The episode starts with Tan coming back. This time it looks like she’s really grateful that he’s there. He asks her if she wants to come to his house as gentle music plays. She looks like she’s a little choked up, but she asks him if he’s sure that his home is safer than where they are. I laugh because that’s a ridiculous question, just based on *his car.* He replies that he doesn’t know if it will be safer, but it’s nicer than where they are now. So is she going to come or not? As she tries to decide, I notice a blinking and I realize he has his flashers on. Why does he have his flashers on? He’s sitting in the car right there. No one does that when they’re in the car. Unless it’s on a television show.
Of course, Eun Sang decides to go back to Tan’s house. They walk through double glass doors and it looks like the lights are motion activated, because he doesn’t do anything except wave the bag he’s carrying in the air to get them to turn on. Eun Sang’s jaw is hanging open as she surveys his digs. I would be slack-jawed, too. It's a nice house. Eun Sang finally grabs her suitcase and carries it down the stairs. You couldn’t carry her suitcase, Tan?
Tan’s gone and gotten himself something to drink, without offering Eun Sang anything. He’s really been taught hospitality and manners. She asks if he lives with his family and he says no. She’s surprised he lives by himself and he wants to know what’s wrong with being alone. Even though you know you don’t like it, you’re being defensive about it. She asks him what he is. Is he a drug dealer or part of a gang? She also starts throwing in honorifics into her speech. He laughs because she thinks he’s a drug dealer and she replies that he’s well acquainted with the police. Plus, he’s friends with a guy who seems to inhale anything that looks like powder.
Tan nods, agreeing that it makes sense. Then he stands up and starts walking toward Eun Sang, asking her why she thinks he’s *only* selling drugs. Does she think the cop who took her passport was real? He’s looking a little menacing. He is being so mean! We know he's not dangerous, but she doesn't. He looks down at her and then asks if she still has two kidneys. She’s totally freaked out. He’s backed her up against a door. He leans in, glaring at her, and then he smiles. Nodding toward the door, he tells her that it’s her room and for her to call him if she needs anything. He reaches around her and opens the door and then walks off. He is a player, man! That was mean. Funny, but mean. She’s relieved that he’s not dangerous.
Eun Sang goes in an sits on the bed, tired. She massages her sore muscles as she thinks about her last conversation with her jerky sister. Her stomach growls and she realizes she’s really hungry, since she hasn’t eaten anything but the airline food. And that was probably at least 12 hours ago. She goes and peeks out the door. I guess she’s decided to go and find something to eat.
Tan is in his office, packing up a bag. I notice that his computer has *four* logins. Why does he need four when he lives by himself. I’m really wanting his monitor, though; it’s about as big as my TV. He hears a noise and goes to look. He sees Eun Sang sneaking through the house towards the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Eun Sang doesn’t turn on any lights. None of his food is fresh. Even the stuff in the refrigerator is pre-packaged or canned. Tan comes down and turns on the lights. She’s busted. He asks her what she’s doing, in the dark? She apologizes for not asking permission and she only ate things that were past their expiration date. And then she passes him five dollars to pay for what she’s going to eat. Tan starts looking at the expirations and asks her what kind of life she lives that she’ll eat expired food. She holds up the soda and says that she’s paid for it, too, and starts to go back to her room. He stops her. She expects him to yell, but instead, he’s asking her to clean up after herself.
Tan’s just standing there, in close proximity to Eun Sang, watching her as she cleans up her mess. And I am struck by the chemistry as he’s just standing there! She asks about recycling. He doesn’t know since he’s never done it. He asks her for her name. She replies with a thank you for giving her a place to stay. He teases her, saying that her name is really long. She doesn’t get that he’s teasing. He sighs and looks at the counter, saying she doesn’t have to thank him. He’s not being kind. She looks at him. It’s all just compensation for the bean powder. Tan walks away.
Back in Korea, Won is walking with Jae Hoo, who is telling him about the arrangements for his upcoming trip to America. Zeus Hotel’s contacted them for Won to stay at their hotel. Won doesn’t seem in favor of that idea. He says that he heard the guy was getting engaged to CEO Lee of RS International… is he acting like a primary shareholder already? Won walks on but Jae Hoo is stunned by the news. Is he Rachel’s dad? No, because that would make Rachel Chan Young’s sister and there’s no way she wouldn’t have met his best friend during all that time. There’s definitely a history here because Jae Hoo is just standing there stunned. Won stops and asks if there’s a problem. Jae Hoo says no and he’ll refuse their offer to stay at their hotel.
Jae Hoo holds out an envelope with the guest list for the upcoming family party event. There will be eleven VIPs and their families. Won looks at him, not happy. Jae Hoo adds that he also sent the information by email. Evidently Won’s upset about getting a printed copy since he asks Jae Hoo why he wasted paper since he emailed it. Wow, this guy is a penny pincher. I would not like to work for him! Jae Hoo replies that it’s a habit he learned while working for the Chairman.
Jae Hoo mentions that he’s reported to the Chairman about his upcoming business trip. Won snaps at him, asking him if Jae Hoo thought he couldn’t do it himself. Wow. Insecure and paranoid much? The guy is just trying to help you out. From Jae Hoo’s expression, he’s surprised at Won’s response. And I’m wondering if he doesn’t praise Won when he reports to the Chairman. That wouldn’t surprise me at all. Won asks Jae Hoo who he's working for: the Chairman or him? Jae Hoo replies that it’s always Jeguk Group. Won doesn’t like the answer. Jae Hoo tells him he looks like a jealous boyfriend. Won tells him he should cozy up to him more so that he doesn’t end up dead when the CEO dies (because when Korean kings died, all their servants were killed, too). Jae Hoo response is to ask if Won has any more advice and Won is astonished that Jae Hoo isn’t even intimidated. He tells Jae Hoo that it's another bad habit Jae Hoo learned from the Chairman. He walks off and Jae Hoo bows at his back. Jae Hoo tells his back to have a nice trip.
I really get the sense that Jae Hoo is on Won’s side, but Won’s so paranoid that he can’t see it. Jae Hoo actually seems to like Won, even though the guy is super prickly to everyone. And he doesn’t take Won’s snapping personally. I hope Won sees that sooner than later.
A library. An old guy in a wheelchair, drinking his tea is talking to a middle-aged woman. She doesn’t really look engaged in the conversation, but like someone being forced to sit there and listen. This is probably the Chairman. He says in retrospect, he should have taken better care of his health. He tells her not to get sick. She smiles and tells him not to be nice to her. She’s not removing her name from the family registry. He laughs, while massaging his hands, and replies that he never asked her to remove her name. *She’s* the one that brought Tan’s mother into the house. She looks at him and asks what else she supposed to do? He was just letting her run wild; someone had to reel her in and hide her. The Chairman sighs and agrees that it’s all his fault. She says that it’s good he knows and she’ll never change the family registry.
The woman, who I’ve figured out is Jung Ji Sook, says the whole reason why she brought Madame Han into the house was to keep her in a cage and to make sure that she gets nothing until she dies. Wow, Ji Sook is a nice woman. Not vengeful at all. The Chairman laughs and says that as people age, they mellow, but she hasn’t. She smiles, still not looking at him, and says that it’s probably because she doesn’t have any children. Even though she’s Tan’s registered mother.
Outside the study, Madame Han is trying to listen to their conversation, quite unsuccessfully. Won approaches. Madame Han giggles uncomfortably and says that they didn’t talk about him, just about her. He goes to knock on the door, not saying anything to her, and she quickly beats him at knocking. She announces that Won is here. She tells him to go in because his mother is here. Then she starts to saunter away. He asks after her, does he have a mother in this house? She makes a face and turns back around to declare Ji Sook the ajumma that raised him. He doesn’t respond but asks her if she’s going to continue listening. She retorts that she’s leaving. This ajumma is leaving, too. He watches her walk away and sighs. Then he goes in the study. And I’m wondering if maybe he’s not harboring some feelings for her. For all his coldness. He’s got less hardness in his tone as he talked to her, even though he wasn’t friendly. Hmmm.
Neither of his ‘parents’ greet Won. Ji Sook doesn’t even turn to look at him. He goes to stand beside them. She finally sighs and then looks at him and tells him that it’s been a while. He's surprised she's there at all. She sighs and stops looking at him. She grumbles that he’s never the first to say hello. She raised him for 10 years, until he went to the States for school. She may not have done it out of love, but she did give it her best effort. Aw, that’s great. You gave it the old college try. No wonder Won is so prickly; no one’s given him any love. Ji Sook takes issue with him making her out to be a so-so stepmother. He woodenly replies an apology, for turning out like this despite her raising him so well for 10 years. Heh. She turns to glare at him while the Chairman tells them to stop. Won is really funny. And he said it so straight-faced. That was awesome.
Ji Sook announces that she’s leaving and the Chairman says he won’t see her out. No love lost there. There’s no goodbyes between ‘mother’ and ‘son’ and she exits. The Chairman asks Won about his trip to the States. He tells Won that Americans think highly of family-run businesses. To them, family is the most important thing. Really? I thought that was Korean society. Oh, you writers! The Chairman suggests that Won take Tan with him. Won looks at his father at that and starts to say that he will be able to take care of things by himself. The Chairman cuts him off and tells Won to listen to what he’s saying. There’s a pause and the Chairman shifts in his wheelchair. He announces that he’ll inform Secretary Yoon. Won says it’s his business, so he’ll take care– Dad cuts him off and says that he (the Chairman) is also doing his job. He reminds Won that it’s not his company yet. Won’s nostril’s flair as he starts to get upset (like crying upset), like he can’t believe his father is doing this, has so little faith in him. And I'm wondering why he's so enamored of Tan.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Madame Han has grabbed Ji Sook to talk to her, against Ji Sook’s will. Madame Han asks why she’s always like that and Ji Sook yells at for speaking so informally. Madame Han grumbles that she did it because Ji Sook said she was in a hurry. Madame Han wants to know about Ji Sook’s upcoming meeting with Rachel’s family. Ji Sook doesn’t see why Madame Han wants to know. Madame Han replies she wants to know because she *can’t* go and she needs to know about her son’s in-laws. Ji Sook reminds her that Tan is listed as *her* son. Madame Han tells her to stop acting like this or she’ll regret it, since Tan will be upset that his mother was treated this way. Ji Sook can’t believe she’s being threatened but Madame Han says it’s her problem if she heard it that way.
Ji Sook calls her ridiculous. Madame Han must really think that she’s become the lady of the house, hearing “Second Madame” all the time. Ji Sook declares that as long as she’s living there, Madame Han will forever be the Chairman’s *mistress.* She calls the Chairman “her husband.” Are they still married? Does Madame Han understand? Ji Sook stalks off and Madame Han sadly sits, fighting back her tears. We hear Tan narrate, “Another woman's purse. Another woman's house. Another woman's husband. A person who's forever unfortunate because she desires to have another person's things. That person is... Mom.” That’s sad, that he sees his mother’s life so clearly. As Madame Han cries, she tries to call Tan, but he doesn’t answer the phone.
In her room, Eun Sang has called Hee Nam. She apologizes for making her mother worry and says it’s because she’s in America and it’s only English everywhere. As she’s talking on the phone, Tan’s at the door listening. Omma asks about Unni and, as she cries not to cry, Eun Sang brightly lies to her mother about how well Unni’s doing. She lies about how nice Unni’s house is. (Her mother is pressing things on her phone for her end of the conversation.) She tells her mother not to worry as she gets off the call.
Tan’s there because he’s brought Eun Sang a sandwich. Which was nice. He feels really bad for her, especially because she’s crying and had to lie to her Omma. I’m a little surprised, because Tan’s starting to cry for her. Annoyed at himself, he just walks in the room, holding the sandwich. She objects to him entering without knocking, so he knocks on the open door. She starts to yells at him about the order he did the knocking when he holds out the sandwich. She asks him what it is and he retorts with “They don’t have food like this in Korea?” He tells her she doesn’t need to thank her; it’s something good for her kidneys. She starts for a minute and then yells at him for teasing her.
Tan tells Eun Sang that she knows how to lie well. She asks him how much he heard. Why was he listening? He says it was interesting to hear a woman’s voice at home. Yeah, that’s the ticket. He notices the dollar sitting by the phone dock. He asks and she says it’s to pay for her phone call. She clearly doesn’t not have an understanding of how much stuff costs in America, if she thinks a dollar will pay for her five-minute international phone call using the landline. Plus, this isn’t a hostel or hotel. You’re his guest. Tan rolls his eyes, irritated and tells her that she spends money like it’s water. She reaches over and pulls a dream catcher out of her suitcase. She says that it’s for the boarding fee. She was going to hang it in her room in the States, but she’s giving it to him instead.
Tan has no idea what it is. Eun Sang says that it’s supposed to snare the bad dreams and only let the good ones come through the hole. How does it tell the difference? He asks her if pretty girls also come in. She rolls her eyes and asks for it back (since he’s not appreciating it). He holds it out of her reach, telling her to get some rest and finish her food, since it’s good for her kidneys. She snaps at him to stop teasing her. He smiles and leaves the room, taking the dream catcher with him. He shuts the door behind him. Eun Sang looks at the sandwich and wonders if he put something in it.
It’s actually only half a sandwich, because Tan’s kept the other half for himself. He goes and hangs the dream catcher on his ‘surfer boy’ sign over the doors which lead out to the patio. He likes his new gift. Even though it’s supposed to go *above your bed.* He sees Eun Sang scurrying back and forth. She’s taking the chairs in her room and blocking her door. Not that he couldn’t come in through the French doors behind you. He can’t believe she doesn't trust him, after he was nice enough to feed her. He's watching her and she starts to take her shirt off. He chokes on his sandwich and hurries back inside, brushing the dream catcher with his hair as he enters the house.
Segue to daytime. Eun Sang freaks out for a moment when she wakes up before she remembers where she is. She notices the pool. And even though she has her own French doors, she opens and exits out onto the patio through the doors with the dream catcher on them. She’s amazed at the view. And so am I. Wow. Double wow.
Tan’s in his room, carrying the bag he was loading the night before. He checks his watch and his phone and notices Eun Sang outside. He goes out onto his deck and watches her as she happily takes in the view. She turns around to find him staring at her. She bows a respectful hello, averting her eyes at the royalty before her. But finally, she looks at him again and they stare at each other. And it seems like Tan has fallen hard, from the way he’s looking at her. Significant staring.
Eun Sang’s coming inside as Tan is coming down the steps. He clears his throat, uncomfortably. He’s wearing the bag/backpack now. She starts some small talk, complimenting his house. She notices that he’s leaving and he replies it’s school. She asks him if he attends the types of schools she’s seen in the movies. He asks what types of schools are those? Hogwarts? She laughs. He says that she’s laughing again, which means she must normally smile a lot. She doesn’t understand that comment and says she was just curious. Then she tells him to wait a moment while she goes and gets her bags ready.
Almost immediately, Tan asks her where she’s going. He’s fallen hard. She says that if he’s leaving, she has to, too. He tells her to just stay. At least until he gets back from school. She doesn’t have anywhere to go anyway. She mentions Unni and he says she has plenty of time, since the restaurant doesn’t open until the afternoon. Late afternoon. And I laugh because he is a big dork! There’s also no bus. People around there don’t take buses.
She’s still uncomfortable, so Tan suggests she just come with him and visit his school. He’s trying to act indifferent, but he’s not doing too well. She’s clueless, though. She ends up going with him. And Ken from VIXX is singing on the radio. In Korean. Maybe it's a cd. The sun’s bright and Eun Sang tries to play it off, but there’s Tan offering her some sunglasses. She says she’s fine but he tells her she’ll stick out like a sore thumb without them on. She should think of it as the uniform. She takes them and then turns to him and warns him that she’s about to put her hand out the window, so he should say when it becomes embarrassing. He teases her and says she only has a minute. He kills me because he is so straight-faced and serious when he does it. As she enjoys feeling the air rush by her outstretched hand, Tan laughs. And falls harder. And they’re driving on Tan’s private highway with no cars.
At school, one of the teachers declares that *every word has meaning.* “As soon as you put our feelings into a word, it becomes meaningful.” Wow, that’s ‘profound.’ Yes, now I am being sarcastic. “The word "pencil", takes on an entirely different meaning when you think of it as the pencil that I use to write letters with. Because that makes it really profound, using the pencil to write letters with! Tan looks out the window at Eun Sang, who is sitting on a bench, waiting for him to finish. I don’t see why she couldn’t have come into class. It’s not like there aren’t a ton of empty seats in the lecture hall. The prof most likely would not have noticed or cared. Even though it seems like Tan’s the only Asian in the class. Which is *so* unusual in California, for an Asian person to be a student in someone’s class.
Outside, the cheerleaders practice their cheers. Even though they have a field to do it on, they’re doing it in front of the school. Students are studying. A kid’s rolling on his skateboard. Wait! There’s more Asian people! Maybe they *are* in California! Eun Sang sighs, a little envious of their life.
The English teacher talks about how the British Council polled 102 non-English speaking countries to find the most beautiful word in the English language. He asks the class what they think took first place. A girl answers ‘rainbow.’ And I laugh at how stupid *that* answer is. Flowers? Unicorns? What are we 5? Love? Lamar Odom. Odom is a basketball player who *used to* play for the Lakers before he was traded in 2012. They couldn’t say Kobe Bryant, who is still on the team and is the 4th all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA? Come on, writers! The class laughs at mention of the basketball player. Because everyone knows who Lamar Odom is. Except for me. I had to look him up.
The teacher declares that the most beautiful English word in the world was “Mother.” Which I saw coming and think is really weird that they would say Mother, since it isn’t very melodious. The concept, yes, I could see that, but the sound of the word. Why not ask what’s the most beautiful word, rather than specify that it’s an English word. Then the answer would make sense. Tan writes down Mother and underlines it. The top five included passion, smile, love and eternity. Oh, and the blonde from the beach is in his class. She’s sitting behind him, sneaking looks in his direction.
Teacher asks what the saddest word was. Death? Funeral? Bankrupt? Lamar Odom. Laughs again. I’m going to guess regret. Eun Sang’s looking at her mother’s used notebook. DRY CLEANING ONLY. She knows she needs to go home.
Class ends. Without answering the question for the audience. What’s up with that? Blonde girl asks him what he’s doing after class and he says he’s just going home. The teacher catches his attention and asks if he’s turning his essay. Tan says that it’s not for turning in. The teacher asks him about maybe being able to find a new purpose, if he actually turned in his homework some time. And teacher just lets him leave without turning in the assignment. How does Tan not flunk out? And Eun Sang’s not on the bench anymore.
Tan goes looking for her and finds her staring longingly at two Korean girls. He asks her what she’s doing. She says looking at students who met good parents. And the Korean students are having a party. Tan thinks for a minute and then says that the party isn’t that fun. Have you been to one, Tan? Probably not, since all your hangout buddies seem to not be Korean. Eun Sang isn’t comforted very much, because it certainly seemed like it would be fun.
Eun Sang thanks Tan for showing her his school, but decides that she should get going. She asks him to hold her luggage just a little while longer. He asks if she’s going to find her sister. Eun Sang is, because she needs to get that money back. She doesn’t like the idea of her mother’s hard-earned money getting spent on things like alcohol. She says goodbye (in English since they’re in America) and Tan just stands there.
But not for long. He yells to get her attention and asks her if she even knows where she’s going. Eun Sang pretends to be confident, pointing to the right, but Tan knows she’s bluffing. He grabs her by the shoulders and turns her around. Even though she protests, he’s still going to go with her. He’s planning on skipping his next class to do it, because he doesn’t like the subject: math. Eun Sang replies that she likes math and Tan looks at her like she’s crazy. And that’s a twist: the boy doesn’t like math and the girl does.
Sandy’s Café. The manager (through Tan translating) tells Eun Sang that her sister skipped town. She just sent a text to quit. A text. Eun Suk is getting classier by the second. But she was kind enough to leave Eun Sang a message: Unni will contact her, she shouldn’t worry, and she should go back to Korea. Wow. Her sister is ridiculous. I feel bad for the manager who had to pass along the message. Eun Suk, you’re very, very selfish. The look on Eun Sang’s face says she’s heart-broken. And I would be, too; her unni totally abandoned her in a place where she knows no one, even worse, where they speak a foreign language. I feel bad for Eun Sang and Hee Nam.
Eun Sang and Tan leave Sandy’s. Eun Sang is understandably upset. Especially because Eun Suk absconded with all that money. Chris, the abusive drunkard, just happens to be walking by and he recognizes Eun Sang. Of course, he doesn’t refer to Eun Suk, the woman he’s been living with, as Eun Suk, or even Stella, instead he calls Eun Sang “that bitch’s sister.” Class all the way. Chris is hostile, so Tan put himself in between the two. And I have to say, he must still have been drunk this morning when he dressed himself. Crazy patterned shirt with plaid shorts. No way it in any way matches.
From behind Tan, Eun Sang asks, in English, where Stella is. Chris wants to know the same thing. He starts to get grabby as he’s asking where the bitch that took all his money is, but Tan twists Chris's arm behind his back. I guess all that training for ‘City Hunter’ paid off, because Lee Min Ho makes that move look easy. Chris yells at Tan to back off, but Eun Sang is ticked because he tried to hit her and he probably hit her Unni like that, too. She tells Tan to hit him (and she’s not trying to use English anymore). Tan replies that she didn't have to tell him what he didn't already know.
Tan knees Chris is the stomach (or around there), so Chris is now down on the ground. Some guy who looks 12 months pregnant with triplets and his buddy, who’s strolling around with an open bottle of ‘Beer,’ see the commotion. I guess the writers have never heard of open container laws – because it’s illegal in California to walk around with an open bottle of beer, or even beer in a cup – because the doofus buddy is carrying a bottle of BEER and wearing a straw hat. They yell Chris’s name and start coming to the rescue of their buddy. Not that they’re moving very fast. And I believe even more that all the American actors in the film do not have their SAG cards.
Tan and Eun Sang take off running, with Eun Sang holding onto Tan’s wrist. Even though Chris barely got kneed in the gut and his arm was just twisted behind his back, he’s too hurt to actually pursue the two himself. He just yells at his friends to “Go get ‘em!” Neither one of Chris’s friends are very fast – especially not the pregnant guy – so Eun Sang and Tan are able to get away pretty easily.
Tan glances behind him and sees that the guys are not any threat and then looks at Eun Sang. She is running for her life. He laughs and asks why they’re running. She thought that this is what he meant when he counted. He pulls her to a stop and says that he just meant for her to get behind him when he let Chris go. Tan looks over at the guys, who are barely running anymore. And they’re breathing hard. He tells her that the guys not going to catch them. She’s on foreign-land freakout mode, because she still thinks they need to run. Tan tells her that they’re no threat.
The pregnant guy blusters, between gulping for air, that he’s going to kill them. Tan yells at them (in Korean) “Catch us and say that!” The pregnant guy swears he’ll kill them, so Tan yells back (in Korean) “I get that you're determined, but me growing old and dying will probably be quicker than you guys catching us.” I am laughing really hard. He’s totally making fun of them, even waving as he walks backwards. Eun Sang wonders if they’re understanding, since he's speaking Korean. But Tan answers that they wouldn't understand if he spoke English at that point. He explains that he only spoke in Korean so she could understand that she doesn't need to be scared anymore. Aw. That was sweet.
Tan’s manners are just getting better and better, because his phone rings and he excuses himself to answer it. On seeing that it’s Rachel, he doesn’t want to answer the phone anymore. He knows he needs to, so he just stares at the phone. Seeing the guys get closer, Eun Sang tells him that now isn't the time to take a call. And he mutters back that it hasn't been the right time for anything, since yesterday. From her reaction, he realizes that he made her feel badly, so he makes up some excuse about them calling for organic drugs. Why he would think of that excuse, since he’s told her he *wasn’t* a drug dealer, it’s just odd. Tan checks the progress of Chris’s buddies and since they’ve gotten close, he says to run again. So they do, with the buddies complaining – like he was going to wait for you to come and beat him up – and Tan holding Eun Sang’s wrist this time. They easily get away and while one guy swigs his non-existent beer (since there's no way it would have any beer left in it, the way the guy was flailing his arms about), pregnant guy pulls out his inhaler.
Rachel’s at her hotel room. It’s a really fancy hotel room, with French period style decorations, the kind you only see in castles with royal families. Tan’s not taking her call, so she doesn’t get through. Of course, even though she’s calling an American number, she gets a message with a British person saying that the person she is calling cannot come to the phone at the moment. She hangs up and puts the phone down on the coffee table. And just stares at it.
Finally, Rachel’s phone rings. She smiles because she *knew* he would call her back, but when she looks at the caller, it’s not Tan, but her mother. Just the person she wants to talk to right now. She reluctantly answers it and is less than enthusiastic with her greeting. Mom wants to know if she’s with Tan. Rachel reminds Esther that Tan has school at this time of the day. Esther wants to know what Tan said about her upcoming wedding to Young Do’s father. And Esther is wearing some weird glasses. Like beehive glasses on crack. And yet, they're strangely attractive. Rachel’s reluctant to mention it, but Esther says that she has to, after all Young Do and Tan are best friends. Best friends. I wonder what specifically caused that break up and if it’s part of why Young Do’s such a jerk now. Rachel tells her that they’re not friends any more and then hangs up before she has to say any more. She’s not happy, because every area in her life seems to be turning to crap. And I feel kind of bad for her.
Young Do arrives at his father’s hotel on that new bike. He just parks it in front and tosses both the keys and his helmet at the doormen. Then he straightens his jacket and then his hair as he goes inside. I love that he straightened his hair. It’s such a normal thing to do. The next we see of him, he’s washing dishes in the kitchen. Lots of dishes. And sweating. A lot. Which you do when you wash dishes in a full-scale kitchen. Apparently, as one chef tells another, Young Do gets to spend all his vacations and breaks washing dishes as part of his training to inherit the hotel conglomerate. Since middle school. Boy, that sounds fun! I get to work on my vacation. The new girl thinks that this chaebol's son seems nice and good-natured and the other chef, who knows better, scoffs at the description of nice.
The restaurant manager arrives. And it's Song Hwa's brother, Yoon, from 'Gu Family Book!' He looks really different with the haircut. Manager’s sure he’s told Young Do to warm the plates before they get served. Young Do just stares straight ahead as Manager asks him how he would like it, getting served a cold plate of food. Young Do doesn’t say anything, just keeps scrubbing his dish, as he puts up with this lecture. Manager also wants to talk to him about his appearance, it needs to be neat... Young Do puts down that plate he's been scrubbing and turns off the water. He breathes, trying to stifle his anger. Without looking at the manager, he asks the guy if it looks like he’s in a good mood. Manager doesn’t think Young Do should just be able to slide by when everyone else is doing their jobs faithfully and well.
As Manager starts to say more, Young Do pointedly takes off his rubber gloves and throws them in the sink. (He still hasn’t looked at this guy.) He tells Manager to go ahead and report him to his father. After all, it’s his job as Manager, so he should do it well. Young Do adds that when he becomes the owner of this hotel in ten years – and now he looks at the guy – the manager will need to rely on his experience to make it easy to find a new job. Manager doesn’t know what to say to that, but he can’t believe how arrogant Young Do is. But before he can reply, a waiter runs up to tell the manager that the Attorney General has just arrived. Hearing that, Young Do sheds his apron and puts himself in charge of serving them. Because it’s the boss’s son, the manager can’t do anything, even though he sighs at the complete jerk that Young Do is.
Up in the Attorney General’s dining room, Lee Hyo Shin (Kang Ha Neul) is sitting uncomfortably. Just watching him drink his water makes me feel uncomfortable. He’s there with what looks to be his father, grandfather and probably two uncles. They do a wide shot to show they’re in a huge room, but when we go back to the table, the room couldn’t feel any smaller. Hyo Shin's grandfather mentions the young man’s upcoming college entrance exam, and even though Hyo Shin assures him that he’s studying hard, his father is quick to point out Hyo Shin's shortcomings, since he says that Hyo Shin has to work on raising his national rank compared to last year. It’s not that he has to do well; he has to be the best. Man. Uncle1 tells him that complaining that you're short on time and blaming the test date is a stupid thing to do. Not that I get the feeling that Hyo Shin has *ever* done that. He just has to swallow this insulting comment and smile and nod. Oi.
Harabeoji thinks that Hyo Shin should have gone to his high school. Uncle2 chimes in that Hyo Shin’s high school (Empire High School) is much more prestigious these days and times have changed. He also refers to Hyo Shin’s brother, so I’m guessing that the pot shot about no time is because of hyung. Harabeoji isn’t going to be placated and grumbles about how Hyo Shin isn’t meeting the right people, going to Empire. Uncle1 says that Hyo Shin could become Empire High's history. Wow. No pressure. Hyo Shin puts down his chopsticks and nods/bows uncomfortably. I’ve been noticing that he hasn’t really eaten anything, just picked at his rice. I wonder how often he has to endure these meals? Dad leans over, just to make sure that Hyo Shin got the message.
Young Do enters. He’s now got a suit jacket on. Harabeoji knows him. Of course, he does. Young Do is all politeness and gentility. As he greets everyone, I note that there’s the Attorney General, a Chancellor, a Director, and a Prosecutor in the room. All power players. Wow, that would suck. The look on Hyo Shin’s face says he wants to throw up. Because of the family or Young Do? I can’t tell yet. Harabeoji tells the group that Young Do is CEO Choi's son, and a year behind Hyo Shin at Empire High. Hyo Shin chugs some more water. Harabeoji thinks that, despite his youth, CEO Choi has raised his son well. The animosity for his father is hidden and he thanks Harabeoji for the compliment and bows. Hyo Shin is now just looking at the flowers on the table while everyone else eats.
Young Do starts topping off everyone’s water. He makes polite conversation, asking them about the food. They like the new chef. I notice an interesting, less than pleasant look when Young Do looks at Hyo Shin. What does that mean? Young Do purposely fills Hyo Shin’s glass almost to the brim, smiling slightly to himself as he does it. Hyo Shin looks up at him, with as much of a glare as he’s allowed at this table. Young Do innocently says that it seems like Hyo Shin was thirsty. Maybe not so innocently, because his look lingers and he raises his eyebrow just a little as he walks away. Hyo Shin clears his throat uncomfortably and tries to look comfortable.
Young Do’s done serving the Attorney General. He’s returned to his home, Room 3205 in the hotel. I like how it’s decorated and it’s got Target-like art on the wall. And I’m grooving to the music they’ve got playing at the moment. If this is Young Do’s theme, I’m going to be very happy. He checks his phone and he’s not there 30 seconds before someone rings the bell. It’s Hyo Shin. He wants to use Young Do’s bathroom. And we get to watch him throw up.
Young Do doesn’t seem too concerned about Hyo Shin throwing up and even snarks about him not liking the food. He mentions the bathroom on the first floor and Hyo Shin replies that he can't run into his father while he’s throwing up. Young Do wonders why Hyo Shin doesn’t mind letting him know about his vomiting problem and Hyo Shin replies that he’s got more dirt on Young Do (so he’s not worried). Young Do snarks about Sunbae’s threatening, how his voice sounds really nice when he does it. Hyo Shin says he’s better at cursing, does Young Do want to hear? Young Do waves Hyo Shin off and I get the feeling that they might be friends, or at least frenemies. Young Do offers Hyo Shin a cigarette but Hyo Shin doesn’t smoke, so he politely declines and goes.
Tan’s by a fountain, looking at his phone. I’m struck by how Lee Min Ho’s body language for Tan is different than Gu Jun Pyo. I know I keep bringing up BOF, but I can’t help it. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love this show, it’s just making me appreciate LMH as an actor, because of the little subtleties that he brings to his characters. I can’t picture this guy, Tan, violently tackling anyone while playing rugby, let alone beating someone up. Eun Sang arrives carrying what look like two ice coffees. It’s her treat. Tan grumbles about how long she was gone – could that be why he was looking at his phone? Because he knows he can’t put Rachel off forever? She tells him she was giving him time to take care of his business. Did he finish selling all his organic drugs? Tan squirms, clears his throat, and drinks his ice coffee.
Eun Sang takes a sip and loves her drink, declaring it to-die-for-good! Tan tells her not to over-react. She tells him that she thought she ought to at least try the Americano, since she came all the way to the States, so that it won’t be all bad memories. He asks her if she’s sure that she only has bad memories? Is he fishing for a compliment? Eun Sang considers if any of her trip has been good and changes the subject to ask how long Tan’s been in the States. He doesn’t want to answer that so he acts offended that she had to think about there being something good. Eun Sang rolls her eyes at him and looks away.
She notices some people taking pictures. And, of course, they do the Korean V sign while they pose for the photo, because *everyone* does that when they pose for pictures. Not that the picture’s going to be any good, based on the light. Right into the camera. Tan tries to change the subject back, but she’s ignoring him. So he looks where she’s looking – the girls taking souvenir photos – and asks Eun Sang if she knows them. She doesn’t. But they’ve given her an idea! She asks to borrow Tan’s phone. She’s thought of a way to get home. From his expression, he doesn’t like the idea of her leaving, especially not when she confirms that she’s talking about *Korea.* She holds out her hands and he reluctantly gives her his phone.
Eun Sang gets on the Talkingbook app and signs in as Hellosidney96. Talkingbook = Facebook. I groan at the lamitude of the name. I’m just going to call it Facebook. She asks him to let her know if he gets any responses. She starts her message
To: White hacker YoonTan tries to act casual as he asks who the guy is. Her boyfriend? Intently typing she says he’s just a guy who’s a friend. Tan yells at her to just call him. I think he’s irritated at the idea of having to help her talk to her non-boyfriend. She makes a face and says that his number changed recently, so she doesn't have it memorized. Her friend said he was going on a trip, so she’s not sure if he’s still in Korea or not. She’s texting Chan Young! Aw!
This may be hard to believe, but...
Tan can’t believe she’s asking some guy for help when she doesn't even know where he is. She says that he's inside her heart. It’s not something he'd want to understand anyway. Tan huffs a whatever and mutters as he takes his phone back. Because he likes her. Eun Sang tells him that he's a person whom she respects, as a friend. Which is just what a guy want to her a girl say about a rival. Even though we know Chan Young totally isn’t a rival, it’s kind of fun to see Tan jealous. Tan mutters about how great the guy could be – Did he invent Hangul? – and pshaws at her saying she respects him as a friend. Wow, he does not want to get friend-zoned. And what’s she going to do if he doesn’t reply? With certainty and conviction she says that he will. Irritated because she’s this close with some guy, Tan puts his phone in his pocket and walks off, with Eun Sang hurrying behind him.
Now they’re in a taxi, which I don’t understand since Tan drove his *car* to school. He’s sulking, looking out the window. Eun Sang asks if there’s any message yet. He sighs, looks, and shoves it in her face, declaring “Not yet!” He asks her if they’re really as close as she thinks. She replies that they've known each other for half of their life. He asks her if they’re dating. She quickly responds that she said it wasn't like that. Tan wants to know if she did date him. And I am laughing at him being a jealous butthead. They’re just friends, like she said.
Starting to get irritated, she asks him why he’s determined to create a false pasts for her friendship. But she changes her tact and sweetly tells him to think of it as saving a person, and check his messages often. He’s her last hope, so Tan needs to tell her when he replies. She says, in a cutesy aegyo voice, that she’s trusting him with this favor. Heh.
The taxi arrives at his house. They get out and Tan tosses Eun Sang his keys. He needs to go back and get his car – at least the writers are paying attention, although it would have made more sense (and been cheaper) for them to take the taxi to his car and then drive back together – since he left it behind when they ran away from those guys by the beach. She’s not so excited to be alone as the taxi drives off.
Riding in the taxi, Tan looks at what appears to be Eun Sang’s Facebook page. Korean V pose. She’s posted that she’s in America, but has a problem, so contact her right away. He huffs at that one. He scrolls through her posts of pictures she’s taken in America – what camera/phone has she been using to do this with? Since she doesn’t have a cell? He comes across a post where she says that finding a secretarial job paying 2,000,000 won a month would be nice. Tan wonders what she’s talking about and decides to read more.
Tan’s still reading as he’s arrived back at the pier. There’s posts about ‘Freddy v. Jason,’ having to work, wanting to watch ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ – reading that Tan remarks on her horrible movie taste – more stuff about her working, a pun about Jessica Alba –"Je-Shi-Kyeo Alba" = "make her do work." She says she wants to... smile. I’m really liking the way they’ve shot this, because we get to see what Tan’s seeing (and imagining) and it helps us learn more about Eun Sang at the same time he does. Yes, she does have horrible movie taste, but her posts make me really like her even more.
Tan mutters, “How many part-time jobs does she have?” as he looks at a pictures she’s posted of herself at work. Then she’s taken a picture of Chan Young, calling him ‘Annoying customer, #1.’ Chan Young is happily posing, with Korean V fingers, and Tan mutters about him being *the guy.* Chan Young posts under his picture: “Is the annoying customer this cute?” And I laugh, because I know that it’s going to make Tan jealous. And I’m right. Tan mutters, “Is he crazy?” He likes it when she posts that Chan Young should get lost. Chan Young replies that she’s worked hard today and that she should stay strong. Should he get lost now? Tan mutters that they can't just be friends... And we know that Chan Young is very much into his high-maintenance girlfriend, Bo Na. There’s a post: “I hate that my mom works so hard. I hope Empire Group goes bankrupt.” Empire Group? That’s his family’s company. Tan is shocked to see that one.
A police man comes up and taps on his window. It’s his cop ‘friend.’ Officer Barbee – Where’s Ken? – says that there must have been some misunderstanding as he hands Eun Sang’s passport back to Tan. Tan replies that it’s not his first time (misunderstanding) and drives off. Without saying thank you or goodbye.
Big Hangout. Wall of pictures. Someone puts up a picture of Bo Na with a friend. In the background, she’s there, moaning about not being able to get a hold of Chan Young. She’s wearing red again. And I hate her sandals. The guy hanging the picture, Jo Myung Soo (Park Hyung Shik) tells her that she’s screwed, if she thinks about it. Because there’s so many sexy girls in America. Comparing her to girls with curves in all the right places…
I just have to pause here and comment on Park Hyung Shik’s name: Brother Shik? Really? But then I realize that he’s a member of the k-pop group ZE:A. That explains things.
Bo Na’s sure that her Chan Young is nothing like Myung Soo. Myung Soo says that *that’s* the problem, he probably isn't like him. So why won't he pick up his phone? Bo Na says that Chan Young’s probably either super busy or didn't know he got a call! No one believes her. Myung Soo asks her why girls make such a scene when they already know the answers and she retorts that it makes her feel better.
Young Do arrives and Myung Soo calls him Part-time Choi. He asks if Young Do’s finished with his part-time job. Young Do tells him that he’s lucky he’s the son of a law firm founder. Since Myung Soo sucks at studying, he won’t get into law school, so he doesn’t have to work at the firm part-time job in preparation for inheriting it. Myung Soo tells him that it really is a relief to suck at studying. They laugh.
Young Do notices Bo Na’s moping and asks Myung Soo what’s wrong. She tells him that it’s none of his business. He teases her about her dramatic pose. She sits up and asks why he can’t just ignore her. He replies that he can’t help it, because she looks so pretty. Myung Soo stops and looks at him for a minute. What’s with that? That was weird. Bo Na doesn’t take it as flirting, Instead she said that he’s right; she’s still a strong candidate. So she decides to call him *again.* Myung Soo's right. She's still a strong contender, right? Which is why she should call him! Young Do looks at Myung Soo and sarcastically laughs.
This time, Bo Na’s call get’s through. Chan Young tells her that she scared him. She complains about how he hasn’t called her back and he tells her it’s always because she calls before he can return the call. Chan Young’s at the book store and there’s a woman checking him out. When Bo Na hears her tell him the price of his book, she gets jealous and asks him what kind of bitch is he with. He asks her if he should says that she’s a woman who Bo Na should worry about. She doesn’t get what he’s asking and asks him if he's cheating on her. She demands that he put the bitch on the phone and he replies that the bitch is already on the phone. Heh. And Min Hyuk has a pretty decent English accent! She smiles at his little rebuke.
Chan Young tells her that he can't study because he misses her so much. What’s she going to do about it, since it’s her fault? She says she’s totally happy and tells him to check his SNS account. She posted a selfie of her crying. In the background, Young Do tells Myung Soo that he doesn't think Chan Young will ever return (because she’s so clingy). Chan Young tells her that he disabled his SNS because it was distracting. She begs him to look at it, cutesy whining and Young Do says she’s the only one who can be so clingy yet still be so charming and pretty. Chan Young promises to look at it. He also promises to call her later, when he gets home, so she should wait for him to call (instead of calling him again).
Chan Young is on the campus of the school he’s attending. He hangs up with Bo Na and opens up his Facebook page and sees Eun Sang’s message. He immediately tries calling her, but gets a message that she’s unavailable.
At Tan’s Eun Sang has packed up her stuff and has started carrying it up the stairs. Probably in anticipation of Chan Young rescuing her. She hears keys in the lock and tells the person (who she thinks is Tan) that he got back quickly and she’s about to leave. But it’s not, based on the expensive set of heels walking down the stairs. Eun Sang looks up at the owner of the shoes and it’s most definitely not Tan. It’s Rachel, who is not happy to see her. Eun Sang asks who she is and Rachel replies that that's what she should be asking her. Eun Sang recognizes Rachel from the airport. She’s the one that was pretending her boyfriend was picking her up. But he was ignoring her calls. Put two and two together, Eun Sang.
Rachel doesn’t care. She wants to know who Eun Sang is. When Eun Sang asks who she is, Rachel quickly replies that she's the fiancée of the owner of this house. Oops. Eun Sang’s confused by that one – because Tan sure hasn’t been acting like he’s engaged. And isn’t the owner of this house a high school student? Rachel replies that they got engaged last year, when they were seventeen. Rachel demands to know who Eun Sang is. Eun Sang still doesn’t give her a name. She says that she had a bit of a situation, so she had to stay for a night. She was just about to leave. So, she slept there? Rachel does not like the sound of *that.*
Eun Sang scratches her head as she says that Rachel is misunderstanding the situation. Even though we know that Rachel has every right to be worried, because Tan likes Eun Sang. Rachel notices Tan’s keys. She tells Eun Sang to be quiet and walks down the stairs to stand directly in front of her. She grabs the keys out of Eun Sang’s hand and asks her why she has them. I don’t think Rachel would be quite so pissed if Tan had answered *one* of her calls. She knows what he’s like. Eun Sang’s really uncomfortable now. She squirms and says that she asked Tan to hold onto her luggage. She bows to Rachel and tries to finish leaving, but Rachel pulls on her suitcase and makes it hurtle down the stairs. At least it’s a hard case. Eun Sang can’t believe this girl just did that.
Oh, no. The fall down the stairs actually damaged the suitcase. Eun Sang looks at it, upset. Frustrated, she asks Rachel what she just did. Rachel snarks that it’s her mistake, totally unapologetic. Just like the fact that they ran into each another in the house. Eun Sang starts to defend herself, but stops, because she wants to be respectful and grateful for the favor Tan did for her (she says as much). She says she’ll suppress my anger and leave.
Rachel asks Eun Sang if she’s joking. Here’s Eun Sang with the keys in an empty house. How does she know that nothing’s been stolen? Boy, Tan is not going to like this when he gets home. Granted, he brought some of it on himself, but she is being really rude to Eun Sang and could potentially chase the girl off for good. Which he wouldn’t like, since he likes Eun Sang. She tells Eun Sang to open up her suitcase. When Eun Sang objects, she retorts that she thought Eun Sang didn't want to be misunderstood. Eun Sang stupidly agrees to let Rachel look in her suitcase. I wouldn’t. Who cares what the girl thinks? Just grab her by the hair and throw her down the stairs. She’s wearing two inch heels and holding groceries. She couldn’t stop you. Not that I would actually *do* that.
After Eun Sang opens the suitcase, Rachel obnoxiously dumps everything out onto the floor and because there’s, of course, nothing in it, Rachel condescendingly tells Eun Sang to go. Eun Sang can’t believe this girl would be so rude. I can. I’ve met people like her before. Then Rachel adds that she should go after taking care of the garbage, kicking some of Eun Sang’s stuff as she walks by it. When Eun Sang starts to object, Rachel adds that she should do it quickly, before Tan gets back. Eun Sang doesn’t answer, but as she starts to repack her suitcase, she can’t help but cry a little. This is exactly the kind of stuff that she and her mother have to put up with all the time.
Eun Sang’s now sitting on a bench by the bay, looking at the boats on the water. Families are enjoying the water, picnicking. Little children are playing. She is most definitely alone. But she nods, gets up and walks on with her suitcase.
Back at the hangout in Korea, Bo Na is stressing about Chan Young not calling her. Apparently, even though Seoul is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, it’s afternoon in both places. Myung Soo and Young Do are eating pizza and watching her pace. Finally, Myung Soo asks her what her problem is. She can’t understand why Chan Young hasn’t called her yet. She uploaded a selfie of her crying and even told him about it. It’s been two hours! Young Do calls himself her Oppa and she says, “Oppa my ass.” He waves that off and tells her that no guy wants to see a picture of a girl crying. He wants to see some skin! He and Myung Soo start to laugh.
Myung Soo adds that Chan Young would probably rush back immediately if he saw a selfie with some bare skin. She yells at him that Chan Young isn’t like that, so he better apologize quickly. He needs to face the direction of the States and SukGoDaeJweh (bow ceremonially)! Myung Soo says that Chan Young is not normal if he isn’t like that. He’s an eighteen year old male for pete’s sake! Young Do tells her she should just break up with Chan Young and date Myung Soo instead. Her response is mine: Is she crazy? On drugs? Myung Soo objects to getting rejected so profusely, but flirtily tells her he doesn’t hate her.
Bo Na tells Myung Soo that he and Young Do look good together. *They* should just date. Playing along with, Myung Soo flirtily tells Young Do that he doesn’t hate him. Young Do asks Myung Soo if he has a death wish. Myung Soo tells Young Do that he’s prejudiced when it comes to gender and love and says they should break up. I absolutely roll when he pretends to brush hair behind his ear like a girl would. Young Do declares that he can't even hit Myung Soo since he’s so pretty! Myung Soo makes an aegyo face and Bo Na pretends to throw up.
Bo Na complains about them crossing a line and Myung Soo says that lines are made for crossing. Just look at Rachel Yoo! She even went abroad, to the States to see Tan. Neither one of them notice Young Do’s face. He looks a bit pissed. Does he like Rachel? Is that what their split was over? A girl? Bo Na complains because she’s told them not talk about Kim Tan in front of her. Myung Soo says it was besides her. I think I like him. Young Do’s now awkwardly looking at his pizza and no longer playing along. There is definitely something wrong. Bo Na turns to Young Do and asks him why he’s not saying anything. Is she the only one who’s uncomfortable talking about Kim Tan? He protests that Myung Soo fights better than him. Bo Na gets frustrated with both of them and throws pillows at them.
Eun Sang decides to go to a travel agent. Because they’re so easy to find in a big city. She’s booking her flight back to Seoul. Since she has no where to go in the States. The cost is $1440. Travelocity can get them for you cheaper. Eun Sang checks her money (which is only about $360) and it’s not enough. Even though she needs more money – and has no way to actually get it – she asks the travel agent to reserve the ticket. The agent is happy to. She needs Eun Sang’s passport. This makes Eun Sang remember that she doesn’t have her passport.
Back at Tan’s, Rachel’s putting some very pretty roses in a vase as she tells him that Eun Sang left. He’s not happy. She left? Where? With all her stuff? Rachel throws the stuff she’s holding down on the table and yells at him about the fact that it’s been 6 months and this is the greeting she gets? Why should she care about some girl?! And Tan tells her she became prettier. She stops and says that she knows. And it’s back to Eun Sang. Did Rachel kick her out?
Rachel retorts that it’s her right as his fiancée to kick the girl out, which means Rachel told Eun Sang that Tan was engaged. Rachel’s not happy that he *didn’t* tell her. Tan sighs and tells her that she should have left Eun Sang her; he would have introduced them.
Tan goes over to sit on the couch. He sighs and closes his eyes as Rachel starts to yell at him. As if this is a trial that he has to endure. Didn't he know she was coming? He knew. Then why didn't he come to the airport? Because it was hot. So why not come to Korea since it’s autumn? Too far. Boy, he seems very much in love with you. Why would you want to be engaged to someone who doesn’t love you? Tan is just sitting there, slumped on the couch with his eyes closed. Rachel purses her lips and sighs. Does he know that the day after tomorrow is their one year anniversary of their engagement? Yes. She’s not happy with his apathy. Why did he get engaged if he’s going act like this? So he doesn’t have to marry her later. Ouch. Not that I feel very bad for her at the moment.
The door bell rings. It’s Eun Sang at the door, coming to get her passport. Tan comes up the stairs to get the door. When she sees him, she hurries and starts to walk away. It’s evident that she didn’t expect the find anyone but Rachel at home. Tan hurries to catch Eun Sang as Rachel comes up the stairs after him.
It’s a wrist grab as Tan demands to know where Eun Sang is going. He starts to yell at her about leaving without telling him. She says that she left the card there, the one with Officer Barbee’s information on it. It’s obvious, as Rachel comes outside, that Eun Sang is really uncomfortable being there. Tan wants to know why she wants the card, but Rachel declares that she threw it into one of the garbage cans, the one outside of the gate. Now, why would Rachel just randomly throw away a business card? Think, Eun Sang!
Another wrist grab as Tan tells Eun Sang that she doesn't need it. She retorts that it’s her passport and yanks her arm free. Before Tan can say anything more – And it looks like he was trying to tell her that he *had* her passport – Eun Sang runs down the driveway to search through the trash. Tan sighs and glares at Rachel. Did she really throw it away? Rachel, of course, didn’t even see the card, much less throw it away. Tan sighs again and tells her that he understands this is annoying, but he owes Eun Sang; she lost her passport to a policeman because of him and can’t return to Korea without it. Rachel doesn’t see why she should have to bother with it and Tan’s voice is hard as he tells her she doesn’t but he does so she shouldn’t but in. Tan goes down to get Eun Sang and Rachel is left there reeling from the rejection.
Rachel goes back inside to grab her purse (and probably leave). Tan’s phone chimes. Rachel, of course, looks to see what it is. It’s Chan Young, replying to Eun Sang’s message. He says that he can come help her immediately, so Eun Sang should call him. And he includes his new phone number. Rachel pauses to think. And you know she’s going to delete the message. Which is totally stupid since that would mean that Eun Sang won’t go back to Korea any time soon. But at least it would make Eun Sang miserable. Even if it does mean helping your fiancé spend more time with a girl that he’s obviously interested in.
Eun Sang is digging fervently though the trash. She’s getting more and more desperate and upset with each passing minute and trash can. Tan arrives and tells her that the card’s not there. She agrees that it's not here. No matter how she looks, it's not here. She can’t hold back her tears from her voice. Tan asks if she’s crying. She shakes her head, trying to stop it, because she feels stupid. But everything’s… Eun Sang sighs, frustrated with the situation and with herself. She came to US to live a better life and she ends up next to the trash again. Tan reacts to her words as if they sting him and it looks like he has tears in his eyes again, He says that he’s sorry. She should get up.As Eun Sang stands and brushes off her knees, she asks Tan why he’s sorry. He holds out her passport. When did he get it? He tells her just now. She takes it and cradles it gratefully, her lifeline to get home.
A taxi drives up and some people start to get out. Tan immediately grabs Eun Sang and pulls her so they hide behind a dumpster. He recognizes them. Eun Sang’s confused but he motions for her to be quiet. Whoever it is, is really angry. He’s calling the guy he’s looking for a son of a bitch, while the girl with him is trying to get him to just leave. She’s blonde and I wonder if maybe Tan’s been fooling with this guy’s girl. Angry guy’s buddy spots them so Tan and Eun Sang take off running. Not towards Tan’s house, where he can go inside and lock the door and then call the police, but down the road away from their house. The two guys run after them leaving the girl – who looks like the girl S.D. couldn’t sleep without – just standing there.
Boy, they’ve run a long way (at least 5 miles) because now Eun Sang and Tan are running along the Walk of Fame with the two guys still after him. And everyone’s in really good shape because no one's panting. Running. Running. And we’re treated to the butchered Engrish about the legion of his heart. Finally, they’ve gotten far enough ahead of the guys that they’re able to duck inside a theatre. And easily run into one of the theatres and sit down. In seats right by the door.
Eun Sang keeps scanning the theatre seats behind them. When Tan asks what she’s doing, she says that serial killers are always behind you. Tan tells her to stop watching those weird movies. Eun Sang wants to know why he’s being chased around? Is he really a drug dealer? Tan says he wouldn’t waste his life doing that. So why were they being chased? He asks why she was being chased and she sees his point. Since they’re there, they should watch the movie, so Tan can rest a bit. He closes his eyes as he says it.
There’s been a few shots of the movie and I have no idea what it is. But when Eun Sang wonders what they’re saying, Tan tells her that the man is there to make sure that he wasn't after her. Eun Sang looks at Tan, who’s slumped in his seat with his eyes closed. She’s not watching the movie anymore. “If I'm going to trust you, I need to know who you are.” He continues, like he’s translating the movie, but from what he’s saying, he’s not: “Yesterday, I met a woman. Her name was Cha Eun Sung. I'm curious about Cha Eun Sang. Possibly…” and Tan turns to look at her meaningfully (and I melt a little), “do I like you?” Significant staring as the episode ends.
Thoughts
So we met a few more of the heirs: Lee Hyo Shin and Jo Myung Soo. One - Hyo Shin - is under extreme pressure to succeed, so much that he throws up from the stress, while the other - Myung Soo - acts as though he doesn't have a care in the world. I'm wondering what Hyo Shin's relationship is with Young Do. Why would he be vulnerable enough to go vomit in Young Do's bathroom if they were as big adversaries as their exchange suggested? And Harabeoji was sure familiar with Young Do, like he'd met him often enough. Hyo Shin is definitely a character that I feel bad for, and one that I want to end up with a girl, because he seems like a good guy and one that deserves it.
Myung Soo, on the other hand, I haven't formed an opinion about him yet, but I suspect that there's more than the carefree slacker that we've seen so far. He seems to be on good terms with Tan still. Perhaps they and Young Do were best buds before whatever went down between Tan and Young Do.
We got to see more of Rachel and even though I feel a bit sorry for her - no one seems to care about her or want her - I don't really like her. She's snotty with everyone. I do wonder if the bad blood between Tan and Young Do has something to do with her. Or was it just the mention of Tan that got Young Do upset?
Young Do continues to come across as extremely arrogant, but someone who knows people and what buttons to push. A good foil to Tan, who is very unassuming and actually seems to not like to see anyone suffer. Unless, of course, it's people who are expecting something out of him, like his mother and Rachel. That's interesting, of course, and I wonder how much of that is as a reaction to hyung's rejection.
And speaking of hyung - that guy is not happy. Constantly undercut and second-guessed by his father, tolerated dutifully by his stepmother, and I get the sense that he, too, is alone in the world. That seems to be a theme, here, that even though they might be surrounded by people, our characters are very much alone.
I do have to say that I love hyung's sense of humor and sarcasm. I do wonder if there's more to the story between hyung and the mistress. That would be interesting: the prince and the king's concubine.
I do wonder about Secretary Jae Hoo. His relationship with Won seems very... conflicted is not the word I want, but it's the only word that I can think of. I think that Jae Hoo is actually trying to help Won succeed and actually feels a bit sorry for the man.
It's nice to see the romance develop so soon. And Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye definitely have chemistry. (But Lee Min Ho seems to have chemistry with whoever he acts with.) It's nice to see it bubble there, under the surface, even as they just stand next to each other. Her being the daughter of his mother's housekeeper is definitely going to throw a wrench in things, particularly because the woman that causes Hee Nam the most misery is the woman Tan calls Omma (and would be Eun Sang's mother-in-law).
Hopefully the action will pick up more than it has in the first two episodes. And gratefully, we weren't subjected to S.D. this episode.
Can't find talking book app:( how can I find it ??!
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