A couple of details before I get started–I sincerely apologize for messing up with Secretary Yang’s name…I got it now and I will go back and correct it this weekend (if I’m lucky). I did mention at the outset I have difficulty with the names…faces I can keep straight, but names are tougher. The other thing I wanted to comment quickly on was the change in production companies that was reported earlier this week here. Supposedly–I mean it’s a rumor, right (!)– the original production company has not paid the cast/crew, they have denied it, the accusations go back and forth. For me, the meta humor level is going up by the minute. Rumors–about a show–about rumors. Really. And what kind of irony is it that a drama with a BG story of a wage dispute/labor strike has it’s own wage/labor problems? In reality, I hope the cast and crew have already received their back pay. If you are gonna be a Boss, then one of the main responsibilities is paying the employees for the work they’ve already done, in a timely manner! If not–I hope the cast/crew hire a RL HanSong bulldog-type law firm to go get their wages. Update here–still funny! More hot air from lawyers…”internal issues”…heh, I’ve got my shovel ready!
OK, on to Episode 15–the first 40 minutes is flat and somewhat tedious for me, and then it starts to roll!
It’s obvious that there’s lingering animosity between Tutor and Secretary Lee. This is the problem with workplace romances…if you break up and it’s messy–you are stuck seeing that person everyday. If you can be adult about it, then fine–but if you are going to be a teenager about it, well–just act like Secretary Lee and snub him in an over-the-top way everytime you see him–like this!
IS gets an “A” for sensitivity–he asks Tutor if he broke up with Secretary Lee–and receives a wise answer:
But IS’s doesn’t drop it–instead he asks if there is anyway he can help. IS finds out that being the Helpful Honda Guy is not what tutor is looking for.
(Full Disclosure–ads for this are on the radio/TV so much in my area, we all make fun of it. Sorry for local humor–it’s a way of saying, “You’re making a situation worse by trying to help.” or “Mind your own business–I don’t want your help.”)
Evil Mommy tells SB that Secretary Yang pretty much knows everything about the Han’s and their business–oh, and she has this important job too:
Evil Mommy gives SB a thinly veiled warning–Sec. Yang could look down on SB’s family, yunno, as part of her job “managing” them. I have to wonder if these people get up in the morning and take a One-A-Day Control Freak Vitamin with their breakfast.
And here’s a kicker–It’s all up to SB:
Evil Mommy is happy SB has a clue, and honestly, SB looks so tickled to be in on this..the Clan has her firmly in grasp!
What is the deal here with Secretary Lee, Yang and SB all wearing black skirts with white blouses/jackets? Did they have a memo to coordinate their outfits? It’s weird…
SB sweetly thanks Secretary Yang for taking care of NR’s debacle, and adds:
Secretary Yang is not fooled by the syrupy sweetness of SB–she knows she’s somebody she needs to pay close attention to. IS is happy, now that Evil Mommy seems to like SB–and maybe she really does!
Evil Daddy rants about the pool table at the Club of Exclusiveness–he thinks SB would be a good pool player! I’m thinking poker would be more her style, but whatever…The household help hold an informal gossip session–seems like Secretary Yang is gonna find NR a dude to date over at HanSong, even if she has to make it happen:
It blows me away that there is so much BTS setup for dates in Korea….Is the whole country filled with gossipy relatives, friends, and/or co-workers who try to set their single buddies up with someone else 24/7? Is it more like the shidduch system in Orthodox Judaism? Seems that way to me. Maybe it’s more like the opening line from the novel “Pride and Prejudice”–It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Secretaries Yang and Min gossip in Japanese–looks like YJH and HS aren’t a “thing” since YR got over-involved! Therefore:
Oh, so is YJH gonna be the prize for NR? Secretary Yang starts a butter-up session with YJH. He plays it cool, and he seems genuine as he talks about going to work with his dad. I’m still on the fence with him. Is he a good dude or does he have an evil and conniving side? I change my mind about every 20 minutes. Meanwhile YR and HS start in on each other again…the experts always say you should warm up before exercising. These two follow that advice, as they compliment each other on their beauty! But then YR gets down to business:
*raises hand* Umm…’cause they just want to be friends? Because they are tired of being endlessly set up on dates, and want the joy of finding the right person for themselves without constant interference? HS says that they all went to a concert together because it was more fun that way. Okay, I’d buy that…but YR isn’t buying it. After all, he’s a man and she’s a woman. (!) HS throws it back:
OK, HS is like what, 20..maybe 21 max.. Geez! Stop pressuring her to hook up already! Notice too how YR is so vain, she can’t pass up the mirror to fiddle with her hair and preen–no surprises here. YR doesn’t let up as she mentions all these animal pairs..
I don’t get it….but it upsets HS! Anyways, YR tells her daughter to meet privately with YJH and “develop” their relationship. Is that code for ‘seduce’ him? Dunno about that–but I do know that writer-nim shows us another scene revolving around hair…fixing it, playing with it…it’s the go-to thing for the rich ladies/gents. Do we ever see Mama Seo going to get her hair done? I think not. I love how the writer has certain items like bathrooms, and hair, just to name two, that come up again and again. I can’t help but recall all the scenes in SLA where HW or Madame were at the salon getting their hair done.
The Vulture Friends sit around and chat about NR–she escaped the scandal. I can figure hearing this made Evil Mommy nervous, because when she gets home, she says this to SB:
Uhh, Evil Mommy–SB is two steps ahead of you. She already asked Secretary Yang to help find a dude for NR. SB’s little smile at the end is kinda cool….she’s got Evil Mommy working with her for now. Nice manipulation there! Evil Mommy wants to know the info on the home repairs for the Seo’s. Here it is:
Uh, oh…Mama Seo overhears…The house basically needs a teardown. Secretary Lee pulls the “safety” card:
Mama Seo says they can cover sharp corners and put a baby gate up themselves, thank you very much. Papa Seo gets the bad news on the restaurant/bar idea he thought up–it’s not gonna work out financially. It’s a bad risk:
Burning question of the week–Is YJH gay, or are we being trolled?
HS, YJH and SJW-VF are plotting a meeting of NR and YJH at the bar. Don’t watch the DF or Soompi TV subs–they won’t give you the full flavor of this scene. The Viki subbers blow it right out of the water.
SoompiTV starts out ok–same as Viki:
But now look at the Viki subs:
Yeah, if YJH is gay, no one will suspect anything if he’s “dating” a girl. How draining it must be to pretend all the time!
Uhhh….you mean Gaydar? Pffft!
Yeah, some people have it–and some don’t!
Full disclosure: I have no Gaydar. None at all. It has to be spelled out for me, I am that clueless. I’m happier living this way; having gaydar seems like a burden. I can’t imagine constantly wondering when I meet someone, “Is he/she gay?” What a waste of time and energy. I credit/blame my upbringing on this one. My parents and grandparents (and their friends) never made it a big deal. There were two guys who lived across the alley in the condo complex I grew up in. My parents called them “The Bachelors”..two men in their 30’s who hadn’t (for whatever reason), found the ladies of their dreams, so they lived together. No big whoop. No mention of what went on behind the front door–not our business. No one cared–no whispers, no innuendo. All I cared about was that they were cool neighbors who gave out half-pound Hershey Chocolate Bars on Halloween and drove an awesome giant red Pontiac Convertible. I also went to a lot of art gallery shows with my Uncle and his eclectic, artsy group of friends. I’m sure some of them were gay, but I accepted everyone at face value. My parents may have grouched about how those friends were “weird” but I found these people creative and interesting. They treated me with respect, seemed to be genuinely interested in my opinions, and they were fun to be around–so I didn’t pay any attention to my folks on this one.
NR, HS, SJW and YJH chat over drinks. After HS casually mentions she is IS’s friend, NR asks this question about HS and YJH.
SoompiTV botches the subs a little, as I can pick up “Oppa-Dongsaeng” aka “siblings” up from SJW, not “Friends” as per the subs.
After some more small talk, SJW encourages NR and YJH to date:
By the way, the all-black ensemble of SJW is a huge fashion improvement. He looks urban cool here. Good to know that my rants are heard by those in charge! *patting self on back* 🙂
Papa Seo fixes the wonky toilet and gets this lovely message of gratitude from his wife!
Remind me again–what did the toilet do to fix itself!?! Mama Seo is usually not that goofy….
Mama Seo calls Secretary Lee and turns down the offer to remodel their home. Evil Mommy is stunned-Did we do something wrong? She’s so upset, the nanny has to take JY and leave…Meanwhile, Papa Seo meets with Secretary Yang and turns down Evil Daddy’s offer of help–Evil Daddy makes an interesting observation here:
It pains me to say this–but I kinda agree with Evil Daddy here. Instead of asking for help, and trying to find a business that might succeed, Papa Seo bails out and walks away. However, my empathy ends quickly as Evil Daddy whines that now he can’t control the Seo’s, and this is the most difficult problem ever for him. Want some cheese with that whine?
Next up is Secretary Min…hmm, look at those photos on her computer of YJ, IS and her…they all look younger. Wow, are those photos from a vacation or semester abroad in the US? It looks like she’s sending IS an email as she reminisces about their time together. That’s interesting–Secretary Min was their chaperone before she worked at the law firm? She calls herself a “bodyguard”. They meet for coffee–IS runs up to Secretary Min and gives her a hug–in public. He’s obviously thrilled to see her.
IS gives her a gift in a little bag, and Secretary Min remembers a previous gift from YJ and IS that she still wears…
I’m laughing as I remember a scene from “Angel Eyes”, where Dong Joo gives Soo Wan a blue polka dot bra that he picked out for her while he was in the US studying. I wanted to see a flashback to DJ visiting Victoria’s Secret and buying it for her too. Dang, I miss that show. *sniff*
Anyway, we find out a few depressing things, as Secretary Min asks IS about how things are going with JY:
and IS thinks it’s weird:
It’s good to confirm that IS feels some disconnect here…his parents seem to be infatuated with JY, and keep him and SB away. So warped of them…Secretary Min offers to drive IS back to school so they can talk on the way. Uh, oh–is she gonna spill the beans and tell him about how his perfect Daddy screwed her brother over and caused the layoffs? I have to chuckle too at the use of a car as a “rolling confessional” or “cone of silence”. My kids and their friends would ‘fess up all kinds of stuff to me in the car…it had total privacy. “What is discussed in the car stays in the car.” was always my motto.
NR and YJH on a sorta-date:
After another butter-up session with Secretary Yang (in which she can hardly control her glee that he will date NR), YJH and NR are at a cafe playing some kind of handsy-game while NR digs for info–but in a cute way. YJH better be careful with statements like this:
I also like how he kind of lays it out for her–he doesn’t have a car, or a house–in fact it will take him years to save up. I think he’s trying to tell her he’s not ready to get married and/or settle down. NR is equally honest–she doesn’t have a car or house either, and she’s just a contract worker…so they are a match. YJH is a good flirt though, and seems like a cool guy to hang out with, regardless of whether or not he’s gay. I really hope that if YJH is gay, that their relationship stays friendly and doesn’t go down in flames when NR finds out.
Secretary Min visits Uncle at the trophy/banner shop. Check this out:
This must be Flashback Friday, because I have another flashback to SLA–and the scene where SJ wiped the floor when HW came to visit. I kinda ‘ship these two, they might be good together. After some chit-chat about the trophy business, she gets down to business–she knows IS is the closest to SB, so she told him the deal about her brother…Uncle does not look thrilled.
He doesn’t think SB and IS should be involved in this mess, and he’s given up since Attorney Yoo bailed out. Besides:
At least Uncle isn’t clueless. Know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. Secretary Min comes back with how Evil Daddy only accepts SB now ’cause she’s so brainy, and that there was even a paternity test for JY, but things are different now. She says this about Evil Daddy:
I have more respect for Secretary Min, as she tells Uncle that everyone thinks it’s a Father’s love, but that’s not true:
Uncle wonders how things will change if IS and SB confront Evil Daddy–Secretary Min thinks that at least for a moment, he will be ashamed of himself. She must be really desperate to clear her brother’s name and get back at the Han’s to go this far.
The Vulture Friends have lunch together, and the sharpened forks and knives are out! VF-Eom says she heard that the Seo’s haven’t moved. Evil Mommy responds:
SJW scores a point with me as he agrees that the Seo’s are good people. YR isn’t convinced–she knows the Han Clan MO:
I know I should hate her, but I don’t. *ducking head* YR even feels sorry for the Seo’s! Yessss! Me too, YR! Evil Mommy gets her feathers ruffled, as VF-Eom tells her to keep smiling and fugeddaboudit, but Evil Mommy couldn’t possibly do that!
Evil Mommy gets up and leaves, as the other VF’s chastise YR, who doesn’t understand what she did wrong. Ah, tomorrow is just another day and everyone will be back at it. (More Friday Flashback from one of my fave early ’80s bands!)
IS comes downstairs to overhear his parents meeting with SB. They wanna know why her parents snubbed their generous offers, and what they can do to get the offers accepted. It’s always about them, their needs and wants. Hey Evil Parents–did you ever, yunno, ask the Seo’s if there was anything they wanted help with or is it all on your terms? SB tells the Evil Parents that the bathroom is fixed and Papa Seo will run the trophy shop, so no worries. Then Evil Mommy makes a breathtaking concession.
The Han Household servants gossip–Secretary Kim wonders if this is part of the strategy. AB says no way–then he nails it with this:
Now if people talk, it’s going to be awkward for the Han’s–the one holding the sword (power) has changed! Secretary Kim is admonished by AH and Secretary Lee to not over analyze people or he will never get a date–it’s not sexy! Timing is everything–and as if to prove that Tutor comes into the room and busts up the good times! At least he gets it, as everyone looks uncomfortable and stops talking! Captain Obvious at the helm!
Secretary Lee gets up to leave and Tutor asks where she’s off to…her reply (in English) “My Way” *snort* Secretary Kim tries to give Tutor some dating advice….Tutor should hit on her again:
Viki subbers get it right! Oh, no….I hope that doesn’t mean what I think it does…or Tutor is gonna get a smackdown…Tutor, please don’t take dating advice from this loser dude! AH gets it:
But Tutor doesn’t, as he asks, “How?” and gets this response from AB:
I love the looks on Secretary Kim’s and AH’s faces! Priceless…
Now things are really rolling….SJW, Evil Mommy and VF-Eom are having a drink together. I seriously hope SJW makes a lot of non-alcoholic cocktails, because these folks drink–a lot. YR walks in, and we find out that they know something YR doesn’t!
SJW asks YR if she’s heard from HS yet…about YJH, the prize stud of Hansong! YR says, yeah, so–HS and YJH are dating. Look at Evil Mommy and VF-Eom’s eyes in this pic:
SJW tries to soften the blow that YJH is dating NR and not HS but he stumbles around awkwardly…so YR goes home and lights into HS in the Valentine room:
YR thinks NR came between HS and YJH…HS refutes that:
YR is not pleased…again I pick up a lot of “oppa-dongsaeng” which SoompiTV translates as “friends” (Grrrr…) I understand it on one level..but it loses something for me.
HS wants to be like a “little sister” to YJH. Yes, that’s friends, but it’s a closer friendship because it implies (at least for me) a family relationship, maybe even YJH being slightly protective of HS, as he would if he had a little sister. And it implies respect of YJH by HS–as she would respect a older brother. Maybe I am reading too much into this. You tell me. YR asks a million dollar question–Is this because HS has not:
Ok, yeah, I’d like to know that too! HS knocks it out of the park here–it’s because of this:
And:
Look at YR–HS has completely hit the nerve here. The past is not done with these two yet. YR turns it back:
I can buy that…what parent wouldn’t want this for their child? I totally understand YR not wanting her daughter to go through the garbage she’s been through. This is such a great scene…HS has some good advice for her Mom–go live your life, and I will go live mine. YR is not easily dissuaded though. She vows that if it’s a man or something else–
Oh, no! What is YR gonna cook up now to get revenge? Did these people, with all of their college education never hear of the phrase, “Heav’n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn’d, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn’d”? That’s not from Shakespeare either, BTW.
I don’t have long to wait…YR is at the Club of Exclusiveness. She isn’t even subtle about it–she asks Secretary Kim:
Ooooh, she’s on a mission! YR is my buddy under the umbrella of, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” I love her on one hand for what she does to the Evil Parents, and hate her for stirring trouble on the other…She fusses with her hair as she walks up to meet Evil Daddy. YR greets him informally, “Hey” as he’s reading his tablet. She calls him out right away that he’s not really busy, and that:
She reads him like a book, and plays him like a musical instrument! Evil Daddy tries to act cool, as the smoky jazz BGM plays –another perfect choice! Evil Daddy asks why the meeting today–their lawyers are meeting with YR’s lawyers…
Her response:
Oh, that’s precious–especially after Evil Daddy blamed the Big M for his wife not wanting his Clumsiness in bed…YR has been feeling nostalgic…(no, I think the word you’re looking for is vindictive!)
Evil Daddy starts to look a little rattled here:
YR asks why he’s lowered his voice..after all, the walls have ears here! Evil Daddy says that if they want to talk about the past, they should meet somewhere else! YR asks if he would have met her somewhere else…maybe a more private place? (Viki–“Secretive”) Yep, she’s playing him….and I can’t help myself–I love it. He’s got one big weakness….her! He’s really on the ropes now, but tries to wiggle out of this by dragging out his own self esteem issues:
I wonder where PD-nim found this actress to play YR–there’s almost no info on her that I can find. She’s worthy of an award for best debuting actress..YR puts Evil Daddy’s fears to rest:
But then it ramps up! Omo!
Viki subs do not do this scene justice! Way too ambiguous…High 5 to the SoompiTV subbers!
Then I am on the floor!!
OMG, he gets a handkerchief out of his pants pocket and mops the sweat from his brow…a handkerchief…another one of Writer-nim’s “things”. My mind is blown, as I flashback to SLA….and HW giving SJ that brown plaid handkerchief–the one for his sweaty hands on the night of the concert, but I thought it was for “other” purposes…the one he had on the piano and grabbed in the middle of the concert when he was looking for her. I can barely breathe….I obsessed over that handkerchief, so much so that one hot summer night I even wrote a parody of my own FF about it. I still have that handkerchief too. What does Evil Daddy’s hankie look like–I may need a new one! Yay! A new Trinket!
YR asks:
Well, those long beautiful legs of yours are dangerous, that’s for sure! (TBH–I’m envious!) Evil Daddy can’t even get a single word out without stuttering, as he denies the obvious here. “Oh, no no!” Then YR shifts it into high gear with this:
Whoa! I’m dying here…my mind is in overdrive too. Evil Daddy stammers out that he’s not interested in the young ones either…oh, that sounded so weird…then he seals his fate with this!
Now Evil Daddy is thinking with the wrong head! He gulps down the whole glass of wine too! Bwahhaahaa! He comes home in an extraordinarily good mood, putting his arm around his wife, inquiring about JY…then Evil Mommy pops the question:
His answer: There’s no reason not to be happy! After all:
IS gets a text from HS–meet me at the Club room tomorrow. Uh, oh. He looks worried, which SB picks up on. She asks IS if HS makes him uncomfortable and he denies it–he doesn’t give a fig about her. Then he divulges that he met with Secretary Min…
Wow..this is amazing. He hugs her like he’s drowning….but how cool is it that he felt secure enough to tell her, and lean on her? IS is the vulnerable one here, who needs help from his mate. Poor IS–he’s had his father on a pedestal all his life, thinks his dad defends good people against evil ones, and now he has info from a person he trusts that busts that into a million pieces. SB looks shocked too.
Evil Daddy is in bed, but his mind is on Tivo, replaying the conversation between him and YR earlier…it’s so obvious that his ego is totally fed by her words. What a shame he didn’t have the cojones back then (like his own son does now) to stand up to his parents and marry the person he wanted. He gets a call on his cell phone the next day at work from YR. Immediately, he’s ruffled…
Evil Daddy suggests they meet…YR has this idea:
and she’ll buy him a churro, lol! Look at the beautiful lighting in this room–for setting up a clandestine tryst, it seems way too bright and natural. Hmm…filed away for future reference.
Yep, I’d say Evil Daddy is hot ‘n’ bothered by an amusement park date with YR, as he’s grabbing the Kleenex. What, no handkerchief? I’m disappointed.
Handkerchiefs are so much more….uh, never mind! He probably always wanted to go on a date like that, but never was able to. YR sets up this deal:
And looks pretty darn pleased with herself as she puts on some perfume….Playing with fire, there?
Why do I get this feeling that even though it’s obvious YR wants revenge on the Han Family, she’s gonna get swept up in this big time…her husband is gonna find out, or maybe YR will really fall back in love with Evil Daddy–cue all kinds of messy feelings and disastrous events. At this point, I don’t think she is in love with JH–but that could change. He sure has all kind of feels for her!
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