It’s fortune-telling time for the Block Ahjummas. And while life doesn’t quite go the way they expect when hearing their future, it sure provides us with a bowlful of great moments to squeal over. So join me as we chat about life, love, and fortunes in this week’s recap.
I swear this show is trying to kill me. You probably think I am talking about Jung Hwan soulful looks, and yes those are killer, but really I am talking about the length of the episodes. 1 Hour 44 min of episode might seem like nothing to worry about, but when you are overwhelmed with holiday festivities it is killer. I still am not sure why all the “Answer Me” series have mismatched episode time counts, but they need to stop it. For all of us that recap. I give credit to everyone who recaps every scene……..I am only doing the highlights of one episode per week and it still takes me forever to complete.
So all of the above is my long winded way of saying this is going to be a short(ish) recap because I still have a ton of presents to wrap and some flipping bows to figure out how to make. So let’s quickly jump into this week’s events on the block.
Let’s start with the new couple, Bo Ra and Sun Woo. They are officially dating and attempting to keep it a secret. Something I can understand since I don’t think as a college student, I would want my dating a high schooler bantered about either. It is just a guess, but I think that this won’t be a secret for long since Sun Woo is really really bad at keeping his emotions to himself. But for now, we get a ton of cutesy moments between the two as they go around doing cute couple things.
And of course, the highlight of their relationship was THE KISS at the end. WOW, who knew that sweet Sun Woo had that kind of make-out session inside of him. This wasn’t your typical kdrama fish kiss. Nope, this was full make-out central involving movement and tongues and stuff. It has this Ahjumma’s seal of approval and I only hope that our future OTP (whoever it is) gets a similar steamy skinship moment.
You are probably wondering when I was going to get to the whole fortune aspect of the episode? I just figured I would get to the important smooching business first because lip locks trump lucky free bags of snacks any day.
The Block Ahjummas (as I mentioned earlier) travel to the fortune teller in reference to their children’s hopes of attending college. Each receives a different reply to their inquiry, and not all had to do with the question asked.
Ahjumma Kim is told that her oldest son will be full of luck until the Lunar New Year. She takes this to mean that Jung Bong will get accepted from the wait list for his college.
Sadly, that is not what happened. However, it did lead into a wonderful father/son talk which makes me just tear up over how awesome the Kim family is. They truly have their minds and hearts focused on what is important despite their quirks. I can’t wait to see what path in life Jung Bong goes on. He is such a great character.
OH…….I forgot to let you know why Jung Bong was lucky. Turns out that his hobby this episode was trying to win a free bag of puffy snacks (not sure what they really are but they look similar to puffy cheetos………but probably squid flavored or something. If anyone knows, be sure to tell us in the comments). He was buying them by the box in order to reach the scratch prize in each box. Finally after ingesting a crazy amount of cheesy puffs he wins the free bag. WOOT! Luck has found him after all.
Add to that the love letter from Tweedledum, and that boys life is looking pretty sweet. Everything is coming up Jung Bong, and my smile could not be bigger at seeing his happy smile.
Ahjumma Cha also got some unexpected news via the fortune teller. She learned that she would soon be welcoming a new son into her house. Something which causes all the Ahjummas to burst into laughter. You have to remember that thirty years ago, it was rare for moms in their late forties to have children. Add in that she is a widower and the chances are slim.
Besides she is busy taking care of Moo Sung (Taek’s father) and working part time for some extra funds. There is no chance for random hanky panky to occur, let alone getting in a new relationship and having a baby.
But love comes whether you are searching or not, and it looks like Moo Sung is totally twitterpated by his old friend. Any man who lets someone’s daughter play with his hair must be in love.
It is while Ahjumma Cha is having New Years dinner with Taek and his father that she figures out what the fortune teller was saying. Soon Taek and Sun Woo will be brothers.
Which is a wonderful occurrence, but it does sound the death knell for my coupling wish of Taek and Jin Joo.
Finally, we reach the fortune of Ahjumma Sung, who was inquiring whether her daughter would be able to get into any college in Seoul. Hahahaha, not picky at this point. The Fortune Teller informed mom that all the bad grades were because they gave her an unlucky name. If they started calling Duk Seon, Soo Yeon instead, her luck will change. And the more often anyone calls her Duk Seon then the lower her chances get. So begins Duk Seon Soo Yeon’s new life with a lucky name.
While this was amusing, it wasn’t the real focus of Duk Seon’s story this episode. It just so happened that Duk Seon’s luck was changing for the better as well. Enter construction workers fixing the Sung family’s slanted floors and we get a great cohabitation plot line. Yup, that is right. They are going upstairs to live with Jung Hwan’s family while their house is being worked on.
Could anything be better than sleeping at your crushes house? Nope. For a teenage girl, that is the pinnacle of success. Well, maybe an actual confession would be better, but other than that (and maybe chocolate), sleeping at his house is #1.
Sadly it is torture for poor Jung Hwan who is trying to step back from his feelings for Duk Seon now that he knows Taek likes her. His sad expressions are literally making my heart hurt, especially when he forgets for a second to be sad and then remembers. OH, THE TORTURE.
Even Jung Hwan’s subconscious is yelling at him to be with her. Just look at the scene where Jung Hwan accidentally gets into the wrong bed and finds himself face to face with the love of his life.
If that isn’t a moment of longing, heartbreak, and pure love all rolled into one sleepy khottie face, I don’t know what is. Which leads us to the question, “Is Jung Hwan going to make a move on Duk Seon or step away for his bestie?”
It’s a hard situation to be in at any time, let alone as a teenager. On one hand, Duk Seon hasn’t confessed her feelings to either boy. Also, she is definitely putting out small feelers that indicate her possible interest to Jung Hwan. But does that overcome the ingrained need to protect Taek from any kind of angst? If you had not noticed, Taek is the person on the block that everyone is most protective of. Whether it is from the outside world or from within, Taek always needs to be taken care of like the treasure he is. I think it is for that very reason, that Jung Hwan is going to choose to step back. I am interested to see if Duk Seon will change her affections at all because of this or whether her feelings will stay true into the time jump. Only time will tell.
**** I know that the mothers maintain their maiden names when married, but for the ease of understanding who is who, I used the last name of the rest of the family
Til next time,
Kmuse
The one dynamic I appreciate the most in Reply 1988 is the closeness of the kids and their families. The talking, playing, and sharing is so refreshing. Hard to believe the series is just past the half-way mark. So touching to watch Jin-joo and Ko Gil-dong…their interactions are so sweet. The writer has a way of making each and every member of the drama endearing in some particular way. Thanks for sharing!
Pingback: ANSWER ME 1988. TVN. | IKurate