Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! I decided to have this shot of Jung Hoo headline our post today, because this is the moment that he decides that he’s interested in his investigation, in a very personal manner. 🤩

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, before we begin:

1. We will be adopting a ZERO SPOILER POLICY for this Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point.

We don’t want to spoil anyone’s watch experience with spoilers. The spoiler tags don’t work in email notifications, therefore, please take note that WE WILL NOT BE USING SPOILER TAGS FOR THIS OPEN THREAD. ANY AND ALL SPOILERS WILL BE REDACTED to protect first-time viewers in our midst (although, I’d appreciate it if you would save me the trouble of having to redact spoilers, heh 😅).

This includes, but is not limited to, how characters &/or relationships develop, later in the show.

We need to protect the innocent! 😉

2. HOWEVER!! If you’d like to discuss spoilers from a rewatcher’s point of view, I’ve created a SPOILER ZONE for you, where you can discuss all the spoilers you’d like, without the need for spoiler warnings. You can find it here!

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

My thoughts

Episode 3

We are still in set-up mode, and therefore Show is still creating a framework of information for us, which is why this episode, it still feels kind of a little bit scattered, in terms of the fragments of information we’re getting.

However, Show’s tone is definitely shining through, and it’s a fun and intriguing mix of hidden identity shenanigans, stars-in-my-eyes parkour thrills, and melodramatic mystery backstory. It’s all coming together quite nicely for what promises to be a fun-yet-thrilling romp.

Based on Moon Ho’s flashbacks and his emotional response to having found Young Shin, we can quite safely conclude that Young Shin is Myung Hee’s long-lost daughter Ji An, whom Myung Hee currently assumes to be dead.

And, for some reason, Moon Ho sees his own silence on a matter that is as yet undisclosed to us, as a key contributor, to the separation between mother and daughter, and Myung Hee’s years of heartbreak.

I am guessing that that matter has something to do with Moon Sik, since Moon Ho would have been most privy to his brother’s actions. Plus, there’s that detail that Young Shin had shared earlier, with Yun Hee, on the roof, that her abandonment had had something to do with “the man who was supposed to be her father.”

Piecing together the fact that Young Shin had been abandoned, and that her “supposed father” had had something to do with it, and that, at some point, Myung Hee had married Moon Sik (even though, at this point, we don’t know what had happened to Young Hee’s Bio Dad), it’s not too much of a stretch, to guess that it was quite probable that Moon Sik had had something to do with faking Ji An’s death.

And, given Moon Sik’s dark looks around Bio Dad, I can imagine that perhaps he might have done it, because he didn’t want Myung Hee to have anyone around her, to connect her to Bio Dad? Because he was always jealous of Bio Dad?

Although we don’t fully understand the backstory just yet, it’s clear that Moon Ho carries a great deal of guilt around Ji An’s abandonment.

That’s why he’s been having nightmares for years, about losing her, and that’s likely also why he’s so intent right now, on finding out what her dreams are. He probably wants to make up to her, everything that she’d lost, by being abandoned.

Now, thanks to Healer’s surveillance, Moon Ho knows that Young Shin’s dream is to be a great journalist like Oriana Fallaci. Really curious to see what Moon Ho does with this tidbit of information.

If he’s anything like his brother, he might just up and buy Some Day, the company that Young Shin works for, heh.

Speaking of whom, I am guessing that the reason Moon Sik wants to buy Double S Guard (sorry, my subs had said WS Guard, last set of episodes, and it’s only become clear, this episode, that it should be Double S Guard instead), is because Moon Ho’s a client?

I could be wrong, of course, and Moon Sik might have other reasons for wanting to acquire Double S, but so far, all we know is that Moon Ho is a client of Double S, and had engaged Double S to steal the item that Healer had been commissioned to get from murder victim Go Sung Chung.

Perhaps this is Moon Sik’s way to keeping tabs on Moon Ho’s secret movements?

Well, that, and also, the fact that Moon Sik’s given orders for Healer to be framed for Go Sung Chung’s death, so I suppose he’ll need the support of the second best in the business, going forward, assuming he’s successful in framing Healer as a murderer.

On an irreverent tangent, I have to say that the entire deal really is presented like it’s a deal with the devil. Even before Secretary Oh (who strikes me as a bit of a little goblin) mentions that Double S boss Sang Soo is being asked to sell his soul, it had popped into my head that the whole thing vibes like a classic deal with the devil. Makes me wonder how Sang Soo is going to regret this later.

Over on Young Shin’s side, I can’t help but love how cheeky and irreverent she is, in general.

The way she tends to break into a song and dance, whenever she’s feeling a bit down about something; the way she talks up her effort in saving Yun Hee, while role-playing the scene for Dad; the way she does her best air kick in her bedroom, to work off the frustration of missing the scoop on the Lee Joon Bin and Oh Sun Jung dating scandal.

I don’t even hold her stolen sandwich bite against her too much, because it strikes me as a mischievous sibling-esque thing to do, rather than something actually rude or malicious.

Yes, I’m rationalizing a bit here, but it’s true that Young Shin’s relationship with her boss is of the good-natured bickery variety, and that’s her boss’s sandwich she’s stealing that bite from. I feel like he’d take one look, and know it was her, and nag and grumble at her accordingly.

Of course, I also love how Young Shin really is led by her heart, in the things that matter most.

Even though it’s clear that Young Shin’s hesitant to stir up a hornet’s nest by writing an article on Yun Hee’s story, the moment Yun Hee’s words actually get her in the heart, there’s just no going back, for her.

She stays up late and writes that thing, probably against her better judgment, all because Yun Hee’s managed to strike a chord in Young Shin. I love that about her. She really is all heart, underneath it all.

I do rather like the idea, that the more Healer keeps tabs on Young Shin, the more he sees of her effortlessly cute and endearing ways.

Speaking of which, this episode, I’m reminded all over again, why I always got stars in my eyes every time Healer parkours off a building. Dude. That sequence, where Healer races to tail Moon Ho by leaping from roof to roof, while Moon Ho’s driving a car down below, is just too thrilling, seriously. 🤩

Yes, you need to suspend disbelief somewhat, and yes, you do need to employ a bit of a comic book lens, what with Healer leaping over a romantic rooftop dinner, and through someone’s living room, but it’s all in good fun, and I love it; I can’t help myself. This is basically a million coolness points, in Healer’s favor, right away. 😍

I have to admit, the moment when Healer finds that photograph in Myung Hee’s bedroom, and tells Ahjumma that he’s finally starting to find some excitement in his life, I got a bit of a thrill.

I love the idea that Healer, who’s been consistently detached from life and people in general, has suddenly found something that actually fully piques his interest. I love the idea of our nonchalant super-antihero suddenly finding his heart engaged, without his consent. It makes me feel excited for the things to come, because now he’s personally invested, and not just doing a job anymore.

I unabashedly love-love-LOVE the idea of Healer going undercover at Young Shin’s workplace, as her clueless dorky assistant, Bong Soo. Tee hee. I love Bong Soo already.

On the one hand, he feels like the opposite of cool, badass Healer, but on the other hand, he also feels like he could be the amped up expression of the isolated, not-savvy-with-people-things Jung Hoo, who seems to have lived in a man-cave, with very little human interaction, his whole life.

I love how Young Shin takes Bong Soo under her wing right away. There’s something very endearing to me, in the idea that Young Shin likes the idea of taking care of someone, as their sunbae. I mean, she looks legitimately pleased, to be able to tell Bong Soo that she’s buying him lunch. She’s a good egg, isn’t she?

Sure, she’s still all big talk, and her actual abilities likely don’t match the level of her big talk, but I also find that super endearing about her. She’s like a cute little kitten, who looks in the mirror, and sees a fierce lion. 😁

I’m really looking forward to seeing more of Young Shin’s new partnership with Bong Soo, even as Moon Ho looks on, from a distance.

Episode 4

Gosh. I LOVED this episode. I remember all over again, how and why this show is so cracky. 😍

Healer’s disguise as Bong Soo is turning out to be one of my favorite things, because the only thing more thrilling than Healer being cool and badass, is Healer acting dorky and scared as Bong Soo, and then sneaking in the cool and badass moves on the sly.

Stealth badassery somehow gets my knees even more than outright badassery. It’s like, “I don’t need to be acknowledged as cool; I just am.” 🤩🤩

Healer says that he only plans to do this job as Bong Soo for four days, but the way things shake out this episode, I’m pretty darn sure that his stint as Bong Soo will last for wayy longer than four days. After all, there’s also the thing where he’s personally invested, right?

And, it’s not only about his own backstory and that picture. Now, it looks like he’s developed a measure of protective instinct around Young Shin, and I am lapping it up with glee, I tell ya.

It’s so telling, that even though Ahjumma keeps impressing on him, how important it is for him to lay low for the time being, Healer just keeps on going.

I mean, yes, this is partly because he’s personally intrigued by how his own history might be entangled with these people’s, but as we get deeper into the episode, it definitely comes across as Healer getting involved to protect Young Shin, even though it’s a risk to himself.

I love that – even though Ahjumma does not.

I have to admit, Ahjumma getting all cranky at and worried for Healer this episode, was very entertaining to me. I mean, for one thing, Ahjumma’s just very cute, in her kimbap-rolling, fingers-flying sort of way, and for another, I just like the idea that Ahjumma cares about Healer.

I mean, I suppose it’s possible that she mainly sees their relationship as purely business, but the sense that I’m getting, especially with her tone of voice with him, that she’s grown fond of him, in spite of herself, and that’s why she worries about him.

On another note, I actually found it rather surprising to see that Jung Hoo actually has a very cordial relationship with his mom, in the present.

Given the sad flashback, of Mom making him a final meal, before leaving him with Gran, I’d kind of assumed that Mom wasn’t in his life anymore, but she is.

From the looks of it, Mom had left Jung Hoo behind, in order to remarry. And while this might appear heartless to those of us who aren’t familiar with the culture, I will say that I’ve seen this done in enough kdramas, for me to conclude that this is a cultural norm.

It apparently is not that uncommon, for women to not bring their kids with them, when they remarry. Often, the kids are left in the care of grandparents, while the mother goes off to make a new life with her new husband.

I do think that this is tough on the kids; how could it not be, right? But I just wanted to put it out there, that Mom isn’t a terrible person for leaving Jung Hoo behind, per se. It likely was the case, that her future husband (or future husband’s family) was only willing to go through with the marriage, on the condition that she didn’t bring Jung Hoo with her.

That small beat, where Mom looks a little uncomfortable, when Jung Hoo asks if she still has any of Dad’s things, reaffirms my thinking around that. It makes me feel that it’s inconvenient for Mom, to have any traces of her earlier life with her, in her new home.

I actually feel a measure of relief, to see that Jung Hoo has a friendly relationship with his mother, even though Mom certainly doesn’t appear to have any idea of what Jung Hoo actually does for a living, or of how he’s getting on.

However, in a drama landscape where it’s not uncommon for kids to grow distant from their remarried mothers, I’m actually kind of.. weirdly comforted, that Jung Hoo at least has this warm connection with his mother. It makes me feel like he’s less alone in the world, by a little bit.

Like I said, though, hands-down, my favorite arc this hour, is Healer getting into his role as Bong Soo.

Even though I know that this is Healer in front of me, I get so into the flow of Bong Soo being dorky and timid with Young Shin’s dad and the cafe ahjusshi, that I was honestly quite startled to see Healer show up on that rooftop in front of his hoobae Dae Yong, and be all cool and badass again – including leaping off the building, to boot.

The duality; it gets me every time. 🤩 ALSO. I love how casually Healer leaps off buildings; it’s like he does it without having to think about it. Guh.

This episode, we get the tidbit, that indicates that Jung Hoo and Young Shin had known each other as kids. Not only that, we have that flashback showing us that little Young Shin had fallen asleep clutching little Jung Hoo’s arm, much like nightmare-addled Young Shin falls asleep, clutching Jung Hoo’s arm.

Typically, I roll my eyes at OTP childhood connections, because it’s such an overused trope. However, I’m willing to give Show a pass on this, because our entire premise is that Jung Hoo and Young Shin have backstories that relate to the same group photograph. Show sets it up early, so that it doesn’t feel like a cheap shot, and for that, I’m willing to roll with it.

It also says a lot, that Young Shin, who’s so vocal about not being able to sleep when there’s someone else in the room with her, is able to sleep with Jung Hoo by her side, and so well, too, after having been plagued by nightmares.

This is a trope that Dramaland serves up often, but one that I don’t ever seem to tire of. There’s just something very.. comforting, about being able to find rest because of a certain someone’s presence.

With Young Shin’s drunken article laying out the scandal out there, and with Moon Sik getting involved to contain the scandal for Kim Eui Chan, I can see why Moon Ho feels that it’s dangerous for Young Shin to be involved.

Even though Young Shin is cheesed off by Moon Ho’s request, that she give the Kim Eui Chan scoop to him, I do see this as Moon Ho trying to protect Young Shin. After all, he’s already very familiar with the lengths that his brother would go to, in order to protect his interests.

And we see that in action soon enough, with the Double S guys homing in on Young Shin in such a threatening manner.

The thing that strikes me about Young Shin, is that even though she’s scared, she instinctively moves to protect Bong Soo, who’s her hoobae, and therefore technically under her care. She has no idea what’s going to happen, or if she would even really be able to buy any time with these guys, but she just.. chooses to be brave, because she sees it as her duty, to protect Bong Soo.

It’s just the sweetest, most endearing thing, that she’s terrified, and yet, thinks first, to shield Bong Soo in any way that she can. How could you NOT love Young Shin, right?

I know I mentioned this earlier, but I just want to say it again: I just love how Jung Hoo continues to act like Bong Soo, yet manages to stealth-protect Young Shin, as Healer.

On that note, I LOVE Healer’s quick reflexes, which sometimes seem to kick in, without him even thinking about it, like when Young Shin drops her cup of coffee when she realizes she’s face to face with her idol Kim Moon Ho – and Jung Hoo just catches the cup, without missing a beat. Loved that.

I love even more, that moment when Young Shin’s thrown against the wall by those Double S dudes, and Jung Hoo is lightning-fast in placing his hand on her head, so that she doesn’t actually crash into the brick wall. So cool; so protective. Swoon.

And of course, I love-love-LOVE the fact that, even though Ahjumma strongly makes her case on why Jung Hoo should get out of there and not get involved AT ALL, Jung Hoo can’t actually walk away, and comes back in full Healer glory, to kick all the Double S boys to the ground, and save Young Shin.

Ahhh!! So cool. So badass. So swoony.

PLUS, he even thinks to cover her head with that jacket, so that she can’t quite see the violence in front of her. Even in this moment, he remembers Dad’s earnest request, to not allow Young Shin to be exposed to violence, because it causes her to have panic attacks. That’s really thoughtful, honestly.

As Eternal Love swells in the background, and Healer does his kickass thing, and then turns back to look at Young Shin, I am SO READY, for Young Shin to begin to have an actual connection with Healer – even though she already has one, via Bong Soo. 🤩