Ren goes away to his new job in Shanghai and he and Yo have to face life without each other around for support.

Director Hayashi offers Yo a transfer to Shanghai as branch manager. Then she notices Yo’s engagement ring, and asks her to go short-term at least, if she’s not getting married soon. Everyone congratulates Yo but she doesn’t tell them who her fiancee is.

Yu comes up to the main office; to him, Yo admits that she is wearing the ring to convince herself. Then she tells him about the transfer and that her fiance wouldn’t like her to go. He suggests that she convince him with flattery and sweetness, and if that doesn’t work, she should use a woman’t secret weapon: tears.

Maki invites Yo to a company farewell party for Ren, and Yo asks to bring someone. Then she sweetly asks Ryusei for a favor. He is very disappointed to find out that it is a party for Ren, but she begs pretty-please very cutely, and he laughs and agrees.

She adds that there is one more thing, could he wait a while to get married? He’s against being separated, so she turns away and pulls out her secret weapon: eye drops! He is appalled to see her cry, holds her close, and gives her three months.

When Ryusei appears at the farewell party, everyone suddenly jumps up and calls him Mr. Mizusawa because he is an important client. They monopolize him, and Yo is left sitting alone. Maki takes the opportunity to talk to Yo and drops the bombshell that Ren always loved Yo and that is why Ren and Maki broke up.

That night Yo lies awake thinking back to what Ren said in high school and things he’s said since, and wondering if what Maki said could be true. She’s too embarrassed to see Ren. She says goodbye over the phone the next morning and turns down the transfer to Shanghai.

Ren moves into his new apartment and buys a new phone for China, turning off the old one. He calls Yo with his new number, explores his new neighborhood, and sits on the curb trying out the spicy food. He still can’t eat it!

Yo has a long talk with Yu the next time he is in. He observes that it doesn’t bother her to talk to her ex-boyfriend because she doesn’t like him any more. If she’s embarrassed to talk to Ren it must mean that she likes him. Yu tells her to forgive Ren for whatever he said way back in high school and just accept him. She objects she can’t do that because of Ryusei.

Ren starts work at his new job, introducing himself with his basic Chinese skills. After that, Yang, who he met on his previous visit, starts translating. Ren offers a treat he had brought from Japan, saying it’s nothing special, but Yang whispers that no one will like it if it’s not special. He loudly announces that this is a delicious treat that Ren selected for them, and everyone cheers.

Yo asks Mr. Tokura about a proposal she submitted and he tells her not to work so hard—she’s only Mr. Mizusawa’s ornament. As he walks away, she taps him on the shoulder and accidentally knocks him off balance. He hastily gets away from her. Ryusei asks about it later, and doesn’t think she needs to really work either. He just wants her there to encourage him.

Yang comes after work to show Ren around town, bringing along another friend, Song Shurei. These two were childhood friends, and he describes her as a buddy. So, they are kind of like Ren and Yo.

Ren’s mom asks Gaku to come and spray the bugs in her garden. He hasn’t been there since he tutored Ren and apologizes for being a bad tutor. Ren’s mom and sister are surprised he didn’t know Ren got in to his first choice college. He just suddenly wanted to go to Yo’s school, and they couldn’t talk him out of it. Yo and Gaku are both surprised to find this out.

Yo, feeling awkward about knowing Ren loves her, meets up with Maki to see if she’ll deny it. But Maki is annoyed and tells her that she’s not being honest and should just dump Ryusei and go to Ren. She thinks Yo deserves to be troubled and suffer a little, and also that she is making Ren miserable. But she adds that she doesn’t care anymore since she has a new boyfriend, and walks away cheerfully.

Yo goes morosely to the bar that she and Ren always eat at, orders, and then realizes she hasn’t got her wallet. She starts to cancel the order, but the proprietor just laughs. “He really is your boyfriend,” he says. Ren had given him some money to cover the times she forgot her wallet, before he went to China.

We all wonder why Ren and Yo haven’t talked everything out a long time ago, since they are able to talk about everything else. It’s hard to believe that Yo has built up Ren’s high school remark in her mind so strongly. That memory overrides anything else he says, but she’s starting to believe what Yu and Maki are telling her. However there are two men who like her, and she can’t please both of them.

Keep watching to see how she manages!

Telzeytalks

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi