I realized more pictures mean less words required, so in an effort to get this done before the New Year...more pictures added than previous posts!
Game over!
Night outside of Sangojae: ChangYul’s ass is making an imprint in the cement and he is bleeding out of his cute little nose.
JinHo’s eyes narrow in annoyance at GaeIn’s fussing over the ex-boyfriend slash Fake-Revenge-Plan boyfriend. He doesn’t care for the genuine care in GaeIn’s attention of ChangYul.
Emotions are wildly mixed, signals crossing all over the place. Before things get even bloodier, InHee steps in between the two testosterone sticks. “It seems you’re out of your mind with jealousy!” she shouts at ChangYul. She very pointedly reminds ChangYul that JinHo is gay gay gay so there is no harm with the two living together—wink, wink—her demeanor is all but begging the thick-headed ChangYul to get the point: WE DO NOT WANT THESE TWO LOVEBIRDS TO KNOW THEY CAN HAVE A HAPPILY HETERO RELATIONSHIP! ChangYul doesn’t really get what InHee is doing, but he capitulates. When JinHo and GaeIn go inside, InHee rounds in on ChangYul, “Are you a moron!?” she demands. To prove her point, he yells back in angry confusion, “What!?”
Once inside, GaeIn asks after JinHo’s punched face. “Don’t worry about me, worry about your boyfriend,” he throws back. Oh no, he’s not bitter at all. She doesn’t understand why he’s all snide and sulky but she definitely understands the disdain behind the words. “The way you rushed to his side at his nosebleed was just like a girlfriend,” he explains, again not at all bitterly (not). She hedges that it was all a part of the game, the game he taught her. The push and pull. The hesitant tone of her explanation reads less like truth and more like evasion; it does not sound very convincing, and definitely, jealous JinHo doesn’t believe it. When she insists it was all an act, JinHo informs her that her actions were definitely sincere as he knows better than she does her own level of acting. Which is to say, she sucks at it. She retorts that she’s aiming for the Academy Award this time, he’ll just have to wait and see!
When she tries to head off to grab an ice pack for his face, he grabs her wrist and holds tight.
“That hurts,” she winces. He continues to grab hard, and with too much seriousness, asks, “Can you really do it? When I say ‘game over,’ will you be able to really toss ChangYul aside?” She says yes, and he lets go of her arm.
But she wants a promise in return. She wants him to remember to stay her closest friend in this world. “I told you I would,” he affirms in his no-nonsense, fact-based tone. They challenge one another to guard their hearts from the enemy forces…seems to me they are speaking less about the threat of InHee and ChangYul than guarding their own feelings from one another.
At a late night lounge somewhere, ChangYul has a tissue flower budding out of one nostril and InHee is explaining to him the birds and the bees. More specifically, she’s explaining why it’s a good thing that GaeIn continues to believe JinHo is gay. “If you tell her the truth, how does that benefit us?” she poses. It’s like Mastermind Evil trying to teach Pupil Evil the ways of Evil. She says, “GaeIn sees JinHo as a friend only because she thinks he’s gay. How do you think she’ll see him once she learns he’s not?” Well, like the rest of the world, I imagine, she’ll think he’s a stack of hot pancakes! Or sizzlin’ bacon. Whichever is your favorite breakfast-in-bed snack. Heh.
InHee further points out that JinHo’s got the advantage over ChangYul because he’s not a cheating sack of scum. ChangYul is incensed that InHee thinks he’s lacking when compared to JinHo (hmm, not in looks, my darling, but you are kind of a jerk in this drama). He denies being a lesser lifeform than JinHo. InHee counters that ChangYul knows it’s true, “Isn’t that why you were so crazy jealousy?” She spells it out for ChangYul, who is trying hard to stay in denial, the two of them are stranded in the same boat. She’s beginning to fall for JinHo, and ChangYul wants GaeIn, that means they want the same thing. Those two need to stay platonic so InHee and ChangYul can swoop in like chicken hawks later on.
Later that evening, JinHo is dealing with his jealousy his own way (sulking) while GaeIn tries to fuss over his bruised face with bagged ice. Unfortunately, InHee shows up uninvited. She brings alcoholic mood lifters in an effort to smooth ruffled feathers. She further rubs salt into the wound by cooing at GaeIn, “I’m glad you can be here by our JinHo’s side at a time like this.” Then more intimately sets an airy promise to see JinHo later so that they may talk more privately. JinHo is speechless and after InHee is gone, GaeIn shoves the ice bag into JinHo’s chest like a weapon and stomps back to her own room.
It wouldn’t be a night complete if ChangYul didn’t pay is nightly drunken visit. And so he does. Over the phone, he tells GaeIn he’ll be waiting outside. JinHo gets further ticked off when he catches her going outside to meet him. But ChangYul has actually decided to follow InHee’s plan of action and plays as if he’s okay with idea of her sharing bathroom with JinHo under one roof.
Now under that roof, the handsomeness that is Jeon JinHo continues to sulk. When GaeIn comes back inside and encourages JinHo to eat the snacks InHee brought over, he baits her into yet another petty fight and they bitterly spit at each other in annoyance, the conclusion to neither party’s satisfaction: they agree to stay out of each other’s affairs.
The next day JinHo is holding his cell in indecision. He wants to apologize because he knows he overreacted the night before, but can’t do it.
Next thing we/he knows, JinHo finds himself at the grocery store picking up meats and veggies, in a nice reversal, as gifting a home-cooked meal is GaeIn’s favorite way of lifting someone’s mood. When he gets home with bags of shopping, she’s not there. It’s pouring outside and GaeIn is actually stranded at the bus stop. Girl Stranded At Bus Stop During Downpour = Romantic Umbrella Scene. Yes!
JinHo meets her halfway with a normal-sized umbrella. She’s surprised and tries to stay huffy but she’s no match for the sweet realization that he came out with the sole purpose of holding an umbrella over her head. Aw. And his apology, while typical JinHo, still manages to be ridiculously romantic: “I’m still not sure why we even fought, but I figured we’re both feeling pretty low, so I’m here as a peace offering.” She immediately asks why he didn’t think to bring two umbrellas to which he [adorably] replies they can just stick real close to each other. Awww! She does a bunny hop into place and attaches to his side, curling her hand around his arm. Her smile is adorably smug and happy. His is shyly pleased as well. They continue to flirt-bicker and JinHo completely commits by swinging his umbrella arm around her shoulder and hugs her to him.
Behind them, Taehoon and HyeMi are spying/stalking (they each have their own umbrellas). HyeMi finds the behavior between the two very suspicious and very unprofessional. TaeHoon admits their coziness is odd, but he reasons they only have one umbrella so they have no choice but to walk so closely...
When JinHo and GaeIn get home, they are both congratulating themselves on their apologizing prowess. She has made him a miniature apple desk. He counters that he went grocery shopping for a friend who loves food. She concedes his gesture is pretty awesome, mostly because she’s glad they aren’t fighting anymore. She gives him a head-hug—she rests her head on his chest. They both smile contently.
After dinner, GaeIn stares at JinHo adoringly as he peels an apple, “JinHo, you even peel apples really well. You cook, clean and even peel apples perfectly. Is there anything you can’t do?” He replies seriously, “There’s nothing.” Doesn’t it make him feel embarrassed to be that conceited? she wonders. JinHo doesn’t see a reason to be embarrassed…when it’s the truth.
GaeIn changes the topic to what they should do tomorrow, since it’s Sunday. He says he’s gonna clean and rest. She votes to go play outside and enjoy the flowers in bloom. They could even consider it a part of their makeover project. JinHo [teasingly] wonders if GaeIn gets bored if she can’t think of a new way to bother him. She agrees happily.
The two lose their Sunday plans to their friends. YoungSun and SangJoon recruit the duo to help with their photoshoot in the park for YoungSun’s website. SangJoon starts off as the main model but inevitably gets bumped by JinHo, who is awkward as all hell but understandably the better model to showcase the beautifying properties of skin products. When the shoot is done, GaeIn and JinHo use revenge-training as an excuse to ditch their two friends and go on a practice date. “What training!?” YoungSun chirps suspiciously. “You two are doing all kinds of things lately!” Despite the prying queries from YoungSun, GaeIn and JinHo run off together. YoungSun still thinks it’s suspicious…but she laughs it off. Her imagination must be running away from her, after all, JinHo is gay. “I think they make a great pair,” SangJoon says dreamily, and when YoungSun exclaims, “What!?” he quickly covers up by pointing at a pair of imaginary pigeons instead.
On their practice date, GaeIn and JinHo take a stroll through the pretty park. There’s sunshine and birds and all things perfectly Sunday. “So how far are you going to take this revenge?” JinHo asks as they walk side by side. “Until he proposes?” she ventures. She speculates on possible end-game scenarios: she’ll toss the ring to the floor and stomp on it when he proposes, OR she won’t show up to the wedding and leave him humiliated as he did her, or better, JinHo will grab her hand at the ceremony and steal her away from ChangYul. She decides the last is her favorite scenario. JinHo responds, “And why would I have to do something like that?” She deflates, yes, why should JinHo have to do something like that? But a moment later, JinHo surprises her by saying he’ll do it, for a friend, he can do it.
On their way home, GaeIn brings up the last scenario again. She grabs his hand, “Then, like this. You’ll take my hand at the ceremony and run away with me, right? You’re promising.” He chuckles, “You do like your promises.” They are walking up the street, swinging their held hands back and forth, smiles on their faces…and those smiles freeze when they see JinHo’s mother, HyeMi, and TaeHoon, who have been waiting at Sangojae for them. JinHo’s mother faints dead away…as apparently it’s very shocking to see a fully grown, attractive young man dating. Wait ‘till she gets a load of the whole story!
The mother lays on the guilt trip, she can’t believe JinHo’s been sneaking behind her back and shacking up with a girl. She had believed TaeHoon when he explained it was because of work. Now she sees it is not true. HyeMi is verbally tweeting all over the place in a frenzy and lets the F-bomb drop—fiancée. How can JinHo treat his fiancée this way!? GaeIn’s eyes widen, “Fiancée?” JinHo gets an adorable furrow between his brows, conflicted as to what he’s supposed to do in this kind of a situation. When JinHo falls into silence, GaeIn takes the opportunity to ask him to step outside with her, to speak with her in private for moment.
Away from all the hysterical ears, GaeIn suggests they consider telling everybody The Truth. “What truth?” JinHo demands. GaeIn feels badly that HyeMi is pining after JinHo when he can never return her affections (pot calling the kettle black much?). Needless to say, JinHo rejects that idea out of hand. GaeIn has a rather naïve view of mothers (since she’s never really had one growing up) and society as a whole because she believes that a mother will understand and accept everything about their children because it is every mother’s natural genetic trait. “You’re telling me you want me to tell them that I’m gay now!?” JinHo raises his voice when she keeps insisting he tell them. Of course, the doors are made of hanji and as we all know, paper does not make for good secret holding. Next thing we know, the doors fly open and three stunned faces gape at them. Gay? TaeHoon sputters, “Hyung, you were gay all this time!?” His mother almost-faints again when she contemplates the thought of her only son being gay. She does it very elegantly.
JinHo rushes to her side and firmly clarifies, “I’m not. I am NOT gay.” GaeIn’s face falls with disappointment. She hates that her friend has to live this lie, especially in front of his family and friends. She’s left completely dumbfounded (secretly delighted?) when he announces, “Mother. I love this woman.” GaeIn’s eyes do that thing where the head is frozen but the eyeballs swivel back and forth in shock. “I want to marry this woman,” he adds. GaeIn meekly introduces herself to her future mother-in-law. This is a big deal! But JinHo is doing the only thing he can think of to stop the spread of the false gay rumor. With the gay news now nullified, mom isn’t so upset at the idea of an unexpected daughter-in-law anymore, who cares he’d been shacking up with her, as long as it’s not a him. Just to be sure, his mother asks one more time, “You’re really not gay, right?” JinHo assures, “I already said I’m not.” GaeIn’s face is textbook: Geez Louise. The interrogation isn’t over. Next obvious question from mom goes to GaeIn, “Do you love JinHo?” She says she does love him…and JinHo grimaces. Her expression, likewise, isn’t exactly happy.
When the dust settles and all the visitors have gone, GaeIn sits alone thinking over JinHo’s words. I love this woman. I’m want to marry this woman. She can’t believe he could resort to such an outrageous lie to his mother, no matter how urgent the situation. When YoungSun comes over and GaeIn reveals the latest twist, her friend becomes even more anxious about the growing closeness between the two. No matter how YoungSun spins it in her head, she thinks this is a dangerous path. They aren’t behaving like friends here, but like lovers. YoungSun shrewdly assesses, “GaeIn, it doesn’t look like you’re seeing ChangYul to plot revenge. It looks like you’re doing this revenge in order to have an excuse to do this training and whatnot with JinHo!” When GaeIn’s face crumples, her friend sighs, “I thought so.” YoungSun tells her she needs to get a grip, JinHo is someone outside the realm of reality. YoungSun pounds her chest in the universal Korean gesture for frustration when GaeIn thinks she can marry JinHo, even if it is all a farce, since he is doing it for his mother. “It’s all a lie!” YoungSun yells in worry, “You’re pretending to do it out of friendship but it’s only an excuse to stay by his side! Isn’t it? Isn’t it?” The look on GaeIn’s face tells us that this is the sad truth.
At the same time, JinHo is having his own frank discussion with HyeMi, who is riverside threatening to kill herself. TaeHoon is beside himself trying to calm his beloved. JinHo tells HyeMi that she will never be the one, it is time to end this one-sided love, it is time to look toward TaeHoon now.
TaeHoon hugs a weeping HyeMi. Now that’s true love, willing to send the woman you love to another man and then to comfort her when she gets tossed aside by that other man.
GaeIn is still awake and bothered when JinHo comes home. GaeIn immediately commences some useless chatter about how beautiful his mother is and how JinHo must take after her in looks. JinHo first apologizes for what he did. He starts to reassure her that after some time passes things will work itself out but GaeIn interrupts to say that she’s willing to marry him if he can’t ever bring himself to tell his mother he’s gay. She explains that she’s willing to do this if it means he can live life free of judgment, if her sacrifice will allow him to succeed in all his dreams. JinHo looks increasingly bothered as she talks. Oddly enough, her willing sacrifice seems to have to opposite effect of what GaeIn probably expects. Instead of gratitude, he gets infuriated.
He stands up, his back to her. “Do you actually think that makes any sense?” he asks. She stares at his back. He’s angry, she realizes, but she’s not sure why. He snaps that people are supposed to marry for love, doesn’t she even know that? The look of love in her eyes should be answer enough for a smart guy like him, but JinHo is still in denial and refuses to acknowledge or accept her heart because he feels too guilty for all his lying. “How many times do I have to tell you to love yourself more before you finally get it!?” he hollers in fury. “But JinHo,” she pleads, “you’re someone who can’t marry who he loves. Even if you can’t love me as a woman, if it’s for you, I think I can be with you forever.”
“That’s why you’re always being stomped on,” he informs her flatly, “because you’re the kind of idiot willing to marry her gay friend.” She argues that she may be an idiot, but she doesn’t care. Why not? Because it’s for her greatest friend in the world (I don’t want to be picky here cuz it’s supposed to be sweet, but what about YoungSun?). What is JinHo’s response to this almost-confession of her love?
“Lets…stop being friends.” (Very similar to what he said to his ex-girlfriend…although that was a happier context...this time the words are not romantic, but distancing)
Both are on the verge of tears. He tells her he can’t deal with this anymore and goes to his room.
In the dark by himself, he says softly, “You should have asked instead if I could ever love you as a woman. You idiot.”
GaeIn and JinHo aren’t the only ones bothered by the direction of their hearts. The following day, devoted best friend Lee YoungSun goes to find Director Choi with the pretense of thanking him for giving her friend a job (Director Choi: handsome gay gentleman who has a crush on JinHo, in case anyone has forgotten). YoungSun very clumsily gets to the point: is he free this evening? Downstairs in the gallery, GaeIn is having her own awkward conversation trying to dodge ChangYul’s amorous intent. He’s adorably whining about how he didn’t even get to chill on Sunday with her. She’s pretty blunt, “I’m not really feeling up to meeting you today.” He (deliberately?) misunderstands and worries that she’s not feeling well in general. He promises her a mood lifting evening. She declines and promptly hangs up. Heh.
She’s right to be suspicious, if not of ChangYul specifically, of his family. Weasel Father is up to no good, as usual. He’s dialed up GaeIn’s father asking to meet so they can start nuptial discussions regarding their offspring. If it’s inconvenient for the professor to get away mid-semester, Weasel is willing to jump on a plane and visit the Queen’s land himself. Professor Park informs that he will be coming back to Korea for a visit very soon. Uh-oh. ChangYul catches the end of the international call and he’s whiny-upset that Weasel Dad is still meddling in his love life. Weasel Dad yells, “We’re running out of time! Time! Director Choi holds full deciding control now of the Dam Gallery!” Weasel Dad speculates that Director Choi is playing favorites with Jeon JinHo. Weasel Dad is actually correct, but wrong on his assessment of Director Choi’s principles. ChangYul correctly argues that the better bid will win regardless of who Director Choi favors personally. Weasel Pop doesn’t care. Why do things the hard way (the honorable way) when there’s already an easier path to secure the win?
In light of the frustration coming at him from all angles, ChangYul rushes to GaeIn’s place of work to argue about their relationship once again. Just as he hated a clinging and nagging GaeIn, he should realize women also dislike clinging and nagging boyfriends. Not surprisingly, she doesn’t want to talk about it. But ChangYul argues that he really really hates JinHo living with her. Impasse. In fact, when he starts to badmouth JinHo, she tells him that it was only because of JinHo she was able to pick herself back up after being so terribly mistreated by ChangYul. Furthermore, her friend JinHo is far more important to her than ChangYul. I don’t know why that surprises ChangYul, but it seems to deflate him even more. Instead of taking the high road, he does as his father has always taught him, he takes the easier road.
ChangYul entrusts InHee to do her damn best to rip the budding cohabitation couple apart. He also sets up a meet with JinHo. ChangYul is really doing his best to further ostracize himself from GaeIn. He goes down memory lane with JinHo about what a douchebag he was to GaeIn when they’d dated, how pathetic she had seemed to him with her blind devotion. But now that he’s wearing those shoes, he’s beginning to realize some of what she must have felt back then. Loving someone so deeply and completely is not so pathetic after all.
“Why are you telling me all this?” JinHo asks. Good question. ChangYul has a ready reply. He knows JinHo isn’t gay but the problem is GaeIn really values JinHo as a friend and he doesn’t want to hurt her again by telling her the truth. “So, Jeon JinHo,” he concludes, “move out of that house immediately. Stay her friend, but leave her side. Cleanly and completely.”
At home, YoungSun is hard at work creating the perfect atmosphere for the dinner she promised to cook for JinHo. But it is no ordinary dinner. YoungSun has, as we know, also invited Director Choi, whose behavior is adorably uncomfortable, a powerful man who is unaccustomed to casual social gathering. And then JinHo comes home. And the word AWKWARD does not begin to cover it.
It is the worst unwanted matchmaking date in the history of unwanted matchmaking dates. It would be interesting to know what YoungSun could possibly have been thinking when she concocted this plan, but it is an unmitigated disaster.
YoungSun and everyone at the table are acutely aware that it is an unmitigated disaster and yet the host is still earnestly trying her best to be cheerful. JinHo sits without speaking, his expression that of a man having dinner while bleeding out of his stomach. It gets worse when YoungSun makes a transparently obvious excuse to leave the two men to dine alone. It is probably pertinent to mention that GaeIn is innocent of planning this night. This is all YoungSun’s strategy to save GaeIn from herself.
When the two ladies are gone, JinHo is so furious that he can barely lift his gaze. Director Choi, being no dummy, quickly excuses himself as well and apologizes for having participated in this mistake, however unwittingly. JinHo also apologizes for this absurd situation. It is of course neither man’s fault but they are left sitting in the AWKWARD alone together.
JinHo’s fury runs far deeper than just being set up on an unwanted date. He’s still thinking about his conversation with ChangYul earlier in the day and...he’s hurt.
When GaeIn returns home, he’s waiting for her—with bags packed. He bites first, “You said you could go so far as to marry me, seems you were scared that would happen after all.” Her false bravado evaporates immediately from the opening attack. Calmly furious JinHo is a very frightening thing indeed. And most people make the most heartrending comments when they are too furious to even raise their voice. He adds, “You must have thought your life could turn into a big joke going this way.”
JinHo sums up that GaeIn thought to solve her Gay JinHo problem by pushing him onto Director Choi. GaeIn is numb at the accusation and can’t find the words to explain. He goes on, a little hurt by what she has done but also determined to stay on his path to doing the right thing, as ChangYul ordered him. “I’m relieved actually. I thought you stupid, but it seems you have some sense in your head after all.” GaeIn can only manage, “Why are you talking this way?” But he’s saved his most hurtful words for last. He tells her that he’s moving out but she can return the deposit when she finds a new tenant. And then he walks out the door, leaving a cold empty space behind him.
In the days following, JinHo is pretty miserable. He sleeps at the office, doesn’t eat…he looks haggard. He also can’t concentrate. He spends a great deal of time staring out the window and reliving ChangYul’s threat about how hurt GaeIn would be if she ever learned of JinHo’s lies. He’s upset with the way he moved out. Not only did he move out of the house, he also denounced their friendship. That latter part probably a heat of the moment product of his anger at the matchmaking date.
When InHee arrives unexpectedly to invite him to a musical, his quick answer is a negative. When she informs him that GaeIn will be going as well, but with ChangYul, JinHo decides to go to pound the final nail in the coffin of his relationship with GaeIn. This is InHee’s idea actually. She reasons that if GaeIn sees JinHo with her, GaeIn will realize that he has really moved on. Unfortunately, what InHee has not added the calculation is that this love sickness is not one-sided and the longing is not GaeIn’s alone. GaeIn won’t be the only one affected by the sight of the couple switcheroo. In that respect, InHee is uncharacteristically clueless.
At the theatre, the couples run into one another (as planned by InHee) and it is predictably unpleasant. InHee makes good show of clinging onto JinHo’s arm.
Seated, no one pays much attention to the musical. Eyes may be faced forward, but clearly emotional attention is pointed in another direction.
When InHee rests her hand on JinHo’s and he doesn’t reject the touch, GaeIn has seen enough. She bolts.
The three follow.
ChangYul is first catch up with GaeIn, who has had enough of everything. “I can’t do this anymore,” she cries miserably.
JinHo and InHee are now in the lobby as well, but neither ChangYul nor GaeIn notice the audience. “What can’t you do anymore?” ChangYul asks, confused. She blurts out that their “dating” was only for revenge, “I wanted to throw you away, like you did me. But I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore.”
ChangYul is perfectly ok with whatever motivations lead her to start up with him again, they can start fresh now that she’s told him the truth. He’s confident he can truly win her heart back given time. “You have no idea,” she tells him, “you have no idea…who my heart has gone toward.”
JinHo has heard enough. He crosses the space between him and GaeIn, grabs her arm and swings her around to face him. She looks at him in surprise.
“Game over,” he announces and pulls her in for a kiss. And the world spins out of control.
(And it’s hot)
It is difficult to say who seems more shocked by the kiss, ChangYul or GaeIn...
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