You Who Came From the Stars Episode 1 Recap

It's new series time and since being sick and helping a friend move has thrown off my drama viewing, I've decided to finish the other recaps later and focus on this new series. From what I've seen, I like it.


The series starts with a flying saucer arriving on Earth. Narration from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty 1st Year of King Gwang Hae, Recorded on September 25th. “In the skies of Gan Sung Goon, Won Joo Mok, Kang Ryung Bu, and Choon Chun Bu, there was an UFO that looked like a bowl.” The UFO whooshes across the sky, a sonic boom in its wake. “It was fast like an arrow. With a loud noise, it disappeared in flames. There were no clouds when this happened. Year 1609 August 25th in Gangneung.”

    
We see a group of servants walking with a palanquin. Inside is Seo Yi Hwa, whose luck was such that the man she was set to marry died before the ceremony. Yi Hwa is 15. She is crying at her terrible luck. The servants are crying, too. The saucer appears above them and the wind it kicks up is strong enough to lift people off the ground. Yi Hwa’s palanquin goes flying and starts to fall over a cliff when time stops. It’s some pretty cool camera effects as our hero, Min Joon, walks through the flying leaves. Tranquil, majestic music plays.

    
Min Joon reaches the palanquin and pulls it so that it will sit on the ground. He closes his eyes and breathes and time starts again. The wind dies down.

  
Min Joon opens the door of the palanquin and offers his hand to Yi Hwa.

A man’s voice narrates. It’s Min Joon’s voice. Now we switch to present day. Min Joon sits on a couch, talking as if he’s having a conversation with us. He lives in a very nice and spacious house. Some might even call it a mansion. Min Joon says that the UFO recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty was what brought me to Joseon. He gives the human name for his planet – KMT 184.05 – as an astral map is shown and his sun is circled. His planet is very similar to Earth. Then why did they come here? Or is he just saying that?

Min Joon states that he’s lived here for 400 years. We see time pass and Min Joon in different styles of dress. He says that he’s become accustomed to life on Earth, even the water here. Gratuitous shower scene. I roll my eyes. But I also wonder, does that mean that his planet doesn’t have water like we do? If he had to get used to it? So how is it very similar to Earth, then? Min Joon says that his instincts and eye sight are seven times better than humans and because of that, he’ll see or hear things that he’d rather not see and or hear.

  
Now we’re in Min Joon’s very large kitchen with its metallic appliances. Min Joon says that there aren't many things that he likes to eat. And he’s able to telekinetically move his water glass across the table into his hand. I hope they remember that he has these types of abilities so that they’re consistent in their writing. And is that what he meant by saying that he had to get used to the water? He says that he cannot exchange fluid or blood with the people of Earth, so he always eats alone. And I find that really sad. And lonely. It also explains this next part.

Min Joon is bicycling down the street when a woman nearby gets her purse stolen by a thief on a motorcycle. Min Joon stops, torn for a moment, before continuing on his way. Back to the library and the couch. He tells us that he didn't help because there is no point (it’s meaningless) getting involved in people’s lives. Some things are just bound to happen. Like him ending up living on Earth for over 400 years, whether he wanted it or not. So, if it's supposed to happen, it happens. Earthlings call it 'Fate'. And I can understand why someone would end up like this. With no real connection with anyone for over 400 years, you’d be like this too.

  
Now Min Joon’s waiting with a bunch of other people to cross the street. As the light turns and he starts to cross, he notices a news broadcast showing an approaching comet, brighter than the moon, which will be visible on Earth 3 months from now. Min Joon stops and stares at this news report as the world passes by.

Back to the library. Min Joon turns over an hourglass full of blue sand. Min Joon announces that a new fate is about to begin. The comet that he’s been waiting for, for 400 years, is coming. In 3 months, he can return to his planet. Finally. He seems awfully calm. I would be practically wanting to burst out of my skin. I know what it’s like to be lonely and wanting to go home “where everybody knows your name.” Does this mean that his people aren’t like this? Because he’s not like this?

    
After the commercial break, it’s a movie set. Screaming fans and photographers. Song Yi is sitting under an umbrella, eyes closed, while her nails are being buffed. A gopher arrives with her Mocha Latte. She takes the coffee and uses it as a prop for a few cutesy selca pics. Then she passes it to her Stylist and tells her to drink it while she updates her Twitter feed. The gopher – no, I checked and it’s her manager – whines about how far he had to run to buy her that. Without looking up from her phone, she retorts that she’s not going to jog for 2 hours just to burn off the calories in that one Mocha Latte. Her manager then gives her props for taking care of herself. And I can’t believe that he’s her manager. He seems more like a gopher.

    
Manager notices her typing away and asks what she’s doing. She’s connecting with her fans. He’s not so happy at this. Alarmed, he asks her what she said and pulls out his phone and looks at her Twitter feed. And, of course, it’s totally fake: “On a tiring afternoon, a sweet Mocha Latte is the best. I think I understand why Mun Ik Jeom smuggled mokhwa-shi. Mun Ik Jeom, thank you!” Mokhwa-shi are cotton seeds and mokhwa sounds a lot like Mocha). So her attempt to look clever just shows that she wasn’t totally paying attention in class. I’m being nice when I say that. Manager starts to moan and she treats him like he’s stupid. But he moans back that it was cotton seeds, not mocha seeds!

    
Various people laughing as they read her Twitter feed. Not so nice comment about her intelligence. Until we arrive at her agency, where CEO Ahn is cringing, his face in his hands. Or rather, clenched as if wanting to strangle Song Yi. He takes some tissues and flings them at the manager, then the box, yelling at him for not stopping her. Manager moans. CEO Ahn asks another minion if the post is gone, but minion responds that Mocha Mun Ik Jeom is the number One search currently. Number two is... Mun Ik Jeom Chun Song Yi... CEO Ahn bemoans how it’s a travesty that true ignorance begets! He declares that he’s going mad and spins around in his chair, facing away from Manager and the minion.

    
Song Yi arrives, wearing sunglasses inside. She complains about being summoned after she just finished shooting, because she’s tired. CEO Ahn spins his chair back around and instead of the angry face, now he’s got the used car salesman smile going. He tells her that she could shoot a makeup commercial right now, with how great she looks. Eyes closed, she asks what he wants. He tries to make like the netizens are all jealous and that it was a surprise to him that Mun Ik Jeom smuggled in Cotton seeds rather than Mocha seeds. He, too, only found out the difference today! He suggests that because the netizens are so jealous that they have to nitpick on everything and talk trash behind her back, that she should just stop tweeting as of today.

    
Song Yi’s eyes open to look over at him and she replies, ‘No.” CEO Ahn can’t believe that she said no. He asks her why she’s refusing to stop. He tries to be pleasant. She replies that if she doesn’t tweet, then who would she converse with. Song Yi looks away annoyed and exhausted. Ahn clenches his fists, restraining the urge to hurt her. After all, she just lost her sponsor because of it. Song Yi moans that JK's President Park keeps calling her, asking if she’s going to end her contract with CEO Ahn and join their agency. Since Ahn’s best friends with President Park, would that be okay with him if she did? Ahn gets the point and mutters under his breath about Park being a jerk. Song Yi sighs and asks if she can go. CEO Ahn knows where his bread is buttered, so he hurriedly agrees and yells at Manager and Minion to escort her out.

    
We switch to a University where some of the professors are discussing Song Yi’s latest blunder. One can’t believe that Song Yi *really* didn’t know about her mistake, that she wasn’t trying to be funny. Another one replies that everybody knows that Song Yi is stupid. Ouch. The second one gets up and asks Min Joon about the University faculty dinner happening later that night. He’s planning on going, right? I think she’s hitting on him, even though he looks about 8 years younger than her – and is well over 400 years *older* than her. He quickly cuts her off and refuses to attend. She notes that they’ve worked together for over a year and still haven't eaten together. She asks him if he even knows her name. Min Joon stares straight ahead, caught in his own apathy. The other two faculty members ask him if he knows their names. Min Joon uncomfortably announces that he’ll be going.

    
Manager is now driving a van, begging Song Yi to stop tweeting. She doesn’t want to because she has over 20,000 Twitter friends. He replies that they turned into anti-fans and reminds her that it hasn't even been a month since the garlic pizza incident. Flashback of Song Yi in a pizza parlor, wondering why she smells garlic in her pizza, not knowing that garlic is maneul (garlic). Manager declares that she didn't have to write anything. Why does she keep causing trouble by writing nonsense? He says that right now, the comments are insane! Song Yi declares that she doesn’t care. Manager tells her that a person like her can't converse with fans. It's better to remain mum, so that she can maintain the mystery. And Song Yi hauls off and hits him in the head with her water bottle, telling him to just drive.

    
Song Yi’s van arrives at her new apartment building. Song Yi quickly departs the van with Manager and Stylist trailing behind her. She yells at them about following her. Manager answers that she doesn't even know where her house is (because it’s a *new* apartment). Song Yi’s now in a huff about how people think she’s stupid. I can definitely tell that despite her bluster, this is an area of deep insecurity for her. She yells at Manager about him thinking she doesn’t know where it is because she didn’t know about the garlic. After all, he told her the number (2301). Manager wants to escort her but she’s having none of it. Stylist pipes up to ask for the earrings Song Yi’s wearing, since they’re on loan from a sponsor. Song Yi testily removes them and stalks off. Stylist worries about Song Yi going alone, since last time she ran into a pervert in the elevator. I’m thinking she’s going to run into Min Joon on the elevator, who she’ll treat like a pervert and he’ll completely ignore her. Heh. Manager isn’t too worried, since the last time she beat the guy up with her studded purse and he ended up in the hospital for 8 weeks.

    
Song Yi stands, tapping her open-toed shoe while waiting for the elevator to arrive. And who walks up? Min Joon. She notices him but he completely ignores her. He gets on the elevator first. Song Yi follows and presses the 23rd floor. He doesn’t press any button. In the elevator, he stares straight ahead. She keeps glancing at him and then finally gets Min Joon’s attention. It’s obvious that she thinks he’s one of her stalker fans. Min Joon looks over at her and she asks him why he hasn’t pressed a button. This gets no response from him; he simply returns to staring straight ahead. She asks him again, which makes him look over again, and he almost speaks but she then coolly, aloofly tells him that, yes, that's right, she’s Chun Song Yi. She asks him how long he’s been following her and how did he already find out that she moved again? Min Joon looks down and shakes his head. I am laughing. And this is going to be different, where the heroine is the prideful one who acts like a jerk. I really like this idea!

    
Min Joon goes back to staring straight ahead. Song Yi steps across the elevator to stand closer to him. Facing him she condescendingly asks him what she should do for him: An autograph? A picture? Then will he go? He sighs, as if so tired of how stupid humans can be. Song Yi gives him the once over with her eyes and snottily says that he looks young and she can understand that he’s full of energy. She understands, but he should go and study with that energy. Or at least do some exercise. She starts to get indignant as she tells him that if he thinks he’s going to do something weird, he’s mistaken and he’s picked the wrong person to mess with. This isn’t her first time! And before she can get even more worked up, Min Joon exits the elevator. She can’t believe that he just walked away.

    
Song Yi comes ripping out of the elevator, yelling at Min Joon about making fun of her. He ignores her and instead starts to punch in the code to *his door.* She’s at least quick to realize this and stops yelling and instead starts uncomfortably laughing about how he’s going next door… Min Joon stops and looks at her. She tells him that she moved into number 2301, today. He’s surprised, right? Now it’s more like he’s glaring at her. Annoying human. More annoying than most, I bet. I wonder if they had something comparable to movie stars on his planet.

    
After a moment of his stare, Song Yi asks Min Joon if he knows her. She’s surprised that he doesn’t. Because she’s a vain actress, just like the series description characterized her. Min Joon asks if he should know who she is. She quickly replies that no, it's not like that. Min Joon keeps staring. She asks him why he’s looking at her like that. Matter-of-factly, he replies that it’s his password. He waves his hand to shoo her away. And I have to laugh. More than once. The hand wave dismissal was awesome. She tells him, “Sorry. Sorry.” In English. And with a decent accent. The R is a little hard, but I’ve heard plenty of Americans pronounce it that way, too. She looks away.

Min Joon keys in his password and swiftly enters his apartment, not saying anything as he goes. The door shuts loudly and Song Yi huffs as she looks over at his door. She can’t believe that he just treated her like that. Does he really *not* know *who* she is? How can he not know? Is he from North Korea? Or an alien? Heh.

    
We switch to some women at a restaurant. The cast list reveals that the woman bragging about how there's not a single person in South Korea who doesn't know her Chun Song Yi is her mother. Mom’s a little insulted that nowadays they’re calling everyone the nation’s actor or singer, when it takes more than just a one or two hit dramas to be a star. *The entire nation* has to know the person to be called the nation's actor. Another woman chimes in that Mom is so right. One of the other women at the table really doesn’t seem to be enjoying this dinner. She’s not saying anything, just eating. Oh, it appears that they’ve known each other a long time. All their kids were child actors, but the only ones to succeed as adults were Song Yi and Se Mi. At the mention of Se Mi, quiet mom smiles in acknowledgement. She must really hate the crooning she has to listen to from Song Yi’s mother. Why does she come to these dinners, anyway?

One of the mom’s asks Song Yi’s mother about Song Yi’s recent decision to do a new drama. She gloats about how Director Gong Jun Ho kept asking her to do a film with him, but she took the drama instead. And then, as if it *just* occurred to her, and not something that she’s been crooning over for weeks, she addresses Se Mi’s mom and mentions how Se Mi’s in the drama, too. The other moms are surprised, since they didn’t read about it. Se Mi’s Omma is about to respond, but Song Yi’s Mom is quick to chime in that Se Mi’s playing Song Yi’s friend or something. If looks could shoot daggers, she wouldn’t have to eat with Song Yi’s mom anymore. Song Yi’s mom adds that articles only talk about the main character, not sidekicks.

  
As Song Yi’s mom stops to drink some water, Se Mi’s Omma asks her about going to visit Song Yi’s new apartment. And Song Yi’s Mom had no clue about the move, which Omma is nice enough to gloat a little bit about. The other two women turn to look at Mom and you can see the wheels turning. Finally she says that she was *going* to go but Song Yi told her not to trouble herself. One of the other women asks *where* Song Yi moved and as Mom starts to make something up, Omma is nice enough to mention how she heard that Song Yi moved into the Golden Palace (apartment), in Daechi-dong. Quickly Mom agrees and says, as she gulps some water, that the other place was a slip of the tongue. The two other women look at each other, shaking their heads at Mom, and Omma softly smiles as she drinks her coffee.

  
Later, as Omma is leaving the restaurant, she spots Mom standing by the curb, trying to hail a cab. She has her driver pull over. She rolls down her window and offers ‘Unni’ a ride. Or, Unni could try to learn how to drive or ask her Korean sweetheart of a daughter for a chauffeur or something, since right now she looks all pathetic. Mom has to continue to keep up the ruse, and blusters that Song Yi always tells her to use a driver, but it’s really a hassle, so she’s been telling Song Yi she doesn't want one. Especially when there are so many taxis around all the time.

  
Another few ‘nice’ words between them and Omma drives off. As she goes, Mom makes a face and Omma mutters about Mom trying to keep her pride after mooching off of her daughter all the time. Who does she think she is, trying to show off? Mom calls after the car that if your daughter is a supporting actress, so are you. How dares she act like that in front of *the main character!* Wow, and Mom’s not prideful at all. No wonder Song Yi’s the way she is, especially since Mom is a moocher. That’s got to be hard, to be doing it all *alone.* Hmm… something Song Yi has in common with Min Joon. They’re alone, even though they’re surrounded by people.

    
Song Yi’s apartment. Kind of really tacky looking but it suits what I would think a star like her would have in her apartment, trying to convince everyone she's amazing. She’s got a white tree with lots of glitter and lots of shiny, shiny things about her apartment. It’s very cold feeling as compared to Min Joon’s place. They’re both contemporary, but Min Joon’s place has a warm feeling. And she has a huge portrait of herself on the wall. I never understand why people do that. Mom’s calling, but Song Yi’s engrossed in her laptop. It looks like she’s looking to see what people are saying about her. She notes that some of the people slamming her intelligence are *grade schoolers.* She slaps the laptop shut and hangs her head. And then, because she doesn’t want to feel the hurt, she gets mad and indignant instead.

    
Mom keeps calling so Song Yi answers it. Mom immediately starts yelling at Song Yi for embarrassing her, by not telling her about the move, so that she had to find out from Se Mi's mom! Bluntly, Song Yi replies that Mom told her not to call ever and that Mom wanted to end the mother-daughter relationship! Mom yells at her for listening to what Mom said. Song Yi replies that she’s been listening for a long time: when she asked for money to use on a dying French restaurant or for money to open a specialty shop with imported clothes. Mom grumbles that that’s from a really long time ago, so Song Yi lists some more recent investments that Mom wanted money for: the diet center, the donut shop. Mom, of course, thinks the money she’s asked for is a paltry amount. After all, Song Yi’s good looks came from Mom and she wouldn’t have them otherwise. Nice, Mom, really lame.

    
As Mom goes on about how Song Yi’s only successful because of her looks, that her acting sucks, tears start to form in Song Yi’s eyes. And I can feel for you, really. I know what having a parent like that can be like. Mom tells Song Yi that the only reason why she’s making money from doing TV dramas and commercials is because she’s pretty like Mom, not because she’s a good actress. Song Yi snaps back that she look like her father. As Mom starts to slam Dad and Dad’s not-good looks, Song Yi mentions how Mom married Dad for his money and when he went broke, she dumped him. When Mom starts to react about what Song Yi knows, Song Yi says that she’s like her dad, so she really really hates Mom for being like that. And don't talk about Dad with that mouth!

Mom makes a face and then asks for money, saying she doesn't have enough for living expenses. She wants another bunch of money. She grouses that Song Yi should just automatically transfer money to her, instead of her having to call and ask. She tells Song Yi to call her brother, Yoon Jae, since Mom hasn't come home for 2 days. Song Yi hangs up the phone on her mother and wonders what Yoon Jae is up to, since the crazy punk ran away from home again.

    
Switch to an arcade, with teenage girls excitedly pointing to a boy playing a video game. Yoon Jae, I presume. Song Yi calls, but he flips the phone over so he can ignore it with less guilt. Some of his buddies are with him and one of them is photoshopping Song Yi’s face onto the body of a voluptuous woman. His friend grabs his attention and asks Yoon Jae about it looking real and should he make it a nude next time? Immediately, Yoon Jae gets ticked and kicks his friend’s chair away hard, slamming the kid into the other friend. Yoon Jae stands and tells the kid to delete it right now, by the time he gets back from the restroom. As Yoon Jae walks away, he kicks the chair again, hard. His friend is totally confused . Their buddy asks if Yoon Jae likes Song Yi or something. I guess he hasn’t told anyone that they’re related. Maybe he doesn't want to be a moocher like Mom, since he sees how much it hurts his sister.

    
It’s now 10:00 pm and Min Joon is trying to sleep. But something wakes him: a dripping kitchen faucet. And even though it’s way in the other room, it’s extremely loud to where he has to get up and turn the dripping off. I would *hate* that, being able to hear like that. My hearing’s already sharp, that stuff like that keeps me awake, but for it to be *that* loud. Yikes! Min Joon gets back in bed and settles in for some sleep. Only to be roused by someone caterwauling: Song Yi. And I so appreciate Jun Ji Hyun for going full gusto, Bridget Jones style, into singing this badly. And she does sound close to a screeching cat.

    
Song Yi’s ‘performing’ in her bathroom, using her hair dryer as a microphone. And haven’t we all done something like that at least once? Go Song Yi! What makes this even worse is that it’s all acapella. Back in Min Joon’s room, he is desperately trying to block out the sound of her voice to get some sleep. He looks like he’s physically in pain. Which he probably is, given the sensitivity of his ears. Min Joon rolls over and mutters that Song Yi’s more cruel than the song that she’s been singing. Her lyrics just said, “Say that I’m cruel!”

  
Song Yi sings “Don’t swear at me!” and Min Joon sits up and mutters that he thinks he has to. He looks at his clock and gets out of bed to do something about it. Back a Song Yi’s, she’s progressively screeching higher the word ‘always.’ And my dog *physically reacted* to her screeching. It was practically only dog-hearing range. Song Yi finishes, catharsis complete.

    
The doorbell. She pokes her head out her door and Min Joon *really* does not look happy. She asks what brings him there. He asks her if she knows what time it is. She does (10 pm). Then he says that this late at night, it's common sense not to sing even if you sing *well.* Even though in my book, 10 pm isn’t that late. If it was midnight, yes, I could see that. But 10 pm. Yes, you’re over 400, Min Joon, but you have the body of a 20-something. She’s surprised he heard her, since the building supposed to have great soundproof construction. She’s nice enough to apologize. Considering how haughty she was earlier, it was nice of her to apologize.

    
Song Yi starts to go back in her apartment, when Min Joon chimes in again, saying that when someone sings terribly, like she was, it’s considered making noise, not singing and noise disturbance in the neighborhood is actually considered a crime. She could get penalized if he reports her. And now Min Joon is overreacting. She apologized, dude. She didn’t know you could hear. It would be different if she did it on purpose. Min Joon being a butthead gets Song Yi stepping out of her apartment, asking if he’s really going to report her to the police. For a little singing? Matter-of-factly, he replies that he’s not going to report her, it’s just common sense. And that really gets her going, because she’s feeling sensitive about everyone thinking she’s stupid.

    
Song Yi unloads on Min Joon, adding stuff about foldless brains because of Botox. Min Joon’s eyes bulge slightly at her wiggage and he sighs. This is not what he expected to happen. She tells him that even though she only had an apple and half of a Brussels sprout all day because she’s on a diet, she’s really full because of all the criticizing from people she’s gotten. She had no idea that she would get criticized even more this late at night. Just because she sang a little? Can't she sing a little?

    
Min Joon is starting to feel like a jerk. Which he should, because he should know how to handle things better. Song Yi’s starting to really get upset. Tears are welling in her eyes as she’s screaming at him about all the crap she’s been through. Just where does she release her stress? An apple and half of a Brussels sprout, ALL DAY! She catches herself and stops, trying to compose herself. He starts to say something and she holds up her hand to stop him. She tells him to forget it. He doesn't need to apologize. She almost whispers that she doesn't feel like talking to him anymore. She quickly goes into her apartment and shuts the door. Min Joon really feels like a jerk now.

    
Song Yi’s now flopped on her bed – and there’s another huge portrait of herself on her wall. What is it with the huge portraits? – weeping hard. She asks what she did that was so wrong. Are they so smart and perfect and know everything? She’s crying because they said she’s the most beautiful and that they like her the most, but then they turn around and chew her up like they would chew gum? No loyalty. And because he has those ears, Min Joon gets to listen to it all. And feel terrible.

    
Min Joon sighs and decides to get up. He walks downstairs, past all his books. Hundreds and hundreds of book, some probably from the Joseon era. There’s degrees from Harvard, U-Mass, MIT, University of California. He pulls out a book from the shelf and sits at his desk, opening it he writes, “2013. Dec. 18, Record of last 3 months on Earth.”

    
Next morning on the set of the drama. Se Mi’s manager, Chief Moon, is yelling at one of the production assistants about how it’s not fair how Se Mi’s being treated. They told her to be on standby at 5, so she she woke up at 2, did her hair and make up by 3, and came there at 4:30. It’s now 9 am and they’re still waiting. The assistant replies that the director said he's not ready to film yet. Moon huffs, asking that because she's not the lead character, is it alright to do this? To speak bluntly, would they have treated Chun Song Yi this way? The assistant moans at Manager bringing Song Yi. Moon points out how Se Mi shot *three* scenes yesterday: one in the morning, the second at 5 pm, and the last one at midnight, but they were able to schedule Song Yi’s 20 scenes within 7 hours. The assistant snaps back that Se Mi can just get a lead part, then, or just quit.

    
Se Mi’s progressively become more and more uncomfortable with Moon protesting this way and with the assistant’s latest ‘suggestion,’ she jumps up and grabs Moon’s arm, telling him it’s enough. She apologizes to the assistant, saying that Moon is little sensitive today. The assistant sighs and walks off, muttering about being the neighborhood whipping boy. Moon sighs in frustration and says he feels like crap. Seriously. Moon mutters about Song Yi being scheduled at 8 for her standby and she hasn't even shown up yet. Se Mi says that Song Yi will probably be late today, if she comes at all. Moon wants to know what she means and Se Mi asks him if he hasn’t heard the news.

    
We switch to a reporter, on location, talking about how “an anonymous informant” has revealed that Song Yi hasn’t been attending her classes for the last few months. Darn that celebrity special treatment. Actually, in Korea, it would probably be even more scandalous than in America, considering how hard it is to get *into* college. Pan out from the TV to CEO Ahn’s office, where Song Yi is watching the report with Ahn, his assistant, Manager and Stylist. No one looks very happy. Song Yi mutters that she’s been busy working!

    
The reporter mentions that the studio said she was hard at work, but then the reporter points out that Song Yi wasn’t too busy to post enjoy a Mocha Latte and post about it. Everyone but Song Yi cringes as the reporter flashes that now infamous Mocha Latte coffee beans post. Song Yi instead looks innocently at the ceiling. The reporter continues, stating that in her tweet Song Yi didn’t look busy at all. She used her stardom to gain admission and now she’s neglecting her studies as a student! How long can they over look this?

    

The report concludes and Ahn’s assistant shuts off the TV. Solemnly, Ahn tells Song Yi to stay away from comments on the internet. He says that he’s talked to the drama’s Director in order to rearrange her schedule. So, today, let's go to school. Song Yi retorts that doing this now, because of the news coverage, is cheesy and obvious. Ahn says that might be true, but if she doesn’t do it, they will criticize you for not even listening to the criticism and she might even become branded as the offensive one. Song Yi cringes and sighs and knows that she has to go to school.

    
Another office. Old dudes drinking tea. One asks about Hwi Kyung. Must be his dad. Dad mutters about Hwi Kyung chasing after girls, that pathetic fool. At least he’s not off chasing something else, or doing drugs, or gambling away his inheritance. The young guy is Hwi Kyung’s older brother, Jae Kyung. He laughs at Dad calling Hwi Kyung a fool. He sneaks a look at his phone as Dad discusses their current project to build a shopping mall and how some guy with a small, *small* bit of land has hunkered down and is refusing to leave. Dad wants it resolved by the next shareholders' general meeting.

Jae Kyung says that he thinks the problem will resolve itself. The owner of that 31 pyeong (unit) died a little while ago. He fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a guard rail. Is is just me or was that a little fishy how Jae Kyung just happened to get notification about this death? Dad is elated, although he feels bad about being so happy. He asks the other guy if this makes their project easier and the guy chimes in that it definitely does, because the son is desperate for some cash. Dad’s so happy that he tells Jae Kyung to call the absent Hwi Kyung so they can eat dinner together later.

    
Airport. Hwi Kyung is arriving. And, of course, he’s wearing his sunglasses INSIDE. It’s nice that he has three servants to carry his luggage. He’s wearing a huge black turtleneck that almost swallows his head. Already, I don’t think I like him. He’s on the phone with his brother, turning down dinner, since he’s in town for a girl rather than his family. Now, that’s different. Not something I’d necessarily see a Korean son say to his family/father. He's carrying a tablet and he stops when he sees Song Yi’s Mocha Latte tweet. It’s sad that I can refer to the Mocha Latte tweet and everyone knows exactly what I’m saying. His reaction? “She probably is really pissed off.” He tells his brother that he has to go and “soothe” her. See, I knew I didn’t like him. That’s just a little obnoxious.

    
Song Yi is leaving the studio offices. Everyone is being extra attentive because of her ‘trying’ day. And there’s Hwi Kyung, waiting. He gushes over how beautiful she is; she’ll become a real goddess with the way things are going. Wow, he continues to lost points in my list. Glad he’s not the hero. I don’t know if I could like him with how this is going. He goes in for a hug and she stops him with a index finger to the forehead. Yes, I am liking her more and more! She asks when he got there, obviously not excited to see him. He’s very much “It's been 6 months. You're not happy to see me?” She says that she doesn’t have time to be happy to see him. He knows and he’s there to take her to school. Where Min Joon will be one of her professors. Heh.

    
He’s driving a Mercedes. I’m not a car person, so I can’t tell you which one, but it’s white. Inside, Hwi Kyung is happily driving AND primping in the mirror. Stoically, Song Yi mentions that he seems to be in a good mood. He replies by telling her that these recent events, having to go actually attend class, that it’s better for her. Plus once she graduates, they can get married. I guess she doesn’t like that idea, because she asks him if he can stop in front of that taxi. Apparently this topic has come up before, because he asks her if she’s going to be like this again. He asks her if she’s never going to get married. She mutters that she probably will and he tells her that it would be better if she marry *him.* Yeah, that sounds like a bang up idea. And, he adds that since she’s going to marry him, it would be more better to do it early.

Song Yi says that she will get married someday, but it will not be next year. When Hwi Kyung asks why, she says that if she gets married, she won’t get scripts for melodramas. They'll make her do old lady dramas. Heh. I read that Jun Ji Hyun married in April 2012. And looking at her filmography, this is the first drama she’s done since 1999, even though she’s worked consistently in the interim in movies (including a Hollywood movie). He laughs and tells her that because she’s pretty, she’ll still get tons of different scripts – melos, rom coms – because she’s pretty. Boy, there’s another person telling her that her success comes from her looks, not her abilities. Way to cheer her up, guy. And come to think of it, Eugene married Ki Tae Young and she’s just got done with a 50-episode melo, ‘A Hundred Year Legacy.’ Hwi Kyung then adds is even more ‘encouraging’ by saying that if she doesn’t get the part, he’ll just pay for the production costs. So she can *still* not get the part because of her abilities.

    
Song Yi looks at him and practically rolls her eyes as she tells him that she’s not going to do a romantic comedy or anything like that. She’s going to do passionate/steamy melodrama. When he questions her, she immediately gets defensive and goes on the attack: “You don't like something about passionate melodrama?” She sure pulls that card a lot and apparently it works, because Hwi Kyung starts shoveling almost immediately. Of course he likes steamy relationships in melos. He never meant to say anything like that. Soft melodrama is no good. She makes sure that he knows she means kissing scenes and beds scene. He adjusts that huge collar of his, uncomfortably. Heh.

Hwi Kyung tells Song Yi that he gets it. After all, he was born in America, so he has an open American mind. And what’s that supposed to mean? He gets the difference between acting and reality. She replies, almost coldly, that she doesn't care if he understands or not, just as long as her future husband does. He smiles and schmooses that that future husband is going to be *him.* He’s been telling her that since *the second grade of middle school* and he’s even *not* using the English that she hates so much. She looks at him, almost like she’s stuck with him because something better hasn’t come along. And, dude, if you’ve been pestering her to marry you since middle school, it’s not going to happen.

    
They arrive at school. As Song Yi steps out of the car, the reporters swarm it and ‘She’ by Elvis Costello starts to play. I’m reminded of ‘Notting Hill.’ She smoothly puts on her sunglasses as Manager and Stylist rush up to help Hwi Kyung escort her into school, so that she’s not smooshed by the throng. It’s not just reporters but lots of students with cell phones out. She actually looks like she’s enjoying this, throwing little smiles and waves at different people.

    
In class, Manager is trying to get all the students to back up and not take her picture. Because you *don’t* want the publicity that she’s actually studying. Right. Wind blows her hair – even though she’s *inside* – and several of the boys in class gasp at her beauty. One of them mutters that he wants to be her book. Another, her chair. Gag me. Some snotting girls in frumpy clothes talk, loudly enough to be heard by Song Yi, about how Song Yi did her nose, since no one could be born with a face like that. In fact, they’d be prettier, if they got a nost job and a jaw graft. And sorry, girls, it doesn’t look fake to me. If she’d had plastic surgery on her nose, I’m sure that they would have removed the mole that’s there, so her skin could be flawless. Song Yi makes a small face in their direction and mutters that they *should* get that plastic surgery so that she can battle them on looks. Manager, who sitting next to her, tells her to stay calm.

    
Song Yi mutters about class starting and then there’s greetings between the professor and the students. And I called it. Min Joon is her professor. Song Yi can’t believe it. Her neighbor is her professor?! He sees her, but she’s not looking, so she doesn’t notice that momentary hesitation. He starts to do roll call. Manager’s happy to hear that she already knows the prof, since this isn’t a puff course and she’s already failed it once. He asks her, whether she’s made any mistakes in relating with him. She cringes, but Manager answers, of course not, since she *just* moved in. She didn’t \even have time to spare for that. Song Yi mutter that she *did* have time to spare for that. She remembers being really rude in the elevator and telling him to go study something. And then yelling at him when he came to complain about the singing.

    
Now Min Joon’s lecturing about the world of the golden fly. During copulation, the female eats the male. What kind of class is this? Genetics? And *why* would they enroll her in this?! She doesn’t have a science background. He says that male flies started to think that they don't want to be eaten by females, even though they want to copulate. So in another words, it wants to have Eros (life) without Thanatos (death). Is this a science class or literature? Min Joon continues that the male flies started bringing a piece of food (another insect) as a gift, so that when the female flies get hungry during copulation, they eat that insect instead of the males and males can copulate without any risks. Song Yi yawns largely, which doesn’t go unnoticed. It might help her interest, if she knew the subject of the lecture, where this story might be going. He actually pauses to glare at her and she smiles sheepishly. The slide behind him has the word ‘libido’ as well as ‘eros’ and ‘thanatos’ on it, with two pictures of people kissing. So is this not a science class?

    
Min Joon continues that more evolved males started to use their brains and started to wrap the food inside a cocoon, so the females have to unwrap the gift and they are able to have more time. Song Yi’s starting to fall asleep, but the rest of the class is enthralled and nod, ‘of course,’ at this. Of course they see what he’s saying. You people could give her a little context, people. I think I’d actually be interested in this lecture, if *I* knew where he was going with this. Is he comparing flies with human mating rituals?

    
Min Joon goes on: because they think that that method works, “those evil males” start to bring a thick layered, hollow cocoon so that they can do their business and be done before the females figure out they’ve been tricked. Everyone in the class (including Manager) laughs – because his delivery is *so* funny – except Song Yi. And Manager keeps nudging her to help her stay awake. Pull the hairs on the back of your neck. Or on your arm. That’s what I’ve done to stay awake in class before. And it continues: the female flies start checking the cocoons by shaking them, so the male flies fill it with their poop, so that it feels as heavy. Again, the class laughs and Song Yi laughs, too, just to look like she gets what’s so funny. Min Joon frowns in her direction.

    
Class is now over – and I *still* don’t get the point of the lecture. Science? Sociology? I hate how they give these ‘profound’ lectures which aren’t really profound. They need to go to a university class once and a while before they write these things! Students exit the class while Song Yi lags behind. Manager goes outside and guards the door. Min Joon’s gathering up his stuff. Song Yi fluffs her hair and gets his attention. She starts with the flattery: He looks so young, she couldn't even imagine. She’s happy to meet him. He asks why she said happy. She tries to brush off the night before as her being a little bi-polar and emotional. It's like the flu to some people. Not really. Not, not really. Not, not really. It’s a really hard illness to live with. She laughs over her own ‘foolishness.’

    
Min Joon sighs and asks what Song Yi wants to say. She thinks that his assignment seems like a bit too much work. His response: So? She tells him that Asia’s now unified because of Hallyu (and people like her). Culture brought them together and at the middle of it all is... she pauses for him to say her, but he just looks at her. Wow. I never said she didn’t have an ego. But now I’m thinking it’s a cover for all this insecurity she has going on, since people seem to value her for *just* her looks, or what she can give them, and nothing else.

    
Finally, Song Yi adds the ‘me’ answer. She’s "honest" and tells him that she’s too busy because of filming, but got roasted in the press, so that’s why she’s here. And professors *love* to hear that. Way to win points. Oi. She keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for herself. She sighs and says that writing the essay is going to be hard for her. There’s a momentary pause as he nods, since he sees that his first impression of her is *not* wrong and he wordlessly starts to go. She rushes after him and clarifies: she’s asking him to help her. I wasn’t expecting that. But what kind of help is she asking for?

    
Min Joon isn’t even making eye contact, but staring straight ahead as she speaks. I bet he’s heard all this a bunch of times before. Because human nature doesn’t change. She admits... their first impression wasn't so great. But what kind of fate is this? And he mentioned that earlier – things that happen, whether you want them to or not. Hmmm…. She moves and he’s her neighbor. She comes to school and he’s her teacher! She tells him that if he helps her just this one time, she’ll definitely pay him back! She chuckles uneasily and adds that isn’t that what people do? This gets his eye contact. His stare. A gulp from her. He starts walking toward her, which makes her back up. He says that this isn't the way people live. If he helps her once, there’s going to be a second and third time… He’s got her backed into a desk and leans in closer, making her a little uncomfortable. He says she’ll be continuously asking for help. *That* is the way people live. And she *does* have experience with that one. Mother Mooch.

    
Song Yi gulps, uncomfortably. It’s a loud gulp, maybe because Min Joon’s hearing is *so* acute. He leans in a little more and with a lower volume says that paying him back whenever, won't happen. Life isn't long enough for people to mature that much. Dang! He’s close enough to kiss her if he wanted. Maybe an inch and a half separates their faces. He walks away, leaving her there. She lets out the breath she was holding and then gets mad about him speaking so informally with her. She’s especially insulted because, by the looks of it, he's definitely younger than her, and being a professor isn’t all that!

    
Later, Min Joon’s at a restaurant. Pictures of old-time actors hang on the wall. The crowd are all people in their sixties at least. Old-time music plays. He’s eating with an older man – Kim Chang Wan as Jang Young Mok, one of my favorites. I really like how this guy inhabits his characters. Young Mok is laughing at Min Joon for not knowing who she was. Even *he* knows who she is. Min Joon tells him tha he doesn't really know today’s celebrities. They don't have any sense of refinement, and they're just loud. Does that mean that Young Mok knows his secret? Is that allowed? Young Mok laughs again and says that singers back then were much better. Old songs are better, too. Min Joon’s smiling now – I think it’s the first time we’ve seen his smile – and says that if they’re talking about songs, then it's Bae Ho. Young Mok, of course, agrees with that one.

I looked up Bae Ho and he was a South Korean singer ranked as the number 8th all time favorite singer in a KBS survey. And he was only 29 years old when he died in 1971 from complications due to nephritis. iTunes has *50* of his songs for sale. That’s a lot for someone who died so young. Plus, a bunch of k-pop stars performed modern versions of his songs on KBS’s Immortal Songs 2 – Singing the Legend.

  
Min Joon adds that he doesn't even watch the recent ones, but from what he’s heard, he doesn’t understand why people do. Young Mok agrees that old dramas were more fun, too. Like ‘Miss’ or ‘Passion.’ Couldn’t find anything on those ones. I was wondering if possibly this was an in-joke from Kim Chang Wan’s career, but his filmography list only goes back to the 80s and they’re talking younger than that. Min Joon remembers both of those dramas fondly and calls them “precious.” They’re playing Janggi (Korean form of chess). Min Joon asks about Young Mok’s new attorney's office that he’s opened. Then he says that he’s going to need another death certificate in 3 months. This isn’t a strange request for Young Mok, although he’s surprised at how *soon* it’s coming. Normally, it’s every 10 years, but it’s only been 2 years since the last one. So Young Mok knows his secret. Yay, he’s a good guy in this one. The last 2 roles I’ve watched him play, he’s been a bad guy. Which he does well at because he looks so unassuming; nastiness isn’t what’s expected from a ‘nice old man’ like him.

  
Young Mok asks if Min Joon’s asking for a new certificate because of a problem. Min Joon teases that the only way there would be problem is if Young Mok messed up somehow. He adds that this time will probably be the last one. This stops Young Mok from moving his chess piece. He looks at Min Joon, very shocked. Min Joon looks down and tells Young Mok that he’ll be leaving for home in three months, back to the place he originally came from. There’s a pause as Young Mok stares at him in shock. I don’t think he thought his friend was ever going to be leaving Earth. Min Joon thanks him for all that he’s done. There’s a pause. Young Mok looks at the board and says that it’s so sudden. Min Joon makes a move and, smiling, says that Young Mok was his only friend. Which is sad and lonely. Something he definitely has in common with Song Yi. Another pause as Young Mok tries to process the news. I wonder if Min Joon is Young Mok’s only friend, too.

    
Another restaurant. Song Yi’s eating with Hwi Kyung and Se Mi. That’s interesting. I didn’t expect Song Yi to be eating with Se Mi. Since their mothers are rivals. Se Mi asks Hwi Kyung if he’s back in Korea for good. Does she like him, perhaps? Hwi Kyung smiles and says that he’s not a great student anyway. So he was abroad for school. Because everyone goes abroad for school. He adds that his leaving would only hurt the economy. Wow. Even bigger ego than Song Yi. Song Yi snarks that he *should* do something for the country. And with that segue, he pulls out a ring box. Both of them are shocked. Hwi Kyung looks at Se Mi, serious, almost like he’s about to propose to her. He says Se Mi’s name and she’s visibly shocked. So she *does* like him. And he’s an idiot not to see it.

    
But no, he wants Se Mi to be their witness, of his proposing to Song Yi. A slam of the worst kind. Not only is she second to Song Yi in their careers, but now she loses out to her in love. Hwi Kyung slides the ring box across the table to Song Yi. Se Mi is visibly disappointed (to the astute eye). He asks Song Yi if 15 years isn’t long enough for him to wait. She looks at the ring and then at him. She’s not overflowing with joy, to say the least.

    
Back at the other restaurant, Young Mok pulls out a very old picture and shows it to Min Joon. It’s one that Min Joon’s familiar with. It’s the only one he has left, since he hates taking pictures. It’s of them together. As Min Joon looks at the picture he says that the reason he was afraid to make friends was this, having a photographic record of how he doesn’t age. People age quickly and die quickly. Only he’s left behind, in the exact same... young and handsome state. So how is this love story with Song Yi going to work, since she’ll age and he won’t? Or will sharing bodily fluids change that? Hmm… He hands the picture back to Young Mok and tells him to live a long life, even if he’s not there.

Young Mok asks him something he’s always been curious about: When he first came to Earth, why couldn't he return immediately? Not making eye contact, but as if remembering the past, Min Joon replies that he had an accident. Because of that accident, he couldn't go back and one child died because of it. When Young Mok asks who, Min Joon replies that it was a who gave me a present for the first time. What kind of planet is that, that doesn’t even give gifts?

    
Flashback to the past. Min Joon is presented with a scroll. A nice drawing is inside, of his flying saucer above some trees. It’s the girl he saved at the beginning of the show. She says that she drew it herself. She says that his ship was floating up there, like the moon. Then she asks him if he’s something like the Grim Reaper. He smiles at the question and looks back at the painting.

    
Back in the present, Min Joon says that something strange occurred. 12 years ago, in winter, the day before Christmas. He was working at a hospital, as a surgeon in Gyeonggi. It was the first time something like it happened. He had this vision of a girl running, the same girl he met 400 years ago, running and about to get hit by a truck. It’s so much that he has to catch his balance on the wall or he’d fall over. Fate. Again. Young Mok asks if he went to the place where he saw her.

    
Back to the restaurant. Song Yi’s staring at the ring. She says that Christmas eve, in eighth grade, he (Hwi Kyung) gave her a ring as a present. He remembers. She didn’t accept. She says that she’s not going to accept it today either. Ouch. She says sorry and pushes it back across the table to him. Se Mi is visibly upset, much like how her mother reacted to Mom when Mom was sitting there crooning at dinner. Hwi Kyung looks at the ring and inhales, as if taking the rejection in. He says that it’s not the first time. Now he’s not even hurt by it. Dude. But he wants to know the reason, the reason it can't be him. Se Mi trying to hold back her torment as Hwi Kyung’s practically begging.

    
Song Yi asks Hwi Kyung if he can remember that person’s face. Hwi Kyung isn’t sure who she’s talking about. Flashback to 8th grade. So sad. Hwi Kyung’s there – with driver holding an umbrella so he won’t get hit with any snow – flowers and ring in hand. He’s about to ring the bell when the door flies open and Song Yi appears. An exact duplicate of Yi Hwa. She’s already crying. She yells at him, asking why he came there again. Hitting the flowers, she says it’s annoying and for him to move. Then she takes off running. I wonder if this is when she found out her parents were getting divorced. And *she’s* the reincarnation of the girl Min Joon saved at the beginning. FATE.

    
Song Yi’s running with Hwi Kyung chasing after her, calling her name. She yells at him not to come any closer and to leave her alone. She runs into the crosswalk, not noticing the huge truck coming down the street. The driver sees her and slams on his brakes, but because of the slick road, he doesn’t stop before he slides through the crosswalk. Hwi Kyung rushes over to see if she’s alive as the driver gets out of the cab. But there’s no Song Yi. The driver checks under the cab. And then Hwi Kyung sees her, across the street in the arms of a man (Min Joon).

    
Back in the present, Song Yi asks Hwi Kyung if he doesn’t remember. He says that he didn’t even see properly and it was so long ago, why would he even remember? Song Yi said that she *did* see, but she doesn’t remember what he looked like either. Hwi Kyung wants to know why she even cares. Se Mi pipes up that Song Yi said that he was her first love. Aw, a first love that hopefully will turn out okay and happy. Hwi Kyung’s offended that Song Yi would consider the guy her first love, since she was only with him for a few seconds. Song Yi says that calling him her first love is a bit of an exaggeration. She just wants to meet him again, to say that she’s thankful to him for saving her and to ask why he did it. Was this a replay of the accident that happened the first time and why he had to stay all these years?

    
Back to Min Joon. He says that he went there and sees the two of them running. And he hears Hwi Kyung call her *Chun Song Yi.* Which is her real name, not a screen name. For someone so smart, not to even wonder about it. He has to choose whether he’s going to get involved and that face he made earlier, while on the bike when the woman had her purse snatched, where he was talking about how it’s pointless to intervene, it runs across his face. But she’s going to be hit by the truck and just like 450 years ago, it’s as if time stops.

    
The cab is three inches from hitting Song Yi. Min Joon rushes over, almost too fast for the human eye, and pulls her to safety. Then he stares at the face of a girl he saved all those years ago, and a girl who he later caused the death of. She looks up at him and asks him who he is and if he’s a ghost… Or something like the Grim Reaper? He’s visibly unsettled by her question.

    
Now Min Joon’s walking through the lobby of the apartment building, thinking about what happened that night. was it a dream? Could he know the girl’s identity? He gets on the elevator. And if, by chance, it wasn't a dream… before he leaves, he wants to meet her again. Then he softly smiles at how Fate is cruel and says that it probably won't happen. The elevator doors open and there’s Song Yi. Music swells and a woman sings “You are my destiny.” Episode ends.

Bonus Clip.

    
We see Min Joon skipping out of a departmental get-together. The group spots him riding by on his bike. They grumble about his lack of social skills and the guy declares that he should get shipped off for his military service. Now we’re back to the interview, where Min Joon asks if we’ve ever seen someone who was enlisted for the Qing War before. Back then they wore lots of layers of clothing to protect against bullets. He thought he would be free of military service after the liberation of Korea, but then the civil war came along and it took him with it. He’s served in every branch since then. Since he changes his identity every 10 years, he ends up having to enlist, too. He mentions how Psy cried about going into the army for two tours. Since the Joseon Dynasty, he’s had to enlist 24 times. In the 400 years he’s been on Earth, he’s spent 49 years and 7 months of it in the military. Can we believe that?

    
    

Thoughts

I’m liking this more and more the longer I see it. The writers have done a good job of laying Easter eggs of info, so that things they say off-handedly have a deeper meaning later on. Will the golden fly lecture have some deeper meaning later? And will we find out *what* kind of professor he is? Min Joon starts the episode/series out by talking about Fate and boy, fate certainly keeps popping up between these two. Not only is she the reincarnation – or something like that – of the girl he saved and ultimately couldn’t save – which could explain his comment about how trying to intervene is pointless – and that’s sad to think that he came to that conclusion so early on in his stay on Earth – not only is she that, but she’s also the girl that he saved 12 years ago, that he’s thought of over the years and that he’d really like to find again. Ironic that it’s someone who he really doesn’t like right now.

It’s interesting to see how much he keeps himself emotionally closed off from everyone. The statement about not being able to share fluids with anyone was telling. Where do people bond, enjoy like together? Often around a dinner table or where some sort of food is involved. And he can’t do that with people. It totally makes his detached attitude explainable. 400 years of no connection – that’s got to be rough.

I’m not liking some of the implications of what his planet is like: no rain, sparse water, no gift giving. Nothing like entertainment. What kind of planet is that? And how’s it going to work, their romance? Because it has to work out. All this fate talk reminds me of Gu Family Book, because that was a running theme. And even though it ended ‘happily’ with everyone reincarnated and Kang Chi and Yeo Wool finally getting to be together, Kang Chi had to wait several hundred years alone for it to happen. Rooftop Prince, he had to wait hundreds of years for her the same way. So this is kind of like the tail end of that story, the part where they end up together, right? Please? It’s a rom-com, so I’m hopeful.

And interesting dynamics that they’ve set up. Se Mi is the second fiddle and she’s in love with the second male lead, who is clueless and in love with Song Yi. Even though Song Yi seems to never be encouraging the relationship. That’s a recipe for resentment if I ever heard of one. Hope the seconds get their happy ending, too, without it feeling too writer-forced on Hwi Kyung’s part.

I don’t know about Jae Kyung – is he a bit sinister or am I just overly sensitive? And please let Young Mok be a good guy this time. It was so disappointing that he wasn’t the last series I watched him in.

I like that there’s a clock running on things, to give it added urgency. Not a falsely-imposed urgency like in some other dramas, where it’s deus ex machina making it happen, but real urgency. I’m really liking the leads, too, and it really helps that they have great chemistry. Again, it’s a series with a stoic, non-emotive character (Suspicious Housekeeper) but I like those because the micro-expressions make the performance. And Kim Soo Hyun is doing a great job of micro-reactions. I also like that he is a logical intellectual. I can relate to that one.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Min Joon grows over the course of the series. I can see Song Yi coming into her own, realizing she is valued for more than her pretty face and using that brain of hers. I can see her becoming secure and undefensive because of Min Joon’s loving *her* and not her face. I can see how much more beautiful she’s going to become, when that love lightens her heart. It’s going to be interesting to see what it does to him, because I can’t predict what it’s going to do, the form it’s going to take. And based on the writing I’ve seen in this first episode, I think my confidence will be well placed with this expectation.