Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Doesn’t our Mi Ho look adorable with her new hairdo, and aren’t those just the most wonderful dimples, ever?? 😍

Here are our usual ground rules, before we begin:

1. Please don’t post spoilers in the Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point. If you really need to talk about a spoiler, it is possible to use the new spoiler tags, but please know that spoilers are still visible (ie, not hidden) in the email notification that you receive, of the comment in question. We have quite a few first-time viewers among us, and we don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.

2. Discussions on this thread don’t have to close when newer threads open, just so you know! But as we progress through our group watch, please keep the discussions clear of spoilers from future episodes, so that future readers coming to this thread won’t be accidentally spoiled. Does that make sense?

Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️

My thoughts

Episode 9

Interference seems to be the name of the game this episode, and it can get aggravating to watch, BUT, the interference also does seem to push Dae Woong towards acknowledging his feelings for Mi Ho, so it’s not all bad?

It’s a bummer that Grandpa and Aunt combine forces to drag Dae Woong back home, with Grandpa even feigning sickness to get Dae Woong to cooperate, but on the upside, Dae Woong does care enough about Mi Ho, to notice that she’s not quite herself, and might be unwell, and goes back to check on her.

Also, it occurs to me that because of Show’s light hand, all of the interference by Grandpa and Aunt doesn’t land too badly. In a more serious drama, this could have been much more aggravating. In this show, the aggravation mostly comes from Sneaky Noona, which we’ll get to later.

It is hard to watch Mi Ho be in pain, especially when we hear from Gumiho Hunter, that she is going through her first death. It had never occurred to me before, that each of Mi Ho’s tails represents a life.. I guess this borrows from the idea that a cat has nine lives?

How troubling, though, that we learn that each death is going to be more painful than the last. And of course Mi Ho doesn’t wish to tell Dae Woong her secret about working to become human, and therefore can’t be near her bead, when it hurts the most.

It’s when Dae Woong’s not thinking about things too hard, that his feelings for Mi Ho come out in full force, and I have to admit, it was pretty satisfying to see him practically jump out of a moving car, and literally run back to the apartment, so that he can make sure that Mi Ho’s ok. This kind of visceral concern for Mi Ho, is exactly the kind of thing I’d like to see more of, from Dae Woong.

Dae Woong isn’t so great at picking up clues, it seems, because he takes Mi Ho’s words at face value and believes her when she says that she’s just too tired. This is admittedly a bit of a stretch, since Dae Woong is still under the belief that Mi Ho doesn’t get tired because she is a gumiho.

I think that he chooses to believe her, because he has very little wiggle room at the moment anyway, to take care of her; I think it just makes things easier for him to believe her.

I do appreciate the gentle way that he checks her temperature, and tells her to eat well and rest, after checking the fridge to make sure that she has enough soda and meat for a while.

This episode, there’s a recurring motif of flickering lights, which represent Dae Woong’s confusion around his feelings for Mi Ho. When he’s at home and the lights are bright and stable, he says that he can see clearly, and his senses are gathered. This implies, by extension, that when he’s in darkness, he can’t see as clearly (read: logically), and I believe that this is meant to represent the times when his feelings for Mi Ho are clearer.

I think it’s significant that while Dae Woong finds relief in the light early in the episode, by the time we reach the end of the episode, in the scene where he’s toying with the light switch, he ends that session by brooding in the dark. I feel like this is a symbolic indication that he’s beginning to become more cognizant of his feelings for Mi Ho.

In the meantime, Dae Woong offers to introduce Ddoong Ja to Mi Ho, saying that Ddoong Ja must be really curious about her. Heh. I’m amused that Dae Woong needs to make an excuse for himself, to look in on Mi Ho.

However, I do appreciate that he’s being much more patient and mature with Grandpa and Aunt, compared to when we first met him. When he tells Aunt that he’ll be back in time for Grandpa’s dinner, I actually believe him. I like this more grounded version of Dae Woong much better, I hafta say.

I also appreciate that when Dae Woong happens to meet Sneaky Noona outside the apartment (because Sneaky Noona is sneaking around, hur), he takes the opportunity to return the camcorder to her. Even though this gives Sneaky Noona access to the questionable footage of one of Mi Ho’s tails, I like the idea that Dae Woong doesn’t feel it’s right to keep the gift, and is drawing a firm line with Sneaky Noona.

This episode, Sneaky Noona becomes Suspicious Noona, and begins to get sucked into all sorts of wild ideas about Mi Ho. I do think that this doesn’t land with any realism, since the video footage isn’t much to go on, and its link to Mi Ho being not quite human, is quite tenuous.

I’d say the same for all the other bits of circumstantial evidence Suspicious Noona mulls over this episode, since they really aren’t much to go on.

For example, it really seems odd that Noona picks up on the fact that Mi Ho evaded the car in a supernaturally fast manner. However, because this is such a breezy sort of drama world, I think we’re meant to just accept Sneaky Noona’s suspicions, along with the far-fetched scheme she hatches, to get Mi Ho to undergo a medical examination. Pfft. That whole thing, where Noona traps Mi Ho in an examination room, so that a doctor can come and forcibly examine Mi Ho, is wildly ridiculous.

Before that all goes down, however, it is nice to see Dae Woong and Mi Ho finally reunite and spend some time just hanging out together and having fun.

That moment when Dae Woong catches up to Mi Ho, just as she’s given up hope of meeting Dae Woong outside his home, is quite thrilling, because I’d thought that in classic Hallyu fashion, they’d just missed each other by two seconds. I felt so happy for Mi Ho, that she gets to see Dae Woong after all, and I love that she happily hugs him without any hesitation. I just love Mi Ho’s innocence and lack of guile. ❤️

How cute, that Dae Woong really does introduce Mi Ho and Ddoong Ja, and they shake hands and everything.

Even cuter, is how happy Mi Ho is, as she and Dae Woong ride around together on that twin bicycle contraption, looking like a bona fide couple out on a date at the park. Aw.

Aunt goes to meet Director Ban at his office, and requests that he get Dae Woong to quit the movie because of his injuries, and this is when I notice that poster on the wall, of Director Ban’s very successful slave drama, titled, simply, “노비” (“nobi”), meaning “slave.” Tee hee hee.

This is totally what Ele was talking about before, and this is definitely a reference to Sung Dong Il being a part of Chuno, earlier that year. 😆 In fact, doesn’t it look like Sung Dong Il himself, in that poster? I am very tickled by this.

Unfortunately for Aunt, her klutzy side strikes again, and she accidentally spills coffee on Director Ban’s beloved DVD set of A Better Tomorrow, which is autographed by none other by Chow Yun Fatt himself. Yikes. Poor Aunt is completely taken aback when Director Ban loses his cool and raises his voice at her in a fit of anger and horror.

Director Ban recovers his cool somewhat (for which I think he deserves some credit, since this really was his prized possession, and most people in his position wouldn’t be able to recover quite as fast), but it’s too late; Aunt leaves in a huff, saying she’ll go to Hong Kong to get him a new one. Ahaha. Poor Director Ban. He looks so disappointed in himself. 😆

Interference is still our main theme. When Mi Ho refuses to leave Dae Woong’s side by the time the 100 days are up, like Gumiho Hunter tells her to, he starts to make arrangements for Mi Ho to leave for Japan under a new identity, once she becomes human. How troubling, that Gumiho Hunter muses that it’s all because he doesn’t think Mi Ho will be able to bear it when Dae Woong dies. That’s.. not good.

Just when Dae Woong gets a perfectly clean bill of health after his medical checkup, and is all ready to reunite with Mi Ho over some grilled meat, Sneaky Noona tells Mi Ho to disappear, in exchange for her keeping quiet about Mi Ho’s strangeness. Sneaky Noona really doesn’t have much to stand on, but because Mi Ho is so innocent and guileless, and also, because she’s experienced firsthand how much damage rumors can do, I’d believe that she’d agree to disappear, on those grounds.

Importantly, when Mi Ho calls to ask Dae Woong to take care of her bead even when she’s not there, Dae Woong’s face immediately clouds over, and he looks genuinely horrified, when Mi Ho tells him that she’s going to have to disappear from his side.

Episode 10

I am bummed that Mi Ho’s agreed to disappear, but I am amused that she’s so easily persuaded to postpone her disappearance, first, by an invitation from Byeong Soo and Sun Nyeo to join them for barbecue, and then, by an invitation from Grandpa, to get in his car for a home visit.

I understand; Mi Ho is very unwilling to leave Dae Woong, and even though she appears to be in a dilemma with each invitation that she receives, she’s actually more than happy to jump on an excuse to put off the inevitable, just a little longer. That, and the meat included in both invitations definitely helps to sweeten the deal, heh.

Also, even though I’m not hot on the way Dae Woong responds in an angry tone when Mi Ho tells him on the phone that she has to disappear from his life, I appreciate the idea that underneath the angry outburst, he really, sincerely doesn’t want Mi Ho to disappear, and is actually anxious that she stay.

I appreciate the way Dae Woong rushes to the hospital to look for Mi Ho, and when he hears that Noona had gotten Byeong Soo and Sun Nyeo to bring Mi Ho to the hospital, which just happens to be her father’s hospital, Dae Woong gets suitably suspicious and confronts Noona.

I am very pleased that he basically sees through Sneaky Noona’s attempt to play the victim, and firmly informs her that Mi Ho is not at all scary, and absolutely not a monster. Plus, I do love how Dae Woong indirectly calls Noona’s bluff, that it had been Mi Ho who’d offered to disappear. He knows that Mi Ho would never voluntarily leave him, and I find that unwavering confidence and assurance – reflected so much in his gaze in this moment – very appealing. That’s just how solid and steady Mi Ho’s affection is, to him.

I have to confess that I took quite a lot of delight in Noona’s flabbergasted expression, that Dae Woong would actually say such things to her. YESS. Take that, Noona. 😏 I like how Dae Woong  then basically straight up tells Noona to just leave well enough alone, before he runs off, leaving her speechless. HA. As you can tell, I have a beef with Sneaky Noona. 😜

More importantly, I like that the reason Dae Woong runs off abruptly, is because he sees Fox Rain out the window, and is concerned that Mi Ho’s crying. Aw.

It’s smart of Dae Woong, to call Mi Ho and tell her that he misses her, so that she’ll stop crying. That definitely shocks Mi Ho into stopping, which I think is adorable.

Plus, I also think that Dae Woong muttering to himself, before uttering the important “I miss you” to Mi Ho, that this is the only way to stop her from crying, feels like he’s giving himself an excuse to say it, just like Mi Ho had been giving herself excuses to delay her disappearance.

While Dae Woong makes his way back to the apartment, Mi Ho determines that she needs to deal with Noona, because now that Dae Woong’s even told her, “I miss you,” all the more she can’t leave him.

..Which made me think that Mi Ho was going to threaten Noona or something, so it’s quite funny to me that Mi Ho ends up pleading with Noona instead, because that’s the more human thing to do. Hmm.. I think our Mi Ho isn’t very clear on what humans are like, honestly.

I’m more than a little concerned that Mi Ho openly tells Noona everything about giving Dae Woong her bead, and how it protects him. Ack. Mi Ho trusts Noona wayy too much; no one should trust Noona, ever, I say.

Since Mi Ho doesn’t have a second bead to give her, Noona basically demands that Mi Ho do the Real Action for Director Ban, and that Mi Ho do it, only on the condition that Director Ban makes Noona the lead actress. Ugh. That’s sneaky, but it does satisfy Noona’s desire to be the lead actress, Director Ban’s desire to have Mi Ho be his Real Action girl, and Mi Ho’s desire to make an agreement with Noona that would enable her to stay.

I do like that the minute Byeong Soo calls Dae Woong to let him know that Mi Ho is, oddly, with Noona at the action school, Dae Woong comes running to get Mi Ho away from Noona. This episode, Dae Woong earns a good amount of brownie points from me, for firmly and consistently standing up for Mi Ho, when Noona tries to put her down and call her names.

I also really like the conversation that Dae Woong and Mi Ho have the gym, where Dae Woong apologizes to Mi Ho for having wanted to use her. I love that Mi Ho brushes it off, and apologizes too, for having once said that she’d wanted to eat him. It’s so wholesome, that this mutual apology is sincere and heartfelt, and yet, so easily gives way to silly bantering, where Dae Woong coaches Mi Ho on how to act more frail and tired while doing her stuntwoman work, so that she can appear more human-like.

It’s cute that as they go through scenes together, Dae Woong gets all flustered and protective at any mention of Mi Ho’s character having even the tiniest show of skin, while Mi Ho innocently says things like, “But I like taking baths!” Lol.

More importantly, as Dae Woong practices his lines with Mi Ho standing in as the virtuous girl that his character is opening his heart to, he ad-libs the last part, and says, “I want to protect you, and I want to treat you well. While getting rained on, I must have lost my mind.” Ooh. Dae Woong fumbles that he made a mistake and just said the wrong lines, but he just really got caught up in the moment, didn’t he? And that’s how he truly feels about Mi Ho, isn’t it?

As Mi Ho gets into the swing of rehearsing action scenes along with the rest of the crew, Director Ban attempts to talk things out with Aunt, to no avail, because she keeps hanging up on him; she’s that offended and hurt by his angry outburst, and the idea that in his eyes, she’s less important than his daughter AND Chow Yun Fatt.

Director Ban makes a solemn decision, and packs away his Chow Yun Fatt stuff in a box, and sends Aunt a text, reminding her to watch him accept his award on TV, for the Korean Film Festival, so that she will see his sincerity. Pwahaha, Director Ban actually does the silly secret signal things that he and Aunt had joked about – both the head roll and the backwards goodbye – and while everyone else wonders what is up with Director Ban, Aunt swoons at home. Tee hee. This is hilarious.

Even more hilarious, is how Aunt then shows up in Director Ban’s office in a tribute outfit of her own, in order to tell him that she likes every aspect of him, and doesn’t want him to give up anything at all. Their reunion embrace is emotional and dramatic, and, kudos to Director Ban, that this time, he only blinks in consternation once, when his box of Chow Yun Fatt treasures gets knocked over. All he does is mutter a quick “I’m sorry,” in Mandarin, to Chow Yun Fatt, ha. 😆

While all this is going on, Mi Ho stays away from the crew’s celebration party in honor of Director Ban’s win, because Noona’s told her to not to go, on threat of Noona spreading weird rumors about her, ugh.

To cheer Mi Ho up, Gumiho Hunter urges Mi Ho to try on her new human identity, just to see how she likes it. He takes her shopping for clothes, gets her a makeover, and even brings her to a reunion party for her fake university reunion. Ha. I love that Mi Ho chooses her outfit because her blouse is the color of cow. She’s so singleminded that way, isn’t she? 😆

While it’s all very novel to Mi Ho, it’s clear that she’s not very comfortable in this new skin. Gumiho Hunter points out that when Mi Ho is with Dae Woong, Dae Woong’s forced to hide the truth from his friends and family, and this makes Mi Ho feel bad. Gumiho Hunter once again urges Mi Ho to leave Dae Woong at the end of the 100 days, saying that he’ll help her, but Mi Ho doesn’t give him an answer.

In the meantime, Dae Woong’s at the celebration party, and feeling perplexed that Mi Ho hasn’t shown up. I’m rather concerned, because Dae Woong gives away way too much information, when Sun Nyeo tries to plant a drunken kiss on him. I guess it’s because Dae Woong is just that relieved to have averted any damage to the bead, but his big show of relief definitely gives Sneaky Noona an idea, and I don’t like where this is going.

When Mi Ho gets back to the apartment and asks Dae Woong what he’d tell his friends and family if they asked about her, I appreciate that Dae Woong says that they’ll have to find a day to clearly say what happened between them before. This feels healthy and positive, and I think that this helps Mi Ho to feel better. Also, how silly-cute, that Dae Woong uses the bead as an excuse to tell Mi Ho not to get too close to Gumiho Hunter, claiming that her close proximity to another guy causes him physical discomfort, the way she would feel discomfort, if he got close to another girl. Pfft. Dae Woong’s definitely being more.. upfront about his jealousy?

I feel like Dae Woong insisting on being on the filming set every day, even though he doesn’t have any scenes, is him being equal parts protective and territorial. He definitely doesn’t like it when the male crew pays Mi Ho any attention, heh.

What an awful, sneaky trick that Noona plays on Dae Woong, though, taking advantage of her costume being identical to Mi Ho’s, and ambushing him in a kiss like that. UGHH. I am so angry with Noona; she looks so unrepentant and defiant. Even before Dae Woong’s done pushing Noona away and yelling at her to ask her what the heck she thinks she’s doing, our Mi Ho, who’s perched on the top of scaffolding, ready for an action scene, collapses in a dead faint, and falls headlong to the floor. ACK. I mean, I’m pretty sure Mi Ho will be ok, because she has to be, for our story to continue, but STILL. This cliffhanger had my heart in my throat. 😱🙈