moon, please? Like this:

For now, Baby Fox is busy admiring a red dress in a luxury store.

The Queen greets her and the kiddo is super happy to see her: She compliments her skin and the woman says botox is 10 times better than a husband to stay young. The 2 women are just adorable and Baby Fox tells her unnie she has a hard time with his big brother these days. She wants to know if The Queen is also opposed to her being with Timebomb and the reply is no: As long as she doesn’t steal her hopeless husband she’s on her side. LOL! She adds her real problem is the age gap between both of them. The Queen gives her a free advice: “Never give affection to a man who doesn’t like you: Kill him. Or you’re going to end like me.” So cool!!! Love those two. We get to know The Queen is the landlord of the entire street. When Baby Fox tells her she wants to try a part time job nearby, The Queen tells her she has the perfect solution…

Business lunch for The Jerk. Boss tells his employees to eat even if they are not hungry: They are manual workers, they need energy. Hum. Should I call him mother rooster? He sees the boys twisting their hands and asks for the reason, now or never. The boys want to drink before spilling the beans so it must be serious… The story is: Their team leader had a fight with a client. The client threw a glass at the team leader’s face and now the victim has to hide at home for 2 weeks cause he can’t pay for the hospital. That client has brought only problems from the start: Delayed payments, virtual flaws, insults flying etc…

The Jerk passes into revenge mode and storms into the client’s office.

He grabs the glass on the desk and throws it at the wall, almost in his face. Rawr! The guy takes a condescending tone and says he can’t work with him anymore. The Jerk says it’s him who can’t work for such an ass. He rips the contract in front of him and tells him to find another architect. “By the way, all the architectural firms in South Korea share informations and they hate bastardish clients the most. Maybe abroad…”

Thanks but no thanks, keep the trash at home. The Jerk comes back to the office and the injured team leader is waiting for the sentence with his buddies.

“Do you want to die? Do you know why my salary is bigger than yours? Because if something like that happens you can hide behind me. Dealing with filthy clients who refuse to pay is my job. Also, I’d rather lose 200 000 $ than one of my men. Hell! I’ve been bankrupt 3 times in my life already. I burden my workers with physical work but the mental stress is for me. Understood?” The guy apologizes in tears and the boss tells them to work later in order to compensate if they are that sorry. Seriously, I want to work for that guy. Bad news though: Timebomb refuses to plead his case cause he is sure to lose: Why did he have to rip the contract? 200 000 $ just flew by the window…

The Jerk and NiceGuy meet at night. NiceGuy wants to remodel the kitchen of The Foe for their 1st year anniversary and he needs to measure the room. The Jerk proposes to   do it for him, not because he wants to help but because he wants to see DoomedGirl. He heads to her house and imagines himself walking in the grassland.

He scolds DoomedGirl for opening the door without asking who’s there and she tells him NiceGuy sent her a message. Is she disappointed to see him instead of her crush? Well, he came precisely because he knew she was alone at home: Given the hour he hoped he could see her coming out from the shower. This guy is a wolf! DoomedGirl fights with her laptop which crashed just now and The Jerk asks her to be useful and help him instead of smashing the poor thing. “Do you want to hold or do you want to go up?” DoomedGirl holds the chair. “Do you care for me that much?” He hands her the end of the measuring tape and climbs on the chair.

Once it’s done he offers to help with the computer: Usually the blue screen happens to him when he watches porn movies infected by viruses. Could it be the same reason for her? Bwahaha… He asks for a milky coffee while he tries to solve the problem. The comp restarts and The Jerk is rewarded with pics on the screen: DoomedGirl in bikini!

He starts zooming in, totally mesmerized. He even tries to see her chest better by looking behind the screen like if it was an hologram.

Silly music + him in his exhibitionist trench coat = Pure hysteria. Bwahaha… My abs! The poor man is so absorbed that he doesn’t notice the return of DoomedGirl. He starts panicking and decides for the most stupid strategy ever: He throws the milky coffee at the screen. I tried. It doesn’t work. Both are in shock and he waits for her to call him a pervert, but it doesn’t happen. She’s mad at him for the monitor not because he oogled the pic. In fact she is very proud of it and shows it to everybody: She wanted to have a souvenir after the diet she went through last summer. The man is relieved since he only has to buy her a new computer but he adds it’s her fault: He is sex deprived cause he stopped sleeping with random girls because of her. Also, her neckline makes him crazy. He leaves the room and she checks herself in the mirror. She gets startled once again when he comes back. Her reflex is to pull on her shirt and she ends up showing him her belly…

He tells her he really doesn’t want to leave right now but it’s better if he doesn’t want to do something foolish. RAWWWR!!!!

The Jerk goes to buy a new laptop and stumbles on Oska#2 who also has to replace his own comp, again. Cause it’s been smashed by The Queen, again. The Jerk tells him to just stop and keep his favorite porn movies in his heart.

“But my heart doesn’t have HD quality.”  

I know! And surely no THX sound either…

The day after, Baby Fox goes to visit Timebomb at his office. She tells him to close his eyes for 5 seconds. Promised, she’s not going to kiss him or touch his hair. What? If you don’t do it I will change your nickname! 

An attorney comes in and Baby Fox looks at her rival with critical eyes: Strong perfume, confidence. She wants to steal her oppa! The rival quickly leaves and Timebomb grants her her 5 seconds.

Apparently she only wanted to check the color of his skin and compare with leather samples. Five seconds pass and more… And Baby Fox has to get him out of his trance: “Did you wait for something? Or else your perception of time is pretty bad.” Hehehe. She asks him not to go and eat with the attorney and cites the message on the rear-view mirrors: Objects are closer than they appear. She has an eye on him!

Baby Fox starts working at Oska#2’s café and the man is utterly depressed. He perfectly knows it’s an idea of The Queen to keep him in line. He vents his frustration on his buddies later, saying Baby Fox is like a human CCTV which shows the “ON AIR” signal when he looks at a woman. The boys start to pat his back and then remember they signed a deal with The Queen: They can’t help him anymore with his bedtime stories. Timebomb adds he can’t even curse her sincerely: He wants to file an order of restraint against Oska#2 until he becomes a responsible husband. Him and The Jerk leave the player alone at his table.

NiceGuy and The Foe enjoy a walk in the park and she decides to ask him directly: Did he want to leave her at some point? Is she the number one in his heart? NiceGuy replies he wanted to dump her countless times but he never did, must mean something right? Plus if he found better he is not the kind of guy who hesitates: He would inform her right away and then run to the other girl, in that order.

 

The Foe wants to have a romantic soirée just for the 2 of them and tells him her house is free for two days: DoomedGirl goes hitch-hiking with her fellow teachers.

Bad news: DoomedGirl receives a text message at the last minute from the Witch Teacher who basically says the trip is cancelled because of family problems.

Girl is upset, she was just leaving with her mountain clothes on her back! At that moment a special delivery guy arrives with a box sent by Baby Fox. It’s the sexy red dress and Baby Fox orders her to put it on once she receives it.

She also has to show delivery boy personally: It’s written on the receipt. LOL! The doorbell rings and NiceGuy is here for his date with a bottle of wine. Bwahaha…

The sight leaves the man speechless and puzzled. DoomedGirl tells him the trip is cancelled so she decided to go to a party instead: The house is still free for them, he doesn’t have to worry. DoomedGirl leaves the house with a “work well” instead of a “have fun”, embarrassing herself one more time. She has her little red dress, an empty purse and her phone.

BabyStalker goes to buy new shoes which could match his grunge look. The girl who takes care of him is very professional: They have a fidelity card and he can even share the points with his girlfriend. Hehe, smart girl knows how to get infos AND keep the man close at the same time.

The date of NiceGuy turns bitter. He is worried cause he knows DoomedGirl flew the house to leave them alone. He suggests they go eating outside so she can come back and The Foe gets mad at him cause he cares more for her friend than for her. NiceGuy doesn’t want to fight and decides to leave. The Foe tells him it’s over between them if he does so. Emotional blackmailing? Now I hate you girl. NiceGuy tells her to rest, she looks exhausted.

DoomedGirl sits on a public bench at night and everyone stares at her. I would stare too. She calls Baby Fox: She’s in trouble because of her stupid prank. Baby Fox asks if the dress is pretty and DoomedGirl tells her it’s embarrassingly pretty so she better send a taxi her way. Baby Fox tells her to just come to her house. DoomedGirl does just that and admires the house of her ancient student from the street.

She realizes Baby Fox and NiceGuy are really from a wealthy family. NiceGuy comes back from his shortened date and DoomedGirl invents an excuse: She’s here to pick up Baby Fox so they can go to the party. The 2 women leave and Baby Fox decides for a trendy Club. Poor DoomedGirl has to deflect all the men who hit on her.

I think I would have a nervous breakdown. Baby Fox abandons her to go dancing and she has to take shelter at the bar. Coincidence: Baby Stalker is here too and comments she is indeed a bold woman: She steals cars, she wears scandalous clothes, anything else? Is she really an Ethic teacher? DoomedGirl is in a bad mood and tells the kid to just leave her alone.

She is not able to get a hold on Baby Fox, who for her defense is stuck in the Club’s toilets. Baby Stalker passes by and hears the cries for help. He could ask the staff to intervene but prefers to kick the door. Guess it’s more dramatic to impress a girl.

Baby Fox doesn’t have the time to thank him but remembers his face: He was the guy who shared his earphones with her in the plane. Don’t worry, I bet you will meet him again. 

DoomedGirl waits for Baby Fox outside the Club so she can give her some money for a taxi. She realizes in retrospect than Baby Stalker is the hitch-hiker she helped once. She thinks aloud and calls him a punk before noticing he is just behind her. DoomedGirl, I really like you: You never disappoint me with your awful timing. She goes to scold him for wandering in adult places and asks for his parents number. The kiddo evades with a smile and bets they will meet again. Can I bet too?

That same night, Timebomb has a dinner with attorney Kang and Oska#2. The latter tells the woman to be persistent if she likes his boss and advises his buddy to loosen a bit. Subtlety is not his forte…

DoomedGirl checks her phone to find a savior and decides to play her joker: The Jerk. She asks him to pick her up: It will compensate for the coffee drown computer. The Jerk says the offer is not interesting enough and he is busy anyway. DoomedGirl starts whining on the phone:

“It’s late, I have no money and I’m alone. I’m wearing a ridiculous microdress. I called you as a last resort! Can’t you see I’m desperate?”

“Just get in the car of the bastard who offers you the most money.” Omo! He turns the wheel and goes to the rescue while her phone’s battery dies.

The Jerk finally finds DoomedGirl who is trying to negotiate her way back home with a man. She acts all cute and smiles and The Jerk’s blood starts boiling. Man, she’s doing what you just told her. He finally can’t take it anymore and decides to claim his woman… By crashing his beloved Betty in the trunk of his rival.

Hormones 1. Brain 0.

Comments:

This show is so much fun! It’s my feel good drama for this summer.

The editing is fast, worthy of MTV. We have a lot of two-way dialogues. The situation comedy is at his best: The coincidences are played at an absurd level just for the fun of it. It has a manga-ish touch. The relationships between all the characters are so entangled and complicated: You have conflicts of interest everywhere but no real Bad Guy (or woman) for now. We have nice clothes, nice houses, nice music. And beautiful people for everyone: Woman, cute girl, oppas, ahjussis. Pick your poison.

I will definitely recap that gem til the end but you will have to be patient for the updates since I need a few days for each episode. Hope you will like it! Don’t hesitate commenting!