Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, this set of episodes, but for now, I thought we could start with a dose of cuteness from our favorite gumiho. She’s adorable. 😍

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 13

I have to admit, this episode was a little uneven for me, but I’m so taken with where we end the episode, that it doesn’t even matter anymore, heh.

It is poignant to see Mi Ho dwell in that undercurrent of sad wistfulness, as she considers her impending forever goodbye with Dae Woong, after the 100 days are up, and she dies, in order to allow him to live.

Her sad smiles really did get to me; I guess I’m just not used to seeing our cheerful Mi Ho be so pensive, underneath her sweet smile.

Having said that, it was a nice reversal, to have Dae Woong be the one all eager and anxious for the two of them to experience couple stuff.

This reminds me so much of the that time in an earlier episode, where Mi Ho pretended to be on a date with Dae Woong, and kept getting inspiration from other couples.

That’s exactly what Dae Woong does this episode, and I feel quite gratified seeing this; it’s just nice to have that assurance – not just for Mi Ho, but for us too – that he really, really, really, really likes her back. 😁

And how cute, that they order ice cream based on the flavors whose colors most resemble cow, pig and chicken. It’s perfect. 😂

Speaking of reversals, I thought it was a cheeky reversal, to have Aunt react to Director Ban’s less pleasant smells this time. 😆

I felt kinda bad for Director Ban, though, because while Director Ban had previously gallantly told Aunt that no, she didn’t smell, and in fact always has a light fragrance to her, Aunt fails to return the compliment, even though she does try.

Her effort to hug him in spite of his sweaty stench fails miserably, oops. But at least Director Ban takes it in good humor, and Aunt does manage a relatively good save, by suggesting that they go to the jimjilbang together.

And while we’re talking about the jimjilbang, I just wanted to mention the lamb head towel, which is something you’ve probably seen in many other kdramas before.

The way they fold the towel to wear on their heads, isn’t just to look cute – though I must say our Mi Ho looks adorable in it; it’s meant to keep their ears from burning from the heat in the jimjilbang.

Isn’t this the cutest gumiho lamb you’ve ever seen, though? 😍

Our adorable gumiho lamb is very conflicted this hour, though.

On the one hand, she’s making as many memories as possible with Dae Woong, even imaginary ones, where he tells her what he’d like them to do together, in winter, at Christmas and during spring.

On the other hand, after Gumiho Hunter plants the idea in her head that Dae Woong will easily forget about her after she dies, she feels compelled to ask him random “what if” questions to test his loyalty.

On the surface, Mi Ho’s questions all sound like the kind of stuff insecure girlfriends ask their boyfriends, like, “If you and I were dangling off a cliff and there’s only one rope to climb to safety, then would you grab the rope first? Or would you give it to me?”

But underneath it all, it feels very plaintive to me, because she just wants an assurance to hold onto, so that she can die with peace of mind.

I feel bad for Mi Ho, because she doesn’t get the assurance that she craves, because Dae Woong’s so literal in all of his answers. “I don’t like mountains so there’s no reason why I’d be dangling from a cliff.” Ha! Silly, clueless Dae Woong.

It’s really sweet, though, that Dae Woong agrees to take Mi Ho to the zoo, because she really wants to go, even though, as we find out later, he’s had a distinct phobia of the zoo, ever since his parents had died on their way home from the zoo, when he was a kid.

Aw. No wonder Dae Woong had looked so uneasy, each time Mi Ho had mentioned wanting to go to the zoo. And, he’d overcome his own discomfort, in order to make her happy? That’s really selfless of him. Dae Woong earns a big brownie point from me, for this.

I think it’s pretty clever of Show, to use this incident in two ways. Not only does this show us how much Dae Woong likes and cares for Mi Ho, it also serves as a fresh perspective for Mi Ho.

For the first time since she’d decided to die in order to save Dae Woong, it occurs to Mi Ho that it might actually be really painful for Dae Woong to remember her, after her death.

Aw. I like this, too. I mean, I don’t like that Mi Ho’s planning to die, but I appreciate that she’s seeing things from Dae Woong’s perspective, and adjusting her own thinking accordingly.

The way Mi Ho then resolves to make as many memories as possible, in the 50 days that she has left, is so bittersweet. She’s no longer distracted by the idea that it would be unfair for her to die for him; it’s enough that she maximizes the last 50 days. That’s so pure and selfless, I feel.

The way Mi Ho goes about saying goodbye to everyone, is so poignant. I mean, she’s even kind to Noona, even though Noona’s not any more pleasant than usual.

I kind of love how Mi Ho’s unflagging good cheer and kindness has a discombobulating effect on Noona. She just doesn’t know what to make of our Mi Ho, and that pleases me, somehow.

Speaking of Noona, I know it’s part of the necessary journey, but I can’t help feeling frustrated with both Noona and Gumiho Hunter this episode, as they work, separately and together, to try to stop Dae Woong and Mi Ho from leaving for China together. I mean. Aren’t they such busybody meddlers??

Noona claims that she really cares about Dae Woong, but y’know, Noona’s been so self-centered all this time that I have trouble believing her when she says things like that. As for Gumiho Hunter.. sigh.

I guess it’s his job to try to catch Mi Ho, but who’s checking, honestly? Also, he just seems way too personally invested in this. He wants to meddle in Mi Ho’s life, to assuage the pain that he still feels from what he went through with Kil Dal.

But, as Mi Ho rightly points out to him this episode, she’s not Kil Dal. It perplexes me that he can’t seem to wake up to that fact.

However, I do feel suitably gratified when Noona and Gumiho Hunter separately make their cases to Dae Woong and Mi Ho, only to have Dae Woong and Mi Ho literally run away from them.

Ha! I love how perplexed this makes both of them, but more than that, I can’t help cheering, that Dae Woong and Mi Ho refuse to listen to the lies that Noona and Gumiho Hunter keep trying to sell them.

Even though it had occurred to me this episode, that there’s the option for Mi Ho to take back the bead from Dae Woong before the 100 days is up, I was still very much blown away by the pure, fiery emotion of Dae Woong’s declaration to Mi Ho.

I love that he tells her to take the bead back immediately, saying that even though they don’t know what’s going to happen, they will face it together.

I love how they tie this back to the rope question that Mi Ho had asked earlier, and both declare that because they love each other, they won’t die for each other. “If we live, we’ll both live. And if we die, we’ll both die.”

Augh. It’s perfect. It’s the best outcome I could have asked for; they’re in this, with passion, conviction and trepidation, together. For better or for worse. I love it. 😭❤️

Episode 14

It never occurred to me on my first watch, but suspension of disbelief is really required, in the scene where Dae Woong collapses and is rushed to the hospital.

Now that I’ve watched medical dramas like Dr. Romantic, I paid more attention to Dae Woong’s treatment, and I couldn’t help thinking that if Dae Woong had really needed oxygen and CPR (CPR!!), which they administer only when he arrives at the hospital (rather than en route to the hospital), he would’ve already been dead on arrival. 😆

But ok, this is not a serious medical drama, so it’s not a biggie and I can just roll with it. I couldn’t help being rather amused by this, though, which is why I thought I’d mention it.

I’m glad that Dae Woong’s ok, of course, and I thought it was a fun little touch, that Dae Woong turns out to have been consistently told by fortune tellers that he’d live to 120.

So if Gumiho Hunter is right, that Dae Woong’s given half his life to Mi Ho, he’ll still have about 50 years left, after giving half of his remaining 100 years to Mi Ho. Being able to live to about 70 or so, while getting to be with the love of your life.. that’s not terrible?

Also, I am amused that Grandpa misunderstands that Mi Ho is pregnant, and the baby’s nickname is Bead. Pfft. This.. is not a ruse that will be able to last for long, eh? 😆

Here I thought that we’d just have lots of cute hijinks at Grandpa’s house, with Grandpa fussing over a supposedly pregnant Mi Ho, but Gumiho Hunter reminds us all, that his blood, which is meant to kill Mi Ho, is still in her. Yikes. This does provide quite a daunting possibility, doesn’t it?

The thing is, even Gumiho Hunter isn’t sure how this whole thing is going to go. Will the human “chi” (or “qi” or “ki” depending on your preferred spelling) that Dae Woong’s given Mi Ho, mesh well with Mi Ho’s gumiho energy, and will the blood stop killing her, or keep on killing her?

It does provide a good amount of narrative tension, and poor Dae Woong has to contend with that, while also dealing with Mi Ho’s sudden blue-eyed gumiho outbursts.

I did find the gumiho outbursts quite entertaining, though, what with Mi Ho basically getting all up in Dae Woong’s space, and demanding that he share more “chi” with her, while he does his flustered best to dampen her appetite.

Heh. Show’s just continuously coming up with reasons to prevent the mating that Mi Ho keeps talking about, isn’t it? 😆

I did love the detail, of Dae Woong giving Mi Ho Aunt’s fox tail fur coat to hold, so that she’d be appeased in her demand that he return the tails that she’s lost. That was really quite funny.

I do appreciate Dae Woong’s efforts to do the best thing for Mi Ho. The way he basically upsets everyone, so that he can go back to the action school attic apartment with Mi Ho, is pretty selfless.

He doesn’t even care that everyone’s angry with him; he only cares that Mi Ho has a place where she’ll be able to comfortably deal with any and all gumiho outbursts. That’s sweet, yes?

While I’m not so hot on the fact that Dae Woong doesn’t tell Mi Ho the truth about the status of her tails and what it all means, according to Gumiho Hunter, I can understand that he feels that he wants to protect Mi Ho from such a scary truth, while finding a way to save her.

How confusing it is for Mi Ho, though, when she’s super happy about her fifth tail disappearing, thinking that it means she’s still going to become human, while Dae Woong gets all anxious and broody.

I mean, yes, he’s protecting Mi Ho from the truth, but in exchange, she’s so confused while she’s being kept in the dark. I feel that Dae Woong should have told Mi Ho. Mi Ho deserves to know. She may be childlike, but she’s not a child, and it’s her life after all, right?

The next thing Dae Woong does, is basically the same thing, just ten times worse. Or maybe a hundred times worse. Coz breaking up with Mi Ho, while telling her things like he sees her as a monster now, is just too dang much.

The poor girl has no idea where this came from, and he’s just breaking her heart all over the floor, isn’t he? 😫

And while I get that this is breaking Dae Woong’s heart too, I just can’t get over the fact that he’s smashing Mi Ho’s heart to smithereens like this, and in a fashion that’s sure to feel like it came out of nowhere, to Mi Ho.

Also, it was very uncool of him to just leave her by the side of the road like that. My heart broke for Mi Ho, when she cried, and the fox rain started to fall. 😭

Even though we see that a month later, Mi Ho’s using her new name, I don’t believe for a second that she’s managed to forget about Dae Woong and move on with her life.

This was an unrealistic expectation to begin with. Who gets over true love and a broken heart, in just a month?

Dae Woong’s under the assumption that Gumiho Hunter’s moved away to a faraway country with Mi Ho, seeing that the vet clinic is closed down, but from the survey scene, it’s clear that Mi Ho’s still in Korea. Find her, Dae Woong! You have to!