Everybody still awake? You gotta give them credit. They held off almost two whole minutes before inserting a flashback. The plot spreads so thin in this episode you could read through it. But I actually wanted to try and write a positive recap. Even I get tired of complaining.

Would it kill you to say you’re sorry?

Yoo Mi finally dishes up some cold, hard truth for her mother and accuses her of selling out her daughter on TV (which she totally did). She admits how hard growing up was with the whispers and gossip, and how ashamed she felt. Mom even has the decency to squeeze a little moisture out of her eyes. But that’s about it. It’s excuses all around as she tries to justify herself. This character is annoying as all get out, but the actress playing her really sells it. You totally buy her self-absorbed, tunnel vision.

The parental relationships in this show need serious work. Jin Wook shares a little of his childhood with Yoo Mi and why he has insomnia. It’s because he fell asleep with his head in his mother’s lap on the couch, and woke up to find her gone. He speaks without rancor and says it must have been hard on her after growing up by the sea, and then being trapped in their rich, stifling world. How boring it must have been. I hope the subbers simplified that translation, and it’s actually more moving in Korean. Boredom is no excuse for abandoning your child without so much as a goodbye. Even if she felt compelled to leave, she could have picked up a phone at least once in twenty years.

Better late than never

Hyun Tae returns to his good guy roots. After he punches Jin Wook in the face, of course. But our second lead comes through when it counts and tells his rival to look for our runaway heroine at the beach. It was nice to see both men acknowledge the other’s place in Yoo Mi’s life. Hyun Tae tells him not to make her cry or he’ll beat him up, and Jin Wook says likewise. They both know that the other is going to be around whether they like it or not, and they have to deal with it for the sake of the woman they both love.

Someone needs a hug

The kitchen staff haven’t forgotten their former comrade and Clueless Cook even tries to call and check on her. Hurray, for nice co-workers! Then Butler Bestie appears at the window and Flirty Cook hurries to meet him. I thought at first that this was insensitive timing to insert a romantic moment between them. But it turns out he’s all broken up about our main couple and just needed a hug. The big softie! Let’s hope he gets more than one scene in the final episode.

You must be terrible at hide-and-go-seek

Cha Jin Wook spends a majority of the episode hunting for Yoo Mi. This includes the hilarious mistake he makes when he sees a woman in a black, grim reaper suit and rushes over to her, apologizing when he realizes she isn’t who he’s looking for. (I bet that woman was sorrier than you were, Jin Wook.) He scours the beaches looking for Yoo Mi, and then totally misses her when she rides her bike head-on towards him. 28 minutes in, he finds her and does what he should have done two episodes ago when she asked if any part of their relationship was real. He grabs hold of her and holds on tight. Turns out he must give magical hugs, because the next thing we know, everything is fixed! The reconciled couple walk happily on the beach, sharing childhood memories, playing with sparklers, and making out in convertibles. Where can I get a hug like that?

I apologize for complaining about the same thing three recaps in a row. But it’s been the same problem three episodes in a row! I wonder if the reason they keep showing past scenes is because this show was originally billed as 12 episodes and then they streeeeeeeeeeeetched it into 13. I counted 10 fuzzy-framed trips to the past this time. It’s getting so I could even predict what was coming next: Ah, a bus stop. They’re going to do the kimbap flashback, now. Yep, there it is.

Positive. Think positive, Dramarookie. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Oh right! They finally revealed that Yoo Mi really kissed Jin Wook back in the hospital because she remembered doing it in a flashback. See! They ARE good for something.

Save