We start getting some honest connection between our Angel & Ballerina as they both try to learn what it means to be happy…and in Dan’s instance, what it means to be human. But can these two overcome the obstacles of evil family members and time to find happiness in the end?

Arrested

Angel Dan (this is the name I am going to stick with since every time I see him I think of his name being Angel Dan rather than Dan Kim) discovers the negatives of drinking. Not only did he come home and impromptu dance/berate his charge; he also mumbled that he had been sent on a mission to deal with Yeon Seo. Which of course, in her mind, means that he is a spy sent by her evil aunt. When he tries to explain, while being dragged out by the cops, his answers of a higher power just confirms her suspicions. Poor Angel Dan is kicked out with no job and nowhere to go.

What kind of spy eats chocolates?

Yeon Seo’s secretary is furious that her boss didn’t forgive Angel Dan and demands she rescind his termination. When Yeon Seo tries to explain that he is a spy, Secretary grabs the massive amounts of candy wrappers and yells that spies don’t gobble up chocolate. Ha. She also sets a secondary narrative that instead of being a spy he is really someone that fell in love at first sight that day in the rain. And he decided that it was fate and the higher being is God sending her into his path. You can see that, secretly, Yeon Seo likes the idea that this might be the truth. Regardless, she refuses to apologize and hire Angel Dan back.

Giselle or bust

Kang Woo doubles down on his promise that Yeon Seo will return to the theater as the lead ballerina. Unfortunately, he is up against the evil cousin and her mother who is attempting to thwart him at every turn. Not only did they put the unflattering video of Yeon Seo being upset on social media, but they also changed his rehearsal music back to Swan Lake. Am I the only one wondering why they are obsessed with doing only Swan Lake every year?

Forced into a corner Kang Woo declares that he will be holding a press conference with Yeon Seo to announce her return to the ballet. I find Kang Woo to be slightly overbearing as the show continues. The whole planning her life without her consent is really a turn off.

Fixing the problem

In an effort to fix the social media issues, Kang Woo sends Ni Na to Yeon Seo’s house with instructions to get the sweetest, smiliest, selfie ever. This will prove that the early video of Yeon Seo was just a one shot. Poor Ni Na is shaking in her boots as she wonders how she will accomplish this task. At the same time Angel Dan is glancing past the shrubs wondering how he is going to get his job back. Both lament over Yeon Seo’s crankiness and when they hear the grumpy ballerina coming out of the house they run away. Ha! The friend combo of Angel Dan and Ni Na is super cute.

Motivated

I always am amused when bad people can’t just let things go which causes their downfall. Such is the case with the Evil Aunt as she sends Yeon Seo a notice that she was extending her guardianship. Since everyone knows that Yeon Seo’s inability to walk makes her unable to think (Ugh South Korea. Your extreme issues with any kind of handicap kills me every time.) Her aunt is such an ugly human being and her husband and oldest daughter are not far behind.

It is this moment of passive aggressive douchbaggery that gives Yeon Seo that extra push she needed to get past her issues. That and learning that Angel Dan was not. in fact, a spy sent by her relatives. She sets out to get her butler back and teach her Aunt a lesson.

Love at first sight… or homeless?

Yeon Seo is informed that she can find Angel Dan living at the Catholic church. And find him she does, sleeping under some newspaper on the bench that they first met on. Bwahahaha. She now has a whole different idea on their first meeting. We see her head filled with visions of homeless hottie Dan, and him falling for her at first sight. These two are just too precious for words. Angel Dan agrees to come back as long as Yeon Seo promises to give him three wishes to be granted whenever he asks.

Baby steps

Determined to help Yeon Seo learn how to walk again, Angel Dan puts footstep cutouts all over the house and grounds to help Yeon Seo take baby steps. When asked if this was at all scientifically proven as a method to walk, Angel Dan glances over and says nope. I love how he looks at life and its trials as something that can be overcome with will power. They practice and Angel Dan tells Yeon Seo to just focus on his face and come towards him. I can’t be the only one to find that swoonworthy?

Their baby steps eventually lead them to “their bench” where Yeon Seo has to walk without the footprints. She stumbles after a few steps and Angel Dan rushes to her so fast that he also falls down putting their bodies in a perfect position for some smooches. Even the little girl passing by screams. ” Kiss, kiss, kiss”, which of course ruins the moment.

First Wish

Angel Dan decides it is time to call in his first wish. Which surprisingly, turns out to be taking Yeon Seo to a lantern festival. A festival in which a person prays, writes their wish on a piece of paper, then puts it into a paper lantern. The lanterns are floated into the river/lake and the hope is that the wishes will be granted. Yeon Seo inquires as to why this is Angel Dan’s first wish since he is Catholic, but he blows her off that God loves all people. What she doesn’t know is this is actually a plot between Angel Dan and Kang Woo to get them together.

Angel Dan disappears in a fake quest to find Yeon Seo’s shoes, and Kang Woo gives our ballerina a piggyback ride to the water where they will release the lanterns. He is saying all the right things to put Yeon Seo at ease but you can tell she is really waiting for Angel Dan to return. I will give him props for apologizing for setting up the news conference without her permission. He also declares he will wait til Yeon Seo is ready to return to the ballet.

Take that evil aunt

While Kang Woo is willing to let Yeon Seo have time, Evil Aunt has other plans. Evil Aunt sends out a huge release that Yeon Seo will be making an announcement and when her niece doesn’t show she will use this moment to declare her unfit. Of course, this backfires spectacularly when Yeon Seo makes a dramatic entrance and declares her intentions to return to the ballet. Not only that, but she intends to retake her place as head of the Fantasia Foundation. There is something so satisfying about watching her Aunt get taken down a peg or two.

Wishes fulfilled

Following that dramatic entrance and take down, Yeon Seo and Angel Dan celebrate the win. We find out that Yeon Seo manages to walk unassisted because she wore Angel Dan’s handkerchief around her wrist. This would provide her with the emotional connection to her butler to get her through the experience. As a thank you Yeon Seo declares that she will gift Angel Dan with his real wish. She tells Angel Dan to close his eyes and she comes in for an innocent kiss on the cheek. Of course, he turns his head at the last second and she ends up giving him the smallest kiss on the lips. A startled Angel Dan stares at her then goes in for a real kiss….real if you are two people that have never had a real relationship in their lives and are totally innocent. But still, it was an honest to goodness smooch and because of their innocent/sheltered past it still gave me tons of feels.

An angelic twist?

Know who is not happy with the sweet smooches? Kang Woo is who. We witness an expression of rage flood across his face as he witnesses the kiss. We also get a flashback of a woman who looks exactly like Yeon Seo dying in his arms. I guess we now know who the films were of the mystery women he was obsessed with. Not only does his whole persona take on a much more sinister vibe, but we get a glimpse of a shadow of wings. Holy crap? Kang Woo is also an angel? Ex angel? Fallen angel? I have so many questions now that this twist has been thrown into the narrative loop.

My Thoughts

I felt yesterday’s pacing went a bit awry with all the over the top Angel Dan moments. Thankfully, the pacing and plot made up for all those cheesy moments and things got really intense again. I find that I enjoy the story more when it focuses on the relationships and hardships of the various characters. And not Angel Dan’s fish out of water hijinks.

I am also really enjoying this director’s visuals. Especially when it comes to capturing Shin Hye Sun’s performance. Every closeup and expression is perfection and I could happily take hundreds of screen caps of her alone and be happy. Now if only we could do something about her crazy pantsuit wardrobe and everything would be perfect.

Until the next dance,

Kmuse

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi